Jan. 3, 2008
My husband
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16 years ago today I married the love of my life. When it came to choosing a husband, I was determined to let God do the matchmaking for me, and I am continually amazed and grateful at the wonderful man He picked for me. My husband loves God, and goes after His will and plan with everything he's got. I have watched him be faithful to do everything God has asked him to do, even when it was something he didn't enjoy or never would have chosen for himself. As a pastor, there have been times when he has been "bitten by his own sheep". Where I would have exhibited anger, resentment, and a quick (and sarcastic!) response, he has shown humility and a willingness to be a peacemaker. Our children love him, respect him, and greatly enjoy spending time with him. Our teenage son loves to go places with him, just for the conversations they get to have along the way. Our daughter has outgrown her baby dolls and her Barbies, but she still loves to sit on her Daddy's lap. They love him, because they know how much he loves them and how much he loves being their dad. I am able to homeschool our children because he has always supported and encourgaged me--especially when I have been ready to throw in the towel, or I have questioned whether or not we were doing the right thing. No one make me laugh like he does, and there's no one else with whom I'd rather spend my time. When anything happens in my life, whether good or bad, he's the first person I want to tell. He truly is the best friend I have ever had. |
Dec. 5, 2007
A Quick Update
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I haven't posted in awhile because there hasn't been much to write about. We are still making progress in our lessons. Katie finished her Bible curriculum for the year, so she is very excited. Alex received a horrible grade on a grammar test, despite studying, so he's been discouraged. He and I will just have to work at it harder--it's never come easily to him. I am putting the finishing touches on a quilt for my sister. It's made from the scarves she wore when she lost her hair due to chemotherapy. The quilt is a great way of celebrating the fact that she has survived breast cancer. I'm hoping to post a picture on the blog when it's finished--if I can get my computer-intelligent husband to help me. We are slowly but surely getting ready for Christmas. Most of our shopping will be done online, so that makes life much easier. We don't have a ton of gifts to buy, as our families are small and we've never overdone the presents with the kids. It still takes a bite out of the budget though...but God always provides. Now I need to quit typing so I can read a few blogs and see what's going on with everyone else! |
Nov. 18, 2007
Thanksgiving week
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This week we are taking a bit of a break. On Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday mornings we will be taking our yearly standardized test that I send into CLASS. Then the kids have the afternoon off. They are very excited about getting a "vacation", but I have to confess I'm concerned about how behind it might put us. We do need a break, though, so I'm determined to enjoy the time off and let God take care of the calendar. Thursday I'm making Thanksgiving dinner for the four of us, and then Friday Steve will be getting ready for a wedding he's doing on Saturday. We will all be attending, and it should be a great celebration. I want to spend this time off seeking wisdom from God on how to best run our household. I learned a long time ago that for the homeschooling mom there's no such thing as "caught up". There's always a dish in the sink, a load of laundry in the hamper, dust bunnies lurking in corners...you get the idea. The reality is there just aren't enough hours in a day to educate my kids and get everything done that seems to be screaming for my attention. Knowing this, it sometimes becomes difficult to know how to properly spend my time. Which task should I do right now? Should I be trying to get something done while the kids are working, and if so what? Is it OK to be reading this book at 9:00 p.m. when I didn't get to the bathroom sink today? I've been walking with a friend three miles early every morning. Would that time be better spent on something else? (I hope not, because I love my walks!) What about meals? Are convenience foods OK, or should everything be homemade and healthier? When am I going to find the time or the energy to do all that cooking? Before you think I've gone a little nuts with all these questions, let me explain that my point is it's hard to make these choices when there is no set standard. How "clean" is clean? What's most important? What things can be let go, and what things must be accomplished in order for a household to run properly? If only the Lord would mail me a To Do list from heaven. It could say "Today I want you to clean the bathrooms and do two loads of laundry. And don't forget to make meatloaf for dinner." How simple would that be! I've said in an earlier post that I try to listen to God's voice giving me direction as I go throughout my day. Even then, there's still that nagging doubt that I've let something go--that I've not done something I should have. I'd love to hear how some of you handle these issues. |
Nov. 14, 2007
Feeling Better
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I'm feeling much better about things than the last time I posted. Thank you to all who sent such encouraging comments. It means a lot to me to hear from fellow homeschoolers. The morning after my discouraged entry, I found out about some serious problems friends are having with their teens who go to public school. It really woke me up and reminded me why we homeschool. I'm so thankful my kids don't have to face the peer pressure that other kids do. I could make a list of the things I wish were different with our homeschool situation, but when compared to the hassles and difficulties we could be facing if we didn't homeschool, my complaints seem small indeed. Although I believe with all my heart that God has called our family to homeschool, I also see it as a tremendous gift from Him that we are able to do so. Despite the difficulties, there is nothing else I would rather be doing with my life right now. |
Nov. 12, 2007
Discouraged
