My number one goal in homeschooling my children is to cultivate a lasting love for their God and Savior, Jesus Christ. Beyond that is an ever growing list of hopes I have for them and myself that include living conscious, purposeful, gracious and responsible lives. My personal evaluation of homeschool success will be measured by these things and not on the academic scores they achieve. http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/growingpains/ en-us Homeschool Blogger Thu, 6 Aug 2009 12:06:00 -0500 Thu, 6 Aug 2009 12:06:00 -0500   Things I will try never to take for granted again (in no particular order): Sleeping without waking hourly to pee/change position Normal sized breasts  “Regularity” without daily doses of fiber pills Seeing my ankles again and the veins in my feet Walking without feeling as though the skin on my legs and feet will tear with every step Balance The ability to rub lotion on my own legs Shaving Eating a full meal Life without acid reflux Reaching the toilet paper without leaving the toilet Wiping Fitting into my shoes—any of them Dressing without contortionism Sitting cross legged Bending over Energy to play with/ discipline my kids Easily getting in and out of the car or even a chair for that matter Wearing my engagement and wedding rings Walking up a single flight of stairs without having to catch my breath and rest after Peeing in a cup @ the Dr’s without peeing on my hand Obviously not an exhaustive list but you get the idea.   http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/growingpains/714893/ Thu, 6 Aug 2009 12:06:00 -0500 http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/growingpains/714893/ It's rare, but sometimes the romantic, nostalgic side of me wins out over the more practical, logical side. Take for example this vacation I planned for my family. I booked a B&B on a working farm about 4 months ago with wonderful visions of our children milking cows, feeding chickens, swinging on the old fashioned swingsets while sipping lemonade. Of course, I neglected to remind myself I would be 6 months pregnant with twins, walking a whole lot, fighting a bull calf at 7:00am over a large bottle he has no idea what to do with while having 3 children "help" (all while in about a 4x3 foot stall) and fighting nausea that comes with a full belly of food and deep breaths of fresh cow manure filled air. Actually, despite all of that and the fact that 2 of the 3 kids are in bed with fevers and their fill of Motrin, we have already decided we need to come back. Oh, it's exhausting but completely worth every swollen limb (me-edema) and cat scratch wound (the kids). If you had seen delight on the kids faces as we arrived last night and pulled up next to a field and barn with literally hundreds of cows you would understand. We had a really hard time getting them inside just to check in between the beautiful wooden playhouse, the swingsets and all the cats and kittens that DIDN'T run away when the kids approached them. We awoke this morning and fed bull calves and then had one of the best breakfasts I've ever eaten; and I'm a connoisseur. There were pitchers of farm fresh milk, oj and fresh brewed coffee (and even that was good and I'm picky about my coffee), jams, and syrup. After the hosts prayed, they fed us family style. First came the fruit tray-- filled with bananas, watermelon, cantelope and red grapes. Then came the peach cobbler, hashbrown potatoes, ham slices, scrambled eggs, buttermilk, blueberry AND chocolate chip pancakes. The grand finale: steaming caraffes of cocoa. I mean, it was a dream breakfast. I was so full I couldn't eat another thing until 4:30pm and breakfast had been at 8:15 (and did I mention I'm pregnant with twins which is generally code for "I eat all day.") After breakfast we went outside for the kids to enjoy complementary horse and tractor rides. The owners of this place love children and it's so obvious and so wonderful! We then drove down to Root's Farmers Market where I bought a very cute berry and grapevine wreath for $5.95 (a steal!) and of course some famous Amish whoopie pies. We came back to the farm with Anne feeling pretty lousy but with enough energy still to ride bikes (they have a garage with several kids and adult bikes and helmets) and swing with Drew while we put Elle down for a short nap. Then we drove into Strausburg to see the trains and have dinner. By then we had 2 very ill children who didn't eat any dinner so we came back and they were in bed by 6:30. We've already discussed returning here again because we really have had a great time. The bull calf we fed was strong but totally adorable especially when he would miss the nipple and end up with milk dripping down the front of his head, the exercise is good for me =), and Anne gets sick literally every time we travel so it wouldn't matter where we went.   