Praising Him During Times of Stress

Previously, during stressful times in my life I would throw my hands in the air, get frustrated, and ultimately ask God loads of "why" questions. These tactics would of course get me no where, just more frustration, anger, and disappointment. How long did it take me to learn my lesson and change my ways? Oh lets see here now. . .only 34 years. Just call me a slow learner!!

If you've been reading this blog or following my other blog Two Pink Peas in a Pod then you know my family and I are in the middle of an incredibly stressful and emotionally draining time in our lives. This is not a situation my husband and I can keep to ourselves. We can not hide this stress from our children, everyone in our family is affected; even our dog and cat. February 9th, when the youngest two members of our family were born our lives were thrown head first into a whirlwind of emotions and situations that I never thought I'd have to deal with in my life. But here I am, 8 weeks into a 4 month stay in a level 3 NICU, 1.5 hours away from my family, and advocating everyday for my precious miracles.

What have I learned over the past 8 weeks? Too much to completely write here on this blog, that much is for sure. But I will do my best to communicate what my Heavenly Father has taught me and is urging me to put into words for the rest of you.

I am a bit of a control freak, that much I will admit to. I was particularly bad with control before having children and in my college years. I used to harbor a lot of anxiety, anger, and stress when things did not go as I had planned or wanted. If you are a parent you know very well that all forms of absolute control have to fly out the window as soon as you have kids. There are just too many curve balls thrown at you everyday as a parent to worry about and try to control every little thing. Letting go of the little things in life was fairly easy for me but from time to time I still struggle with the bigger things. Letting go and letting God take control is something I have really been trying to work on over the past few years.

When the girls were born 8 weeks ago (tomorrow) I immediately lost all control of every aspect of my life. No longer was I home to direct homeschooling, house cleaning, grocery shopping, and taking care of my children. I was also thrown into the unknown abyss of the NICU. The care of my girls was under someone else's control and direction. My daily routine had been put in a blender and set on high speed. There were days in those first few weeks here at the NICU that I couldn't keep my head from spinning so I began to write. I can remember one day in particular, it was a Thursday. On that day Britian took a turn for the worse, doctor's and nurses were constantly flowing in and out of her room, all I could do to cope was write. I must have written in my journal for 2 hours straight. Anything and everything that came to my mind was put on paper. Why did I do it? I am not sure to be quite honest, it is just all I knew to do. Perhaps when this roller coaster is said and done I will look back on that journal and cry tears of joy for how far my girls have come because of His healing powers.

Everything happens for a reason. I learned his hard lesson very early on in my stressful childhood. God does not bring you or I to a place that we can not get through. As the dust is settling and I am in a new NICU routine I can now see more clearly the areas of my life where I should be praising Him rather than questioning Him. Where I was once overwhelmed at the large number of staff and faculty here at the hospital I can now give praise to Him for placing some very special doctors and nurses in our lives. Caring, educated, and genuine people who will always hold a special place in my heart and people I will do my best to chronicle to my girls when they are older. I have found a special friendship in a fellow NICU Mom here. A fellowship that would have not otherwise been possible had it not been for the blessings God has given us both. Also through our stay in the NICU my family and I have been surrounded with an enormous amount of love and support. For this He is owed an enormous amount of praise.

Could I question God for this chapter in my life? Of course I could. Could I wallow in grief and frustration asking Him why my family and I are enduring these struggles? Of course I could. Could I scream and yell at Him for giving my twins this and all the ongoing challenges? Absolutely. But am I? For a few days to be honest, yes I did. But through prayer and time in His word I have come to a beautiful and comforting place in my heart where I can give Him praise for everything He has set before my family and I.

For friendships, lessons learned, outpouring of love and financial support, and for all of the experiences yet to come I will give Him praise daily.

Praising God during a stressful time is not easy at all. But from experience I can tell you it gets easier and lifts your spirit. When I began praying in earnest and giving God all the praise and glory He is owed for my current stresses I was immediately able to see the joy and beauty in our situation. What a beautiful gift that was!

Rather than questioning, I will give God all the praise and glory for this stressful situation as well as all future challenges He sees fit for me to endure and overcome.

New Testament Translation Not Taken For Granted

In our homeschool bible study every morning my children and I pray for those across this world that do not have the bible translated into their native language. Praying for these people not only helps to raise awareness in my children about the bible translation missions field but also serves to keep the importance of having the bible translated into their own native language close to their heart and not take it for granted.

A friend on facebook shared the following video. I enjoyed it so much and was moved to tears. This group of people are a wonderful testimony for the impact that having a bible translated into a native language can have on a population that would otherwise possibly be non-believers.


The Kimyal People Receive the New Testament from UFM Worldwide on Vimeo.

Review: Choosing to See by Mary Beth Chapman

Stumbling upon Mary Beth Chapman's latest book was a bit of serendipity. My husband had taken our kids to the library and asked if there were any books I wanted him to check out for me. I rattled off a few authors never expecting to be the first in line for this highly sought after memoir. I was so thrilled when my husband told me this book was on hold for me because the library had not received their first copy of this book yet, but when it did come in I was first in line. 