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I'm having one of those days when I am tired of homeschooling. Alex's workload from CLASS seems huge,and I don't know how we're ever going to finish before next fall. I straddle the fence between stepping back and letting him be more independent in his planning and study versus choosing his daily workload for him. He would rather I just told him what to do everyday, but I keep thinking it's a skill he really needs to learn for himself. Then there's my daughter who would rather be in school than homeschool (keep in mind she's never been to school before.) She's very social and we don't have a support group in our area, so I know she gets frustrated. Her public school friends lead such busy, frenzied lives that they often do not have time for her. I know we're doing the right thing, I just get tired of constantly questioning whether or not I'm doing it the right way. I know homeschooling through CLASS was God's will for us. I often think if I was better at this the workload wouldn't be so overwhelming. |
Nov. 11, 2007
Life back to normal--hopefully
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Steve is back from Mexico. The trip went really well,and the group accomplished a lot. Now that he's home, and this busy weekend is over, I look forward to hitting the books again tomorrow. The public school kids are getting off for Veteran's Day, but we're schooling anyway. The kids here get days off a lot, but our workload with CLASS is large, and we just can't afford to take off every other day. If we were doing something as a family for the day it would be different, but Steve has to work, so I figure we might as well make the best use of the day. I'm getting up early to walk with a friend before school. It will be great to get some exercise--and good conversation! |
Oct. 28, 2007
Getting my thoughts together
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I seem to be having focus issues this evening, so tonight's entry may seem a bit jumbled. This week our church is having a Fall Festival on Oct. 31. We try to do some type of Halloween alternative every year, and since Halloween falls on a Wed., when we normally have church, we decided to do something bigger than we have in the past. There will be booths with various games and activities, as well as chili and hot dogs to eat. It should be a good time. School is going well. I changed our schedule a bit. I'm spending an hour and a half with each child in the mornings, going over their work, giving assignments, and discussing chapters where necessary. The child I'm not working with does "homework" (assignments I've given them to be completed by the next day). It seems to be working well. I got to substitute teach the 1-3 graders in Sun. School this morning. I had forgotten how much fun it is to work with kids learning to read. Mine haven't been at that stage for several years. Steve is leaving for a missions trip to Mexico this Thursday. He'll be gone for about a week. Usually we joke that his trips are like a mini vacation for me--but the truth is I'm really going to miss him. |
Oct. 19, 2007
Enjoying the "perks" of homeschooling
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"Command those who are rich in this present world not to be arrogant nor to put their hope in wealth, which is so uncertain, but to put their hope in God, who richly provides us with everything for our enjoyment." 1 Timothy 6:17 When people know I homeschool, I usually get one of two reactions. They may defensively launch into a list of reasons why they do not or cannot homeschool. Other people may go on and on about how amazing it is that I'm able to homeschool, that I must be so organized, or what a sacrifice I'm making. To be honest, I dread the second reaction more than the first. I'm not an active homeschool recruiter, so I figure how people choose to educate their children is between them and God. Frankly, it's hard enough keeping my own choices in line with God's will, without worrying about everyone else's, too. But, when people praise my efforts, suggesting that I'm doing something monumental and sacrifical, I get uncomfortable. I know they have images of me hurried and harried, working from dawn to dusk, taking care of our school and our home. I begin to feel guilty because, the truth is, my life is pretty good. I don't have to get up at the crack of dawn to get children ready to catch a bus or drive them to school. There are no 9:00 p.m heated discussions about homework assignments. My kids are older now, so they are able to help with a lot of the housework. I have time to read books, work on my quilts, and spend in Bible reading and prayer. Yes, homeschooling can be challenging and frustrating, but my life is not nearly as stressful as most of the mothers who work full-time and have kids in school. That's where the guilt sets in and the little voice starts. "Maybe I'm not working hard enough." "Maybe I'm just lazy." "The other moms don't have time to do what I'm doing (reading, quilting, etc.)--maybe I shouldn't be doing it either." I just finished a great book by Annie Chapman called Smart Women Keep It Simple. The verse I quoted above reminds me of an awesome point she makes in her book. God puts all of us in different places for different reasons, but in each of our circumstances, He places opportunities for enjoyment. Whether we enjoy them or not is up to us. I had let guilt stop me from enjoying and appreciating the perks and benefits of homeschooling. I'm sure there are working moms, who are just as much in God's will, who aren't enjoying the perks that come from working because they feel too guilty about their circumstances. I'm afraid that, if we're not careful, we let comparisons and guilt push us into making our lives much harder than they have to be, simply because we're afraid of appearing like we are somehow slacking, lazy, or bad wives and mothers. I think all of us homeschooling moms understand the idea of living out a destiny--doing the work that God has called us to do and "finishing the race." We know that it would be tragic to discover at the end of our lives that we failed to accomplish our mission. How tragic it would be as well, to get to the end of our lives and discover that, although we accomplished our mission, we could have had a lot more fun doing it! |
Oct. 14, 2007
A Whirlwind of Activity!
