Great books for your home and school!

Usborne Books & More!

An exciting update!! Usborne Books at Home is now Usborne Books & More! They have acquired the Kane Miller publishing company and are now able to offer even more books to your family!

Visit my website and click on the Kane Miller link (in the left hand column of links) to see the books! More will be added as we go! www.heartslovehome.com

There are also many new offerings and specials on the website! Make sure to enter the drawing to win $50 in free books!!

Come explore the world of Usborne Books & More! We offer high quality, attractive books in a variety of bindings for children of all ages! Our products range from cute baby board books to huge volumes on History and Science topics that are Internet-linked for added learning depth and fun!

You can purchase products directly through my website or host a party for free and discounted items while we share what Usborne is about with your friends and family! This is also a wonderful opportunity to earn income while sharing your love of books with other people! All orders ship very quickly once they are placed.

A child's interest in reading and learning is stimulated by the lavish illustrations and informative content. There are over 1300 bright, colorful and fun titles covering activities, puzzles and a wide range of subjects for children of all ages! Many specially priced sets are available as well as unique craft, fun and learning kits.

Please contact me for additional information!

Contact: Wendy Clayton

Phone: 210-599-6598

Email: wencla2007@gmail.com
**If you email me, please make sure to check your bulk/spam folder for my reply..as messages sometimes end up there instead of your in-box! I will always reply within 24 hrs of receiving an email!**

Website: http://www.heartslovehome.com/

Area: based in NNE San Antonio, available for business in all San Antonio and surrounding areas for home shows, nationwide for web sales!

There are a number of great new books available for this year!

Please let me know if you would like to host a home show or a catalog/eshow!! If you are interested in learning more about how the business works, please let me know!! There are several sign up specials this month!

Blessings,
Wendy

Books....

I have just posted the list of books I have been reading on my new blog. I hope to add some reviews as I have time for the various books. I will continue to add to my list as I go along!

You can check it out here: www.heartslovehome.com

Enjoy!

Christy - part 1

I have been reading the book Christy by Catherine Marshall. This is a great book set in the early 1900's in the mountains of Tennessee. It is a fiction book, though it is based on real people and events. Really more of a historical fiction book in my opinion. I would recommend it for older teens and adults as there some sensitive topics discussed that younger children/teens wouldn't understand (or need to know about yet).

I want to share some of the passages I have come across that have touched my heart and/or made me think. I hope you will find them thought provoking also! I will do several posts with these thoughts I would like to share.

From page 95--spoken by Miss Alice--

"Christy, you have questions on your mind. I'm glad you do. Perceptive people like you wound more easily than others. But if we're going to work on God's side, we have to decide to open our hearts to the griefs and pain all around us. It's not an easy decision. A dangerous one too. And a tiny narrow door to enter into a whole new world.

"But in that world a great experience waits for us: meeting the One who's entered there before us. He suffers more than any of us could because His is the deepest emotion and the highest perception.

"Not mind you, that He approves of suffering or wills it. Quite the opposite. And He doesn't just leave us and Himself in the anguish. At the point where His ultimate in love meets His total capacity to absorb and feel all our agony, there the miracle happens and the exterior situation changes. I've seen that miracle."

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Free Ebooks!! Win a Prize!

Hello, everyone! I just wanted to share about this great site I found. I have already been able to download over 20 books for free!

There are all categories of books and the free book of the month (on the front page towards the bottom) is the Velveteen Rabbit.

Just go to: http://www.wowio.com/index.asp

Click to sign up for a free account on the right hand side. When you get to the part of the registration asking if anyone referred you, please enter my email address (minus the spaces):
wencla 2004 @ earthlink . net

Have a look! It is all free and you can find many types of books good for adults and children!

New Endeavors--Studying and Using Herbs

I have recently started a new quest to learn all about herbs, how to use them and how to make them into my own products to use with my family and friends.

I started my journey by visiting: The Bulk Herb Store I purchased a couple of books from them as well as well as a number of herb combination packs and the awesome water filter system they have on their site. Their prices are great and the products are also great! There is a wealth of information in the various articles on the site as well.

The books I purchased, Herbal Antibiotics and Practical Herbalism, are wonderful resources! I am trying read through and learn as much as I possibly can (of course, it is in between all my other "normal" responsibilities).

I also found a great source for containers and other supplies useful in the making of herbal concoctions: Mountain Rose Herbs They offer a large selection of organic products as well as supplies for making soap, cosmetics, herbal preparations, etc. They also have some articles and recipes you can try out.

