Have Faith & Remember His Love

My grandpa passed away this week.  He had been sick for many years with Alzheimer's.  I hadn't seen him in a very long time.  He was the best grandpa.  I have enjoyed spending time reliving old memories.

I was thinking of him when I came across a Documented Faith devotion on 2 Corinthians 4:18.

So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen, since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.

As soon as I saw the little prayer printable, I knew I wanted to add it to my bible.  And the idea for the page just flowed from there.  As I sat at the table, staring at the little prayer printable, I thought about Grandpa and how unfair it was that such a terrible disease overtook him.  What would the last years of his life had been like if he hadn't been sick?  How many more years would he have had to enjoy his grandchildren and great-grandchildren? And I thought about the toll this disease has taken on my grandma. She went to the nursing home every day to feed him lunch.  All of the heartache she must have felt over these years, watching her husband fade away.

As I sat there, I realized that we may never know why Grandpa had Alzheimer's and it may never make sense to us on this side of Heaven.  BUT! That's ok.  We don't have to understand.  We just have to believe that God is a good, good God. He loves us so very much and he can use even this for His good. I also know that Grandpa is rejoicing in Heaven right now.  He is with Jesus and his baby girl.  He is in no pain. He has fully recovered his mind. He is at peace. 

Last night as I painted and stamped and prayed, the words to journal just would not come to me.  I left the bottom blank because I just couldn't find the words that I wanted to write. 

Then, at Grandpa's funeral this morning, one of the pastors mentioned this very verse and said that when we have faith, we live differently.  We live eternally.  We know that God (and His plan) is right and good. Our lives reflect that faith when we care for others.  Grandpa was a giver and a doer.  He was most happy when he was helping someone else.  He lived out his faith. He did it because he remembered God's love and shared it with others.  Those are the words.  

I grabbed an extra program from the funeral home today.  I want to add it to the back of the prayer in my bible as a reminder that faith is living differently, giving and doing, sharing God's love. I'll always have Grandpa's life as a reminder of what living a faithful life looks like. 

I'm so thankful for the years that I had with Grandpa. I'm reminded this week that life is fleeting.  We have a limited number of days to love others.  One day, I hope people say the same about me, that I lived out my faith, remembered God's love, and shared it with others. 

Christie 💙

Oh, Charlotte Mason...I think I love you.

First, a little back story:

We have been homeschooling since 2008 when we pulled my oldest son, Nathan, out of public school.  Now, I have to admit that I love public school.  I loved my own school days and, up until this point in 2008, I had planned on being a public school teacher. I had no plans of homeschooling. Unfortunately, the school system didn’t want to work with us, concerning my son’s ADHD. His teacher actually told me that she would just rather I give him medication and not worry about the rest.  The rest…being a 30 lb weight loss in a few month’s time, depression, anger, and many other troubling side effects.  I decided that maybe I could just teach him myself and see how it goes. After all, I had planned on teaching a room full of students….how hard could one be?

I quickly realized that I knew nothing about homeschooling and turned to the experts….my local homeschool mama friends. We stumbled around with curriculum and schedule and life, really, for the first year.  However, I did my research and our second year was much better. Since Nathan was so used to public school, a mostly school-at-home approach worked best for him. By the second year, we added in Kaleb and just had fun. A lot of books. A lot of worksheets. A lot of crafts. A LOT of library time!

Soon after, I discovered The Well-Trained Mind forum board and was hooked! This approach worked well and was similar enough to our school-at-home that the boys never missed a beat.  We had a few GREAT years!

However, I began to notice a discontentment in myself over time.  I would drop this curriculum, add that one. Changed our schedule around. Nothing seemed to get us back to the joy that we had experience those first few years. I just became frustrated with all of it.  My oldest spent his 9th grade year in public school and I was kind of relieved.  Homeschool wasn’t fun anymore. Or even enjoyable. Or tolerable.  It was actually pretty terrible.  My youngers and I kept at it though.  I had a 3rd grader, 1st grader, and preschooler so I kept it pretty light that year. I combined all of the subjects that I could. We sat on the couch and read as much as we could. And I didn’t stress about the rest.  We found a little bit of our joy.  Nathan came back home in the 10th grade and we tried again. The joy didn’t last and we found ourselves once again miserable. I decided that maybe I just couldn’t teach upper grades, and my boys should probably go into public school once they reached a certain grade.

