As I shared earlier, I actually ENFORCED our routine today of no tv, no computer time, and no playing with toys until everyone was up, dressed, had brushed their hair and teeth, had eaten breakfast, and had spent at least 10 minutes working on their AWANA material for next Wednesday.
I am a bit surprised but very happy to report that ALL 3 children went along with this plan with almost no grumbling, complaining, and really, almost no comment at all!!
We did not read "Constance" today. Instead, we read from "If You Sailed on the Mayflower in 1620...." by Anne McGovern. All 3 children seemed to enjoy it, but Rachel especially seemed fascinated by it. We will definitely read some more in it tomorrow!!
Roger got to play his softball games tonight also. They lost their first game, but won the second, and are now tied for first place in the local Church/Company league. They will play one game on Monday night, winner takes first place, loser takes second. Is it okay to pray about things like the outcome of a church softball game? :)
Roger and I had a chance to talk a bit tonight about activities for next year. He is REALLY leaning toward NOT playing softball next year, BUT, Noah, who will be 5 in February, REALLY wants to play baseball. Roger doesnt really think we should skip AHG next year, but he did agree with me that it was a good idea for me NOT to be in leadership there next year.
We will have to see where we are as far as church activities too. Roger works with the Youth group at our church. Right now, it doesn't take a lot of time outside of church, but our Youth Pastor is new and doesn't really have everything set up the way he wants it yet, so we aren't exactly sure what Roger's role in the Youth group will be.
So, I still have more questions than answers, I think, but it does feel as if Roger and I are on the same page where activities are concerned, and I'm happy about that.
I'm also happy because tomorrow is Friday and we have NO place that we have to go, and NO where that we have to be at any certain time!! We are going to spend the whole day at home! I'm planning to cook Roger's favorite dinner( meatloaf in the crockpot~thanks again, Susan!~homemade mashed potatoes, macaroni and cheese, and rolls). Roger has promised the children that they will play games, which means I will probably be left to my own devices, and I might actually get to watch the World Series, if they don't get rained out again!
Sounds like a plan to me!!
Goodnight, all!!
Mom23munchkins
Actually, "settling in" is probably the wrong term to use in regards to our family, as the fall and winter seem to be very busy for us, especially with holiday events and such. But, in a certain sense, we are settling in.
First, *I* am feeling more settled myself. I am STILL fighting this nasty cold, and so is my son, but a few other things have gotten better. I found ALL the documents that my husband needed the other day, and as for my friend who seemed offended by something I said in an email, we were able to talk on the phone and straighten everything out. So, those things are better. Also, my 6yo daughter has a urinary tract infection, but she is on antibiotics and cranberry juice and she is much improved. Our propane tank is full, though we've not yet used that heater. My dh is the only one in our family who is really cold natured, so we have been "getting by" with using a couple of small electric heaters, trying to save our propane as long as we can because that stuff is EXPENSIVE!!! Anyway, I praise God for all of these things.
Our schooling is settling in too. I have a Mayflower unit planned. I"ve covered the Mayflower and a bit about the journey with my children before, but this year I want to go more in depth with learning about the PEOPLE on the Mayflower. We have discovered, though my Mom's genealogy research, that we are descended from Nicholas and Constance Snow. Constance was a passenger on the Mayflower, and Nicholas came over on the next boat, the Anne.
I"ve been trying to decide whether to go ahead and jump into our Mayflower unit now, or do another shorter unit first, THEN the Mayflower, but I've decided that I like the idea of starting on the Mayflower now and being able to really take our time with it.
I"ve also decided that our next unit will be "Holidays and Traditions". I want to help my kids understand more about WHY we celebrate Thanksgiving, Christmas, and the New Year, and why our family in particular has the traditions that it has. Who knows, we may even establish a new tradition or two!
On another note, I read something earlier about a family who decided to take one year off from ALL outside activities except for church activities. I LOVE this idea!! I don't feel like I can do it immediately, as we've all ready made committments that it would be unfair to others to break, but I definitely plan to discuss with my husband the possibility of doing this next year!
Of course, I don't mean by this that we would never leave the house except for church or church related activities. We would still participate in our hs groups Around the World Day and Spring Social Studies Fair, and we would probably go on lots of field trips. What I am talking about here is taking a break from the "we HAVE to be here on Tuesday, there and Wednesday, and the other place on Thursday" type of committments. Hmmm... I"ll have to see how dh feels about this.
