So, I have homeschooled for a week now.... It has been very interesting. Our goal this week was to do school three days, working on writing his name and doing some math work. We have just wanted to get into a routine and see how it was going to go. We will add our phonics program next week; add a fourth day of school in September (and start going into more depth with things) along with Thursdays at Home School Academy.

It has been a good week. The girls have done a good job of entertaining themselves. It seems like as long as they know that they will have "school" after Bowden is done, they are contented to play together.

Teaching a child to write is VERY difficult. If I have to say, "Bowden hold the pencil the proper way" one more time I may kill myself. At one point I could tell he and I were both about to lose it so I said "Let's go run around the house and have fun for a minute!" That eased the stress and we started right back at it.

My journey to this point has been a long one, which involved my poor friends listening to me moan about school for about four years (I am so sorry D & J) and now that I have begun, it seems sort of anticlimactic. We just woke up one morning and started doing school!

My focus is to make things as simple as possible. I think we, homeschooling moms (and remember I have only been one of these for five days!) tend to make things more difficult than they need to be. Perhaps we are trying to ensure our children will not "lose out" or we are just certain that we are just not good enough to educate our children.... I know these thoughts have been in my mind ever since we decided this was the way to go. But here is the thing, God has called me to this. I know this as surely as I know He called me to marry my husband and He called me to trust Him with the size of my family. He has called me to this and He is faithful. He will make sure that - as long as I am seeking Him - my children will get the education they need to accomplish the goals God has for them. This homeschooling thing is not about me, nor is it even about my children, it is about obedience to God and what He has called me to and it is about my children becoming the men and women God designed them to be - fulfilling the purpose He has set before them.

So, one week down... many ...many ... many left to go.... I am excited to see all that God is going to do here in our home!

PROVERBS 14 - August 14, 2009

VS 1 – A wise woman build’s her house. This is speaking very loudly to me right now. I have struggled my WHOLE life with money and finances. I am wisely striving to build my children’s faith by teaching them about God and salvation however, I am pulling down my house with my own hands every time I make foolish decisions about money.

VS 11 – The house of the wicked… the tent of the upright…. I loved that it was a house that was blown down and a tent that stands strong. So opposite of what we think it should be. All the things we put store in here on earth mean little in God’s kingdom.

VS 12 – There is a way that SEEMS right… so often we can be fooled by what seems right to us, we do not seek truth in God’s word, we just go by what “seems” right and then we are shocked when it leads to bad things.

VS 16 – The wise man fears and departs evil… a fool rages and is self-confident. I think of this a lot when I think about how many of us Christians are concerning entertainment. We watch movies that are clearly void of ANY moral values and we think “It’s okay, I know this stuff is bad, it will not bother me.” We are arrogant and believe that we can hold fast to our beliefs while filling our minds with garbage.

VS 25 – A true witness delivers souls… how powerful id this! Are we being true witnesses? Do we give the glory to God all the time or do we shrink back when we are around nonbelievers? Are we transparent with our struggles or do we put on a front that everything is always great with us? The only way we can allow people to see the great work God is doing in us is if we are not afraid to let people see how much work NEEDS to be done in us….

VS 29 He who is slow to wrath has great understanding but he who is impulsive exalts folly. Wow, I exalt folly every day… this goes along with all God is telling me about my temper and how I deal with my little ones!

Proverbs 13, August 13, 2009

Again, I found a lot of this Proverb speaking to me. There is a lot of wisdom regarding the words from one’s mouth. God has strong warnings for those who lie and those who prattle on at the mouth. I think there is a lot I can learn from here. Sometimes we get ourselves into trouble because we say too much. Perhaps saying less is a good way to keep ourselves from saying too much and finding ourselves feeling the “need” to lie about some seemingly insignificant something. Iften times I think that God really only hates those BIG,FAT UGLY lies but really, any subtle stretching of the truth is offensive and a sin.

