Interview with Danika Cooley

Danika is the author of When Lightening Struck which I reviewed yesterday and also of the Bible Road Trip which we have used here and will probably go back to using within the next year. Danika is US homeschooling mother who somehow manages to find time to write. 

She has kindly answered some questions.

1. What inspired you to write When Lightning Struck?

I absolutely love Christian history. I think that understanding our family history is vital to understanding the way God works in history, and to being able to understand the current trends in theology--the same heresies that the Apostles addressed have plagued the Church throughout the last two millennia. As the "Father of the Reformation", Martin Luther is a particularly fascinating and important figure in the history of the Church. Also, his story is exciting--he lived in the time of castles, princes, and knights; he risked his life for the sake of the Gospel; and he became an outlaw, was kidnapped, and more.

2. What was your main goal in writing When Lightning Struck? 

I wrote When Lightning Struck! so that young people will have the opportunity to learn about an incredibly important figure in Church history--and about theology--in an engaging manner. Really, I wrote it with my two middle school boys in mind. I wanted to make Christian history come alive for them.

3. Which part of researching When Lightning Struck was the most personally interesting to you?

We have so much information about the stories Martin Luther told about his life, that I really enjoyed finding those stories and incorporating them into When Lightning Struck!. It was also really important to me to get the theology involved in the story correct, and I found that aspect of the story fascinating.

4. What did you learn from writing When Lightning Struck?

My research notes are about three times as long as the book! I learned so much about Martin Luther, the Renaissance Popes, the papacy, and the structure of medieval monastic orders. In order to tell the latter parts of the story in which the Protestant leaders were debating over the manner in which Protestants should live out their faith, I really had to study quite a bit.

5. What are you reading right now? What authors (living or dead) have influenced you most?

Right now, I'm reading Ulrich Zwingli by William Boekestein, Church History in Plain Language by Bruce L. Shelley, Systematic Theology by Wayne Grudem, the books of the prophets in the Old Testament, and a number of books with my boys for school. Reading is definitely one of my favorite parts of my work--I read about a book a week, with bigger works on the side.

6. What was the book that most influenced your life — and why?

I was definitely a bookworm growing up, and I read everything I could get my hands on--some good, some not-so-good. This may sound cliche, but the book that has most influenced my life has been (and continues to be) the Bible. I've read it through many times, studied it, and it's changed me. Isaiah 55:11 tells us that God's Word never returns void, that it accomplishes what He purposed it for. It has certainly changed me.

7. Do you have a certain writing space, somewhere you go "just" to write your books? An office, a lake cabin, a hotel? What do you love about that space? How does it inspire you?

We have a library that I love to work in late at night, after everyone is asleep. It's nice to be surrounded by biographies and great works while writing. Also, I just really love the room.

8. Is there anything you find particularly challenging about writing a book?

I love writing. Research can sometimes be tedious or overwhelming, but it's worthwhile to commit to researching well. I think it makes the story so much richer (and more accurate).

9. Did you always have a talent for writing, or is it something you wanted and needed to work harder to achieve?

I've always loved to write. That said, writing is a craft, and like any skill, it needs to be developed with practice, and through criticism and study. I've studied writing, I read widely, and I've had a lot of excellent input from some amazing editors and writers.

10. With all of the duties that you juggle, when do you fit in the time to write?

For me, finding time to write is the same as finding time to exercise, eat, or sleep. I consider it a necessity, so I work hard to make time for it. I've also sacrificed other activities to fit it in. I don't watch television, I prioritize my time, and I often write when I might otherwise be sleeping.

11. Is your writing style different now than it was when you first began? In what ways have you grown in your writing?

I think it's taken me time to find my voice and hone my skills, and I suspect that I will continue to improve as a writer--we always get better at the things we practice.

12. How did you get your start in writing/getting published?

I attended a writing conference for beginners at a local Christian college six and a half years ago. A children's author graciously sat down with me and explained what I needed to do to write for children, and directed me to a local writer's organization. I began attending conferences with Oregon Christian Writers four times a year, and writing for Christian children's magazines. My first acceptance letter came three months after that first conference.

