A Journey

Life is a journey and education is a big part of that journey. At least these statements are true for me. I am only 6 months from turning 40, a milestone in my head, but not a big deal really. The journey continues and gets more interesting as each day passes.
I love to read and have since I was a child. At one point I read a lot of fiction, now the fiction is less and is sprinkled among the reading I do relating to home schooling or study relating to my faith in Christ. This past year I have been doing a tremendous amount of reading in an attempt to be better equipped in my role as a Christian wife, mother, and teacher for my children. It is an awesome responsibility, one I take seriously and strive to do well.
Proverbs 12:4 says; A wife of noble character is her husband's crown,but a disgraceful wife is like decay in his bones.  Pretty heavy if you take it seriously.  I've always known there was much in scripture that directs a woman on her role as wife/mother, but this year I have been working to study these passages and apply them more diligently in my life.  It has been a journey - a difficult one some days, but generally it has all been very positive and I feel like I am working to glorify the Lord in all I do - which is, of course, my ultimate goal.
Being a good wife isn't something you "do" on any given day, but more of a lifestyle & mindset.  I've read a lot of articles written by Nancy Wilson this year and found them very helpful and encouraging.  Her blog is http://femina.reformedblogs.com/ and you can link to some of her books - excellent reading!
Elizabeth George has a great Bible study & book called A Woman After God's Own Heart that I had gone through with a dear friend several years ago and at the time - found a lot of guilt.  Today I can say that my heart wasn't where it should have been at the time I read it and that was the reason for the guilt.  Guilt doesn't come from God.  Conviction of sin comes though the Holy Spirit, but that conviction should lead to repentance and forgiveness.  I'm sure when I go through that study again, it will be a completely different experience.
My heart now is focused on the high calling of being Steve's wife and the mother (and teacher) of our children.  Our culture doesn't generally see these things as particularly noble or worthwhile and that is so sad. Women who would otherwise joyfully embrace these roles are ridiculed and marginalized.  It is my hope that someday God will be able to use me somehow to encourage other women in their roles as wives and mothers - becoming what is known in Christian circles as a Titus 2 Woman.  One who mentors younger women in following biblical principles in their homes.
Something important I learned recently is that there is a big difference between "principles" and "methods".  Christian principles are the things we are given in the Bible from the Lord and we are to apply in our lives.  The methods by which we apply these things can vary widely and one method is not more "holy" than another.  It is important when we are seeking to encourage others, that we don't present our methods as principles.  Scripture is Scripture and everything else is interpretation and application and edification.

In addition to learning more about how to better carry out my roles, I have also been doing a lot of reading about education - mostly theory/style/method type reading.  I have become increasingly drawn to the Classical Method espoused in the Well-Trained Mind.
Home schooling allows us to find things that work best for our children and their individual learning styles.  It also allows us to fine-tune what we believe are the truly important parts of education and focus on those things.  Every education has gaps or holes - regardless of the methods used or location of instruction.  The key difference with home education is who makes the decisions about the gaps.  As parents, we have the freedom to decide what & how our children learn.  Will they learn Latin & Greek roots or simply study the standard spelling list for a given grade?  Will they read great literature whole or simply excerpts from that literature in a textbook? Will they use primary sources for studying history or only a synthesized version of events written from one point of view?  Should they move along with a subject at their own pace or are they required to follow some rigid time-table for progress because of an arbitrary standard?
What does it mean to be truly 'educated'?  This question is vital as it drives all the other questions.  A person's individual definition of 'education' even changes as you learn more, read more and experience more life.  I am not nearly as educated as I would like to be.  This does not necessarily mean I must attend a class someplace or that I must read some specific list of books.  It means to me that God is not finished with me yet.
There is so much in His world that I have yet to absorb.  I just pray that I can filter it appropriately and learn the lessons that I need to live according to His will for my life. That I can stay on the path He has marked for me - since He is perfect and I am not, I would be foolish to pretend to have a better plan that the one He has for me.

A new favorite

Steve sent me a link to this song a while back and I instantly loved it. Now the album is released and I can't wait to get it for our collection. God has certainly blessed His servants with the ability to touch hearts.

Testing some photo stuff

Trying to figure out some new photo stuff... testing it out with pictures of our pets.

This flattened pile of fur is Grace - our very spoiled cat. This is her preferred position, next would be eating, meowing at one of us and then 'making bread' on someone's chest.

This is Molly - our 'cranky old lady' - she is an equally spoiled pet. Coonhound mix, 9 years old, also in her preferred position. 2/3rds of our pets like to sleep more than anything.

This is Piper - our newest addition. She is an enormous yellow lab (between 90-100lbs) and pictured here waiting for someone to pick up her favorite ball where she has dropped it off the deck. She is HIGHLY motivated by a red kong ball - it is her favorite thing.

This is Piper in her 2nd favorite activity. Yes, that is a stainless steel dog bowl in her mouth. She LOVES to chase the bowl in the snow - because the ball gets lost underneath while the bowl will slide along the top and is easy to find. It also makes a highly annoying clang-clang-clang sound on the deck as she bangs it around repeatedly.

Learning Something New

I learned something new! This morning I learned how to download free templates for my blog! I also learned how to tweak them to make them work for my purposes. How exciting!
Ok... maybe not for anyone but me...but that is alright because it's my blog.

Husband of the year

This weekend I had a serious bout of exhaustion hit me like a ton of bricks. My very loving husband told me to rest and he would handle our very busy Saturday life. He did more than manage - the man was amazing!
On Saturday both of the kids had soccer games and B was supposed to bring snack for his team. I had planned to make chocolate chip cookies for him to share. So much for that plan. I told Steve to just go buy some at the store... but he thought of a better idea.

