Sixth Grade Homeschooling (a flashback)

Laura in Sixth Grade

I've had children in public school and homeschool.  Next year my youngest will be in the sixth grade.  Never having been in a traditional school, I sometimes look at the things she is working on and compare her to how things were with her older siblings.

Sixth grade in our area is almost always a nightmare for public-schooled students.  My older ones all experienced the woes of sixth grade.  They were switching classes.  They had hours of homework nearly every night.  The difficulty level amped-up, and it seemed as if there were a few meltdowns.  Maybe this doesn't happen to all children, but it did with every single one of mine... except my homeschooler.

Making a Gragger

When Laura hit sixth grade, the difficulty level of her school went up a bit.  However, all of our work is homework.  I went through blog posts from that time to read about how our school year progressed then.  That year was a challenging year in many ways, but our homeschooling that year brought some great memories.  We painted our poetry and created whole worlds under the coffee table during read aloud time.  We learned about money and made wampum beads, read classics like Heidi, and made Jewish graggers and hamentashen cookies when we studied Purim. We took a couple amazing field trips and kept some traditions alive.  My memories of that year, looking back, are ones of joy.

My daughter learned a lot.  At that time we began working through levels of work with her, and she simply tacked each day's work.  It wasn't about piling on the work or stressing out a child.  My memories of that time were tough, as we had a lot going on in our personal lives.  However, we did manage to keep school going, and even thrive.

Learning about Camouflage

I don't want my youngest daughter to be overwhelmed by her schooling.   I don't want her to feel like school is a drag.  I have had a couple of conversations with other parents, and so many of them feel that the sixth grade pile-up of work is unnecessary.  Or, they feel that their child wasn't prepared for the sixth grade work level because their younger years hadn't been as challenging.  And despite all the research stating that homework is counterproductive, I still heard the arguments that, without it, children won't be able to tackle the workload in college.

painting her poetry

reading

And, many children aren't prepared for college.  However, homeschooled children tend to do better in college that their public-schooled peers, despite the uptick in workload that many may not have had in high school.  Perhaps it is because they are used to tackling the work load before them independently.

In any case, rereading the blog posts about that year was entertaining.  It was five years ago, and I am about to embark on the same curriculum with my youngest that I used with my daughter then.  In one post I wrote:

"This school year went by very quickly.  Laura became very independent.  In fact, I miss her.  I don't feel that I got to be a part of her education the way I did when she was younger.  Independence is a good thing, but I still want to be a bit more involved." 

 I find that very interesting, because Laura is completely independent now.  One day I am certain that Megan will also be just as independent in her studies.  It was at about this age when Laura took off in her independence.  And yet, as she grew in independence, she was not spending hours each night completing hours of homework.  She was mastering the level that was in front of her, slowly and methodically.  

Sixth grade for homeschooling does not look like public school.  For that I am grateful!

Tending Roses - A Book Review

This is only the second Lisa Wingate novel I have read, and I already love her writing!  I picked up Tending Roses from my library, unable to decide if I wanted to read Tending Roses or The Prayer Box while I was on vacation. I chose to read Tending Roses when I got back home.

Tending Roses is the story of Kate Bowman.  After the birth of her son and the discovery that he had heart issues, Kate takes some time off from her job.  Her husband and Kate leave their home in Chicago to go to Missouri, at the family farm, where Kate's grandmother, Rose, lives.  Rose has had a slight stroke, and Kate is preparing herself for the fact that the family has decided to move Rose to a nursing home.  As Kate stays in Missouri with her son and husband with her grandmother, her heart begins to change about her life, her family, the role she has held, and the decisions about her grandmother.

Oh, how I enjoyed this novel.  My own grandmother passed away just a few years ago, and while she wasn't quite as spunky as Grandma Rose, the similarities are there.  I understood Kate in a big way.  I spend about seven years living in other states around the country and didn't get those years with my Grandma.  I miss her now, and know she lives on in our family through her kids and grandchildren and great-grandchildren.  I also know that she loved the Lord and is with Him.

Tending Roses reminded me of the fact that family is not always perfect, and not always easy, but they are still gifts from the Lord. I think, since my grandmother's death, we have all drifted a bit from each other.  Watching a similar issue being dealt with in the novel was helpful to me, because I know that I don't have to fix it.  I just have to love my family and accept who they are.

Lisa Wingate is wonderful at writing about the complexities that often exist in families.  The tension can be real, and misunderstandings can occur.  Often, things are left unsaid, or said in a way that just comes out all wrong.  The motives of the heart, the feelings inside, often aren't said. We get so busy in our lives, doing what we think is best, that we just don't spend the time we should with our loved ones.  Tending Roses displayed this perfectly, and the regret that often accompanies lost time and words left unsaid.

