Considering the Future

My husband and I are beginning to consider what our lives will be like once our young folks sprout wings and leave our nest.  We are looking at downsizing our home, even though we just moved here last year.  We are looking at possibly having more property, even though it means more work to do the things we'd like to do.

We're realizing that we are limited with how much activity we can participate in at church living almost an hour away.  The special things that happen on days other than Sundays and Wednesdays simply cannot be attended because it isn't just a short jaunt over to the church or to a Couple's Night with our dear folks in our Sunday School class whom we've grown to love.  So we pray.  We'll find out soon enough what the Lord's will is for this as we lay this at His feet.  There is a lot to consider and even still, we consider the necessity of selling our current house when the time comes too.  Lots to consider.

We're realizing that we will be physically limited with how much we can accomplish on a daily basis due to the fact that our young folks will be out of the nest.  I mentioned to my husband that we could get him a good tractor (not to be confused with "new") with accessories that would help him do the work that is needful without needing one or more of the kids around to do it.  But, the other things, like putting up fences or things like that, if course we'd ask the kids to come help.

We're realizing that we'll need a house with 2 master bedroom/bathrooms just in case there is a need for one of our parents to move in with us.  Additionally, we're looking at building an apartment over a garage just in case our oldest son needs a place.  That will give him his own space and as much autonomy as possible.

We've talked about "puttering" with our days on the property.  We've talked about having a garden and having fruit trees and selling the produce.  We've talked about going to different festivals with things that we make to sell.

It's a sweet thought for us to have things like this in mind for our future.  I don't want anything ornate, but simple and all one level, but nothing too big.  I want to be able to have family and friends over to love on them.  I want to bless others and serve the Lord with my husband.

"Ponder the path of your feet, and all your ways will be established." 

(Pro 4:26)

In Christ,

Getting Them to Read

When we began homeschooling in 2001, I knew I wanted to instill in each of my children the love of learning.  I began simply by telling them after each meal, "Go find your favorite book, get in to a comfy position (I don't care if you sit on your head) and read for half an hour!"  This is simply how we began.  We had electronics back then, but just a couple super old desk top computers that were 8GB and maybe 16GB on their hard drives.  We had educational computer games, lots of wonderful educational posters on the walls in the dining room, watched educational shows on TV and DVDs and used our Bibles to learn how to read aloud.

You see, reading is essential to learn anything in life.  Unfortunately, electronics are taking over books, but this Momma is steering her young folks to find information in good books and literature first.  There is something that happens to a person, no matter the age, when you hold a book in your hands.  You can adjust, get comfortable, and let your mind get involved in the book.  When my children were younger, we did "Read Aloud" time where after lunch was cleaned up, they curled up whichever way they were comfy and listened to me read.  They would always say, "Momma please read another chapter!"  And I would happily oblige.  These were the times that I knew would form them for later in life and they would be precious memories for me, so I obliged.

As they grew and read everything on their own, our "Read Aloud" times became Bible races.  They would race to the scripture verse and whoever got there first read the verse.  

As with everything, reading comes with writing and speaking.  In order to communicate well with others they had to learn how to spell.

They also had to learn to find out information for themselves.  It is bittersweet, but had to be done.

They had to learn to read to know how to do things like read patters and follow directions.

And read their own Bible on their own.

And study Biology 2.

They've each learned at their own rates, with their own sets of challenges from ADHD, kinesthetic learner, Dyslexia & Dysgraphia.  I have researched until my eyes hurt in how to help my kids learn how to read and they each read very well now with very little issues.  If they do have any issues, they know how to self correct.  This is what reading is all about.  Gaining the skills to learn, research, understand, communicate in writing and speaking, as well as how to correct themselves when they know something didn't sound right.

And it all began with telling them to find their favorite book and get comfortable even if it meant sitting on their head! (Seriously!  I used those words! And they laughed!  LOL)

My job was to find out what they were interested in and supply them with TONS of quality literature.  Going to the library wasn't always convenient for us, so I scoured Amazon for good books very cheap based on their interests and reading levels.  I remember buying 3 different books on General Custer, all on 3 different interest and reading levels.  Over the years we've resold many many books, but they were all worth it.

Where do you begin? 

If I had to begin again in 2001, I would begin with this book.  I read this book after our first year of homeschooling.  I would have loved to read it before we began, but I didn't know about it.  So, as a result, I encourage all new homeschoolers to read this book IMMEDIATELY.  It will change your homeschool for the better!  It will help you understand your own learning style in order to learn your child(ren)'s learning styles.  Once you do that, you'll better understand where they need to be and how they need to study.

As always, if you have any questions, please feel free to ask!  There is no such thing as a stupid question.

God Bless,

Albany Bound

It is currently Friday the 8th.  My Mr. G has been retired from his job for almost 24 hours and he is resting today.  He may be resting tomorrow and the next day too, who knows?!   After a job protecting all of us from the dregs of society for 21 years, he is much deserving of a rest.  He needs to rest his mind and his spirit.  He has needed this break for a very long time and it has come at the best time for him.

All that said, our family and home is facing some very important changes in the not so distant future.

