You may not be able to Homeschool Full-time and we understand that, but we know that you can do it if you put your mind to it! For those of you who don’t homeschool, there is always a need for more parent involvement. So even if your child is in school, there are still tons of activities and resources here at True Aim that will help you in your journey.

It’s true! Sometimes we discuss controversial topics and provide a unique opinion, but it is just that. We hope that if you disagree, you’ll express your opinion in the comments.

Here’s a little taste of the Best Educational Activities at True Aim in 2014, but make sure you sign up for our Newsletter to receive even more ideas in the New Year and get a FREE Kid’s eBook and printables each month!

Happy New Year!

Sight Word Fortune Tellers

Check out these great posts from other Kid Bloggers for even more ideas on crafts, education, and parenting!

CRAFT POSTS:

EDUCATION POSTS:

PARENTING POSTS:

The post The Best Kids Activities of 2014 first appeared on True Aim.

Then I remembered who was in the car with me and I quickly forgot about the rude motorist.

I blushed and sat quietly in the front seat, hoping my passenger hadn’t noticed. Then the squeaky voice of my sweet 3-year-old repeated from the back seat, “Shit!” She said it over and over again as I cringed. Then she asked, “What is shit?”

“Audrey,” I began, “I said shoot.” – because lying makes swearing okay, I guess. But Audrey didn’t take the bate, “No, Daddy you said shit.” Round and round the conversation went, until I finally snapped, “Shit is a bad word, and if you say that again, you are going to get in trouble!”

Thankfully, at three, she didn’t know what a hypocrite was. So she went on to really make me feel terrible, and apologized.

And I wish I could say that everything is perfect now.

I wish I could say that I am finally that Dad I once imagined I’d be. But life just goes by so fast; last week I was a punk kid in school and “Poof!” now I am a father of 4.

When I was little I watched a movie called Hook. The first bit of the movie was about a boy who really wanted his Dad to show up to his baseball game, but his dad always put work first.

What a jerk, right?!

Arnold plays a father trying to balance family and work, in Jingle All the Way.

That’s what I thought then, and was sure I would never be like that. Then I got a job, a really good, great paying job. The problem was, I found myself heading in early and coming home to sleeping kids. Nor were my days off sacred to the boss-man.

I remember times, when my kids hung on to my legs begging me to stay and play, but you couldn’t call in for that. And other times, my kids needed their father to come home and discipline them, but again, not a valid reason in corporate America.

Suddenly, I felt for those dads in movies like Hook and Jingle All the Way, and all the other dads who are made to feel like the bad guy for choosing to feed their kids over watching them play. Was the industrial revolution progress from the domestic farm? I wasn’t sure anymore.

Well eventually, enough was enough, I gave up a comfortable income and a dream job, to be with my family. I started a home business, and things are going great, except that I work twice as long for half the pay.

I had this vision of my kids playing quietly at my feet while I worked, so I put my office in the family room, but the kids don’t play quietly, and I constantly have to ask them to tone it down or leave the room, despite the fact that I wear earplugs. I’d move my office upstairs, but I don’t have the time.

Like that’s not frustrating enough, the other day my oldest daughter asked why I don’t play with her anymore. Now I am seriously considering moving to woods, but I can imagine that troubles will follow.

There has to be balance – I just wish the scale was easier to read.

Yet, in spite of my failures, it’s the little moments that count. I’m hoping that my grown children will look back on their childhood and remember all the happy times with their father, little moments that are like treasures in time, and I am praying that God will make the best of my bad parenting.

The post The Best of My Bad Parenting first appeared on True Aim.

For those of you coming from the Ultimate Blog Party, welcome!  For my readers, here is a little more about True Aim, you might not have known.

1.  True Aim started because a friend inspired us!

We met an amazing family while we lived in North Carolina for the military.  Kara encouraged us to share our parenting and homeschooling ideas.  So, next time a respected friend tells you that you have great ideas, believe them!