I look forward to Lisa Wingate's next work, and am planning a library trip this afternoon.

Is What We Have Enough?

It is so easy to trust in ourselves.  We often don't realize we are doing it.  We are accustomed to things being a certain way, and change is never easy.  When things change, we must ask ourselves where our trust lies.  Does it lie in our income?  Our nice home? Our spouse? Our good job?  Our health?

We know those things can disappear quickly.  Without trust in something bigger than ourselves, when one of those things disappears, will we stand?  Or will we collapse?

How many times will we pull ourselves up by the bootstraps before one snaps?

I received news earlier today that was discouraging.  It means our family will once again endure an income reduction.  While my husband's job is unaffected, we have lost a couple income sources that helped us.  So, now we attempt to endure on less.  

I felt that panic flow through me.  Thoughts slammed into my brain like punches. "Our budget is already strained."  "Christmas is coming." "I have medical expenses."  "What about the things we need?"

Then I remembered that God has me in the palm of His hand.  Things happen for His reasons, even when they are hard or unexplainable. He is my provider!  I can turn to Him any time.  He can bless us, sustain us, and hold us up... EVEN WHEN WE DON'T SEE HOW!  He will do those things, because He keeps His Word.

By leading me towards minimalism, He has already decreased the desire in me over the last few months to own more and more.  That doesn't mean I don't need things, or the kids don't need things, but we need less than we think.  

Often, we have leftovers in the fridge.  After Thanksgiving yesterday, I am sure many spent today snacking on turkey sandwiches and reheating stuffing.  But even on a normal week, I have noticed my fridge usually has a container or two of dinner.  It happened so often that I've come to realize that I cook too much.  After cooking for seven, I never adjusted to cooking for less.  Leftovers used to be eaten the next day by my husband, but the new job he started last year has him away from a microwave or refrigerator.  He often just makes a sandwich.  

Reducing the amount I cook will save some money.  Planning my meals helps also.  

There are things we can do to reduce expenses.  It's just easy to depend on that income flow and not the Provider of all our needs.  

There is something peaceful about praying and telling God, "You know our needs.  I'm trusting You."  

My mind can easily race to all the things I think I need.  Purposely setting instead to all He has blessed me with is challenging.  However, one path perpetuates dissatisfaction.  The other path breeds contentment.  One path floods my emotions with anxiety and fear.  The plot her path calms my mind and brings unexplainable peace.  

I must choose... 

Daily.

On purpose.

Setting my mind. 

Get Outside!

I was very discouraged today.  I tried new shoes.  Actually I bought them at Goodwill a few months ago.  They are great shoes, but I didn't try them on.  The result are two huge blisters on my feet.  So... Going outside the rest of the day with the snow couldn't happen.  I may have to wear slippers to the store tomorrow.

I was so bummed by it.  Silly, I know, but my outside time has become vital to me. From my morning walks to later walks with my loved ones to playing with my youngest or taking my nephew to the park, I have fallen back in love with being outside!

When I'm walking or enjoying the fresh air, the health issues I have don't bother me much.  The aching muscles and joints don't hurt.  In the house I always feel like I'm freezing.  Outside, when I'm walking and moving, even if I'm cold, I'm not freezing. Yes, I am hypothyroid.  I am getting treatment, but it is a S-L-O-W process.

I have noticed that the outside time is amazing for Megan.  She tends to focus a little better in our homeschool when I let her go outside, even if just to walk our dog.  Sending her outside to play in the afternoons, even when it's cold, means she sleeps better.  For an ADHD insomniac, these are remedies I like that don't include medication.

Lately I've been spending a lot of time remembering who I used to be.  I was an outdoor girl as a child.  Being outside did not stop my reading obsession.  There was always a tree to read under or a fence line to walk (while reading). I remember the girl that loves adventure, on one Grandmother's farm or with the other going to the theater and out to eat. 

I'm remembering the young woman I used to be.  Before I was a Christian, before I became a stay at home wife and mother, I was a woman that traveled a little.  I feel like God is reminding me of who I was, because she isn't dead. 

As a new Christian, I buried my past.  The old me is gone.  I'm a new creation, right?  But, God created me.  The mistakes I made and the sin I chose and the shame and guilt, that should be gone.  Christ took that upon himself. For some reason, I let go of all the things that made me who I am because I felt that person didn't have much value.

The things I loved, I laid aside.  Being outside with my kids became them playing outside while I made dinner.  The fun travels were usually substituted by doctor's appointments and soccer games and friends... All for the children.  A couple times a year the hubby and I would go out for an evening.  

