Homeschool Hope and Help - Homeschool Blogger

Grace In The Form Of A Child

Wed, 20 Dec 2006 06:58:00 -0600

Many days I wonder how I will make it through, what more I could possibly do, and where do I turn next. Dealing with a child with Attachment Disorder is hard work and it has lead me to the cross time after time, day after day.

This morning I lay awake wondering if today will be a "good " day, and decided to seek out of bed early to collect myself and pray. But the heavens seemed brass and the connection seemed slow. But in my frustration, God simply dropped a thought in my mind....

Mary must of had many of the same feelings as I. Knowing she had a special child, a gift from God. Mary's faith must have grown just as quickly as the babe in her belly, giving her strength and peace. Raising Christ(even though sinless) must not have been the easiest task, I am reminded of when Christ stayed back in the temple and his parents could not find him for three days! Surely there were moments of worry and doubt. And although Mary was just a normal girl, God chose her to care for Christ. She raised him, and her tender arms cradled him, and her voice comforted him. And he in due time, gave himself for us, leaving his earthly mother, He died for us.

So, this is comforting,,,God hasn't given me a child and left me on my own, I am part of his plan for her. Through the difficulties and in my weakness, He will be glorified and His will will be accomplished.

As her heart heals, my heart grows in faith, hope, and love.

"Give a Kid a Kit"...Sponsor a Foster Child For Christmas!!!!

Sat, 2 Dec 2006 08:42:00 -0600

We have teamed up with several online vendors to help the foster children in our community! Check out the awesome fundraisor we are doing to provide over 200 children with scrapbook kits for their "Lifebooks." These books are very important to the children and aid in adoption, placement, and self-esteem. Click here to find out more about how you can help a Foster Child this Christmas!

http://wahwomen.com/

Awesome New Art Site

Thu, 16 Nov 2006 13:27:00 -0600

Now, being an art major and lover of art education, I don't normaly recommend art curriculums. But this site is just awesome. I love the simplicty of instruction and the depth of understanding given behind the exampled works. This is a top notch site with a ton of resources. So, if you (or your children)are finding your current study of the arts boring....then venture over here http://www.teachartathome.com/index.html to Teach Art At Home and get a breath of fresh air! Thanks Karine, you have done a wonderful service to your fellow homeschoolers and their children!!!!

Enjoy,

Karla

A worm in his pocket.

Thu, 9 Nov 2006 13:51:00 -0600

My oldest(6) is one of a kind. He came by way of miracles and still astounds me more and more each day. He rides on the laws of justice and equality, and considers himself to be the judge of all that is fair and right. World affairs concern him, family affairs frustrate him, yet there are days when he breaks down and plays. He takes off his robe of truth and knowledge, and with great effort makes-believe.

Today was such a day...after a very frustrating phonics lesson of words that were not really words at all(Alphaphonics)..."Can you use that one in a sentence?" he would ask! He decided he was tried of thinking and fretting and began to pretend that he was "Henry Huggins" on the search for millions of night crawlers! And to my suprise, he actually came in with a worm in his pocket! He quickly pointed put how he had cut it in half, but reassured me that it would grow back and the other half of him crawled way down in the earth to grow more segments! More detail was given as he quickly took off his dirty new shoes.

With a deep, long laugh, I kindly asked him to put that one back also and wash his hands. :)

How he became who he is....I will never understand. The traits this little one has were not inherited from his parents, they were given as gifts from God just as he was. I often wonder what will become of my serious little man, what great plan God has intended for him. But no matter who he becomes or what wonderous things he will do, there will always be the memory of the worm in his pocket and the dirt on his new shoes.

Book Review-Homeschooling with a Meek and Quiet Spirit by Teri Maxwell

Mon, 6 Nov 2006 09:15:00 -0600

ok, while in full time ministry, one of my biggest frustrations was the overwhelming pressure to pretend you are perfect...always happy, always pretty, always Godly.

So after leaving full time ministry I experienced this freedom that I had not felt in a long time...freedom to be myself.

All of this freedom began to get out of control. Soon I found myself snapping at my dh..because he made me angery. Fussing constantly at my children...because they needed to be fussed at. And saying whatever came to mind without hesitation.

So, I thought to myself, there has to be a happy medium here...how can I be myself and not lose self control? How can I be who I am and still display the fruits of the spirit in everyday life?

Well, this lead me to reading "Homeschooling with a meek and quiet spirit," by Teri Maxwell. It is a simply written, easy to understand, a no-nonsense book. Chuck full of biblical reasoning and scripture refferences. Just the way I like it! She gives you practical steps to remaining in Christ through out our day and overcomming stressful situations with grace. Reminding us that all of this comes from God, we on our own can not be what God desires of us...it is in our weakness that he is made strong. As we wait on God, he will give us the strength needed to overcome ourselves and sucessfully homeschool our children and love our husbands.

So, I have learned that, left alone to myself, I am ugly, sinful, and downright nasty at times! But I walk with Christ and I am not alone. I can rely on him to help me.

One of my favorite things that she made mention of is...how we look to others. If our children were to wear a mirror on their heads, what would we see in the mirror? A mean hateful face that screams rebuke, or that of a gentle loving face that forgives as Christ does? Ok...that hit me like a rock!

So, my new prayer....

God, I am who you created me to be. But, I am not always happy, not always gentle, and not always loving as your word commands. I rely on you, forgive me of my sin and help me to smile when I feel angry and love when it's hard.....and it goes on and on!