There are a few cows ready to birth ANY DAY. We are able to watch if it happens while we're here. HOW COOL IS THAT??? http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/growingpains/690664/ Tue, 19 May 2009 18:15:00 -0500 http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/growingpains/690664/ It occurred to me as I wrote the names of the grandparents of my brother-in-law on my prayer list this morning, that I don't devote time to prayer for people unless there are problems. I realize that I may not be expected to regularly pray for someone whom I rarely am in contact with or hear anything about but as I looked down my list I realized that I don't have anyone on it just because I care about them. Sadly, as I sat and contemplated this, even my husband and children came to mind. There are seasons which I have prayed daily for them but then I don't until something comes up-- discipline issues for example (regarding the kids not my husband LOL). In fact I've been praying a lot lately for my oldest daughter regarding school and have neglected the other two. How do you do that???   Sorry about the blog hiatus guys. I wasn't feeling well for a while and once I started feeling better I just got so busy making up for lost time in other areas. I've been baking/cooking/freezing food now that I'm past the nausea. We're doing school "normally" again for the most part. The couch is no longer a permanent fixture on my rearend but rather I'm finding I'm spending too long on my feet at times. I take an occasional nap when my friend Jenny visits and that certainly helps. We leave for VA for the week on Sun. morning. My mom is up from FL so she is coming with us. I'm looking forward to getting away from the house-- the responsibilities that come with just being home-- the woodstoves, general upkeep and cleaning, the animals, etc. Although in the past it's sometimes meant more work just of a different kind. Like the packing, figuring out meals to make in a hotel room all week, disinfecting the car when Anne gets car sick-- you know-- the kind of work that comes with travel. Ahhh. It will still be worth getting away I think. Geoff will be working but I intend to make the most of the hotel pool and nearby attractions like the Dulles Air and Space Museum. It's free by the way if you're ever in the area. We went last year and the kids loved it. I'm all about cheap/free fun. It's supposed to be in the mid-sixties all week (a nice change from the 40's here) so I plan to see lots of cherry blossoms in bloom and visit lots of playgrounds. Hopefully you'll hear from me as I will have my laptop in tow.  http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/growingpains/673071/ Fri, 27 Mar 2009 05:53:00 -0500 http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/growingpains/673071/ I was tagged on facebook and thought I would post here as well. 1.       I don’t ever remember wanting children. I attribute it to a nightmare babysitting job I had at 12 that I quit after 3 months. I only babysat after that on occasion for family friends with 2 special needs children. Geoff and I now have 3 children with twins on the way. God has obviously worked on me through the years. 2.       Geoff and I were married Jan. 1997 after dating since Feb.1993 (with an 11 month break). At marriage counseling, he stated he wanted 5 children and I stated I wanted none. Our pastor at the time said, “oh well, you’re in love, it will work itself out.” Fortunately it did but it’s not necessarily advice I would recommend. 3.       Since having our first child Anne, we are both under the conviction that we shouldn’t limit the number of children we have. We believe this to be a very personal decision and would never insist on it being right for everyone. 4.       Despite my build, I have a very small pelvis which we found out when I had Anne. I went into labor around 10:00pm on a Sat. night and by 2:00am couldn’t sleep through them anymore. Geoff and I (despite all the stuff about resting) got up, cleaned the house, finished packing our bags and were off to the hospital at 7:00am with my contractions less than 5 min. apart. I was contracting heavily but not dilating so I got to sit in the Jacuzzi bath for a while and that helped. It took until about 1:30am Monday to dilate fully. At that point I pushed and pushed (and swore and swore) until about 4:00am when the doctor finally decided she wasn’t going to fit and ordered a c section. Because it wasn’t considered an emergency, by the time everyone arrived and they prepped me for surgery, all I could do was continue to push (and swear) for another hour and a half. She finally arrived at 6:03am with the biggest cone head anyone had seen. My dad in fact thought for sure she would have brain damage. The pediatrician said there was no way she would have fit no matter what we did so it was good that they did the c-section. Thanks to modern advances in medicine, Anne and I are both alive today and Anne’s beautiful and bright to boot. Of course outside of God’s sovereignty I know no amount of medical attention would have done any good. 5.       