It wasn't until recently that the 'ole travel bug came back.  Mostly, I just felt cooped up.  I liked going for walks outside. It didn't feel as strenuous as working out inside.  It relaxes me.

I began considering the differences in how I grew up and how my youngest daughter is growing up. I realized she needs to be outside AS MUCH AS POSSIBLE. Yes, her ADHD would be helped, but I also believe spending hours outside is an education in itself. 

Snow and cold temps make it a bit discouraging at times.  My walking shoes aren't waterproof.  The blister-makers from Goodwill may keep the water out, but the pain isn't worth it to me. And it's the holiday season.  Extra funds for waterproof shoes will have to wait. 

Longing to be outside opens the door to more nature walks, more field trips, and more time to just get away.  It definitely opens the door to adventures. 

Get outside and have some adventures.

For Such a Time as This

God knows what He is doing.

Tomorrow we start school.  School... the regular life, the routine, the mundane.  My girls aren't overly excited.  They don't hate school, but they love summer.  I understand that love of summer.  What's not to love (other than mosquitoes)?  The girls went on a missions trip, went swimming, visited friends, enjoyed cookouts, and got to be lazy a lot more often than the rest of the year.  The routine, the mundane... it can get B-O-R-I-N-G!

As an adult, I feel it.  I feel an urgency in my spirit to DO something, to live differently.  I blogged about this the other day in keep treading water or swim.  Life is changing, and I feel God wanting me to live more intentionally, more in the moment, and more simply.  I get rid of some excess clutter.  I long for family times with children that are growing way too fast.  I have the urge to make memories and have stories to tell of adventures, instead of stuff cluttering up everything.

Last night I had a little accident.  I did something I know could be costly, but I had done it a hundred times before without issue.  I take a bath in the evenings often.  I often have insomnia and the bath will relax me so I sleep better.  I often read in the tub.  I have been trying to read real books in the evening, because I have seen research that reading on devices, such as phones or tablets, can mess with the release of melatonin and make insomnia worse.  However, I was in the middle of articles online and decided to read them in the tub instead of searching for a paper book.  As you can guess, the results didn't go as planned.  It's ironic to be reading about ideas for simplifying life online, only to accidentally knock your brand new smartphone into the bath tub.

I took it out and immediately dried it off and powered it down.  I have had it off all day.  I am praying it works... but I am having doubts.  I will probably have to pay a large deductible.  So... I haven't made my life simpler financially.  And yet, all day, as I reached for the phone, and it wasn't there, I would feel that tinge of loss.  But... I noticed I wasn't distracted.  I took my nephew outside to play at the end of a church dinner... and I played with him!  I didn't just supervise his play, while mostly looking at my phone.  I watched a movie after church with my family, and I actually watched it!  I wasn't half-watching while playing Candy Crush.  All day I kept thinking of the message the pastor had preached today.   

The pastor today was preaching on prayer.  I was taking notes and enjoying the message.  Then, he said something that gave me one of those moments of pause... those moments when you just know that God was sending a message just for you.  He said, "Devotion to prayer takes time and should be done daily.  It should be done because life is hard and we need Him to walk through it with us.  It should be done because God is real.  Time with Him transforms us.  Finally, we should be devoted to prayer because we have a destiny.  There is a purpose in your life, even when it feels mundane.  Life can be mundane, with ups and downs breaking the mundane moments occasionally.  We are all bought into the world 'for such a time as this.'  These such a time as this moments can happen unexpectedly."

Do we miss those "such a time as this" moments because we are distracted?

Some of my dreams and plans, for simplifying life, for living in the moment, are so I don't miss those "such a time as this" moments.  Decluttering, scaling back are all so that I am not so distracted that I miss the life and the plans God has for me.

Elizabeth George wrote something that stayed with me these last few months.  She said, "Don't major in the minors."  What is most important?

I was reading through my girls' homeschool curriculum recently and came across a teaching on choices.  In the teaching a grandfather was talking about what he would do differently if he could go back in time.  He stated that he would have found more quiet places.  Sometimes people can get in the way of good thinking.  As long as we're always around talk and busy activities, we are likely to be involved with immediate events rather than taking the time to reflect on where we came from, why we are here, and where we are going in life. There are always things, people, and activities that keep me involved in things and distract me from God.  Anything that separates me from fellowship with God is bad.  Some things could be just distractions; others are sin.

I'll be honest... I probably won't be giving up my smartphone.  A forced fast from it is challenging, and I miss it.  However, I know God has lessons in this.  Other than to keep my phone away from the tub, I'm sure He wants to show me that getting rid of clutter is only one step in the process of simplifying.  Simplifying the distractions that keep me from Him might be another.  I use my smartphone for many things.  I'm wondering if I have taken it from useful tool to something almost as an idol.  Isn't an idol anything that takes the place of God?  Isn't my phone a distraction many times from God?

