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Daddy was a few states away for a few days at an Expository Preaching Conference. We do so miss it when he is gone. He took the almost ten yr. old boy with him. Manly bonding, burping, and other various things done without us girlies to protest!!! Well, we decided to enjoy the girlie time instead of moping about. Fri. night we had spa time! I put masks on the girls - although even at 8 and 4.5, they have told me in no uncertain terms that I am not allowed to share the pictures I took! We painted toe nails - in patterns!!! And fingernails. Mean Mommy only allows light pink on the fingernails. They also put on sparkly lotion after a long bubble bath. You know, it took an hour of my time, but you would have thought I gave them the moon! They loved the attention and the girl bonding. I was convicted. I tend to be such a stickler to the schooling and keeping of the home that I don't think I stop enough just to bond with my children. I'm glad God gave me a glimpse of this now instead of when they are grown and it is too late. I am purposing to spend more time with them just doing - life! I can't get this time back so I need to savor it now. So, if you are like me and tend to get too rigid at times, I encourage you to stop and paint the toe nails! Of course, for our sons we must come up with something else! Somehow, "Stop and gut the deer" or "stop and tent camp in the rain" just doesn't seem as appealing! Oh, well, God can give us the strength to bond with the boys in whatever grotesque way they come up with! |
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Well, it's official. The baby is Big!!! Yes, she had her four month well visit. She is 16.8 lbs! She is in the 95% for weight and 75% for height! She is also very strong for her age. She is rolling over onto her tummy! She arches her back and scoots herself all around the crib, playpen, floor. It is no fun changing diapers - already. Her doctor said she's moving along so fast she may be one of those that walks at 8-9months!!! Yikes!!! My others were all around 12months or over when they walked. I enjoyed the baby stage and the prolonged start of baby chasing and earnest training. I guess I should start preparing myself now. I love every stage but was hoping to enjoy this baby stage longer. She has grown so fast. I'm glad we're taking pictures! I will try to post some pics as soon as I solve some software/camera problems. I'm sure you all (3 of you) are dying to see her cuteness! |
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God speaks to my heart just when I need it. Yet, it is often in a way I am not expecting. I have been really struggling this past month. Blame it on lack of sleep, readjusting hormones after a baby, or the fact that we are so tight financially right now. It’s always slow for my husband in winter, but we try to prepare for it. We did not however, prepare for a customer to delay paying us a large sum of money for a long time!!! We also have many extra medical bills related to the new baby. You don’t really need to know all of that I guess – just that I have been really down lately. So, of course, I was looking for God to encourage me by having that large check come in! But, instead He ministered to me in a much better way. He spoke to my heart - reminding me of my need of Him. And he did it through our homeschool lessons! I had been on the verge of tears all early morning. At our opening meeting of our school day, we reviewed our scripture memory verse for the week. Guess what it is? Isaiah 40:31 They that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint. Wow! That was exactly what I needed to hear. He shall renew me and keep me from being weary and faint. But… I need to wait upon Him, Trust Him, lean on Him, and allow Him to take care of it all. Then I went to pull out their copywork for the day. We copy a famous quote on Thursdays. Guess what it was? “If we had no winter, the spring would not be so pleasant: if we did not sometimes taste of adversity, prosperity would not be so welcome.” Anne Bradstreet, 'Meditations Divine and Moral,' 1655 How appropriate!!! I think this is true figuratively and realistically. I find myself struggling this time of year often because of the bleakness of winter. I am tired of being inside so much. I want fresh air and open windows. I want to dig in garden dirt. I want to deep clean the house. I want more daylight. I don’t know why, but I have so much more energy and a more positive outlook when the sun shines longer and more often! I know also that these struggling times make me appreciate the times of plenty - the comfortable times when I feel secure and safe about our situation and our future. All of this made me much more thankful today. I am thankful that this is a temporary situation. I’m thankful that we are all healthy, that I have a husband who loves me in a self-sacrificial way. I’m thankful that I am home with my children. I am thankful that we can live out the lifestyle we feel called to lead. All of this from a regular day of home schooling! God speaks to us and ministers to us in so many ways – even when we are simply doing the next thing in our schooling! Listen and let God speak encouragement to you in the everyday moments. It is precious. |