I should first tell you that it takes a lot for a book to grab me from the very beginning. Typically I will read a few chapters in a book, put it down, and come back to it later in the day or even another day. I had this monster of a book devoured in nearly one marathon sitting. I just could not put it down! Mary Beth writes in such a style that you feel like she is sitting across the couch from you and together you are enjoying a cup of hot tea while she tells you a part of her life story. The backbone of this book is the tragic accident that took the life of one of her adopted daughters. However, Chapman begins the story back before children and before she and Steven Curtis Chapman met and married. Mary Beth eloquently takes her reader on a journey through her life that has been filled with tragedy and triumph. All along the way she relates how her faith has been tested but how she knew God never left her side. Grab your box of tissues, a glass of tea, and Mary Beth Chapman's latest book Choosing To See, you will cry and rejoice right along with the Chapman family every step of the way.

From the publisher:

I’ve told my kids for years that God doesn’t make mistakes,” writes Mary Beth Chapman, wife of Grammy award winning recording artist Steven Curtis Chapman. “Would I believe it now, when my whole world as I knew it came to an end?” Covering her courtship and marriage to Steven Curtis Chapman, struggles for emotional balance, and living with grief, Mary Beth’s story is our story–wondering where God is when the worst happens. In Choosing to SEE, she shows how she wrestles with God even as she has allowed him to write her story–both during times of happiness and those of tragedy. Readers will hear firsthand about the loss of her daughter, the struggle to heal, and the unexpected path God has placed her on. Even as difficult as life can be, Mary Beth Chapman Chooses to SEE. Includes a 16-page full color photo insert.

An interview with Mary Beth Chapman as she speaks about her book and the journey writing this book set her upon.

Disclaimer: this review is my true and honest opinion, I did not receive compensation in any way for this review.

The apple never falls far from the tree

Growing up I often heard "You look just like your Mother" or "You act just like your Father". I usually just rolled my eyes and thought, "No I am not, I am me, not them". Not until I became a mother though did I realize the full impact of these statements and their scope of truth.

As my children grow-up and develop their own personalities and habits I find myself more and more often assaulted with the reality that I am looking in the mirror at little "mini-me's". Sometimes I am proud at the reflection I see in my children while other times I am down right ashamed at what I see, knowing darn well that I do the same thing. Yikes! Talk about a reality check!

My 6 year old son in particular consistently brings to mind the phrase "the apple never falls far from the tree". Not only does he look like a male version of me but nearly every aspect of his personality is a reflection of my own.

Here is an abbreviated list of how my son is the apple and I am the tree:

1. the ease with which he learns in school 
2. visual learner; in both math and language arts
3. love of science
4. physical build; we are both on the "small side"
5. facial features
6. temper; scary but true and as a Mother this was a huge slap in my face but is proving to be a huge learning lesson for both of us
7. eating preferences; we love and hate nearly the same things including obscure raw vegetables
8. "attitude"; as hard as it is to admit, we are both "don't mess with me" type of people innately

There are many more things I could list but in the interest of keeping this post brief I will stop there with the list. As my 3 year old daughter grows into her own I see a little of myself but more and more I see my husband which, interestingly enough she takes after his side of the family in appearance and more and more of her personality is his and his alone. 

While realizing that I have apples laying so close to the trunk of my apple tree is humbling it is proving to be an enormous learning lesson and God given blessing. Not only am I being forced to grow personally in order to best "train up" my children but I have to grow spiritually to find the strength and patience to put all the parts of growth together for both myself and my children. I am a better Mother because God has given me little apples laying at the bottom of my apple tree.

Gifted homeschooling: A lesson in flexibility

Homeschooling a gifted child is not a topic I write much about. It isn't that I don't have experience with gifted homeschooling, I just don't feel like I have enough experience and worthwhile advice to regularly and accurately write on this subject. My only gifted child so far is my oldest biological child, he is 6. (I also have a 9 year old but he is technically my step-son, a term we do not use in our house). So I suppose, I have chosen to stay quiet about my gifted homeschooling journey rather than blog about the ups and downs. There are many times when I want to pen a blog about gifted education but chicken out or write about another topic. Nevertheless, my desire to journal homeschooling a gifted (or advanced) child still simmers just below the surface between my fingers and computer keyboard.

Today, I have decided to take the plunge and write about a gifted homeschooling topic that I have been immersed in since day one with my son. No, I don't mean day 1 two years ago when we started homeschooling, I mean day 1 of being his mother. After 6 years, I feel pretty well versed and experienced with the concept of flexibility as it relates to educating my son. Why flexibility? Well, simply because flexibility is something that my son thrives off of when presented in the context of education. Of course he needs schedules and expectations just like any other 6 year old. But flexibility is paramount for him when it comes to learning.

The type of flexibility I am referring to is the kind I encounter when a lightbulb goes off in his head and he NEEDS to (not just wants to) learn about a specific topic. At first I would resist his need to deviate from what I had "scheduled" and almost insist that we accomplish what I had planned rather than  explore the tangent that he had set upon in his own mind. I quickly found though that this only caused frustration and resentment in my eager little learner. I was killing his love for learning because I wasn't being flexible and sensitive to his needs. Eventually I realized that his learning tangent needs were real, a true and honest search for information that his gifted mind needed for satiation. I used to feel inconvenienced and rather annoyed when he would come to me with random questions about specific topics that never seemed to end. Most certainly I was in the middle of something that I deemed important and necessary only to be interrupted by his stream of unending questions and curiosity. Oh how wrong I was to take that attitude with my young son.