I'm expecting the lessons to be difficult.

But... I'm ready to learn them.

Longing for Adventure

Summer is flying by so quickly.  Soon schools will be starting.  I feel as if I was rushing most of the summer, and I forgot to enjoy it.  With a wedding, a play, VBS, a teen working, and my new decluttering project... Did I miss summer?

Tomorrow my youngest begins soccer. 

Time has flown by so quickly.  My husband and I are hoping for one more adventure before we begin our school year.  As we were talking, we both realized that we used to be different.  I know I was when I was younger.  I was up for an adventure, and I didn't have much money.  Life was an adventure at one point. 

Feet in the water, sand between my toes

I began thinking back over the years.  It seems like, somewhere along the way, I lost that spirit I once had.  Was it when I had more than a hold or two?  Was it when I began to stay home with the children?  Was it when I was more consumed by bills and groceries than living my life?

I have lived in many places in the United States.  I've traveled through roughly 42 of our great 50 States.  And yet, for the last sixteen years, I've barely been through five or six.  

I don't know if it's a mid-life crisis thing or if God is just doing some shaking, but I long for a bit of adventure again.  I long to travel and make new memories with my children and husband. I'm not sure if we'll be able to go far or do much, but I'm excited to try. 

Life got complicated along the way.  I want to uncomplicate things. We'll see where God takes me on this path He has me on.  

Learning Self-Acceptance

Who am I?

I have learned that I have to like who God created me to be.  The things I do and like and believe have changed over the years.  My personality traits and quirks have been toned down here and there by the leading of the Holy Spirit. 

My Sis and my Meggy

Earlier this evening my youngest daughter and baby sister got to act and sing together in the musical, Oklahoma.  It was the final night, and the entire cast was fantastic.  My sister is amazingly talented.  My youngest already loves the stage.  

My oldest daughter is also a lover of the stage.  She was in theater for years and sings worship on stage nearly every Sunday.  

My next three daughters love singing, but didn't like acting all that much.  Singing is a love most in my family share, but being in the limelight is not everyone's cup of tea... And that's perfectly fine. I hope all of my daughters know that who they are, who God made them, is beautiful and precious, whether they are singing on a stage or teaching teens about Jesus or working with an autistic boy or has a heart and plans to help abused children or loves writing stories.  God did not make us all the same.  He equipped each of us with different talents and gifts. 

My Daughters

I can say this wholeheartedly about my own children or my sisters, but I struggle believing it about myself sometimes.  I don't think very many people have told me that who I am is is special and good.  

I sometimes think, "Why don't I enjoy singing and acting on a stage like my sister and daughters?  I'm not overly shy.  I like singing.  I don't think I'm horrible at it.  It looks like fun. Why am I different?"

I wonder what it would be like to be told by others how they enjoyed something that I worked hard on and accomplished.  I'm sure that, if things in the past had been different, I could have been different.  But I was the girl that moved a lot and had trouble making friends.  I was the loner that found friends in books when I was so lonely at yet another new school where very few would talk to me.  I was the awkward girl with the frizzy curls and glasses and unstylish clothes. 

I wonder sometimes "What if..."

My husband and me on our Anniversary last year.

And I realize that I wouldn't trade a thing. I am not shy because I had to meet many different people growing up.  I am not intimidated meeting people from different backgrounds or education levels. Moving like a gypsy, going to four high schools in four years made making friends difficult, but it helped me to be me.  I can homeschool with confidence because  I know that friends are nice, but peer dependency often isn't.  I want my daughters to be who God made them, not who they think will help them fit in or be popular.  

God gave me an inquisitive mind that loves to read and research. He allowed me to move often to give me a love of different people and places. 

Me and four of my girls

The Butterfly Effect says to change one thing would change everything.  While there were things I didn't think I would survive while in the midst of them, when I see each of my very special daughters or my amazing husband, I would change nothing.  

It took me awhile to get my heart right with God.  I'm still a work in progress in many areas. I think He sees each of His children the way I see mine. I think He sees their gifts and talents as wonderful, whether they are on a stage representing Him or serving Him in a way that doesn't bring the applause. 

My husband with our youngest

I was very proud of my youngest tonight, and I told her so.  She had worked hard and it showed.  I wondered at that moment if I had conveyed to the others how proud of them I am, whether their gifts take them to a stage or not. My intention is for them to know, and I believe in living intentionally.

