Helping Others

• How to be a Great Homeschool Grad Party Guest

  11 May 2012 / Helping Others, High School, Holidays, Social Skills, The Home / 13 Comments

  To follow up on Allison's post on how to throw a homeschool graduation party. Here's her sister, Sabrina's ideas on how to be a great grad party guest:

   

  

  These next few weeks are filled with graduation parties in most of our world. Here are a few tips for enjoying those you attend as a guest (for tips on how to HOST a fabu party, see Allison's post How to Throw a Homeschool Graduation Party):

  * Most graduation parties are "open house" style which means your arrival time is not specific. Read the invitation carefully to be sure this is the case, but if it is, plan to come right near the beginning if you can and offer to help the hostess set up last-minute items or carry food out from the kitchen. That last-minute rush is stressful for a lot of hostesses, and if you come with your sleeves rolled up ready to help her, it will also relax her!

  * When offering to help, be sure you really mean it. Before you volunteer, put your pocketbook down and use the bathroom if you need to. THEN offer. Chances are your hostess has a million things running through her mind, and she will more easily put you to work right away if she sees you are ready to jump in.

  

  * Visit with the people you know, but try to introduce yourself to a couple of groups who are new to you. Graduation parties tend to be a mix of family, friends, and church....there are always a few folks you haven't met before. It's great to spend an hour with your closest friends, but it's also great to spend 5 minutes reaching out to someone new.

  * Most graduation parties are for families....whole families are invited instead of just one or two people. So if your younger children are also partying with you, remind them of good social skills before you arrive, and keep a half-an-eye on them during the party as well. If you notice their behavior getting a little too rambunctious, take them aside and gently remind them that "This is someone's home, and you need to treat it with respect," (or "That little girl may be annoying, but pouring lemonade down her back is rude"....etc.). There's nothing more awkward than being the hostess and agonizing over a child who is behaving badly while the parent is oblivious.

  * Greet the grad, but don't monopolize his time. He has probably invited a lot of people to this party, and while he wants to thank each person for coming, he can't do that if he has to have a 1/2 hour conversation with each one about his future plans. Keep things light and brief. If he can talk to you more later, he'll find you.

  

  * Clean up using common sense. Sometimes there are plastic cups all over the backyard. You can safely assume that if the party is winding down, the hostess would love to see the cups picked up and thrown away. You probably don't have to find her and ask for plastic cup protocol. Near the end of the party, the hostess is often exhausted, and may finally be sitting down to enjoy some food herself, and if you come and ask her something as simple as that, she may feel that SHE should get up and do it. If you just use common sense, you will probably be offering real help, and leaving her tired brain out of it.

  Just like 7 Sisters blogs are more fun when everyone comments, graduation parties are more fun when everyone pitches in to keep them running smoothly. Unlike a formal dinner party or reception, a graduation party is a great time for casual fellowship and working shoulder to shoulder to set up and clean up.

  Congratulations to all our homeschool grads, and happy partying!

  For working on social skills with younger kids, check out our Social Skills for Children.

  Got any funny graduation party stories?

• Review: Something Beautiful for God

  03 May 2012 / Helping Others, Literature, Reviews / 2 Comments

  Note:  This is not a sponsored post.  We just like to periodically blog about resources we have enjoyed in our own homeschools. This is a classic post.
  

  Originally published in 1971, this little book by journalist and apologist Malcolm Muggeridge was written after Muggeridge produced a documentary movie of the same name about the work done by Mother Teresa of Calcutta and the Missionaries of Charity.  These Roman Catholic nuns minister to the poorest of the poor and the dying all over the world, but their order began in Calcutta, India, and the story of Mother Teresa's burden to begin this ministry is inspiring and challenging on a deep level for Catholics and Protestants alike.  As followers of Jesus Christ, all Christians are told that any service done "to the least of these" is received by Christ Himself.

  The book is divided into four sections.

