Serenity for Your Soul: A Gabby Moms Review

"Suzy Homemaker is a myth of the world. Every day you will face something that you know you can't do. That's when you want to dive right in with the strength of the One who invented womanhood. Only then can you let Him do what you can't." Lorrie Flem, posted in Serenity for Your Soul

Take a moment to breathe in that breath of fresh air. Isn't it nice? Refreshing?

I read that quote a couple weeks ago when I received my Serenity for Your Soul newsletter, and my mind immediately recognized it as truth that I needed to hear, truth that most homemakers need to hear. In fact, I dare say I need to be reminded of this truth all the time because I am too often tempted to aim for the unrealistic perfection of Suzy Homemaker, which always leaves me feeling like a failure, and that is not what God wants for me or for you. Thank you, Lorrie, for reminding me of this wonderful truth!

This kind of truth as well as encouraging articles, humorous little quips, quotes, occasional recipes, and even a link to "Chick Flicks for Moms" (which you will love) could be coming to your inbox once each week, and it is completely FREE!!! I've been receiving this newsletter, Serenity for Your Soul, for quite a while, and I love it! 

I've subscribed to other newsletters before, and I always end up canceling them, but not this one. I look forward to reading it, and I am always encouraged by it. It takes less than 10 minutes to read, so it isn't time consuming, which is exactly what a homemaker needs, but it is rich with content. I always come away from reading it feeling like I received something great. This little newsletter written by Lorrie Flem of Eternal Encouragment is always overflowing with wisdom, virtue, encouragement, truth and the lovely, gentle manner in which Lorrie writes her Biblical words of encouragement for all homemakers like me.

This evening as I was working on vision therapy exercises with my son, I was able to use a story that Lorrie shared in that same weekly issue of the newsletter.  We often quote Philippians 4:13 (I can do all things through Christ who gives me strength.)during eye therapy sessions because it is pretty hard work. Tonight, I shared a story with Lukas which Lorrie had shared in a recent issue of the newsletter about an Olympic diver who relied on the truth in that same verse and was able to achieve a gold medal in spite of difficult circumstances. Lukas' eyes lit up with excitement, and he dug into the task at hand with vigor. Serenity for Your Soul may be for YOUR soul, mama, but you'll find little jewels to strengthen those you love also!

You can sign up for Serenity for Your Soul by going to www.eternalencouragement.com and scrolling down just a little. You'll see a box that says, "Sign Up For Our Newsletter." If you sign up right now, they'll also send you a free e-book called Organizing Happiness. That sounds great, doesn't it? I don't know anyone who couldn't use a little more happiness. I also highly recommend that you explore the Eternal Encouragement website a little while you're there. You'll find that it is overflowing with wonderfulness (I'm sure that's a word, right?).

This post was written in accordance with the Gabby Moms program. I was in no way compensated for this review.

The Homeschool Mother's Journal

In my life this week...

This was the first normal week we've had since well before Christmas, and it was only mostly normal. On December 26th in the evening, I knew that the "minor" sinus infection I had been fighting since Thanksgiving had decided to become something worse. I had a fever, but I ignored it because Lukas had a vision therapy appointment the next afternoon. We left super early on the 27th because Eric had an early morning meeting, and I am ashamed to tell you that by mid-morning, I parked in a parking lot and took a nap while my children watched a movie in the back of the van because I was THAT sick and couldn't even consider going anywhere to kill time (our original plan) because I was so miserable. Seriously. The next day, I was in urgent care with a temp of 103 and pneumonia. So, this week? It doesn't have much of a story to tell except that I left the house twice yesterday, and neither trip involved a doctor or pharmacy.

In our homeschool this week...

Both kids have also been sick, so school during this month hasn't exactly been productive until this week. This is a bummer (there just isn't a formal word that works as well as bummer sometimes) for me because we usually bust through school during the winter months. I am not going to dwell on what we didn't get done. I am choosing to rejoice in what we accomplished this week and the fact that the three of us are almost well again! For Five in a Row, we have been reading The Finest Horse in Town, which is absolutely delightful. Ava has been struggling with reading, but it's mostly in her attitude. Math is going well for both kids. We had a fabulous science lesson the other day in which I learned so much about dinosaur sightings throughout time, even within the last century! I had no idea. I love Answers in Genesis science!

