Brothers Judah, Cohen, & Jax

Judah, age 5

What would be the coolest pet to own? What would you name it?
“An ostrich. I would name it Happy Face.”

What chores do you have?
“Cleaning the turtles’ cage.”

If you could visit any place in the world, where would it be?
“Maddie and Annora’s house.”

If today was your birthday, what would you want to eat?
“Pancakes and aebleskiver and cake.“

Cohen, age 3½

If you could visit any place in the world, where would it be?
“Maddie and Annora’s house.”

What would be the coolest pet to own? What would you name it?
“A lizard. Named Cohen.”

If you could have chosen your own first name, what would it be?
“Bow-wow.”

If today was your birthday, what would you want to eat?
“Macaroni and cheese and olives.”

Jax, age 2

What would be the coolest pet to own?
“A dog.”

If today was your birthday, what would you want to eat?
“Candy.”

What is a nickname you have?
“Jaxie.”

Sisters Maddie & Annora

Maddie, age 6

If you could have chosen your own first name, what would it be?
“Crystal.”

What is the scariest thing you have ever done?
“When I picked up the elk poop.”

What book have you read or has someone read to you recently?
“Cat in the Hat.”

What would be the coolest pet to own? What would you name it?
“A poodle; I would name it Princess Rainbow.”

Annora, age 4

If you could have chosen your own first name, what would it be?
“Heart Crystal Dolphin.”

What is your favorite toy?
“Princesses and bad guys.”

What book have you read or has someone read to you recently?
“A princess book.”

What would be the coolest pet to own? What would you name it?
“A cat; I would name it Heart Princess Diamond.”

Eliana and her dad, Nehemiah

Eliana, age 2

What is your favorite toy?
“My bike!”

If you could visit any place in the world, where would it be?
“Disneyland.”

If today was your birthday, what would you want to eat?
“Pizza.”

What are you scared of?
“Spiders.”

Nehemiah

Nehemiah is Timberdoodle’s warehouse manager!

Brothers Brayden & Abram

Brayden, age 11

What book have you read recently?
“I like to read The Hardy boys and I’m reading the Narnia Series.”

What is a nickname you have?
“My nickname is Braydo Tornado.”

What do you think is the best job in the world?
“I would like to compete in the Olympics.”

If you could live or visit any place in the world, where would it be?
“I can’t wait to visit Germany.”

Abram, age 7

What do you think is the best job in the world?
“I would like to be an Engineer and build all kinds of robots.”

If you could live any place in the world, where would it be?
“Germany, where my aunt, uncle, and twin cousins live. I wish I could have a house right next door.”

What book have you read recently?
“I like to read Boxcar Children and I’m also reading Little House in the Big Woods.”

What is a nickname you have?
“My nickname is Abe.”

Sisters Megan, Alison, & Jenny

Megan, age 11

If you could have chosen your own first name, what would it be?
“Alison or Gretchen.”

If you could live or visit any place in the world, where would it be?
“India or Argentina (the latter only because I like the song “Don’t Cry for Me Argentina”).”

If today was your birthday, what would you want to eat?
“Popcorn and caramel apples.”

What book have you read recently?
“George MacDonald’s The Princess and the Goblin.”

Alison, age 8

What would be the coolest pet to own? What would you name it?
“A horse named Penny.”

What do you think is the best job in the world?
“A veterinarian.”

If you could have chosen your own first name, what would it be?
“Megan.”

What is the scariest thing you have ever done?
“Kayaking.”

Jenny, age 6

What would be the coolest pet to own? What would you name it?
“A giraffe named Little Mary.”

What are you scared of?
“Scary games in the dark.”

What do you think is the best job in the world?
“An obstetrician.”

If you could have chosen your own first name, what would it be?
“Rosebud.”

Elisha and his uncles, Nathaniel & Darius

Elisha, age 1

What book have you read or has someone read to you recently?
“First Hundred Words in English, I like to find the dogs.”

