Motherhood is Beautiful

Click on this link for a great blog post...

Recommendations and lots of pictures

We've been listening to Redrock Mysteries as a family for awhile now.  The kids (especially the older two, ages 9 and 11) really like it.  If you click on the link above, you can download each book for a fee.  (By the way, I'm not recommending this because I get money if you order.  This is just something we enjoy.)

Fourth of July parade with my side of the family.  Cousins!

 During our Bible reading one evening, Nate started singing the Psalm, which the kids thought was HILARIOUS.

 

The top two books have been what I've been reading for myself.  I recently finished Own Your Life by Sally Clarkson and it was great.  I can't think of a book of hers that I don't like.

I just started the middle book and so far it has captured my attention.  It's one of those books I don't want to put down.

The last book in the stack is a book I've been slowly reading to the kids.  My first and third born enjoy it.  The others usually listen for a bit and then run downstairs to play.  :)

Parenting

Reading through a book on parenting for the second time.  I am struck again by the awesome privilege that my husband and I have of raising these children for God's glory.

 
"You must raise your children in the fear and admonition of the Lord.  

You cannot do so without investing yourself in a life of sensitive communication in which you help them understand life and God's world.  There is nothing more important.  

You have only a brief season of life to invest yourself in this task. 

You have only one opportunity to do it.  

You cannot go back and do it over...you must, therefore, prioritize.

To do this job of parenting well, it must be a primary task.  

It is your primary calling.

Baby #6 - BOY! - due mid (or late, knowing me) July

...It will mean that you can't develop every interest that comes along.  

The costs are high."

Shepherding a Child's Heart by Tedd Tripp
(Emphasis mine)

Too funny! (and true...)

I'm not on Facebook anymore, so when I occasionally have the feeling of "I just have to share this!" I usually just have to let it slide.  

But THIS...

It was too good not to share.  

I think that the advice shared in this post, coupled with showing our children how to serve others by serving our families, is great.

 

 

I wanted a tan, but I ended up with wind burn

When I was in high school, instead of going to Myrtle Beach for Spring Break, my family went on skiing vacations to Colorado or other such COLD vacation spots.

When I'd get back from skiing the slopes, I'd walk the halls at school and see tan lines and white t-shirts sporting the warmth of other, non-skiing vacations.  I may have also been wearing a white t-shirt, but it didn't look nearly as nice with my wind burned cheeks and pasty white arms.

I felt so sorry for myself.

I even remember pouting to my mom while we were on one of those ski trips.  I didn't like to be cold.  I wanted to get a tan and go to the beach and be...like everyone else!

Now, looking back, I see how ungrateful I was.  I didn't realize or appreciate what an incredibly expensive, unique vacation I was given by parents who showered me with love and opportunities. 

Nate and I are going to make decisions for our children that they may not like.  They may pout at times and want something different - something that someone else has or does.

But hopefully, someday, they'll look back on the decisions we made and realize what amazing opportunities they were given.  And how much they were (and are) loved.

  Linked up at the HHH

Reasons We "Keep On Keepin' On" With Homeschooling

Not too long ago, I'd had it with homeschooling.

I was in the first trimester of a particularly sickly (for me) pregnancy.  I had absolutely no desire to teach or even think about schooling our children.

I lobbied my husband (which happens to be appropriate since he's a local politician ;) ) numerous times to send them to school.  I'm pretty sure I would have signed them up had he agreed (he says I wouldn't have...guess we'll never know.)

How thankful I am for him!  He's so unchanging and steady and knows how I can be - ready to try something else, especially when I'm weak.

He assured me that our kids were doing just fine during this period of time that I was unable to continue on with our curriculum.  I knew they were learning how to do the laundry and the dishes and be servants to their mother who laid on the couch most days.  He also pointed out some things that I'd have to do if we sent them to school - things that I currently didn't have to stress over (and I'm not just talking about having to unload the dishwasher by myself.  ;) )

Putting the silverware away - you can tell I didn't have him pose for this pic.  ;)

He told me I'd soon feel better (as in my other pregnancies) and I may even enjoy homeschooling again.

You know what?  He was right.

We've completed four weeks of school (since I was sick) and overall it has gone really, really well.

But, I know how it feels to not want to continue. 

I know how it feels to desire that the "burden" of educating your children fall on someone else's shoulders. 

I know how it feels to have homeschooling be perceived as a burden and not as a blessing.

I also know how it feels to be on the other side.  The wondrous other side where I find almost everything about homeschooling alluring.

My feelings can be rather unpredictable at times.  I can't make decisions based on my moods.  (Shocking, I know.)

