Little House in the Suburb

Lately I been watching a lot of Little House on the Prairie.  My mom is a big fan of the show, but I never really watched it intentionally until this week while we visited her at her house.  While watching the show I have really enjoyed the examples of Christian living that have been provided, especially by the mother, Caroline Ingalls.  Yes, I know it is a fictional show, but she definitely exudes the behaviors that I aspire to exhibit in my dealings with my family and home.

One of the biggest character traits that God has been working on in me is my patience with the kids and my delight in them.  Honestly, I greatly struggle with these on a regular basis.  The kids and I do scripture memorization each day and the ones that really ring in my ears are 1 Corinthians 13:4-8 and Philippians 4:8.  Not to mention, though, Proverbs 31:26, where we see that the woman speaks with wisdom and faithful instruction...I need to work on these things.  I have an okay idea of what not to do, but the irony is that Little House has helped to give me a picture of what TO do.  I know it will take time, but I will be diligently working on correcting my lack of patience, quickness of tongue, and emotional reaction (as opposed to response) to the kids.

Another great source of encouragement for me is in the wisdom of other experienced homeschool moms, at this point in the way of blogs.  I know my areas of weakness and concern, so seeing that other families have gotten through the same struggles we have is a great source of encouragement!  Thank God for fellowship, even if in the form of such odd communication nowadays.  I know this homeschooling journey will not be easy, but it will definitely be worth it!

Getting Situated

I really need to get to bed earlier, but I have been so busy getting our dining area organized that I have not wanted to go to sleep!  I am sooo excited.  One of my biggest obstacles with homeschooling has just been a lack of organization, so we went out over the last two days and bought, bought, bought.  Thankfully great places like Ikea and Target have some awesome and affordable storage containers that are now helping to bring order to the chaos of games, puzzles, school items, books, pens, papers, markers, crayons, loose things, and everything else.  It is not 100% complete yet, but I am feeling sooo much better now about the whole room.  Of course, my forearms and hands are sore from cranking a screw driver all last night, but it was well worth it!  Once we get the old china cabinet out of the house, the room will be about done!  Yayy!!!!

Deep Breathing My Way Through the Day

You know, I guess I never really had any preconceived notions of what my life would be life when I "grew up".  All I knew was that I wanted to be married with kids by the time I was 25.  Well, I definitely met that dream, but other than that I had no idea, really, of what my life would become.  Here I am, married over 7 years, four kids so far, and in the beginning of our homeschool journey...wow!

As we really start digging into the homeschooling journey, I must admit, I can definitely have some anxiety come upon me about wanting to "do it right" and make sure my kids are getting a quality "education."  So much so do these thought inundate me that I become the kind of mother and educator that I detest!  What is wrong with this picture?  But, this is where the homeschool community is just so wonderful.  My community right now is found on the internet, and seeing the encouragement and calm, loving advice of experienced homeschoolers helps to settle my fears and rejuvenate my soul.  God is so good to offer "friends" in time of need.

So, here we are, ready for our new adventure.  I am still not clear on how this picture will look, but I am sure that it will be bright and beautiful on the other side, as long as I keep my focus on what God has called me to do and only act according to that calling.  As one wise fellow Christian stated as she shared a story in class, "Why am I doing this?...All for the glory of God, of course.  Anything other reason would just be frustrating."  What a truth!