Wow, this has been a bit of a rambling post! I actually had some other things floating around in my head that I considered blogging about. I probably wil, just in seperate posts. I"ll try to gather my scattered thoughts a bit more before posting them next time!! :)
Blessings,
Mom23munchkins
but do you ever just feel "fussed at"? Like everything you've done all day long has been wrong?
I should preface this by saying that I am currently suffering from the rottenest of rotten colds, so I know that's why I'm feeling so "touchy" today, but....
Out of the blue, 8 years after the birth of our first child, and nearly 5 years after the birth of our last child, my husband's human resources department at work suddenly announces that they must have immediate documentation of our children, or they will be dropped from his insurance!! Oh, and they need a copy of our marriage license as well, or I will no longer have coverage either!!
So, off I go to get the documents, only to find that they are NOT in the place where I've always kept them!! I am at an absolute loss as to what has happened to them. So, I call my Mom. She does extensive genealogy research, and often makes copies of documents like this to put in albums and such. I thought perhaps I loaned them to her to copy. Not only did she not have the documents, she gave me a speech about how important those documents are, and how I should find them, and then make copies to leave at HER house in case I ever lose them again!! GRR!!
My sister got upset with me over something I said to some one else! She THOUGHT I was talking to her, but I wasn't!
I sent an email to someone today in hopes of encouraging this person, and it appears they have taken offense to what I said. GRRR again!
My husband is either completely oblivious, or is choosing to ignore the fact that I feel miserable. His only comment has been that I should have taken the cold remedy HE suggested instead of the one I chose to take.
Did you ever have one of those days when you just feel like you can't do ANYTHING right?!
Well, it's been one of those days for me, and I'm sure glad it's over! I'm headed off to bed, and wishing I could stay there for a day or two!! :)
Mom23munchkins
why they DON'T homeschool?
I have a few extended family members, and some other acquaintances who think negatively of our homeschooling, and make less than positive comments about it. But, for the most part, when people find out that we homeschool, they are genuinely interested and curious, and have positive things to say about it.
I don't mind answering questions from these people. I rather enjoy sharing a bit about why we decided to homeschool, and what works for our family.
Still, I'm wondering about something. It's perfectly acceptable for people to question us about our educational choices for our children. Have you ever wondered what might happen if you met someone whose children are in traditional school and asked them "So, why don't you homeschool?"
I am sure many people would be surprised by the question, and some would even find it rude, but I"m still tempted to do it some time! :)
Next time someone asks you why you chose to homeschool, go ahead and share your reasons with them. Then ask, "So, how come you choose NOT to homeschool your children?" and just see what happens.
Picture me with a smile, and little devil horns popping up! :)
Have a great day!
Mom23munchkins
I posted something earlier about having let my self get all worked up and worried over my daughter's health. I don't think it was right for me to do that, as Scripture tells us in the book of Matthew that we cannot change anything by worrying aobut it. but God DID teach me some things through all of that this past week. One thing is that in recent weeks/months, I'd been thinking about, and blogging about, the storms that we face in our lives. Sometimes, those storms are of our own making, and last week was an example of that for me.
Another thing I'm learning is to joyfully receive those "ordinary" days, because you will go through times in your life when you would give ANYTHING just to have an "ordinary" day. I'm learning to look for the "little" things that make each day special.
Today, we GREATLY enjoyed our homeschool group's Around The World Day fair. We had great fellowship with other familes, we learned a lot, AND we got to sample some great food from other countries!
Tomorrow, my sister, who lives 2 hours away from us, is coming to visit, and is bringing her 2 daughters. We will gather to celebrate the birthday of my ( soon to be) 15 yo nephew. Later in the evening, dh and the munchkins and I ( and probably my 6yo neice) will attend a "get together' for all the members of our church choir and thier families.
AND~tomorrow night is game 1 of the World Series!! Sorry, I had to throw that in, I just love baseball!
On Sunday, we wil have the pleasure of worshipping together with my sister and her girls, and after church we will gather at my parents home to celebrate my sister's birthday.
And, on Monday, we have NOTHING planned, and that is a GOOD thing! We haven't had a totally free day in quite a while!
And best of all, my little girl is on the mend and feeling so much better, so she will get to enjoy all of these things. I'm just thanking and praising God for all of these wonderful things.
Thank you for indulging me while I counted my blessings~not that I don't have MANY more to count, but I'm getting sleepy, so I'll stop now!! :)
Blessings,
Mom23munchkins
I'm normally a pretty "laid back" person. I am not one to panick or "freak out" over things.
I think the one area where I tend to fear more than others is my children's health. But even with that, I"m not one to run to the doctor for every little thing.
