buffalo journeys

  Just in case, you haven’t discovered Father Mike’s Sunday Homiles podcast by way of his Bible in a Year and Catechism in a Year podcasts, this one is worth listening to. It is so good, as Father Mike would say.  Every homily is different. He has different homilies based on a theme, and you can tell that he puts a lot of thought and effort into each one. He tells a story to draw you in and helps you to reflect on the Gospel reading for that Sunday. I make an attempt to listen to it every week. Some days, the homilies make me smile and laugh. Other days, they make me think. And still some other days, I just don’t quite agree. For the most part, I am on the same page as Father Mike.  In recent homilies, he talked about the elephant in the room of the Catholic Church. He talked about the scandal. He talked about Christian persecution. He talked about a lot of things that are relevant to our times. It wasn’t pleasant, but it needed to be said because I think it’s been weighi...

  Curriculums, curriculums, and more curriculums …. There are more and more resources for homeschool now than ever before. It may seem a bit daunting to have to keep up with all the different options out there, but thankfully, there’s an online site that has many of the popular curriculums in one place. That site is Christianbook. In addition to curriculums, they provide helpful information on homeschool, homeschool conferences by state, books about homeschool, etc. They have sales on their products often, including codes for free shipping. Their website is a great resource to explore all things Christian books, hence the name, and homeschool.  If you're still pondering on different subjects for homeschool, or just on the topic of homeschool itself, their website has a lot to offer, all in one place, so be sure to keep this site in mind as another resource for research. image from Christianbook.com This concludes the Homeschool Resources series for now. I hope you find some of...

  There are many curriculums out there. Some focus on the full grade level from math to language arts and electives. While others only specialize in one subject. On the topic of one subject, the one subject that many parents fret over is math. We’ve tried a handful of different math curriculums, but in my opinion, one of the best math curriculums is Saxon. While it was fun using other curriculums with pretty pictures and colors, Saxon works for us. The foundations matter, and Saxon drills the basics of math. Math is one of those subjects where topics build on top of the other, and if the foundations are shaky, then there will be problems down the road. Saxon may seem repetitive sometimes, but it’s done for a purpose and has been beneficial. This is why Saxon is continually recommended by homeschoolers time and time again.   image from Amazon.com The textbooks were originally created by John Saxon Jr, but since his passing, there have been newer additions to the line of Math bo...

  Now, more about that curriculum… In this Homeschool Resources series, the focus is on curriculums for lower grades because starting at middle school and beyond, the curriculum will vary based on the goal that you and your child hope to achieve with homeschool.  Many opt for the college prep curriculum, with the goal of college admission. While others have different plans for their children, in terms of apprenticeship, some sort of trade, or even a religious vocation. Whatever is your goal for homeschooling, run it by with God first. Pray about it because ultimately God’s plan for you and your family is what matters. When I first started homeschooling, I picked a full curriculum and ran with it, but over time as I became more comfortable with homeschooling and began to understand the interests of my children, I mixed and matched subjects from different curriculums to suit our needs. The curriculum at TAN Books is a little bit like that. The homeschool curriculum at TAN Books ...

It’s that time of the year, back to school. Are you ready? We’re not ready because who doesn’t love summer vacation, but all good things must come to an end, so here we go… I could go on and on about the pros and cons of homeschool, but if you’re reading this, you’re probably looking for some ideas about homeschooling. We’ll jump right in with curriculum. There are many curriculums out there, but nothing compares to just picking up a textbook and see for yourself.  The internet is a great resource, but something about seeing items in person makes me feel better about it all. Mardel is a great store for that, especially now during back to school time, where they’re stocking up for the upcoming school year, so if you have a Mardel nearby, it is worth the trip. The homeschool books vary from store to store, so I had to visit a couple of them just to check out the various curriculums. I picked up this brochure at the store while browsing at their selection of homeschool books. They...