2.  My husband came up with the blog’s name.

Inspired by Psalm 127; I am still in love with it.

3.  We’re writing a book…

On education!  It will blow you away!  And it’s coming soon.

4.  Our contributor has an amazing story and has written some awesome posts!

5.  We’re here for you and the glory of God.

I don’t think we could say it enough; thank you for following and for supporting us in our efforts to inspire parents to focus on the most meaningful educational subjects; Faith, Family, Fitness, and Finances.

If you’re a blogger and would like to get involved in the True Aim community, stop by our Facebook page each Friday and share a post on our timeline!  We’ll reshare throughout the weekend.

We’re also opening up our Frugal Fun for Kids Pinterest Board for Collaborators!  Just follow the board and leave your pinterest URL in the comments!
Follow Janine, TrueAimEducation.com’s board Frugal Fun For Kids on Pinterest.

Or, join the Mom’s Library Link Up!

Now it’s your turn!  Share something that most people don’t know about you or your blog!

Follow along Facebook – Google+ – Pinterest – Twitter – Instagram

The post 5 Things About True Aim You Didn’t Know: The Ultimate Blog Party 2014 first appeared on True Aim.

We were so blessed to have found a Homeschooling family that shares our enthusiasm for teaching values, fostering a strong family relationship and glorifying God!  Kathryn did such an amazing job on the review, showing the true spirit of homeschooling, that we asked her to be a regular contributor to the Blue Manor Blog!

You can read more about Kathryn and her family in her bio below and watch the video and you’ll see exactly what we mean.

Don’t forget to follow along so you don’t miss a thing!  Facebook ~ Email ~ Pinterest ~ YouTube

About Kathryn:

I am blessed to share my life with my husband Chris of 7 years, my children Ava and Jackson, and our dog Sammy in the warm adventurous city of Austin, Texas. We strive to keep life real, to enjoy the small things, and keep laughter a priority in our home.

In 2011 our son Jackson was diagnosed with a rare congenital heart defect which led our family to boil down our priorities to what really matters. We are able to spend our days learning and teaching one another at home which is creating a bond beyond anything I could have ever dreamt of.

My days are filled with homeschooling, serving the community, park dates, canoe trips, hikes, cooking, organizing, crafting, decorating, blogging and lots of time snuggled up with my kids and their favorite books.

The post True Aim’s New Contributor first appeared on True Aim.

While it is exciting to witness so many parents reclaiming their children, it is also frightening to see the increasing resistance of our governments, educational institutions and media. Our opposition is growing more hateful – some daring to call homeschooling – child abuse. In fact, in several countries being a homeschooler is illegal!

Thankfully we live in America, where homeschooling is still considered a constitutional right. But we must remain vigilant, because the United States is not immune to tyranny. Everyday, our government gobbles up more and more of our fundamental rights. If homeschooling families are not already in its cross-hares (and I think we are), it is only because there are bigger fish to fry.

The homeschool movement is not merely trying to “do school at home.” We are fighting because we have a God-given responsibility to raise our own children.

It is our deeply held conviction, that whether we choose homeschooling, private schooling, or public schooling, we alone are responsible for the outcome. Therefore, we are dedicated to doing whatever it takes to ensure our children have a strong physical, intellectual and spiritual foundation.

Are you a homeschooler?

If we find that our children’s school is failing in any respect, we are ready and willing to make up the deficit. And, if necessary, recall our parental duties entirely.

Parents who are not full-time homeschoolers, can still “homeschool” on the side – nights, weekends, and holidays. In this way, we are all homeschoolers! We are all in this together. I will sign off by quoting God’s commission to parents;

Deuteronomy 6:5-9

“You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your strength. And these words which I command you today shall be in your heart. You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, when you walk by the way, when you lie down, and when you rise up. You shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontals on your forhead. You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates.”

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The post We are all Homeschoolers! first appeared on True Aim.