Do you ever get the feeling that you're setting yourself up?  Sometimes I do, but generally I sort of paddle along thinking everyone else is in the boat with me, only to turn around and find out they're all still on the shore and no one's even noticed noticed I'm gone.

With all the enthusiasm around here to start our school year, I decided that we would take this week to "ease into it."  Nothing strenuous.  Not full-throttle.  Just get our feet wet.  Get a feel for how things were going to flow.  Finish fairly quickly and move on the rest of the day.  That sounds reasonable, doesn't it?  Kind of Charlotte Manson-y.

Ok, that was the dream I had for the day.  And I've had that dream for a while now.  That, however, was apparently only possible with the fantasy children living in my head that bear little resemblence to the actual children who live in my house.  (Although they look exactly alike!  Hmmm....)  Do you get the impression that things were a bit bumpier than I'd counted on?

After going over some family reading, Miss Enthusiatic (dd10) asked, "Are we going to read this much every day?" 

To which I answered, "Um, it's been 10 minutes."

"Oh."

From there I had them each get out their work bins and went over what would be expected each day, how to fill out their weekly planners, and why copywork and dictation would be replacing the dreaded despised spelling books.  One by one I tried to gently explain the year.  One by one they proceeded to list the things they didn't like about it.  I smiled sweetly right up until child number 5, and finally backed up all my reasoning with the well-worn standby, "We're doing it this way because I'm the Mom!"  Not very spritual, I know.

This is only the beginning, so I expect it will take a few weeks to find our groove.  Once we all get back into a routine, things will smooth out as we find what works for us.  In the meantime, I'll be adjusting my daydreaming to include our little shoedwelling darlings.  But maybe I can copy some of the parenting techniques the dream mom in my head uses.  Now that's an idea! 

• Comments (2) • Post A Comment! • Permanent Link

The children have been begging me to start school!  Now, we've been doing this for a while, and as far as I can remember, this is the first time all of them are gung-ho about starting a new school year.  It kind of scares me.  I hope they're not in for a major let-down.

Part of the reason is that I'm trying to build their expectations.  For months now I've been telling them about some of the changes we're making, and I've really tried to stress the fact that it will be much more relaxed than in the past.  When the workbooks were delivered and there were only a handful, the older girls looked at me like I'd lost my mind!  How on earth were we going to get educated without a huge stack of fill-in-the-blank workbooks?  And how come all the other books that were arriving were going directly to the (gasp!) bookshelf?!  Surely chaos was about to reign!

So today I got out my plans for the year, along with the books the children would be using, and I took them individually and went over what they could expect on a day-to-day basis.  I explained our history through literature approach;  narration; dictation; copywork; limiting the time spent per subject;  our AmblesideOnline artist and composer studies;  the family read-aloud schedule;  independent reading assignments;  organizing their own weeks with their individual planners.   When I got to the end with each of the older girls, the question I got was the same: "That's it?!" 

Yep, that's it. 

No wonder they feel like we're not "doing anything" this year.  In years past they've felt like they were chained to the table 9 months out of the year.  How much fun was that for me when I was a kid?   Ummmm........none!  And now that I'm the mom responsible for teaching/grading all of their work, it appeals to me even less.  This way seems much more pleasant for all involved.

We've always  begun school the day after Labor Day and ended around Memorial Day.  This gives us a nice long summer break to hang out and relax.  But if we start (or even just dabble) with things next week, that gives us a little "slush room" come Christmastime.  Besides, it seems wise to strike while the iron is hot! 

I hope all you ladies are off to a great start this year.  Homeschooling our children is a great blessing with a huge burden.  But we have the incredible opportunity to reach our children's hearts for Christ, and for me, that is the only thing that gets me through the day.  It would be so much easier to just load them up on a bus and let someone else fill their hearts and minds for endless hours each day.  But I'd never get those hours back, and I could never empty them of the false teaching they'd encounter.  Praise God we have the freedom to do that which the Lord has placed on our hearts!  These years are for His glory alone!

• Comments (1) • Post A Comment! • Permanent Link

OK, so we just finished dinner.  The family has been asking for a meatloaf, but the weather has been quite warm and we have no central air, so I've been putting it off until cooler temperatures arrived.  Well, today has been beautiful!  A lovely breeze found it's way through the kitchen all day long, so I figured this was the perfect evening.

Now, I realize meatloaf is not rocket science, but it does take a few minutes to mix up and an hour or so to bake, and it requires a cooling period so it can be cut nicely.  (I've skipped the cooling period before and ended up serving "meatcrumble" instead.)  All told, a nice meatloaf dinner can take about 1 1/2 to 2 hours to prepare from start to finish, right?