Helpful homeschooling tips or advice to share...

I have this tendency to allow myself to get caught up in the whole "We're getting behind!!!" hoopla. It is only hoopla, you know? The truth is, we aren't behind because we aren't following the guidelines of a cookie-cutter educational system. We're homeschoolers for many reasons, and this is one them. Even though I know this, I am still tempted to succumb to this thought pattern, which is why, if you are like me, I recommend staying away from boxed curricula that have everything perfectly laid out for you, week by week. I have nothing against this type of curriculum, and it served me well when I wanted something to help structure our days. However, last year, I found that it only caused me anxiety to see that we were on week 15 when we "should" be on week 17 or 18. God has laid the plans for what your children should be learning this year. Take things as they come and relax. Chances are, your children are ahead of their public schooled peers in many, many ways anyway!

I am inspired by...

Truth and integrity and the people who choose them even when it is hard.

Places we're going and people we're seeing...

Tomorrow, we're going to Lukas' Upward basketball game, and then Eric is working in the afternoon. The kids and I will hang at home for the rest of the day. On Sunday, we are actually going to church. I haven't been to church since Christmas, so I am SUPER excited about it. We're also going to my parents' house for lunch, which is another thing we have not been able to do since before Christmas. It's going to be a great weekend!

My favorite thing this week was...

Getting out of the house for something besides a doctor's appointment was definitely the highlight of my week. As far as schoolwork goes, that dinosaur lesson was a family favorite!

What's working/not working for us...

I need to restructure our routine again. Ava's reading lesson has been kind of pushed out of the routine, not purposefully, but it has. Of course, we're still doing her lesson; we're just doing it too late in the day. Since she doesn't want to do it anyway, it would be better if we got it out of the way earlier in the day. It's better from an educational perspective as well. Monday, we will take the plunge after I spend some time tomorrow figuring out the best plan of action.

Questions/thoughts I have...

Sometimes, Godly people are the target of unjust situations. Sometimes, those unjust situations are caused by people very close to us, which is heartbreaking. Sometimes, those people don't own up to what they have done because they lack integrity among other things, and that just plain hurts. I know because we are there. I am constantly trying to remind myself that what Jesus went through on the cross was so much worse than what our family faces, but I am not always successful. Sometimes I wallow. Do you ever wallow? Then I feel guilty for wallowing, and I pray and thank Jesus for all that He did for us. As unjust as things can be, Jesus knows injustice better than anyone. Talk to Him if you are going through an unjust situation. He will love you through it! I am counting on Him to love us through this because this...is hard.

Things I'm working on...

Mostly, I've been working on getting well, but I've also been working on not allowing roots of bitterness to grow in my heart or anger to burden my soul. This can be easier said than done, but I am relying on the Lord to help me through this!

I'm reading...

To the kids...Island of the Blue Dolphins, which is my absolute, all-time, favorite book!

For myself...Little Women (Love the movies. Now it's time to grow up and read the book.)

I'm cooking...

Homemade pepperoni/mushroom pizza on spelt crust with cheddar cheese. Tomorrow I'm making lemon brownies to take to a church dinner on Sunday evening.

I'm grateful for...

I can't even describe how grateful I am for the circle of friends which the Lord has given to us. Friends who believe in us, know us, and never doubt our allegiance to Christ. We have friends praying for us in far away places like New York, California, Pennsylvania, North Carolina, Minnesota, and right here in Ohio (and I'm sure I forgot someplace). This is a blessing that I could never have imagined, and we are eternally grateful for the support network which the Lord has given to us. God is awesome, and He gave us amazing friends!

I'm praying for...