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I was not feeling at all well this morning. It was a fitful night of sleep before that. I had that sick sort of headache and hotflashes. Probably changing hormones after new baby. Anyway, I could have dragged myself out of bed and slogged thru the day. I've done it many times. But today I thought I'd try a little experiment. I decided to have a sick day and see if my children could attempt a run at the day with out me at the helm. Wow! I was so very blessed by the results!!! After the alarm clocks sounded, the children came looking for me. They were surprised to see me still in bed! I explained that I was feeling badly and needed to rest. I gave them a little pep talk and sent them off to conquer the morning! I, of course, fed the baby and changed her. But the others did everything else! They completed their morning check lists in record time! They fixed their own breakfast - cold cereal and juice - but, hey, they could do it all themselves. They cleaned up and began their chore packs. I came down to check on things and give out assignment sheets. I did a brief overview with everyone and went back to bed!!! They came to me as each task was completed. Some read to me in bed, some narrated what was already read. My son brought his Latin and Spelling work to my bed for some help. I could hear 8 yr. old daughter practicing violin and piano. Four year old daughter brought drawings to me and a story for me to read. So, no I did not sleep, but I was able to rest. More importantly, I was able to witness the results of 3 years of training. I was so very blessed with what they accomplished. Beds were made. Teeth were brushed. Laundry was started. Dishwasher was emptied. Bathrooms were wiped down. Trash was emptied and floors were swept. All without my help or nagging!!! I was feeling a little guilty for staying in bed. It is not at all like me. However, I know that it was the best thing I could have done, They proved to me and better yet, to themselves, that they are capable of being quite responsible. I now know that if I am ever really down for the count, my children can make the best of it and help keep our home running. For me the blessing was not in the rest. God gave me a glimpse of fruit! Just when I needed it too! I was feeling a little down. Hubby and I have been planting and tending seeds in many areas and have seen little fruit. Today, God blessed me by giving me a small glimpse of the fruit we can attain when we are diligent to train our children. Praise God for that blessing and for fixing our hearts on training. So, the next time you are under the weather, maybe you can use that time to check the pulse of your training. You may find areas that need work. But, like me, you may be pleasantly surprised at the fruit beginning to show forth in your little ones. |
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So .... for the few readers I had a year ago whom are sure to have given up on me by now... I am back! I think of blogging every day. I have my list of blogs that I visit almost daily for inspiration. But I have had trouble finding time to put entries together. I have been happily busy with my family. We have had a new baby since last I posted. I wasn't even pregnant then!!! Her name is Evangeline Joy. She is four months now. She has red hair and blue eyes. Very different from her siblings!! I will post pictures when I work out some kinks with my camera. I plan to blog often, but I am not committing to daily! Seeing as my track record is blogging yearly - not committing to daily is probably wise!!! I have much to share and I so enjoy an opportunity to encourage other moms. I plan to share home schooling ideas, home keeping, decorating, and maybe even a few recipes. I will share tidbits of family life for a few family readers as well. Please feel free to comment. I enjoy the fellowship. And thanks to all who have encouraged me through your blogs this past year. I am ever so grateful. |
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I am currently reading The Charlotte Mason Companion. I highly recommend it. Even if you don't want to teach that method, there are many things which can be incorporated into other curriculums. What a wealth of ideas. For me this style just feels right.. Of course, I meld together components from many other programs. Eclectic, I suppose its called. But Charlotte's philosophy makes so much sense. I'd like to share a quote from a lady that applied Charlotte's methods in England in the 1930's. What she shares should speak volumes to people who wonder what is so special about homeschooling and why should they consider it. Also good for those of us who need a reminder as to the many hidden benefits that make this journey so worthwhile.
"From the parent's point of view, in teaching one's own children there is much to be gained-more time spent in company with the children, an extraordinarily interesting occupation, a widening of one's own intellectual outlook as one is kept in constant contact with all the best thought of all time, and, in short, a thoroughly happy existence."
Doesn't that sound lovely and inviting? How like God that we homeschool for the sake of the children and we benefit as well!
Happy Homeschooling!