Which brings me to my next point:  Our dinner table is more of a refueling station.  It's just a necessary stop between the action.  Conversation (worth having, that is) is minimal, and more often than not it ends with Mom and the baby of the family sitting alone at one end of a long, empty table about 20 minutes after the meal even began.  Where did everybody go?   Helloooooo.............

I'm thinking of setting up some sort of docking station right off the kitchen.  Instead of setting a dinner table, I could just mix up a giant meatloaf smoothie (all the sides included, of course), and then at the designated refueling time, my little army of go-getters could line up with a segment of garden hose, slurp up their allotment of fuel, and be back out the door within 2 minutes.  Oh, I know!  Here's an even better idea:  I could take it outside, run up beside them and do a mid-play refueling kind of like military aircraft.  Then they wouldn't need to slow down at all. 

Hmmmm....I'm going to need to give this some more thought.  The problem would come when we go somewhere else to eat.   Friends could surely accomodate us, but are you allowed to take your own blender into Bob Evans? 

I'll look into it.

• Comments (3) • Post A Comment! • Permanent Link

I've spent the past couple of weeks really sorting, tossing, rearranging, and generally trying to get things together for another school year.  The main thing we've focused on is this idea of a "learning room." 

 We have a 1900-era home, so there is a breakfast room as well as a dining room.  Since we moved in about 5 years ago, we've always taken all of our meals in the dining room, and called the other eating area the "school room," even though no one ever does schoolwork in there.  We probably call it that because it has a chalkboard on the wall. 

So, after reading a number a number of books, the biggest influence being Educating the Whole Hearted Child, by Clay and Sally Clarkson, I became intent on the idea of creating a center for our learning.  We were lacking a space that displayed our current area of study and encouraged exploration.  So, I've spruced up the School Room, and given it a defininte purpose.  With the addition of some bookshelves and a bulletin board, "Command Central" is taking shape. 

In the rest of the house, I'm trying to make little areas that are conducive to spreading out, reading, and exploring.  We've added table space in the dining room and the school room.  And since we got rid of the TV, there is more space to grab a seat, a book, and a sibling to enjoy a good read.

Would it silly for me to say that I feel like the house seems more "homey" now?  I mean, it feels like I'm integrating the school into our home life instead of keeping those things separate.  Up until now, all things school sort of disappeared when the last book closed for the day.  It was very much compartmentalized.  Does that make sense?  I want to celebrate what we are able to learn together, and having an area that specifically speaks to our lifestyle of homeschooling is a way for me to do that.  And location-wise, it is the center of our home.  We pass through it a thousand times a day, so I'm also very motivated to keep it tidy!

The lesson plans are coming together as well.  All I can say is, "God bless Donna Young!"  I've been to her website dozens of times printing off schedules and the like and it's great.  There are some very helpful homeschool planners out there, but with her website, I've been able to customize my own, and I can tweak it until I figure out exactly what works for us now that we've changed so much this year.  At least I have some academic goals to shoot for and a plan with which to implement them. 

So now as we finish out the last bit of summer, I can put the finishing touches on a few things, but I'm feeling much better prepared than I have in a while.  You'd think after doing this for seven years I'd be an old pro at it.  Not so.  This is the first year we'll be schooling five children at the same time. 

Maybe I'll be a pro at it when #7 is about to graduate. 

• Comments (1) • Post A Comment! • Permanent Link

My son was singing his own heart-felt version of "Amazing Grace" on the way home from my weekly Bible study tonight.  The other seven people in our van could not convince him that he was a "wretch" and not a "wrench."  He heard what he wanted to hear and he was stickin' to it!  Oh well.  What he lacked in accuracy, he made up for in enthusiasm.

I wonder if I'm not like that more often than I'd like to admit.  You know what I mean, don't you?   Dead wrong and stickin' to it.  Ignoring the fact that there is something in my life that needs to be conformed to Jesus Christ, and trying like crazy to convince myself and those around me that I am, indeed, a "wrench" and not a "wretch."  After all, I'm a good person by the world's standards.  I live a moral life.  I keep a (generally) clean house.  I'm faithful to my husband.  I go to church three times a week.  I've never been in jail.  I don't cheat on my taxes.  Yeah,  I make a pretty good wrench:  useful, sturdy, unbending, practical to have around.

