Leane & Michael's Sugarbush

Since we did not publish a winter edition of The Informer, we are posting this information for our long time advertisers Leane & Michael's Sugarbush.  Many homeschoolers look for this information in The Informer each winter.

 22nd ANNUAL MAPLE SYRUP FESTIVAL Feb. 23 & 24 & March 2 & 3, 2013

        Family Friendly Festival    

                 
SYRUP MAKING Take a trip back in time and learn how the Native Americans and pioneers made maple syrup.   Tour our modern syrup making operation: see maple sap being collected and made into pure maple syrup.  Free demonstrations and tours.  
              
NO PARKING OR ENTRY FEE!!!  
                                            
FOOD Pancake or Waffle Supreme breakfast (9 – 5) and our maple chicken or pork chop meals (12 to 5, while quantities last).   Take home fresh, pure maple syrup made right here on our family owned maple syrup farm!!  
                                         
ACTIVITIES Enjoy our children’s activity building – pretend to tap a tree, do an art project, old fashioned dress up, dip a candle, etc. Also, outdoor games, straw maze, cross cut saw with maple leaf branding iron, tomahawk throwing, mule drawn wagon rides, live traditional music, craft vendors, Sunday morning Christian service, and more.   

NEW ACTIVITIES ADDED EVERY YEAR!!!!

Lots of info on our website!!!!!  www.LMSugarbush.com 
Leane & Michael’s Sugarbush, 321 N. Garrison Hollow Rd. Salem, IN 47167
Call or email for details: 877-841-8851     sugrbush@wcrtc.net

 

Why Won't She Listen?

"What just happened?" Many parents find themselves asking this question just after trying to talk with their child. Parent senses something is wrong with child. Parent lovingly tries to engage child in conversation to find out what's wrong and how parent can help. Child wants nothing to do with their advice or them. What happened?
My dad once observed, "For people to believe a message, they have to trust the messenger."We see it every day. As formerly trusted messengers (news reporters, politicians, pastors) have been caught in lies and scandals, people's trust in messages--whether news, government decisions, or spiritual guidance--has plummeted. Our children are not immune. Though parents genuinely love their children and have solid advice to offer, if children no longer trust their parents--they ignore the message.
If you want your children to listen to your message, you must become a trustworthy messenger. How can parents win back (or preserve) the trust of their child?

• Keep your word. Don't make promises you can't (or don't intend) to keep. If you promise child to make it to their football game or a cuddle on the couch after they clean their room, don't let a work deadline or phone call cause you to miss this time. Don't offer bribes to induce good behavior, then renege. Don't forget little promises because children remember. While seeming minor at the time, a pattern of putting off what you told children you would do destroys trust. Keeping your word even when, and perhaps especially when, it's something minor builds trust.

• Live by the standards you impose. Double standards destroy trust. When parents yell in anger but punish children for doing so, parents create piles of clutter but demand that children put stuff away, parents demand that children listen attentively but stare at their computer when child is speaking--these double standards destroy any illusion that the messenger is trustworthy. When parents follow the standards they impose--children learn parents can be trusted. Further, our struggle to follow these standards--that deep sigh as you stop yourself from yelling--instills greater trust. Our children see that following the rules costs us as much as it costs them.

• Be the same person at home as in public. When parents are kind, considerate, and helpful to others in public but selfish and grumpy at home--trust lost. When parents go out of their way to treat family as well as (or even better than) those outside the house, trust builds.

Want your children to listen? Become a messenger they can trust. 
Tess Worrell writes and speaks to groups regarding issues of family life and living as a Godly woman. She and husband, Mike Worrell, live in Madison, Indiana, where they are in their 14th year of home schooling. She would love to hear your insights. Comment here or email her at tess@YourFamilyMatterstous.com. If you would like Tess to speak to your home school or church group, you can learn more about her speaking at YourFamilyMatterstous.com.

No fair!!!

"No fair!" How often do your children shout these words?

In our home, the cry of "No fair!" is usually followed by a call for mom to come work things out. I don't know about you, but the thing I like most about our home schooling (being together, building family, teaching my children how to relate) can so often become the element that overwhelms me most. When sibling conflicts pile one on top of the other, I can get really tired of being the one to sort it out.

Yet, I've learned--these are golden opportunities. In these everyday times of personalities clashing, we parents can bring the teaching of God to very concrete situations. We show our children how to follow God in the real world.

How does this work when our children cry, "No fair"? We can begin by shifting their vision to God's definition of fair, then asking, "Is God's standard being followed?"

Usually, our children's cry of "no fair" means, "I didn't get what I deserve." Children cry foul when they want the red truck but brother keeps playing with it, when sister gets the bigger piece of cake, when older siblings get to stay up but they have to go to bed. What does God mean by fair?

Fair can mean:

• that the reasonable and just outcome has occurred. Proverbs 2:9, Judges 9:16, Luke 3:12-13
• that the needs of everyone in the situation have been met. Col. 4:1
• that children have each treated the others the way they would want to be treated. Luke 6:31

When our children cry "no fair," our best strategy may be to simply ask questions that point to God's standard.

