Missing the Mark

The aim:  A place for everything and everything in it's place
The reality:  can't find the:  keys, book, phone, remote, scissors, tape (you name it- we'll misplace it at times)
The remedy:  call a "Family Search" which includes everyone and goes until item is located. Offer reward if necessary. Of course, this depends on the importance of the item. If these measures are not warranted then just forget it...it will turn up eventually, probably when we clean the house :)


The aim:  To always have an orderly and clean house especially BEFORE company arrives or hubby gets home from work.
The reality:  Not quite as stated above and they're pulling into the driveway.
The remedy:  Laundry baskets! They hold so much and can be stacked in the laundry room with the door shut until the time comes to deal with them.  Later they can be carried from room to room during the relocation process. If you have older daughters be careful that they do not see you doing this one!



The aim:  To have and stay on a schedule
The reality:  Unplanned for late bedtimes,sleeping in later than planned, late start, not feeling quite well etc...
The remedy:  Remember to stay flexible so that you don't get bent out of shape! Start somewhere, skip something or just completely change the plan into something else like:  packing a picnic, visiting an old person, going for a hike, doing art projects or???


The aim: To have cheerful, obedient children, who come when they are called, work without complaining and remember everything you've ever taught them:)
The reality:  Self-centered, disobedient, forgetful children who seem to pick up more of your bad habits than your good intentions and at all times test the limits.
The remedy:  Pray for wisdom and patience. Apologize to the children for allowing them to become (lazy, disrespectful, defiant), owning that it really is your fault for failing to properly train them.  Resolve to be more like Jesus who gets our attention with His "still small voice". Determine to be consistent- not letting any word you say be ignored and no disobedience nor defiance go unpunished. Humble yourself, show lots of love and a "we're in this together" attitude.


The aim:  To be lovely and cheerful, singing and smiling and blessing your husband, children and all who enter; never letting fatigue, bad news, achiness, or hormones sway your pleasant graces.
The reality:  Becoming irritable, snappy, whining, complaining and mean resulting in hurting others and becoming a far cry from the godly example you long to be.
The remedy: Go to God again and repent. Acknowledge your weakness and let His strength be perfected in you. Apologize to your family, receive forgiveness then go and sin no more! For a quick makeover...put on a happy face. I've noticed that I look so much better when I'm smiling, don't you?

The aim:  I press on toward the goal unto the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus. Phil 3:14

The reality:  ...for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God Romans 3:23 I'm using this verse, not as an excuse but to show that we all sin which means to 'miss the mark'.  

The remedy:  "If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. 1 John 1:9

Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me. Psalm 51:10

Each time he said, "My grace is all you need. My power works best in weakness." So now I am glad to boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ can work through me. 2 Corinthians 12:9

On Empty

Have you ever felt empty? Completely depleted. Used up. Finished? That's me today!
I feel like an overloaded charcoal water filter cartridge. One that adsorbs all of the gunky toxins from everything that flows through it.  I've patiently listened to squabble after debate after offense after altercation until I'm beyond blue in the face...I'm blue through and through! Now what?
Do what I've always done...throw my hands up, leave the room, throw myself on my bed and cry! And cry. That always relieves at least some of the tension. After that I can think for awhile. So, I think. I think, "wow...I am overwhelmed, maxed out, done for". And yet I also think, everything will be alright (for it always has been). Then I think a prayer; "Oh, God help me, please? - You've got the wrong person for this job, I can't do it anymore!" Once I get that out I'm on the road to recovery! For it is in that request, that statement of self-hopelessness that I release all of my anxiety and throw myself on the only One who can and will pick me up and cause me to stand again.
My spirit begins to commune with His and the Word which is hidden in my heart begins to manifest the peace that passes understanding.

Each time he said, "My grace is all you need. My power works best in weakness." So now I am glad to boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ can work through me. 2 Corinthians 2:19




Because the foolishness of God is wiser than men; and the weakness of God is stronger than men. For ye see your calling, brethren, how that not many wise men after the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble, are called: But God hath chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wise; and God hath chosen the weak things of the world to confound the things which are mighty; And base things of the world, and things which are despised, hath God chosen, yea, and things which are not, to bring to nought things that are: That no flesh should glory in his presence.(1Co 1:25-29)

Philippians 4:13

 I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.

Cast your burden on the LORD, and he will sustain you; he will never permit the righteous to be moved. Psalm 55:22

God has also blessed me with a tender and understanding husband who upon seeing me in such a distress, admonished everyone in the house to please be quiet... (I know they hoped I'd fall asleep). After this "time out" and the above stated meditations and prayers I was able to return refreshed to my work (that of teaching and training children) and press on.

Mothering can and will be overwhelming at times but God is faithful always and will calm the storm within so that we can weather the storms without. I have never asked God for help and had the answer be "NO"!

Here are lyrics to a song that often courses through my mind:

Lately I've been winning battles left and right
But even winners can get wounded in the fight
People say that I'm amazing
Strong beyond my years
But they don't see inside of me
I'm hiding all the tears

Unafraid because His armor is the best
But even soldiers need a quiet place to rest
People say that I'm amazing
Never face retreat
But they don't see the enemies
That lay me at His feet

They don't know that I go running home when I fall down
They don't know who picks me up when no one is around
I drop my sword and look up for a smile
'Cause deep inside this armor
Deep inside this armor
Deep inside this armor
The Warrior is a Child

Get Ready...Get Set...Start!