That being the case, I'm not sure WHAT happened to me last week. My 6yo daughter began having some fairly minor symptoms. I went on Webmd and came away feeling fairly certain that she probably had a urinary tract infection. This caused me to panic!!
I think it's because the child in question here is my 6yo daughter Alex. Alex has always been healthy and is not a fragile child, but she is the one out of my 3 who seems to be on the small side for her age, and she seems to get sick more easily than my other 2 children, so I guess I worry a bit more about her health than I do that of the other 2.
When Alex was 3, she got a UTI, and the doctor wanted to do some tests because he said that "children that young just don't get UTI's". Well, I knew that to be untrue. I also knew that Alex was, and still is, a very emotional child, and medical procedures of ANY kind are hard on her. I was also fairly certain then that I knew the cause of the UTI, and it was not the stuctural abnormality that the doctor suspected. So, I told him that we would not agree to invasive testing at that time, but that if she got another UTI within 6 months or so, we would consider it. Well, she DOES have a UTI now, but it's been 3 YEARS since the last one! Even so, I was very nervous about taking her to the doctor, thinking that he would push for invasive tests.
I worried myself sick in the couple of days before her appointment!!!
Why do I DO that?! Why do I seem to be unable to fully and completely trust God in this area?
I'm VERY happy to report that when I took Alex to the doctor, she did a get a bit upset, but she did NOT have the meltdown I was anticipating~AND, the doctor prescribed some antibiotics, suggested I get her some cranberry juice, have her drink lots of water, and make sure she keeps herself clean, then sent us on our merry way without ever once mentioning any testing of any kind!! And I had worked myself up into SUCH a state!!
Shame on me!! God's Word is SO full of assurances of His peace, His love, and His protection for all of us! My children are HIS children, on loan from heaven. They are in HIS hands, and He loves them even more than I ever could!!
Will I ever learn? :)
I'm happy to report that Alex is happily taking her antibiotics~she loves that bubble gum flavored stuff!~and she likes the white cranberry juice we got for her, and she seems all ready to be feeling MUCH better! Praise be to God!
I sometimes pray Scripture back to the Lord as I"m talking to Him. I feel now as if I ought to pray "Lord, I believe. Forgive thou mine unbelief" as the man said to Jesus in the New Testament.
God is a caring, loving, and excellent Father to all of His children. May we all rest securely in that knowledge.
Blessings,
Mom23munchkins
Tonight, while hanging out at the ball field watching my husband pitch our church team to a win, I overheard this conversation between my daughter Rachel, who is 8, and her friend from church, Caitlyn, who is 9 or 10. I didn't hear the beginning of the conversation, but I got the gist of it from Rachel on the way home.
Caitlin and some other kids from church are fascinated with Rachel's being homeschooled. They ask lots of questions, and for the most part seem envious that Rachel doesn't have to get up early, go out in nasty weather, or eat school cafeteria food. I strolled over just in time to hear Caitlin say "I wish I could be homeschooled. Do you ever wish you could go to real school?" Rachel, ( to her credit, I believe) sounded a little miffed by this question! She told her friend "I DO have real school. I just don't have to get up and go somewhere besides home to learn stuff!"
I LOVE this! I attended a public school Kindergarten, and then attended grades 1-12 at a private Christian school. My being homeschooled was never really an option, as my parents had never heard of such a thing, and had no idea it could be done. Incidentally, my parents have learned a LOT! :) My Mom is now homeschooling my 14yo nephew!
But, back to my own "real school" experience~while there were certain aspects of school that I enjoyed, I can honestly say that I have never been in a more ARTIFICIAL environment in my life!! I began working as soon as I graduated from high school, and I worked until shortly before my first child was born. I worked as a teacher in a preschool, and later in a Kindergarten. I was NOT required to associate ONLY with other teachers my own age! I was NOT required to raise my hand before speaking to the Director! When I worked at a christian publishing company, I was not required to walk to lunch in a line with all the other employees. When I finished my work, I was allowed to find other meaningful, useful work to do~I was not handed a stack of "fill in the blank" papers to keep me busy. When I put in a request for a promotion, I was not told that I had to wait and "move up with the rest of my group".
I think you see my point here. NO experience that I've had since I entered "the real world" has been like the artificial experiences I had in school.
I"ve just about come to the conclusion that "real school" is an oxymoron.
Blessings,
Mom23munchkins
Is that possible, to be too tired to sleep? I'm feeling VERY tired tonight, but not the least bit sleepy! Maybe that's just called insomnia?
Anyway, it's been a good day. I made the kids keep the tv off until their morning "to do list" was done, since that is our house rule. Then, I was going to start them on some school work, but there was an animated movie on tv that they really wanted to watch, so I let them do that while I got some laundry done and the bathroom cleaned.