  • Part I is Malcolm Muggeridge's own account of his acquaintance with Mother Teresa and the work in Calcutta.  It contains much of his own personal reflections about her as a person, the work the Missionaries of Charity accomplish against all odds, and the tremendous impact this acquaintance had on him as a man of faith.
  • Part II is a series of 18 brief devotions written by Mother Teresa on various aspects of a life of faith in Christ.
  • Part III is the transcript of an interview Muggeridge conducted with Mother Teresa and others in the order.
  • Part IV is Muggeridge offering closing thoughts on doing "something beautiful for God."

  I read this book with our day-school class of 28 high school-aged homeschoolers earlier this year, and it was fodder for some really good class discussion.  I prepared a study guide with vocabulary and questions that the kids prepared ahead of time (click here to download it from the EBookstore), and they were then ready to intelligently discuss ideas like:

  • Why does Mother Teresa think that government welfare is important, but it can never replace the ministry to the poor that Christians can do?
  • How, by their own account, do the Missionaries of Charity minister WITH JOY under such overwhelmingly ugly circumstances?
  • What does Mother Teresa mean when she says, "I do not agree with the big way of doing things"?

  In a world where our culture idolizes selfish living, reading and discussing this book with homeschoolers proved to be a great tool for stirring a hunger for service and sacrifice. 

  What books can you recommend to stir our hearts toward service?

  ===================================

  Muggeridge's documentary movie and famous television interview with Mother Teresa were part of the inspiration for my play, A Weekend in Calcutta.  To download a sample copy of the play for just $0.99, click here.

  The study guidethat was written to enhance the understanding and appreciation of Something Beautiful for God is now available for download in the EBookstore.  Click here!

   

  Now, here is Sabrina's Vlog about why you need literature study guides:

   

   

   

• My Identity

  11 April 2012 / Career Exploration, Helping Others, Personal Growth / 0 Comment

  For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do. (Ephesians 2:9-11 - NIV)

  I am a single, adoptive, biological, homeschooling mom. And, yet, this isn’t really what I am, this is what I do. I am a child of the King, created for good works. God prepared them for me - before I was even born. This is where I should be finding my identity.

  

  Visiting Hobbiton with my daughter

  Let me back up a bit. My oldest daughter has been known to say that I “set an impossibly high standard”. This is a compliment (sort of). So, I’ve been giving this some thought. I’ve come to the conclusion that I may (or not) have been setting an example of some high standards, but I have not been setting these standards for her. You see, my job is to follow God’s direction for my life. Her job is to follow God’s direction for hers. Each of us has a plan (a plan to prosper and not harm, to give us a hope and a future) that has been set in place by the God of the universe. How cool is that?

  Perhaps I have not emphasized this enough for my children. Their identity does not come from being a part of my family. It does not come from being homeschoolers, or soccer players, or musicians, or actors. It comes because God has a plan for each of them. He sees each individual’s strengths and weaknesses. He sees each individual’s potential. He sees what can be accomplished through His strength.

  One of the blessings of parenting is to help each child find and develop his or her strengths. As homeschoolers, we can incorporate these activities into our daily lives and integrate it into our education.

  How well are you helping your child find and follow God’s plan? Are you encouraging his strengths, while helping him overcome or compensate for weaknesses? After you have done that, are you willing to get out of the way and let God direct his paths?

   

  If your high school student is struggling with finding a direction for after high school, perhaps you can encourage

  

  Check out "Career Exploration" in our E-Bookstore

  him to branch out and try some new things. We have some resources in our bookstore that can help. Check out Career Exploration, Introduction from Psychology from a Christian Viewpoint, Human Development from a Christian Worldview, or some of our drama resources.

• Equipping Homeschoolers to be Sensitive to Special Needs

  03 April 2012 / Autism Spectrum, Differences, Helping Others, Relationships, Special Needs / 2 Comments

  Parenting a child with special needs is no easy job, and I have the utmost respect for these parents.  I also have the responsibility to equip my own kids to understand how to appropriately interact with peers with special needs.  Here are some suggestions for helping young people become confident in reaching out to build relationships with peers who may look, sound, communicate, process information or move differently than they do.