Once I turned the corner and my eyes were opened to the tremendous gift he had been given and in turn could give me, I began to welcome his random topics of learning curiosity with open arms. His need for learning in turn set my own mind on unexpected paths of learning and enrichment. How could I possibly deny both of us those opportunities to learn and grow? And what could be better than learning something new side-by-side with my gifted young son? Nothing, simply nothing. With this new attitude came a lesson in flexibility. In order to fully embrace his love for learning, I had to learn to give up any preconceived lesson plans I may have created for the day and "run" with whatever topic he wanted to learn about. A form of un-schooling if you will.  When I began showing my son that I was prepared to embrace whatever learning topics he was curious about his learning grew exponentially. Now he felt in control of what he was learning rather than simply learning about something because "Mom said so".

Over the years I have taken this flexible teaching attitude to other aspects of our homeschool environment. At one time I was in control of what subject we would start our day with and continued to make all the decisions during our homeschool day. And I wondered why I was met with frustration and lack luster attitude. We battled and butted heads to get every assignment completed. However, as I began to fully embrace the attitude of flexible learning I applied it to the "regular" and "mandatory" subjects completed in our homeschool day. Instead of telling my son which subjects he is going to complete and when, I now begin each day telling him what we need to complete but not how we are going to get there or in what order we are going to complete the assignments. My son gets to choose which subjects we do when. The result? I am now met with an eagerness and willingness to complete his schoolwork. He now feels in control of his education, something that many gifted children, especially those very young, need and require to feel appreciated and valued.

I shutter to think what would have happened to my son's love for learning if I hadn't learned a very important lesson of my own first; be flexible. When you are flexible with homeschool learning, the gifts that will come to you in the way of education and precious experiences with your children will most surely astound you.

Gifted children are a challenge, there is no denying that. But if you learn to go with their flow of learning, not only will you set no boundaries on their education but you will also foster a lifetime love of learning and education in their precious hearts and minds.

Just admiring your family!

Moms of big families more often than not hear some pretty rude comments from family and total strangers alike in regards to their choice to have "more than a couple" of kids. I am far from a Mom of many or consider myself a household manager for a large family. However, in spite of having 3 kids I still get my fair share of rude and unnecessary comments regarding my family size. I've learned to shrug if off over the years, especially from strangers.

To all my friends and readers who have a large family or have the "heart" of a large family I want to share with you a refreshing and joyful story from an unassuming trip to the grocery store today.

My kids and I made our weekly trip to town today. Wednesdays are typically a very long day for us between the time it takes to drive to town and all the errands I need to accomplish while I am there. By the time we finally arrived at the grocery store this afternoon we were all tired. Because of this I did something I don't typically do; I put my younger 2 in one of those HUGE grocery carts like look like a car with steering wheels and the shopping basket out in front. I knew they would need some entertainment and a certain level of "corralling" to accomplish our shopping trip as quickly as possible. As I proceeded to the produce section with my limo sized shopping cart I made a mental note of all the fresh produce I needed. I parked the basket at the end of one of the rows so I could grab some things I needed without navigating that huge basket in the narrow produce aisles. I quickly grabbed what I needed from that aisle and returned with an arm full of fresh goodies. While I placed my items in the basket I noticed an elderly lady standing to my left with her basket. She appeared to be patiently waiting for me, possibly to have me move my basket so she could pass by with more room (there was already plenty of space for a standard basket to move by me). Nevertheless, I asked her if she was waiting for me and if she wanted me to move my basket. In the sweetest and most sincere voice she simply replied, "No, I was just standing here admiring your family." I was shocked! Of course I immediately thanked her. And with that she was on her way to finish her own shopping. She left me though forever and deeply touched. I wore a smile on my face for the rest of that shopping excursion. Such a simple gesture by this beautiful stranger brightened my day and helped to remind me that not everyone out there looks down upon those of us with more than "a couple" of children.

I do not do baby books

I have started scrapbooks for my children with the hopes of creatively documenting their childhood. Truth be told though, I have failed miserably. The farthest I have made it is one year of one child's life (he is now 6). Pathetic!

A few months after my oldest biological son was born I realized that scrapbooking was not going to be a successful way of remembering his younger years. Because I enjoy writing I thought I would try my hand (literally) at journaling his childhood. Six years later I am still journaling for him and have since added journals for other two children.

I have thoroughly enjoyed writing my thoughts, hopes, wishes, and dreams for each of my children in their respective journals. I also include important events in their lives just like typical baby books. Unlike baby books though I am able to add more detail and emotion to the events. From time to time, I include pictures like you find in regular baby books. I have also enjoyed reading back through their journals from time to time. These journals have become a mini time capsule if you will, a memory filled book of each of my children's childhoods. My plan is to give each of them their books on their 18th birthday.

The books I chose for my boys are a traditional journal, an open book style. The green journal that I am journaling my daughter's childhood and the two red journals that I recently purchased for the twin girls that I am expecting are a magnetic closed book journal style. The journals for my three girls are more ornate and decorated than the styles I chose for my boys; just a personal preference.