If today was your birthday, what would you want to eat?
“Eggs and cheese.”

What is your favorite toy?
“I like balls and trucks.”

What are you scared of?
“Anything too loud – like blowers or blenders.”

Nathaniel, age 7

What do you think is the best job in the world?
“A police officer.”

If today was your birthday, what would you want to eat?
“Quiche.”

What is a nickname you have?
“Bubba.”

What would be the coolest pet to own?
“A dinosaur.”

Darius, age 5

What would be the coolest pet to own? What would you name it?
“A tiger named Sebastian.”

If today was your birthday, what would you want to eat?
“Pizza.”

What do you think is the best job in the world?
“A firefighter.”

If you could have chosen your own first name, what would it be?
“Probably Sebastian.”

Brothers Caleb, Scion, Conner, and Calum

Caleb, age 11

What do you think is the best job in the world?
“A chicken farmer.”

What would be the coolest pet to own? What would you name it?
“An elephant named Hannibal.”

What are you scared of?
“Everything at night since I read The Hound of the Baskervilles.”

What is the scariest thing you have ever done?
“Crashed a motorbike.”

Scion, age 9

What would be the coolest pet to own? What would you name it?
“A monkey. I would name it George.”

What book have you read recently?
“Martin Rattler.”

What is the scariest thing you have ever done?
“Went on a Ferris Wheel.”

What do you think is the best job in the world?
“Landscaping.”

Conner, age 5

If you could have chosen your own first name, what would it be?
“Richard, my dad’s middle name.”

What is the scariest thing you have ever done?
“Put my head in the salt water.”

What do you think is the best job in the world?
“Being a mountain climber at Mt. Ranier.”

If today was your birthday, what would you want to eat?
“Rice Krispies, chocolate chip cookies, and vanilla cupcakes.”

Calum, age 1

What would be the coolest pet to own? What would you name it?
“An earwig named Squishy.”

What do you think is the best job in the world?
“Either a rockstar drummer or an entomologist.”

What is your favorite toy?
“My mom’s Tupperware.”

What book have you read or has someone read to you recently?
“My favorite book right now is Please Say Please.”

Siblings Zachariah, Julianna, Jonathan, & Benjamin

Zachariah, age 10

What are you scared of?
“My brother hiding behind the door.”

What would be the coolest pet to own? What would you name it?
“A dolphin named Echo.”

What do you think is the best job in the world?
“A dolphin trainer.”

What chores do you have?
“Feeding my chickens and rabbits.”

Julianna, age 9

If you could have chosen your own first name, what would it be?
“Grace, which is my middle name and what my first name means.”

If today was your birthday, what would you want to eat?
“Goulash.“

What would be the coolest pet to own? What would you name it?
“A cat named Tiger.”

What are some nicknames you have?
“Juls and Baby Girl.”

Jonathan, age 7

What do you think is the best job in the world?
“Own a candy store.”

What would be the coolest pet to own? What would you name it?
“A Gardner snake named Freaky.”

If you could have chosen your own first name, what would it be?
“Bob.”

What is your favorite toy?
“Legos.”

Benjamin, age 4

What is your favorite toy?
“Cars.”

What is a nickname you have?
“Benjamin Bunny.”

If today was your birthday, what would you want to eat?
“Spaghetti.”

If you could have chosen your own first name, what would it be?
“Thomas the Train.”

Siblings Ben, Frank, & Lizzie

Ben, age 14

What do you think is the best job in the world?
“Animator at Pixar.”

If you could have chosen your own first name, what would it be?
“William.”

What is your favorite toy?
“Legos.”

What book have you read recently?
“It Happened in Washington.”

Frank, age 13

If today was your birthday, what would you want to eat?
“Pork & chicken & broccoli.”

If you could live or visit any place in the world, where would it be?
“Italy.”