A friend who faces daily a challenging situation with her soon-to-be teen among other issues on her full plate, a friend who filed for divorce this week, the 11 year old daughter of a friend who faces on-going health issues due to a congenital diaphragmatic hernia and is showing signs of a possible issue, a family member facing health issues, and the situation in which we find ourselves that is sometimes overwhelming and lays heavy on our hearts at every moment, bringing us to Jesus throughout every single day.

A photo/video/link/quote I'd like to share...

"The Lord will fight for you; you need only to be still." Exodus 14:14

To read other Homeschool Mother's Journal entries, click on the box at the beginning of this post, or join us by writing your own and linking it to the post by The Homeschool Chic!

Dear Mothers of Traditionally Schooled Children

I sincerely don't know how you do it. 

Homework in the evening? Oy. It just doesn't work for us. I can't imagine having to do it every single day of the week. Any educator will tell you that children do their best work in the morning. This is why if you have the opportunity to see the schedule of a primary grade child, you will not see things like art, music and PE happening in the morning. Reading and math need the morning.So why do they send all that homework for you to oversee with your child in the evening hours? When they are mentally exhausted from a day of schoolwork? When their little bodies need to run, ride bicycles, skate and climb trees?

I sincerely don't know how you do it.

We generally have a pretty good school routine in our house. The kids do things like piano practice, typing practice, personal devotions and basic chores before school starts. After our morning family Bible study, they do their independent work which usually includes copy work, handwriting practice, writing in their journal and math (depending on whether or not a new lesson is being introduced that day). While they are doing their independent work, I have my daily quiet time with God. I love that time. If the kids finish before me, then they quietly play upstairs or in the basement until I am done.

After my quiet time, I usually read-aloud to the kids. Right now we are reading Island of the Blue Dolphins by Scott O'Dell. This is my favorite book ever written. We then move onto Five in a Row, which, technically, Lukas doesn't have to do, but he loves being a part of it, so he does it with us every single day and sometimes even reads the story to Ava for me. Five in a Row is a primary grade curriculum based on literature study. You read a picture book five days in a row. Various activities are completed with Five in a Row that can span any school subject. Last week, we read The Salamander Room. One day, the kids drew their own salamander rooms complete with everything the salamander needs in its environment. Art. Science. Check. Another day, I read math story problems to them all based on the book. Real life math. Check. This time of read-aloud and Five in a Row is our favorite time of the day.

After Five in a Row, we move onto the things which my children each need my direct attention. Reading, language arts, new math lessons for Ava (Lukas uses Teaching Textbooks, a computer program, and is completely independent), science, history, writing exercises, art or whatever is in the plan book each day. Sometimes, reading gets pushed to the end of the day. Today was that day.

Did I mention that I sincerely don't know how you do it? This is why.

It is as if my daughter's brain shuts off around 3:00 each afternoon, which is interesting since she has never been to a traditional school and that is the same time that most of your children are turning off their brains for the day as well. As I said, educational theory tells us that children do their best learning in the morning. I know this. I do have a piece of paper acknowledging my education degree lurking in a box around here somewhere. Maybe if I hung my diploma on the wall where I could see it I would be reminded to actually use this knowledge of educational theory? Or not.

If I know that I know that I know this...then why do I do this to myself? Why do I ever allow reading to get pushed to the end of the day? Why do I not insist that she read to me every single day, before lunch, before read-aloud and Five in a Row? I don't know. Or maybe I do. We like this routine. We really do.

But...it may be time for a change. My children don't go to a traditional school. They are homeschooled. I have the great privilege of changing the routine when necessary, of tweaking it whenever it isn't working. As my child continues to learn to read, I don't have to have her read to me in the late afternoon or evening hours because of this great privilege I have.

And I am glad. Very, very glad.

Because, as I said, I sincerely do not know how you do it.

Today, my daughter survived her reading lesson. I survived her reading lesson. I briefly considered that she might be able to get through life reading like a first grader, but then I bucked up and listened to her finish reading to me from her reader. She did so standing in the middle of the living room because, when she was snuggled next to me on the couch, it took her 10x longer than it should have. She read 4 pages while standing in the middle of the room in the same amount of time that it took her to read 1 while sitting. Can you see my frustration? It wasn't that she couldn't read the lesson. She. Just. Didn't. Want. To. Do. It.

