And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God... - Homeschool Blogger

New Blog

Mon, 15 Jun 2009 19:18:00 -0500

You can find me at my new blog: http://chroniclesofgrace.wordpress.com/

Blessings!

-J

Wow! It's been a looonnnggg time!

Thu, 4 Jun 2009 11:50:00 -0500

So my last post here was in February. Here's a quick list of what's happened since the last post, and maybe you can see why there wasn't really time to post:

Boy8's 8th b-day party, Moving into our new house, A week spent unpacking in the new house, Girl9 participated in Awana Games, making of cars for Awana Grand Prix, BW gave his senior testimony at TMS, we started attending our church's parenting class on Sunday afternoons, I was able to go the Seminary Wives brunch hosted my Mrs. Patricia MacArthur(something I had been waiting for 4 years), Ladies Bible Study through Ephesians, Van died again, BW completed finals on his last two seminary classes, Planning for BW's graduation reception, We attended his graduation banquet followed by graduation followed by his reception, followed by two days at Disneyland just the two of us followed by his ordination the next Sunday, purchased a new van, Awana awards night, Backyard prepped and then concrete poured, all while homeschooling 3 children and now finishing up our school year. Whew!

What a busy 5 months! But God's grace was amazing to us in so many ways. Despite several flu bugs that were going around our church and the seminary God protected all of us from major illnesses! The Obama stimulus package included an $8,000 tax credit for new homebuyers which we were able to receive and use for the backyard and down payment the new van. Our family and church family has been such a blessing in helping us with the home buying, praying for us constantly, making shelves in the garage, moving us, pouring concrete, digging trenches, generous gifts, driving 2 hours down to BW's graduation, making meals for us without being asked, towing our van to the transmission shop, lending us a vehicle while the van was in the shop, watching our kids when we needed, helping with the reception and I am sure there is much more that I'm forgetting. Our cups were filled to overflowing with all the love we received. And it was such a blessing to be able to look back to where God has brought us in the past 4 years and see His hand and His work in all things.

We are now enjoying a season of respite before the busyness of summer begins. I am enjoying the planning of the coming school year and am so thankful for the flexibility of homeschooling during these months!

Blessings!

Conversation in the backseat today

Tue, 3 Feb 2009 21:17:00 -0600

We are on our 4th week of studying the Revolutionary War. I was just wondering how much of it they are picking up or if it was over their heads. Well, I got a glimpse today.

I parked the car outside the library to p/u the George Washington book that was on hold. When I got back into the car, the kids asked what it was about and I told them.

Girl5: George Washington - ugh! He's disgusting!(she doesn't like the picture on the timeline character or that he wears a wig)

All at once:
Boy7: What? He was our first president - he wasn't disgusting! I want to be a soldier like him when I grow up.

Girl9: No, he's not! He's a genius - do you know how smart he was during the siege of Boston?

Boy3!!!!: He's not disgusting; He's a hero!

Girl5: Ok, he's not disgusting, but I don't like his wig.

Boy7: Mom, is George Washington in heaven?

Me: Well, we can't know for sure what's in someone's heart, but if we look at some of the things he wrote and the fruit in his life, it certainly seems that he was a Christian.

Dd5: Mom, do you think if he's in heaven he still has his wig on?

Me - Glad I was in the front seat so she wouldn't see me trying not to laugh!

Blessings!

-J

Sippy Cup Drama

Thu, 29 Jan 2009 15:54:00 -0600

About a year ago, I made the determination that I was not going to purchase anymore sippy cups. When the ones we had were gone, they were gone. Well, we had been down to the last one for almost 2 months when yesterday, it was missing. Everyone searched the house. I even offered a double treat to the kid who could find it! But it hasn't resurfaced anywhere. Boy3 has a ritual. Each night around 8:00, he asks for milk, and each morning the same happens for breakfast. I pour the milk in his sippy cup, he puts it in the microwave and pushes the button for 30 seconds(he likes it warm). Then he takes it out, and depending on how his allergies are, I pour some Benadryl in it - on nights when he doesn't need it I "pretend" to keep the peace. Well, this ritual is highly interrrupted if there is no sippy cup. A regular cup will just not do. He refused to drink milk for 2 days straight! Last night, Boyalmost8 came up to him and told him "I know just how you feel. I remember when my sippy cup was gone back when we lived in the jungle house(we've named all the houses we've lived in - I had no idea that he remembered the last time I rid the house of sippy cups!). But now you can be a big boy like me!"