What is the scariest thing you have ever done?
“Riding the roller coaster at Silverwood.”

What do you think is the best job in the world?
“Astronaut.”

Lizzie, age 7

If you could have chosen your own first name, what would it be?
“Rosie.”

If today was your birthday, what would you want to eat?
“Macaroni & cheese.”

What is a nickname you have?
“Bethany.”

What are you scared of? Why?
“Lions and bears, because they are scary.”

Cousins Danielle & Joshua

Danielle, age 1

What book have you read or has someone read to you recently?
“The Very Busy Spider, I love the animals.”

What are some of your favorite toys?
“My rubber duck, teapot & teacup, and books.”

What are you scared of?
“Swings.”

What are some nicknames you have?
“Dani and Scooter.”

Joshua, age 11 months

What is your favorite toy?
“Daddy’s boots, or anything with strings.”

If today was your birthday, what would you want to eat?
“Chocolate!”

What book have you read or has someone read to you recently?
“Stop, Train, Stop! A Thomas the Tank Engine Story.”

What are you scared of?
“Being left behind.”

Sisters Laila & Lydia

Laila, age 7

What do you think is the best job in the world?
“Someone who rescues animals.”

What is the scariest thing you have ever done?
“Jumped off a dock at the lake.”

If today was your birthday, what would you want to eat?
“Grilled cheese sandwiches.”

What would be the coolest pet to own?
“A turtle.”

Lydia, age 2

What would be the coolest pet to own?
“A duck.”

What is a nickname you have?
“Boo boo.”

What are you scared of?
“Loud Noises.”

What is your favorite toy?
“Baby dolls.”

Hi!
My kids are in college now so I am “done” homeschooling but every year I get to work in a wonderful Christian orphanage in Zambia Africa, 20 kids now and building for 100! last year I observed how they had ZERO educational toys and games, so I sent them the Circuits kit in October (along with the Drafting program, but alas I forgot to take a picture!) and when I stayed with them in June they showed me how much they LOVED it by being able to do ANY cool experiment in any section I chose!

I’d say, “Show me # 312!!!” and they all joined in to show me how it worked!

As you can see, I also brought with me in June the GeoPuzzles and found the teens POURING over them for hours with me! We used the Africa one as a review of their capital cities of each of the countries as well as just to LOCATE some of the countries in Africa that they were unfamiliar with! And they got to see HANDS ON where I live in the US.

It was a wonderful time and Timberdoodle was a GREAT tool and blessing to them! So I am hooked! I will definitely want to bring more of your items back with me next May or June when we return, Lord willing. But I wondered if you could use these photos or could provide donations or discounts for more great things! Thought you might like to see how far reaching Timberdoodle’s great resources really went this summer! Thank you for all the years of reviewing the products for us and for this particular opportunity it gave me to bless 20 orphans in Zambia!
Blessings,
Maureen Mattiello,
Michigan

For those of you curious about our answer, we told her we would also love to be a part of blessing the kids, and we’ll work with her on that when she gets ready to return! Have you used Timberdoodle products in a unique adventure like this? We’d absolutely love to hear about it!

…I feel silly asking you this, because of course you are a Timberdoodle supporter . but can you give me any thoughts about trying to choose between Timberdoodle and Sonlight?

I’m happy to give you my perspective, though of course I know our curriculum much better than I know theirs, so you’ll want to keep that in mind!

We actually like Sonlight, and have friends using it. It isn’t for all families though, particularly with its cost and the extensive reading required.

If you have used Sonlight in the past, my first question would be just to ask why you are thinking about changing. Is there something that didn’t work out so well for your family? If Sonlight works well for you and your family can afford it, why not stay with it?

There are some similarities between the Timberdoodle Cores and Sonlight’s curriculum packages, and some differences. Here is a smattering of contrasts and comparisons that may prove helpful.