If you enjoy writing or blogging, you might just enjoy journaling your child's childhood.

The Patience of Motherhood

My dear readers, I know it has been months since I posted anything containing creative substance here on my blog. The trials of life and motherhood have kept me away from my creative writing. I wouldn't have it any other way though. We are settling into our new house more and more everyday and we are expecting a new blessing in May 2011. With that said though, it feels great to have the creative writing juices flowing again in my little brain.

On my mind today is a comment made by an unassuming postal worker at my small town post office. Being a Mother herself, I know she did not mean any offense by her comment. And frankly, I did not take any offense to what she said. However, her words struck a chord within my heart and started my mind wondering, why? What was it that she said you ask? After realizing that my 3 kids and I along with our little dog had walked down to the post office she said, "You have the patience of a saint." My immediate response was, "No, I really don't, they are great kids." She could not be convinced otherwise however. So I left well enough alone, wished her a good day, and happily left the post office with my 3 well behaved (at that moment) children and always well behaved dog.

As we walked the few blocks home I reflected upon her comment and the sentiment in general regarding what Moms of "more than 2" go through on a daily basis. Please keep in mind I am not singling out those of us with more than 2 as being anything above those with 2 or fewer children. I am simply making an observation that society feels that those of us with more than the standard national family average of 2 children sacrifice or endure more than Mothers with less children (a sentiment with which I do not agree).

Two main thoughts about her comment came to mind as I walked home this afternoon. The first of which is, Moms of many do not have any more patience and understanding than those Moms with fewer children. We all make our own choices about our family size. The fact that I have 3 and soon to be 4 children does not give me any more patience than friends of mine with only one or two children. Mothers everywhere take each day as it comes to us. Each moment of our day is about protecting, nurturing, caring for, educating, and loving the children God has blessed us with. I should point out that stay at home Moms do not have any more patience or understanding than those Moms who venture off to work everyday. We all have motherly duties and those duties do not stop just because you are sitting behind a desk or bringing home a government taxed paycheck. Perhaps the lady at the post office today caught me in a "good patience" mood, perhaps that is why she said what she did. Honestly, I can tell you that like Mothers across the globe I definitely have days when my patience tank is run dry. I am not even running on empty those days, my tank has dried up and not even one more drop can be squeezed out. We have all had those moments, yes even those Moms you know who seem to always have it together. (that is a whole other blog post altogether) The patience I feel towards my children grows directly out of the vast and unending loving that I feel for them. Each day they are growing and learning. It is my job to shape and nurture that process. I feel a great sense of joy and accomplishment watching my children experience life. Patience for their mistakes and bad behavior is a beautiful gift God has given me. It does not make me a saint, it makes me a Mother.

The second thought that grew out of the postal workers comment was a bigger and more spiritual one. I do not have the patience of a saint, I have only the patience that God has blessed me with. God gives us everything we need at exactly the perfect moment in our lives; never too soon nor too late. When I went from a single woman to a wife, step-Mom, and birth-Mom in less than a year God was there. After the birth of my daughter God was there also, he gifted me the patience needed for a Mom with school age children and 2 littles, 2 and under. Yet again, coming this Spring God will give me the love and patience needed to lovingly Mother and homeschool 4 children. He has not granted me that level of patience today nor will he give it to me tomorrow, He will grant me the love, understanding, and wisdom needed for my life at just the right moment. I can not ask for or expect anything less or more. He gives me all I need at exactly the right moment in my life. How could we as believers ever ask for anything more than that? We can't and shouldn't.

Finding free time as a busy homeschool Mom

By definition, "homeschool Mom" means busy, always doing for others, taxi, manager of the home, chef, doctor, counselor, mediator, organizer, and scheduler to name just a few of the job requirements. In the midst of it all, how do we find time for ourselves? Do we need time for ourselves? When do we find time for ourselves amongst everything else on our "to do" list?

Every homeschool Mom is different so I can only speak for myself, but I absolutely need time for myself. I need time to gather my thoughts, accomplish things I need to get done, or even simply read a book and drink a cup of tea in silence. For me, my personal time helps me to recenter and unwind from the trails and tribulations of the day. Putting my feet up after a long day of mothering my 3 children gives me a chance to reflect upon the day and pray about how I could have made it better and consider the things that I particularly enjoyed from the day.

As a new homeschool Mom I used to try and squeeze my personal time in during the day when my kids were awake. When my kids all napped or had "quiet time" this worked most days. However, I am at a time in motherhood journey when quiet time during the day just isn't possible. So when do I find the much needed time for myself? My quiet time is now in the evenings after my kids have all gone to bed. All 3 of my kids have early bedtimes, partly because they are early risers but also so I can have some much needed downtime. My youngest falls asleep quickly after I put her to bed and my older boys are allowed to read until they get tired, which is typically 30 minutes or so after I put them to bed. I think my boys enjoy their quiet time in the evenings as much as I do my own quiet time.