  *  PRAY.  One of the things we need to pray for our own kids is that they would grow in love for others, and grow in understanding those who may be confusing or frustrating to them in their flesh.  By beginning with prayer (in this endeavor, and in all things) we are going to the Source of all love, and asking Him to enlarge our children's hearts to extend love to all men.
  

  *  TALK AHEAD OF TIME.  Sometimes we fail to talk to our kids about physical disabilities, speech impairments, autism, mental retardation, or the myriad other challenges that are a part of everyday life for many individuals but may not occur in our own immediate world.  Intentionally introduce the subject of ministering in love to people with special needs in your homeschool.  Use video, books, and conversation to honestly and fearlessly explore the topic.

  Allow your kids to begin with using whatever words they need to in expressing their feelings when they think about interacting with someone with special needs.  If they say things like "weird," or "scary" or "embarrassing" in this private conversational context, they are not being mean -- they have to be able to honestly articulate how they feel in their flesh in order to recognize that they need something more, something from God, in order to deal with relationships that are out of their comfort zone.  When you make it safe for them to admit that they are intimidated by certain situations, you can then lovingly show them that Christ is our strength in weakness, and that we need to ask Him to equip us to reach out in love, to change our view of people who are different than us, and to teach us to minister to them in His love.

  If I wait until a situation is unexpectedly thrust upon my child, I have done him (and the person with special needs) a great disservice.  My child needs to be equipped through conversation and research before the situation is in front of him.
  

  *  BE DIRECT.  Every individual with special needs is just that:  an INDIVIDUAL with special needs.  There is no cookie-cutter that can be applied to a person because of a diagnosis.  The vast majority of people with special needs appreciate direct questions like, "Is there a way that I can help with this, or do you prefer that I stay out of your way?"  Asking the parent of a child with special needs very basic questions like, "What kinds of help may I offer your child?" will do more equipping in a few moments than weeks of fumbling and fearing offense.

  If the child or parent is taken aback by your question, don't be offended.  That is simply your answer; this is a person for whom help from strangers or casual acquaintances is not desired.  Typically this type of reaction is NOT what you will get, but sometimes an individual or family is in the process of emotional adjustment to the special needs, and may not be comfortable to talk about it with you.  If you have asked the question in love, you can rest assured that you have not really offended, only offered help and been told that it is not needed at this time.
  

  *  DON'T CRINGE.  If your children are young, they are likely to ask something of a person with special needs (especially visible physical disabilities) that may make you want to cringe.  Of a person with atrophied limbs, "Why do you legs look like that?" is not an insult, it's a genuine request for information.  The person who is dealing with those atrophied limbs every moment of  every day is likely to simply answer the question.  Don't make the situation complicated by jumping in to answer for them unless they seem unwilling to answer for themselves.  Following up with a gentle word of appreciation for the information validates everyone involved.
  

  *  GET SPECIFIC WHEN YOU NEED TO.  An ongoing relationship (a co-op, a Sunday school class, a drama production) with someone with special needs will result in specific challenges where a solution will not be obvious.  Pray, take a deep breath, and deal with them specifically when they arise.  The longer you put off asking the awkward question or suggesting the delicate suggestion the harder it will be for everyone.

  A hygiene issue arose in a play I directed in which a teenage student on the autism spectrum was unable to process my instructions to the whole cast about being diligent in using deodorant when we were working up a sweat close to one another onstage.  (Honestly, our church sanctuary where we held rehearsals was beginning to smell like a locker room!)  I had already spoken to the parents to make sure that the student was able to use deodorant, and I knew that the parents had sent a stick in to rehearsal.  But group admonitions like, "Wow, guys, we are really work hard here and it's starting to smell like it!  May I tactfully suggest we all check our deodorant?" were lost.  The response I got was a big smile:  "I made sure I put it on when I got out of the shower!"

