Celebrating Freedom to HomeschoolThis past week I had the privilege of talking with a mom in Germany. She has several children and a new baby due very soon, and she and her husband are hoping to move to Canada. You see, homeschooling is…Sonya ShaferJuly 3, 2013
Weary, Worried, and Mad: The Three Thanksgiving ThievesSomehow Thanksgiving snuck up on me this year. Usually I make it a point to get out Thanksgiving decorations on November 1, because I like to remind everyone that there is an important holiday before Christmas too. I pull out…Sonya ShaferNovember 21, 20121 Comment
JoyJoy. We sing about it. We desire it. But often we look for it in the wrong places. Too often we hope that this season of parties and family gatherings and gifts and special concerts and candlelight services will somehow…Sonya ShaferDecember 22, 20114 Comments
Delightful But ExhaustingAm I the only one whose mind is working in constant addendum mode during this season of the year? You know what I mean by “addendum mode,” don’t you? It’s that state of mind in which your brain adds to…Sonya ShaferDecember 14, 20118 Comments
Straight from the HeartHave you ever noticed the different distances a Thank You can travel? I went through a drive-through the other day, and at the end of my order the employee told me the total and said, “Thank you.” That Thank You…Sonya ShaferNovember 23, 20111 Comment
Fall Handicrafts Tips and IdeasHandicrafts and life skills are such a great way to spend cooler afternoons. And as the weather turns cold, they provide a wonderfully productive outlet for energetic minds and fingers indoors. We like to combine handicrafts with life skills because…Sonya ShaferOctober 19, 20111 Comment
Unto Us Is GivenIsaiah 9:6 has been sitting in the Daily section of our Scripture Memory box lately. For unto us a child is bornUnto us a son is givenAnd the government shall be upon his shoulderAnd his name shall be calledWonderful CounselorMighty…Sonya ShaferDecember 22, 20105 Comments
A Feast of Joy and ThanksgivingOur family is preparing for a large family reunion this week. One of the biggest parts of that preparation is planning the menus and gathering the ingredients for our time of feasting. But even as we walk the grocery store…Sonya ShaferNovember 23, 20101 Comment
We Give Thanks to God Always for You AllWhen we started Simply Charlotte Mason several years ago, we asked the Lord to make our efforts a blessing to the families He would bring our way. But we never realized how much the families He brought our way would…Sonya ShaferNovember 25, 2009
Another Kind of OrnamentI enjoy the annual Christmas tree trimming at our house. (Well, aside from climbing up into the attic and hauling down all the boxes.) We put on some Christmas music, light a cinnamon-scented candle, assemble the faithful old artificial tree,…Sonya ShaferDecember 17, 2008
Christmas IdeasWell, we’ve taken down the Thanksgiving decorations and put up the Christmas ones. And along with the Christmas decorations come the Christmas resources that we’ve used in previous years. Want a quick peek?Sonya ShaferDecember 3, 20081 Comment
Surveying God’s Mercies“When all Thy mercies, O my God,My rising soul surveys,Transported with the view I’m lost,In wonder, love and praise”—Joseph Addison Charlotte Mason took time for her soul to survey God’s mercies, and here is what she found to be thankful…Sonya ShaferNovember 26, 2008
Happy ChristmasAre you having a happy Christmas, or is that not the word you would choose to describe your attitude this year? It seems that these days it’s getting easier to focus on the problems and stress factors of the Christmas…Sonya ShaferDecember 25, 2007
Happy ThanksgivingWe, here at SCM, are thankful to God for you, our fellow CMers who encourage us as we walk this journey alongside you; our children and yours, whose faces confirm that learning can be enjoyable; snow up north in Illinois…Sonya ShaferNovember 22, 20071 Comment
Charlotte’s Wisdom at ChristmasAs I’ve been studying Charlotte’s writings these past few months (especially her thoughts on habits — but more about that later), I was delighted to find some specific advice she gave about the Christmas holidays.Sonya ShaferDecember 21, 20064 Comments
