I have added a blog survey to the top of my sidebar. Please take a moment and let me know which blog posts you most enjoy and what you would like to see more of here. If there is a category not listed in the survey that most appeals to you please leave a comment and let me know.
Thanks!

Labels: Blogging

I have been interviewed by one of the team members over at the Homeschool Blog Awards site. If you are interested stop by and see my interview.

Labels: Blogging

In this life many trials and temptations will come. Some of these come as a result to our sin, but not all. They are to teach us, stretch us, and grow us. We are often attacked by the evil one; he will even use other Christians to do his bidding. When going through trials and temptations we must also check our lives in light of the Word to know if it is because of our own sin. If this is so we must repent. We need to seek to see God glorified in all situations in our lives.

While I have gone through many trials in the last year I have been learning that God does not want me to be defeated. Living as one who seeks to be humble does not mean being one who has been so humiliated that they are frozen. That does not bring glory to God. Now my husband and I are self-evaluating people. We look at ourselves, scripture, and with prayer seek the guidance of the Lord concerning when to repent and to grow into Christ's likeness. This definitely does not mean that we do not sin. We do, in fact, I think we see more of our sin this way because we are opening ourselves to the ever-exposing light of Christ.

It can be difficult however not to cross the line between being humbled by the Lord and being discouraged by the evil one. Each time we repent it should be a humbling experience. In repentance we acknowledge in full our place before the Lord. We are a fallen creature before a holy God. Thankfully, He is also loving, gracious, and merciful to His children, those who believe. We must also not let the lies of the evil one to distract us from the fact that even in our weakest moments, we as believers are children of the King. We are called to be humble and there is honor in that humility. This seems contradictory doesn't it? The key is to use that honor to keep the evil one at bay and to be encouraged but to not hold that honor as our own (thus defeating our humility & becoming prideful of our then false humility) but to lay that honor at the feet of Jesus!

I had such an experience recently. I was allowing the lies of the evil one to take over. I was feeling as if my failings had given others cause to throw my past in my face and exclaim that I was indeed the trash from the wrong side of the tracks that they had always thought me to be. I was discouraged and frozen in my effectiveness for Christ. I cried and shared this with my husband. One of my teenage daughters overhearing went and wrote me a letter. Using scripture she reminded me of the honor Christ had bestowed upon me. She said that she did not care where I had come from or what I had done in the past but she was thankful that I was her mother. She shared that she wished to be like me. That she saw me as a godly woman! She quoted scriptures displaying godly character that she thought applied to me. She closed it with this verse.

Proverbs 31:28 Her children rise up and call her blessed; her husband also, and he praises her.

What an encouragement she was to me, what an encouragement she continues to be! All I could say was thank you Lord! I know that I am nothing apart from God. All that I have ever or will ever accomplish for good is because of Christ! I am so thankful for the husband and the children he has blessed me with. They are a gift to me from the Lord which causes me to rely more and more upon the Him. They give me cause to praise and thank him each and every day for his abundant blessings. To God be the glory!

Labels: Blogging, Christianity, Encouragement, Prayer, Train Up a Child

For this week's show an tell I thought that I would share something that I have figured out how to do recently. Now you can take my blog to your sidebar! You can even edit the widget colors to best fit your blog and the size to fit in your sidebar, too. I would be thrilled if any of you decided to use this. I have even put this on my Homeschool Lounge page, take a look.



For more linking....remember the great buttons in my sidebar that my dear friend, Valerie, made for me.


For more Show and Tell visit Mary aka CanadaGirl.

Labels: Blogging

Today I am posting on two other sites. Stop by and check them out. Leave me a comment so I know you were there; it is always great when others add to the discussion!

The Heart of the Matter Homeschool Magazine March issue is up and running. There are a lot of wonderful homeschooling articles. This month in my column Ducks in a Row, I write about five ways to make school run more smoothly.

Come on by and see how we organize our homeschool....HERE...






Over at The Well Drained Mind I write about struggling with the "perfect homeschooler syndrome" and how the Lord gives us little glimpses to encourage us as we teach our children.