When the movie was over, we got our everyone's AWANA books. Today, that served as our devotional as well as memory work, and reading aloud for Rachel. Then, Alex and I did another reading lesson. She read several new words today, and she was SO proud of herself!!
Today's math lesson consisted of a math arcade game from funbrain.com for both girls, then we recited the addition tables for 1 through 6. I was pleasantly surprised to hear Noah shouting out several correct answers as we did this!!
Then, we did some more reading on Australia for our Around the World Day project. After that, I declared school work officially done for the day so that I could indulge my guilty pleasure~watching the Major League Baseball playoff games! :)
The children played in the living room with their tents ( small, pop up, Playhut tents) while I watched the Tigers beat the Yankees.
When that was over, it was time to tidy the living room and get dinner ready so that we could eat and then head out to the ball field. My dh pitches for our church softball team, and we had a double header tonight. Dh pitched and won both games, the kids had a ball running around and playing with all the other children, and I got to cheer on my hubby and chat with other church members who had come to see the games. Even though we got rained on briefly, it was good to be outside in the fresh air and enjoying the fellowship.
Tomorrow, we will have something that has become rare around here. A whole day in which we have no appointments to keep, and no place to be. YAY!! The children and I are going to do our Bible, Math, and Reading, then we are going to make clay boomerangs for our Australia project. Then, dh has so sweetly and graciously offered to entertain the kids for the evening( which probably means letting them take turns playing Frogger with him on the XBox) so that I can watch the 2 playoff games on tomorrow's schedule in relative peace.
Sounds like a plan to me!!
Blessings,
Mom23munchkins
This was quite unplanned, but we did nearly all of our school work on the computer today!
A friend sent me a link to a site with a map game on it. You must identify the 50 states on the map before your time runs out. My 8yo LOVED this, and did very well with it. Even my 4yo, after watching me and Rachel do it a few times, wanted to try it, and he got 10 of the states correct!!
This inspired me to look up some online math games. My 3rd grader has always loved her math workbook, but I noticed recently that she's not as eager for it as she used to be, so I typed "online math games" into a search engine, and we had a blast playing "Mathgo" ( math bingo) at www.dltk-kids.com) and Math Baseball at www.funbrain.com
We were halfway through our second game when Rachel stopped, eyed me suspiciously and said "Is this my math lesson for today?"
We also did some online research for our Australia project. We looked at pictures of the town of Coober Pedy, and also the Great Barrier Reef.
We had lots of fun! We finished up our school day with a reading lesson for Alex( and Noah, who tagged along) and a review of everyone's AWANA verses for this week.
I really NEEDED a day like today! We are working on some character issues with our children right now, and honestly, it's exhausting! I needed the academics to go smoothly today. I'll share more about the character issues in another post. Right now, I'm exhausted and heading to bed, but I want to leave you with this song, wich I've repeated to myself many times lately, when I've felt discouarged and frustrated with finances, extended family issues, character issues with my children, etc.
My first thought this morning was of my great riches
What substance and treasure the morning did bring!
There was joy beyond telling, a hope beyond failing
I"m acquainted with all these things.
I am familiar with mercy, know my share of victory,
I"m covered with compassion every day along the way
Of sweetest love, there has been plenty, forgiveness when need be,
And I am no stranger to grace.
Early this morning, as I tried to thank Him,
His peace fell around me
The same as yesterday.
Even though my tomorrows may have sadness and sorrows,
I will still be no stranger to grace.
I am familiar with mercy, know my share of victory,
I"m covered with compassion every day along the way,
Of sweetest love, there has been plenty,
Forgiveness when need be,
And I am no stranger, I am no stranger,
I'm familiar with mercy and grace.
Blessings,
Mom23munchkins
Sometimes, I tend to forget who's REALLY in charge of our home and family. I get so wrapped up in what I MUST get done, what I need to get done, and what I WANT to get done that I forget sometimes to make sure that my priorities are what God would have them to be.
Today started out in a whirlwind because I got up later than I had planned, so I woke up feeling like I was "behind". I was on the verge of spending the whole day in a grumpy mood, when that still small voice seemed to say to me " Just a minute. Who exactly are you trying to please here? Roger? the kids? yourself? What about ME?"
I had no choice but to say, "You're right, Lord. It doesn't matter if I accomplish everything on my to do list, if I haven't spent time with You, if I haven't brought honor to You in my words and actions, then the whole day is a waste".
