We always say a prayer for our day, for our families, and for Daddy at work before we begin our academics every day.  DS holds my hand and closes his eyes and is so respectful.  He is really starting to understand the importance of having a prayer life and has started saying more in depth prayers at bedtime.  He is such a blessing!

And I feel so blessed that God has given me this ministry, to be at home with my children and teach them to put God first in their lives.  The moments I share with them during the day could never be replaced, and it saddens me to think of the millions of children that are away from their mothers during the day, learning and being influenced by teachers and peers who probably don't share their families' values.

I'm reading a devotional book called Seasons Of A Mother's Heart by Sally Clarkson.  I wanted to share something I read today:

"A seed is useless until it is cast into the soil where it will die in order to become something greater - a plant, a flower, a tree.  My dedication to life at home as a mother is a seed of sacrifice.  I give up my own desires and sacrifice my gifts and talents so that new life will come from me.  I am buried in the rich soil of housework, homeschooling, character training, disciplining and all the myriad responsiblilities of making a home.  To many in my generation, my decision to stay at home is a fruitless sacrifice, a waste of feminine intelligence and abilities.  To me, though, it is a small sacrifice if by it I can send my children into the next generation bursting with spiritual life, ready to change their world for Christ.  Fruitless?  Only by the world's standards.  By God's it is a fruitful sacrifice that will yield a harvest of righteousness."  pg.27

"The decision to homeschool will, by its nature, create division.  To those who choose to put their children in public school, your decision to homeschool is a passive condemnation of their lifestyle.  Since homeschooling rejects the educational status quo, it invites criticism and rejection, not just for us as adults but also for our children.  Family members, church members, friends, and even strangers will question your decision and scrutinize your life.  I am finding that only heart-deep dedication and sacrifice enables me to confidently say, "This is right...this is what God wants me to do...this is worth it."  Because I know that doing God's will is worth whatever the cost may be."  pg. 28

I have never felt more in the center of God's will than I do right now, being home with my children, being a full-time mom, wife, and homeschooler!  I see my children growing in grace and truth, being unaffected by the outside world, and it brings me such joy.  My family thrives on this lifestyle and we are bringing glory to God, by being "in this world, but not of it"!

No one in our life has said outright, "We are against homeschooling!".  However, we have had people elude to this fact through other round-about ways.  I have been "reminded" time and time again, by well-meaning loved ones and friends, that I should make sure my kids have proper socialization.  I find this funny, as if I have not considered this myself and desire to keep my children "cooped up" in the house with no interaction with the outside world.  I actually consider this an insult to my parenting skills more than an insult to homeschooling.  As a mother, I desire nothing more than to prepare my children for "real life".  I consider homeschooling to be the absolute best lesson in socialization.  My children have the opportunity to live real life!  I find it humorous that the general population believes public school is proper socialization!  The last thing a child needs is to be stuck in a room with 30 other children of the same age, being forced to "conform", walk quietly in straight lines, control their bladders until the scheduled "bathroom break", and never ask genuine questions of interest because their teacher has no time to answer them!  Is this how "real life" works?  Not outside the public school system!  How is this a preparation for life after school?  It's not!

 It's even been suggested to me that a stay-at-home mom's life must be so boring!  Boring?!  Anyone who thinks this has never been a stay-at-home mom!  I think some people even think I must resent my life and envy those women who have an outside career and get a break from their children each day.  Children are God's greatest blessings!  I can think of no better place in this world than right here with these children!  God gave them to me with this command: 

"Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength.  These commandments that I give you today are to be upon your hearts.  Impress them on your children.  Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up.  Tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads.  Write them on the doorframes of your houses and on your gates."  Deuteronomy 6:5-9

God gave these children to me and my husband, to train up in His teachings!  He did not say, "I am giving these children to you so that at the age of 5 you can send them into the hands of the government to spend each day in a place where they will not allow My Name, to learn hundreds of things that go directly against My Word!  I want them to learn about life from other kids their age, who have learned that it's okay to be vulgar, violent, and disrespectful because 'kids will be kids'." 

No, he did not give them to us so that we could pass the responsibility of raising them onto "the world", so we could give them over to teachers and peers who care nothing about their hearts or their spirit.  He gave them to us for a reason!  We love them, just as He loves us!  We know them heart and soul!  We truly have their best interest in mind.  We want to develop a whole person...mind, body, and soul...not just a student who can rattle off the correct answers on a standardized test, only to forget them the next day, in the name of "education".

This is why we homeschool.  This is why my children will never go to a public school.  Never.  We will carry this lifestyle through high school.  And my children will be well-adjusted, well-educated, and excellent citizens of this world as a result.

I thank God every day for calling me to homeschool!!!