We are moving from Pennsylvania to Albany, Georgia.  Through the course of events, the Lord has directed our paths to Albany.  What are those events?  Some of them are blatant, others are subtle.  If you're interested, I will definitely share with you.  It truly is amazing.

What do we plan to do in Albany?  For starters, fix up a house.  During that time, we'll be involved in Civil Air Patrol with our kids, as well as one (or more) of the many homeschool groups in the area, and serving in church goes without saying.

Other things we plan to do is to rekindle the bond that Mr. G and I have for our marriage.  With Mr. G working in the line of work he had been, the issue remained that there has been a great brick wall between us.  We have been married for twenty-five years, twenty-one of those being that he has served as a corrections officer.  That is a very long time for that brick wall in its various heights and thicknesses as well as knocking it down.  Throughout all this time, we've struggled to keep our relationship alive and growing.  Now, we'll be pursuing one another and with God's help, creating greater deeper spiritual connections that have been sorely lacking, having been put on the back burner for so long.  This distance and disconnect is something that occurs with this line of work with many marriages.  Many times out of a sheer survival mechanism, our loved ones who work in these places shut down a part of themselves to simply protect their heart and mind from the horrid events they witness daily.  It is time for us to water our garden.

Now is a time of healing not just for us, but for our children, too.  One of the things that comes out more flagrantly from a person who works with the dregs of society for so long, unfortunately, is anger and impatience.  Our children have witnessed the anger and impatience.  While with time Mr.G has mellowed, with counseling and prayer, he's become more patient and his anger has subsided a bit.  The further away we get from his job, literally and figuratively, the more relaxed he becomes and the walls come down.  I've seen this happen temporarily while we're on vacation over the years.  I suspect that there will be a time of healing and with healing comes regeneration.  With regeneration comes growth.  It is my hope that this experience will bring us closer together now that we're on this side of his employment experience, but I also hope that the Lord redeems the time the locusts have eaten and that Mr. G and his kids can grow together in the repairing of their relationship too.

This is one of the main reasons we're moving to Georgia.  For most of us our move is met with excitement and an air of "let's get-r-done," but for another it is difficult because of leaving friends.  Your prayers would be appreciated for our family through this change and while we continue to heal, repair, and grow.

God Bless,

Beginning our 12th Year of Home School

The beginning of our school year is in full swing.  We started our book work on Monday August the 5th with very light school and very low expectations.  I gave them only 2 days worth of school, but months ago we were planning to go camping and we've had to wait to see what new schedule my husband was getting since his promotion.  I just kept the original plan of 2 days of school in place and had them work at their own paces to get their feet whet for school this year.  Now that we have 2 full weeks of school under our belts, we're well on our way.

I've counted days for school since July 1st, however.  We've done tons of things that are education related like field trips, work, drama, VBS, consumer math, hospitality, among a host of other things.  Our "book work" began in August.  How can I "get away" with starting to count days on July 1st?  We live a lifestyle of learning every day.  Each thing we do establishes a learning opportunity.  Even though every day can be different, it is still bringing us learning experiences.

I have a Senior, a Sophomore and an 8th grader this year.  I have very little to help them with daily because they're independent learners now.  I check their work to see what they're having problems with, explain and teach when necessary with the older 2.  With my youngest I have a bit more to do, but it is decreasing with each passing year.

As much as I enjoy not having as much teaching time, it leaves me with time to sit on the front porch with my hubby talking, enjoying our coffee and doing our Bible study together.  It is such a blessed time for me to spend time with my husband studying the Bible together.

I didn't take "first day of school" pictures at all.  I use to do that, but it has fallen by the wayside this year.  I think it is just because our first day of school came and went without fanfare.  However, I do have a picture that I took with my phone of the 3 children together not too far from July 1st, at a wedding at the end of June.  =0)

From left to right:  JL(14), HJ(15), & Daniel(18)

My husband tells me that once our children turn 18, we can address them online by their first names.  Daniel just turned 18 on August 19th.  We took pictures when we woke him up, but I don't think he was ready to wake up.  LOL 

Needless to say, he and Mr. G continue to look for just the right car for him.  Of course it has to pass Mr. G's expectations.  Once he gets a car, he'll take his behind the wheel exam a second time.  He took it with our Suburban and when he parallel parked, the front driver's side corner was sticking our 6" too far and forgot to turn his blinker on once, so the tester failed him. :0(   Now, we wait until Daddy can find a car for him. =0)

This school year began with a rotating schedule for my husband.  Now that he's been promoted, he has regular predictable days off each week.  I've adjusted our school schedule to accommodate Daddy's days off so each of us can rest, have fun, and work together on a variety of things.  Since this is Daddy's 2nd week in his new position, it has left my kids a little out of sorts.  While we usually take Sundays off, rarely have we taken 2 days off in a row on a regular basis.  They were looking around and at times, wandering around wondering what they could do with themselves.  LOL

As time moves along here in the next week, we'll probably increase the amount of canning that we're doing with the tomatoes ripening.  We count canning time as school too.  I just remove their computer school work from the day so it doesn't "pile up" on them.  Young folks learning how to can the produce from the garden is important, so we integrate that in to our days in the late summer.