The Lord was good and gracious to me to "catch" me this morning, and bring about a change in my mind and heart before the whole day was ruined. As it was, we accomplished quite a bit. The children had their breakfast, and we went over everyone's AWANA materials for next week. I got dinner in the crockpot, the dishes washed, and some laundry going while the children played together. They didn't play quite as peacefully as yesterday, but it was still good. We did our oral math drills, and 2 reading lessons for Alex. Noah joined us today, and was able to do the lessons right along with Alex. After that, we took our lunch break. The children watched Between the Lions and The Big Comfy Couch while they ate. After lunch, we read "Let's Visit Australia". This prompted some great discussion about how we want to present Australia at our hs group's "Around the World Day".
Roger's softball game got rained out, so we are enjoying an "extra" free evening at home. I'm getting things done tonight that I thought would have to wait a while!!
Now, I'm off to see if I can find a baseball game on tv. The post season is almost here! I LOVE postseason baseball! :)
Blessings,
Mom23munchkins
The Lord is truly bringing us out of our "stormy" season. He gave me "extra sunshine" today.
My children were unusually kind and co-operative with each other today. Everyone enjoyed the strawberry muffins I made for breakfast~no one said "Aww, I wanted blueberry" or anything like that! We ate our breakfast later than usual, so no one really wanted lunch~we just had snacks.
My Mom has been kind enough in recent weeks to take us to our American Heritage Girls meetings. This allows us to actually get there on time. When we have to wait for Roger, the earliest we can get there is 15 minutes after the scheduled start time.
Last week, the girls learned about Mexico. Today, they learned about Japan. Next week, they will complete their World Heritage Badge by learning about Australia. Have I mentioned lately what a GREAT program AHG is, and how much my kids love it?! :)
After the meeting, Roger was planning to go to the hospital to visit a friend of ours, but it was too late in the evening for visiting hours, so we decided to go do the grocery shopping instead. We have been talking a lot lately about making more home-made stuff instead of so many pre-made or pre-mixed dishes. When we got home tonight, I had beef roast in the crock pot. At Roger's request, I fried potatoes( something I rarely do) to go with it, and then made homemade biscuits. It was SO good!
Tomorrow, I"m attempting, for the first time in a long time, a home made meatloaf, and home made mashed potatoes. Prayers are appreciated! LOL
Tomorrow will be spent working on AWANA verses, doing oral math drills, and reading about Australia for Around the World Day. Then we will head to church to welcome our pastor and his wife back from vacation. I just love Wednesday night Bible studies~they are such a breath of fresh air in the middle of the week!! I pray that all of you who are able to attend a mid week church service will be greatly blessed by it.
Blessings,
Mom23munchkins
As always, God is bringing us through our current storms. I"d say it's still raining, but it's no longer pouring~the rain has slowed to a steady drizzle. The financial situation is not great, but it is stable. The family situation we are dealing with is still an issue, but is definitely on it's way to being resolved. God is good.
I have to praise God for the work He has done in our lives through these storms. My husband and I have always felt that we have a good marriage. We rarely argue, and when we do, it is discussion, not shouting at each other, or insulting each other, which is something my husband grew up witnessing between his parents. We have been blessed in our marriage. But, in the last 2 or 3 weeks, we have experienced a closeness to each other that is something more than we've had before. Without really talking about it, we both seem to be looking for "little " things to do for each other. Just small things~I made a point of buying some of his favorite things at the grocery store, he gave me a back rub last night. Neither of us asked the other for these things, they were just pleasant little surprises. Our Heavenly Father is SO merciful and gracious to us, to bless us with these things!
Today, we are "catching up" a bit on some of our school activities. We need to work on AWANA verses and oral math drills. We are also getting ready to present Austalia during our hs group's Around the World Day social studies fair. We've done a bit of work on it, but we need to get a really good start on it today.
If I'm not mistaken, the girls will be learning about Japan during their AHG meeting today. They are looking forward to that, and they are all ready talking this morning about the fact that tomorrow is the day they get to go to AWANA. I love seeing my children get excited about these things!
I have likened what we've gone through lately to a storm. Others might liken it to walking through a valley. That brings to mind this chorus, which I leave with you today:
Even in the valley, God is good.
Even in the valley, He is faithful and true.
He carries His children through, just like He said He would
Even in the valley, God is good.
May you and your family be richly blessed today,
Mom23munchkins
So, I'm guessing I'm not the only one who noticed that my last couple of post were kind of whiney?