Books
This is the most obvious difference, and has a huge impact on the price of each package. Sonlight includes a ton of books, while we at Timberdoodle opt to simply advise parents to add books from their local library and their own favorites. The advantages of Sunlight’s approach are that you don’t have to think it through or remember to add them. The advantages of Timberdoodle’s approach are the lower cost and the ability to pick books best suited to your family’s standards/child’s interests.

Math
While some of the options are different, (Sonlight doesn’t offer JUMP! Math, and Timberdoodle doesn’t sell the full Singapore program.) most of the math recommendations are the same, especially since we both agree that Teaching Textbooks is great!

Literature-Based or Practical
Sonlight is a literature-based approach, with an emphasis on learning by reading. Timberdoodle is more practical, and has a hands-on emphasis. Our goal is that the child learns how to learn, which is why our curriculum has such a focus on thinking skills. Sonlight emphasizes a broader exposure to different cultures, times and concepts through reading.

Teacher Led or Independent Study
While the beginning grades are always teacher intense until the child is able to manage their own reading, Timberdoodle emphasizes independent learning as soon as it is possible. While parents are encouraged to be as involved as they wish (in our family, absolutely everything was discussed, mostly informally, and we expect no less of our customers!), we feel that it is a benefit to both the student and the busy parent to have the child working independently as much and as early as possible. Sonlight emphasizes parental involvement with read aloud books, formal discussions, etc.

Time
In third grade, for instance, Sonlight expects students to spend 3.5 – 4.5 hours a day, and teachers to spend 2-3 hours a day. Timberdoodle anticipates that most students will complete their work in 1-3 hours a day (depending on their focus and reading speed). The actual teaching should take up to half an hour, depending on whether you would like your student to independently read science and history or you prefer to read that aloud. Depending on your child, you’ll be more involved than that answering questions and helping redirect the student, but it isn’t the same as planned teaching time.

Bible
Both Sonlight and Timberdoodle are owned by Christian families, and the curriculum reflects that. However, Sonlight includes a Bible portion in their curriculum, while Timberdoodle has opted not to. Sonlight’s preference of having it included makes it easy to include this most important subject, while our choice to leave it out means that families can move this topic from school to family devotions, and pick the approach that is best for their family.

Thinking Skills
Timberdoodle’s core curriculum kits are the only ones I’ve ever seen focus on this every year, and we consider it one of the most important subjects. (Language Arts/Reading, Math and Thinking Skills are our big three.)

Age Range
Sonlight’s curriculum is developed for PreK through highschool. Timberdoodle currently offers curriculum from newborn through 10th grade. We hope to add 11th and 12th grade options soon, but since those grades are so highly dependent on your student’s long term goals, we are still figuring out how to make them flexible enough to accommodate the future businessman, paramedic, homemaker, pastor and lawyer!

Complete Packages
Timberdoodle offers a complete package for each grade, baby-10th grade and families are invited to contact us for free and easy customization. Sonlight offers complete packages for Pre-K – Fifth Grade. From 6th grade and up you will need to build your own custom core, which can be done on their site or by contacting them for assistance.

Documentation
Sonlight comes with extensive documentation in the form of an Instructor’s Guide that “…tells you what to read and do each day, gives you extra notes to help you talk about any difficult subjects, suggests discussion questions to spur great conversations with your kids and helps you get the most from your books and timeline.” They also have a 3-week sample available online. Timberdoodle has opted for a simple planning folder which gives you an overview of each subject and how to schedule it. We also include an annual planning schedule and a weekly checklist for your student, so that you can get started immediately. The entire folder contents are free online as a PDF.

Conclusion
Both are great programs – but neither is perfect for everyone. Hopefully this comparison will help you figure out what is best for your family! As always, I’d be delighted to help if you have any further questions.

Joy

Ana & Abi

Ana, 5, & Abi, 1
Our featured cover child, Ana is adopted from Kazakhstan and her adorable sister is from Taiwan. We first got to know them through a mutual friend, and were so excited with them when Abi finally came home!