At the same moment I wondered if I had let my daughters feel my love and joy for who they are, God showed me that He feels the same about me. He created me, through the innate traits He placed inside me, to the environments He allowed me to be in to mold and sculpt me, to the moment His Spirit led me into a relationship with Him and I was reborn.  I am still me, but now those things that are me, He wants to use for Him. 

Me

I love that my sister gets to have a piece of her dream.  For awhile I felt as if God had taken away my dreams.  But I feel as if He is placing new dreams in my heart.  I probably won't ever be on stage, singing under the lights, hearing the applause.  That's okay. I'll cheer on those that love it and bring me joy watching them, with the knowledge that God's plans for me may not be the same, but they aren't less.

A Change Deep Down to Eliminate Clutter

I am exhausted, but I can't quit now.

Last night I was up until one in the morning decluttering and cleaning my kitchen... And I only made it halfway.  Once you begin opening cabinets and reorganizing, eliminating, and wiping it all down, the job grows bigger and bigger.

CHAOS!

Oh, but how awesome it is to have even one section of my counter totally cleared off except for the coffee maker.  It's a big section too!  

I have been looking and praying about how to get my kitchen clean and orderly, even a tad bit minimalistic.  Well, I may not hit minimalism, but progress is better than living with the stress and clutter and chaos that has accumulated.  

Some organized dishes in the cabinet I inherited from my Grandmother.

I always kept most of my appliances on my counter.  However, lack of counter space has frustrated me since we moved here.  Yesterday I ran into a couple of articles on Pinterest (research mode) about clearing nearly EVERYTHING off the counter.  At first I thought, she (the author of the article) is crazy!  Where would I put it all?

Then I realized that if I minimized enough stuff, I would have plenty of room.  I had already been planning to utilize my Grandma's china cabinet as more than just a place to show off knick-knacks.  

Already, despite the mess getting bigger before better, I am enjoying the clean, uncluttered, organized parts I have finished.  To me, that is surprising.  I've never been very neat or organized.  I've always had a tough time keeping things tidy. The fact that I like little breakable pretties, and have given too much sentimental value to "things", hasn't helped me in my organized-challenged life.

Plastic!

From deep within me I have this desire that has been building over the last few months to shake up my world. I don't mean this in the activist, change the world, kind of way.  I mean this in the deep, quiet, just knowing kind of way.  For too long I held that "get more" mentality. Maybe it's that American Dream thinking I held on to for way too long, where I thought I would have it all.  I have always lived the way so many live, for the next thing to buy. 

I realized not long ago that I will never be able to "have enough" if I keep thinking this way.  I am the "poor" sister in my family.  I love my sisters immensely and am extremely blessed that they are so amazing.  They both have a bit of a different reality than I do at times. I can't take the trips or have all the "nice" things.  I have never had a new car... Or new furniture.  I realized that I've been collecting "stuff" to give me value.  How many times do we hear, "I like my stuff."  Even if we don't hear it blatantly, every time a commercial plugs a new, great thing, the consumer is left with the feeling that the new, great thing is just what they need.  My weakness hasn't usually been the big ticket items, such as the cars or the fancy furniture.  I usually seem to gain a lot of books and knick-knacks and homeschool curriculum and kids' toys.  Spending smaller amounts than those that make more, accumulating my version of "stuff." 

Until it began to overwhelm my whole life.    

It's freeing to change the way you think.  Like the flipping of a switch, I realized that I didn't need to be looking forward to the next purchase.  I'm by no means a shopping addict, but I have always felt that I didn't have as much as other people.  I didn't have the nice things or the big house.  Insecurity, yes, has been a root issue. I was always a kid that was in the working class family.  Money was rarely there.  When it was, I bought stuff.  

I'm sick of stuff.  The Bible certainly doesn't back up collecting a ton of stuff. I would read verses such as this:

“Store your treasures in heaven, where moths and rust cannot destroy, and thieves do not break in and steal.”

Matthew 6:20 NLT

I would think that my treasures weren't all that important to me, but still collected them relentlessly.  

A few years ago I read Radical, by David Platt, and I got a bit of a wake-up call.  It wasn't enough to change me though.  Recently, upon discovering Amish heritage, I realized how their intentionally slow lifestyle and limited things is purposely set up to keep them connected to God, family, and community. While I won't be joining an Amish church, I am sure that American's obsession with things is an idol.  

I can't do the clutter and chaos any longer!  So, as I continue on this journey of simplifying my life, if only to spend more time intentionally with The Lord and my family, I plan to keep blogging about the ups and downs. 

Decluttering Project

One of the largest obstacles in decluttering in our home is the storage closet. I was tempted to toss everything into the garbage.  But... That would cost me money in the long run.  I would hate to replace all our Christmas decorations.

The Chaos Begins!