Well, that was all the encouragement my little guy needed. This morning at breakfast, he took great pains to select just the right "big boy cup" to use. He chose it, let me pour the milk in, placed it in the microwave, pushed the buttons, sat down to breakfast. He took a sip and pointed out to everyone that he had a milk mustache like the big kids, something that just doesn't happen with a sippy! So, yet another milestone as our family transitions officially out of the world of sippy cups...

-J

My 3yo can read?!...kind of

Thu, 29 Jan 2009 15:44:00 -0600

I picked up my little guy from Puggles last night(AWANA's group for 2-3yos) and one of the leaders rushed up to me and asked, "Can Boy3 read?" I responded, "Uh..I don't think so." She explained that my on had tapped her on the shoulder, showed her the back of a doll's head and said "Look, it says 'Made in China'." and pointed to the words. She knew that I homeschooled and was extremely impressed. Until, of course, I told her that my children have made a great game of looking on all their toys to see where they were made and then talk about how all of their toys are made in China, and asking me why nothing is made in America. So, I guess my son had read his first words - should I put it in his baby book?

Our Christmas Gift from God

Tue, 6 Jan 2009 23:55:00 -0600

I wanted to share (and chronicle for our family's future which is an added benefit to blogging) that we received a wonderful gift from God this Christmas. The Sunday before Christmas, we found out from our realtor that several houses in our new subdivision have had problems with their loans going through and were back on the market. BW used his excellent detective work(looking online) and found that one of the houses had been marked down to the same price as the one we were building but had an additional bedroom. Our realtor called yesterday and found out that it is on a culdesac. We went and looked at it Monday morning, and decided that it would definitely work for our family and in the long run be a better investment to have the additional square footage and to be on the quiet culdesac instead of the busy corner at the entrance to the subdivision. Also, the builder chose not to charge us the deposit on the other house, but let us just move our deposit over to the larger house!

Additionally, the house is almost done, and we will close escrow sometime at the end of January. This will give us about a month before our lease is up in our rental to paint, put in our window coverings, and make a few other changes. We also have a fireplace, a jacuzzi tub and vaulted ceilings(things not in the other house), as well as a homeschool room off the living room(or space for family to stay when they visit)!

I have to admit it was a little bittersweet as we had already placed a piece of our hearts at the other house and there are some things we wouldn't have picked(white tile with white grout in the kitchen), some things that we had picked in the other house but isn't in this house(upgraded appliances, prettier cabinets), but God has been good to show us in the past 3 moves that we can make do with just about anything. We are just amazed as 3 years ago we really thought that we would never own a house again and now we will have 4 bedrooms on a culdesac with a lower mortgage payment than we had in Elk Grove. Truly something awesome that only God could have orchestrated.

Blessings to all!

-J

What I'm reading during the "snow days"

Mon, 22 Dec 2008 14:00:00 -0600

The recent snow days have allowed me a chance to read a bit and I wanted to share a book that I've really been enjoying. It's called A Chance to Die: The Life and Legacy of Amy Carmichael by Elisabeth Elliot. Amy Carmichael was an amazing missionary to India who began a home for children who were being sold to temples for idol worship. Her story is very convicting as it has given me a heart for the country of India which even today is hostile to Christians as a threat to their caste system. It is also interesting to read how she came up with a style for parenting and educating the many children in her "Family".

"In Amy's Bible, on a card pasted inside the front cover, are these words:

'These children are dear to Me. Be a mother to them, and more than a mother. Watch over them tenderly, be just and kind. If thy heart is not large enough to embrace them, I will enlarge it after a pattern of My own. If these young children are docile and obedient, bless Me for it; if they are froward, call upon Me for help; if they weary thee, I will be thy consolation; if thou sink under thy burden, I will be thy Reward.' The words are followed by a picture of the Shephed, reaching for a lamb while a vulture hovers overhead."

Blessings!