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Where do I begin? Let's see, last weekend Katie and I attended the Revolve Tour in St. Louis. We had such a good time! The speakers were excellent, and the music was great, too. Natalie Grant was one of the performers, and she blessed me so much. If you've never heard her song, "Held", it's wonderful. Anyway, we came back exhausted, though very glad we went. This past week my family came down from Missouri to help me celebrate my 40th birthday. My husband threw me an 80's themed birthday party with my family and many friends--most of whom graduated from high school in the 80's. We females did our hair the way we used to (our apologies for the new hole in the ozone layer from all the hairspray!). We played an 80's trivia game and sang 80's karaoke. It was a great time! My family left early this morning, so we said our goodbyes before it was time to leave for church. My sister left me a bag full of little presents to unwrap throughout this week, as my birthday is actually this Tuesday. I unwrapped the first one this afternoon, and it was a little book full of "Momisms"--all the funny things we say to our kids like "Money doesn't grow on trees!" or "Don't make me come up there!". I have laughed my way through it, as I am guilty of saying most of them. We start a new week of school tomorrow. As usual, we are behind where I would like to be. It's tempting to take shortcuts in what we do in order to stay on schedule, but I refuse to cheat the kids that way. Real learning takes time, so I have to ignore the tyranny of the calendar. I'm getting better at it, although I know I'll fret when Thanksgiving and Christmas hit, as that is the time of the year when we seem to get less done. I hope to be better about blogging more regularly--so you should hear from me again soon. |
Oct. 4, 2007
two unexpected blessings
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This past weekend Steve and Alex attended a father/son weekend in Nashville, TN. They had a great time, and Alex received an extra special blessing. Alex has been going through the natural transition whereby he's coming into a faith of his own, no longer simply living off of ours. It hasn't been an easy process for him. He knew God loved him and that he was saved, but it was hard for him to grasp that God really cared about him as an individual--that God was really interested in the things that interest him. He prayed and asked God to show him a sign that He truly did care about what was important to Alex. During the weekend, they held a drawing for a video Ipod Nano. Much to his dad's astonishment, Alex won. You have to understand how much Alex loves gadgets and technology. When he got the Ipod, he told his dad, "Dad, you don't understand, this is more than just an Ipod." Then he told his dad about what he had prayed. He came home from the conference encouraged, and it's given him and Steve an opportunity to be even closer than they already were (which is saying a lot, because they're already very close.) Not to be outdone, Katie also received an unexpected blessing. Since Steve and Alex got to have their special weekend together, she had been thinking, "I wish Mom and I could do something like that." The next day someone called and invited the two of us to the Revolve Tour in St. Louis. Our tickets and hotel are paid for, all we need is spending money. The tour is sponsored by Women of Faith and is for girls from 6th to 12th grades. Katie didn't tell me until after we got the invitation what she had hoped for. Tomorrow afternoon we leave on our own adventure. Tonight we are going to Belleville to see Mark Lowry in concert. It should be a fun time, but we'll be home really late, so I decided not to have school tomorrow so that everyone can sleep in, and Katie and I can get ready for our trip. I can't wait to tell all about our weekend! |
Sep. 28, 2007
Hanging in there!