The one thing that keeps coming to mind, however, is that God doesn't  call me to be just those things.  Of course, out of obedience to Christ, my life should be lived by moral standards, don't get me wrong.  It's not the outward show that is so difficult.  It's the idea that God calls me to "bring every thought captive to Christ."  He instructs us as true believers to die to self.  Jesus tells me to take up my cross and follow him.  This unimaginably HUGE God of creation is more concerned about the motive of my heart than the actions of my hands.  If He weren't, He wouldn't have given the Pharisees such a hard time.

The chapter we studied this week in Lies Women Believe was about our circumstances and how God uses them to show us who we really are (that would be the "wretch" part), to teach us about His sufficient grace, and to conform us to the image of His Son.  To be honest, I'm much more interested in comfort that conformity.  (Do you know what it takes to bend a wrench?)  The process is often painful, even though the results can be magnificent.  How blessed I am to know that my Lord loves me enough to be interested in not only my conversion, but also in the refining process of remaking His image in me.  Wow.

"Amazing Grace! How sweet the sound

That saved a wretch like me!

I once was lost, but now am found;

Was blind but now I see!

• Comments (0) • Post A Comment! • Permanent Link

Wow!  Time sure flies when you're busy reading what everybody else has to say!  I hadn't realized that it had been so long since I added anything myself.  Sorry about that.  I simply wasn't paying attention.  This is a common problem I have.

Some have asked how the "No TV" situation is going.  I could lie and say that the transition has been perfectly smooth, but I won't.  We all miss it to some extent, but the positive changes are worth it.  For one thing, the house is much quieter.  I hadn't realized just how noisy a TV is, or how noisy everyone else has to be when it's on.  Also, the children are reading, drawing, coloring, lego-ing (is that a word?), and generally playing together and more quietly when they are indoors.  It's amazing how creative they can be when they have nothing to be creative for them. 

They still watch the occasional video on the computer or portable DVD player.  That's Dad's doing, so he gets to be the "Fun Parent."   I know I'll never hold that title, so I don't even try to compete. 

The greatest benefit to me personally is not hearing, "Can I turn on the TV?"  a million times a day.  It's just simply not an issue.  This is good.  My hope is that with the TV habit gone, we will be able to stay more focused for school.  There won't be noise in the background because I've caved and let the younger ones veg out so I can work with an older sibling.  Even my youngest guy (2.5 yo) is learning to sit and entertain himself for longer periods of time. 

It has certainly been an adjustment, but at this point I don't regret it one bit.  Many families do fine with strict viewing limits, or even just turning off the TV for a while.  For me, it's just better to eliminate the temptation altogether.  Once I realized how many of our moments together were being stolen away, it seemed silly to continue.  It seems very unlikely that my husband and I will look at each other when the children are gone and say, "Boy, I wish we had spent more time in front of the television together."

So, yeah, it's going.  Mostly OK most days, but getting better every day, if that makes sense.

I'll try to be better about posting more regularly.  Thanks for checking in on me.

• Comments (1) • Post A Comment! • Permanent Link

I love this time of year!  We just went to our state homeschool convention last week, spent quite a bit of money "beefing-up" our family library, and ordering what we couldn't walk out the door with.  Now the fun begins as we anticipate those precious boxes being hand delivered by angels driving big brown trucks!  Ahhh............the promise of a new year dawns yet again. 

Things are getting a big shake-up around here this year.  We're ditching most of our textbooks, polishing our library cards, throwing out things that make school a bore, making room on our bookshelves for the new books we'll enjoy reading, and paying very close attention to Miss Mason. 

I'll admit I'm very nervous about my ability to "school" without my safety net of published cirriculum stacked neatly in the corner waiting for September to arrive.  However, this is the first time I've heard more than one of my children say, "Hey, this looks good!  Do we have to wait until school starts, or can we go ahead and start reading it now?"  Wow.  Maybe we're on to something.

So here goes the list:  Biblioplan;  Story of the World;  lots of living books;  Abeka math for 4dc, Math-U-See for 12dd;  formal science for 10dd and 12dd;  aritst, composer, hymn, and folksong studies from AmblesideOnline;  Latina Christiana for 12dd;  copywork,dictation, and narration from selected readings.

And the plan is to complete most things, most days, by lunch.   And, no, we're not planning to have lunch at 4:00!  

Much of my time after the children are tucked in bed has been spent researching different teaching methods, styles, and cirriculum.  I, like most moms I've met who homeschool, feel like I bear the weight of my children's academic success on my shoulders, and am terrified to fail them.  I wonder if the government schools lose sleep over this?  They're failing like crazy, but seem to be growing in spite of themselves. 