Fast forward to January of last year:

My oldest graduated with his GED. He just began to refuse to do schoolwork so I told him he needed to work on getting his GED before he turned 18.  On his 18th birthday, he passed the last test.  It took that smartypants only two weeks to take all of the required tests to receive his GED!!  That made me feel so much better about our homeschool. Even in the midst of struggle, he was still learning.

With a new school year beginning in the fall and the pressure of high school temporarily out of the picture, I declared Fall 2016-Spring 2017 the year of Fun School.  If it was fun and even remotely educational, we were going to do it.  And really we have. Three different sports in the fall. So many field trips. Fun days. Play dates. Parties. All the fun things.

I also declared this the year that I would figure out how to joyfully teach upper grades because my youngers were begging to stay home through high school. If they really want to stay home, I decided to find a way to make it happen for them.

Quite by accident, I found The Delectable Education podcast in December. A new homeschool mom had posted a question about Charlotte Mason. She mentioned that she had been listening to this podcast. I didn’t even consider it at first.  Honestly, I believed that it wouldn’t be a good fit for us.  I had looked at it before and discarded the idea….for some reason I can’t remember now. It wasn’t until last week (Jan 19th) that I finally remembered that podcast and decided to check it out.

After that first episode, I was hooked. I quickly realized that the parts of our homeschool that I loved and cherished actually followed the CM method.  Our morning time. All those books. And simple narration. I didn’t know that this was an actual method. I was just trying to simplify our homeschool.  The parts that I didn’t like, well, every one of them went against Charlotte Mason’s philosophy.  During the second episode, I listened while I pulled every living book on American history that I could find from our bookcases and stacked them in our living room.

We are only in our first week, but oh the joy. I’ve added a little to our morning time. I’ve lessened the time we spent on individual work. No more dawdling at the table for hours over math. We’ve spent less time on schoolwork but already covered more than we did in previous weeks. Isn’t that crazy?  No tears. No fussing. No homework.

I’m working on a more permanent schedule for us and would love to share it with you as soon as I have it finished. If you love the Charlotte Mason method, please comment with advice or maybe a book suggestion. I do plan on ordering The Charlotte Mason Companion by Karen Andreola, and of course I will continue with The Delectable Education podcast.

I am so excited to share the next few weeks in our homeschool.  Thank you for *listening* to my ramblings.

Christie 

Blogging...again.

It's been a long while, hasn't it? So many things have happened since I last blogged.  Ha!

I've graduated one child, Nathan. He is working on his CNA license currently with plans to start college in the fall or spring to get his RN license.  He is loving his new job at a local nursing home.

Kaleb will be 13 this year.  He's excited for spring baseball and co-op.

Gabriel will be 11.  He is somewhat excited about baseball and very much excited about co-op. He rediscovered a love of football!

Drake will be 9 this month!  He has discovered a love of soccer.  We have to sit out this spring soccer season because of baseball, but he'll be back at it in the fall.

These three have recently started YouTube channels.  They are having fun, making their gaming and outdoors videos.

Joshua will be 5 this year.  He is enjoying his status as the baby of the family and soaking up all the fun stuff with his older brothers. He tried baseball last spring and loved it so he will continue this year as well.

I am working on completely changing out our homeschool. A friend reminded me of the Charlotte Mason method and introduced me to A Delectable Education podcast.  I've been listening to as many as I can and reading all that I can get my hands on.  More about that later.

I'm ready to get back to the blogging world.  I have missed it so much.  It's good to be back!

Christie 💙

Valentines for Dudes

I have to apologize up front for the lousy phone pics. I was in a hurry, trying to get out of the house, to my truck where the boys were waiting, and on to our homeschool group's Valentine skate party.