We're going to adopt you!!!!

Sun, 29 Oct 2006 14:58:00 -0600

Friday was an emotional day for us. Our foster daughter of almost three years was granted the Termination of Parental Rights. This was a huge step forward for her future and gave us much hope. For the first time we were able to honestly tell her that we were going to adopt her!

So, that night I took her by the hands and told her that we were going to adopt her and be her family forever! She said,"Like you adopted Bayleigh?" Yes, sweetheart, just like Bayleigh!

She gave me a hug and with a happy giggle ran off to play, while I stood there trying to hold myself together!

It felt so good to tell her...to say the words that we have wanted to say for so long. And now she knows, she will never leave us, she will always be ours and we will always be hers.

The next day she reminded me of how we changed Bayleigh's name when we adopted her and she had decided that her new name should be.....Princess Annaliese Elizabeth! I tried to laugh but the tears flowed as I told her we would probably have to drop the princess part! She asked why I was crying, and I just told her that they were happy tears.

Please continue to pray for "Princess Annaliese" her birth mom has 30 days to appeal the decision and if that happens, we could have to wait up to 2 yrs to finalize the adoption. She needs her life to move forward...emotionally it is very hard for her. This would also mean that she would have to attend public school, and my heart desires for her to stay home with the rest of the children.

Thank you for your prayers and support.

"I have a pet stingray."

Thu, 26 Oct 2006 10:53:00 -0500

This morning has had it's interuptions...so I sent my 6 yr old ds to the table to wait for me to come do phonics and handwriting with him. Well 15 mins had passed before I made it back to the table and he had already started without me. For some reason I can't get my pics to post or I would show you how sweet this is to me.

He had drawn a picture of a stingray in a tank and above it he had written the following..."I hve a pt stngry." He was so proud of his work. He said,"Mommy I think I did not spell it right, can I do it on another page and you can help me spell it right?' The teacher in me wanted to put it aside and move on to the phonics curriculum...but the Charlotte Mason Momma said,"Sure, how about we use this for your handwriting and phonics today!" To which the crowd roarded and the angles sang in unison YES, YES, LET HIM LEARN! :)

So we got out our drawing/writing paper and he illustrated the stingray adding some new elements, and I wrote all of the words that he had mispelled on the lines below. He copyed the mispelled words and then wrote the correct sentence at the top of his drawing...it is priceless. It is that easy!

Don't let those golden moments pass you buy, look for them, use them, and treasure them.

Blessings,

Karla

Children without a face

Tue, 17 Oct 2006 20:42:00 -0500

For almost 3 yrs we have waited for "Elizabeth" to be cleared for adoption, and because of the emotional depth of the trial tomorrow, I am compelled to type out my feelings and thoughts to all of you.

I have found that the law of this land is seperate from life. This is not the way God intended it to be..His laws give us life, they breed justice and freedom. Protection and peace come from abiding in his law. But all of this is foolishness to the world, it's laws are based on personal gain, guilt, and shame. There is no redemption through this law, there is only revenge and endless river of hurt and pain. What would once outrage a nation has now become a common place court hearing. Children are no longer abandoned, abused, or neglected, they are simply another court document sitting on a desk, waiting for someone to file a petition on their behalf. Where are these children? They are in my home and many other homes, they are in institutions and group homes, they are in a dark place waiting for someone to give them a name, a face, a life. Waiting to have a chance to be a child, to be loved, to be told you are mine and I am yours...we are a family. These years of waiting sperates the child from her own life. She learns that she has no control over the curcumstances that surround her. He learns that no one is to be trusted, and he cannot trust himself. She doesn't learn how to parent, how to love, how to bond, how to play or any of the things that other children seem to naturally learn. He is lost in a sea of parental rights without any hope of life. Her birth parents seek ownership that ensures a monthly check, while many couples waiting for a chance to love her, lose hope of ever finding her.

We have dedicated our life to changing this terrible situation...one hardened heart at a time, we will take them into our home, hold them in our arms, wipe the many tears, calm the ever-present fears, work through the screaming fits, stand strong in the face of defience, embrace the broken soul, and love the unlovable. We will speak for them in court and fight for them through prayer. It is not a hard job in comparison to the struggles these children face, but it has it's days, and tomorrow is one of those days. "Elizabeth's" life is hanging in the balance, waiting for a judge to put on his robe and with his authority proclaim her to be free. I pray for the day that she is truely free. Free from the past, free from the debt of her parents sin, free from the fear that binds her so, free to hope and love and live. Will that day be tomorrow? I don't know, but I do know that apart from God she will never know true freedom...for it is in Christ, not the law.

Please pray for "Elizabeth" tomorrow, for God knows her name and he sees her tears.

Her day in court

Mon, 16 Oct 2006 20:50:00 -0500

We are going to court this week to seek Termination Of Parental Rights for our foster daughter. It has been a long winding road to get here, but finally she will get her day in court. We are praying for God's providence in the outcome and grace to testify on her behalf. Please join our family in prayer and seeking God's will for "Elizabeth."

Many Thanks,

KArla

Coat of Many Colors

Thu, 12 Oct 2006 19:00:01 -0500

My boys have been in ancient egypt for a while now and this week we studied Joseph. To end our study we made our own coats of many colors. We cut up Dad's old shirts and used fabric glue to paste fabric scraps and decorate. The boys had a lot of fun pretending they were Joseph and wearing thier coats.