In our house, we like to stay healthy, avoiding the germs that seem to float around us, trying to get us sick. We like to use natural remedies whenever physical problems arise. 

If I'm feeling sluggish or under the weather, I like to drink a cup of Pau D'Arco tea. Pau D'Arco has been used to fight candida, cancer, and inflammation.

When I was pregnant, my iron levels were a little low, so a friend recommended Blackstrap Molasses. It did the trick. Blackstrap Molasses is a great way to keep your iron levels up when you are pregnant or when anyone is suffering from Anemia. We simply mix a spoonful with boiling water, add a bit of milk, and drink it like coffee. 

Cooking with herbs or adding them to your salads is a better way to get them into your system because herbs are still medicine and your liver still has to excrete them, but sometimes you need a little bit more than you can get in food. I use turmeric for arthritis pain when it flares up, but I am careful not to use it everyday so I don't put strain on my liver. 

We also use natural ways to stay healthy. 

When I had my first colonoscopy, my doctor recommended eating Bran Buds every day to keep my colon healthy. I don't eat it every day, but try to have it at least once a week. 

I cook with lots of garlic and onions because they are nature's antibiotics. When we get sick, we take garlic tablets to fight viruses and bacteria. 

And of course, we use coconut oil for everything--as face lotion, hair conditioner, and a great carrier for essential oils. 

We even take multi-vitamins occasionally when we are recovering from surgery or not eating well for a season. We are just careful on how much we take. Again, so we don't strain our livers and kidneys. Whatever your body doesn't use, they have to excrete, or get rid of.  

We purchase everything on Amazon Prime. It's easy and quick. Here are some of the brands we use over and over again. 

Over the past 30 years, I have read over 100 books on how to homeschool. After all, shouldn't you keep growing in  your career as a wife, mom, homemaker, and homeschool mom? 

I have read so many great books over the years that have enriched my life and home school. I will blog the next time on the top 20 books I've read on homeschooling. 

Today, however, I just want to focus on the ones that instilled confidence and resonated with my heart in a deep way. 

When I read Educating the Wholehearted Child, I found myself saying over and over again, "They are kindred spirits. They get me!" Now I've never met Clay and Sally Clarkson, but their book on homeschooling ministered deeply to my heart. My copy is falling apart from all the times, I've flipped through it's pages again or reread a section. 

Let Us Highly Resolve: Families Living for Jesus in the 21st Century by David and Shirley Quine is amazing! David and Shirley introduce us to the biblical worldview and challenge us to live that Christian worldview out in our daily lives and our educational choices. I was so inspired by this book! And, I can tell you, it influenced my curriculum choices and teaching from that moment on! This book challenged me to life for Jesus in every area of life and to teach my children to do the same. I have heeded their call to build into my children so that they can base their life on truths and absolutes from the Word of God! Wow! This book is awesome! 

I also never met Dr. Ruth Beechick in person, but I love, love, love her heart. As a young mom, I finished reading The Three R's booklets and You Can Teach Your Child Successfully and thought, "I can do this!" She broke educating children down to bite-sized pieces and instilled confidence. I read so many of her articles over the years. Adam and His Kin and Finding Our Roots in Genesis were family favorites in our home, so when she came out with another book on homeschooling, A Biblical Home Education, I had to read it right away! It was another huge blessing! Again, I felt like we were on the same page and I was so thankful to be encouraged in my heart. Of course, for the heart's purpose to come to pass, there must be a practical walking out. Ruth Beechick is full of practical wisdom. 

Gregg Harris's book, The Christian Home School, is precious to me because my husband read it and loved it! It put us on the same page as I was investigating homeschooling. He introduced delight-directed studies and raising arrows pointed for life to me. This book just covered all the basics in such a Christ-honoring way. 

Finally, For the Children's Sake: Foundation for Home and School by the daughter of one of my heroines (Edith Schaeffer), Susan Schaeffer Macaulay. This book is not light reading. She applies the Charlotte Mason method and like her mother, she goes deep. She has such a passion for Jesus and educating for His glory. There is also so much to ponder in every chapter. I was inspired and encouraged by this book! 

Let's look at each of these books. 

There's nothing worse than when a direct box dies and you don't have another one in the storage closet! Or a cable is shot or a guitar string breaks. 

We have learned the hard way to keep a back of supply of equipment and supplies so that when the inevitable happens, there is a quick replacement. 

Though I like to buy instruments, speakers, and monitors at a music store so I can hear their quality in person, I have taken to shopping for our back-up supplies at Amazon. My favorite thing is that it comes so quickly with Prime. 

So here are the supplies we keep on hand (except for the last one--a multi-guitar stand which I added because it's so helpful to have on stage). 

I usually pick up AA batteries at Sam's or on Groupon, but I found these great rechargeable batteries at Amazon that my son-in-law recommended. 

From guitar picks and cables (which we need frequently) to keyboard pedals and direct boxes, these are the items we keep stocked in our storage closet because we know that before too long, we will have to replace it. 

How about you? What things do you keep on hand? 

Happy Worship Leading! 
Love, 
​Meredith Curtis

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