  What to do?  How to breathe?  The other students were struggling mightily with the situation.  I prayed, I took my student leaders in the cast aside privately and explained the new plan to them, and then I turned the challenge into a new cast-bonding activity.  In a cast meeting, I explained that as we approached opening night the sweat was getting out of control, and we would have to re-apply deodorant whenever I called for it.  Regardless of when you last put it on, it would  be an act of cast solidarity to add a little more when asked to.  My student leaders piped in with encouragement to everyone - "I make sure I shower and put on deodorant before rehearsal, and I STILL am getting smelly by the end of the first hour.  I think re-applying during rehearsal is a good idea."

  Guess what?  It worked beautifully!  "RE-APPLY!!" became a rallying cry for the cast.  I would call it out, or one of the student leaders who noticed things "going south" onstage would start it, and before you know it every member of the cast was calling it out in response, marching merrily to their duffle bags to pull out a stick of deodorant.  It was the craziest thing; what could have ostracized a student became a rallying point for everyone in the cast.
  

  *  ADDRESS YOUR OWN FEARS.  Sometimes we struggle to equip our kids to deal appropriately with special needs because we ourselves are uneasy or face fears of our own related to the particular disability or challenge.  Be honest with God first about your fears.  Then find someone with whom you can share honestly about your struggle.  Seek education for yourself via the internet or community resources.  Joni and Friends has fantastic resources for understanding individuals with physical disabilities.  Autism Help offers good information about spectrum disorders.

  What has helped you equip yourself and your homeschoolers to minister lovingly to individuals with special needs?

  =====================================

  Have you downloaded our new literature study guide for Joni Eareckson Tada's autobiography, Joni: An Unforgettable Story?  Click here to view excerpts from this study guide with comprehension questions, supplemental resources and answer key for just $3.99.
  

• Short-Term Missions Opportunities: Joni and Friends

  30 March 2012 / Conventions, Differences, Helping Others, High School, Literature / 1 Comment

  God has an amazing sense of timing, doesn't He?  He always brings the pieces of life together for us in just the right time for us to get the most learning and blessing out of the puzzle.

  About a year ago, I compiled the book list for a Great Christian Writers class that I would be teaching to homeschooled high schoolers in our area in 2011-12.  On that list I included a book that had a huge impact on me when I was a teen:  Joni: An Unforgettable Story by Joni Eareckson Tada.

  Joni broke her neck in 1967 at the age of 17, and the resulting quadriplegia that "should have" ruined her life instead opened the doors for international ministry that has led countless people to Christ and provided wheelchairs and care for disabled people of all ages worldwide.  Joni's personal ministry and that of the organization she founded, Joni and Friends, are introduced at the end of the book I chose for our class.  I slated the book for the late-winter/early-spring slump when the kids begin to tire of school.  I knew this book would inspire them out of their slump!  Little did I know how much MORE God had in mind with the timing.

  One week before our syllabus called for the students to read Joni's autobiography, our homeschool community was deeply grieved when the 23 year old son of one of our homeschool friends went home to be with the Lord after a battle with Ewing's Sarcoma bone cancer.  Our day-school (offering high school classes for homeschoolers in community 2 days per week) had been deeply involved with this family, and we were all impacted with grief and confusion and pain.   Many of our teens (and lots of adults, too, whether they said it aloud or not) were confused and hurt; why hadn't the Lord healed Joseph when we had all prayed and believed in our God's healing power?  Joseph loved Him passionately, and testified to His goodness; wouldn't it have been a tremendous miracle for God to raise him up when the doctors had no more that they could do?

  Right at this vulnerable moment, the syllabus for our literature class called for the students to read Joni's story.  In chapter 13 of her book, Joni deals with this question in her own life, and her thoughts and experiences as she waits to be made physically whole in God's perfect timing (here or in heaven, whichever He deems best) ministered to our hurting hearts 26 years after her book was written.

  But God wasn't finished weaving my days together yet!

