Keep On Keeping On

I have been dragging and pushing our kids through the last few weeks of school and I'm building up a sweat from that alone. It seems everyday I have a conversation that goes something like, "Okay let's get our math books out. What do you mean you can't find your math book? Why isn't it in the bucket I so cleverly made for you? (We homeschool moms thrive on finding new inventive ways to organize.) Wait a minute were are you going? You cannot do math outside if you don't have your math book."

If you are someone who thinks homeschoolers have it all together I hope this little glimpse will show you, we don't. I think like every mommy we are ready for summer.

I have to admit that I get a little sentimental at the end of a school year. The year is over and one more step toward adulthood has been reached. Remind me of this when I'm ready to walk across the street to the elementary and enroll my kids.

I want to enjoy this summer as mommy not teacher. I am making a little mental note of what is important for this summer.

1. Do not over plan activities.

2. Enjoy your kids.

3. DO NOT OVER PLAN ACTIVITIES SO THAT YOU MAY ENJOY YOUR KIDS.

Push on moms we are almost there. I know you are counting the days. Summer is a great time to get caught back up with what is going on inside our kids' little minds. Also, to refresh ourselves and spend time with the Lord in prayer. We are on the homestretch so, keep on keeping on. Your doing great!!!

Have I Told You Latley That I Love You

I walked into my kitchen this morning to see my kids making me breakfast. I know, how sweet is that? Also, on the counter I see a present opened by one of my little ones that I had bought for my sister who is graduating college soon. What are you doing I asked? or better yet demanded. I wanted by dear sister who has worked so hard to graduate to be the very first one to open that gift. Somehow it took away from the gift that a little persons hands had messed with it. I wanted it packaged nicely the way the women at the store had done it.

We have this great rule in our house it is very simply. "If it's not yours do not touch it." I can ask any of our children. What's our rule? They will mumble, "If it's not yours don't touch it."

To which I usually carry on saying something like, "That's right if it's not yours don't touch it. It is a great rule. One of the best we have. If it's not yours don't touch it. (saying it over and over is my way of getting it to take) I love that rule. If it's not yours don't touch it. Please follow it next time."

A little too much drama is at times, my downfall as a mom. I missed the opportunity to praise my kids for thoughtfulness, putting someone else first, and working together. After all they had not had breakfast yet either. It is soooo much easier to do right the first time than to come back and apologize for blowing things out of proportion. I could have still dealt with the gift situation and it probably would have been more effective. Catching our kids at doing a good job is just as important as catching them misbehaving.

Ordianry Days Extodinary Moms Jyl Griffin On Homeschooling

Jyl Griffin is a homeschool mom to four kids. She has homeschooled for eight years. I love talking to other homeschoolers and getting tips on how they do things during their school days. I enjoyed having her share.




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We discussed several different types of curriculum. I have attached a few links for more information.

My Father's World

Bob Jones

Abeka

KONOS

Lapbooks

There are many ways to homeschool. Let us know how your schoolroom works.

Thank You Jyl.

Thy Will Be Done On Earth As It Is In Heaven

This was a hard one. How do you talk about God's will. It is a great thing when you are benefiting from God's blessing. But, how about when you are going through a time of suffering. We then question God's will in our lives. It is as though we believe we deserve his blessings and nothing else. This state of mind can be confusing causing us to stumble and believe that we are somehow out of God's will if any suffering at all takes place.

My heart was drawn to the thought that Jesus followed God's will unto death. I came upon a fellow blogger who I thought wrote most eloquently what was in my heart. He had taken a trip to the Holy Land and was brought face to face with the place Jesus was obedient to God's will.

"In the garden I reflected on the fact that by the time Jesus arose from his knees and surrendered to the kiss of betrayal and the soldier's military might -- Jesus had settled the matter of the cross in his heart. The will of that Father had become the will of the Son. It was here that Jesus accepted the Father's will and faithfully chose the way of suffering.

In choosing the will of the Father -- his atoning death on the cross Jesus agonized in prayer. Luke's gospel specifically mentions Jesus' "anguish" or "agony" (using the Greek word agonia, which can also mean "struggle"). In the other Gospels Jesus explains that He is "deeply grieved, even to death" (Mark 14:34; Matt 26:38). Those gospels also show Jesus as praying more than once before He was ready to accept the Father's will. His prayer time at Gethsemane was anything but peaceful and serene.

Throughout this journey through the last days of Jesus on earth we will see and feel the struggles, the agony and the humble surrender of our Savior. In this way we experience a deeper appreciation for the complexity of Christ's nature as both God and man. In Gethsemane, perhaps more than in any other scene of the Gospels, we see the fully human Jesus, the One who "in every respect has been tested as we are, yet without sin" (Hebrews 4:15).

I am blessed by this reminder that Jesus understands when we are tested, when we are weak, when we aren't sure we want God's will for our lives. I am encouraged to know that Jesus knows our every weakness, and He is there to help us in our time of trial."

fullydevoted.blogspot.com

God's will being done on earth as it is in heaven means God's will is complete. It has eternal ramifications. The benefit of God's will being accomplished is that glory focused on God through both thanksgiving and suffering.

Thank you Jesus!!

Ordinary Days Extraordinary Moms Amy's Testimony on Courtship

I had the privilege of interviewing my good friend Amy. She and her husband Rob had the blessing of experiencing courtship prior to their marriage. It is an extraordinary story and I hope you are blessed listening to their testimony as she shares it.



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Push Through

It is very deceiving outside. The sun is shining but the high is somewhere close to 40 degrees. Still, spring fever has set in and pushing through to finish up homeschool is getting very hard. The kids want to play outside. Spring weather is very promising for the end of the week. Maybe, by Easter it will be nice.

This was our first full year of homeschooling. I have to admit, I have been a very reluctant homeschooler. Hoping and believing they would all be back in school next year. By early January I had the school picked out and everything. I was already visualizing a clean house and caught up laundry. Then the bubble burst. I prayed about it. I mean really prayed about it. I knew in my gut we were supposed to do one more year.

I had had a few conversations with people that went something like this prior to prayer...

"You, homeschool? Oh, I could never do that. You must really enjoy it. I mean that is really a calling. How many kids do you have?"

My reply....

"No, actually I don't enjoy it." (If I'm anything, it's honest.) "We are NOT going to be doing this next year. I've found a great school for us that is going to be the perfect fit. I'm not like most other homeschool moms that love it. It was just for this year."

Just as the weather is deceiving us today I too had deceived myself into believing what I wanted was best for all of us. Instead God's best is what we needed for each of us. It was a pretty amazing thing though, I received such a peace after the decision was made to go one more year. (I can only think that far ahead.) The house can wait. I've witnessed that this year. However, growing children do not.

So, I'm going to push on through to summer and then wade into next fall. Who knows maybe by then I'll be a full fledged homeschool convert.