Oops!  Sorry!  Let me get down off my soapbox so I can continue.

The only confidence I can have in our ability to do this successfully, is the understanding that God has called us to keep our children at home.  And if He has called us to do it, He will supply the ability to accomplish it, and is therefore responsible for the outcome.  We, however, must be faithful to Him, and seek to disciple our children, teach them (even through schoolwork) how all of life is intertwined with Christ, and pray like crazy for wisdom as we seek His leading in the life of our family.

What a joy to anticipate all that the God of the universe will share with us as we study and learn together this year! 

I can't wait! 

• Comments (6) • Post A Comment! • Permanent Link

It's gone!  It's gone!  It's really gone!  I'm so happy!

So are you wondering what makes a mom of seven giddy with excitement?  We chucked the TV!  Someone came and picked it up tonight, so it's really, really gone!

My husband and I have been talking about this for a while now, and today I cleaned out the entertainment center (it goes tomorrow), put the tv outside to be picked up, and rearranged our living room.  I love it!  Now the furniture is arranged to promote conversation or quiet reading instead of making sure everyone can see a silly screen that makes their brains turn off.

Why did we do this?  First, it's because I realize that I parent very lazily when I have a tv to babysit for me instead of engaging my children in profitable activity. Second,  I have not cultivated an attention span in my younger children.  They tolerate only short bursts of anything and it's very frustrating sometimes.  Third, my children are not nice to each other when the tv is on.  The only conversations they have consist of, "I don't want to watch that!", "Be quiet! I can't hear!", and "I can't SEE!"  Where's the family harmony in that?  Lastly, we have a 5-year-old son with a serious addiction.  He will sneak to watch tv, and would rather do that than eat.  It has become quite ridiculous.

So now, it's summer and the weather has been beautiful the last few days.  We have our pool up and running, and they have no excuse to stay inside.  We've gone tv-free before and spent the evenings reading, taking a walk, playing games...it was great!  My husband and I parent differently during those times.  It's time to make it permanant.

Don't think my children are the only ones who will need to adjust, though.  I've justified many late nights channel-surfing with the excuse that I need some "Me Time" after everyone is tucked in bed.  Reading tends to put me to sleep, but maybe that's what I need.  Maybe I'll end up being a nicer Mom once it's all said and done.

Hey!  I just thought of another great bonus to all of this!  No one will care if we can't find the remote!!

I'm so happy.

• Comments (5) • Post A Comment! • Permanent Link

Today is my birthday.  I'm so glad about that.  Not because I get showered with presents and special privileges - although my family does do that - but because it means I'm here with them to celebrate another year of what God Himself is doing in my life. 

This past year has been a physically difficult one for me, and as I'm a major weenie when it comes to pain and discomfort, the Lord has taken this opportunity to show me more about who He is and His sustaining power in my weakness. 

I will be the first to admit I'm a poor student.  It takes quite a lot to get my attention, and then I'm very quick to forget what I've been learning.  As a result, the Lord has had to use more than one serious illness to focus me on Him, and I thank Him for it.

My mother was diagnosed with stage 4 ovarian cancer eight years ago.  I asked her once why she  has never complained about it.  Her response struck me to the very core and I've never looked at adversity the same since.  She said, "The Lord has never asked my opinion about anything, but if He had said, 'I have this cancer I'm going to allow someone to have.  I will use it to draw them closer to Me,'  I know I wouldn't have wanted my daughters to have it, and I wouldn't even have wanted my enemies to have it.  I would have said, 'Lord, let me have it.  Use it to draw me closer to You."  She has welcomed physical suffering because of the work God has done through it in her own life.  She lives each day for the Savior Who loves her.

So that is what I want to say.  Lord, if this means I get to draw nearer to you, then let me have it.  You are good and all You do is good.  Freedom from physical pain and suffering will be mine when I'm with You for eternity.  In the meantime, I know you will strengthen me for each good work You have ordained for me in this life.

Well..this is just what I was thinking about today.  I can't wait to see what the next year holds.  This one has been a blessing, and each and every day a gift.

• Comments (3) • Post A Comment! • Permanent Link

I found this article and had to share it.  This is the attitude I need to have when my children "interfere" with my present desires.

