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Tuesday, January 30, 2007 - On my mind
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What's been on my mind lately?
1. As we are in the second half of Story of the World, I am thinking about how to approach history next. It has been a good book to go through and we have had a very positive experience with it. That said, I think there may be something better out there. I am thankful for the fact that through this book and activity book the girls and I love history. I have learned things for the first time. I have always hated history and when I decided to homeschool, I was fearful of this topic. I am not afraid anymore. I have been able to creat an environment in learning history which make this the favorite subject in the house. That is success! The things I am most disappointed with is the fine line between fact and fiction. I also don't care for the lack of biblical history included in the book, but that may have been an intentional decision by the author. All in all we have enjoyed it. Now though, I am ready for something more biblically based. I am thinking of Mystery of History and Truth Quest. In MOH we stay in ancient history. In Truth Quest we would likely move to Amercian History. Decisions.
2. Why are my children bickering so much? While much of the time they get along and play well, there are often times where they are constantly fighting with each other. Kindness, Kindness, Kindness is the topic of many days. It is just not sinking in. It really puts me on edge to hear it. Sometimes I have to yell STOP just to get them to pay attention. The question is, how did I end up with bickering kids, and what can I do about it now? Yes, I know there is no magical formula, but yes, I am looking for it. We are always working on some character issue with scripture. I am not seeing fruit. What am I doing wrong?
3. How did I get so behind on my house, and what can I do to catch up? More importantly what can I do to care enough to catch up. One of the biggest struggles I have is laziness, and an ability to put things off. I used to care much more. I used to be a better housekeeper. What happened?
4. Same with meals. I used to be much better at planning meals. I have lost my desire for cooking. Yet I do love to cook. How does that work? Well, I love new recipes. I love to cook something new all the time. I love a good dinner. Lately I have gotten tired of searching cookbooks trying to come up with something new to cook. While cooking isn't the difficult part for me, the planning is. Is there a theme going on here?
5. Ready for the big topic? Church. Oh boy! I guess you could say I have changed over the years. I have grown, changed, matured, grew in wisdom, whatever. The point is I have convictions. There is a small group of people that I know with similar convictions. I would say though that the majority of christians I have known over the years do not have these convictions. In a nutshell they are, family integrated, non age segregated church and fellowship. In other words, no Sunday schools. The dilemma becomes this: Where do you go to church? Do you hold fast to these convictions and continue to go to a church that hosts Sunday schools and youth groups? If so, how do you deal with the pressure of putting your kids in these groups? Will you always be labeled the weird family that homeschools and doesn't allow their children to participate with other kids? (don't misunderstand me, the girls get plenty of opportunities to play with kids.) Or do you try to find if possible a church that believes the same way. What if that church isn't the right fit for other reasons. Why would the Lord give us these convictions if there isn't a place for us to worship? Or maybe there is and we are not seeing it. Questions.
There you have it. Several topics for you to comment on and give me your two cents, or four or six.
Susan |
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Wednesday, January 31, 2007 - Untitled Comment |
| Posted by hsmomof2 |
| I hear you on the church issue. We searched for a long time for a church like you describe. Our church is wonderful about not separating by age group, though we are not completely there yet. I would say keep looking and keep praying and eventually God will lead you to the right church. It took us longer than I would have liked to find ours. |
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Wednesday, January 31, 2007 - Untitled Comment |
| Posted by Anonymous |
A big issue I have had in my home lately is bickering. I am so tired of it. I have tried many many different ideas to help and nothing has. I am looking for ideas on that as well.
I have learned through my own convictions on church, though they are not the same as yours, that no church is going to fit my exact preference. I must make adjustments in some areas. So we looked at what were necessities in a church for us (truth, Biblical teaching, etc.) and found one that we felt held all of those standards. Yes we have had to compromise, but when I stepped back I realized that the church is a flawed human attempt to follow God's design. Unfortunate and completely frustrating, but true. We have found a place to learn, grow and worship but yes, my perfect church would look a little different. Such is life. J |
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Wednesday, January 31, 2007 - Untitled Comment |
| Posted by chickadee |
| i don't understand all the bickering either. we've had a lot of that lately. i am praying for the girls. i want them to be close and love each other. we are talking about it a lot to and ways they can treat each other with kindness. some days i see a difference, some days they revert back to their old ways. |
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Wednesday, January 31, 2007 - Wow, are we living parallel lives? :) |
| Posted by Paula |
Bickering: Something we do, besides the singing songs about kindness and gentleness and memorizing verses on kindness and gentleness, is PRAY for help being kind and gentle to each other. My children also have to ask each other for forgiveness when they are bickering. They apologize for what they did wrong, and then ask for forgiveness. We also have the one who is being the worst become a servant to the others. She has to serve everyone before herself, she goes last during games, etc. She has to be especially attuned to the needs of the one she is bickering the most with.