13. What do you recommend for others who are getting started?

It's a good idea to find a local writer's organization, and learn about the business. I think writing for magazines is a clarifying process, which I highly recommend. Also, if you want to reach people for Christ, writing for magazines can really extend that reach.

14. What would you say to a young person who aspires to be a writer? What advice would you give? Also, what would you tell his/her parents in order to help them be supportive in their child's efforts to pursue writing as a career?

The most important thing you can do is learn how to write. It's also important to learn about the industry. Find writer's conferences and workshops, attend, take notes, and really learn from the authors there. Don't let rejection letters stop you--just keep working on your craft. I'd also suggest finding a mentor--someone who is already writing for publication--and humbly following their advice. Also, read widely. Read many genres, from different time periods. Practice writing, but as you do, think about what you'd like to say, and who you'd like to say it to.

15. Would your advice be any different for an adult who would like to break into the business? How?

My agent, Chip MacGregor, always says a successful writer should have great writing, a great idea, and a great platform (the people who read your work, or listen to you speak). It's important to work on all three.

As far as platform goes, serve your readership. For my Christian friends, really work unto the Lord and glorify Him in all you do. He is sovereign over all things, and will open the doors He wants opened.

Really, writing professionally is a lot of work, but it's also a great opportunity to communicate, to practice your craft, and to get to know some amazing people. I feel humbled and blessed to be writing professionally.

16. What else do you want readers to know? Consider your likes and dislikes, interests and hobbies, your favorite ways to relax — whatever comes to mind.

I love to play board games with my kids, hike, paint (I majored in art), garden, and cook. I love my family, and I feel so blessed to be able to spend time with them. I homeschool my younger two, and that's just a gift. Teaching children about the Bible, theology, and Christian history is my passion--I hope to be a lifelong student, and a lifelong teacher. 

Do pop over to Danika's blog. I appreciate her book reviews and highly recommend her new book, When lightening Struck.

Danika can also be found at
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Interview with Jennie Chancey

 

I am delighted that Jennie Chancey has agreed to be interviewed. Jennie is the wife of Matt, home educating mother of ten and last year relocated to Kenya. She runs Sense and sensibility Patterns selling patterns for historical, wearable clothing and also  Ladies against feminism which is dedicated to publishing a thoughtful and Biblical response to feminism and to encourage women in their God-given roles. She has co-authored Passionate housewives Desperate for God.
Jennie is a friend and we look forward to her rather too infrequent visits to the UK. She is always a great fund of book ideas and has kindly given some book recommendations as part of this interview.

 Jennie, thank you for agreeing to be interviewed. Moving across continents must have been an enormous change for you and your family. Which differences have you noticed most? How do you think that those of us who live in the West can learn from Kenya?

I actually have to say that the move was about the smoothest we've ever had, even with two 8-hour flight legs, nine children, and 56 trunks plus carry-ons! We had a lot of people praying for us, and it just couldn't have been a better trip. I think God prepared us for this move for many years, as we'd moved before for Matt's work, and we've always whittled down our possessions with each move. I'm such an anti-pack-rat that I enjoy seeing stuff go to the charity shop! Once we were over jet lag, we just settled right into life here, aided by several friends who already lived here and had fantastic tips for where to get fruits and veggies, where to shop for staples, where to look for permanent housing, etc. I am so thankful for those wonderful friends and their assistance, as it made a very smooth transition for us.

Kenya is a beautiful country, and Nairobi's climate is amazing. The weather is perfect year 'round, even when the rains come. The children love being outdoors, and back in Alabama, that wasn't really possible for much of the year (March to October!) with the extreme heat and humidity. They have thrived here, climbing trees, riding bikes, and exploring all the amazing animal life. It's really incredible to be able to visit baby elephants and feed giraffes on a day out! The biggest differences from the US are the things we just took for granted back home--like all the nicely paved roads and traffic laws that people actually obeyed! Roads are potholed and narrow here, and Kenyan drivers take risks people would never take in the States (like driving down the sidewalk when the street is jammed!). This is, after all, the "developing world," and roads are still fairly primitive. But we manage to get around, so I have nothing to complain about.