During my evening quiet time I get to enjoy a cup of tea in peace and do whatever my heart leads me to do. Some nights I blog while on other nights you might find me reading a book, researching curriculum, or simply catching up on Facebook. It really doesn't matter what I do in the evenings just so long as I get that down time for my brain to reflect upon our day.  Personally, I find quiet time a necessity as part of my busy homeschool Mom schedule. I have also found that the quietness of the evening lets me appreciate the hustle and bustle of the day much more. I adore every minute that I get with my 3 blessings but I also enjoy the quiet time in the evenings that I work so hard for during the day.

Cruise on over to The Old Schoolhouse blog for more wonderful blogs on this topic!

Unanswered Prayers

Unanswered prayers are challenging. They can leave you with more questions than answers. You wonder why? You ask when? You beg and plead with God to grant your prayer request more times than you can count. But why isn't He answering your requests?

Until today I had an unanswered prayer. I began praying this prayer to my Heavenly Father over a year ago. Well over a year ago in fact. Month after month I would cry when the prayer went unanswered. I threw up my hands, questioned why, begged, pleaded, and sometimes stomped my feet in frustration. I just couldn't understand why my prayer was being ignored.

A few weeks ago the answer to why my prayers were going unanswered hit me square across the face. Prayers often go unanswered because there is an area of your life that God wants you to fix/resolve before He answers your prayer request. BAM! Talk about knocking me to my knees. After I picked myself up and dusted off my bruised and battered knees I began to examine what in my life needed fixing. A day or so later I had my answer. What the answer is here I would rather not share, but suffice to say when I began fixing that area of my life the very next morning my whole world turned around. I just hope it is not too late to fix the damage I have done over the years.

With the area of my life back on track and the feeling of calmness settled over me God told me that it was only a matter of time until my prayer would be answered. He also gave me the peace of mind to know that even if this prayer was not answered the benefit I would reap from repairing the other part of my life far outweighed my unanswered prayer.

My God is an awesome God though and today He answered my prayer. My unanswered prayer was brilliantly and joyfully granted today. Praise be to Him!! The joy from today's answer coupled with the happiness I am experiencing from the resolved portion of my life is simply overwhelming. Sometimes, we need to just step back and quite asking for things from God and instead ask what God wants us to do. When I did this, He has given me a precious gift.

What is the precious gift that He has given me today? Wouldn't you love to know!!! ;)  I promise I will reveal my blessing in a few weeks. Until then, feel free to make a guess.

Christian reasons to homeschool

With many public schools around the country starting school this week the talk within the homeschool community has been mostly about why we all choose to homeschool. I have already talked about some of my reasons for homeschooling and over the past year those reasons have grown and intensified. Having said that though, the start of the school year has me thinking about why Christians should homeschool. Controversial yes, but nonetheless important.

For he issued his laws to Jacob;
  he gave his instructions to Israel.
He commanded our ancestors
  to teach them to their children,

so the next generation might know them-

even the children not yet born-

and they in turn will teach their own children.

Psalm 78:5-6

Public school children are gone from home anywhere from 6 to 9 hours or more 5 days a week; every week for 9.5 months save scant vacation time. On average publicly schooled children spend over 16,000 hours during their lifetime in a classroom. This figure does not include preschool or kindergarten hours. Tack on another 2-3,000 hours to the already staggering 16,000 hour average for these younger years of school. What are they learning in those precious hours spent away from home? Most will argue that math, reading, writing, and history are included in the standard public school curriculum. But what about the arts, physical education, foreign language, music, and music appreciation? Budget cuts have slashed these subjects long ago. In all the time that children spend within the confining walls of a public school institution they are lucky if they get a solid education in 4 core subjects. Yep, all that time and they are only scratching the surface of 4 whole subjects. 

Along with being crammed into an over crowded classroom, children are learning a whole host of other "lovely" things from their peers. Curse words, bloody knuckles game, stealing, cheating, lying, name calling, disrespect, and low self-esteem are just a few of the things that come to mind when I think of all the influences kids come home from school with today. How do I know this? I was once a public school Mom too. I have walked both sides of the education street. I was also a public schooled child. 

When the public schooled child gets home from school their school day does not end. As if 7 hours at school was not enough, they now have to do untold hours of homework because the public school teacher can not get all that she needs accomplished within those 6-9 hours of each school day. Tack on 2-3 hours of homework to an already long day of school and that poor child has been in "school" mode for 10 hours or more. Then after homework it is dinner, chores, and bedtime. As I see it, two things are missing from the public school child's average school day; play time and time with their family. Based on the average day, the biggest influence in a public school child's life is the school. Their classmates, peers, and teachers have more influence in their lives than their own parents. Heartbreaking. Absolutely heartbreaking.

Now some of you might be thinking, "well I send my child to a private school so none of this applies to me." Think again. Yes, your child might be getting a slightly better education than their public school counterparts but is it all it should be? Your child is still gone from home for an incredible amount of time. Time that you could be spending with your children teaching and training them to live according to the Word of God and be productive educated members of society. They are also more influenced by school than by their own family.

In my experience as a public school parent, I spent more time un-doing what my children's friends had taught them at school than I did actually teaching them to grow and mature as young Christians. When we first enrolled our oldest in public school my husband and I were weak in our faith. We were new born-again Christians and had not yet considered what God wanted for us in the way for educating our children. As we began to grow in His word and teachings we quickly discovered the error in our ways. No wonder our life was chaos, we were not following His teachings.