  The following week I traveled with Marilyn and Kym to the Teach Them Diligently Convention in Spartanburg, SC.  We were excited to exhibit in the vendor hall and share a workshop about using Drama in your homeschool (click the link for a FREE download of the workshop handout).  We had plans to meet IRL ("in real life") friends we have made here on our blog and other homeschooling blogs in the past year.  Our plans were good, but God had even more to offer us!

  I was able to slip out of the vendor booth long enough to attend the workshop "Open the Eyes of Their Hearts" about developing a heart f0r individuals with special needs and physical disabilities.  Joyce from Joni and Friends spoke with warmth and intelligence about the many ways the church and homeschoolers can minister to those with special needs and their families.  Marilyn and I spent a wonderful hour at her booth later talking about this often-overlooked mission field.

  I returned to my homeschool literature class with an extra assignment for the students.  I sent them to the Joni and Friends website to do a little research on the 13 ministry divisions they have, and I asked the students to write about the ministry that captured their hearts the most.  It was exciting to read how some of them were drawn to Wheels for the World, the ministry that takes wheelchairs to underdeveloped countries.  Others were excited to learn about Through the Roof , equipping the church for disability ministry and outreach.

  But what excites me most is this:  the majority of the kids were drawn to Family Retreats, the ministry that hosts week-long retreats for disabled folks and their families, and trains volunteers on short-term missions to be a "buddy" to a camper with a disability for the week.

  A whole new arena for missions trips has opened up in front of us, and I pray that several of our homeschool teens will explore it.  Here's a link to the Joni and Friends site explaining how these "buddy" short-term missions work for volunteers 17 and older (there are also volunteer opportunities for younger teens).  The cost is a fraction of what is necessary to go overseas on a missions trip, and while overseas missions is necessary to fulfilling the Great Commission, so is ministry here in the U.S.  Joni and Friends Family Retreats are an exciting possibility to explore in choosing a mission on which your teen can serve.

  For the study guide I wrote to accompany Joni: An Unforgettable Story, visit the EBookstore.   Priced at just $3.99 it contains background information, comprehension questions by chapter, suggestions for supplemental activities, and an answer key.

• Review: Young Peacemaker Curriculum

  09 March 2012 / Healthy Living, Helping Others, High School, Middle School, News, Social Skills / 0 Comment

  We've been discussing character-shaping curriculum this week. Today, I'd like to review a curriculum based on the blessed peacemakers that Jesus mentioned in the Sermon on the Mount. (This is not a sponsored post, we just like to share about curriculum that we like.)

  The Young Peacemaker by Corlette Sande is a user-friendly conflict resolution curriculum that I used with a group of young homeschool high schoolers several years ago. I was impressed with Corlette's sensible and Christlike approach to handling conflict.

  The curriculum includes light-hearted comic books that help to build skills in areas like diffusing conflicts, recognizing problem situations, and self-monitoring. There is a marvelous teacher's manual that has reproducibles (this is what I mostly used).

  Some character-developing curricula are preachy. The Young Peacemaker is not preachy, but rather, it is fun, accessible and practical. The real-life skills it teaches are based on a biblical model of confession, forgiveness, communication, and character development.

  While I used it with young high schoolers, homeschoolers in middle school would be the perfect audience.

  What are your favorite character-developing curricula?

  ==================================

  For young children: Good tools for developing good social skills and learning readiness from 7 Sisters:                                                                                               

  Social Skills for Children- A group of 10 interactive exercises for developing great social skills in children (elementary age and up). Fun, quick, and easy to do. Download for $3.99.

  A Developmental Approach to Teaching Kindergarten- A 21-page guide to slowing down and enjoying kindergarten while strengthening developmentally-appropriate skills. (This is how I homeschooled kindergarten with my children.) Download today for $3.99.

  =============================

  While it isn't QUITE character development, here's Sabrina's take on Ballroom Dance Lessons. (BTW- if you can count self-confidence as a character trait, ballroom dance builds character through building confidence.)
   

   

   

   

   

• What are YOU Working On?

  12 December 2011 / Healthy Living, Helping Others, Humor, Personal Growth / 2 Comments

  I'm playing around with something new....video journaling.

