I have been blessed today.  In case you havn't noticed, I've been a little down about homeschooling.  Yesterday my hubby said if I put them in school it would take alot of stress off of me.  I told him that homeschooling is no longer a choice I am making for now.  It has become what I believe is the right thing for parents to do.  "Teach them to your children, talking about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up."   Deuteronomy 11:19 How can you possibly do that if you are hardly with your children?  Yesterday I had such an "ah ha!" moment.  Really, it's been coming on.  All your wonderful comments on what things I should do differently and things I should look into concerning my oldest have helped me so much.  I knew I had to change our homeschool style.  It was getting to much... well... like school.  I started the year with Charlotte Mason and I wanted to get back to her, but I am one of those people who say, "tomorrow".  Well, last night, (back to the "ah ha" moment), I was reading my Grace for the Moment (by Max Lucado) passage for the day.    It was titled, "A Heart Like His."  Here are some snipets:

God wants us to be just like Jesus.  Isn't that good news?  You aren't stuck with today's personality.  You aren't condemned to "grumpydum".  (That really got me).  You are tweakable.  Even if you've worried each day of your life, you needn't worry the rest of your life.  .... Where did we get the idea that we can't change?  ... Who says?  ... If our bodies malfuncion, we seek help.  Shouldn' we do the same with our hearts?  .... Jesus can change our hearts.

"Ah Ha!"  I really would start tomorrow.  So then I decided that today I was going to get up and read to the kids all day.  Just read.  Especially read the Bible.  And we did.  D is working on a Joshua lap book and instead of making him read it, we read it together.  I read out loud that the Jordan dried up and N really perked up when he heard that.  When Baby B went to bed, I let them play with playdoh while I read "The Unknown Land" out of Parables from Nature.  If you click on the link, it will take you to the story and you can read it for yourself.  It is an awesome story.  We are also learning about Abe Lincoln and the Civil War, so we read a few chapters from a couple of Abe Lincoln books. 

So, back to being blessed, (boy I lose my train of thought easily)... This morning, as I was checking my email, I received the Homeschool Minute from TOS.  Usually I skim through it and don't get a whole lot out of it, but today, it was written for me.  It was talking about how fast the toddler years go and enjoy it while it's here and make sure you have fun.  I've read all these things a million times before, but today, it really blessed me.  Not only that, but Jill Novak wrote a beautiful post just for me as well.  (Am I vain or what?).  She wrote about how they love to "play" school.  (Most of it was about one room school houses)  She also mentioned the book, "Understood Betsy."  My son has been reading that and has been bored to death.  I was struggling with whether or not I should make him finish it, or just chuck it.  She made the book sound so good, I decided, DUH!  I should just read it to him.  He would enjoy it 10 times more that way.  And then my last blessing of the day... I have been going back and forth trying to figure out if I should spend the money and buy "Exploring Astronomy through Creation" by Apologia, when lo and behold, a free moon lap book!!!  Yes, it's true!  Click on the link and get yourself one!  My son is absolutely going to LOVE this.  What a great day.