Andrew & David

Andrew, 13 & David, 12
The youngest sons of our long-time friends, we were so glad that Andrew and David could be a part of this year’s photo shoot!

Annora

Annora, 3
Annora’s family is part of a new local church where some of us volunteer once a month to help out with childcare. This was Annora’s first time participating in a photoshoot with us, and she did awesome!

Darius, Bethany, and Nathaniel

Bethany, 13, Nathaniel, 7, and Darius, 5
Bethany, age 13, comes to our weekly community group with her older sisters, brother-in-law, and nephew. Her two little brothers are Nathaniel, age 7, and Darius, age 5.

Danielle

Danielle, 8 months
At eight months old, this little darling “talks” quite a bit! Danielle has been coming to our weekly community group since before she was born.

Caleb & Scion & Connor

Caleb,11, Scion, 9, and Connor (nearly)5
These three brothers are veteran Timberdoodle posers, appearing in last year’s catalog, as well as several vodcasts. They attend our church together with their parents and their sweet baby brother.

Claire, Isabelle, and Katherine

Claire, 8, Isabelle, 6, and Katherine 2 ½
Our cousin’s wonderful daughters, these girls love homeschooling! Whether at work or at play, they are always full of fun and were a blast to have in the studio!

Hayden and Devyn

Devyn, 3 & Hayden, 1 ½
Our family has been babysitting these happy girls on a regular basis for almost a year now.  They bring lots of laughter to our lives!

Eliana

Eliana, 22 months
The youngest daughter of employee Nehemiah, Eliana was the first non-Deffinbaugh to be pictured in our catalog.

Elisha

Elisha, 10 months
This sweet little boy is a man of many faces – we are constantly entertained by his amusing expressions. Many of Elisha’s aunts and uncles are also pictured in the catalog!

Ezekiel

Ezekiel, 11
Ezekiel is the younger son of employee James. In addition to his work here, James is one of the co-pastors of the church many of the children came from.

Grandpa D

Grandpa, 90
This may be the most sentimental picture for us, as we were so very excited to be able to have Grandpa pose with his Journible. He uses it to practice his writing, since he has had trouble since his stroke. And those are his great-granddaughters that he is posing with!

Hannah

Hannah, 16
Hannah is amazing at drawing, photography, and all sorts of art. So no, we did not merely pose her with someone else’s art; that really is her original drawing that she did ahead of time just for us.

Jotham

Jotham, 9
The youngest child and only son of employee Daniel, Jotham is nine-and-a-half years old. You have probably spoken with Daniel on the phone, and it is quite possible that you have even confused him with Dan, the boss!

Joseph, David and Jonathan, Joy, Timothy

Joy, 13, Timothy, 12, David and Jonathan, twins age 9, and Joseph, 7
When my sister Hope volunteered at the local Christian school’s Kindergarten classroom for several years, Joy and Timothy were two of the students! They are now homeschooled together with their younger brothers.

Judah and Cohen

Judah, 4 & Cohen, 3
Judah and Cohen’s dad has helped lead a small church together with our employee James and several others. Judah and Cohen also have a younger brother.

Lydia

Lydia, 21 months
This darling red-head is another member of the same church. She also has an older brother and sister.

Megan, Alison, and Jenny

Megan, 11, Alison, 7, Jenny, 6
We met these wonderfully poised young ladies through church, and have loved watching them grow up. They were part of last year’s photo shoot too, so you probably recognize them.

Zechariah, Julianna, Jonathan, and Benjamin

Zechariah, 10, Julianna, 8, Jonathan, 7, Benjamin, 4
We’ve known this family a long time as well – their dad used to lead the singing at our church!

———————————–
Newly added:
Baby Hugg-a-Planet
Cushy but not fluffy, this is the perfect globe for baby and siblings!

