Moving On

I am sorry for the lack of blogging I have done here. Recently I have started another blog which talks about my homeschooling journey (now that we are homeschooling).

BTW - I recently read this WONDERFUL article that I HIGHLY encourage you to read:
http://www.newswithviews.com/Vaughan/tricia9.htm

I am not sure how many of you feel about homeschooling, and while this woman is blunt (LOL!), she also speaks a lot about what direction we are taking in home education.

So my posts here will prolly continue to be less and less as my homeschooling blog gets more and more of my attention. Our families don't read this blog (I am not sure they ever did really), so there is no real reason to keep this blog (except for back posts as well as future non-homeschooly things).

To those of you who have enjoyed this blog, I thank you.

Joy, Thankfulness and Contentment

I have just finished reading To Train Up A Child for the second time (first time I didn’t really understand it). Anyways, I thought it was VERY interesting that the letter Michael Pearl wrote to his sons before they were even old enough to court/date addressed some things discussed in Chapter Two of CTTHHM. Some excerpts:

-=-=-
The second thing to look for in a wife is cheerfulness. Now some might ignore this qualification altogether, but I can’t emphasize too forcefully the value and practicality of this quality. A girl who is unhappy and discontent before marriage will NOT suddenly change afterwards. Everyone has trials and adversities. The happy, cheerful girl has learned to deal with them and still enjoy life. No man can make a discontented woman happy. A woman who does not find joy from a wellspring within will not find it in the difficulties and trials of marriage and motherhood.

Courtship is a garden in spring --- everybody’s looks promising; but marriage is a garden in August, when the quality of the soil and seed and the care to guard against pestilence, blight, and weeds begins to manifest itself. The fruit of the womb can be spoiled before germination. ... A girl who gets her feelings hurt and cries in order to manipulate you will be a ball and chain after you are married. Cheerfulness shows up best when things are not exactly the way she likes them.

The next quality to look for is thankfulness. When a young girl is unthankful toward her family or her circumstances, a change of environment and relationships is not going to make her thankful. Thankfulness is not a response to one’s environment, rather, an expression of the heart. Avoid a moody, unthankful, unhappy girl. If she is not full of the joy of living before marriage, she surely will not be afterwards.
-=-=-

I told my husband I was glad he did not read a letter like that before we met, otherwise we would never have married! And I am also thankful that God HAS changed me. I still need to work on the cheerfulness part. The thankfulness part comes a little easier. Especially when I read something like the letter I read and realize that if I had not married my man, I would prolly be divorced, not know the Lord, and be miserable.

Homeschooling Is Interesting

Wish I could take credit for this article, but I can't. It is LONG, but oh-so-WORTH-IT!

http://todayslessons.blogspot.com/2006/01/homeschooling-is-interesting.html

Save Money on Heating Bills AND Creative Homeschooling!!!

I have been having so much fun learning more and more about the type of schooling I want to do with our children (a combination of Mason, Moore, child-led and unschooling). I have such a concern for families who are doing public school at home. Homeschooling can be and SHOULD be SO MUCH MORE!! Yesterday's "science" lesson is a WONDERFUL example that has only occured as a result of what I have been learning from other ladies who are also doing this type of schooling.

I came across a GREAT article about homeschooling and creating a Heat Catcher to help reduce heating bills.

The original article about how to make the heat catcher is
http://www.bellaonline.com/articles/art36322.asp/zzz

The WONDERFUL way it was used in homeschooling is
http://www.creativehomeschooling.com/creativescienceheatcatcher.html

Be sure to check out other areas of the Creative Homeschooling site. This is such a wonderful site!!!

Babies - oh so CUTE!

My sister just sent me some pictures of her first baby (born in December). Oh they are so precious!! She is such a beautiful baby! You can see the love that her and her husband have for this baby of theirs. It makes me so anxious to see this little one growing inside me. To be able to hold him (yes, after three girls, God has seen fit to bless us with a boy), kiss him, snuggle him...

It also makes me look at my growing children with more love and admiration. Time goes SO FAST!! I look at my almost 6 year old (only two weeks away) and remember when she was that small. It brings tears to my eyes to remember those first few days of being a new mom. And now I look at the young lady she is becomming. Such a wonderful helper around the house. And a great teacher to her siblings too. She will make a great wife and mother some day! Glory to God alone for that.

We had some alone time today (she still has an hour quiet time, but after that, while her other siblings are sleeping, she and I have some alone time). I made my belly bare while she rubbed it. She felt the baby move for the first time (the baby has been moving for a while now, but this is the first time SHE felt it). The look of awe and wonder on her face was PRICELESS!! We came downstairs and I searched for web pages that would show her the baby growing inside the amniotic sac. She was FASCINATED!! We talked about veins and amniotic fluid. We talked about placentas and umbilical cords (she kept checking her belly button LOL!). We talked about nutrition. She was so fascinated by it all! And her most concerning question (she was so concerned for me and the baby) was why he kept kicking me. LOL!! I kept showing her how smushed baby brother was inside Mommy and he needs to stretch every now and then.