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Those of us who take seriously the role of keeper at home know that it can be a daunting task. And so we begin scouring the books, articles, blogs, etc that offer us the best ideas in home management. One of the first things we realize is the importance of organizing our time. Have you seen how many books on this topic are available? There are organizers, planners, and keepers of all sorts. There are plans and systems galore. I ought to know Ive tried most of them!!! I have likened them to my treadmill. Great piece of equipment. Can do wonders. Capable of producing good results. Must be used!!!! My treadmill gets some use, but spends way more of its time holding my garments in wait of ironing! Kinda hard to walk off the pounds that way! Well, the same is, of course, true with planners and schedules. They can be great tools for managing the home but only if you use them. Do yourself a favor. And, hey, honor your husband at the same time! Dont go spending loads of money on every new organizing doodad out there. Research a little first. Pray about it. Share your needs with your husband and ask his advice. Then make a good choice and stick it out a while. Often when our diet, exercise, or scheduling plan does not succeed immediately, we shelf it. Give it some time. You may need to tweek a few things. Remember the most detailed system is still just a suggestion. Take it and make it your own. Your family and its needs are unique. No system is any good if it makes life harder instead of easier. I tried the Managers of Their Homes (MOTH) system one year and was somewhat frustrated. I put it aside and tried it again the next year with much more success. We are using it again this year and it is helping greatly. You see, it wasnt the system that was faulty. It just wasnt the right fit at that time. I also was not willing to spend the time needed to make adjustments. And sometimes thats okay. Occasionally, we must retreat to fight again another day! So, I say all this to encourage you. If you have found yourself at the end of the second month of a new school year and all of your best laid plans have gone awry faint not!!! Just keep tweeking and polishing. If all else fails, can it and try something else. But give it plenty of time first. Remember, Happy managing! |
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For the last couple of years I have been putting together a packet of information to help with Homeschooling organization and decisions. I start it at the beginning of summer and share it often with my husband so that He can offer suggestions, okay spending, and help me form a doable schedule for the year. I include things such as: family scripture, school year scripture, family vision, yearly goals, daily schedule, curriculum selections, orders, etc...It has been very helpful and makes planning a little easier each year. I will be sharing a few pieces from this over the next few weeks. Today was our first official day back to school. It went well. We accomplished way more in one day than we do during summer, but I guess that's why we take a summer break! Today, I share our family scripture and this year's scripture.
Family Scripture:
Romans 8:28, 31-39
There are such great nuggets of truth and encouragement in these verses. That's what our family needs - truth and encouragement.
"all things work for good to those who have been called according to His purpose. " what a promise to hold on to!
"If God is for us, who can be against us?" enough said!
"we are more than conquerers through Him who loved us."
"nothing can seperate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord." nothing!!!!
School year Scripture: Isaiah 54:13 "And all thy children shall be taught of the Lord, and great shall be the peace of thy children."
What a relief to know that I am not the one completely responsible for teaching my children. Good thing, because I'm not perfect. I mess up often and I couldn't handle the pressure of thinking its all up to me. Thank you God for calling and then equipping us. Thank you also for your grace. |
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I share this excerpt with moms in every card that I give when a new baby arrives. I have it saved and simply print it out and enclose it with the card. I reread it myself from time to time so as to remember the blessed task before me.
This excerpt is from a book by J.R. Mriller, entitled, Home-making. It was originally published in 1882! Be encouraged in your role as a mother. God bless you on this most precious journey.
"Oh mothers of young children, I bow before you in reverence. Your work is most holy. You are fashioning the destinies of immortal souls. The powers folded up in the little ones that you hushed to sleep in your bosoms last night are powers that shall exist forever. You are preparing them for their immortal destiny and influence. Be faithful. Take up your sacred burden reverently. Be sure that your heart is pure and that your life is sweet and clean. The Persian apologue says that the lump of clay was fragrant because it had lain on a rose. Let your life be as the rose, and then your child as it lies upon your bosom will absorb the fragrance. If there is no sweetness in the rose, the clay will not be perfumed."
"Oh that God would give every mother a vision of the glory and splendor of the work that is given to her when a babe is placed in her bosom to be nursed and trained! Could she have but one glimpse into the future of that life as it reaches on into eternity; could she look into its soul to see its possibilities, could she be made to understand her own personal responsibility for the training of this child, for the development of its life, and for its destiny, - she would see that in all God's world there is no other work so noble as so worthy of her best powers, and she would commit to no other hands the sacred and holy trust given to her."
You can find this book, Home-making, by J.R. Miller, and many other books that build up the family and encourage us to biblical family life @ www.visionforum.com.
May God help you to see the importance of your role as Mother.
Blessings, Benita
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Sorry that this is late and short today. But after my long- winded time of "waxing philisophical" yesterday, I think it's okay to be short!!!
I spent most of the am at the Dr. with the baby (who is really not a baby as now she is 3, but I shall call her baby until the Lord gives us another!) who was sick. IT turns out she has strep! In July! Really, worse even than that, she had a bug bite of some sort in her groin area that became inflamed yesterday. The Dr. had to lance it and I'll save you the rest of the gory details!! Poor baby, she screamed and cried. It took a Dr., 2 nurses, and me to hold her down and perform the little "operation". She seems better now. We are praying that the antibiotic for strep will also kill the infection in the bite. The Dr. sent off a culture just to be sure it is not a staph infection!
