Welcome

One of the things I like best about having these new floors is that I feel free to open my home again. As I cleaned today and made a salad for some friends coming over for lunch I thought of how much I enjoy just inviting a friend over.
I stirred the lemon aide and hummed a merry little tune. I'm grateful for friends. I'm grateful for a home I can invite friends to share with me.
I need to do it more often. I really do enjoy the feeling of opening my home.

Be Blessed!

Home Again, Home Again

I had another quick trip out of town. This time to welcome into the world a new baby. My oldest and best friend became a real grandmother this past weekend for the first time. Because she was a lot like a mom to me growing up my kids call her Grandma Karen. But this baby is a part of her oldest son.
I was thrilled to be there in the waiting room at 3am Friday morning. I loved being there around noon time yesterday when baby and mama came home. I got to snuggle with her for awhile yesterday.
Children surely are a blessing from the Lord! I can not wait for our promised baby. I know it's all in the Lord's timing, but oh how impatient I get sometimes.
For now I will just rejoice with others as they welcome their little ones and I will pray faithfully that the Lord will open my womb up soon!

Be Blessed!

I'm going box...

First of all I should say that I absolutely love home education. I love being with my kids. I love knowing what they are learning. I love learning what they are learning.
I also really love the flexibility. If something is not working for my kid/kids I can switch it up. I can teach to their learning style.
That being said, I really hate the flexibility that home education offers. I hate finding out something is not working. I hate switching things up. I hate feeling like I am failing in some way.
Remember just a few short months ago when I wrote this post with the utmost of confidence. I'd made my decisions. This is how it's going to be done!
Enter Roy and I's annual field trip to the homesechool convention. Dreaded, dreaded words. WAIT! Before you get onto me for falling for all they hype and grandeur of the curriculum fair I want to say that what I walked away this year was invaluable. DH quickly agreed with my musings which makes me believe it was truly a God thing. Usually he wants to analyze everything to death.

What I walked away with this year was a serious need for my kids to start enjoying learning. To take out the stress that we call homeschooling and build a less stressful (not stress free, though I can strive towards it), more peaceful, fun, loving atmosphere of home education.
My 12 year old daughter is heading rapidly toward puberty. The battles are becoming longer and more drawn out. Ground is being claimed and the peace of our home is crumbling. In an effort not to label my child I will say briefly that she has obstacles to overcome that a lot of kids don't have. Puberty looks to be a time of regression for her in many ways. I have to learn to roll with that. I have to learn which ground to stand on and which to back down from. School is one I have decided to - compromise on- for lack of a better word.
She hates worksheets and having to sit and do a sheet until it's done. Saxon Math is one big battle between the two of us. She needs more interaction. She can't spend more than a little bit of time on a lesson before she quits trying, or becomes overwhelmed.




We are looking at Teaching Textbooks for Karly and possibly even Kelsie. I have to sit Kelsie down for a couple of sample lessons to see what she thinks. I would love Kelsie to be able to do it because it would free up more of my time to work with Tamara and Adrian on reading.
Another thing we are looking at is a more Charlotte Mason type education with Amblesideonline as a "curriculum".
We are not 100% sure yet that's the direction we want to go in, but I think the kids would find it more enjoyable. They enjoy our read aloud and discussion time that I fit in every now and then . I'm also thinking this would strengthen the comprehension skills that I see sorely lacking in all of my kids. I am still pouring over Amblesideonline and my Charlotte Mason Companion book.
I also have a ton of websites marked to look over some more.
One thing I thought I would do is read Aesop's Fables to the kids during the month of August and practice some simple narration. That way if we decided to move this direction in the fall we would have practice.



We are finally enjoying our Mystery of History Book 1 study and Considering God's Creation for Science so I think I will keep both of those and then just let the kids read other history time periods during their free reading suggested by Amblesideonline. We will also incorporate some of the Nature study into our diet as we are hoping to start some simple hiking this fall.

As far as art and composers we have started that and I think we have found a comfortable groove with the fun little books I have right now. We will finish those books in August and then replace them with the suggested studies from Amblesideonline.

I'm a little nervous about the change with my two oldest. I'm sure it will not hurt them, but it will take a lot for me to get out of the groove of having a lesson finished every day. I'm worried about portfolio evaluations most. I want to make sure I have enough work to show to my evaluator in May.

I think Charlotte Mason would be a good fit for all of us. While I'm not ready to commit to it 100% yet, I am definitely leaning more that way.

Of course I could always just switch to a nice, neat, tidy box curriculum. Ahh.. let me dream about it for awhile...

Guess I'll be sticking to a more traditional school year.. this year anyway! :)

Be Blessed!

Three sisters

Sisters through and through, that's what my girls are. They laugh together, cry together, argue with one another, and fight to the death for the other. Sisters. I never had a blood sister growing up. Fortunately I found some wonderful older girls who semi-took the role.