I’ve been married 12 years and still believe I married the most wonderful man on the planet. As a bonus, the best sister-in-law on the planet became part of the package. 6.       I worked from the time I was 12 until 3 weeks before I had Anne. Sometimes 2 or 3 jobs. 7.       I never finished college. I used to be ashamed of that but I no longer am. I did an internship in NH and then got married. I don’t regret any of it. I have a truly blessed life. 8.       Despite not having a degree, I was hired as the Editorial and Photo Assistant at Sailing World magazine. I was promoted to Executive Sales Assistant for Sailing and Cruising World magazines. I knew nothing about sailing when I started but could probably share more than you would care to know now. I loved it! I met so many incredible people from all over—some great sailors who compete in big races such as the America’s Cup, Volvo Ocean Race and the Whitbread Round the World. I met amazing world famous photographers and authors. The best perks were that I was able to sail on some amazing boats—one was a 120ft. catamaran. I selected marketing merchandise and did a lot of event planning. I even photographed a rendezvous and regatta for Alden Yachts. It was awesome. When I left, we were in our 2nd year of putting together the Sailing World Dr. Crash calendar which was my baby and it’s still on the market today. Best of all, I had a great relationship with everyone in the office. That’s a rare experience for anyone these days. Perhaps it was all the inhaled salt water that made it such a relaxing, fun place to work. 9.       I love forensic science and not because of recent tv shows. In fact I was in the middle of a criminology course when CSI first started. I would much rather watch FBI/forensic files than watch CSI. 10.   One of my favorite singers of all time is Billy Joel but I haven’t listened to him in years because I was convicted about many of his lyrics. I also really like reading crime novels, but alas, I no longer read them either. 11.   I study everything I can on nutrition. I try to eat healthy and I’m kind of a junk food nazi when it comes to the kids. I don’t ban it altogether but I’m very careful.  Something that’s completely off limits however, are artificial sweeteners. 12.   I have a 700sf garden that I have no idea how I’ll manage at 6-9mths pregnant with twins. 13.   I grind my own wheat for bread, muffins, pancakes, waffles, etc. 14.   My coffee grinder gets used exclusively for grinding flax seeds now that I can’t stand the smell of coffee. (Can you believe it? I love coffee! I hope the aversion goes away soon!) 15.   My all time favorite comfort food is Macaroni and Cheese. I hardly ever get to indulge do to most of my family hating it. 16.   I have friends all over the world that I cannot wait to be reunited with in Heaven. 17.   I’m not a patient person but I’m working on it. 18.   I’m OCD in many ways but I’m working on that too. 19.   I have strong convictions. 20.   I’m sometimes over-analytical and always highly opinionated. I tend to say what I’m thinking when I’m thinking it which isn’t always appreciated (or warranted, I might add). 21.   I become more aware of my wicked heart every day. I am thankful for family and friends who love me anyway and a God who forgives and forgets. 22.   I have many hobbies and interests and I like to try new things. However, I tend to be a perfectionist which usually doesn’t cripple me except in one area. I love to write. I’ve actually written several things—mostly magazine articles—but have submitted exactly none of them. I’m so afraid of being rejected or worse, being told I’m a terrible writer. So, in a folder on my hard drive they will stay… 23.   I don’t show it often but I have a very feminine side. I like dressing up and throwing tea parties. Yikes! Did I just admit that in writing? I haven’t done it in a very long time but local friends, beware, the day will come. Anne of Green Gables/Avonlea is my all time favorite film and I love Jane Austen novels and A&E’s interpretations of them through film. 24.   I tend to be a very “black and white” person. Especially when it comes to biblical and political issues. I am a walking contradiction as I can be very decisive about the above and yet completely indecisive about more subjective matters. For instance I have trouble choosing a favorite season or even color. 25.   