Head on over and read about my Boggle Blessing.

Labels: Blogging, Encouragement, Heart of the Matter, Homeschooling, Learning Disabilities, Well Drained Mind

We interupt our regularly scheduled blogging to announce the Ultimate Blog Party! Yep, it's that time once again. Time to party! It is the Ultimate BLog Party hosted by 5 Minutes For Mom. Last year’s Ultimate Blog Party was such a fabulous event - it was the place to be with almost 1000 bloggers participating! Just like last year, the party will go for a week, (March 7th to March 14th,) and be packed with prizes.

Get your blog noticed and join in on the fun! Don’t sit in a corner and only chat with people you know! Search the Linky and look for names you don’t recognize and head on over to their place to meet some new people.


I guess I should introduce myself to those who wander in here! I am a Christian, wife to a minister who is my knight in shining armor. I am a Classical Christian homeschooler. My hubby and I have eight, yes 8, wonderful children so far.

I blog here daily about whatever comes to mind. I also blog over at Weekend Kindness, The Well Drained Mind, and The Heart of the Matter. Additionally, I write monthly for a homeschool newsletter and hang out at The Homeschool Lounge. I run a Quiverfull blogroll to encourage others who are convicted of God's sovereignty over the womb. I also occasionally have homeschooling giveaways. See the sticky note above for details on the current giveaway. Please do not ask how I find the time to do all of this; I am still wondering that myself!

Thanks for stopping by and take some time to look around my blog before you rush back to the party! I love comments and chatting with others. Sign up in a reader and come back soon!! I would love to hear from you on a regular basis!

Subscribe in a reader

I also have some beautiful buttons in the side bar if you would like to use them to link here. I look forward to making new friends and I hope you have a great time at the party making new blogging friends too!

Labels: Blogging

Labels: Awards, Blogging

Labels: Blogging, Thursday Thirteen

<a href="http://www.mamaarcher.com/"><img src="http://i216.photobucket.com/albums/cc130/mamaarcher8/MamaArcherLinkGraphic2copy.jpg" width="225" /></a>

<a href="http://www.mamaarcher.com/"><img src="http://i216.photobucket.com/albums/cc130/mamaarcher8/MamaArcherLinkGraphic1copy.jpg" width="225" /></a>

Labels: Blogging, Links

To all of you homeschooling moms out there, The Homeschool Lounge is making its big debut! Tiany from Less of Me ~ More of Him and her husband, Troy have worked diligently to bring us this awesome resource.

The Homeschool Lounge is a FREE online social network community for Homeschool Moms; the very first of its kind! The vision of The Homeschool Lounge is to connect Homeschool Moms from all corners of the web; get advice, give advice, share, learn and laugh with those who truly understand you. There is something for everyone inside the many pages of this pioneer website so go check it out!

Site Features Include:
* Create your own space
* Start or join discussions in our Forum
* Start or join a group
* Start a Blog or Promote an existing Blog
* Create a slide show widget of your pictures for your blog
* Photo Gallery
* Video Gallery
* Live Chat
* Invite other Homeschool Moms, friends and family

We invite you to join us, share tips and advice, and find encouragement, fellowship, and friendship in a safe, fun, friendly environment. Our goal is to provide you with a resourceful and encouraging platform for all of your interests and needs, in order to help create and facilitate the most enriching network for Homeschool Moms on the Internet today.

So what are you waiting for? Go sign up today and spread the word!

Labels: Blogging, Homeschooling

Hooray! I have finally made it to my 500th post! I was hoping that when I did reach this point that I would have something very profound to share with you all. But, alas, I have nothing that is even slightly profound. What I do know is that I have enjoyed this new portion of my life known as blogging. When I started blogging eleven months ago I had no idea what I was getting myself into. I have been hurt, discouraged and forced to look more deeply at who I am. Though most painful, this has stretched me and caused me to grow. But I have also made many friends along the way. They have encouraged me, spurred me on and challenged me which has also caused me to grow. The Lord is actively at work in my life and I have a peace that passes all understanding. I have been allowed to be a blessing to others and the Lord continues to open new doors of ministry for me in the blogging world. This adds a great responsibility I did not anticipate and is one I constantly feel ill-equipt to fulfill. I am humbled each time I am praised because I know that it is only by the power of the Spirit that anyone is touched.