I remember not long after I got engaged I emailed Roy's three sisters. I told them how excited I was to finally have sisters. Oh, if I only knew then what that would mean.

Various family squabbles through the years have put people in and out of touch with one another. The last time we were all together was in 2001 when the siblings came together for a picture session for their parents.
Through it all Ellen, the oldest, was a rock. She kept up with everyone. Her sisters talked to her daily. Through Ellen we found out what was happening with nieces and nephews. She was the peacemaker. She hated the fighting.

This past weekend I watched two sisters trying to cope and learn to function without the third sister. It was heartbreaking. I watched a little brother look around lost and dejected. I watched him cling to his two remaining sisters, one who'd refused to speak to him for years. Watched these three siblings remember the one who held them all together.

I thought about my three little girls. I wondered what adult life held for them and their relationships. I prayed and prayed for the three little sisters that I'd left back home. My girls. Would they watch out for one another? Would they protect one another? I watch them even now and know that they will.

I think about the sister gone. Taken from the lives of her little sisters and baby brother. She has through death accomplished one thing that I know she hoped to always accomplish. Unity. She left behind sisters and a brother who understand the importance of one another now.

At Thanksgiving this year we will all come together again with our families to remember the lost sister. Brother and sisters will be thankful for one another. For time spent together with families.

Thanks Ellen!

Prayer Request

My sister in law passed away suddenly last night. Please remember my husband's family in your prayers today.

Be Blessed!

I'm sure I have a post in here somewhere...

with pictures and everything. I just don't know what it is.
We are at a pretty busy time in life. Sick family members. Sick car/no car. Home education discoveries that are turning my well laid plans upside down. Relying on God for everything.
My children are happily playing with their cooking stuff while the real dinner is heating up.
Peace is coming to our home through conviction.
Lots and lots of stuff I can't wait to share, but my brain is too confused right now.
And of course there is the small problem of not knowing where my download cord is at the moment. That would be helpful.

What are you up to as we near the end of July? Are you already looking to Christmas? What about to the year beyond? Are you enjoying these last lazy days of summer?

Be Blessed!

Added to the bookshelf

(Click on picture to direct to Amazon)


I picked up this book at our local Christian bookstore the other day. I'd been waiting and waiting for them to get it in. I suggest everyone read this book.
I remember clearly about a year ago I listened to three mom's that I know of teenage girls talk about the boys coming around. "What can we do?" was the sigh by all three moms. I turned to tell them about courtship and then promptly stopped. They were all smiling about it. They honestly thought that any thing other than dating would never work. We could never ask these young girls to give up their "right" to date.
I climbed back into my shell and ashamedly did not even mention courtship or anything like it.
My daughter is only 12 what do I know anyway?

These kids are way to precious to me to just send out at 13,15,16 and say good luck! Hope you pick a winner! In the above mentioned book, Reverend Baucham suggests we not only protect our daughters and actively help them in choosing a mate, but that we also spend the time it takes to raise up young men to meet these expectations. Why should we focus only on training girls to be wives and mothers and forget that we need to train our sons to be husbands and fathers? As much as we need to show our girls the right way to find a mate we need to show our sons how to respect his future wife enough to be ready to court her properly.

This girl. My 12 year old, lives in a world where boys and dating and relationships are constantly thrust at her. On every tv show/movie geared toward her age every girl is interested in some boy or dating some boy.... we don't watch them here but she is still exposed no matter how careful we are. Even in church girls her age are going out on "dates" with boys. Sometimes with parents along, sometimes with friends. Twelve year olds?

I got this book for her mainly. So that we can know how to guide her. So she can see that there is an alternative.

These boys are going to grow to be men. I have a serious problem with the Peter Pan syndrome of today. Men who never grow up. I know one man who is going to be 40 soon. His ex girlfriend had his baby over a year ago. He picks him up on Saturday night, brings him back on Sunday night. His new girlfriend watches the baby. He balks at paying child support. Seriously? GROW UP!

Our boys are going to be raised to be responsible. When it's time, they will take a wife build a family. We are training them to be protectors, providers, priests, and prophets of their homes. And unless God wills it they will not be doing those things at 40.

Read the above referenced book.

These two little girls will hopefully benefit from any wisdom we pick up while charting these waters with their sister. At 9 and 7, they have not really noticed boys yet. Beyond their sister telling them about a cute boy.

One of the great illustrations used by Voddie Baucham and also by Paul Washer is a man's prized car. Maybe it's an extended cab brand new truck, shiny. Maybe it's a Porshe that a man saved his whole life for. Would he hand over the keys to this to a pimply faced boy of sixteen? No? Well then why would he hand over his precious 16 year old daughter?

Be Blessed!