Apparently I enjoy writing about myself. http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/growingpains/653548/ Mon, 2 Feb 2009 12:48:00 -0600 http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/growingpains/653548/ Anne and I were laying on the couch together the other day (the couch and I are nearly inseparable lately) discussing baby names. She thought of baby names and I would say either "that's a possibility" or, "nah, I'm not crazy about that one." Then she came up with one I had never heard before; "How about Paulan?" she asked. "Paulan? I've never heard of a Paulan. Where did you hear that name?" "You know, Paulan Silas, like in the bible." she said while giving me that "come on you're smarter than that, Mom." look. I lost it I must say. When I finally composed myself (poor Anne) I did explain that it was Paul AND Silas. Too cute. http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/growingpains/653331/ Sun, 1 Feb 2009 19:30:00 -0600 http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/growingpains/653331/ Crazy, I know. I don't have much to say about that right now-- still processing =) but I wanted to let you know what my kids thought. At dinner Wed. (the night we found out), Anne had a revelation. "WE'RE NOT GOING TO FIT IN THE CAR!" she exclaimed as I watched both of her eyes nearly fly out of her head. Our transportion loving son (trains, planes, tractors, etc.) had a great fix. "We can buy a bus!" Drew proudly and excitedly concluded. With all the carseat mandates, sadly, we may actually need one... http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/growingpains/649845/ Sat, 24 Jan 2009 15:16:00 -0600 http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/growingpains/649845/ In a recent post I mentioned that I didn’t think that “Christ”mas should be forced upon us by the church. I thought I owed an explanation as I’m sure the comment at the very least intrigued some if not offended others. Many years ago I learned that the Christmas holiday was originally a pagan festival in celebration of the sun God and the winter solstice. The Catholic church then “redeemed” the day and made it a celebration of the birth of Christ in the 4th century. I always took it for granted that we celebrate it now as a “Holi”day. That is until I was clued into what a Holy day truly is. A Holy day is instituted by God himself through His word. Man cannot institute a Holy day nor can the church. I think a better way of thinking of Christmas would be as a Memorial Day and not as a Holiday. Which arguably would not be very convincing today as the word Holiday is synonymous for any day that may be cause for celebration. We call Valentine’s and Presidents Day holidays. A true Holy Day would now consist only of our Day of Worship. Should we then abstain from this man-made holiday? Many have answered yes to that question. Especially among those true to the reformed faith but I’ve also encountered Baptist brothers and sisters who do not participate as well. Even the Jehovah’s Witnesses do not participate. A very wise man who attended my church and is now with the Lord, was from a Dutch reformed background and could not in good conscience, celebrate Christmas. He had many biblically sound arguments. Among them, the most obvious; “God never asked us to.” I began thinking about Christmas with an enlightened perspective. I started learning about its history and where it stood years ago and what it is today. It was a constant game of ping pong as I shifted between “I shouldn’t and I should”. Instead of detailing the struggle, I will share my conclusion. I believe Christmas is a beneficial act of worship for our family. How and if others celebrate it should be a personal decision based on their own convictions gleaned from diligent study and prayer. This is not to say that I do it perfectly. I’m consumed by Christmas for the prior 6 weeks and concede that I do not worship Christ in all those moments leading up to the Church’s decided day of culmination (Dec. 25). I get caught up in the stresses and Martha duties like the rest. Sometimes we get so busy we forget WHY we’re busy. That’s true in many situations. But, I do try to take every opportunity to remind my family and myself of why we’re busy. It’s a great time to show hospitality and give of yourself in a way that for some doesn’t come naturally throughout the year—and people are more receptive. It also creates an opportunity for witness as people are much more open to “religious” talk this time of year. Just don’t make the mistake of leaving Jesus in the manger! Be sure to include the cross! Here’s what I determined from scripture and what I see revealed about God’s character. We see celebrations and feasts encouraged throughout the Old and New Testaments.  And not just the ones that God instituted but also weddings and other special events. I think of the feast given in honor of the prodigal son. Angels rejoice and celebrate each time someone receives the saving grace of God. Celebrations are outworkings of happiness and joy! We experience deeper friendships and edification when we unite for a celebration—a small birthday party or an elaborate wedding reception.  