• "Did the just outcome occur?"  In the tousle over the red truck, what would be the just outcome? That the owner of the truck gets to be in charge? That everyone had an equal turn? That brother, who began the game with the truck, gets to carry it out without sister coming along and taking the key piece to brother's game just because the fun brother was having caught her eye? 

• "Did you make sure everyone's needs were met?" We can ask everyone involved what they did to ensure that others' interests were considered and needs met. What could happen with the red truck to ensure this outcome? 

• "Did you treat your sibling the way you would want to be treated?" This question trains our children to always look at others with the eyes of Christ. What would you have wanted your sibling to do? Did you do that first?

Yes, the process can be exhausting. Teaching our children to follow God takes our best energy, time, and wisdom. Yet, isn't this why we're home schooling in the first place? To use every moment God puts in our day to point to Him?

The benefit? Moment by moment, day by day--our children learn to see others as God does and to match their everyday choices to His standard. Moment by moment, day by day our homes grow into God's kingdom ruled by His standard and filled with His grace. That promise transforms the cry of "No fair!" from an overwhelming challenge into a golden teachable moment to point to Christ and His way of living.

New IAHE Region 9 Representatives

Dean and Tammy May have retired after serving as Region 9 Representatives in west central Indiana for 21 years.  They were the original Region 9 Reps and were the longest serving Reps for the IAHE.  We appreciate their many years of service.

We'd like to introduce our new Region 9 Representatives:  Dan and Shawn King of Clinton, Indiana (Vermillion County).

                                                                               
Dan and Shawn King live in Clinton, Indiana, with their four children, Danny (15), Abbie (13), Noah (12), and Emily (10) and have been homeschooling for over 12 years, since their oldest was first ready for preschool learning.  The Kings believe that the home is the best place to learn a love for God and the Bible and to nurture Godly character qualities in their children.    

Dan is the pastor of Calvary Baptist Church and enjoys working with the youth in the community.   Shawn and the children are always close at hand, and the family stays tightly knit by serving, playing, and learning together as much as possible.  Homeschool co-op classes, field trips, church youth group activities, hiking, fishing, 4H programs, and a small home business all provide just the right amount of family fun.    

Dan and Shawn have been actively involved in the homeschool community and are excited to take that a step further by serving as Region 9 Representatives.

Resolutions for a Healthy Marriage

Home schooling families tend to be great goal setters. We set goals for our academics, for our children's spiritual growth, and for our co-ops. In all this we juggle so much. Home, school, church, extra curricular activities, work--sometimes in all this our marriages can get a little lost. As the new year dawns, we enjoy a great opportunity to put our goal-setting skills to work for the most important human relationship we have. If you'd like to set some goals for growing your marriage in the coming year, consider these:
Resolutions for a healthy marriage:

•  Resolve to learn spouse's love language and specifically say I love you in their love language at least once a day. What are "love languages"? Check out Gary Chapman's great book--The Five Love Languages. Whether you put a note in their lunch (words of affirmation) or fill the gas tank before they have an early morning start (acts of service)--you'll communicate your love in a way your spouse receives best. That builds spouse's sense of security in your love.

• Resolve to say only "that which builds others up." Find ways to express what your spouse does right, how they minister to you, and what you enjoy about them. As you focus on affirming all your spouse does for you, you build a foundation of security and joy for your marriage. At the same time, your conversations over the year will likely also include saying things that express concern, hurt, or anger about something spouse is doing. Even those thoughts should be expressed in a way to build spouse up, not tear them down. Make whatever divides you the enemy--not your spouse.

• Resolve to listen to whatever spouse says and take seriously--even if you disagree with the conclusions. Treat spouse's feelings, experiences, and desires as real, valuable, and important. 

• Resolve to spend one-on-one time with spouse doing something fun at least twice per month. Memories and connections created during fun times together help carry through hard times. Whether you picnic on the living room floor or splurge on a fun weekend get-away, invest your time, money, and focus on being with and enjoying your spouse.

• Resolve to pray diligently for your spouse every day. Great book for wives--The Power of a Praying Wife. Gives topical prayers as focus for praying for husbands. I don't know of equivalent for husbands, but do know that a wife senses when a husband prays for her. Prayer can bridge any gap by opening your relationship to the mighty working of God and His desire to build deep intimacy between you. Make this a priority, and you will see the work of God in your relationship.

May 2013 be a year when you are blessed in your marriage and the witness of your faithful, sacrificial love for each other witnesses to the greater love of Christ.
Tess Worrell writes and speaks to groups regarding issues of family life and living as a Godly woman. She and husband, Mike Worrell, live in Madison, Indiana, where they are in their 14th year of home schooling. She would love to hear your insights. Comment here or email her at tess@YourFamilyMatterstous.com. If you would like Tess to speak to your home school or church group, you can learn more about her speaking at YourFamilyMatterstous.com.