Plus, my pictures are irreplaceable.

However, my husband and I dug in.  The result?  Bags and boxes are loaded into the back of my husband's truck for donation.  I tried being ruthless.  For the most part, I surprised myself at how easy it was to discard so much.  But... Then I came across a box of my kids old art work and (sigh) couldn't part with it.  I think I'll Pinterest ideas on creative ways to use some of it.  I also kept some old cards.  I know... Useless clutter, but some of those cards are from beloved family members that are no longer with us. Again, I want to find a way to preserve some of the memories.

I doubt I'll ever reach the "minimalist" level that I've read about.  However, minimizing and organizing and getting rid of things is kind of like a drug.  Once you start, you don't want to stop.  I find myself asking myself what I really want, really need.  I am discovering that I really am not as attached as I thought to our stuff.  It's just stuff!  

The ultimate goal of all this decluttering is to create a less stressful atmosphere in my home.  Less to take care of means less stress.  It also means more time, time to focus on the Lord, time to focus on my children, time to slow our pace down. I like how many books and blogs label this sort of life - intentional living.  

Life is short, and mindlessly collecting "things" is not the same as truly living.  As a Christian, I've come to believe that a life full of spending money to have a bunch of things is money that could be spent more wisely.  First, the money should go to further the kingdom.  Imagine if Christians did without a few "things" and sponsored a child through a group like Compassion International.  What impact would that have on world hunger?  Poverty?  What if every Christian in America gave what they could to organizations that fight the sex trade? We could obliterate it!

As for our those in our lives, I have come to believe that giving experiences is priceless.  I think my children would remember the family excursions more than yet another toy that ends up in the bottom of the toy box.  I think appreciation for things increases if a child is taught that possessions shouldn't be plentiful and easily replaced. 

We haven't eaten at our dining room table for a long time.  Why?  It's been buried in stuff.  I want that changed. I want to enjoy my loved ones, and I am frustrated that we've gotten away from eating together at the table.

Today will be another day of "going through stuff."  I'm a bit excited.  It's like an adventure to a new life. 

Coming Home Soon

My girls are headed to the airport.  I won't see them until tomorrow morning, but I'm excited that they had such a great week in Alaska!

The scenery looks so incredibly beautiful. I had to share a couple pics the girls have sent.

Vacation Bible School Fun

While three of my older girls have been in Alaska this week, my youngest was able to participate in a local VBS.  She loves VBS and always has a good time.

I love all the local churches that work so hard to put on VBS.  these are wonderful memories for these children.  So many hear about Jesus at VBS.  The children that already know Jesus, they fall more in love with Him with every story and game and act of love by caring adults.  

If you get the opportunity, take your children to VBS this year.

And They're Off...

Three of my girls are headed to the airport to fly to Alaska for a short-term missions trip.  I am so proud of them, and nervous too!

Laura, Kim, and Jasmine - Alaska bound!

I pray for their safety.  I pray that God touches each of their lives in a major way.  I pray that he fills their hearts with His love for others.  

I know the experience will be educational.  Laura has never flown before.  Neither Laura nor Jasmine have seen the Rocky Mountains.  Kim went on a missions trip to Alaska a couple years ago when she was in college.  It touched her greatly. 

Kim standing on the Bering Sea in Alaska in 2013.

I am so excited for them, even as my mommy heart cries out in prayer and already misses them.  

Commissioned To Go

In a few days three of my daughters will be going on a short-term missions trip to Alaska.  This morning they were commissioned by the pastor of my daughter's church (who is helping sponsor the trip) for the journey ahead.

This will be the first missions trip, other than local projects, that Jasmine and Laura have taken.  It will be Laura's first plane ride!  Both girls are excited and nervous at the same time. 

I will be praying the entire time for God to do amazing things on this trip.  I will also be praying for their safety and health.  

It is a bit tough to let my girls go so far away without me, but I know that they will be with their big sis.  I also know that God will be with them every step of the way.

Seven Years, Seven Lessons - Lesson 3

God Is The Foundation

While there are many types of homeschoolers today, and many that homeschool for a variety of reasons, I homeschool for God.

When I first felt like I wanted to homeschool my children, I didn't come up with the idea because of problems at the local school or because I thought my child would learn better at home.  We faced school issues with a child a few years later. Yes, my children learn better at home than in a classroom.  However, the first tug in my heart to homeschool was from God.

I was teaching Sunday School.  In my class were three young children that seemed to stand out from the rest.  They were polite, smart, and soft-spoken.  They had manners.  I realize that this had just as much to do with their parents as it has to do with homeschooling, but these children impressed me.  They were knowledgeable about the Bible and showed a heart for the Lord.  These homeschooled children stood out, and I liked what I saw.  They didn't meet the typical image of "homeschooled" children that I had preconceived in my mind.