Vs 21, Evil pursues sinners. We are ALL sinners and evil is pursuing us. The warnings and sins in this chapter are for ALL of us believers. We may think that we would never lie or be lazy but the reality is that evil is coming after us, hoping to find a crack and work his way into our lives!

Vs 24 really sticks out with me right now. AS I have been mentioning, I struggle with speaking sharply to my little ones and being short on patience and I feel fairly certain that a lot of it is due to my own making. I am slow to discipline my children, sometimes because I want to give them a second chance but many times because I am too lazy to deal with whatever is happening. Apparently I am hoping that my 5, 3 & 2 year old have enough sense to stop doing something just because I told them to… Of course, I do not have that common sense so I am not sure why I expect them to have it! God is telling me to stop doing things all the time and I never listen! So here is this verse, saying I HATE MY CHILDREN? Okay, I do not… I LOVE them, with all my heart. God is calling me to get off my tooshie and discipline my children… Why do I get frustrated? Because they rarely obey the first time… but I rarely make them obey immediately and then I get mad at them??? Not very fair of me. God is really speaking to me here and I know that if I really love my children as I profess to, I will start teaching them to obey me the first time…

Proverbs 12 – August 12, 2009

There was a bit in this chapter about the tongue and what we say and again this sticks out to me. I fear this will a struggle for me all my days. My short temper leads me to speak before I think. I will say that I am stopping myself quicker, praying more and turning down a different path more often but I would like to get to the point where a harsh response is not my first response! Vs. 18 There is one who speaks like the piercing of a sword but the tongue of the wise promotes health!

Perhaps what really stood out to was the words on laziness and diligence. Vs 27 The lazy man does not roast what he took in hunting but diligence is man’s most precious possession. I think I am perhaps one of the laziest people I know. I just want to sit and do nothing all the time. I use the excuse of being tired and having four children but the reality is, I just want to sit and read or watch TV. God was really speaking to me. There is nothing wrong with resting when I am tired but I need to recognize when I am truly tired, needing a break and when I am just being lazing. This, second only to my harsh tongue, is something God has really been convicting me of lately!

Proverbs 11

Proverbs 11 – August 11, 2009

Proverbs are hard because there is so much on one chapter.

Verse 2 – When pride comes, then comes shame; But with the humble is wisdom. Much of the trouble I have in my life is due to pride. I believe that I am right, that my agenda is more important, that it is my way or the highway. With these thoughts backing up my actions, I tend to get short tempered and irritable. My words become harsh and not long after I experience enormous shame for having acted unlovingly. Humbleness, realizing that I do NOT always know what is best is what shows true wisdom.

Vs 11 – By the blessing of the upright the city is exalted, but it is overthrown by the mouth of the wicked. Just one person, saying evil things can destroy something good.

Vs14 – Where there is no counsel, the people fall, but in the multitude of counselors there is safety. I feel so blessed to have a good number of Godly people in my life to give guidance and counsel. God’s word is very clear on this. Our decision to homeschool has been bolstered and supported by the men and women God raised up in our lives in this area!

Vs 24 – 25 really spoke to me as well. There is one who scatters, yet increases more; and there is one who withholds more than is right, but it leads to poverty…. So many times we want to hold on to things, whether it is our time, our money, our resources or our hearts – trying to protect ourselves but really we are only going to whither and die. Giving ourselves away is the only way to truly grow and experience the true blessings of God. So many times, I want to hold part of myself back – keep just a little bit back for myself . It is like I am afraid that if I give too much of myself then I will lose myself and that will be a bad thing. But really, if I would just empty myself of EVERYTHING then God would be able to fill me in a way that I cannot imagine. Then I can tie this all back to the pride thing…. I believe that the way I am is good, there is some streak of independent spirit that cannot believe that whatever God will fill me with is better… I DO NOT TRUST HIM. I am like a dog, chewing on an old bone whose master has a filet mignon held out to me – I see that juicy steak but I cannot trust that the steak is better, I cannot trust that he will really give me the steak, so I just continue to gnaw on the nasty old bone because at least I know it and it is comfortable. Hummm, I just need to give that bone to someone else in need and trust that my Master has so much more for me….