  So many times in the early years of homeschooling, I thought to myself, "Oh, if only I could be a fly on the wall in HER house..."  I wanted to see if everyone else had it all together, if I was the only one who was making it up as we went along.

  Years later, I thought to myself, "Oh, if only I could let HER be a fly on the wall of my house..."  I wanted my younger homeschool friends to see that it was really okay, that we ALL have to make some of it up as we go along.

  So here are my first couple of entries in my YouTube video journal.  The video and sound quality are, umm, ORGANIC.  Yeah, that's what we'll call it.  The little webcam on my netbook does just enough to let you be a fly on the wall at my homeschool.

  Who knows?  Maybe it will encourage you....and empower you to let some other homeschooler be a fly on the wall of your house!
  nbsp;

  Let me know what you think....and tell me:  What are YOU working on?

  =======================================

  My first video journal entry refers to my newest play for kids, The Christmas Carol War.  If you'd like a copy, it's yours FREE to download in the EBookstore.  We performed it this past Sunday at my church, and folks seemed to really enjoy it.  The message will make you think, and challenge you to go "over the hills and everywhere" with the news that Jesus Christ is born....even if you have to take Frosty the Snowman with you!

  Mid-Year is a great time to look at new curriculum that might shake up the dull spots in your homeschool.  Literature study guides are an inexpensive way to try a little something new.  A Christmas Carol is free until Christmas, and many other classic literature titles are available for only $3.99.  You'll love the way they bring the books to life for your student!
  

• Will You Be Grateful "By Thanksgiving" and Are You Thankful in All Circumstances?

  17 November 2011 / Fine Arts, Helping Others, Holidays, Prayer, Thanksgiving / 5 Comments

  Once upon a time, in a homeschool Drama Camp, not so far away, a group of students, their director (Sabrina Justison) and a surprising little drama entitled "By Thanksgiving", changed the way I pray. Really, they did!

  

  Bekah & Company in "By Thanksgiving"

   

  I felt I had come a long way in my prayer life over the previous 5 years, but that night I took a leap.  "By Thanksgiving" challenged the creator, the cast and the audience, myself included, to have more faith in our prayers and our God.

  Do you ever find your prayers are full of hopes and wishes but fall a little short on the faith that they will be answered? "By Thanksgiving" suggested that we should begin our prayers with Thanksgiving. (Must be good advice, right. After all, Paul told us pretty much the same thing. You know the one about giving thanks in all circumstances...)

  It goes something like this:

  • Dear Lord, Thank you that the weather has been so very mild these last 3 weeks while our heater has been broken!
  • Dear God, Thank you that my time on crutches is temporary.
  • Dear God, Thank  you for showing me that I need to lose "a few" pounds and get some of my upper body strength back before you heal my knee.

  Hope you get the gist of it. You thank God for the good part of your situation and you thank Him in advance, with faith, for what He will do.  This second part is a little trickier.

  My dear friend Karen and her family are fighting a tremendous war. Her son, Joseph, is nearing 2 years of battling Ewing's Sarcoma, an aggressive cancer.  While the past 2 years have been overwhelming and full of huge obstacles, Karen, Joseph and their entire family remain thankful for the tremendous outpouring of love and support from our community and around the world.  My prayer for them goes something like this...

  Dear Lord, Thank you so much for all the great work you are doing in Joseph and his family. We eagerly await the day that You heal him completely and thank you that You are God and that you are large and in charge of everything - even Cancer. In Jesus' name we pray, Amen!

  What are your prayers of Thanksgiving in ALL circumstances?

   
  

   

• How to Cook for a Crowd

  05 November 2011 / Healthy Living, Helping Others, News, The Home / 0 Comment

  

  Allison made all the cupcakes for her niece's wedding reception- and enjoyed it!

  Allison Thorp is the maven of “cooking for a crowd”. I asked her to give us some help as we launch into the holiday season. (This post first appeared at our umbrella school's blog: mtsophia.com.)
  =====================================================

  I have been asked to share some advice on cooking for large family gatherings.