Well, let me update a bit. The other night, when I lost my temper with my son and thought that I was going to have to wait until the next morning to apologize to him, I noticed on my way to bed that he was still awake, so I was able to go into his room and apologize shortly after posting that blog. I am thankful to the Lord for allowing me to apologize to my son so quickly after the incident instead of waiting until the next day.
And, as for the "storms" I've been dealing with, they are still here, for the most part. Money is REALLY tight, but our basic needs are met, so I praise the Lord for that. The family situation is still ongoing, but is getting better and will hopefully be resolved soon.
My point with this long ramble is that even in the storms of life, God is GOOD! Yes, we have financial problems that I wish we didn't have, but we do have what we need. Yes, we have a situation within the family that is annoying to me and that I'd like to see go away, but it needn't take the joy out of other areas of our lives. As I said in an earlier post, that Anchor IS going to hold, in spite of the storms!
Speaking of storms, we had a good one today! It got dark and the rain poured like crazy!! We were scheduled to have our homeschool group's "Not Back to School Party" at a local park today. Thank goodness this park has an enclosed pavilion, so we partied in the rain!! After lunch, the rain didn't stop, but it did let up, so the kids got to play in the rain a bit, and in the mud a LOT! :) The kids really seemed to have a great time!
I had a great time too. Roger took the day off and came with us. I was so glad he was able to come! Then, when I started to go outside to keep an eye on the munchkins, he said "I'll go outside with them, you stay here and visit". So, that's just what I did, and it was a real blessing!
I was able to see some folks that I hadn't seen in a while, and to meet others for the first time. I was blessed with lively conversation from other moms, and a few dads, smiles and coos from sweet little babies, and excited chatter and laughter from children.
I was very blessed today by many things that were done and said. I don't want to start naming names, because I will leave someone out, but I praise the Lord for time spent among friends today. It was something I greatly needed. The Lord gave me a bit of refuge from "life storms" today in the form of time with friends in a rainstorm.
Tomorrow, I will be seeking refuge with my church family. We are having a volleyball tournament at the church, and Roger is participating. I'll be watching and fellowshipping with friends from church. I fully expect to be blessed in that.
On Sunday, I will have the blessing of our morning services, followed by a trip to my sister's house to celebrate the 14th birthday of my neice, so I will take refuge in time spent with family.
Our God is good. He provides shelter from both "heartstorms" and rainstorms!!
Blessings,
Mom23munchkins
I am just not well at the moment. It's not that I am experiencing any single great tragedy or hardship, it's just that this is one of those times in life when it seems like EVERYTHING is hard.
I hope this won't come across as whining. That isn't my intention at all. I am sitting here typing this out for the sole purpose of trying to get a handle on my thoughts and emotions. When I consider the fact that others, some of whom I know IRL, will read this, all I can do is hope that it will encourage someone else.
I feel as if I've been caught outside in a storm, with rain pouring down, thunder rolling, lightning flashing, and wind howling. I'm in the midst of the storm, trying my best to get back home. This storm is not just one big storm cloud that erupted over me. It's lots of smaller storms clouds that have rolled together and are raining on me.
One cloud rolled in when some money that I had set aside for one purpose had to be used for another purpose. Then, another cloud formed when a few more unplanned expenses popped up, making our financial picture less than pretty. Yet another cloud formed when a family situation popped up that is causing me some stress, but will hopefully be resolved in a few more days. Add to that the cloud of my husband's hurt arm and back( softball injuries) the cloud of my son's recent aversion to bedtime, which has led to sleep deprivation for him AND for me, and you begin to see why I feel like I'm being rained upon.
This morning, I could barely even bring myself to pray. I'm ashamed of this, but I honestly felt like the Lord wasn't listening to me, even though I know that to be untrue. As I ( literally) cried to the Lord and
told Him that I felt pulled in a zillion different directions and that He wasn't listening to me! ( Whiny, I know!) And immediately, He brought to my mind a song that we sang at church on Sunday morning, part of which goes like this:
The anchor holds though the ship is battered
The anchor holds though the sails are torn,
I have fallen on my knees as I faced the raging seas, But the anchor holds in spite of the storm.
Jesus is my anchor, and that Anchor holds in spite of the storm. It matters not whether I can physically see the anchor or not. It doesn't matter that I may FEEL like the anchor isn't there. That anchor holds, no matter what. HOW I am thanking God for that tonight!!
After the Lord brougth to my mind those words, He also reminded me of this song, titled Mercy Rescues Me. Here is the chorus:
When life closes in around me,
When the winds and waves surround me,
And the weight upon my shoulders makes me fall down to my knees,
I lift my hands to God Jehovah, and He lifts me to my feet,
And one more time, like many times before,
Mercy rescues me.