One lovely facet of life here is that Kenyans value people and relationships to a very high degree. When someone meets you on the street, they will stop, ask after your family, talk to your children, comment on last Sunday's sermon, or whatever. Kenyans love, love, love to visit. We have enjoyed having a constant stream of people in our home, and the children always ask who's coming over. There's also no such thing as "hurrying" in Kenya, because that is equated with being worried or stressed. I thought we were pretty laid back in the States, but I've learned to let go of many things that just aren't crucial and enjoy an even slower pace of life. I think that's something I needed to learn. Even when we are committed to not over-scheduling, we tend to get too busy too easily. Here it is much easier to slow down and smell the roses, which is wonderful. And, of course, we've become so much more aware of how richly blessed we are. There's not a lot of in-your-face poverty in the States unless you live in the inner city. Here we see it almost daily, and it isn't something you can just ignore or pass over. So that has motivated us to find ways to serve the poor through projects like teaching sewing classes to ladies in the Kibera slum, having our older boys mentor young boys in the slum, doing food deliveries for orphanages, etc. This has been good for all of us.


 Can you tell us a bit about Matt’s work and what you are doing in Kenya?


Matt has been on the board of directors for the Persecution Project Foundation (persecutionproject.org) for about 12 years and has worked with them in Sudan since 2005. PPF digs wells (100wellscampaign.com), provides pastor training, brings in medicine and other relief supplies to refugee areas, and raises awareness of the ongoing genocide in the Nuba Mountains (savethenuba.com) and other areas through press releases and even personal testimony before the US Congress. Right now PPF is in the middle of building a training center in the Jebel-Lopit Mountains of Eastern Equitoria that can be used for conferences, farm training, entrepreneurial start-ups, etc. The idea is to come alongside the South Sudanese and support what they are already doing in their own country. One example is a greenhouse project that aims to help families run their own farms, learn to preserve seeds, and grow what will feed their own people. In all of this, the gospel is shared with the Sudanese (including providing Arabic Bibles to Muslims there).

Besides PPF, Matt also works with some fantastic pastors and businesses here in Kenya, promoting entrepreneurship and the household economy model. It's a delight to be able to do this as a family now that we live here year 'round. We're excited to see what doors God opens this year!


 I know that you and Matt were home educated and also home educate your children. Was deciding to home educate your children difficult? What have you learnt in your home education style by being a second generation home educator?


There actually wasn't any "decision" to home educate, as both Matt and I were home educated and knew that was exactly what we wanted to do from the start. My mother was also home educated while growing up on the mission field in Brazil, so I'm a third-generation homeschooler, which is a great heritage. Home education is a lifestyle for us--not just an educational choice. We are both so thankful our parents chose home education and gave us the tools for lifelong learning. My mother started out doing "school-in-a-box" (from a national correspondence school) with my brother, sister and me, since she and Dad wanted to be sure they covered the state obligations. But as the years went by, they realized we didn't fit into boxes, as each child had a totally different learning style! So they relaxed more and more as the years went on and tailored our studies to address our weaknesses and build on our strengths. Our key focus was reading (history, literature, biography, etc.), and Dad taught us to write and revise. Dad also directed our history studies and held dinner table discussions. Mom helped us learn critical thinking and how to evaluate what we were reading. Mom has often said that education boils down to three things:

1. Teach them to read;
2. Teach them to think;
3. Teach them to communicate.

And all of this is to be done for the glory of God. The goal is to discipline our minds and apply them to learning the truth and communicating it clearly. We want to give our children a passion for learning that doesn't stop when they get a piece of paper saying they have "finished."

 As a home educator, I am fascinated by other people’s days and often “borrow” ideas. Can you give us an idea of how your days run?

Well, no two days are exactly alike, but we do follow a rough outline to keep things sane. ;-) Here's a basic "day-in-the-life" for you:

7:30am: Cook breakfast, set table

8am: Eat breakfast while Matt reads from the Bible.