For weeks I thought about and prayed about homeschooling.  I researched everything I could find.  Approaching my husband with the idea, I was nervous.  When he told me he wanted to think about it, I was petrified that he would say no.  I was just as nervous that he would say yes.  After a few days, he said he thought we should "try it for a year". 

All along this journey, I have had a deep desire to have God be the center in our school.  I want to teach my children from a Christian point of view.  I have chosen curricula over the years to support this.  I have learned just as much as my children... maybe more... about the Lord and His work in science, history, and even math.  I have worked to ensure we always had Bible time.  I wanted my children to be grounded in the Lord, to KNOW the Bible, not just about the Bible.

Bible Story Book

In the beginning, I would use Bible storybooks and devotionals for our Bible time lessons.  This worked fine with my then third grader.  I eventually moved to other materials that were more study material that stories.  We've used many different things.  I loved Heart of Dakota's materials where the Bible lessons went with the history.  However, right now we are using a workbook program that has slowly gone through the Old Testament.  Next year we will begin Life of Christ, and the following year the Gospels.  I truly believe that God's Word will not return void.  The more we study the Word of God, the more I feel this impacts the hearts of my children.

One thing that has made all the difference is studying the Word of God together.  Even my eight year old has listened in on lessons for years.  I will go over the lesson with my older girls, letting the youngest listen in.  We go through the questions together.  Many times the youngest will know the answer.  Later, she will read the lesson in her Bible workbook, which is written at a lower level.  She will then have her own questions or project to coincide with the lesson.  Obviously, the older girls' material is much more in-depth.  There are days that the younger child won't have a Bible lesson because it isn't material that most would schedule for a second grader.  That is fine.  She has still listened to her sisters' lesson.  Plus, we still do devotionals and have a lot of Bible material in our everyday schoolwork. 

I absolutely LOVE our Bible time.  I have gotten so much from my years of teaching and reading.  In the early years, I hadn't been a Christian for long, and much of this material was new to me.  Over the years, I have discovered that these "children's lessons" have given me a knowledge that, sadly, many adult Christians don't have.  I read recently that 95% of all Christians have never read their Bible all the way through.  This makes for a lot of Biblically illiterate Christians.  

How can you follow something you don't know?  How can you serve a God that you only know through Sunday sermons?  Much of our schoolwork takes us to our Bible.  Bible time for us has evolved from stories to actual reading the Bible, answering questions from our Bible reading, and discussing.  

I use a curriculum for a couple of reasons.  First, the lessons are broken down into manageable sections.  When I study my Bible for me, I tend to get lost and take a long time.  While that is fine, it might create problems if we never get to any other subject in school.  Also, the curriculum has stuff that I wouldn't think to add... like geography of the area, cultural lessons about the time period and various people groups, and archeological evidence and artifacts from the time.  

My son-in-law, a pastor, looked at our Bible curriculum recently.  He was looking through it one day and stated that He hadn't learned some of what we were learning until Bible College.  To me, that meant the world to me, because I know I am giving my children quiet a bit of theology and Bible history, and those lessons will remain with them the rest of their lives.

It has become very popular for Christian homeschoolers to attempt to use the Bible as a basis for all lessons.  I think this is wonderful... if you can do it.  For me, I like having everything simple and easy to plan.  I like adding extras occasionally, and having variety in our learning.  However, I tried to stem our history, science, and even English lessons from the Bible, and I was overwhelmed.  I bought the entire Weaver curriculum (including the high school levels), because it does just that... but found that it didn't flow well for us.  I have kept the curriculum, however, because I love to use it for ideas for projects and even just notes about what we are learning.

Right now we are using CLE Lightunits for our Bible.  My youngest is in the second grade level.  My older two are using the Sixth Grade Level.  Christian Light Publications has this amazing Bible program that goes all the way up through the High School Levels.  I could have easily picked the upper levels of study.  However, I chose to use the lower levels for a couple of reasons.  First, since we do our Bible study together, the Teacher's Guide is very  important.  The high school levels only have an answer key.  The wealth of information in the Teacher's Guides is simply amazing. 