And if she were traditionally schooled, I would go through this every single day. You know she would be required to read every single evening, and it would be torture for both of us. You get so little time in the evenings with your child. If your child doesn't like reading or math or whatever other subject they bring home for you to oversee each evening, you know what I'm talking about. And because of that...

I sincerely don't know how you do it.

I am grateful for this calling and privilege I have to homeschool my children, to meet their educational needs as they change and grow with freedom. If ever my children have to attend a traditional school, I will figure all of these things out, but I hope that doesn't happen because...

I sincerely don't know how you do it.

Yours Truly,

One very harried but happy privileged homeschool mama

And She is 8

8 years old. Still so little, but so, so big. Ava thinks she is big, but I still see little. Baby dolls, Barbie dolls, ballet, watercolors, stuffed animals, doll houses, playdough...these are the things that fill her days. She roller skates and rides her bike and climbs trees and swings as high as she possibly can. She is noisy and active and wonderful.

And she is growing...too fast...so maybe she's right. Maybe she is big.

She cooks with me. She helps Daddy load the dish washer. She wants to sweep and mop the floors, but mama is a little controlling about clean floors. Sometimes I let her. Of course I do. This is how they learn.

She loves being read to. She takes adventures to Narnia via book, movie or pretend play. She describes herself as an artist. She dances, sings, paints and creates. She is a free spirit, but she loves Jesus.

She wants to make you happy, me happy, everyone happy. Feeling down? She will cheer you up. Feeling grumpy? She's the girl who will make you smile.

I find myself wondering often how I could be so blessed to have this little girl in my life. She wants to be with me all the time. She wants to snuggle on the couch to read or watch television or just for the sake of snuggling with me or with her Daddy, who has to be her favorite person in the whole wide world. She adores him (and he adores her). 

She wants to be like me. Crazy, right? She homeschools her American Girl dolls. She writes in a journal when she has her daily quiet time. She wants to be like me. This great privilege I have is also a great responsibility. I wouldn't trade it for the world. Because...

I adore this little girl. This little, big girl who is 8. She makes everyday better. God gave her to me to take care of, but on that day 8 years ago, I didn't realize that He gave her to me because I needed her as much as she would need me. Maybe more. And I am thankful. And I will cherish everyday with her.

Happy birthday, baby girl. I love you...more than these words can express. You take my breath away.

Hiatus

While no one has mentioned it, I think someone out there has probably noticed my blogging hiatus. Or maybe not. Either way, I'm back.

As I mentioned last month, I had pneumonia. Unfortunately, while I am much better, I still have "a little" pneumonia. This means that if I do everything I would do on a normal day, I end up collapsing in the late afternoon or evening, incapable of keeping my eyes open, completely exhausted. Tonight, for example, I couldn't make it to the end of Secretariat. It hit me so fast. I was watching Secretariat being led to the last race in the Triple Crown, and BANG! Sleep. The movie ended, and I remember Eric waking me to start our family devotional and, again, BANG! Sleep. This is not normal. I don't sleep unless I'm in bed. I especially don't fall asleep on the couch mid-evening for an hour and a half. Pneumonia is not something to mess with. Don't get it. 

On top of pneumonia, our family has been thrust into a very dark situation. It isn't something I can write about in my blog directly. I wish that I could. Unfortunately, someone very close to us has caused us to be in a very difficult position, and it is going to take a while to sort it out, if it can be sorted out. Because of this, I haven't felt like writing much. When someone does something this terrible, when your family is wounded and you can't really share it, it almost feels fake to write about the everyday stuff that's going on around here. That isn't my intention, and, someday, I may be able to write about this. That time just isn't now.

However...I'm at the point that I realize that I still want to write. I still need to write. I may not give the details of our situation, but know that it is there. I will write about the things that I normally write about because that's what I do. That's what helps me to get through everything. Writing is cathartic.  I'm not trying to be duplicitous. I'm just trying to get through.

Pray for us. We need your prayers more than I could ever have imagined we would.