I Love You More

Last summer, our family was going through a difficult time.  My oldest daughter (then 16) just had a very extensive knee surgery, far more difficult than we expected. Our son (2) was going through a lot of behavior changes and having difficulty sleeping, obeying, responding when called, and the like. My other children were just fine, but the weeks were very long and hard. My frustration with my son was growing with each passing day. I would wake up more exhausted when I went to bed because he kept getting up at night. He woke several times each night screaming, crying, fussing, wandering the house, or whatever a two year old mind can think of to do when all the lights are out and everyone else is trying trying to sleep.  I am very consistent with the discipline of my children and I was searching and praying or answers, solutions and quick fixes. The Lord had something else in mind for me.

One night at 1:30 AM when he was up crying, rather than just sending him back to his bed, I went to his room and just rocked him and held him. As I looked in his sweet little face, I realized that I was putting my desire for a full night of sleep ahead of my precious son. I looked him in the face and told that little baby, “I will stay here and rock you all night if it helps you feel better. I love you more than I love a full night of sleep.” I rocked him for over an hour. As I sat and prayed about this child and my own selfish behavior, I was reminded of another home school family who just lost their own precious son (18) to cancer. I know his mother would gladly give up her nights of sleep for every night if she had the chance to hold her son again. I had to repent to my son and to the Lord.

The next day, when I called his name he ran the other way. Instead of being frustrated, I did the right thing. I got up and went to him and reminded him that when I call his name, he was to come to mommy right away. As I did it, I said in my mind, “I love you more than I love sitting in my chair,” and I prayed for the Lord to make it so. He did.

That week I was visiting at another mom’s house, he ran from me in the opposite direction, and headed around the house. I had to stop my conversation to go fetch and correct him, but the whole way, I could hear the Lord saying: “You love him more than what these other mom’s think, more than you love standing here and chatting, and more than having your dream of a perfectly well behaved child. ”

Throughout my days I have been examining my own heart and all the little annoyances have faded as I look at each one and remind myself that I love these four children more than I love the dream of perfectly behaved children who never interrupt adults, make messes, argue with siblings, or embarrass me from time to time. Praise God, I really do love them more.

I also realized I love the LORD more than I love a perfect house, a perfect car, all the laundry folded, the perfect hot meal on glass dishes on a table set with starched white linens. I can put those things aside temporarily to pursue my Savior in prayer and Bible reading. While all the normal tasks of homemaking must be done, and done to the best of my ability, I was sometimes forgetting that my loving Savior was there to walk me through it all, if only I took the time to seek Him.

I know some of you struggle with some of the daily tasks of motherhood and home schooling. I know children can be frustrating and tiring, but I pray that my struggle will help you look at your precious children and husband, and instead of comparing them to your ideal vision, the Lord will give you a heart to say….”I love you more than this.”

About the Author

Malia Russell is the blessed wife to Duncan, thankful mother to four children, ages 3-17 and an author, conference speaker and director of www.homemaking911.com. Visit her site for inspiration, encouragement and practical help in your roles as a godly wife, mother, homemaker or home educator.

• Comments (5) • Post A Comment! • Permanent Link

I've recently started through the book Lies Women Believe, by Nancy Leigh DeMoss, for the second time.  I'm preparing for a group study at our church that begins next month.  It's such a powerful book, and I wanted other women to have the chance for the Lord to speak to their hearts as He did mine about the issues presented.  If you are looking for a challenging study, this is a great place to start.  I would, however, recommend the Companion Guide, as it has daily Scripture work that corresponds to the chapters.

Anyway, right now I'm studying about the goodness of God, and how my belief or unbelief of God's goodness affects everything else in my life.  What really struck me today is the idea that I will reflect to the world--through my living--my image of the Creator.  Hannah Whiteall Smith put it this way:

Everything in your spiritual life depends on the sort of God you worship.  Because the character of the worshiper will always be molded by the character of what he worships:  If it is a cruel and revengeful God, the worshiper will be the same, but if it is a loving, tender, forgiving, unselfish God, the worshiper will be transformed slowly, wonderfully, into this likeness.

"O taste and see that the LORD is good:  blessed is the man that trusts in Him."~Psalm 34:8

"O give thanks to the LORD; for He is good: for His mercy endures forever."~Psalm 106:1

Do I reflect to the world by my living that the God of heaven is good and merciful, or do I represent Him as an impatient, hard-to-please, nit-picking taskmaster?  What am I teaching my children about the character of the God I'm asking them to serve? 

When I view God incorrectly, it becomes easy to justify my own sinful disobedience.  This is no way to live a redeemed life.  I love my Savior, Jesus.  I'm committed to learning all I can about Him in His Word that I might rightly reflect Him in the world.