I thank the Lord for providing my small space in blogland to reach out to others. I thank each of my readers for your encouragement, friendship, and faithfulness. May the Lord bless you and keep you. May I be obedient and faithful to continue to blog about the things God has laid upon my heart and let that bring glory to Him.

I pray you all continue on with me for my next 500 posts and that many more would join in here along the way.

Labels: Blogging

Click Comments are located at the end of each post. Click comments makes it easier for readers to express their thoughts and appreciation with just one click. It will also suggest other posts that might interest your readers. With just one click it is an added way to be kind to blog owners and leave some imput with very little effort. Just don't let it replace commenting in the comment section.

2.
This is a place for bloggers to develop that community spirit. You can track which pages your readers prefer to read so you know what is of interest to them. It is a great place to make new friends and connect with other bloggers.

3.
This is another benefit of belonging to MyBlogLog. This little pop-up button lets you know which links are clicked on most often. That way you know what is popular with your readers, not to mention it is just fun!

4.
Here is a new banner for those who would like to use it to link to my blog. It was made by Eric at "The Voice of Experience." All you have to do is look in my side bar and copy the code from the little box and place on your blog. It is that easy!

5.
Would you prefer the button to link here? Eric made this one too! The code is located in the sidebar as well.







6. STICKY POSTS- I have added a sticky post section directly above the first post that shows on the page. This is to highlight certain posts or important things that are going on. If you missed it, check it out!


7. The Heart of the Matter online homeschool magazine. I write for a monthly column over there entitled, "Ducks in a Row." It is for homeschooling with a large family.

8. "Weekend Kindness; Reaching Others Through Kindness" run by MInTheGap is my latest venture.

9. The Well Drained Mind is a place I blog very spuratically but there are a lot of other great things over there for you to check out as well!

10.
This is an online newsletter for encouraging homeschool families. It is run by my dear friend Valerie. You can visit her at SoCalVal or sign up for her newsletter by clicking on the image!

11.
The 2008 Puritan Reading Challenge. My husband and I have decided to join up in the 2008 Puritan Reading Challenge and I encourage you to consider doing so. You can click on the image here for more information. There is also a link in the sidebar to the original post and guidelines.

12.
I am having my first ever giveaway. This is the last week to get in on this. For more information on how to get your name in for the drawing go here, JANUARY HOMESCHOOL GIVEAWAY.

13.
I am also participating in my friend Trish's Winter Reading Challenge! She is having a drawing for a $25 gift card to Amazon for one lucky participant.

To view my reading list go HERE.

To view the guidelines and to enter for your chance to win visit Trish's Winter Reading Challenge.

Labels: Blogging, Thursday Thirteen

The two banners in this post were specially designed for me. They were created by Eric Novak from "The Voice of Experience." Eric started blogging when he was only fourteen years old & since then he has become increasingly aware of the lack of teens blogging about their faith. This led to his decision to take on the challenge of being a writer for God. His blog is dedicated solely to the Lord.

He has given me the pen of a ready writer (Psalm 45: 1).

Eric believes in speaking out against spiritual complacency, abortion, and many other morally wrong practices. He is an amazing young man and his blog is well worth repeated visits!

Please let me know what you think of the great banners. You can use these two banners to link to my blog. They are located in my sidebar with their coding underneath them. Simply copy the code in box below the banner you like the best and paste it into your template! It is that easy!

Be sure to take a moment and head on over to Eric's & spend a little time reading through his blog.