Yes, he humbled you by letting you go hungry and then feeding you with manna, 

a food previously unknown to you and your ancestors. 

He did it to teach you that people do not live by bread alone; 

rather, we live by every word that comes from the mouth of the Lord.

Deut 8:3

If you believe in the Bible as the true and perfect word of our Heavenly Father and your children are not educated at home then they are not living by the word of the Lord. Public and privately schooled children live by the word of society. Sure they might go to church, they memorize bible verses, and act sweet at home. What they see, hear, learn, and talk about at school is beyond your control. I can guarantee that they are not living by and hearing the word of the Lord at school. Based on recent news they might even be learning about world history from an anti-American and anti-Christian point of view.

Teach those who are rich in this world not to be proud 

and not to trust in their money, which is so unreliable. 

Their trust should be in God, who richly gives us all 

we need for our enjoyment.

1 Tim 6:17

So why should Christians homeschool their children? 

Children are blessings from God and should be trained in His word. I will teach you about God's power. I will not conceal anything concerning the Almighty. (Job 27:11) Come, my children, and listen to me, and I will teach you to fear the Lord. (Psalm 34:11) Your precious children were given to you by God. They are yours to teach. God did not intend for them to be shuttled out the door of your home every morning to be "taught". 

Your children are your commission, your responsibility, and yours to teach. God have you the tools to teach your children all that they need to know in life. Time with your children is precious, every minute they spend at public school is time flushed down the toilet. You can never get that time back. It is gone forever. Just as God gave Bezalel and Oholiab the ability to teach others their skills (Exo. 35:34) so too has God given you the ability to teach your own children. You have the skills to teach your children how to read, write, comprehend math, learn history, the arts, and languages. And even if you struggle in one subject area or another, there is a wealth of resources available for your use from others who are more "skilled" in their craft.

Removing your children from public (or private) schools removes the influence of others from their impressionable lives. Our children are sponges. They soak up all that is around them. Every morsel of moisture is wicked into their minds and stored for all time. They soak up every word, attitude, and statement of fact that they hear. What are your children hearing in their public schools? I can guarantee it is not what God wants them to hear and learn. 

And you must love your God with all your heart, 

all your soul, and all your strength.

 And you must commit yourselves wholeheartedly 

to these commands that I am giving you today. 

Repeat them again and again to your children. 

Talk about them when you are at home and

 when you are on the road, 

when you are going to bed and

 when you are getting up. 

Deut. 6:4-7

Lastly, so much of the time spent in public school is wasted. Time flushed down the toilet spent inefficiently. Time your child can never regain. Time that was given to them by God and was not used in the manner God intended it to be spent. It is a little known fact outside of the homeschool community, but most homeschool children start their day shortly after breakfast and are finished before lunchtime. Homeschooled elementary age children typically spend 2-4 hours doing school work compared to the 6-9 hours public and private school children spend at school. What do homeschool children do with the rest of their day? Anything and everything. The sky is the limit. Many choose to pursue a hobby, delve into an instrument, volunteer in their community, or simply have fun and be a kid. Children need free time to be imaginative. They need the freedom to play and explore. Children become restless and disruptive when they are forced to sit for hours on end. Homeschooling allows kids to be kids. Homeschool families can be found in their community. Field trip opportunities abound across the country. Homeschool students and their families are afforded the opportunity to enjoy their educational field trip events because they are not limited by the public school clock.

If you are a public or private school Christian parent and God has laid the idea of homeschooling on your heart, I pray that you will listen to your Heavenly Father and consider His will for your family. He knows what is best for you and your children. He will provide everything you need to make homeschool happen in your family. I will discuss the financial cost of homeschooling in another article, but suffice to say it should not be a limiting factor in your decision to follow God's will for you and your children.

Still doubting that homeschool is God's will for your family? Seek out the truth for yourself in His word. The truth will make itself known.


And please, oh please, don't ever use "socialization" as an excuse for public education. And please, even if you do not choose to follow God's will for your family and homeschool, do not ever ask a homeschooler about "socializing their kids". I will leave this discussion for another article, but I can guarantee to you that my homeschooled kids are better socialized with a wider variety of people than your public and private schooled kids. My kids live, grow, and learn in society. Public school children socialize with a very small group of children their own age which by definition is not a wide array of socialization.

Taking communion with my kids

My experience at church tonight will be one that I will never forget.

Our recent move to the midwest has prompted a change in our church routine. When living in CA we subscribed to the typical "send your kids off to Sunday school" mantra. After praying about that choice for our family we have decided to no longer send our kids to Sunday school when we attend our church service. I knew this would change the dynamics of our church worship time. I expected more disruptions and less concentration on the message our pastor was preaching. I never expected the amazing blessing that would be bestowed upon me early on in our family worship experience.

Tonight I felt the hand of Our Heavenly Father move through me.  Shortly before communion as my 3 year old daughter sat beside me I quietly explained to her what was going to happen during communion. She in turn asked me why. So I explained to her the reason we take communion and what we as Christians need to do before taking communion. What she said next shocked and touched me to my core. She asked to pray with me to ask Jesus into her heart. Yes, I know she is only 3 and I fully expect to pray this prayer with her again as she gets older. But nonetheless, she asked and we prayed. I held back the tears of joy as I prayed quietly there in church with my sweet and precious little girl.