Hugs Links
Not just cute links, each also doubles as a rattle. So new that we will be shipping these separately when they arrive here in April.

Snug Bugs
New links – aren’t they adorable? And a great way to build baby’s fine motor skills.

Big Rainbow Silk
The small one was great, but for just a little more we felt you would get a lot more play value out of the larger size.

Shape Sorter Play Bench
Combines rattles, a shape sorter and hammer bench in one, for added play value and lowered cost!

Tommy Toot
We were excited to find this toy, a great way to help baby learn the cause and effect of blowing.

Rubabbu Ball
Not just another ball, this is made of the velvety soft and fuzzy Rubbabu. An fun and inexpensive addition.

Sew N Sew
A new discovery that lets your one year old begin to build the fine motor skills he’ll eventually need for holding a pencil, in a gorgeous, travel-friendly wooden block.

Baby Planning Helps folder
Upgraded to the 2011 format to make it easier for you to reference and use.

———————————–
Retired

Twist & Turn Rattle
Crazy-Eyed Bird
Playtime Classical Music
Mirror
These were simply too readily available to justify selling here – you probably received something like this as a baby gift!

A-Z Links
Sassy Beads
We fell in love with Just B.’s new links and beads, and just in time since these Sassy products have been increasingly difficult for us to get to you at a reasonable price due to manufacturer pricing policies.

Bilibo
We reluctantly dubbed this nonessential and will continue to offer them separately instead of in the core.

Rainbow Mini Playsilk
Upgraded to a larger size.

Rolling Ball with Hammer
Jumbo Shape Sorter
Upgraded/combined to the new Shape Sorter Playbench – more versatile and less cost!

2011 Timberdoodle Baby Curriculum Revisions
2011 Timberdoodle Toddler Curriculum Revisions
2011 Timberdoodle Preschool Curriculum Revisions
2011 Timberdoodle Kindergarten Curriculum Revisions
2011 Timberdoodle First Grade Curriculum Revisions
2011 Timberdoodle Second Grade Curriculum Revisions
2011 Timberdoodle Third Grade Curriculum Revisions
2011 Timberdoodle Fourth Grade Curriculum Revisions
2011 Timberdoodle Fifth Grade Curriculum Revisions
2011 Timberdoodle Sixth Grade Curriculum Revisions
2011 Timberdoodle Seventh Grade Curriculum Revisions
2011 Timberdoodle Eighth Grade Curriculum Revisions
2011 Timberdoodle Ninth Grade Curriculum Revisions
2011 Timberdoodle Tenth Grade Curriculum Revisions

And now let me give a bit more information for those of you who have already purchased your curriculum for this year.

Your Curriculum Is 100% Supported
First of all, you really are not at a disadvantage. The core you purchased is still something Timberdoodle stands behind 100%, a kit we are confident that you and your child will be thrilled with, and one that we will continue to support. Not only that, but you got our discounted 2010 pricing as well as the items we’ve since been forced to discontinue with supply issues, etc!

We Will Work With You
If you purchased your curriculum in 2011 and feel that your child would do better with the new assortments, please contact us ASAP so we can get you up and running.

In a nutshell you have 2 options:
#1, Buy the extra components at a reduced price.
#2, Swap out items and pay the difference to make your 2010 core identical to a 2011 core.

Just email me at Joy@Timberdoodle.com and I will work with you to get you exactly what you need.

Use What Works For Your Family
If a program we no longer include in our default package (for instance, Horizon’s Math) works well for your student, we would suggest you not switch. Instead, just let us know when you order that you would prefer to continue on with Horizons (or whatever other change you may need) and we will do that and adjust your total price accordingly. Changes are completely free, so the only cost is when there is a cost difference between the two items you will see a equivalent price change in your total.

If you have any questions don’t hesitate to ask, we would be delighted to help you in any way we can!

How does a home teaching mom also find time to participate in a home business? More importantly, why?! Let me answer the why first.

