tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-297718772024-03-14T01:43:39.701-04:00The Law, Books, and LifeA unique look at current legal topics, great books, and the random occurrences that make life worthwhile.Cara Putmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08316731047954376226noreply@blogger.comBlogger1676125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29771877.post-7502627443226845062015-07-15T11:29:00.000-04:002015-07-30T22:47:38.590-04:00Cara Putmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08316731047954376226noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29771877.post-38111414898904289012013-05-29T14:49:00.001-04:002013-05-29T14:49:43.001-04:00Please join meMy blog is now hosted on my website at http://caraputman.com/blog. Please join me over there. Thanks!Cara Putmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08316731047954376226noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29771877.post-81826274163216559202013-04-22T04:30:00.000-04:002013-04-22T04:30:02.992-04:003 Tips for Picking a Curriculum that's Right for Your StudentsOne of the hardest things to do as a homeschool mama is pick the right
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Cara Putmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08316731047954376226noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29771877.post-84116819038270375782013-04-17T08:41:00.000-04:002013-04-18T00:04:26.921-04:00Living in the Moment with Our Kids
There are days when being a Mom is absolutely, utterly draining. The days when one child after another comes to me, needy, clingy, and filled with attitude. There are days I'd love to check out -- even for fifteen, uninterrupted minutes.
My son in this photo is 2.5. Yesterday he was a newborn I was meeting for the first time. Tomorrow he'll be six, then ten, then fifteen. My 12.5 year old is Cara Putmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08316731047954376226noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29771877.post-45647212530090805442013-04-15T05:33:00.000-04:002013-04-12T23:11:41.228-04:00Homeschooling: Is it for you?
It's that time of year when parents thoughts turn toward where their kids should go to school in the fall. For some, their thoughts will turn to homeschooling. How can you evaluate whether homeschooling might be right for your family?
I have often heard my mom tell people that homeschooling is for every child...it's just not for every parent. What she means is that every child can thrive in aCara Putmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08316731047954376226noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29771877.post-65256200496366869362013-04-12T08:22:00.002-04:002013-04-12T08:22:46.394-04:00What's Your Name?Today I am so grateful that God takes the names we give ourselves or other's label us and renames us with truth!
Cara Putmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08316731047954376226noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29771877.post-36631947453636562092013-04-10T04:30:00.000-04:002013-04-10T04:30:02.425-04:00Guest Post: Speaking Blessings over Our Kids
I am absolutely delighted today to bring you a guest post from my friend Carey Scott. Her husband and I got to know each other through a small critique group in ACFW when I first started writing in 2005. I'm always looking for new tools and encouragement as I parent my kiddos. Here's Carey:
“Sara,
you’re beautiful and smart… and you have Jesus in your heart! Now go be
the light of the Cara Putmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08316731047954376226noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29771877.post-29351445283201387922013-04-08T04:30:00.000-04:002013-04-08T04:30:03.528-04:00When Jesus Wept: Captivating Biblical FictionI fell in love with WWII novels while reading Bodie Thoene's Zion Chronicle and Zion Covenant series. She has an absolute knack for making the history come alive in the context of story and characters that are so real. I've read several of her A.D. Chronicles (co-written with husband Brock), but when I saw this cover and this title, I knew I had to be part of this tour.
When Jesus Wept Cara Putmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08316731047954376226noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29771877.post-34989540472940984132013-04-05T06:00:00.000-04:002013-04-05T09:33:27.667-04:00A Novel Lovers Giveaway: 12 Books by 12 Authors
Some of my writing friends and I have joined together for a giveaway of our books. To participate, just join in the Rafflecopter below. Here are the details:
Some writer friends and I have a fabulous new giveaway for readers in the USA who are on Facebook.
