Repurpose Lego Sets with Rebrickable

This new website might be one to look out for on a rainy day. Rebrickable allows you to insert the code on various Lego sets you own, and it makes suggestions of other sets you may be able to build using your existing parts!

http://rebrickable.com/

The riddle of the boy who grew overnight (and shrank the next day)

Do your kids ever seem to grow overnight? Do they ever have a growth spurt that leaves their clothes, which fitted perfectly the week before, looking far too small?

That’s what happened yesterday, when Benjamin came out wearing his “good” jeans, all ready to go out with his grandparents.  He seemed to have grown a couple of inches overnight. I have seen a few growth spurts in my time, but nothing like this. This was something else entirely.

I knew could discount the possibility that these jeans had shrunk in the last wash, because his younger brother has a pair too, and we know from experience that they are good quality clothing. In fact, we should probably have bought them two pairs each, because Jeremiah’s pair went missing yesterday.  As clothes do around here, you know. Anything from socks to jumpers can go missing or get mislaid. They have even been known to get put on the wrong hanger from time to time.

Well, the strangest thing happened this morning when we got ready to go to Church – Benjamin’s jeans fit him again! Amazing. Astounding, in a Shrinking of Treehorn sort of a way.

Oh, and another piece of good news – we found Jeremiah’s jeans this morning. But, there was a bit of a mystery there, too.  Although he hasn’t worn them since they were last worn, they really looked like they might have been worn by someone...

The mysteries of life, hey? It keeps things interesting :)

Family games that avoid the screen…

Some good ideas for boardgames here, which I will post now and take another look  at in the lead-up to Christmas.

http://markmeynell.wordpress.com/2011/07/12/family-games-that-avoid-the-screen/

Give Them What They Really Need

In this post, Michelle from At the Well reminds us to focus on the big picture, rather than major on the minors. I think it’s a good idea to step back and do this every now and then!

Thanks to Susan for the link :)

http://www.titus2atthewell.com/give-them-what-they-really-need/

FREE Homeschool Tips Ebook!

Smockity Frocks is offering a free e-book with over 50 pages of tips from a homeschool veteran of more than 11 years. Topics include:

• Homeschooling Preschoolers
• Homeschooling Older Students With Preschoolers Present
• Scheduling
• Curriculum Choices
• Socialization
• AND MORE!

Read about it here:

http://www.smockityfrocks.com/2011/05/free-homeschool-tips-ebook.html

Advice On Family Prayer from Matthew Henry

From the NCIFC blog:

On April 16,1604, Matthew Henry preached an abundantly practical sermon to the families gathered in his congregation. One part of the sermon was for equipping them for prayer in their households. Here is what he said:

Five things especially you should have upon your heart in your family prayer, and should endeavour to bring something of each into every prayer with your families:

1. You ought to make family-Acknowledgements on your Dependence upon God and his Providences as you are a family.

give unto the Lord the Glory due unto his Name;

Give honor to God as the Founder of Families by his Ordinance, because it was not good for man to be alone; as the founder of your Families by his Providence, for he it is that buildeth the House, and setteth the Solitary in Families. Give Honor to him as the owner and Ruler of families…

2. You ought to make Family-Confessions of your Sins against God; those Sins you have contracted the Guilt of your Family…

How sad is the Condition of those Families that sin together, and never pray together, that by concurring in Frauds, Quarrels and Excesses, by Strengthening one another’s Hands in Impiety and Profaneness, fill the measure of Family-Guilt, and never agree together to do any thing to empty it.’

And even Religious Families, that are not polluted with gross and scandalous Sins, yet have need to join every Day in the Solemn Acts and Expressions of Repentance before God for their Sins of daily infirmity. Their vain words, and unprofitable conversation among themselves; their manifold defects in relative duties, provoking one another...

3. You ought to offer up Family Thanksgivings for the blessings which you, with our Families, receive from God.

Many are the mercies which you enjoy the Sweetness and Benefit of in common; which if wanting to one, all the Family would be sensible of it. Hath not God made a Hedge of Protection about you and your houses and all that you have…

4. You ought to present your Family-Petitions for the Mercy and Grace which your Families stand in need of.

Daily Bread is received by Families together, and we are taught not only to pray for it every day, but to pray together for it, saying ‘Our Father, give it us’. There are Affairs and Employments which the Family is jointly concerned in the Success of, and therefore should jointly ask of God Wisdom for the Management of them, and Prosperity therein. There are family cares to be cast upon God, by Prayer, Family Comforts to be fought for, and Family-Crosses which they should together beg for the Sanctification and Removal of.

5. You ought to make Family-Intercessions for others also.

There are Families you stand related to, or which by Neighborhood, Friendship or Acquaintance, …utmost Corners of the Earth, and to them that are afar off upon the Sea.”

Book Review: Her Hand in Marriage by Douglas Wilson

We were asked recently if there are any good resources on biblical courtship, specifically for young men. Hence the number of courtship books and sermons that we have been ploughing through recently…and thanks to the Twiss family for lending us some. I have to admit that at this point I am yet to find anything specific to young men: if you have any thoughts let me know…we also need something more general which works for our Aussie culture.

Anyway, that leads us onto this book, which is Doug Wilson’s Her Hand in Marriage. It is a short book though it hits all the essential points that you would expect it to, in Doug’s trademark style. If I had one beef to pick with it, I would say that a few real-life examples would not have gone astray. There is a reasonable amount of material around about the theory of biblical courtship, but not enough stories of how families have actually gone about it. Not that we want to precisely copy the example of others , but it would be helpful to reflect upon their successes and mistakes. Nevertheless, it is a straight-forward book which is easy to read.

BTW, thanks to my Mum buying me this dvd for my birthday, I can tell you that the cover of this book features Vermeer’s “Girl Reading a Letter at an Open Window”. Maybe she is reading a letter from a suitor?