-J

Snow Days

Thu, 18 Dec 2008 14:58:00 -0600

Moving up to 4000 feet, we knew that we would encounter a new experience - snow. But God had been very merciful to me and we hadn't had any real snow since moving here...until this week. It started Saturday morning. I needed to drive into town, and since the temps were still fairly warm, I drove in snow for the first time! BW called because he needed to know where I had hid the snow pants - supposed to be Christmas presents for the kids, but they needed them. My brother came to visit on his way home from college just after the snow stopped. This allowed him to get into our community without chains(which he didn't have). The whole family was out throwing snowballs.

Sunday morning, I came into the kitchen where I found Boy8 sitting in front of our sliding glass door just staring at the snow. I whispered to BW, "I think he's worshipping it". We went to church and on the way home I looked in my rearview mirror. He had a very worried look on his face as the sun was out and he was just sure that the snow was melting. He was right. We got home, he ran in to put on his snowboots and got into the backyard to find a slushy mess. But the timing was perfect so that my brother was able to get home. We also were able to attend our church's Advent service which was so much fun!

Monday morning, we awoke to Boy8 yelling, "Wake up everyone! It snowed!". Sure enough, overnight, about half a foot of snow had fallen and we were in the middle of a winter wonderland. It was amazing! I couldn't believe how quietly it had fallen. We are used to rains or storms where you know they are there. It also muffles all other noise so that there is such a quietness. I felt like a kid myself as I ran with the kids from room to room looking at the views and watching the snow come down.

There was a huge difference in this snow. Our neighbor next door showed us how to roll the snow into a snowman. We also pulled out some other Christmas presents - a snowball maker and a mold to make blocks for snow forts. We all had lots of fun outside and inside watching movies and playing games together.

The public schools had been closed for a snow day so our school followed their example. On Tuesday, BW and I attended his staff Christmas party and the kids had a great time sledding at a friends' house. Then we got the call that Boy8 had a bad spill and we should come back right away. Turned out he had the wind knocked out of him pretty bad, but God protected him.

Wednesday it snowed and snowed and snowed. It really didn't stop all day. We are not used to this - that everything just shuts down and people just stay home for days. But it was so cozy to read books and watch movies(even opened another Christmas present) and do some baking. What a blessing to have a God ordained vacation!

This morning we woke up to blue skies, but temps down to 10 degrees. After being cooped up the day before, we went on a family walk. The kids had fun sliding on the icy roads under the powder, but it confirmed for us that we weren't to go anywhere again...and maybe need to start thinking about getting a 4WD vehicle in the future.

Overall, I love it! I love that my kids have 4 seasons to experience. I love the cozy feel. I'm learning to love the lack of control in my planning and accept that God has other plans for our family sometimes.

You can get a taste of it by watching my new slideshow.

Blessings!

-J

I don't know if she gets what we're trying to do here...

Mon, 8 Dec 2008 15:42:00 -0600

We started school back today after 2 weeks off for the Thanksgiving holiday. After school time with Girl9 and Boy7, it was Girl5's turn. We finished her math and started her Language Arts workbook. She said "I have an idea, Mommy. Today let's pretend that you are my teacher and I'm your student and I have to do what you say." ?????????????????????????????????????????????? Isn't that what we do every day, but it's not pretend? Don't know what she thinks we do the rest of the time...

A Great Day

Thu, 4 Dec 2008 21:03:00 -0600

This morning at breakfast, BW announced he was taking the day off! A treat because I wasn't expecting it. We drove into town to see the progress on the house. The drywall is done and they were painting. A nice surprise is that they made a mistake and drywalled the inside of the garage! Then we took the kids through the McDonald's drive thru and to a nearby park. It was a little cold, but the big kids didn't mind. Boy3 and I stayed in the van and hung out to keep warm. He enjoyed pretending to drive.

We came home and BW made some yummy Chicken Tortilla Soup for dinner. After dishes and baths, we made homemade chocolate chip cookies and will soon sit down to watch The Grinch Who Stole Christmas(came from Netflix today and the kids have never seen it!). After the kids go to bed, I will lose to my husband in playing Scrabble.

Don't think it gets much better than this:)

Blessings!

-J