Again a new calendar year starts and I begin looking over the events of the past year.  Last year we bought a curriculum based on need and cost.  This year cost is a HUGE factor, as in there is no dollars to purchase another curriculum.  We could purchase the same, but so many aspects of it are not working.  So I sit and pick to death everything and figure, I must get smarter or more organized and bring in my own ideas.  I have browsed through websites that are educational, I have browsed through homeschool websites that offer complete curriculums online.  Only to find the one I like still seems lacking in math and there is a ton of prep work.  I am thinking, I might stick with my current curriculum for math and spelling and then go out on a limb for something different for History.  I have heard such great things about "History of the world"  And yesterday I recieved a card in the mail to order it.  But I am scared to see the price.  So last night I am reading my newly recieved magazine "The Old Schoolhouse"  And it hits me, keep looking, keep praying and TRUST that he lord is going to lead you to the best decision. Hmm what a great idea! 

Why is it I know this, but still let myself worry so much about things?  I worry about curriculum, I worry about time, I worry about teaching enough. I worry that my husband and I are not always on the same viewpoint.  Lately I have been worrying about Kindergarten.  My youngest will be a kindergartener next year.  From the begining he was preschooled.  Why you ask?  Well my husband likes to say "the other two were"  And that is true, they did go to preschool. Even started out in public school, till we pulled them out, mid kindergarten and first grade.  So our youngest has been attending preschool through our church.  He does enjoy it.  But he does not want to grow up, and the idea of Kindergarten scares him.  So along comes hubby.  He says "I think Hunter needs to attend Kindergarten at the church"  I say "why?"  and my brain goes into a tail spin of worry.  So many parts of our homeschool have been on hold because we are waiting for a day when we do not have to wait on Hunter to be out of school yet.  The idea started well enough.  Hunter would go to preschool, in the afternoon, and that would give us a few hours to get through some of the tougher studies we have.  Hmmm...not how that works.  Hunter goes to preschool.  We stop studying, get him to preschool, come home, have about and hour and turn around to go pick him up.  Never seems that there is enough time to get into much working on schoolwork this way. 

So how will going to kindergarten help him?  Well he is a different creature than my other two.  I agree with Hubby on this.  He is much more well-behaved at preschool than at home.  He is not fond of "school work"  But will do it at preschool.  And with that thought I get shifted back to curriculum.  The parts that work and don't work of our current boxed set.  Well Hunter would have a hard time with busy work. He needs action, he needs a curriculum with hands on experiences, or a mom with more imagination.  So I go online, I explore and I worry.  I get caught up in all the worry about sending him to kindergarten, keeping him home, what curriculum will entertain him, what won't.  Then as I read last night, I am somehow reminded, not by a particular thought, but mostly by all the thoughts of writing it out in blogs, of the faith I see in many of the writers, I am reminded, i need more faith.

See when I finally sit to write, I realize my shortcomings and I can think of ways to turn it over to the lord.  But when I sit back and worry, I forget, I forget that the Lord is there looking over my shoulder watching me, the whole time asking me to just turn things over to him.  So as I said, it is a new year, it is the time in which we all look over the last year and try to figure out what we have done right, or wrong.  Me?  I need to turn a bit of my worries over to the Lord and not worry.  I need to pray more.  And I can imagine, once I give that problem completely to the lord, don't worry anymore about the choices ahead.  Well he will lead me in the right direction.  He will let me know if Hunter needs me to find a curriculum here or if I need to let Hunter have one more year at the church in their school.  The lord will show me the way, I have faith in that and in that realization I have even more understanding.

I looked around this afternoon at different blogs, thought, wow I love some of the backgrounds, one had snowflakes floating down, one had christmas trees.  So I thought, hmmmmm....I can go edit mine.  But lo and behold, I can't find any christmas type templates.  But that is okay.  I changed mine to a different one anyways and on my way I went. 

Then....I got another great idea.  Why not edit my profile.  When I filled it out hte first time, well...I did not write much.  So maybe a description of my family would be a good thing to put in there.  I typed it in twice, and got and error both times.  :(  Said I needed to pick a web...oh something or nother. lol...Can't you tell I went to school for computers. lol....Now really I thought...okay....I don't seem to be able to grasp this concept today.  I will just to and write it into a blog...

So here is what I thought I would tell you all..

I am a homeschooling mom to three lovely children.  Ages 9, 8, and 5.  We have been homeschooling for 2 years, but the 5 yr old is going to preschool at this time.  He will join our homeschool next year.  :)  The older two and I named our school Red Maple Learning Center.  We did this in honor of the two red maples their father and I planted in the back yard.  Both very nice trees, but one was attacked by bugs after the naming and is gone.  So we are carefully protecting the other one.

Speaking of my husband, we have been married for 11 years.  He is a hardworking and loving provider and a pretty darn good dad too.  :)   We seem to be very active in our church.  My husband more so than I.  I sing in our choir, the kids are also in the childrens choirs.  My husband runs sound, and actually works part time for the church. 

We have three dogs and one cat....a few fish trying to survive in their large fish tank, hoping to get more. 

In my spare time I am working on learning how to work a sewing machine I inherited.  It was my great grandmothers, it is electric, my mother had it, and now I do.  My mil is diligently trying to explain all my silly questions on why this button is where and why does it have to be threaded this way.  :)  All I knew a few years ago when I brought it home was that it had a bobbin.  I am doing much better now than then. :)

So this is longer than what I was going to put in my profile.  I titled my webpage, my meandering thoughts, or something along those lines.  So I have a meandering thought I would like to share....(not just the ones above)

Yesterday I read Luke 2:19 "But Mary treasured these things and continued to think about them" (NCV)  This was our verse for a christmas study that we found online.  When we read the verse we all decided we needed to read all of Luke 1 Luke 2, just to find out what she was thinking on.  I think in the end even I got more out of it than the children and I placed this on my life.  Mary was thinking on all the things the shepherds had heard from the angels.  She held these things close in her heart.  She valued them.  It made me think, what do I value about my children, what do I value that people share about my children.  I think to myself that I need to value the kind things that are said even more.  But also that I need to value the Lords word more, I need to read it more, need to apply it more. 

I hope to someone this makes sense.  For me I am going forward today treasuring everything a bit more.  But mostly keeping my ears and thoughts open for the Lord to speak to me and fill me. 

Today is December first and here in Indiana, we are getting snow.  Snowy days wether there is a lot or just a little always get us started in slow motion.  :)  To me winter snows are so peaceful and relaxing.  And for it to snow the first day of December, just adds to the look of my christmas tree and the lights of this season. 

That said, getting us motivated in a whole other can of worms.  All we want to do is snuggle and drink hot cocoa.  So it brought me to the thought.  What does snow make you want to do?  What do you expect to get accomplished in the month of December? 

wow....so it seems I started a blog, and then I got sick and lost my link...but after much searching I finally found myself again. 

The last two weeks in our home have been very interesting.  There is some terrible virus going around that knocked me out for over a week.  I still was able to get most of our "work" done, but not time for any fun things.  So today, the kids and I have made up for that.  Making a couple crafts, doing some art projects and enjoying our morning.  Just the anticipation of what fun things they could do got them to work harder on the "work".  My children are not overly fond of spelling and math.  :)  So this afternoon we will all be able to sit back with a good book and relax some.  ?  Really did I type that?  Don't you love days that go well?