8:30am: Children do "morning chores" (making beds, dressing, brushing teeth, straightening rooms)

9:00am: Children gather in the dining room to get started on book work. I sit between two of the youngest (my 5-year-old twins) while they do their math so that I can help each of them if they have questions. My 7-year-old daughter does math with Teaching Textbooks on the computer (I love this program, which was designed especially for home educators!). My 9-year-old daughter works on handwriting while her sister is doing math, and my 11-year-old son, who underwent vision therapy for 18 months before he could even recognize letters, also works on his handwriting (which is still his biggest challenge). When the 7-year-old is finished with math, the 9- and 11-year-old take their turns, also using Teaching Textbooks math for their levels. When the twins finish math, I do phonics with each for 15 minutes. Then they do some basic handwriting work and head outside to play. I call out spelling words for the girls and older boys before they put away their work. The oldest two boys (14 1/2 and 13) do not need much oversight, as they have weekly checklists of the work they need to do for all subject areas (math, science, literature, history, spelling, grammar). If they have any questions, they come to me for help, but they're pretty much self-motivated and do very well on their own (and sometimes they call out each other's spelling words, too!).

12pm: All the book work is finished by noon, and that's when we break for lunch and play time. This is also when I read picture books with the littles before their naptime.

2pm: When the littlest three are down for their naps, I read aloud for 1 1/2 hours. Three days a week I read from The Mystery of History and have the children work on their timelines. Two days a week I read from our current literature choice (right now it's a Freddy the Pig book by Walter Brooks).

3:30pm: After reading, it's snack/tea time for everyone, and then we have about an hour of quiet, which means looking at books, drawing/coloring, playing outside, quiet board games, etc. This is when I usually check email or even grab a quick 20-minute nap on the couch!

5pm: We have what we call "tornado clean-up," which means everyone whirling around the house to put away toys, clear the table for supper, put away clean clothes, etc.

6pm: We eat supper together, and Matt reads from The Christian Almanac or another historical work, and we discuss history. This is a favorite time of the day, and we often share this part with guests, which is even more enjoyable.

7:30pm: Family devotions (we sing together and pray), then the littles from age 9 on down go to bed, while the older boys are allowed to stay up another hour and a half to read.

This varies, of course, as we have errands to run or people over for visits. Our two oldest boys also work for a couple down the street, walking their dog and tending their garden three days a week. They do some of their book work before they go and finish up when they get home around 11am. We also try to do projects together as a family as much as possible.

 How do you occupy your little ones while the older children are working?

My 3 1/2-year-old and 2-year-old love playing with shapes, coloring, and looking at picture books. They pretty much want to imitate what they see the older children doing, so they're content at the same table for about an hour. Then they go outside and play with the twins or play with blocks and such in their own rooms for a bit. They absolutely adore books, and I often find them sitting with piles of books next to our hall bookcase. That's a huge blessing! When an older child is finished with book work and has a break, he will often take the littles out to play for a while before lunch, too. It's just great to have so many hands in our house!

Somehow cardboard boxes are even more exciting than conventional toys, as the children can turn them into just about anything. Here my three-year-old son plays "robot" in his box

 You have a large number of roles with being a wife and mother of ten, home educator, running two websites and your company. What are your top tips for getting things done?

To quote a veteran homeschool mom, "Do the next thing!" My dad was famous for his to-do lists and taught all of us to keep them. That has been a tremendous help to me. He told me to put down the three most important things I needed to accomplish that day, then put down several little things I'dlike to accomplish but didn't have to. He said to focus on the most important things first, then see where I could fit the smaller things in. So, for example, one day's list last week looked like this (* items are the most important):

1. Take baby to embassy to apply for passport *
2. Call T. to arrange help for her move *
3. Prepare guest room for two overnight guests *
4. Sew up ripped seams in girls' dresses
5. Organize school cabinet (This has to be done about once every two weeks!)
6. Check email

On that day, we went to the embassy, I made the phone call, I stripped the sheets in the guest room for washing (and later remade the beds), and I checked my email. I didn't get the girls' dresses sewn, nor did I organize the school cabinet, so those items went onto the next day's list. By the end of the week, the school cabinet was organized, but I'm sewing up the girls' dresses tomorrow! You just move the non-pressing items to the next day if they aren't checked off -- and don't stress over them. Getting the most important things done is key. Just do the next thing and move on! And, of course, a lot of important things don't even go on the list but are not put off -- like hugging your children, praising someone for a good job on his room, eating meals together, etc. :-)