He and the kids baked home-made chocolate chip cookies from scratch! Listening to him with them in the kitchen was a hoot - they were so funny trying to decipher my recipe, find ingredients, and run the mixer. They did an awesome job! The cookies were a huge hit with not just B's team, but J's as well.
He also took care of making sure they cleaned up the kitchen, everyone was fed, and even entertained my parents when they came for a short visit.
Truly a man among men is my beloved. :-)
I have often said that I am a very spoiled wife and this just is one more proof.
Steve is not always a very vocal person or even terribly demonstrative about a lot of things, but he always makes me feel very loved. I think it is the simple things in life that show the true measure of devotion a person has for another. We have been married for more than 13 years now and each day I truly know how he cares for me. He thinks of our family above everything. He always makes me feel that my contributions here at home and with schooling the kids are valuable to him. He trusts me more than anyone I have ever known. These are things that can't be measured by anyone else, but I can feel the weight and depth of his love. I believe God sent him into my life at a time when I needed him most and together we have grown a love, a family and a life together that will endure as long as God gives us days here together.
How is that for a mushy Monday blog post? :-)

Shopping Trip

Today is Wednesday and my parents came up to visit this afternoon. My Dad is on vacation and has been enjoying the time off. He loves any excuse to come up to see us and we are so blessed to have a great relationship with my folks.
Dad stayed here at the house with the kids and dogs and Mom & I ventured out to do a bit of shopping. I was specifically looking for pants & a shirt for B for church - he has outgrown so much this year - and I needed a belt for me. We went down to Kohl's and had great success. I even managed to find another bath towel for our master bathroom (way on sale) in the color to match exactly what we have already.
B got 2 new pairs of dress pants (blue & black) and I found a gorgeous dark green, fine-wale corduroy, button down shirt for him. Mom got him a nice blue/green/black plaid button down. Everything fits him perfectly and I don't even need to hem the pants - he really has grown a lot this year!
Mom bought me 3 new tops - 2 beautiful crushed neck turtle neck shirts (one in a pumpkin color and the other gray) and a simply stunning muted coffee colored sweater with little pearlized buttons at the lower arm. She spoils me and I appreciate it very much. We are trying hard to not spend any extra money and it was a nice treat to get some new things for the fall/winter. She said it was payment for dog-sitting, but I know it's just that she loves me. :-)
J didn't suffer today either as we managed to find her an LLBean fleece lined hoodie that she has been wanting for months now at the outlet store. It fits her nicely and is so pretty in chocolate brown.
I also managed to find a punched leather belt for myself. I really needed it and it made me happy to find a nice one. At the beginning off August I started seriously praying the God would help me with the motivation and drive to get serious about exercising and eating better. He really is so faithful! My goal was to lose 20lbs by Christmas and to date I have managed to shed 13 pounds. I am so thrilled with how I feel. I am eating better and exercising pretty regularly. I've been dealing with a phantom hip injury, so have been just walking and cycling, no running - but that really isn't my thing anyway.
Steve has been very supportive and encouraging of my efforts, even setting up his bike trainer in the basement for me so I can ride when the weather is bad. He is so good to me, I am truly blessed to have him as my husband.
We had a good schooling morning and did our first Latin lesson today. The kids and I are all very excited about this opportunity to learn something new together.
It has been a very good day and I am very thankful that the Lord continues to smile on us.

A mostly pleasant ramble

We managed to get through our first cold of the season. Lots of rest and fluids are a good thing... and a few good books to read while curled up with a blanket help as well.
We finished up our first quarter though there are a few loose ends to tie up. I need to finish some grading work for J's literature program. She just finished reading Tom Sawyer and I need to go through the last of the comprehension questions with her. She is working through Lightning Literature & Composition (7) from Hewitt. I like it so far and she seems to be enjoying it. She had actually gone ahead and read most of the novels over the summer for fun, so I am anticipating that it will be a fairly smooth year in that area for her - we shall see.
I am very blessed in that both of the younger kids truly love to read, which makes most everything in life easier to learn. Truly a gift from God. They read across a pretty wide area of interests and share books between them to discuss, etc. Now J has started enjoying books that I have read and loved so we can discuss them also.
Tomorrow starts our official 2nd quarter - at least that is the plan - we shall see as Ben has developed a stomach virus. We are supposed to begin our study of Latin!
Last week was mildly productive in my creative endeavors. I managed to get the kids art projects framed and hung up on the wall just outside the kitchen. They add a splash of color I think.

I also managed to get a little bit of sewing in over the last few days. We've been dog sitting and it suddenly got colder than expected - we actually had SNOW on Oct. 16th here! So I made a dog coat for our guest. Also, J wanted a new hat for her soccer game on Sat. morning - so I whipped this up before the game for her.



Yesterday afternoon Steve invited me to join him with the dogs and take a nice mini-hike in our local nature preserve. It was a gorgeous fall day and the leaves were crunchy under foot. B didn't feel well and dragged along with us, but we didn't realize at that point that he was getting sick. The dogs enjoyed the ramble immensely - lots of things to sniff & smell out in the woods!

Today is Sunday and Steve will take J to church after he returns from his first run. He had wanted to do a long run today, but the weather may not cooperate. He will try to do 2 runs to get in his time/miles around church.

Our small furry house guest is supposed to go home today, which means getting back to normal - well, as normal as it gets around here. :0)