I was in such a hurry that I forgot my keys and purse as I slammed the locked front door shut behind me.  Climbing through a window was not on my to-do list for that day but I did it (so the boys wouldn't see their after-party surprise) and we still managed to make it to the party on time!  Yay us!

So my awesome husband surprised me with a dozen peach roses (a tradition for us), some sugar-free chocolates, and a tear-jerking card on Friday morning. 

That prompted my 10 year old to ask me what I planned on giving the hubs in return. At first, I tried to explain that I generally don't get the hubs a gift (unless you count the mega-large bag of peanut M&m's as a thoughtful, loving gift). 

Then he asked if I had bought them (the boys) anything.  I dodged the question because I hadn't really planned on it but the wheels were turning. 

What do you get a bunch of guys for Valentine's Day?! 

As I browsed the isles of Walmart later that morning, it hit me. What speaks love and adoration to a guy better than a movie night with popcorn, pop rocks, and root beer in glass bottles?!?!?!

I found the CUTE microwave popcorn tubs and added other fun yummies. I put a family movie in Daddy's bucket and BOOM! 

Happy Valentine's Day to my guys!! 

They loved them!  Armed with their own bucket of popcorn, snacks, and drinks....movie night was a HIT!

Science Fair

Two of my boys participated in our homeschool group's science fair this year. We kept it simple by picking what we were currently studying as a topic. We were learning all about the three states of matter, and so the boys picked this super cool snowman experiment.

 

Shortly after deciding on the experiment, Kaleb started singing "do you want to melt a snowman?" and suddenly realized he had the name for his presentation. :) I asked if he would sing his version to the judges....he declined. Ha!

 

I found all of the ideas and printables on Pinterest. Here is a link to my Pinterest board.

 

Supplies used for experiment:

balloons

water

large jar or bowl

heat source

(We chose the fireplace because it's winter time here so the great outdoors or sunny window didn't help much.)

 

We filled balloons with water and froze them overnight. Cut the balloons off of the frozen ice and assembled ice into a snowman. I shaved off the tops and bottoms to create a flat surface. Then we placed our snowman in a large jar, and placed in front of the fire.

 

The boys observed the snowman throughout the day.  Kaleb, being older, followed the scientific method and made a timeline to add to his board. Drake filled in a First, Next, Last paper  which acted as the scientific method (we did discuss this as a group) and added a cut and paste page (found on Pinterest but I don't have the link) to show pictures of different states of matter. After observing the snowman melt all day, we then poured him into a pot and watched him become a gas.

 

We also did a fun craft to show atoms in the three states of matter, and discussed the freezing/melting and boiling/condensation points of water.

 

Both boys rocked their science fair presentations!! Parents were asked to leave during judging...I was a little anxious about leaving Drake. This was his first time so he was a little (a lot!) nervous. The judges said he did fabulous after just a little prompting and received a great score.  Kaleb also did a fabulous job and won 1st place in his age division!!

 

We celebrated with lunch and came home for one final matter experiment. What happens when you pour root beer (a liquid) over ice cream (a solid)? It forms a yummy bubbly gas!!!  (And everyone wins!!!)

 

 

Drake and Kaleb with their snowman

 

 

Enjoying the warm fire



 

 

Drake's participation ribbon!

 

 



1st place in his age group

Root Beer Float Science!

 

 

 



I am a dreamer.

So I had a moment this weekend.

And I realized something about myself that was pretty revealing. Some of you will read this and think "that mama is full of crazy!" And then others will simply smile and nod....maybe even cry a little (or a lot!) if you can relate. The amazing part? Both responses are appropriate and honest.


In this world, there are doers and dreamers. With various shades and combinations of each, of course, but still some distinct differences.


I am a dreamer. And I've always wanted to be a doer. I love organized people with all their systems and plans. I admire that....try to be like that. Even dream about being a doer.


My reality, however, is that I am not.


In the middle of making shopping plans with the hubs...after a busy week filled with illness, co-op enrollment, basketball, tasks, to-do lists, a new job for the hubs that takes more time away from the house, stress of recovering from a layoff, bills piling up, money dwindling down, that to do list growing and growing and growing, schoolwork and life that, of course, goes on and on whether we're following along well or not...I broke down. Flipped out. Lost it. And had no idea why.