As for my home business, the physical side of that (folding, packaging and shipping patterns) has been handled by a homeschooling family back in Virginia since 2005. All I do is update the website from time to time and answer email. With our slow Internet here in Kenya, I've done a lot less updating, but I still manage to stay in touch with customers, friends, and family. It helps to just set aside a specific time to tackle computer-related work (like when the children are asleep or it's quiet time).

 I value your book recommendations highly as the source of some of my children’s favourite books. What would be your favourite books for older children? And what would you recommend we read about Kenya and Africa?

Oh, you have been a marvelous source of book recommendations for us, too! We've worn out two copies of Peepo thanks to you. ;-) We have a lot of books. In fact, the first layer in all the trunks we brought here was made of books! Here are some of our favorite picture books:

• Ox-Cart Man by Donald Hall
• The Story of Ferdinand by Munro Leaf
• Make Way for Ducklings by Robert McCloskey
• Mary Geddy's Day: A Colonial Girl in Williamsburg by Kate Waters
• Exodus by Brian Wildsmith
• Castle by David Macaulay (and City and all his other marvelous line-drawing books)
• Diary of an Early American Boy by Eric Sloane (All of his books are marvelously detailed and a delight to read, but this one tops the list for its intricate look at early pioneer life in the States.)
• Weather, Fossils, Archaeology and other books in the "Wonders of Creation" series from Master Books

When it comes to chapter books for read-alouds, we have too many favorites to list, but here's a kind of "Top Ten" for you:

• The Little House on the Prairie series by Laura Ingalls Wilder
• The Betsy/Tacy series by Maud Hart Lovelace
• The Milly, Molly, Mandy series by Joyce Brisley
• The Freddy the Pig series by Walter Brooks
• The Chronicles of Narnia by C.S. Lewis
• Jean Fritz's books on American history (Some are picture books; all are fantastic.)
• Genevieve Foster's books on world history (Augustus Caesar's World, The World of Columbus and Sons, etc. These are the best history resources for 8-14-year-olds I've ever come across.)
• Douglas Bond's historical fiction novels, including the Crown and Covenant series on the Scottish covenanters, the Guns of War series and the Mr. Pipes series, which covers the history of Christian hymns and hymn-writers
• G.A. Henty and R.M. Ballantyne's historical fiction novels (all free online!) are big favorites with our oldest son, and I've read a few aloud as well.
• The Little Pilgrim's Progress by Helen Taylor (a retelling of the original that is written in simpler English for children)

It's harder to recommend books about Kenya for children, as the ones we have in abundance here just aren't available outside East Africa. We have a store called Textbook Centre that carries all the books used in the local schools. That means I can easily get my hands on children's picture books written in Kiswahili (which we are learning together). Kenyans are very proud of their heritage, so they have a lot of excellent resources for children. Two books you can get outside of East Africa are Kenya ABCs: A Book About the People and Places of Kenya by Sarah Heiman (an illustrated ABC book filled with Kenyan animals and places) and Jambo Means Hello: Swahili Alphabet Book by Muriel Feelings, which covers a lot of common Swahili words and has beautiful illustrations.

For adults, I recommend Beryl Markham's famous book, West with the Night, which chronicles her growing up years in Kenya and the flying she did in the early days of aviation. Many of the chapters are appropriate to read aloud to older children to give them a feel for what it was like to live here in the early 1900s through the 1930s. A lot of the descriptions still ring true today, as many of the places she mentions are still here and mostly unchanged. Another fascinating book that covers not just Kenya but Congo, Borneo, and other remote locations is I Married Adventure: The Lives of Martin and Osa Johnson by Osa Johnson. This is the amazing story of a young couple who traveled the world together in the 1920s-1940s, filming animals and working together.

Reading together is such a vital part of our life, so we are always thrilled to find new "treasures" for our bookshelves. You have introduced us to so many excellent books as well, so, as we say in Kenya, "Asante!" (Thank you!)