I am reading Proverbs each day at a friend's urging. I am typing up a word doc ti keep track of my thoughts and I thought I would post them here as well. These are my random thoughts and ideas, so just be warned if you choose to read them,,,,

Proverbs 10 – August 10, 2009

One of the main things that keeps popping out to me are that they things we say play a huge role in who we are.
The mouth of the righteous is the a well of life (11) We can speak life into our children’s lives, into other people’s lives but what we say. But the next verse says that violence covers the mouth of the wicked – we can destroy by what we say. This has been something that has been on my heart a lot lately. Verse 19 - he who restrains his lips is wise, verse 31 - the mouth of the righteous brings wisdom… all these stand out to me. I have really struggled with what and how I say things to my children lately. My tone is harsh, my words are harsh and I am certainly not being a well of life!
Just this morning I was talking with Bowden about Psalm 19:14 – may the words of my mouth be pleasing to God. I was telling him that if the things he is saying are not honoring God and bringing glory to His kingdom than he should not say them. And yet all I am really saying is “hello pot, I am kettle and YOU are black!”
Often times, as a mother, the things I am saying have to be said, but my words (in the way they are being said) are NOT a well of life. I see the looks in their eyes and know that I am being harsh. God clearly outlines in this chapter, what the results of my poor choice of tone and reaction will be…. Sorrow and loss.
Verse 32 says that the lips of the righteous know what is acceptable – I do know what is acceptable and yet I am struggling following through.
But relief also comes in the same chapter, verse 29 says that the way of the Lord is strength for the upright…. God will give me the strength to become the mother He wants me to be. Each day I become more and more aware of these things. He provides avenues to better myself! In fact, the reason I am reading Proverbs 10 today is because I friend challenged me to it on a blog… read through Proverbs, one a day, starting on the date that coincides with the proverb…. So here I am, God giving me all kinds of words about how my words affect my life! I LOVE God and I LOVE how He always finds us right where we are!

Homeschooling begins

If you had told me five years ago I would be homeschooling Bowden I would have laughed in your face. Oh, I was concerned about my newborn's future schooling but my concerns were based on how we were going to move to get into a good school zone. But a short five years later, I not only started Bowden's first day of kindergarten but I am fully committed to homeschooling and believe in my heart it truly is the best way to educate children! Wow! God certainly has changed my heart. I could write a whole blog on how that happened and maybe I will but right now my time is short as the house is a mess, dinner needs to be made, I have pitching lessons tonight, I want to read some of my Bible, I need to plan for tomorrow, I need to cut coupons for the Grocery Game... and I only have 2 hours (or less) until Ryen wants to eat again!!!

So, our first day.... I was feeling stress but the little ones were just being themselves and it could not have gone ANY BETTER! My plan was to eat breakfast, do our devotional at the table as we finished up, spend 30 -40 minutes with Bowden while the girls played together, then spend a bit of time with each girl while the others played together. My fear was that the girls would not allow Bowden and I to get anything done. My fear was unfounded. They played together happily, knowing that they would get their turn next. I was actually able to do about an hour of stuff with Bowden because they were doing so well. I decided to add the time today as I know in the future the girls may not be so compliant and we may have to stop early.
Strangely enough, when we switched to Evynn and Kailyn, Bowden struggled playing on his own. Keith suggested I put Bowden on the computer for that time to work on one of the phonics websites he is doing. Evynn has a little activity book that we did two pages in and then the three of us colored for a while. It is more about the attention than anything.
We finished up school by playing with the clay that Bowden got for his birthday.
Some thoughts on the first day...
Regardless of how the day goes, I have to have a joyful spirit. Tomorrow may not be as smooth but I cannot get frustrated.
Even though I have shown Bowden how to write the letter "e" I cannot expect him to do it right immediately!
Seeing the joy in his eyes when he writes a "w" on his own makes it all worth while. I just want him to love learning!
It is a long road and I have to pace myself!!!!