• Comments (3) • Post A Comment! • Permanent Link

Tonight when I got home from the evening worship service at our church, my sweet husband (who had volunteered to stay home with some sick children) took me by the hand and led me into the kitchen where he was listening to a Michael Buble' cd.  He gently wrapped his arms around me and we started dancing like it was our wedding day.  I closed my eyes and snuggled as close as I could get, drinking in the moment.  Our children wandered in and out of the room, barely saying anything, while Mommy and Daddy took a few minutes to be Husband and Wife.  All too soon, the song ended.  Then he looked me in the eyes and said softly, "I love you."

He loves me. 

How many times does he show me that he loves me and I miss it?  How often am I focused on the minor irritations that I forget the coutless ways he blesses me every day?

Recently, Julie from OldSchoolMarm wrote a beautiful tribute to her husband.  (Her blog is a great read, by the way!)  Anyway, it got me to thinking about blessing my husband at the gate.  How wonderful to tell others about the man God has given me to share this journey.  Our view of our husbands affects how the world sees them, and we have the opportunity to either harm or enhance their position by the way we talk about them to others.

Just this evening on the way to church, I stopped to get a cup of coffee, and I overheard the most heartbreaking conversation between two women.  One comment in particular really tore at my heart when one of the women said, "I told my old man, 'You're a man, so you're a liar.  That's just how it is!'"  The male-bashing went downhill from there.

When I got in the van, I looked at my daughters and told them how much I love and respect their father.  We talked about Proverbs 31, and the virtuous woman who does her husband good and not evil all the days of her life.  We discussed briefly what I had heard, and one of my girls said, "If the wife talks like that, the children will pick up on it and start thinking that, too!" 

This is not God's plan for us as wives!  We are to respect and be a blessing to these men!  We are to be a help to them in the work God has given them to do!  We are not to be the kind of women that drive them to a corner of the rooftop, or make them crazy like a continual dripping!

So Julie, thank you for the reminder that I should praise my husband at the gate.  I'm going to do that right now.  And if anyone reads this, know it's from the heart, and I would encourage you to take the time and do a tribute to your own husband.  If you post it, please let me know so I can read how your husband is a blessing to you.

For Tim:  The Best Person I've Ever Known.

1.  You are a godly husband and father.

2.  You are kind and very friendly.

3.  You put up with me even on days when I can't put up with me!

4.  You have never complained about one thing I've cooked.  (oh, except spinach)

5,  You are a "hands on" dad--even with dirty diapers.

6. You clean the kitchen because you enjoy it.

7.  You can rescue a dissolving day by volunteering to get pizza for dinner.

8.  You do your job with integrity, even when those around you don't.

9.  You treat everyone with respect.

10.  You are generous with your time.

11.  You are such a fun dad!  C'mon--dodgeball in the house?  How fun is that?!

12.  You ruin my bad moods by making me laugh.

13.  We are your priority and you live that every day.

14.  You work hard and do your job well.

15.  You are teaching your children to be the kind of person you are.

16.  You love me.  Simply and fully.  I feel treasured by you.

I could continue, but I'll stop with one for every wonderful year of marriage we've gotten to enjoy so far.  I pray the Lord will bless us with many more.

I love you, Tim, and I am so honored to be your wife.  You have my heart forever. 

• Comments (3) • Post A Comment! • Permanent Link

This vacation was well worth the wait!  We visited Holden Beach, North Carolina, for the third time, and it was just what we were hoping for. 

I would definitely recommend this family-friendly area to anyone.  There are no bars, clubs, or hotels on the beach.  And since we went at the end of April, we had beautiful weather and could get a house right on the water at a very affordable price!

These are just a few of the pictures from the trip I thought you might enjoy.

• Comments (0) • Post A Comment! • Permanent Link

With a house full of people who insist on eating multiple times a day and wearing (mostly) clean clothes each day, I can't help but fantasize about having an "Alice" in my home.  You know, a faithful housekeeper who shoulders the tasks I like least (cooking and laundry),  therefore freeing me to be the fun, hands-on, crafty mom that stares back at me from the glossy pages of the lastest issue of my favorite homeschool magazine.

Well, police work pays the bills, and we have a nice home with plenty to eat, but paid domestic help is just not in the budget. Therefore, I try to utilize time-saving strategies that keep everything running--sometimes even smoothly. 

A few weeks ago I implemented a new laundry system in our home.  (Forgive me if you are reading this and have been doing it all along.  I'm a little slow on the uptake sometimes, but I eventually get it!)  I can take no credit because I learned it from another mom with many children, but it would work with a smaller number, too, I think.