And "Asante", Jennie, for sharing with us.

Interview with Anna from the Imagination Tree

I’m delighted that Anna from the Imagination Tree has agreed to be interviewed. If you haven’t visited the Imagination Tree do hop over. It is a must if you have young children-full of ideas which are fun and educational as well as the vital recipe for play dough.

Anna was recently awarded the MAD blog of the year award for the Imagination Tree.

Anna and I attend the same church so I know her in real life as well as on the internet. My children especially like the Imagination Tree because they recognise Cakie and Pop.

Thank you, Anna, for agreeing to be interviewed.

Many people have been inspired to do arts and crafts with their preschoolers by the Imagination Tree. What made you start your site?

Good question! I became a full time Mum after 10 years of very full-on teaching and was initially shocked by the change in pace in my life having just one little one to care for. I found myself feeling frustrated creatively and wanted some sort of outlet for my ideas and to keep me challenged, on my toes and in touch with my teaching. When my little girl became one and I started to do lots of hands on activities with her, some friends asked for ideas and I realised that people might like to have activity ideas to do at home with their own children. And so the blog was born! It is less about us as a family, which is the traditional blogging style, and more of a collection of activities for readers to dip into when needing an idea!

The thought of the mess involved with paint and creative play with pre-schoolers can be off putting. You seem to launch happily into messy play with your little ones. Presumably, you must have some ways of preventing the mess from being overwhelming so that the play is fun, for all concerned. Have you any suggestions about this?

I know I am more relaxed about mess than lots of people and perhaps that doesn’t reflect well on the state of my home in general! I think the best advice is to do as much as possible outside, where the mess isn’t such an issue. Otherwise, using wide, shallow boxes (such as garden trays or under-bed storage boxes) to contain the mess works pretty effectively. I think you can teach children not to go crazy with messy play materials by making sure they help clean it all up if it goes everywhere. By a certain age they are aware enough not to make so much mess in the first place! But I believe that if mess takes place during some seriously engaged play then it really is a necessary by-product.

One of the things that I love about the Imagination Tree is that many of the ideas involve ordinary household items.  Beyond these which other art/craft items would you suggest are most useful ?

 Washable paint, PVA glue, chunky chalk, glitter and sequins, pipe cleaners, air drying clay, thick paintbrushes, cartridge paper, coloured card, feathers and googly eyes, sellotape and a laminator!

Do you get any time to enjoy art/crafting yourself? If so what is your particular interest.

 I used to love to do little paintings, paint furniture, cross-stitch and to applique onto cushions and clothes but I rarely create time for my own crafting these days. It’s something I’d love to do again in the future. My next mission is to learn to crochet and to use my sewing machine properly to make dresses and toys for the girls.

I know that your faith is very important to you. How does it impact on your everyday life?

 We are a Christian family and that impacts our whole world view and the way in which we approach the raising of our children. We want them to grow up with a huge love and compassion for people around them and to learn to be responsible, hard working and respectful. Most of all we pray that they will have a deep love for God and a desire of their own to please and follow Him as they grow. We try to have family worship twice a day and C is learning Bible verses as part of this, which she loves at the moment!

As a wife and mother of two preschoolers, and one on the way, how do you make the time to write?

 The way I have approached writing the blog has evolved over the past year or so since I started it, to coincide with the girls growing older and slowly dropping naps etc. Now that I am practised at it I write a post much more quickly and tend to write only in the evenings after the girls have gone to sleep. I don’t really enjoy watching TV so choose to spend some of my free time this way instead, which I see as my hobby and stimulation for my tired brain! I plan my posts in advance and schedule them to be published ahead of time, so that I don’t need to turn on the computer in the daytime often.

I’m always fascinated by the books other people enjoy. In the spirit of your 5-a-Day books, can you share your all time favourite children’s books and perhaps, your own favourite books.

  That question is hard! There are SO many wonderful children’s books out there and I think (if I admitted it) I am addicted to them and would happily line my shelves with hundreds of titles! I just love Dogger by Shirley Hughes because of the strong connection with my own childhood and the wonderfully evocative memories of my Mum cuddling me close on her lap as she read it to me so often. Later on I loved The Magic Faraway Tree by Enid Blyton and I feel impatient for C to grow up so I can read this to her too!