  Although I am certainly no expert, I have had a fair amount of experience with this over the last 25 years as I have hosted family and church dinners in my home and participated in a “dinner co-op” which entailed my making dinner for five families at a time once a week.

  I’ve made my share of mistakes and earned more than a few gray hairs from the panic that accompanied them, but in the process I have learned some ways of making this task more manageable.  I hope this will be a help to some of you who may not have tried your hand at a large meal yet.

  1. Make a Menu – Do this well ahead of time and put everything on it, even dishes that others are bringing.  Keep a list where you will not lose it to make sure you don’t forget anything.
  2. Smart Shopping – Use your menu to make a comprehensive list of items you will need.  Don’t forget to list any staple items you are low on.  You don’t want to be in the middle of making pumpkin pie when you find you are out of sugar.  Staple a copy of your menu to your grocery list when you go shopping just to make sure you haven’t forgotten anything you need.
  3. Food with Forethought – Choose as many dishes as possible which can be prepared ahead of time.  You may be surprised at how many dishes not only work when made ahead, but are even better that way.

  Examples:                                                                                                                                 

  

  Allison and the next generation

  
  

  Cook turkey the day before, slice when cold, lay in pan with gravy, cover with foil, and reheat the next day.  Ham works well this way too.

  Make mashed potato or sweet potato casserole the day before.  All of the labor intensive, messy work will be done and cleaned up and you will only have to heat the casserole in the oven.

  If possible, choose baked vegetable dishes (i.e. broccoli casserole, green bean casserole) that do not require you to cook vegetables on the stove at the last minute.

  Make gravy ahead of time and reheat just before serving.  Gravy is too risky to be making at the last minute.  You can even use canned gravy and skip the prep altogether.

  Prepare any cold dishes the day before, place in serving dishes covered with plastic wrap in the refrigerator.  They will be ready for the table without any more work.

  Desert is one part of the meal that should be easy to do ahead or farm out to someone else.

  

  Cookware in the gift box. Really.

  I struggle with this one, because I like pies the day they are made, but no one else seems to care.

  1. Designate your Dishes – Make sure you have enough pans and casserole dishes for everything you are cooking.  Whenever possible cook items in dishes which look nice enough to place on the table.  This saves you a lot of cleanup and keeps the food hotter for longer.  If a casserole dish is too hot to pass at the table, try setting it in a basket.  Also, make sure you have leftover containers readily available to make the clean-up go smoothly.
  2. Corral Your Crock Pot – Use your crock pot to free up oven space.  Many dishes work well in the crock pot and fit with the “make ahead” rule.  You can do baked potatoes or baked sweet potatoes, mashed potato casserole, and even stuffing in a crock pot.  Most any casserole-style vegetable dish will also work well in a crock pot.  Ham works if you have a large crock pot.
  3. Coordinate Chores – Look over your recipes and separate the steps to make the job as efficient as possible.  For instance, if you have to chop vegetables for several different dishes do that all at the same time before beginning any of the specific recipes.
     
     
  4. Terrific Timing – Work backwards to plan when various dishes need to go into the oven or begin cooking on the stove.  You may have to adjust cooking times if you are putting a number of different things in the oven at the same time.  Usually, a general temperature of 350 to 375 will work for anything, you just may need to keep a dish in longer than the recipe calls for.Remember, if you have made casseroles ahead and they have been in the fridge you will need longer to get them heated through, usually 1/2 again as long as the recipes states.  It is also wise to set them out of the fridge 1/2 to 1 hour before you put them into the oven to bring to room temperature.
  5. Question Quantities – use quantity guides to determine how much meat you need for the number of people you have.  Other recipes usually tell you how many they serve.  Remember, though, if you are having a big meal with a lot of different dishes people will not eat as much of each one.Take into account what you know about your family or guests.  When making large quantities of casserole-type dishes, remember that they will take longer in the oven.  The denser the food, the longer it will take to heat or cook all the way through.  Consider doing two regular sized dishes instead of one giant one.  They will heat better and you can leave one in the oven on low until the other dish has been emptied.
  6. Share the Suffering –If you have others who are willing to take care of some of the dishes, let them, but choose what will actually
     