Here goes:  I do laundry by bedrooms.  We have 4 bedrooms and each room has it's own labeled laundry basket.  Each person is to put his/her dirty clothes in that basket ONLY!  The bathroom hamper is for towels only, so if they strip in the bathroom, they need to cart their dirty clothes back to their room.  Next, each bedroom is assigned a specific laundry day.  On that day, the children are responsible to carrying their basket to the laundry room and to sort it into "light" and "dark" piles.  Even the shortest folks can do this one.  If there are mistakes, I just fix it as I toss in the loads.  The max number of children I have in one room is three, so most days I only do 2 loads  because we wash it all on cold. 

You cannot believe how much this has simplified my laundry chore!  We now have no huge piles all over the floor waiting to be washed.  Folding is a snap because I already know I'll only have 2 or 3 piles.  When all is washed, it just goes back into the basket, up to the appropriate bedroom, and it's done!

One more tip:  since my oldest 2 children share a room, they are responsible for washing their own laundry.  I have had to be very strict about the assigned laundry day, so the rule in our house is this: If you miss your day, you will wait until your day comes around next time!  There are some slim pickins come day 12, I tell ya!  Vanity is a powerful motivator.

Anyway, I hope this helps out someone else who can't afford a laundress.  If we have to do a chore, it might as well be organized.  Besides, maybe it will give me a few extra minutes to try my hand at being crafty.  Or not.

• Comments (1) • Post A Comment! • Permanent Link

Since I first became a mother about 12 years ago, I've had a nearly constant parade of "firsts" in my home.

First smile.  First tooth.  First word.  First step.  First stitches. 

Because our last child is the official caboose (due to medical reasons),  I've been acutely aware of these "last firsts" we have gotten to experience in his life.

The last first smile.  The last first tooth.  The last first word.  The last first step.

It seems so weird to be here at this point in my life.  For the first time since we started having children, we don't have a baby in the house.  We have plenty of action with a 2-year-old on the loose, don't get me wrong, but I recognize that we are moving into a new stage.

So, here's the thing, I'm going to stop and really enjoy these "last firsts."  They are very precious.  Here's a picture of one we experienced today:

 Uhhh.....looks like it's time for a haircut!

Here we go!  Hold reaaallly still!

From baby to little boy in 10 minutes!

Enjoy your "last firsts."

• Comments (2) • Post A Comment! • Permanent Link

I have heard that word shrieked through my house a thousand times this week.  Oddly enough, it has never been followed by a child excitedly regaling me with a story of bravery, unselfishness, or some random act of kindness at the hand of a loving sibling.  I can dream, though.

When I was a girl, I can remember my mother threatening to change her name to a dirty word.  I don't think I'll go that far, but I am considering changing it to a secret word and only telling my husband what it is.  Then again, I may just keep it to myself.

• Comments (4) • Post A Comment! • Permanent Link

Exercise is not a subject to which I commit much mental energy, let alone the physical kind.  Oh sure, I think how nice it would be to bound up the steps and not jiggle, but actually doing something about it is a different story altogether. 

Over the years I've developed a short list of things I don't like: I don't like to be hot, tired, sweaty, or sore.  Those aversions are in direct opposition to any attempt I might long to make to remedy my less-than-firm physique.  For now, I guess I'll just rely on my 6-foot frame to give the illusion of a much leaner mom.  My husband assures me again and again that my post-pregnancy body(x7) is still beautiful to him, so I'm going with that.

There is an area of exercise, however, that has been on my mind a lot recently: my spiritual growth.  I can always tell when the Lord is dealing with a particular issue in my life because He starts bringing it up all over the place: my quiet time, our Pastor's sermons, messages I hear on the radio. 

Recently, the verse in 1 Timothy 7 that reads, "...exercise thyself rather unto godliness"  has been running through my mind.  The idea that I will one day wake up and just have an all-consuming hunger for all things of the Lord, that I will suddenly have an epiphany and bring myself into total submission to Christ, or that I will no longer war against my own flesh is an absurd notion that I've hung onto for way too long.  "When I hear that certain message, it will set my heart on fire."  "This book on this subject by this author is just what I need."  "As soon as my children are born/older/grown/out of the house, then I can really draw closer to the Lord."

No.  It takes exercise, and it takes me to do it.  God did the redeeming of my soul--I had nothing to do with that.  Now the life of holiness that He has called me to live is my resposibility.  According to Scripture, Christ has given me everything I need for "life and godliness."  All I need to do is actively choose to live it; to be a doer of the Word, and not a hearer only.

So why don't I?

I heard a quote recently, and I think it very accurately speaks to what often happens in my own heart.  Maybe it happens in yours, too. 

