Apologia Blog Hop and Giveaway

Today is Apologia's Blog Hop - a time for you to get to know more about Apologia, their amazing speakers and line of books for the homeschool heart, plus meet some great bloggers (ahem) along the way! There are 12 bloggers participating - that means 12 giveaways! So after you read the interview and enter here, skedaddle on over to the Apologia Blog Hop to see who else is participating and what else you can win!

I have had the privilege to interview Davis Carman, owner of Apologia and homeschooling father of 7 children. He shared some great info, nuggets of wisdom and an inside scoop about the upcoming Apologia e-catalog. Be sure to read the interview then check out the giveaway below.

Davis Carman is passionate about being a husband and father. He and the wife of his youth, Rachael, have been happily married since 1986. They live near Charlotte, North Carolina,where they are raising their seven children. The kids range in age from 6 to 20. The Carman family has been enjoying the adventures of the homeschool lifestyle since 1996 when God “got their attention.” In 2008, Davis purchased Apologia Educational Ministries, the leading publisher of creation-based science curricula designed specifically for homeschoolers.

SC: In 2008 you purchased Apologia Ministries. Since then Apologia's line has expanded to include inspirational books for homeschool hearts. Tell us about your new book, Good Morning, God and how writing it was placed on your heart.

DC: Yes, Apologia has a new line of inspirational books to encourage homeschooling families to stay in this adventure of a lifetime. Some offer practical help and what I like to call the nuts and bolts or “Homeschooling 101.” Other books in this line up deal with heart issues for parents. My new book, Good Morning, God is the first of what we hope will be many for the pre-K age group. This particular book (illustrated by Alice Ratterree) is about a four-year-old boy who learns to love God with all his heart, soul, mind, and strength in the course of a week. Although homeschooling is not directly mentioned, it is clear that this boy is growing up in a family where intentional discipleship and home education are part of everyday life. I want to provide books for this age group that encourage and demonstrate traditional Christian values in action. I also want the kids to see certain aspects of life as normal whether or not they are their own life experiences. This would include families with a nurturing mom and an engaged dad, brothers and sisters, homeschooling, imaginative and relaxed play time outside, unconditional love, church attendance, prayer, praise, and daily worship of Jesus Christ.


SC: You and your lovely wife Rachael have been blessed with 7 children. Does a typical homeschool day run like a well oiled machine, like feeding time at the zoo, or somewhere in between.

DC: My answer is “all of the above.” We have found that making sure Rachael has Sunday evening to plan for the week is vital. We try our best to stay on plan, but we know that life will happen, a kid will get sick, a friend will be in need, or the time for an activity will change requiring us to adjust as the week unfolds. We are grateful for smooth running days and weeks, but we realize that we will need to persevere through many moments and stay focused on Christ who will give us the strength to hang on when the going gets tough.

SC: Speaking of Rachael, she is an inspiring speaker and author of thoughtful, encouraging books. Will you share a little about her latest book How To Have a HEART For Your Kids?

DC: Rachael is truly gifted with an ability to effectively express her passion for living a faithful, obedient, joyous life in Christ. Her hope and prayer is that she will be a messenger of truth, pointing moms to Him who is able to give them everything they need for life, godliness, and homeschooling. She wrote a book for Focus on the Family entitled Soundbites from Heaven – What God Wants Us to Hear When We Talk to Our Kids. Her newest book How to Have a HEART for Your Kids is published by Apologia. She uses the word “HEART” as an acronym to encourage moms to truly consider what it means to love their children, accept them as gifts from God, and teach them the truth found in His word. Along the way, the reader gets a peek into our life at home.

SC: There has been some chatter about Apologia's upcoming Christmas e-catalog. An e-catalog sounds really exciting! What is it all about, will you give our readers the inside scoop?

DC: I am really excited about this new project. It’s purpose is to provide an opportunity for fans of Apologia to get some gifts and family-oriented items that will make the Christmas season even more meaningful and blessed for their family. This special event will be for a limited time during the holiday season. Anyone who is part of our e-mail list will get the first notice when it comes out November 11. Some unique offerings include beautifully illustrated Christmas cards and artwork, which are designed to defend the Christian faith with their portrayals of Nativity scenes. One final teaser is a never before released Apologia gift card that long-time Apologia users will find financially beneficial. I also think grandparents will do well to consider getting them as a way to show their support for the homeschooling efforts of their families.

SC: If time and money were no issue, what destination would be your ultimate family vacation/field trip? And why?

DC: We feel extremely blessed to be able to take our family to some really nice destinations as we travel to homeschooling conferences across the USA and internationally. We took our family and a dozen Apologia employees to Hungary this March to minister to missionary families who are serving in twenty European countries. We just got back from the Arizona homeschooling conference where we extended the trip with a visit to the Grand Canyon. We hiked into the Canyon and along the rim, watched a colorful sunset, and observed dozens of shooting stars as we enjoyed God’s amazing creation. Each new homeschooling conference provides an opportunity for our next ultimate family vacation/field trip.

SC: I think a favorite Bible verse or passage can tell a lot about a person, what's yours?

DC: When Jesus was asked about the most important commandment, he referred to Deuteronomy 6:4-7. If Christ thought it was that important, I can’t help but put it at the top of my list too. In almost all of the presentations I give at homeschooling conferences, my first point has something to do with our need to love God with all of our heart, soul, mind, and strength. Of course, I have a long list of other favorites including John 10:10, John 17:3, and 2 Peter 1:3.

Isn't that inspiring? Thank you Davis for taking the time to chat with us! Reader's please know that Davis' wife Rachael will be speaking at The 2:1 Conference in April, she's funny and inspiring, you don't want to miss her! Now on to the giveaway. What's up for grabs? Davis' book Who is God and the accompanying coloring book. There will be two winners, each will win one set.

Giveaway Rules

• You must be 18 years of age or older



• Open to US Addresses Only (Sorry Everyone Else!)



• You must leave an email address or link to your blog page with email address for notification



• If you tweet about this post, be sure to leave a comment stating that you did so



• Every comment counts as a separate entry



• Entries are unlimited
  

The winners will be chosen by a random number generator on Friday, August 26, 2011, 8:00 pm and contacted via email. The winners will have 24 hours to respond with their shipping information. If they do not respond within 24 hours new winners will be chosen.

How To Enter

1. Leave a comment.



2. Tweet about it-and comment that you did (one comment per tweet)
   

Not sure what to tweet? Use this: "I want to win the @ApologiaWorld giveaway at @SomewhatCrunchy" or make up your own, just be sure it has @ApologiaWorld in it.

Thank you and good luck!!