A life style of learning is something that has allowed us to not be encumbered by limiting our learning to just school times, but has expanded our learning to all parts of our lives.  Just this morning I left the weather loop on the computer for the kids to see when they came past.  Daniel found a map of water temperatures when upon closer inspection, they discovered where water currents are due to those currents being a different color.  

Life is full of learning experiences.  It encompasses each of our daily lives.  What a wonderful blessing, if we recognize those potential learning opportunities and embrace them with thankfulness.

Serving in Vacation Bible School

Kingdom Chronicles is the name of the Vacation Bible School curriculum that our church used this year.  The publisher is Answers in Genesis.    It was very fun and exciting for all of us to participate as a family this year.

Our youngest son played "King Christopher" in the play.  He had done such a wonderful job reading his part.  He's had such a difficult time with his Dyslexia and Dysgraphia through his elementary years that this time is a triumph for him!  He'd had a hang up reading in front of others, stumbling over his words, but this time, although he read a little slower--he did great! 

Each of the young folks did such a wonderful job!  They love doing skits for VBS.  My daughter loves this so much that she's asked to be able to do voice and drama lessons.  

The Lord works in mysterious ways.  If He has placed this desire in her heart for His purposes, then as her parents, my husband and I need to help her in positive ways to develop those talents for His glory.

If we do not, we will be hindering the Holy Spirit.  

...and I don't want to do that.  We don't know what the future holds for her or for the young men in our home for that matter.

I praise God that each one of the young folks want to honor and glorify God with their gifts.

Our oldest son played Prince Robert, one of the "immature" princes who needed to grow up.  He did a wonderful job portraying the prince.  His character gave his heart to the Savior as a part of the play at the end of the week.  I love watching my kids having fun serving God!  What a lovely and wonderful gift to behold by a parent!

Yes, there is a little boy throwing a sponge.  My daughter is directly to the left, helping where she can.  This was my Kindergarten class, throwing wet sponges at the poor soul who volunteered to get in to the stockade for the sheer pleasure of the kids.

My Mr. G facilitated the games for the week, but didn't get in to the stockade.  He had volunteers for that.

My class...so very excited to throw sponges at my youngest son!

Yes, they had some pretty good aim too!  LOL

We had a wonderful time serving the Lord this past week for Vacation Bible School as a family.  Each of us had a different role, but each of us worked and had so much fun in the process.  Serving God as a family is such a joy!

Praise God!

Home School Discipline

I don't have all the answers.  I don't have every experience for every possible child.  I do have experience based on my own children.  Do I have frustrations?  Of course!  Do my kids have weaknesses?  Yes!  I have weaknesses as well.

One of the biggest things I struggle with right now is when to hand over accountability for work done or not done to them?  I am so very certain that this is the time of my children's lives where they show not only how much they know, but blatantly show their weaknesses as well as MY flaws.

I love my kids deeply.  I so need to step back and let them reap the benefits or detriments of their life's choices whether it is a good use of their time or not.

It comes right down to--obedience to me as a parent, respecting my position as authority in their lives, and whether or not they're going to respond to my assignments for them.  If their choice is to disobey and disrespect me, then there needs to be consequences in place that would help them realize they need to obey and respect me in my God given role as their parent.

Ephesians 6:1-3  

Children, it is your Christian duty to obey your parents, for this is the right thing to do.  

(2)  "Respect your father and mother" is the first commandment that has a promise added:  

(3)  "so that all may go well with you, and you may live a long time in the land."

This means every child, not just mine, who needs to be obedient and respectful to their own parents.

This is what every parent struggles with at some point in time or another.  It doesn't matter what the circumstance or the situation, if the child is disobeying or disrespectful [however you decide that in your own home], it needs to be handled swiftly.

Proverbs 19:18  

"Discipline your children while they are young enough to learn. 

If you don't, you are helping them destroy themselves."  (ISV)

Parenting Young Adults

As I sit here typing this post, the sun is just beginning to pour it's light into the sky.  It is almost 8AM and it is difficult for my young ones to open their eyes this time of day.  Yes, I have young adults, but for some reason when the sun heads south, their young bodies have difficulty rising earlier than 7AM.  Since it is dark outside, sleep is on the agenda.  

I hear some movements, but nothing like busy day chores being done or breakfast being prepared.  It's the "I've just woken up" kind of movement--very slow.

I'm finding it difficult in this time of my life to keep having those "diligence" conversations with them.  The ones where we read and discuss the scriptures about the lazy man in his field and those sorts of things.  It just seems their biological need for now is to sleep a little longer.  The difficult part of this arrangement is in the Spring when it's time to pull them out of it and get them up for working.  

Then, I ask myself, "Is this my own preconceived opinion that they should be getting up earlier and not sleeping in?"  Perhaps I've concerned myself too much over nothing?

Choices...choices!

*sigh* 

It's time to be the "bad guy" and get them up and moving.  I've been awake since 5:20AM, exercising,  praying, reading, taking care of bills.  

Perhaps that 9PM bed time is a good thing?!