So I just stopped moving. And started crying. Some people thrive on the fast lane. I don't. Some people are happy when they are constantly doing something. I'm not. 


The hubs (being a doer by the way) whisked me away to Wal-Mart and bought me chocolate and a cherry coke. And let me vent.


And vent. And vent. To his credit, he let me go on for quite a while. He's a good man and knows when his girl needs to let it ALL out.


So we came home and I went to the bathroom. For some quiet time. Breathed in. Breathed out. Closed my eyes. Relaxed. And pondered lazy thoughts:


I am surrounded by doers. My husband is my very own doer. We work well together for the most part. I dream it up and he makes it happen. Sometimes though he'll be ready to make things happen but I'm not done dreaming yet. I force myself to follow along...trying to keep up but I just can't focus. I'm not ready to DO. I want to finish the DREAM.


My oldest son is a doer. He and I helped with some tornado relief last year. One of the most moving experiences of my life. I stepped out of the truck into a completely destroyed town and just turned circles to take it all in...the devastation, the heartache, the peace, the still, the determination, the hard work of others, the outstretched hands, the hugs, the smiles, the gratitude. Just taking it all in. Feeling. I turned to find my teenager. He was already working. He immediately jumped off the truck and went right to the person in charge. "What can I do?"


Many of the people I am around on a daily basis are doers.


...Not all though.


While I was once again sharing this with my husband in the kitchen, my 2nd to youngest looked up at me with his eyes half closed and said quietly, "Mom, I'm a dreamer." Yes, you are, sweet child....yes, you are. :)  So far, my only dreamer out of the top four. Not quite sure where the toddler falls yet.


I'm not saying dreamers can't do and doers can't dream. They can and do. All the time. And there are some who can amazingly balance both doing and dreaming at the same time.


But dreamers need time to dream. To ponder. To sit back and think of silly things. Crazy things. Little things. Grand things. Good things. Not-so-good things. Happy things. Sad things.


Which brings me back to my week. Doers do and dreamers dream.


Sometimes...Dreamers get caught up in the busy-ness of the doers. They get pushed along, forced forward when they aren't quite ready. They aren't given time to dream. Anxiety builds. And the dam breaks.


I didn't get time to dream this week. Just a few moments to relax and refocus. Didn't happen. So I had my little fit and then sat in the bathroom to figure it out.


And that's when I realized that I am a dreamer. Not a doer. I can admire my friend's super crazy organizational skills all day long but that's not me.

My house isn't show model clean...ever. My to-do lists have more doodles and color than items to check off. I do NOT thrive on planning every.single.detail.of.every.single.minute.of.every.single.day. As hard as I try, not everything has a place in my home.  I'm more worried about fitting in crafts and fun reading and scrapbooking and fairy gardening into my day than I am about washing the dishes and folding the laundry pile and planning my week.

I adore those who have that kind of skill and desire. I just don't have it in me. It's not me.

And that's ok.

Because the amazing thing is that we need both dreamers AND doers. We all have a place and purpose. I can be me and you can be you and it can be good. We can each use our talents to bless others in our own way. And nobody has to feel less than anyone else.

Maybe you guys all knew that. Maybe I'm late to the game. I don't know. Thankfully, though, I now have a plan. The hubs knows. I know. And we can work together even better than before with greater knowledge of how the other feels. I can now also work better with all those other doers around me, and maybe help them see my side of things. 