My own favourite book, apart from the Bible, is currently One Thousand Gifts by Ann Voskamp which is such a beautiful reminder to take every single gift to us and treasure it, as a way of bringing us our ultimate happiness and fulfilment in life.

Thank you.

Interview with Bria Crawford

Our family met Bria, a couple of years ago, when she came to London with a mutual friend.

Bria is the eldest of nine children and lives in the foothills of the Appalachian Mountains

The Crawford family suffered the loss of their home and possessions during a devastating tornado, on 27^th April, this year.  They are now rebuilding their home.

Bria has kindly agreed to be interviewed for Delivering Grace.

.

Hi Bria,

Thank you for agreeing to be interviewed.

Sarah: Can you tell me what you've been doing over the past two years since we met you?

Bria: As the oldest of a large family I have many responsibilities so I have continued helping my mother school my siblings and care for them. I have been honing my skills in photography, music, cooking, and am still pursuing a wide range of subjects in school. I live on a farm so that brought responsibilities of its own. One included milking the Jersey cow every day and helping keep up chores. I was recently interested in becoming a doula as a source of income, but still allowing me to stay under my father's protection; but at this time in life it would not fit in so I will leave that up to the Lord in the future.

Sarah: We were sad to hear of the devastation after the tornado. How is the rebuilding project going? Has it been difficult to rebuild a sense of normality for your family?

Bria: The rebuilding is going very well. We are about to start the siding and it is almost completely dried in. It has been one of the most difficult things for our family to uproot from the calm life which we've always known to a different and unfamiliar location. I do not think we have completely created an atmosphere of normality. Mostly because we know it's temporary. But we are praying to be in the new house by Christmas. Through all the difficulty this tragedy and uprooting has caused, however, God has shown Himself to us in so many incredible ways and has strengthened our faith as a family.

Sarah: Has the tornado changed your thinking in any way?

Bria: It has definitely changed the way I think of life. I am much less inclined to think or speak negatively about my circumstances. And because of the tremendous blessings and gifts we've received it has opened my eyes to the gratitude I should give to both God and others. Of course you are grateful and somewhat aware daily but you don't have a constant, refreshing reminder until something drastic happens like this. And it has made me so much more thankful that I have family. Not just my parents and siblings, but all my relatives. We could not have gone through this alone. There are some people who lost all their family in the tornado who have no one but friends to help them through. God has just really changed my heart in so many ways.

Sarah: You have been home educated. Have you finished your education now? What are your plans for the future? 

Bria: I graduate next spring, but I have plans to continue my education at home pursuing various subjects I have interest in and prepare to be a mother and wife, if the Lord so wills that. I view the profession of homemaking as a means by which the Lord has privileged women to change the world in only the unique way they can.

Sarah: Some of my readers are home educators and will be interested to know how a “typical” day looks in a seasoned home educating family. Can you tell us about your day?

Bria: Well that's a big question! Part of the privilege of homeschooling is you get to make your own schedule day by day. But we have a regular schedule that we maintain.

We're still working on the everyone getting up early :D. But we usually manage to get breakfast and start our day by around 8 am. Mother reads the Bible with us, and then we do chores assigned to us. What we found that works best with dividing work in the house is that we have 'zones' or certain rooms and areas delegated to specific children. We spend about an hour on chores then start school. We usually have a break in school before lunch. After lunch most of us have the main subjects done and have reading left. And that is also everyone's quiet time and the little ones naps. So we spend about an hour reading and then the afternoon is left for the children to be creative and play outside. Then near supper time everyone has a job to prepare for Dad coming home and helping Mom with supper chores.

Sarah: What does the future look like after you graduate? Will you be going to college?

Bria: After graduation I will continue my education; after all we never really stop learning! I love that pursuit of education isn't limited to a university or "professional". I don't plan to go to college, though if it is a consideration there is the option of participating online. I will pursue different subjects of interest and prepare to run my own family enterprise. Ultimately I desire to rock cradles and rule the world and bring glory to Christ through my family. In the world we live in today true womanhood is scoffed upon.  I want to change the perception of true womanhood.