Never a dull moment in parenting!! These are the days I am truly thankful that I live in a place like America, where good medical care is easy to get. Just think- 100 years ago, a person could get something like this and die!
I believe in natural medicine and alternative treatments and seek them often. But sometimes my husband and I feel we need to use "mainstream medicine". What a blessing to be able to choose.
Children are such and awesome gift. What a responsibility we have in caring for them. Thanks be to God for children and for the ability we have to care for them.
I will find myself praying tonight for all those parents who are not able to solve their childrens health problems easily or maybe not at all. May God grant His tender mercies on them and give them peace.
This whole event made me think. Often, we must put our child through something that is horrible and painful to them. It seems unjust and unneccessary to them at the time. But we know it is for their own good. We are putting them through a little pain to avoid a worse problem later. How like God. We often don't understand what He may be allowing in our lives. It seems painful and unjust. But He is our heavenly Father who knows what is best for us.
Blessings, Benita |
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Romans 12:2 says: "And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God."
I have read this verse before, but recently God has opened my eyes to it in a way I had never seen before. There are many in the homeschooling circles that talk about not being conformed. It feels at times as though it can be a competition to see who is the least like the world. I'm not saying that we shouldn't seek to be different from the world. . However, I think we are getting caught up in the first part of this command of scripture and missing the beauty of the rest.
Yes, we should be different from this world and it's bend toward self-gratification and the break down of all things God ordained. But that in and of itself is not enough. The verse does not simply say, "Be not conformed." There is much more to it. There are plenty of "non-conformists" out there that bring no glory to God. They seek to "rock the boat', cause controversy, seek attention, rebel against authority, and point us away from an Almighty God.
We must be careful that in our zeal to be nonconformed, we remember to seek for God to be glorified and not ourselves. We should take no pride in our transformation. Our differences should not be shown for the purpose of attention, or to purposely seek to make others uncomfortable. We are not to be transformed so that we can fit in with the other nonconforming Christians. We are not to be transformed so that we can feel good about ourselves or raise ourselves up higher than others. We are not to be transformed as a means of proving ourselves worthy or to prove that we know better than others what is the best way to live.
The scripture says we are to be transformed so that we may prove the GOOD, ACCEPTABLE, and PERFECT WILL OF GOD. Our differences should not point to us - they should point to God. When we reject the world and seek God, we have the chance to live the life He wants for us - all of us. We can show others the way - not to ourselves - but to Christ.
The scripture also makes it clear how we are to be transformed. It is not by the acts of wearing feminine, God honoring attire. It is not by submitting to our husbands, it is not by home schooling, bread making, home births, home churches, homesteading, or anything else considered non-conformity. Please hear my heart. I am not against these things. In fact, I aspire to many of them. However, doing these things will not transform us, nor lead any one else to be transformed. They are only natural outward signs of a transformed heart. We are transformed by the renewing of our minds.
How do we renew our minds? By daily seeking God in His Word. We are to study scripture and pray that God will show us how it applies in our lives. We are then to use His strength to live out the scriptures.We must daily seek Him to help us to avoid being conformed to the world. The "world" is in our face all day. We must choose to seek God daily for the alternative.
If we continually seek Him by renewing our minds, we will be transformed from the world's will into God'd perfect will. We are the best advertisement of the faith. We are the only Bible some may ever read. Let's be sure that our differences from the world will show the good, perfect, and acceptable will of God. Others will see it and be drawn to it. Not because we are different, but because we are proving God's will.
May God bless you as you seek to prove His will.
Blessings, Benita
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Welcome to the first entry of my blog!!!
I've been feeling lead to do this for quite a while - so here goes!! However, I must make a confession right up front! I don't have an earthly clue what I am doing!!!
Bear with me as I overcome my technical handicaps and work at becoming "blog savvy!" I hope that the format and "looks" of this blog will grow over time. Right now, I'm just impressed that I actually registered successfully!
I pray that over time you will find this to be a place to visit for a bit of refreshment. We all need to be encouraged in our roles as women. Those of us who have chosen a different path often find it a lonely road. However, God calls us to encourage one another. Stop by for a visit from time to time, and I'll do my best to come along side you as we journey together.
Blessings, Benita
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