I came across this site recently, LearningHerbs.com They offer a lot of helpful information on their site. They also have a free ecourse "Supermarket Herbalism" which shows you how to use common items you can find at your grocery store to help your family. They have a starter kit you can buy that comes with instructions to get you started with making your own products---I haven't purchased it, but it looks like a great set.

My assortment of nicely packaged herbal concoctions!

So far I have made several batches of "Miracle Rub" in various forms--a salve/rub, an oil rub and a rubbing alcohol based rub. They all actually work very well!



I have also made a batch each of the Women's and Men's "Jungle Juice". It is basically a combination of herbs to support health in men or women. They are made in a glycerin base.

I have made several other tinctures. They are "Immune Booster" and "Restful Sleep". The Immune Booster is to use when you start to have symptoms of a cold, flu, etc or even just allergies. The Restful Sleep tincture is to help with falling and staying asleep and it can also be used in a smaller dose to help children or adults calm down.



I have just finished making a batch of "The Vinegar of Four Thieves". It is to be used as a natural insect repellent on people and animals. We will see how it works this summer!



It is fun to experiment with how to use herbs. It is amazing how many "weeds" that we try to kill in our yards, are actually beneficial plants! I plan to spend part of the summer teaching my kids more about the herbs, how to use them and how to make herbal preparations to help our family and our friends.

God truly has provided all we would need to keep ourselves healthy and to help our bodies heal in the plants and trees that He created!

Should We Expose Our Children to Worldly Issues?

This topic was brought up on my local homeschool group's moms' discussion board. I thought I would post me recent post here also.

A friend who had been teaching an Essay Writing class this past semester, brought up the question about protecting our kids but also making sure they are aware enough of the world around them, especially as they approach the high school years, to be able to answer questions that will come up on essay tests, SAT, etc. intelligently. If they have never had the opportunity to discuss various issues openly at home in light of a Christian Worldview, how can we expect them to go out into the world and share an intelligent witness to others?

Anyway, my post below is about a book I just finished reading that should be a priority to read for every parent! I encourage you to buy it and check it out for yourself!
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I have just been reading through For the Children's Sake--Foundations of Education for Home and School by Susan Schaeffer Macaulay.

This is an excellent book. She covers many aspects of the Charlotte Mason approach to learning as well as many other great ideas.

It gives you a lot to think about and ways to examine yourself to see how you are doing in the "job" of educating your children for LIFE.

The section I am reading now is related to what S.M. originally posted about making sure we discuss issues with our children.

This Chapter is-- Education: A Science of Relationships. She covers many areas in this chapter, but in the section below, she is referring to how we are teaching our children to have what we now refer to as a Christian worldview---how we look at everything in relation to the God who created this world and who is ever present--not just making things "separate" but how to truly make all of life into one complete "picture or story"--no separation between "religion" and "academics" or the "real world". God's world IS the real world!

Anyway, here is a section from this chapter, just some ideas to think about! From pages, 101 to 103.

"It is an imperative priority, as never before, to allow our children to learn to think, understand, and see the central truths quite explicitly and clearly. This is a central part of the "Christian" aspect of our education.

We were able to show the film series Whatever Happened to the Human Race to our daughter's school. Attendance was optional. The children were between thirteen and sixteen years old, from average homes. They were absolutely riveted by the ideas of who the person is and his worth, and the topics of euthanasia, abortion, old age, and so on. Discussion afterwards was lively and penetrating. Children need to consider practical issues. They want to think. They want answers. Christianity is part of that rock of reality about which youngsters long to know. They need to understand how contemporary issues fit into what the Bible says.

Have you read The Plague by Camus with a group of fifteen-year-olds? Have they wondered over the problem of evil, the human problem? In reading this novel, do they notice the fallacy of the priest's argument? 'God has willed this child to suffer.' Do they think about how different the biblical perspective is: that the suffering was unleashed by man's choice to disobey God? That all individuals, and the course of history, are caught up in this river of consequence; an abnormal world?

Do they read Brave New World and discuss the logical conclusion of the humanist view of man, his morality, humanity, and social purpose?

Can they pick up something like Time magazine, read it, and think about where it fits into the Christian framework?

Do they come home from school, or from having seen a TV program, and spontaneously discuss what is right, what is wrong?