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The old saying, "When it rains it pours." is certainly true around here. We've had a sick child, I've been under the weather, various families at our church have had difficulties--and, of course, there's homeschooling! Amazingly, we haven't gotten behind. Everyone in our house seems to be well now, and we're hopefully helping our hurting church families with much prayer and compassion. In the midst of it all, I am continually reminded that God is truly strong in our weaknesses. I love reading the Psalms and Proverbs every day, and I've been keeping a "God is..." list. So far I have some great ones like "my salvation", "my strength", "the One who holds me close", and "the One who heals my broken heart". I'm reading them out of the New Living Translation. I have some things I want to share on the homeschooling front, but they'll have to wait for now. Hopefully, now that things have calmed down a bit, I can get back to posting more often. |
Sep. 23, 2007
Missing in Action
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I realize that I've not posted for a couple of days. One of the reasons is that I've done something to my shoulder, and sitting at the computer tends to aggravate it. That's why I'm going to have to keep this short. We've had a good weekend. Friday was a very relaxed day, as the kids were caught up on their work. On Saturday Katie's soccer team won their game. Today I had Kid's Church, and my lesson went really well. Everybody behaved themselves too, which was wonderful! The accomplishment I'm most proud of this weekend is the homemade cinnamon rolls I made for breakfast this morning. I'm not the greatest cook in the world, so when I have a success, I really enjoy it.  |
Sep. 20, 2007
Music and Studying
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Tonight I asked my very wise eleven year old daughter what I should put on tonight's entry. To be honest, today has been a pretty ordinary day, not much worth mentioning. She suggested I write about how much she and her brother enjoy listening to music while they do their work. Last Christmas each of the kids got MP3 players. They've had a great time loading all different styles of music on them (with our approval, of course). Since we started school, they've discovered that it helps them concentrate on what they're doing if they're listening to instrumental music as they study. They say the music blocks out more distracting sounds, like street noise for example. I've noticed that they are less of a distraction to each other, so I can let them work in the same room--which is a lot more convenient for me. Both of the kids are pretty much caught up on their work, so tomorrow should be an easy day. I think I'll make up a game to help them work on their Spanish. |
Sep. 19, 2007
The Dentist and the Daily Grind
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Katie had a dentist appointment this morning, so our school day was bumped off course a bit. She has two baby molars that are being pushed out by the permanent teeth coming in. The problem is that the baby teeth are hanging on for dear life and don't want to come out. They're hardly even loose. She has an appointment for the 11th of October, so she has until then to get them out on her own. If not, they'll have to be pulled. Because of the appointment we didn't accomplish everything I wanted to today, but we'll catch up later. Now that we're in the third week of school (and the "newness" is wearing off), I find myself walking a fence that I'm sure a lot of homeschool parents find themselves on. Sometimes I feel pressured to make everything stimulating, interesting, and fun, when, in reality, sometimes learning involves plain old hard work. My insecurity button gets pushed when it's obvious the kids aren't particularly enjoying the lesson we're doing, and I begin to second guess myself. "Maybe I'm not doing this right. Maybe if I were a better teacher they'd think learning rules about using commas was exciting." On the other hand, isn't it a part of growing up and maturing to learn that everything in life doesn't have to be fun and exciting? If I skipped tasks around here that I don't find particularly interesting, we'd have no clean clothes and my poor family would be suffering from malnutrition. I think that, while I want my kids to know that learning about the world around them can be an awesome experience, sometimes certain things have to be done because they are beneficial in the long run--regardless of whether they appeal to our sense of adventure or not. Speaking of things that have to be done, I have dishes that have to be washed--yippee!!(just kidding  ) Until tomorrow... |
Sep. 18, 2007
Spanish Calendars and Soccer Game
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I've come up with what I hope will be a fun project for the kids to help them learn the days of the week and months of the year in Spanish. I created some blank calendar pages on the computer and gave them each twelve. They are going to fill them in (all in Spanish, of course.) Then they get to decorate them however they choose (I can use that for "art"--a two for one project!) They started working on them today. Katie had a soccer game tonight, and her team won the game. It's their first win, and the game was a bit of a nail biter, so all of the kids were very pleased with their success. Today was exceptionally busy, and I still have papers to grade, so I'm going to have to cut this short. Thanks to everyone who has left comments on my blog--it's great to know that it's being read! |
Sep. 17, 2007