As I reflect back upon this evening I am filled with the joy of overwhelming blessings afforded my family tonight. The religious teaching moments with my boys and the acceptance of Christ by my daughter would have not been possible if they had been ushered off to Sunday school. Admittedly, I had my doubts about family church time because my children are not accustomed to sitting still for an hour during church. But God has shown me very early on in our family church experience that this is the right decision for my family.

Do you worship as a family or do you prefer quiet time without your children during your church service?

Lessons learned this week

I am a firm believer in reflecting upon your day, your week, and sometimes even your life to learn lessons and grow from them. Growth can not happen without reflection. Having said that, I thought I would share with you some things I learned this week.

1. I have 2 boys that are wired completely different. One can sit for long periods of time and do all the school work I assign him. While my other son has a physiological need to be active. He has a real need to climb and can not focus until that energy is spent.

2. When the school day starts out rough it is OK to pause. Letting the disruptive or discouraged child run outside and play with the promise that school will get done today is GOOD for all parties involved. (this technique saved our Thursday)

3. It is OK to pick up what you are working on and take it to the park so the kids can play. A change of scenery is often beneficial for all parties involved. Next time though, I will pick a park not near a cow farm so the flies aren't so atrocious.

4. I was blessed with a son that does not baulk when I ask him to clean the bathroom. I will be utilizing this gift as much as possible. :)

5. Kicking the side of a car door accidentally hurts really badly. This will cause you to limp for hours and not be able to bend your knee for even longer. Note: DO NOT kick the side of a car door with your knee on accident unless you desire the afore mentioned side effects.

6. My mind too often turns "on" in the middle of the night. Staying awake for hours on end in the wee morning hours makes for a very tired Momma at night. Note: if at all possible get a nap on those nights when sleep was tough.

7. My back is not cut out to mow lawn on a riding mower. Lesson learned, our house will have a smooth lawn; no hills and no bumps.

8. I am blessed! I have amazing kids and a wonderful and loving husband.

What are some lessons you learned this week?

Praying Over the Kitchen Sink

Your quiet sanctuary and place of respite with the Lord may be no farther than your kitchen sink. Put away your dishwasher and enter into prayer and discussions with your Heavenly Father over a hot soapy sink of dirty dishes. Honestly, try it.

For all of my adult life I have had a dishwasher which I regularly used to clean my dirty dishes. I would hurriedly rinse the dishes and load them in the dishwasher then run off to do something else on my to-do list. Then 3 months ago we moved and I gave up my dishwasher. Dishes are now cleaned in the sink by my own two hands as I look out the window and watch the birds feed and scurry about. Three times a day or more I can be found with my hands in a sink of hot soapy water. At first admittedly washing dishes by hand was a chore I gladly handed off to anyone who volunteered to wash. Now however, I have learned to enjoy my quiet time at the sink. As with many other aspects of our move, the Lord's hand lay upon me while I stand at the sink scrubbing food from our last meal off of a stack of dishes. He uses this time to open my heart to prayer. I pray and meditate upon anything and everything that comes to mind. Prayers requests from friends, personal worries and prayers, and praises all flow from my heart. My new prayer room is in fact not a room at all. I now pray best over a sink of dirty dishes as I watch the beautiful world outside my kitchen window.

Your personal prayer time does not have to be a set time each day. Open your eyes, your heart, and your mind to all the beautiful opportunities God sets before you each day to pray to Him. Turn off your dishwasher and turn on your sink.

A Reason for Midwest Living

As I have indicated in previous posts, my family and I recently moved to the midwest after living in sunny Southern California for well over 30 years. My husband and I are both CA natives so we rightfully expect a culture shock and adjustment period this winter. The sun, beach, and life-long home was not enough to keep us in CA though. We wanted a simpler life for our kids, more room for them to play and be themselves, and more time together as a family spending quality time making life-long memories. The mid-west also affords us more time with extended family on my side, something I desperately wanted for my kids as they grow and mature.

After years of praying God finally afforded us the opportunity to make our dream a reality. Praise Him! And while my husband is still packing up our house and preparing to move our material things out here I am trying my best to assimilate my kids into the neighborhood and community activities. Today my kids got to experience just one of the many things that living in the midwest affords them; playing baseball. Yes, they could have played back home in CA but the cost and time commitment was prohibitive. Here not only is the cost next to nothing but the playing atmosphere is laid back and we only meet once a week for games or practice. Cheap and once a week was unheard of in CA. Today was practice for my youngest son, what a blessing he was given. He had a blast and has already started making new friends. What else could a Mother ask for? After we got home this afternoon my son asked me if he could play baseball for a long time, he said he loved it and wanted to play until he was really old. How can you not feel happy inside after your child tells you something like that? Especially knowing that in your old home that experience would not have been possible. The sense of blessing I feel after today is overwhelming, there are not words in the English language to describe the joy I feel knowing that my kids are going to have the life that I have always dreamed about for them. For so long, this reality seemed so far off, so unattainable. But look at us now! Our dream of raising our kids in the heart of America with all-american values and life experiences is coming true. God is great!