It was amazing the science lesson I got in with her in such a short amount of time! Who needs curriculum? :D

And even though my other two are still a bit young for all the science behind it, they are not too young to enjoy the baby. They know that baby brother is growing inside Momma. They like to hug and kiss the baby. And soon they too will be able to see and feel baby kicking inside Mommy. :D I wonder what discussions await when that time comes!! :D

COOL IDEA! Homeschooling meets scrapbooking

Check out these two posts!!

http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/funtoscrap/45008/

http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/MamaBugs/13371/

Two WONDERFUL articles on this subject. If they are older, they can do digital scarpbooking. But for younger ones, this is a great way for me to use up all those papers and stickers and stuff I bought when I was into paper scrapping. Of course my digital pages are a thousand times better than my paper layouts ever were!

I also remember seeing a whole scrapbook section at the county fair!! It was a contest! You didn't have to be part of 4H to enter (it was open to the public). This might be a great lesson for homeschoolers too (not just scrapping the homeschooling lesson, but also the lesson of entering contest and county fairs and stuff). Sorry my mind is so frazzled right now because of some personal stuff going on.

Anyways, these two posts will truely encourage you!!

Blessings!!!

Cooperation and playtime

I have noticed that now that we are REALLY cutting back on the amount of stuff we own (and that includes toys and games for the kids), that not only is it easier to keep house BUT my kids play so much better together! No more forced sharing or forced playing together.

Right now, my girls are all playing so nicely together. It is almost like watching a group of school girls who are best friends play together. They all follow each other and are happy to be with each other. It is amazing!! Before this I would always be saying things like "please share with your sister" or "please let so-and-so play with you." Now they seek each other OUT to play!! It is WONDERFUL!!!

Also, I had not really agreed with the Pearl's take on each toy having an owner. But with less toys, I have started assigning ownership of each game and toy. It is amazing how UNSELFISH they are now that they have ownership of their toys. There are a few group toys (legos, train set, etc.), but I have noticed that now there is no fighting over the peices, they all play TOGETHER and NICELY!!

And the house (which used to be full of yelling and screaming "THAT'S MINE!") is so full of LAUGHTER!! And HUGS (my girls never used to be so huggy before). It has brought much more joy and peace into our home.

Created To Be His Help Meet Accountability Worksheet for Chapter 1

I have decided that my second time through the book I am going to create an accountability worksheet to hold myself accountable. If you have been blessed by this, please let me know. And if you want to share it with others, please include a link to this website. Thank you!

1.“A wise woman doesn’t take anything for granted. She is thankful to be loved and seeks to make herself more lovely.”

Are you taking your husband for granted? Are you thankful to be loved? How are you expressing your thanks? Are you seeking to make yourself more lovely (remember this is more than just outward apperance, but apperance is included)? What are you doing to make yourself more lovely (inside and out)?

2.“You were created to make him complete, not to seek personal fulfillment parallel to him.”

Have you been seeking your own personal fulfillment instead of completing and serving your husband? Do you need to cut down on ministry at the church, women’s fellowship, or anything else in order to complete your husband and not seek your own personal fulfillment? Your fulfillment should come from completing your husband (and obedience to God’s word).

3.”It is not a question of whether or not you can do a better job than he; it is a matter of what you were “designed” to do. If you sucessfully do the job of leading the family, you will not find satisfaction in it. It is far better that the job be done poorly by your husband than to be done well by you.”

It is so easy in this world to think that we can do anything just as well, if not better, than a man. But there is no satisfaction (only unhappiness) when we try to do something that we were not created for, but our husband was. Do you have the attitude of “if I want it done right I have to do it myself”?? If so, repent to the Lord and your husband and allow your husband to take leadership. Pray and set those things before the Lord and watch Him work on your husband to take control.

4.”God made you to be a help meet to your husband so you can bolster him, making him more productive and efficient at whatever he chooses to do.”

How are you helping your husband to be more productive and effeicient at whatever he chooses to do? Notice the word “choose.” It doesn’t mean just stuff at his job/occupation. But whatever he chooses to do (I think this is especially difficult for wives of Mr. Visionaries). What changes do you need to make so that you can bolster him??

5.”A perfect help meet is one who does not require a list of chores, as would a child. Her readiness to please motivates her to look around and see the things she knows her husband would like to see done. She would not use lame excuses to avoid these jobs ... It is our job to learn how we can help our husbands in everyway possible.”

Sometimes it is easy to avoid doing things we know our husbands want us to do because he has not officially asked us. This is childish. Are you motivated to seek out ways to please/help your husband? Or are you using excuses (I’m too tired, I need a break, he never asked me to, he never said I couldn’t, etc.)? Take some time and look around the house. Make a list of some things you know your husband would like you to do. Now create a simple plan to accomplish those things and do it.

6.”I do have a choice in how good my marriage will be.”

Are you just accepting and growing stale in the state of your marriage? Change starts with YOU. What changes will you make (starting with your attitude/heart) that will work towards a good (make that GREAT) marriage??