A Sleepy Monday and an Awesome Bible Lesson
We had a picnic at church last night, so we all had to drag ourselves out of bed this morning. It was worth it, though, because the picnic was a lot of fun (the food was great, too! )School went well. Alex and I were reading about Exodus in his Bible lesson, and that led to a great discussion on the difference between living according to the Old Testament and living according to the New Testament. We talked about how people tend to think that living according to the New Testament is easier than the Old, because we don't have to observe all of the cleanliness laws and rituals anymore. That part is certainly true, but Alex and I were talking about how Jesus "raised the bar", so to speak, when it comes to our daily walk with God and how we treat others. In the Old Testament, you were required to give God one-tenth of your income. Of course, tithing is still practiced today, but it is (or should be) with the understanding that 100% of what we have belongs to God. In the Old Testament, you were required to devote one day a week to the Lord, but now all of our days--all of our moments--are to be dedicated to God and His plans and purposes. In the Old Testament, if someone hurt you, you were allowed to hurt them back (an "eye for an eye"), you just couldn't do anything worse to them. Now, God asks us to forgive those who hurt us, and not to pay back evil for evil. Alex asked me why the standard seems so much lower for the Israelites. The best explanation I could come up with is that God's standards have always been what Jesus showed us, it's just that the Israelites didn't have the Holy Spirit living in them, changing them from the inside out, and helping them to become what God wanted. Fortunately, we do have the Holy Spirit. I think about the verse that says, "To whom much is given, much is required." The fact that we have God Himself living inside of us requires us to live according to a higher standard--with His help and grace, of course, never in our own strength. I love that my son and I can have these discussions. He asks such great questions, and I can see how interested he is in God and His ways. |
Sep. 16, 2007
Prayer
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Years ago I purchased Becky Tirabassi's "My Prayer Partner Notebook". It's a small three-ring binder with divisions in it to help you organize your prayer time. I admit, though, that it didn't get much use. Today in church I was thinking about prayer--thinking about how much I want to be better at it, and yet how little time I devote to it. When my kids were smaller, it seemed impossible. When you're the mother of small children you can't be still for thirty seconds without starting to doze off (if you can find thirty seconds to be still at all!) My kids are older now, and I feel such a strong stirring in me to get back to my "prayer closet". I pray quick prayers throughout the day, but I long to have that extended time to talk to God and listen to what is on His heart. I got out the notebook, cleaned it up and am prepared to use it once again. It helps me to have a plan as I pray, or else my mind wanders and I don't feel as though I've accomplished much. We'll see how it goes... Enter to win the complete set of Terrestria Chronicles on the HSB Company Porch! |
Sep. 15, 2007
Another Saturday
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There's not much excitement to report today. I finished tying a baby quilt for my brother-in-law and his wife. I also made a sourdough starter from a recipe I love but haven't used in ages. I also spent some time reading Sandra Dallas' latest novel, Tallgrass. My favorite novel of hers is The Persian Pickle Club, but this new one may come in at second place, I'm enjoying it so much. |
Sep. 14, 2007
Fridays
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I decided to do something different this year with regard to how we spend our Fridays. In the past, I would pack the whole week with schoolwork, and then get frustrated when we couldn't finish it all. Now, I just plan for Mon.-Thurs. and Friday is a day to catch up on unfinished work, do music and art, and work on book reports (CLASS requires five a year.) Today was great, because the kids only had to finish up some work this morning (they both did great on their grammar tests!), and so they spent the afternoon working on art projects while I read aloud three chapters of a biography on Jim Elliot. I promised them a reward for learning the Spanish alphabet, so I told them the next time we went to the store, they could each pick out their own box of Little Debbies. I don't buy them very often, and when I do they have to share, so I thought they'd like having their own box to enjoy. They were excited--fortunately, they're easy to please. Of course, I may have to buy myself a box, so I don't end up raiding theirs. |
Sep. 13, 2007
Date Night!
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My husband called me this afternoon to see if I wanted to go out to dinner tonight, just the two of us (how could I resist?) We went out for Mexican food and caught up on all the happenings in each others lives. I love that my kids are old enough now not to need a sitter. We're able to go out more often because it's not as expensive. Our school day went well. The weather here is beautiful, so the kids walked to the library by themselves to pick up some books, and they had some fun shooting baskets. Grammar tests are tomorrow. I think everyone is ready. I'm glad, because I've had enough of this unit, and I am more than ready to move on to something else. |