"People do not drift toward holiness.  Apart from grace-driven effort, people do not gravitate toward godliness, prayer, obedience to Scripture, faith, and delight in the Lord.  We drift toward compromise and call it tolerance; we drift toward disobedience and call it freedom; we drift toward superstition and call it faith.  We cherish the indiscipline of lost self-control and call it relaxation; we slouch toward prayerlessness and delude ourselves into thinking we have escaped legalism; we slide toward godlessness and convince ourselves we have been liberated." ~ D.A. Carson

Instead of exercise, I often find myself drifting, slouching, and sliding all over the place.  It's so much easier to feed my own selfish lusts than to consistently turn my eyes to the Lord and give Him preference in every area of my life. 

So, the point is this:  I need to exercise, and no one can do it for me.  If I want to live the rich, full, beautiful, Christ-honoring walk my Savior deserves after what He did for me, then I must work at it every single moment.  

Read the Word.  Pray.  Do what it says.  This is the life I want to live for Jesus Christ.

• Comments (2) • Post A Comment! • Permanent Link

From my last couple of entries, it's really obvious that I'm ready for this schoolyear to be over.  In fact, when I'm not on guard, doubt about my ability starts to creep in and I wonder if this is truly the best for our children.  And then the Lord hears the cry of my heart as I pour out to Him my uncertainty, my fear, my pride, and my weakness.  He speaks to me through His precious Word.  He quiets my heart, and lets me know that it is I who moved--not Him--and He's been waiting for me to meet with Him again.  All of that is more than enough for a daughter to know that her Father loves her, but He continues to encourage and strengthen me--pouring out good gifts like the doting Father He is.  This week He did that by simply opening my eyes to those moments that speak loudest to me.  The moments in my children's lives when I see their love for Him, for my husband and me, and for each other. 

So, is this sacrifice worth it?

Ohhhh yeeessssss!!!!!!

They enjoy playing together! (OK, most of the time.)

There is no better way to practice that new-found skill!

My days aren't always like this.  In fact, these pictures were on two different days.  But you know what?  The Lord sends them along just often enough for me to know that this is a huge part of the reason we have them home--where they belong. 

Thank you, Lord.

• Comments (3) • Post A Comment! • Permanent Link

This is our 7th year homeschooling and I get this way EVERY April.  The books are about done.  The grass is getting green.  The weather is finally warming up.  I look at the new subjects being presented in their math and language books, and all I can think is, "Why bother?  We'll just be reviewing this again in September anyway."  Is it just me, or are other moms harboring the secret desire to just chuck it and go outside and have wiffleball games and picnics?  I tried letting the older children take their books outside while the littler ones played, but a glance out the window revealed a stack of open books strewn across the patio table with nary a soul in sight.  I didn't even attempt to resore order until after lunch.

We can do this.  Just a little more.  It's worth it. 

My mom and I had a discussion some time ago about how differently homeschooling parents view school breaks.  She can remember dreading the end of the year and looking forward to the beginning of it.   In her defense, we did drive her nuts--especially bossy, mouthy ME!  I love breaks when we can just be together.  I have a couple that are a tad bossy, but since we're always together, we're kind of used to it. 

Oh well.  "To everything there is a season............"  And boy am I looking forward to summer!

• Comments (2) • Post A Comment! • Permanent Link

A few days ago I said that I had the opportunity to write an article for our local newspaper about homeschooling and the recent court decision in California that puts that at risk.  Well...they printed it today!   I'm very pleased.  The article I submitted was a bit long, but it doesn't appear that they have edited it much, and my original intent remains intact.  If you are interested, click here to read it. 

I give praise to God for giving me the opportunity and the courage to speak about something so dear to my heart. 

If the Lord is impressing upon your heart the need to do this in your community, please listen to Him.  I believe Christian homeschooling families are a tool He is using to get the attention of our culture.  We can no longer hide in the shadows and pray no one will bother us.  We must be  confident in the calling God has given us, and not be shy about why we are being counter-cultural to the government school system.  There are ways to be firm in our convictions that are also respectful and loving.  I would never encourage a dialogue of accusation and hate, but rather, quiet, confident facts.  Not everyone will agree with us, and by opening up, we invite criticism.  But hey!  As new and veteran homeschoolers, we realize that criticism comes with the territory, so this is nothing new.  Maybe your willingness to be a voice in your local area will encourage some other Christian family who is considering homeschooling to take that leap of faith. 

• Comments (2) • Post A Comment! • Permanent Link