The winner gets twelve fabulous autographed novels by twelve authors (see graphic at right). All you need to do to enter is Cara Putmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08316731047954376226noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29771877.post-83835897076703930432013-04-03T04:30:00.000-04:002013-04-12T23:13:06.251-04:00Do We Dare to Dream Crazy Dreams with God?Last summer my family had a crazy adventure. For awhile the longing for a shared adventure had grown in my heart. Because my husband spent seven of his growing up years in the Far East, I’ve harbored a desire for our children to share a similar experience. The more I thought and prayed about it, the crazier it seemed. Yet the longing never left. So I tucked it close to my heart and prayed.
Cara Putmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08316731047954376226noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29771877.post-89550862536425678292013-04-01T04:30:00.000-04:002013-04-01T21:44:24.037-04:00Running with Perserverance
I'm in the middle of training for another mini-marathon. Each year that I do this, it seems God has something different for me to learn or ponder. This year it seems to be the issue of discipline.
Yes, I am a highly disciplined person. But this year God's using my training to reinforce that I am disciplined in the things I want to be disciplined in. Because I write late at night, I'm not a Cara Putmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08316731047954376226noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29771877.post-10887367493843537922013-03-29T04:30:00.000-04:002013-03-29T04:30:03.445-04:00Love in the Balance: an Engaging HistoricalLove in the Balance is a tale of star-crossed love...a tale where it seems the hero and heroine can absolutely never get together. There are so many rich layers, that it created a story that kept calling me back. There was nothing simple or easy about the journey or the resolution. And the twists kept me longing to return to the pages -- that's not easy to do with a book that is pretty much Cara Putmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08316731047954376226noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29771877.post-17997189453644530382013-03-27T04:30:00.000-04:002013-03-27T04:30:02.941-04:004 Ideas for Transmitting Faith
One of my goals as a homeschooling momma is to transmit my faith to my kids. I want them to have a personal relationship with Christ from a young age. But I also understand they can't ride on my coattails, or my husband's or their grandparents, or aunts, uncles, cousins, etc. You get the picture.
So I long for them to catch sight of who Jesus is so they can spend the rest of their lives Cara Putmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08316731047954376226noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29771877.post-72973795936915966112013-03-25T11:00:00.000-04:002013-03-25T13:34:31.464-04:00Let in snow, let it snow!
Who knew it would snow so much for my birthday... Loving it.
Isn't this a great photo of our puppy? She LOVES the snow. Capital letters doesn't quite do her affection for the white, cold, wet stuff justice. She won't come in she loves it so much. She's catching a snowball in this photo. Love it!
We got 9-10 inches depending on where you stick the ruler. It was fun to plop it different placesCara Putmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08316731047954376226noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29771877.post-24820064142310812962013-03-22T04:30:00.000-04:002013-03-22T09:33:24.167-04:00Soak in the TruthNo matter what your week has been like, take a moment to soak in this song. I am so grateful that God never leaves me...not for a moment. I might forsake Him, but He is always there. Such truth and hope in these words. Remember no matter what is happening He is always good and sovereign.
You were singing in the dark whispering Your promise even when I could not hear I was held inCara Putmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08316731047954376226noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29771877.post-81207067974515877062013-03-20T04:30:00.000-04:002013-04-02T22:01:13.940-04:00Swept Away from Mary ConnealyMary Connealy is one of my favorite authors. She's from Nebraska which is enough on it's own to make her someone I enjoy. Then she writes with such humor that I spend most of the time I'm reading laughing. And she fills her books with a rich spiritual thread. Many of them I still ponder months and years later.
With deadlines, I haven't had time to read this book yet, but it is next on my Cara Putmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08316731047954376226noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29771877.post-47007975354467590472013-03-19T04:30:00.000-04:002013-03-19T04:30:02.157-04:00Grave Consequences: Sweeping Gilded Age TaleGrave Consequences is a book that will sweep you into the world of the uber-rich during the Gilded Age. I felt like I became the silent member of a group of Americans on their Grand Tour of Europe. The book is a sweeping continuation of the series and one that left me dying for the next installment...enough so I've been tempted to drive to Colorado and beg the author for an early copy.