Cleaning: I know what you mean. Something I do when I get way behind is to set a timer. I set a timer for 15 minutes and only clean and tidy for 15 minutes. It is AMAZING what you can do in 15 minutes. When the timer goes off, EVEN IF THE JOB IS NOT DONE, I stop and walk away. The next hour I set the timer again for 15 minutes and clean. I try to do at least 15 minutes every hour. And if nothing else at least 15 minutes everyday! I always try to remember that my house did not get this way in a day, and it won't get clean in a day. But bit by bit, it will get there.
Cooking: I used to make so much from scratch! But lately, like you, I have just lost my desire to cook. Maybe trying to get the girls to help more. Seeing their excitement about cooking will help you get excited. And help them with the menu planning as well. "What do you want to eat?" "What do you think Daddy wants to eat?"
Church: I agree that there will never be the "perfect" church. We have the same convictions as you. While our church does have Sunday School, they also have an area where you can worship with your children. It is in the cafe where the service is broadcast on TV. We keep our children there with us. The main thing for us was to find a church where we were growing in the Lord. One that taught verse by verse and held fast to God's word (and not changing it just to get more people to come). Pray - God is faithful and will lead you to the church that He wants you at. And remember that while you may have these convictions your husband may not. I know I thought my husband had the same convictions as me until we talked about it. I told him I didn't want the children in Sunday School anymore. He felt so pressured by me, that we stopped going to church altogether. I took away the spiritual leadership of my husband and it took 5 years for him to get it back. All that to say, if your husband says let's goto this church, TALK with him about it in a gentle manner and in the end submit joyfully to his wishes.
http://heartyworks.blogspot.com |
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Thursday, February 1, 2007 - Untitled Comment |
| Posted by craftapple.wordpress.com |
| I echo your thoughts on church. I have wondered how the New Testament church was - families worshiping together - I'm sure they didn't send their kids away for the teaching. I think this will increasingly be an issue for us as our kids get older. |
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Thursday, February 1, 2007 - Untitled Comment |
| Posted by Anonymous |
Susan,
I have come to read every now and then, from other blogs and really enjoy what you have to say. Since I do not have a blog and you don't "know" me, I hope it's okay to comment! I'm a Christian homeschool mom of 4 with many of the same thoughts and struggles as you.
With the bickering, I have found lately that I have not had the right attitude with my kids, and they are reflecting that with me and each other lately. I read Stacy's (reforming mama's) post yesterday , 1/31, and it really helped convict me of that! That may definitely NOT be the case for you, but I do think it is for me/us right now.
We went through the same journey with our church experience. It is not wrong at all to desire those things especially if you and your husband agree on them, and you wish to do it to bring glory to God and serve Him. We prayed for years as we discovered our beliefs in this area and waited on the Lord. We had decided the time was right to relocate and the Lord led us to a place that had several such "age-integrated" churches in the area. We found them on visionforum.org. - not their catalog website but their dot org website. Even if you may not agree on "everything" vision forum teaches, you can still look for a church or other families in a given area and register your own name as someone interested in such a church (sorry if you already know this ) . Our family has been very blessed by this decision and it is a "fit" for us. It has been so wonderful to see entire families worship together. I must say though, that both churches we are currently considering offer a Sunday School (no pressure to attend though, and only for the youngest, maybe up to fifth grade), and no "twaddle" at all so we are totally comfortable with a little Sunday School exposure of this quality. Pray, be faithful, and may God grant the desire of your heart!!!
Thank you for sharing all you do on your blog!
Blessings to you,
Dawn |
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Thursday, February 1, 2007 - Untitled Comment |
| Posted by Anonymous |
Susan,
I have come to read every now and then, from other blogs and really enjoy what you have to say. Since I do not have a blog and you don't "know" me, I hope it's okay to comment! I'm a Christian homeschool mom of 4 with many of the same thoughts and struggles as you.
With the bickering, I have found lately that I have not had the right attitude with my kids, and they are reflecting that with me and each other lately. I read Stacy's (reforming mama's) post yesterday , 1/31, and it really helped convict me of that! That may definitely NOT be the case for you, but I do think it is for me/us right now.