Sarah: One of your blogs is about books. What are your favourite books?

Bria: Anything by C.S. Lewis, Jane Austen, God Doesn't Believe in Atheists, The Scarlet Pimpernel, The Real Lincoln, Anne of Green Gables, Shakespeare, Kidnapped, Lord of the Rings, One Thousand Gifts, Charles Dickens, and above all God's Word

Thank you very much.

Bria blogs at Open Book reviews..  She has an update on the rebuild at  her site. Her family’s website is Generation Cedar.

Interview with Barbara Coyle-author of Ned

I’m really excited that Barbara Coyle has allowed me to interview her for Delivering Grace.

Barbara is the author of Ned, the fictional story of a poor boy in Victorian London who was taken, somewhat against his will, into a Barnardo home.

I loved Ned and so have my children. One of them described it as the best book we have read aloud.

 It is always difficult to judge age suitability but competent readers of eight could manage it alone and younger children would appreciate it read aloud.

Barbara lives in Eire and has four adopted children from different parts of the world, a lovely rainbow family. She home educates her children and is also busy with her responsibilities as the wife of a church planter.

Hello Barbara,

Thank you for agreeing to let me ask you some questions.

Can you tell me how you came to write "Ned"?

I’d had it in mind for a while to write a historical fiction book for children, and I thought that I could create a unit study to go along with it. When I read a biography of Dr. Barnardo, I thought that the story of a ‘Barnardo’s boy’ would make a very interesting novel.

I think  you have written another book. Can you tell me about that?

Sure. It’s a devotional book called Wisdom from Proverbs: Devotions for Homeschooling Moms. It was the fruit of my own study of the book of Proverbs; I realized how much of the wisdom there applied to mothers, and especially homeschooling mothers, in ways I hadn’t realized before. There are fifty devotionals in the book; each is based on a different verse from Proverbs and has other scriptures on the same topic listed for further reading and study.

You are from the US? How is it that you are living in Eire?

Yes, I am American. I married an Irishman in 1996 and followed him across the pond. We were in England for about five years, and have been in Ireland since 2002.

What were the greatest differences, for you, from living in the US?

I think three things stand out:

1. the weather, most especially since I come from Southern California J 

2. the far, far slower pace of life here (more so in the west of Ireland even than the UK) and

 3. the very small population of Christians (the west of Ireland has fewer evangelical Christians per capita than any other place in Europe—a fraction of 1%. ) Having been raised at a church of about 8,000 people, that has been quite an adjustment! But then again, that’s why we’re here. J

Do you have any other books planned? Can you tell us a bit about them?

I have several ideas swirling around in my head for another children’s book, but nothing definite yet. I’ve been teaching online writing classes for homeschoolers (I taught literature and writing at the college level before I was married) so my writing time is necessarily limited.

How do you manage to be a missionary wife, a mother, home educate and write? What is your top tip for getting everything done?

I think what I’ve learned is that you really can’t do it all—something has to give. If I’m going to be what I ought to be as a missionary wife, mother, and home educator, there isn’t going to be much time left over for writing. I’ve learned to be content with very limited output in terms of writing. There have been times when I put homeschooling and housekeeping on hold for a short period of time in order to get a project completed, and I think that’s ok. But generally I need to stick to my God-given priorities and be content with all my other little projects going very slowly.

Finally, many of us love books. Can you tell us your favourites?

I think I’ll probably have to give you authors rather than books; For fiction I like Jane Austen, Dickens, Dorothy Sayers, C.S. Lewis, P.G. Wodehouse, and Elizabeth Gaskell; for poetry I like George Herbert and Christina Rosetti and Shakespeare. I also like biographies, particularly of missionaries or other heroes of the faith—A Chance to Die by Elisabeth Elliot about Amy Carmichael is a favourite.

Thank you very much.

Both books are available in the UK: Ned from the Metropolitan Tabernacle bookshop and Wisdom from Proverbs from Amazon.