Some would argue that when we participate in such “pagan” things that it is idolatrous. I don’t believe this to be true. As sinners, we become idolaters almost daily in much less obvious ways. When I celebrate a loved one’s birthday, I am worshipping God by praising Him and thanking him for the blessing of that person. By no means am I putting that person in a position of higher standing before God. However, I do believe that I’d better be celebrating the birth of Jesus if I see no qualms for celebrating these “lesser” events. We also see in scripture that when the Lord does something for us; gives us a victory, answers prayer, etc. we are encouraged to build a memorial for that so we don’t forget the blessings that God generously pours out on us as His children. I find traditions a great way to build memorials. Aside from Christ’s resurrection, I see no better time than to build memorials surrounding Christ’s birth. You can make traditions that are truly meaningful and bring glory to God. Many are familiar with lighting candles for advent, reading scriptures, having a birthday cake for Jesus, etc. You can be creative and go further. I know families that give their children only 3 gifts on Christmas to remind them of the 3 gifts Christ received. In closing I would agree that the Church should not force Christmas upon anyone. A family who in no way throughout the year exhibits love for Christ and then displays a crèche around Christmas seems at the least, blasphemous. I also don’t see the pursuit of “keeping Christ in Christmas” as a worthy cause for the same reason. Christ can only be part of Christmas if you’re a Christian. For those who aren’t, it’s a meaningless attempt to break the mundane. I don’t think Christ would be happy to be associated with those types of Christmases. And for those who can not in good conscience celebrate it and have reasonable, biblical arguments as to why, they should not feel pressured to participate in festivities or sit through misguided sermons.        http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/growingpains/649838/ Sat, 24 Jan 2009 14:48:00 -0600 http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/growingpains/649838/ The month of December seems to bring a host of National news stories on communities in a tizzy over some display on the lawn of their town hall or some other public building. The Jewish people want their Star of David, the Christians want their crèche and those with no religious affiliation want no decorations at all. Is all this bickering really beneficial to anyone? What about the Hindu citizens down the street not saying anything at all? My vote is with them. Not because I’m afraid to stand up for what’s “right” but because I feel the argument is a waste of energy. In reality the town hall should probably stay neutral on the issue. Isn’t this the very essence of separation of church and state? The town hall shouldn’t impose its beliefs upon the community any more than the church should be imposing “Christ”mas on everyone. (More on that in another blog). I’m all for expending energy on the argument of what is ok for a person to display on their own private property. I mean, when did we become a society where we have the time and funds to make laws as ridiculous as “You can’t display a snowman exceeding 12 feet on your property.” (in reference to an Alaska law which recently made headlines) The government is supposed to be there to protect us, not waste its resources on complete lunacy. We should be able to display whatever we want on our property—after all we do OWN it. I know what you’re thinking, “What about the man down the road who displays his pentagram with pride?(A poor example but bear with me) I’m certainly not advocating such displays however I’m not going to go to the city courthouse and try and get some law passed that removes his freedom to post what he pleases. Years ago, this may have been cause for an outcry of Christian and Non-Christian alike and the sign would probably be removed. Sadly, those days are long gone and we shouldn’t expect that people would behave the same way. Today, one can display hideous scenes of torture and gore on their front lawns all in the name of Halloween. A garden studded with wooden children peeing on it or large wooden women bending over with a clear shot of their backside is considered cute instead of obscene. It’s the age in which we live. I don’t have to like all the ways people choose to enjoy their freedoms. I do however want to remain free to display/post what I please. We must choose our battles wisely as many of the wars we wage could adversely affect our Christian freedoms. Think about this as you lobby for public