You see, tonight, I feel awful. The sinus medicine I took has made me feel "foggy". The financial problems are worse, not better. The family situation is not yet resolved. I STILL have a million things to do this week, and am going to have to decide which things to devote time to, and which things to let go. I still feel, on some level, like the Lord is far away from me right now, and not really listening to my prayers~BUT, I know that He IS listening, and that whether I "feel" that or not has nothing to do with it. I KNOW that the anchor holds in spite of the storm, ANY storm, and I know that in God's time, mercy WILL, once again, rescue me.
Until then, I'll just keep sending up my SOS to my Heavenly Father until that life preserver of mercy comes my way. I know it's coming. If you are His child, it's coming for you too.
Blessings,
Mom23munchkins
I feel terrible. I just lost my temper with my son in a big way. I'd love to go hug him and apologize, but he's asleep all ready. He's a sweet, forgiving little guy, and I know everything will be fine in the morning, but tonight, I feel awful.
Yes, he has behaved terribly all evening, and both dh and I have lost our patience with him today, but that doesn't change the fact that I am an adult, and he IS a 4 year old child.
Please don't misunderstand. Neither me or my husband has ever been in any way physically abusive to our children, but I did lose my temper and yell, and I said some sarcastic things that I shouldn't have said.
It's almost 11:30pm here. He's FINALLY asleep. Right now, I wish I could go to bed and stay there for about 3 days! But, we've got to get everyone to Sunday school on time in the morning( which is EXACTLY where I NEED to be!) so, I"m off to bed.
I'll seek forgiveness from my heavenly Father tonight, and from my son in the morning, then I'll praise God for second( and third, and 10th, and 50th, and 1000th) chances, and try again tomorrow.
Goodnight all,
Mom23munchkins
I think that the Lord has blessed me with an ability to find the bright side of almost any situation. Sometimes, there isn't a whole bright "side"~but there's almost always at least a bright "spot".
I didn't sleep very well on Wednesday night, so on Thursday, I was REALLY tired! I truly didn't feel like going to my husband's softball game, but I went anyway, and had a nice time of fellowship with friends, even in my exhausted state.
After the game that night, dh talked to his parents ( with whom we have MAJOR issues) over to our house tonight, to watch a movie with us. This was all arranged without anyone saying a word to me. I was not happy, but knowing that someone is coming over is always motivation for me to get the house REALLY clean, so I did. So, I had to tolerate my inlaws for a LONG evening, but my house is spotless.
Tomorrow, we were supposed to take the children to a birthday party. This little girl is a sweet child, and her Mom is a friend of mine. I REALLY hate missing this party! But, Roger has to work, and I am unable to drive, so there is nothing we can do about it. BUT, the fact that tomorrow is Saturday, my house is spotless, and we have nowhere that we have to be means that I can spend a day being "lazy" and just enjoying my kids for the day~and maybe catching a good baseball game while I'm at it! :)
Oh, and I had another bright spot today~our hs group has 2 functions coming up~our "Not back to school party" and a field trip to farm not too far from us. I told Roger that I NEEDED him to take off the day of the farm trip, because the kids and I can't go without him, and that I'd LIKE him to be able to go to the party. He said he'd see what he could do, and he was able to get BOTH days off!! I know it's just a "little" thing, but I just praise the Lord for working it out so our family can attend both of these functions together!! God is so good!
Blessings,
Mom23munchkins
I know I'm a little late with this, but it wasn't until this morning that I was able to really sort out what I feel about 9/11/01 and put it into words.
I have heard folks ask "Where was God on 9/11?" and I've answered that He was everywhere~preventing some from entering buildings or getting on planes, giving grace to the saints that went home to be with Him that day, and listening to the cries of those left behind.
I've seen the many tributes to those taken from us that day, and I am glad that tributes are being given. They are well deserved.
Every year on September 11, I, as I'm sure many people do, stop to reflect, to pray, to ask God for His protection, and to thank Him for His blessings.
I and my family are among those who have at least one happy thing to remember on September 11. We were expecting our third child at that time, and September 11 was the day we had an ultrasound and got the news that we would be blessed with a healthy baby boy!
So, when I think of 9/11/01, I remember the awful scenes on the television~the billows of smoke, people running for their lives, some even leaping to their deaths. I remember the shock, the fear, and the lingering uneasiness that stayed with us all for a while after that day.