View of our  playground from the classroom:)

It's time to get ready for the coming school year. I am determined NOT to stress about this in the least. My children learn every day. It's true that as the weather changes our learning modes do as well. We do less and less outside and read and use more books. That's normal isn't it? That's the way life would be even without my children and I"M always learning so I figure....

Of course I do stress. A gracious friend told me yesterday that Jeff and I should just keep on doing whatever we're doing because our kids are smart. That was encouraging. But, I still wrestle with the questions...
Am I teaching what I should? Am I using the very best methods? Am I leaving gaps? Are my kids up to par with the rest of...???

Garden harvest before "school" started :)

Now in answer to that last one:  Jesus warned us NOT to compare ourselves among ourselves. So, there goes that. Besides, I am determined NOT to pattern myself after a failed system, that being the public school system!

And of course I'm leaving gaps! There are gaps in my education and I've been learning for 47 years! Does anyone, know anyone who knows everything?  I'm quite sure however, that my children (at around age 10) certainly have a better grasp of geography, "social studies" and history than I did when I graduated from high school;  because we teach them the truth. We study history through God's Word. There are no end to the "social studies" opportunities. When someone goes on a foreign mission we "follow" them on the globe, google earth, maps etc... and talk about where the people of that country are at spiritually and economically and why. Hearing the news prompts alot of research, which we usually do together but sometimes individually depending on the age of the person needing information.

Picking Choke Cherries after school :)

 Now we'll have to figure out how to make Choke Cherry Jam

As for the method, I really try to keep to the mindset I have gleaned from Ruth Beechick, Charlotte Mason and that ilk... School from 9 til noon, use REAL books rather than textbooks (except for Math for that we use MathUSee), and do REAL things in the afternoons like; go outside, go places, bake, sew, artwork, read, clean, play games, pursue whatever hobbies we have (the list is long). Oh, and play! Even the First Lady has proclaimed the importance of play :). There's a helpful article on this blog:   http://ladyofvirtue.blogspot.com/ concerning the "herding principle" that I try to keep in mind too. It's especially important to know where and what my youngest are doing so I focus on them and that frees the older children to study on their own.  You'd be hard pressed to keep a child from learning while they do their afternoon chores, or help with dinner or listen to Mom (or an older sibling) read aloud before bed. Learning takes place around the clock at home.
As far as teaching what I should... I've decided that what REALLY needs to be taught are the three R's; reading, writing and 'rithmatic, just like they did back in the day. Who every heard of the some of the subjects they teach nowadays anyway? Jonathan Lindval once said that any subject that has to have the word "education" added to it isn't a subject in it's own right. Think of classes called "physical", "sex" or "multi-cultural"  That's why "social" has to have the word "studies" tacked on. This is not to say that I don't have history and science curriculum, I do and I try to cover that as well, but in reality the three R's, the three meals and all of the other reality that life brings,means that we don't always get to those. Besides, that's what the Real Books are for! The final authority and the one where I find rest, comes in submitting my many ideas to my husband. He knows me so well and can easily tell me when I'm biting off more than I can chew.

Pumpkin Patch "education" and that... on a Saturday!

Okay, I wrote all of that back in August. It is now Oct 17th. and... true to my pattern, after that writing, I had a panic attack;  went to my husband totally stressed and told him that I don't know what to do, how to do it, where to start, what to use, what is best...etc. After sweetly hearing me out he wisely (as always) replied with this question...
"If you HAD to start school tomorrow, would you be able to just pick up where you left off, and continue with whatever you were doing before summer hit?" Duh! Why couldn't I have thought of that? After all, I'd thought of so many "other" things! That answer being the no- brainer that it was, brought peace to my mind. And that's just what I did...and it's working! :)

My 18 year old daughter made a thoughtful comment to me a few weeks ago...she said, "Mom, I don't understand why all these young Moms get so stressed about "starting" to home school their children? Don't they realize that's what they've been doing all along?"

It's All in the Way We Look at it.

What a beautiful day! The sun is shining, the birds are singing, leaves are bursting from dried looking branches. It is finally spring!
It threatened to be an "off day" but, with encouragement from my sweet children, we turned it into a "day off"...doesn't that sound better? 


A day off... how wonderful!  So, today we will:   clean up the house (after a super busy weekend) hang out loads of laundry, brush and ride the horse, prune trees, rototill the garden, weed the flower beds, organize books and try to get rid of a few :), eat lunch outside, plant seeds, play with our new puppy, feed the worms and dig out some castings and just relax!


Here's how our "off day" would have gone:  start "school" late with a stressed out Mom, in a messy house, with too much laundry around, and no meal planned, with kids day dreaming out the windows, and puppy interruptions...can you picture it? 


As soon as we called it a "day off" everyone got busy doing the things that need doing and enjoying it too. It's all in the way we look at it!

Ecclesiastes 3

  To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven:
  A time to be born, and a time to die; a time to plant, and a time to pluck up that which is planted;
  A time to kill, and a time to heal; a time to break down, and a time to build up;
  A time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and a time to dance;
  A time to cast away stones, and a time to gather stones together; a time to embrace, and a time to refrain from embracing;
  A time to get, and a time to lose; a time to keep, and a time to cast away;
  A time to rend, and a time to sew; a time to keep silence, and a time to speak;
  A time to love, and a time to hate; a time of war, and a time of peace.


Lord, I am ever grateful for the privilege and freedom to be lead by your Spirit...to be able to bend our schedule and intentions to fit the days and seasons as you send them. May all of our days bring you glory, honor and praise.