I have Cara Putmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08316731047954376226noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29771877.post-53152811232712901852013-03-18T04:30:00.000-04:002013-03-18T04:30:03.921-04:00Monday Meditations: The Wise Man Built His House Upon the Rock
Yesterday our pastor taught another sermon in his series The Crux. It's been a great set of thought-provoking sermons as we lead up to the moment in time when the Cross transformed from a sign of contempt and justice to one of grace and mercy. (You can watch the great trailer here)
Yesterday Pastor Ted talked about the two houses at the conclusion of Jesus' sermon on the mount in Matthew 7. Cara Putmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08316731047954376226noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29771877.post-59420734826409070152013-03-15T04:30:00.000-04:002013-03-15T04:30:03.885-04:00Building Our Faith...God has been challenging me for a little over a year to stretch my vision. Today I wanted to share a short clip with you that highlights how God builds and stretches our faith. Mark Batterson's book the Circle Maker is a great book to read if you want to have your faith and vision exploded. And be challenged to pray with God for bigger things. Have any of you read the book? What did you think?
&Cara Putmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08316731047954376226noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29771877.post-45239610041074530582013-03-13T04:30:00.000-04:002013-03-13T04:30:02.215-04:00Show v. Tell: 4 Tips from Author Jordyn Redwood
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Cara Putmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08316731047954376226noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29771877.post-88624868657603462922013-03-12T04:30:00.000-04:002013-03-12T04:30:00.016-04:00Swept Away: The Latest from Mary Connealy
This week, the
Christian Fiction Blog Alliance
is introducing
Swept Away
Bethany House Publishers (March 1, 2013)
by
Mary Connealy
ABOUT THE BOOK
When a cowboy focused on revenge encounters a woman determined to distract him, there's going to be trouble in Texas!
Swept away when her wagon train attempts a difficult river crossing, Ruthy MacNeil isn't Cara Putmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08316731047954376226noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29771877.post-13286379597615254912013-03-11T04:30:00.000-04:002013-03-11T04:30:00.757-04:00Monday Meditations: The Crux of the IssueEaster is only a few weeks away...and our pastor has been delivering a series of sermons on the Cross -- how it is the crux of our lives. This week I've been thinking about how the Cross really is the point where everything is exchanged:
Our sin is exchanged for God's grace
Jesus' death is exchanged for our eternal life.
In Jesus' coming resurrection we find the gateway to being joint-heirs Cara Putmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08316731047954376226noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29771877.post-73361306646167814112013-03-08T04:30:00.000-05:002013-04-12T23:06:16.039-04:00Developing a Love of Reading in Your Young ChildrenPeriodically I get asked questions about how my children became lovers of books. Look for several posts that address what I did, starting with tiny kids otherwise known as infants and toddlers.
1) When my kiddos are infants I started by reading to them any moment we were sitting down. Before they could sit up or hold the book, we'd cuddle in a rocking chair with a pile of board books. There are Cara Putmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08316731047954376226noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29771877.post-74765433527765988072013-03-07T04:30:00.000-05:002013-03-07T15:47:19.408-05:00Robin Caroll's latest book: Strand of Deception
This week, the
Christian Fiction Blog Alliance
is introducing
Strands of Deception
B&H Books (March 1, 2013)
by
Robin Caroll
I had the privilege of reading this book as Robin was writing it. We also brainstormed different pieces. So I got to watch this book grow into the wonderful story it is. This is one of her best! Truly, it takes on a Cara Putmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08316731047954376226noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29771877.post-49192815899674617572013-03-06T04:30:00.000-05:002013-04-12T23:14:23.993-04:00Homeschooling Tips: to Test or not to Test
This week students across Indiana are taking the ISTEPS.
This week, my children are taking the Iowa Basics.
Indiana does not require testing for homeschooled children, so why are we doing it?
I don't believe the point of education is to test my children. However, I do believe that testing them periodically (about every two years) provides me with a tool to see how I am doing as a teacher. Cara Putmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08316731047954376226noreply@blogger.com2