(all quotes from Chapter 1 of Created To Be His Help Meet by Debi Pearl)

Are you a Proverbs31 woman?

I know that when I first got married, I thought I knew a lot about being a good wife and godly woman. Then I started wanting to learn more and more about this new role I had taken on. I was still a "baby" Christian and newly married (still under a year). I joined lots of women's ministry groups on the web.

And then I heard complaints from hundreds of women. They were all comparing themselves to the Proverbs 31 woman and found themselves coming up short. They complained that they never had time to read God's word and felt like a failure for it.

Then I became a mother, and more and more I was starting to badger myself for not measuring up to the Proverbs 31 woman and not spending hours upon hours of my morning (before anyone else was up) in the Word of God.

So with having daughters, I starting learning about the Titus2 woman. Now I was really a failure. I had never learned those things, how could I be expected to teach them to my daughters??

So ten years after starting my journey (and ten years of beating myself up because I fall so short), I have started to realize that while quiet time with the Lord is nice (and important), it is not the end all be all of being a good and godly wife/mother/woman of God.

Can anyone tell me WHERE in those passages of Scripture it talks about the woman/wife/mother spending time in God's word? I am not saying that it is not important to spend time in His word, but if we are going to compare ourselves to this Proverbs 31 woman, why are we bringing Scripture and the amount of time we spend in it into the picture?? Why are we beating ourselves up over the lack of time we are spending in God's word?

We are instructed in Duet. to dilligently teach God's word to our children. This is a WONDERFUL way to be in God's word throughout the day. While it may take a while for the children (especially the older ones) to accept this new routine, jump in and start reading God's word and discussing it with your children. Look for ways to incorporate Scripture into everyday living: when the children are disobedient, bring in relevant Scripture about how they are to behave; when looking at the beautiful outdoors, bring in relevant Scripture about how God created the world and how we are to care for it.

I have read in God's word about how to are to meditate on His word day and night. I have read in God's word that we are to make our request known before God. I have read in God's word about how we are to pray. I have read in God's word about how we are to sing praise to Him. I have read in God's word about how we are to teach of His lovingkindess and wonderous work to our chilren. I have read in God's word about how we are to share the turth and love of Jesus with others. All of these are things that can be done throughout the day with our children (even the meditating on God's word day and night can be done in the quiet times throughout the day while the children are napping or playing quietly).

Sarah and other women of the Bible whom we are told to admire and act after are commended on the way they loved their husbands, not on the amount of time they had in God's word. I have no doubt they did have those times of quiet with the Lord, and that they knew His word (most likely through their husband/family as I am not sure about them being able to read Scripture back then or that it had even been written down).

Ladies, I want to encourage you to stop beating yourself up because you are not able to spend hours of quiet time with the Lord (and how discouraging that can be for a new wife/mother who is looking for encouragement and sees these godly women she admires doing such a thing). There is a time and season for everything, and right now, we are in the season of raising our children. We can still get in those things we are commended to do (meditating on His word, teaching it to our children, etc.) without the hours of neglecting them in order to have that quiet time we feel we need with the Lord. He is ALWAYS with us (even in the midst of screaming children when it isn't so quiet). Be faithful in the "small" things right now (your children and teaching God's word to them, singing praises to the Lord and other things we are commended to do in His word) and once the children are grown and gone, you will have plenty of time to spend hours of quiet time with the Lord.

What Wives REALLY want

I cannot tell you how many times during the past .. oh ever since we first got pregnant years, I have wished and hoped that my husband would be more romantic and desiring of me. Like he was when we were dating or first married. I wanted the honeymoon to last forever! And with more kids, it seemed more and more romance was lost. My dh just didn't woo me like he used to.

How many of you women can relate to that?

Yet how many of us are willing to give our husbands those same things? I mean, when we first met them we took great care of ourselves. We looked great, smelled great, and never let him see us without our makeup on and hair made and teeth brushed. We worked hard to look good, made sure to smile at him often and laugh at his jokes. We made him feel important and special. I am sure that our husband's desire just as much of that part of us as we desire the romance/wooing part of him.

It amazes me how easily we women can dismiss our husband's needs (I am tired, I am overworked, I am stressed), yet when our kids throw-up or wake up scared in the middle of the night, we will rush to meet their needs. We will clean up the vomit. We will comfort them. And all done in love, no matter how tired, or overworked or stressed we are.

We need to show our husband's the same love and care that we show our children.

I noticed that during the past 6 months (ever since reading Romancing Your Husband and applying what I learned) that my husband has been more romantic towards me. Saying things he used to say while we were dating. Looking at me with the same desire he did on our honeymoon (and I am 5 months pregnant looking 9 months pregnant). I may be tired from the pregancy and cleaning house and taking care of the kids ..yadda yadda yadda. But I make sure I am dressed with my hair looking nice when dh comes home from work. I make sure to smile at him and laugh at his jokes. I try to be the woman he fell in love with (not just the woman he loves unconditionally).