Have they thrashed through the reasons why the Bible is true? Do they understand the fallacies of other positions? Can they remember numerous occasions when the Bible was seen to fit like a key into the keyhole of reality? Do they know about the historical and archaeological evidence? Are they amazed at how the philosophical ideas of the Bible fit into the way we find reality to be?

They should not be left with only a feeling--'I know it's true because I feel it in my heart.' That is not enough.

One morning they will wake up and you will be gone, and so will their feelings.

Do they know?

All of this is 'Christian education'.

Seeing fallacies. Understanding. Knowing the Bible. Thinking. Judging ideas. Seeking and keeping ears open. Being in touch. "

You'll have to get the book to read the rest of what she has to say!

This book will be an inspiration to all homeschooling families!

Help with Healthy Eating/Lifestyle

I wanted to share about a book I received. I had put it aside a couple of months ago, but came across it again a few weeks ago as I started my new eating/exercise plan.

It is a book by Joyce Meyers, called Look Great Feel Great -- 12 Keys to Enjoying a Healthy Life Now.

It is focused on helping you to understand who you are in Christ, helping you to gain a God-given self image, and giving you little steps to move towards having a healthy attitude as well as a healthy body.

I would highly recommend this book for anyone who has struggled at times with not liking themselves, their body or the way they look (whether you at overweight or underweight).

The keys discussed include:

Let God Do the Heavy Lifting
Learning to Love Your Body
Mastering Metabolism
Exercise
Balanced Eating
Water Your Life
Mindful Eating
Curb Your Spiritual Hunger
De-Stress
Right Vision
Make It Easy
Take Responsibility

*Practice What You Preach: Modeling Self-Respect for the Next Generation

I am about half way through the book and it has been helpful so far. I will share more of what I am learning as I go through it.

This was just one of the things God put in my path as I was starting out on this new adventure. I will be sharing some of the other words of wisdom and encouragement the Lord has put before me the past few weeks later today.

God truly is our Father and knows exactly what we need when we need it.

Great Read Aloud!

I wanted to share about the book I have been reading to the kids in the mornings before we do our summer school lessons.

We are taking a break from our "normal" Bible time readings to read Dangerous Journey -- The Story of Pilgrims' Progress arranged by Oliver Hunkin, illustrated by Alan Perry. This is a picture book version with the story of Pilgrim's Progress thoroughly illustrated on every page. It is one of the best versions I have come across for sharing the story of Pilgrim's Progress with children.

You can find the book on amazon.com : http://tinyurl.com/glk62

We are reading a chapter each day.We just finished up Chapter 4 today. It was so funny when we first started because my boys (9 1/2 and 6) just couldn't understand why Christian couldn't take the huge burden that was tied onto his back off! I had to keep telling them what it represented and saying "just wait to see what it all means"!

It has been great fun and has opened up opportunities to discuss what becoming a Christian is all about and why the journey doesn't just end when the burden falls off at the cross!

God is so awesome and He can use everything around us to teach us so much! We just need to be aware of what opportunities He lays before us and do our best to use them for His glory!

Reading Time Update

I just have to share that Daddy is continuing to be faithful with reading to the kids every night! The boys always ask for it and are loving the special one on one time they get with Dad just before bed!

It still touches my heart every time they ask to be read to and when I hear my husband remind them that they better get in bed if they want to hear their story. I have also read to them when Daddy was working a few evenings last week. They definitely are loving our return to our bedtime tradition!

The time we take to read to our children is so important and can be such a blessing to us as parents also!

Daddy's Reading Time!

I just have to share how much my kids, especially the boys, are loving having their dad read to them at bed time!

This is a "new" (really a return) to what we used to do with the kids. Last week over dinner out, I was talking to my husband about wanting to get back to a more consistent bedtime routine which included reading to the kids. This is something I used to do more consistently but with many changes in our life, home, etc. in the last year, things had gotten kind of crazy. I love this because, he started it that next night while I was out scrapbooking with a friend! The boys are asking him to read to them every night! I love it! I am always looking for ways to get my husband more involved with what we are doing and the kids relish the time Daddy spends with them, so this is great!

He is reading to them right now! Yes, it is late, but we had Bible Study tonight and the kids went with us (usually they are with Grandparents on Friday nights). There isn't much for them to do so they were actually all asleep by 8:30! We had to wake them up to come home, so they asked Dad to read to them--so he is! I just love hearing him read to them!

I just had to share because the fact that he is doing this on his own with them is so encouraging! They get to listen to me read to them all day long, but not Daddy!

Have a blessed night!