We went through the same journey with our church experience. It is not wrong at all to desire those things especially if you and your husband agree on them, and you wish to do it to bring glory to God and serve Him. We prayed for years as we discovered our beliefs in this area and waited on the Lord. We had decided the time was right to relocate and the Lord led us to a place that had several such "age-integrated" churches in the area. We found them on visionforum.org. - not their catalog website but their dot org website. Even if you may not agree on "everything" vision forum teaches, you can still look for a church or other families in a given area and register your own name as someone interested in such a church (sorry if you already know this ) . Our family has been very blessed by this decision and it is a "fit" for us. It has been so wonderful to see entire families worship together. I must say though, that both churches we are currently considering offer a Sunday School (no pressure to attend though, and only for the youngest, maybe up to fifth grade), and no "twaddle" at all so we are totally comfortable with a little Sunday School exposure of this quality. Pray, be faithful, and may God grant the desire of your heart!!!
Thank you for sharing all you do on your blog!
Blessings to you,
Dawn |
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Friday, February 2, 2007 - Untitled Comment |
| Posted by jailkmess |
Susan~
I so enjoy your honesty! It is very refreshing!
Heres my 2 cents:
History: We are using SOTW (3rd book) and love it! (For the exact reasons you mentioned.) I also shared your concerns though, so I supplement it with lots of Bible teaching/history from BJU and Veritas Press. It is my goal that my kids would know their Bible (and it's author!) ;) better than any other subject.
Bickering: My kids go through cycles of bickering. Hang in there...sometimes it takes awhile for the fruit to ripen! Some things I've learned...their hearts are often a reflection of mine, they listen to me as well as I listen to them, there is no substitute for one-on-one quiet, loving time with each child...it's a great preventative measure! These may or may not apply to you, but have been precious lessons in my life.
Meals: I LOVE to cook too, but I'm afraid that is very differnt from planning menus day after day (on a budget!). I go through phases were it just wears me out to plan another week of meals! So occasionally I will use the Mega Menu-Mailer from www.SavingDinner.com. There is nothing like having 20 meals packed away in the freezer, ready to go, after just one day of cooking! Check it out!
Church: I'm so with you on the church issue! Searching for a church will clarify your ideas/convictions like nothing else I know of. I hate to use the word compromise, maybe prioritize is a better word. There are some things that are absolutes when you search the scriptures & others that seem to be only preferences in regards to finding a Christ-centered body of believers to worship & fellowship with. Take the time to make out a list with your hubby (assuming you haven't already!) and decide what you must have according to scripture and what you would like to have in a church (according to your personal convictions). We found a church that meets the Biblical requirements for a church (Acts 2:42) but we disagree with some of the smaller things. After much prayer & discussion (and several hasty decisions to leave!), we felt we were to stay, get involved & share our convictions with them. Currently I am involved in teaching the kids b/c I wasn't pleased with the program & they were very open to my ideas & input (effecting change from the inside, I guess).
The idea of family integrated worship is fairly new to me & I LOVE the idea. If you ever do find a church that meets these needs, please share!
I would remind you that the enemy would love to see nothing more than your family not in the Word, not in fellowship & out of touch with the Body of Christ. Hebrews 10:25 comes to mind, "Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one anotherand all the more as you see the Day approaching." We won't know perfection until heaven!
Praying He'll shower you with wisdom & enthusiasm for the life He has blessed you with!
~Amy |
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Saturday, February 3, 2007 - Untitled Comment |
| Posted by markjcole |
I have been reading your blog for a while but have not commented until now. I am registered under my husband's name at the moment as he has just started a homeschool blog. This is Mark's wife, Shona. Anyhow, we attend a family integrated church here in Texas and it is good to be finally aligned with God's plan for us. We found our church on the following website:
http://www.visionforumministries.org/projects/ncfic/
Thanks for your blog. I have a blog about my family at www.coleworldnews.blogspot.com, you could go there and get a little taste of our life. I could go on and on about how great family integrated is, but I think God has placed that conviction in you already :) |
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Saturday, February 3, 2007 - Untitled Comment |
| Posted by markjcole |
I meant to add, our church is Grace Community Church in Magnolia Texas. http://www.gracecommunityinfo.org/
You can read a little more there about this type of church. |
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Sunday, February 4, 2007 - Oy! |
| Posted by Oy |
What could I possibly add after all that wisdom $$change$$ is added up?
how about KER-CHING! You're rolling in wisdom-dough.
mooshka booshka :P
~j. at hm |
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