Tomorrow is practice for my oldest son. He has asked to play baseball for such a long time. Our answer was always, sure some day. Which in adult speak meant "sure someday when we can afford it". My son's chance has arrived though and I suspect there is no looking back. Yeah!!

My CA friends ask me all the time why we moved. This is just one of the many. . .

Helped a little bird today

My Mom and I did a good deed for nature today. . .

A poor little sparrow fell into the grape jelly feeder that we put out for the Orioles. We tried just letting it go but quickly realized that it was going to die if we didn't help it. It's poor feathers, feet, and wings were all sticky with jelly. While my Mom gingerly held it in her hands I wiped the jelly off of it's body. Funny thing is that as I cleaned off this sadly chirping bird I conjured up visions of gracefully releasing this bird into the air. Oh how was I wrong. . .while trying to check it over for more jelly the bird fought to get out of Mom's hands and flew off without a second glance. Apparently the little wiping down I did helped it out enough so it could fly. . .hopefully it lives a long healthy life and knows now to stay out of the jelly feeder.

Oh and we hit more garage sales today. . .I picked up an awesome desk for my 8 year old to use next year in school; $3. I plan on refinishing it just because I want another finish on it, but it is in amazing condition and is solid wood from the 50s, not that particle board stuff you get now.

Spring is in the air!

Even though it is unseasonably cold here in Iowa for Spring, the feeling of Spring is nonetheless in the air. Mr. Cardinal is feeding Mrs. Cardinal, the male Orioles returned this week to scope out nesting sites for Mrs. Oriole, baby sparrows are everywhere, lilacs are blooming, rhubarb is in abundance, and the garden is starting to sprout. I'm sure we will get another cold snap or two before the warm weather is here to stay. Regardless of the temperature, the plants and animals all tell us it is springtime.

Tonight on my walk I found a beautiful robin's egg shell. I looked above in the trees to locate the nest to no avail. I know my kids will enjoy seeing this little treasure so I have set it aside for their viewing pleasure in the morning. Hopefully they won't destroy it within the first few seconds. Nature is amazing, truly a blessing. In San Diego we really only had 2 seasons; 9 months of summer and 3 months of fall. Here in the midwest we have already seen our share of crazy weather. While I have missed the sunshine this week, I have also enjoyed the thunderstorms. Weather brings change, much like my life right now. My family and I are in the beginnings of a major life change. We had two options and we made a decision. Our life will never be the same. But that is the beauty of our decision to move, we were feeling led to leave status quo and raise our children where the good Lord has blessed; the midwest.

But I digress. . .spring denotes change, rebirth, new opportunity. My family and I are experiencing our own springtime here in Iowa.

My Mother's Day Gift From Above

For Mother's Day yesterday my Mom took my kids and I to a local Nature Preserve center. It was a wonderful day of playing, exploring, and being together as a family (although we miss Daddy very much and hopes he joins us back here very soon). As my kids played by the creek that runs through the nature preserve I was thinking about my husband. When we are out in nature he frequently takes pictures of trees and leaf landscapes against the sky. So while thinking of him I looked up and immediately saw the scene above. I couldn't believe that I had found a perfect heart outline in the tree tops. I like to think it was my husband sending me love from 2000 miles away.

I pray that you all had a blessed Mother's Day filled with love, laughter, and family.

Tough Chicks Reminds Me of Homeschool Kids

Tonight at bedtime I read Little Ms.Tough Chicks by Cece Meng. What a cute story! Not only was my daughter enjoying the story but so was I, which I believe is a mark of a good children's story. The art work is adorable and the story reads very easily. The thing that struck me most was the lesson taught in the book; essentially that it is ok to be different. We all have something to contribute and we are all important. There is nothing wrong with being tough or thinking outside of the box.

Isn't that what homeschooling is all about? Homeschool parents often hear that their kids are different or act strange. Just like the Mother hen in Tough Chicks. But like the Mother Hen we don't mind that our children are different or think and act outside of the box. Isn't that one of our purposes? (at least it is one of mine) I want my kids to think for themselves and find their own original solutions to problems that they encounter in life. The chicks in this story work together to use physics to figure out how to get the cow out of the mud pile. When reading this page I immediately thought of a group of homeschool kids working on a science project. Rather than being given the solution or holding their hands like what often happens in public school, these chicks were allowed to come together and work out a successful solution on their own. Because of their success they saved the farm and were no longer thought of as "bad" different but rather "good" different. Just like homeschool kids. Yep, they might be different but that is a GOOD thing! In my humble opinion!

My House is Beauitful

My house isn't anything fancy or spectacular. But it is the house that my husband and I have been blessed with and we are thankful for that. 

As I worked around the house today cleaning this and picking up that I realized that my house is beautiful because I have kids. Yep, there I said it. Despite the constant clutter and the never ending picking up I do behind my whilrwind children I am blessed. I have a house full of laughter, joy, prayer, and togetherness.

As I gazed out my kitchen window while doing dishes this afternoon I was blessed with the sight of a windsock my 5 year old made in Sunday school 2 weeks ago.  If I didn't have my son that windsock would have never been there. My children provide me with love, heartache, and a lifetimes worth of blessings. 

My house is beautiful! And so is yours if you have kids.