More than anything, though, I can stop comparing myself to the doers in my life. I'm ok just how I am. And you are ok just how you are. :)

By the way...while I was going on and on about all of this to the hubs, he stopped me at one point and started singing to me:



That's true love, right? He gets me. Ha! He is the coolest doer....ever!! :) 

Teach Them Diligently Convention

It's been almost two weeks since the convention....and I'm still reeling from some of the information.
I'll admit.  I was desperate. Stressed out. Burned out. Without a clue as to how I'd manage this next school year.  This past year was awful. Horrible. No good. And very bad.
We never got into a groove. So many distractions (mostly from the toddler). It was hard and uncomfortable and miserable.
And we didn't get near enough accomplished (which is why we're STILL working on a few things...).
I needed some refreshment, encouragement, and mostly...ideas for making this thing work! My goal was to hopefully gain some wisdom in schooling with a toddler. That's really all I wanted. The rest would just be one big ole bonus.  I attended all of the *boy* related sessions that I could. Then all of large family and preschooler sessions. And in the midst of all the excitement, I allowed God to lead me to a few sessions that I never even considered....and was blessed immensely.
A few of my favorite speakers who I had planned to hear.

•  the Youngs from Raising Real Men. Those two work so well together and are so engaging. I have two sisters. No brothers. Mostly female cousins. I'll admit....boys sometimes scare and stupefy me. I'm always asking the hubs, "is that normal for a boy?" To which he always replies, "yes."  I saw a lot of my boys in the Young's conversations about their own boys. Whew....maybe they are normal. ;) 
• Amy Roberts from Raising Arrows. She gave some awesome advice on how to handle large family homeschooling. Her session was practical (which was exactly what I needed) and encouraging.
• Kendra Fletcher from Preschoolers and Peace. This is the session that gave me some confidence and rekindled the excitement of homeschooling for me. I may or may not have shed some tears in her session! So funny though....the ideas she gave were not foreign to me. Back when Drake was the toddler, we used several. And it worked! And it was fun! I had forgotten so much of what it was like having a toddler and just felt so overwhelmed with it all. This session was the greatest blessing and I can't wait to share how her ideas work in our home. Kendra really motivated me to get back on the right track.
• Carol Barnier from Sizzle Bop. Oh my gosh. Well, if anything, you can't sit in one of her sessions without laughing.  She was amazing as well. Some awesome tools for mom of an ADHD child.

And then the surprises. I didn't plan on attending these sessions but SO glad I did!

• Megan Scheibner from Character Health.  Sitting in her session was like resting on a hammock in the breeze. So gentle and soft. I didn't realize I needed someone to speak to me in that way. I'm a boy mama...we're generally loud and crazy in our home. Megan's tone and demeanor was like a soothing balm to my soul.  Her words, ideas, and encouragement were bonus...and well worth the time spent. I learned so much from her and left the session wanting to hear more....so I bought her books. All of them. Ha!
• Dennis Gundersen from Grace and Truth Books. I'll admit...it didn't start off well and I was wondering if I should just take a *bathroom break* to get out of there. Then I really started listening and found some gems. Awesome stuff, really.
• Jon Dunagan from Harvest Ministry. I didn't take any notes in his session. I was too busy just sitting back, relaxing, and listening to him talk. He's funny and engaging. Just really boosted my confidence.
• Zan Tyler from Apologia. Another soft-spoken lady who eased my soul....about high school. In the middle of my what-do-I-do-with-the-toddler panic, I didn't have one thought about what high school session would be available. I just happened to finish my shopping right before this session and thought "oh, a session on high school? Eh, why not?" Oh my stars. Awesome. Encouraging. Helpful. And now I'm excited about high school!!

And...oh the conversations on the car ride to and from Dallas, in the hotel room, over meals. So thankful for my friends. From silly to serious, all of it touched my heart. That girl time was even more encouraging and uplifting than the whole convention. Special time spent walking the isles of curriculum displays and sharing our hearts. These are my people. And I love them.

So much good stuff!  And I needed all of it!! Three days totally changed the outlook I had all year long about homeschooling.  So thankful!


Most of the speakers are authors, and I highly recommend their books. I picked up many of them at the convention. Also worth mentioning here is Debra Bell's Ultimate Guide to Homeschooling book. Fabulous!


Convention also helped me change a lot of our curriculum. I have a couple things left on my list to purchase, and, hopefully later this week, I'll be able to start planning the year. I can't wait to share what we are doing differently in the coming school year! 


Hope everyone is having a great summer!!