So, when I'm feeling down in the dumps about homeschooling, I need to remind myself of why we do this counter-cultural thing in the first place.

Below are some of the reasons we have chosen homeschooling over other educational options (in no particular order).   

Disclaimer:  I've always hesitated to put our reasons down online because I have so many close friends and family that have chosen other educational options.  However, I hope they know by now that I respect them and trust that the Lord is leading each of them in their decisions.  That said, These are OUR family's reasons.  This isn't a judgement on your educational decisions.  (You can read this link and know that my hope has never been in homeschooling.)  Just as you probably have a list of reasons you send your child to his or her school, this is a list to HELP ME REMEMBER our reasons when I'm feeling extra low.  

* We desire our children to have a foundation that is based upon godly morals and principles - an education that does not take the Creator out of the created.  In our house, every subject ties back to the Creator God.

* We knew that I could most likely develop stronger bonds with our children if they weren't separated from me every day for 7-8 hours.  Also, the kids could develop stronger bonds with each other seeing as how they have no choice BUT to play with each other for the majority of each day.  Even if they'd rather not...  ;)

Youngest with Oldest

* Private school is expensive.  We didn't ask, "is Private school worth the cost?"  We asked, "is Private school worth having me go back to work?"  For our family, the answer was, "No."  We knew we could teach the same (or similar) "stuff" for a fraction of the cost while still maintaining our desire and conviction to have me stay home.

* Our immature children don't need to be around other immature children for 7-8 hours per day, every day with very little mature adult interaction.  I was a teacher.  As much as I enjoyed those kids and would have liked to give them my attention, it couldn't always happen.  Short conversations with pats on the head here and there were par for the course.  I felt badly that I couldn't help direct and "love on" them more, but it just wasn't possible.

* I enjoy being around my kids and they like being around me right now too.  I didn't feel like giving that up so soon.

* We can tailor their education to their needs.  Also, with only a handful of students, it doesn't take all day to teach them what they need to learn.  They have more time for exploration, life-skills training, volunteering...or more important things like, shooting each other with Nerf guns.  ;)

* We can vacation when we so desire.  We can also take the day off when it's warm in the Spring or when we stayed up too late with friends.  We can do school while everyone else has a snow day, decide to take a snow day when no one else has one, or take the day off when our friends are also off.  In short, the word FREEDOM sums it up rather nicely.

Went on a work trip with Nate during the week in mid Sept. and surprised the kids with an overnight stay at an indoor water park.

I'm sure there are more reasons that we have chosen to homeschool, but those are the ones that immediately come to my mind.

So, when I'm feeling like I don't want to continue or I'm just in a "homeschool funk", I hope to re-visit these reasons (and even these reasons).  Maybe they'll help give me the right amount of encouragement to...

Keep on Keepin' On.  

P.S.  I don't think it's a good idea to homeschool in a bubble with just your immediate family.  Homeschoolers should be part of a real, live community (online community is good, but not as good as live relationships).  We are part of a church family that has those who homeschool and those who don't.  We're also part of a large homeschooling group that does field trips and play dates.  This gives us accountability and encouragement.  Community is so important. 

If you want to read more of my thoughts on homeschooling, you may be interested in:
how we deal with the dreaded Socialization question,
or how we overcame our disagreement about how we'd educate our kids,
or even how we organize our homeschool.

Did You Know?

Thomas Edison didn't speak until he was 4.  He was labeled "addled" (mentally confused) after only 12 weeks of school.  His mom took him out and schooled him at home. 

Picture Credit

Winston Churchill was labeled "slow" and "backward" at school.  He hated school the whole way through.  He said,  

"My education was interrupted only by my schooling" 

and  

"Where my reason, imagination, or interest were not engaged, I would not, or I could not learn." 

Churchill, Roosevelt, Stalin:  Picture Credit

Abraham Lincoln only had 1 year of formal school.  He was self-educated by reading good books. 

Picture Credit

Gustave Eiffel couldn't pass a drawing class in school and found most of school to be a waste of his time.  He went on to design the Eiffel tower, the frame of the Statue of Liberty, and many other buildings and structures.

Picture Credit

Ansel Adams, at age 12, was dismissed from the private schools he attended because he was too restless and couldn't pay attention.  He was then privately tutored by his father and aunt.

Photograph by Ansel Adams (credit

While our children may never become famous photographers or inventors (which isn't our main goal of education anyway), it's enlightening to know that not everyone was designed by the Lord to do well in our man-made institutions of learning.  And guess what? 

That's great! 

You can read this short article for some of the many more stories like the above.