school prayer. Do you want your children uniting in prayer with those who are rebels against God, mouthing words to an all religion encompassing, made up deity? Or would you rather have them praying privately to the One True God? Think about it as you protest the removal of the Ten Commandments from local courthouses. Isn’t it a mockery to have them hanging in a building that no longer believes in the absolute authority of God? They hang amongst judges who nonchalantly and routinely usher unborn children to their death and allow child molesters to reside in our neighborhoods. The Fear and Awe of God have been replaced by compromise and laughter. Why should they hang in such a place? http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/growingpains/639761/ Sat, 3 Jan 2009 20:34:00 -0600 http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/growingpains/639761/ With Geoff home this past week I’ve had some leisure time to put to type some of my ponderings of late. It’s been tough to find blogging time these days. Much of the last few months was spent rearranging rooms, creating a library/school room, teaching school from a suitcase throughout this transition, attempting to further involve ourselves in the lives of local college students by hosting some outreaches, baking cookies, making and purchasing gifts, attending parties and throwing a few of our own, and planning my schedule for the 2009 sexual integrity programs I’ll facilitate for a local crisis pregnancy center. My most recent project is in making some dramatic changes to our menus due to some alarming cholesterol results among Geoff’s side of the family—Geoff himself is borderline. While we eat “healthy” there are definite ways of bettering our diet such as cutting out most if not all saturated fat and implementing more meatless meals. As Americans we’ve fooled ourselves into thinking we have to plan a meal around a meat entree. In reality we should be incorporating as much plant based protein as possible with the occasional meat “treat”. This is a difficult idea to embrace as I have an aversion to beans but I will do it for the health of my family. Convincing myself isn’t nearly as difficult as it will be to convince the rest of the family. Normally today I would be completing my list of New Year’s Resolutions. Because it’s made up primarily of the list the year before, I’ve decided not to do one this year. I will not be creating a list of unattainable ideals but instead am making one goal of memorizing scripture. If I fail at this it won’t be because I overwhelmed myself with a list of impossible tasks but rather because I wasn’t a good steward of my time. And hey, if I don’t have “Eating less chocolate” as a resolution for the 10th year in a row it means guiltlessly eating as much chocolate as I want. Happy New Year! http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/growingpains/638852/ Thu, 1 Jan 2009 15:16:00 -0600 http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/growingpains/638852/ I'm pondering how I ever allowed myself to lose sight of such an important teaching tool in my personal life. I've been rereading a passage in Proverbs for quite a while now. I find that I'm looking it up again and again and rereading it with the same excitement as the first time I stumbled upon it. Then it dawned on me; why not memorize it? I'm ashamed to say I haven't intentionally memorized scripture in many years. By intentional I mean outside of the accidental absorption of my children's Christian Ed. or Awana verses as I help them practice or a repetitious song, I haven't made the effort for my own spiritual growth. So my New Year's Goal is to memorize scripture on a regular basis. I'm starting with Proverbs 2:1-10. As the world presses it's judgements and philosophies upon me it's a good reminder that true wisdom comes only from God. I think that's why I'm so often drawn to this passage. "My son, accept my words and store up my commands within you, turning your ear to wisdom and applying your heart to understanding, and if you call out for insight and cry aloud for understanding, and if you look for it as for silver and search for it as for hidden treasure then you will understand the fear of the Lord and find the knowledge of God. For the Lord gives wisdom and from his mouth come knowledge and understanding. He holds victory in store for the upright, he is a shield to those whose walk is blameless, for he guards the course of the just and protects the way of his faithful ones. Then you will understand what is right and just and fair-- every good path. For wisdom will enter your heart and knowledge will be pleasant to your soul."   http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/growingpains/638829/ Thu, 1 Jan 2009 13:52:00 -0600 http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/growingpains/638829/