We do it not only to give our children real life skills, and to bolster confidence, but also to develop character. Our experience has shown that if our children are spending 2-3 hours a day in required schoolwork and 1-3 hours a day in required household chores, then apart from meals and other family times, our children would have anywhere from 5-8 hours of free time. While I won’t argue the educational merits of free play, I will say that we have noticed over time that too much liberty leads to a self indulgent attitude. It particularly grieves us to see teens with idle time. What a hazard in these end times! If our children are given an extended dose of free play, we see that when they are asked to do something out of the norm, they balk about giving up what they consider their rightfully earned liberty. They also tend to be more selfish in their play, more given to inappropriate behavior, and certainly more quarrelsome.

Does all this iniquity suddenly disappear with a home business? Of course not! However, by minimizing the unlimited time to cater to one’s sin nature, we have seen positive results.

So now that you can see why we do it, here is how we do it. Again, the name of the game is delegation.

I can remember watching war movies as a child and chafing whenever I saw a general and his top men going over strategy in a tent, far removed from the danger that the common men were facing. “How wrong!,” I thought. But now, as a mom and second-in-command, I can see the wisdom in that system. If the general had been in the trenches with his men, he would be unaware of the overall picture and may have won the battle, but lost the war.

Likewise, in the running of our home-based business, if we are sidetracked into jobs that others could be doing, we begin to lose ground fast. We can also be unaware of bad work habits or attitudes that may be developing. So one of our family business axioms is that Dan and I do what only we can do. In other words, anyone can cut stickers for the packages, so for Dan or myself to do that means that projects that only we can do, like reordering inventory, may not be done in a timely way.

As mentioned in a previous catalog, our children are expected to work a minimum of 20 hours a week. Joy is in training in the postal section. She not only mails out catalogs to everyone who calls or writes, but also prepares all postal packages. For foreign orders this has been a real learning adventure! She also takes care of collating bills with invoices and getting those out in the mail for us.

Hope is primarily responsible for inventory three hours a day. This is not a fun job for her because it involves a lot of decision making concerning what arrives damaged and what does not. But with time, some of the decisions will become easier as she becomes more familiar with the products. Hope was selected for this particular job because she is the family fuss-budget and has a dependable eye for observing the details.

Grace fills one of our two “floating” positions. Right now she works on inventory and on mail. Her mail responsibilities include opening the mail, and then delivering the sorted mail to the appropriate people. She sorts through the returns and ascertains which are damaged. She also makes sure stickers are ready for packers.

Abel fills the other “floating” position, helping Grace with the returns and couriering messages up and down the stairs to various people. He loves to help when our cornstarch packing peanuts arrive and delights in keeping our employee candy dish restocked. He also labels catalogs to be mailed out, but his main responsibility is making sure catalogs are ready for the packers. Other janitorial jobs such as garbage and bathroom detail are assigned as extra jobs, in much the same manner as household chores are. The only exception here is that being tardy to work is another reason to be given an extra job. Obviously, mail-order works for us, but may not suit you or your market. Still, there are unlimited options for business. Making lots of money or being nationally known is not equal to success. “Do you see a man skilled in his work…” (Proverbs 22:29). Our goal should be developing skills in both workmanship and character.

So how do we do it all in a home business? By delegation and observation with the goals of not only “marketable” skills, but also maturity.

When two F-15 fighter jets broke the sound barrier (responding to an attempted intercept of an aircraft which had invaded the Temporary Flight Restriction area imposed for President Obama’s visit to Seattle) and triggered sonic booms which were heard throughout the Puget Sound region, we realized that while everyone was talking about the event no one could explain it.

If you also find yourself struggling to explain the concept to your homeschoolers, than you will probably be just as grateful as we are for this short explanation complete with live illustrations!

Thanks to Randy Alcorn for this eulogy of the life of Sono Sato Harris and testimony to God’s faithful kindness in her life.