Walking Therein

Happenings Around the Hobbit Hole...( ; Abiding in the vine through my everyday challenges, part 1

4:28 AM, Friday, June 2, 2006 .. Posted in Living Learning Moments, A Dixon Home Education .. 6 comments .. Link

Abiding in the vine through my everyday challenges, part 1

Things around here have been pretty crazy for me. OK, not crazy, persay, but, I am learning a lot about what is God's will and how to step out of my comfort zone and how I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.

I have heard -increasingly, as our family size has increased-the laments and questions from others about how can we handle having such a large family. It is a weird thing to have a day or a week that I don't just feel like I am behind, but, rather, like I don't have a clear direction!!! In addition to that, I still have all the responsibilities that are multiplied when you have a family of - or, as 2dd15 says - a "Fellowship of the 9".

I have been so happy to find several Large Family blogs here at HSB. It helps me to keep some things in perspective and know that I am not alone. I found several the other day... I will link it if I can recall them... But, they had posted their schedules and curriculum choices, etc. I will be doing that, too, soon!!

As far as me personally, my responsibilities increasing, expanding, whatever you want to call it... I will try to break them down into a few posts. I don't think I can pick a major event that has been more of a challenge than the others, because they really all lump themselves together as daily life.

This is actually an answer to stress and concern I have had about schooling lately. I found out that we are UNSCHOOLERS!!! Thanks to Nancy Carter's lovely article in the Spring 2006 TOS Mag. So, now that we have started these 2 studies, I feel like we are on the right track again. And, the girls are still working on their math books.

I loved Nancy Carter's Article, and it sure did make a few things clearer about unschooling. I think the name has a negative connotation in today's education/knowledge, power-hungry society. I mean, you can't even talk about homeschooling(sometimes), because it happens in the home - unschooling must mean it doesn't happen at all!! Delight-Directed, another term, is so much better for what it really is.
I would have never admitted or even wanted to be an unschooler before reading that article. However, after reading one definition of unschooling to my daughters, they said, yes, mom, that sounds like how you homeschool us. They weren't too surprised when I said it was a definition for Unschooling.

I have started using Training Hearts, Teaching Minds by Starr Meade -available through SoulRestES, for catechism for the Littles. I am going through the ones that are needed and relative to where they are right now.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

We are working on #39:

Q. What does GOD require of man?

A. GOD requires man to obey His revealed will.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

That, along with memorizing 1 Corinthians, is going to be out memorization for the next month. I will have the Girls teach it to them, too, so they will learn it. ( ;

Another book I am using for training - for the Girls- is a booklet, actually.

It is called

Christian Modesty and The Public Undressing of America

by Jeff Pollard.

It is hardcore. We have changed a lot of our perspective around here about what it really means to be a Christian in the USA over the past few years. We have so many freedoms here that it seems to spill over too heartily into our Christianity. It seems there are at (a lot of) times, NO BOUNDARIES, because, after all, we are free.

Well, being as our clothing is something we will deal with forever in this lifetime, it is of paramount importance to me that our children have a healthy and Holy perspective of what our clothing means and what it says about us. Since modesty is an act of the heart and the 'way one dresses' is merely an outward expression of that, it is important that I give them the information to make that heart change.

I won't do that with the younger children (I will tell them what is holy), but, after having a different view - or maybe just a lack of one - for most of their lives, it is the older girls who will have the burden of letting the LORD work on their hearts about this.

Chalk that one up to a life lesson for me. I need to read my Bible and take it literally. I am just thankful that I found Titus2 15 years after finding the LORD, instead of, say, 15 1/2 years.... ( ;

I will be going through the HOW (Heart of Wisdom) Teaching Approach to see how I will work that into our schooling for the next year. It seems like we are already using their Approach, but there are several ideas I would like to implement into the Unit Studies we do. I make up our own, and let the older girls help me as we go with project and study ideas. I know one study this summer will have something to do with goats as the LORD has seen fit to do that too at this time.

That is another area the LORD is leading... part of my learning to bend... without breaking. I said last year that I wanted to be writing my own Unit Studies by this year, and I had forgotten, but the LORD hadn't, so I guess now is the time. We will get on that as time allows.

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11:00 AM, Friday, June 2, 2006 .. Posted by JenIG
we are unschoolers too... actually we're a mix of unschooling / charlotte mason . I think i'd go batty if i had to follow a strict schedule of schooling. my kids would go batty too.
: )
by the way, however you are doing your school / training, it is certainly working well. Your children are a total delight; i am always happy to see them when they stop by my blog pg

I really appreciate this.

4:00 PM, Friday, June 2, 2006 .. Posted by Canadagirl
The Lord has been changing me alot in the last 4 years. Slowly but surley I have been changing. (0: Threw reading like One Hundred and One More Devotions for Homeschool Moms by...Jackie Wellwood. Threw her devos and her sharring how her and husband became christians after they were married. And the things she came to understand threw here studying the Bible. One was on dress and hair issues. It wasn't threw the Church they were going to. Also at the same time I was reading the devos my husband kept asking me to wear dresses more. Now I had a internal struggle goin on inside me. I LOVED my Jeans.
So after I gave in to Gods proptings I got myself a long strait jean skirt that I love wearing. I now on my own desision got rid of my pants except for 1 pair of jeans for certain jobs, like tearring down a old log cabin where we are going to build our house.
I love your bloggs , they are really speaking into areas that God has been convicting me. I really struggle how Christian gals are dressing sooooo much like the world.
Well I have rambled waaaaay toooo long. (0:
I hope your son will visit my sons blog. He is very new at it and he also is the one that just read his first chapter book.
In Him,
-Canadagirl

PS

4:02 PM, Friday, June 2, 2006 .. Posted by Canadagirl
Jackie Wellwood's family has 7 kid's too (0:
-Canadagirl

Thanks

12:22 AM, Saturday, June 3, 2006 .. Posted by
Thanks for your post. I just wanted to say hi. You are amazing. 7
is so great! I don't know how you do it! But I'm sure you just do.

Love,
Amy
Cajamarca, Peru

Edited by amada on Friday, June 2, 2006 at 9:26 PM

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4:11 PM, Wednesday, October 22, 2008 .. Posted by Anonymous
so glad to have found you & your journal!

Many blessings,
Lea of Farmhouse Blessings
www.farmhouseblessings.blogspot.com

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4:12 PM, Wednesday, October 22, 2008 .. Posted by Anonymous
So glad to have found you & your journal!

Many blessings,
Lea of Farmhouse Blessings
www.farmhouseblessings.blogspot.com

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