Labels: Blogging

Maybe you have noticed in my sidebar that I have begun writing for an online magazine called The Heart of the Matter. The official launching of this magazine is January 8th. There are dozens of great ladies who are hard at work to make this happen. I will be a contributor there and have my own monthly column entitled, "Ducks in a Row," which focuses on homeschooling a large family, so keep an eye out for that. The purpose of The Heart of the Matter is to provide a place for homeschooling parents and teachers to find all of the resources they desire in one convenient location. We are a group of average moms with the same concerns and obstacles as you. We have come together to encourage you in your walk through your children’s educational experience. It is our hope that you will find inspiration, practical advice, objective reviews of curriculum and products, fantastic giveaways and more! Even though the official launch is still a week away; feel free to visit the site and browse through what is already there. You can look through the archives, see the merchadise, join the blogring, find great graphics for linking, see the many columns being written, and read through the contributor bios and get to know the writers. My bio is here.

Labels: Blogging, Homeschooling

Why Homeschool is having a contest for Carnival of Homeschooling graphics. Henry and Janine Cate from Why Homeschool write:

Over the last two years several people have suggested we have a graphic or two for the carnival. I haven’t followed up on these suggestions. I’m not a very artsy person, so I didn’t feel confident in my ability to generate a cool graphic for the carnival.
Here are some great carnival graphics. I’ve really enjoyed the graphic for the Homeschool Blog Awards. It recently occurred to me that one way to get some cool graphics for the Carnival of Homeschool was to invite others to generate candidates for a contest. This is taking advantage of the The Wisdom of Crowds. What we are going to do is have a two stage contest.

For the first stage people can generate and submit icons for the carnival. They can post the icon on their blog and use Mister Linky to generate a link back. Or they can leave a comment telling us how to get the icon. We want to make sure people have enough time to be creative, so the first stage will last until the 28th of January, 2008. I am hoping for a couple dozen entries for each category.

For the second stage we’ll have a vote on which images people like. Janine and I will select the four to seven graphics we like best in each category, and then everyone can vote.

There are three categories of images: small, medium, and whatever.

The rules for the contest are:
1) The graphics have to be available for others to use. The only options I can think of are a) you created the graphic or b) the graphic is public domain.
2) There is a limit of two images per category, per person.

Are there any other rules we need?

Put on your thinking caps and see what kind of cool graphics you can come up with!

Labels: Blogging, Homeschooling

We are in the final stretch of the Homeschool Blog Awards. There are a lot of great blogs up in the running, several are my friends and their children. So along with my final plea for you all to vote for me in my categories; I am also going to list the friends that I would love for you to vote for too! Here is the list and the links! Please cast your votes for the following!

For Best Super Homeschooler: SoCalVal – Just 4 Homeschool Families
For Best Family or Group Blog: Kim at In A Shoe
Best Unschooling or Eclectic Homeschooling: Lynn at Eclectic Education
For Best Cyber Buddy: Rachel, Jacque's Daughter at the Milk & Honey Tea House
Then you can vote for me (MamaArcher's Blog) HERE and HERE for the two categories I am in (Best New Blog and Live What You Believe Blog).

Labels: Awards, Blogging, Homeschooling

Which theologian are you? You scored as a Martin Luther The daddy of the Reformation. You are opposed to any Catholic ideas of works-salvation and see the scriptures as being primarily authoritative.

Martin Luther		87%
Jonathan Edwards		67%
John Calvin		67%
Friedrich Schleiermacher		60%
Anselm		53%
Karl Barth		47%
Augustine		27%
Jürgen Moltmann		20%
Paul Tillich		13%
Charles Finney		13%

Just for fun....Which Theologian are you? Take the quiz...

Labels: Blogging, Christianity

Voting for the 2007 Homeschool Blog Awards officially TODAY! I am honored to be up for two of them! The two categories I was nominated for are:
The Best “Live What You Believe” Homeschool Blog..... and.....
The Best NEW Homeschool Blog.
Please go and check out the other categories and nominees and cast a vote for me!
You can VOTE HERE! or click one of the direct links above.

Thank you to all of my readers! Thank you for your readership (is that a word??), Thank you for your comments and discussion, Thank you for your encouragement, Thank you for nominating me, and Thank you to those who go and vote for me!

Labels: Awards, Blogging, Curriculum, Homeschooling