But, I also remember the images of our unborn son on the screen~healthy, kicking, thriving. I remember the grin my husband was absolutely unable to supress at hearing that he would have a son. I remember the looks of awe on the faces of my daughters as they saw their little brother on that screen. I remember my then 3 and a half year old daughters' first comment~Wow, Mommy, it's a BABY!! lol
And every year on September 11, I thank God that even in the midst of a terrible time, He still gives good and wonderful gifts.
Blessings,
Mom23munchkins
Today was one of those days in which we were able to just enjoy simple things.
I made blueberry muffins from a "just add milk" mix for breakfast this morning, and my kids had a ball licking the bowl and spoons.
We all watched Between the Lions together today. That is one kids show that I actually like to watch with my children.
We spent some time today sitting by our big picture window watching the rain fall and reading aloud from Winnie-the- Pooh.
All my kids, including my 4yo son, enjoyed the AHG meeting tonight. After that, we came home and enjoyed a simple dinner together and watched Disney's The Shaggy Dog.
I'm going to make more muffins tomorrow~this time strawberry or chocolate chip!
We're going to read some more of Winnie the Pooh tomorrow, and possibly start Little House in the Big Woods. We're also going to try to catch Between the Lions again!
Tomorrow evening, I'm going to church and I look forward to enjoying the adult Bible study while Roger attends the teen service and our 3 little munchkins go to AWANA.
I praise God My Heavenly Father for these simple pleasures!
Mom23munchkins
There seem to have been a lot of things going on around me lately that I just don't quite understand.
Can anyone tell me why it is that....
A couple that I know of has spent a LONG time and a great deal of money to fund a private adoption. Now, they've been blessed with a newborn boy. Now, they are again spending time and money to find the perfect full time daycare, which they hope to have in place by the time the child is 12 weeks old!!!
A mom that I know complains that her son does not like the homeschool group they are in, or the youth group at their church. He doesn't like to attend the functions because he doesn't know any of the kids there. Uhmmmm, DUH!! He doesn't know any of the kids BECAUSE he doesn't attend the functions!!
Another mom is a stay at home mom with 3 children. Even though she is home full time, she refuses to even entertain the thought of homeschooling. She and her husband say that their children, who are 7, 10, and 11, are meant to be "a light" in the public schools they attend. That in itself makes me go hmmm.....
But, I digress....tonight, I got a call from this mom, and she was quite distressed. Her 7yo second grader has been struggling with reading, so she is having him tutored twice a week. The trouble is, the tutor is his regular classroom teacher, and the method she uses is apparently just repitition of what is covered in the classroom. After weeks of tutoring, the child brought home a progress report today with an F in reading. So, who does this mom call for help? ME, the homeschooling Mom!
This is the same woman who has told me that I am "making a mistake" with my kids, that I am "sheltering" my kids, and that I need to learn to "let go" of my kids. Well, maybe so, but who does she call when the public school system has failed her son?
Hmmmmm.......
Mom23munchkins
I mentioned yesterday that the Lord had allowed me to see several websites that spoke of the spiritual aspects of reaching and maintaining a healthy weight, and a healthy body.
This morning, I had a christian radio station on, listening to some preachers and teachers. I usually turn the radio off about noon, but today I"ve been busy going through the house setting aside things for a yard sale tomorrow, so I just left it on.
When I got to my laundry room, right near the radio, I could hear the host of a call in show talking to an author who specializes in the topic of weight management and health. As I passed back and forth through the room going to and from other parts of the house, I could hear the lady recommending various exercises, speaking of the affects on the body of various foods and food additives, things of that nature. But, EVERY time I had occasion to actually STOP and stay IN the room for a few minutes, the conversation was about the spiritual component of physical health. EVERY time!!
In particular, the author spoke of making life style changes, not just to lose weight, or build muscle, or whatever your goal is, but to do the RIGHT THING for the RIGHT REASONS.
She went on to say that her belief is that no food is "forbidden"~that unless you have health issues that forbid certain foods, then all foods can be consumed in moderation. As an example, she said that the human body has absolultely no need for white flour or white sugar, but she still intends to have a piece of cake at her daughter's wedding~her point being that one piece of nutritionally "empty" cake is not going to ruin the good done by an otherwise healthy style of eating.
I see all of this as further confirmation from God that my issues with weight and with food are most definitely spiritual issues, and that the anwers for me lie in focusing on Him and His guidance, and staying in His Word.
I am SO thankful to the Lord for making this so clear to me! I no longer feel the need to try this, and try that, and look everywhere for an answer. I need only to look to Jesus Christ, and to His Word.
I'm reminded of the little chorus that our choir uses as a "warm up" at practices~
Father, I adore You.
I lay my life before You.
How I love you! Amen.
Blessings,
Mom23munchkins