     Allison and family

     be a help.  Dessert is an easy thing to leave to someone else as it can be transported in its finished state.  If you farm out the side dishes, make sure that they are being brought ready to eat.If someone shows up 10 minutes before the meal with cold green bean casserole which needs to be cooked and your oven is full, you are likely to panic.  If your guests are unreliable consider asking them to bring bread and butter, tossed salad, drinks, whipped cream for the dessert, etc.

  Most importantly, remember that the real point of the meal is sharing it with those around you.  Don’t let the stress of making the dishes perfect keep you from enjoying your time with others.

  God will bless your efforts.

  Check out Allison's other helpful posts:  What Do Cupcakes Have to Do with Homeschooling? and Food for a Grieving Family AND How to Throw a High School Graduation Party.

  ============================================================================================================

  How can Allison be so good at what cooking for a crowd and Vicki is SO very bad at it?? God gave all of us different gifts!

  Help your teen explore the gifts God has invested in her with Career Exploration.

  Based on the career counseling work Vicki does as a therapist, she composed this workbook to help teens explore their gifts and talents, interests and abilities, values and God-given direction. Download it today!

  Get started with the FREE Career Exploration Questionnaire that helps teens understand the leading that role models can give them.

• Homeschool Freaks - Kym's Top 10 Confessions a la David Letterman

  25 October 2011 / Differences, Healthy Living, Helping Others, Humor, News, Personal Growth, Relationships, Sports, The Home / 4 Comments

  

  Stewie the Basset/Shepherd

  Honorable Mention - Our dog, Stewie is a "purebread" Bassett/Shepherd that looks like he was assembled by Dr. Frankenstein.

  10 - My hubby eats NO veggies. Really! And his cholesterol levels are better than mine! He almost vomited all over our friend's kitchen floor when she challenged him to try broccoli last Christmas.

  9 - We were the only homeschoolers in our entire church. Now we go to 3 or 4 churches - and some of our friends there actually homeschool too!

  8 - Our 14 year old twin daughters play ice hockey and were invited to play on a college team.  This is one of the reasons we do so much car schooling.

  7 - I am relaxed, flexible & often waaaay too unstructured. My two oldest children crave structure. They have clearly suffered from the dissonance there.  At least 3 of US have some sort of learning differences. I must confess I have ADD and sometimes even wish for a small side of the "H" to go with it. I'd love a little more energy.

  6 -Hubby Doug, as opposed to the other hubby (just kidding), works for the school district in which we live. Each year his former boss said if we brought the kids to school for 3 days, he would buy each of them the lunch box of their choice.

  

  Kym wearing Lucy the snake

  5 -We constantly struggle with our messy, even dirty, house and the maintenance thereof. I struggle with organization in general too. How is it that I can be incredibly organized when I'm helping Sabrina with Drama Camp?! Go figure!

  4 - My kids have had 2 pet snakes and I LOVE THEM! I've even been known to wear them around my neck while I'm cooking dinner. Maybe that's why my family doesn't like my cooking?! Maybe it's just that there are only 6 foods that all 6 of us like?

  3 -We've done KONOS, 3 other Co-ops, our umbrella school dayschool and even started out as unschoolers and I'm still an unschooler at heart!

  2 - Doug and I voluntarily became  the "parents" of 235 college students 5 weeks after we got married!

  1 - My dear, sweet, amazingly wonderful mother-in-law sometimes thinks Doug,  (hubby #1 - and only), is her boyfriend.  She has been battling Alzheimer's Disease for several years now. We are so very blessed that she is happy and otherwise healthy. The Lord continues to give us so much grace and humor as we walk the road of chronic illness with our loved ones. Thank you Lord!

  

  Mimi celebrating with us

  What makes you unique (or even a "homeschool freak") in your corner of the world?