Secondly, I wanted to go through the Bible slowly.  A couple years ago I was praying for direction for our homeschool.  I knew that my time was limited with my step-daughter, since she would only get to homeschool for high school.  I was stressing about academics, since she had been labeled in public school as LD.  God told me to not stress about the academics, but to make sure that she was grounded in the Word of God.  Her Bible teaching had been sporadic, and I felt that the Lord wanted to make sure she had a solid foundation before she graduated and went out into the world.  The lower levels of CLE's Bible begins in Grade five with a two year study of the Old Testament.  Grade Seven covers the Gospels and Grade Eight covers from Acts to Revelation.  The lessons allow me the ability to go more in-depth if I desire.  There are suggested activities the students can do listed in the Teacher's Guides. Sometimes we will come to a point where I will want to add to the study, and that is easy to do.  For instance, we just covered Nebuchadnezzar's dream of the statue.  I had some extra information on what each level of the statue meant and how it related to history and even to prophecy and current events.  All of this easily bumps the level of work to the high school level.  Like I said, my son-in-law is a pastor and graduated just a couple years ago from Bible College, and he was impressed with the depth of the studies.

My step-daughter used a different program her freshman year for New Testament Survey.  She will only make it through the Gospels (or Life of Christ) before she graduates.  And, when the Lord told me to not stress over the academics, I still stressed... a little.  But homeschooling has given my step-daughter a great education.  She gets the one-on-one she needs when she needs it.  If she doesn't understand a concept, she can slow down and repeat until she does.  She is doing well in her schooling.  God was right.  I didn't need to stress.  And, she is getting a great foundation in the Word that she will have with her the rest of her life.

None of this "Bible" time that we do for school includes what we do for life.  Our lives are entrenched in the Word.  Nearly every school subject is approached from a Biblical worldview.  Our  daily lives and our home is filled with the Word. While I hope and pray that they never falter in their devotion, I also realize that, eventually, I can only pray for them and encourage them.  They will have to make their own choices.  My hope is that the disciplines and habits they have built now will only increase their hunger for the Lord.

The last seven years has brought about many changes in our Bible time.  I have learned so much from teaching my children the Word of God.  There is something about teaching the lessons, reading them and planning them and speaking them out for your children, that impacts the teacher profoundly.  I don't know if I would have grown as much as I have if I only studied for myself (which is important) or listened to sermons.  The very simple lessons, often with a physical object lesson, has stuck with me more than it has my children, I believe.  Yes, they have absorbed and learned and grown.  I see them following Christ, wanting to impact the world for Him. But I know that my journey with the Lord would not be as deep, as solid, and as devoted if I had not obeyed the Lord in homeschooling my children for Him.

 

What Is My True Mission Field?

I write a lot about homeschooling on this blog.  A few years ago I changed the name of my blog from what it was (not important) to Home Mission Field after a missionary came to my church.  He talked about how not everyone will go to a foreign land for mission work, but that we all live in a mission field.  If we just looked at the people in our lives, the ones we see day to day, as our mission field, we could change the world for Christ.  Each life we touch for Jesus will then go out and do the same.

After some prayer, I realized the missionary was correct.  I would love the adventure of foreign missions, and have friends that are moving their entire young family with five children to Zambia to be full-time missionaries.  

But... That isn't what God has called my family to do. God called me to homeschool my children, and for seven years I have obediently followed what He asked. I have kept my journey online, blogging about curriculum choices and field trips and projects.  I've included some posts about my faith.  I written about some of the struggles we faced, including our time of unemployment and discovering our home was making us sick from mold.  

But lately I noticed my desire to write has not been as focused as it once was.  I began to ask God why, and I realized that I strayed from my original purpose.  Yes, blogging about our journey in homeschooling has helped me see just how far I have come, the lessons learned along the way, and the adventures we have had.  I'm sure God is not finished with them or us.

But... My home mission field is about much more than homeschooling.  I love homeschooling, and have no plans to stop posting about our learning adventures.  I have just found that, after a few years, we have settled into a groove of what works for us, and writing about it all endlessly isn't as intriguing for me as it was when everything was new. (At least not intriguing enough to write about daily.)

When I first began blogging, I did it all on my desktop.  Now, I still use my desktop, but I find I write a lot of posts from my smartphone.  I find that I have enjoyed the brief posts I have done about cash living or creating my heritage wall or my faith.

I find that I have other things God wants me to write about, and they all concern where God has me focused... On my Mission Field right here at home.  I long to write about marriage, since my marriage is a big ministry.  I want to write about homemaking, because so many feel that making a home is not something from God.  I want to write about education, not of just my children, but continued learning as a mom and an adult that can't afford to go back to college.

I sat down and began brainstorming ideas for what I could write, and the ideas kept coming.  Even as I'm in the middle of a series on homeschooling lessons I have learned through the last seven years, I am thinking about a series on marriage.  

Be prepared for changes coming to My Home Mission Field.  I think God is gonna do something with this little 'ole blog after all.  And if I never have a bunch of readers or do more than blog about what I feel God wants me to blog about, I will still have fulfilled His purpose.