It is the begining of another year, okay, well it is 12 days into that year.  What a rocky start!  We are doing 3rd grade with oldest ds, 2nd with dd, and K with my youngest ds.  Oldest Ds started the year up with all the resistance in the world.  Boy did he fight my every single thought, my every single lesson.  Everything that was to be done on a daily basis.  He really was testing my authority as his parent.  And it got old fast.  My dd loves to school and does not tend to follow others. So for the most part, other than talking to her brother instead of waiting for him to finish his work, she has done great.  She even gets her work done quickly so we can do "fun things" in the afternoon.  Oldest ds is not like that.  He will procrastinate till the cows come home.  We live in town, so I don't expect any cows today or any day soon, but I do know he will continue to procrastinate.  He had me doubting myself by the first week and I have done this for 2 and 1/2 years, going into my third year.  And really he had my youngest ds, whom is a handful anyways, testing me also.  Not wanting to work and acting in much the same manner as his older brother, as he looks up to him.  What a test.  The week had me worn out.  And the second week we all became sick, with a cold my husband had brought home.  So the second week of school wore us out even more.

So last night I took time before going to sleep to just sit down and pray.  I was given scriptures to read, for the daily reading, in my womans devotional bible, that I myself could not understand how they pertained to me.  I just was unable to comprehend how Ezekial pertained to me.  I did understand that Jerusalem had sinned and I know I have sinned, but I did not know how that was laying out for the answers I needed about homeschooling. So I prayed more and more.  I remembered that this bible had daily devotions in it, part of why I picked it up, not just the read the bible in a year plan in the back that I was following.  (no I have not stuck to it daily, a sin I confess, I don't talk to God on a daily basis as I should, I try to do to much on my own.)  I thought to look at the next devotion in the part of Ezekial I was in.  Hmm...It said Monday on the top of it.  What a coinicidence!  It was about the Sacraficing the Children, the verses were Ezekial 16:20-21.  By the end the author of the devotion, Dorothy Patterson gave a good testimony for moms "keeping the home and rearing our children."  She wrote "Nothing has Challenged my body and mind any more or showered mor rewards on my heart and soul than investing my educatoin, skills and energies in the people I love most and want most to succeed."  What a thought.  As I read that I thought of all the times the boys have tested me, and even my daughter has tested me in the last few weeks, but also of all the joys that have come from having them here with me all day.

I want them to succeed, I want them to learn, I want them to be a great contribution to the world.  So last night I prayed, I asked the lord to forgive me for becoming so stubborn myself.  I asked him to help me listen to my children and to help me to find a way to guide them with a calm voice and help them to find things of interest in our schooling and our lives.  I also asked him to help me to be a better wife, to help my husband to have patience with us.  All things that are so needed in our home on a daily basis.   I felt a wonderful peace come over me and I went to bed.

This morning I woke, feeling better than I had in many days.  (I was terribly sick from that cold, it moved to my chest and really has bothered me)  I took a moment to make some tea, and get myself ready before waking the children.  We started our day with some chorest that I never get accomplished.  Put in the christmas CD youngest ds is working on learning for church.  Read a devotional with my dd at the couch and started our day.  (ds has misplaced his devotional and will be looking for it soon)  Oldest ds is still procrastinating.  He probably always will.  I am going to pray on that though.  I have faith he can not procrastinate.  Youngest ds worked hard on his studies, put up a bit of a stubborn streak, but not about school.  (he wants to jump rope in the house, hmm...no not here)  My dd has worked hard.  Today we might actually get to start on our "fun things" as dd likes to call it.  :)  I do believe just that lil prayer has really helped to make things flow much better here.