The funny things kids do

I'm trying to keep a positive attitude daily, no matter what my three little angels throw at me. Really concentrating on this has helped put things into perspective and it's working! Those moments that I find myself ready to yell or sometimes even yelling, I catch myself and take a deep breath. I've even just walked away, which really confuses my kids when I leave the room in mid yell. But this has helped my attitude toward life, my kids, my work, homeschooling, the house, etc. etc.
While working on this aspect of my personality it has allowed me to really enjoy the little things through out the day. Instead of getting mad that the 2 year old is screaming and hitting me, I can just laugh. Or when the 6 year old says he can't wait to be a grown up where he never has to do school or eat his food and can sit on the couch and watch cartoons all day... I again can just smile!
Today my kids have been saying the silliest things. Mason was reading to Avery and Jack today, something that we've added to our daily schedule to allow Mason to work on his reading skills and to give me a few minutes to unload the dishwasher. After the story was over they came running into the kitchen telling me they needed deodorant. I guess the book they were reading was really into hygiene. So I obliged and we all took a field trip into mommy and daddy's bathroom. Mason made it very clear that only he and Jack could use Daddy's deodarant and Avery must use Mommy's. Jack must have asked a question about the point of this whole thing, when Mason looked at him quite annoying and said, "Jack we use deodarnt so that our elbows smell good!" I guess we need to do a anatomy lesson so that he doesn't go around thinking that his arm pits are his elbows!
Avery and Jack were playing teacher-student outside today. I went out to check on them and noticed that some of our reading books were out there with them. I started in on the lecture that inside toys need to stay inside, when Jack looked at me and said, "We really need these books because we are texting our friends with them." Okay, so I know that doesn't make any sense, but in a 2 year old's mind he was "texting."
I feel blessed on days like today, where I can really take time to reflect on things that are happening in my day, instead of being to rushed that I take these things for granted.

Defending my decsions

I'm reading this book right now called, "I saw the Angel in the Marble." It is a book written by a homeschooling family and it is amazing. While reading this book, it is giving me the confirmation that my heart has needed that we are doing the right thing. 

You know, when you make a decision that is against the grain, you feel like you have to defend or apologize for making this decision. I am tired of this. This is my family and I am not going to explain this anymore. I think our decision to homeschool is the best decision for the way we want to raise our family. I'm not sure why I have a hard time talking to non-homeschooling families about this. I think its because we are on opposite sides of the fence and I don't want to offend them.

I know homeschooling is not for every family. I'm happy that God has put this on mine and Allen's hearts. I'm happy that we have obeyed.  

Four eyes & sibling love

Mason and Avery had their 6 and 4 year old check ups this week. Everything went off with out a hitch. Both are healthy and developing very well. Avery had to get two shots. When she found this out, the tears and pleading began. As the nurse entered the room, the screams and shouts got louder. I held her down and the nurse held her legs. This method of giving immunizations tends to tug at my heart strings. I have a hard time watching my baby girl plead for them to stop, while I am helping hold her down. We are a pro-immunization family, I just wish there was another way to give them. As I am singing in her ear, I hear some other screaming coming from the side of the room. I look up to find tears streaming down Mason's face and him yelling at the nurse to stop hurting his sister. WOW! The love of siblings is something wonderful.

The doctor recommended Mason to get his eyes checked since he didn't do to well on the office exam. I already had an eye appointment on Friday, so I just brought him along. He did so well! I was so proud of the respect that he displayed to the doctor. The one down fall is that he can't see at all. Even some of the big letters he was calling different names. Poor kid has thought the way he was seeing is the normal way. He will now wear glasses. This is a whole different world for me. Something else to remember to bring along. I'm sure it will be an adjustment for us all. I pray that he won't get teased and that he is confident in his new look. 

Shelter my little seedlings

I get a daily devotional sent to my email that pertains to homeschooling families. Todays really hit home. It has to do with sheltering and the fact that that, even in the Christian environment, is looked at negatively. I can't tell you how many times I second guess my decision to not let my kids watch a certain show or say certain words. This article really affirmed to me that it is my JOB to do these things. Crazy as some of them might be... Allen and I will be the ones to slowly bring in outside influences into their lives. Our choice to homeschool develops from this "gradual philosophy." We will gradually let them go out into the world and when they are ready they will be worldchangers for Christ. It's like having a mini army in our home! So exciting.

Here's the article...

Learning how to be in the world but not of it is difficult for Christians-young or old. The unbelieving community sees us as trying to live "holier than thou," but sometimes we must allow God to sanctify us by removing ourselves from the temptations that would lead us into sin. God even commands us to run away (flee) from idolatry (1 Corinthians 10:14) "and have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather reprove them" (Ephesians 5:11). However, Jesus also gave us the example of reaching the lost by meeting them in their homes and on the streets. Finding the balance between loving the lost and not getting caught in sin takes discernment and wisdom that comes from studying God's Word, prayer, and listening to the Holy Spirit.

So how much do you shelter your children from the evil in the world without quenching the redemptive work of Christ? After all, as Christians, we are to be salt and light. My answer to that question came one day while gardening. The Master Gardener showed me that if I transplanted my seedlings that had been started inside the house into the outside garden too soon, they would die from the exposure to the elements. However, if I moved them at the right time and carefully nurtured the seedlings for a time with extra protection and fertilizer, they would grow into strong, healthy plants that would not only resist bugs, heat, and hail, but also produce an abundance of fruit. Don't let anyone's "sheltering" argument convince you to transplant your precious homeschooling seedlings too early!

Oh how I love this..... I'm excited for the opportunity to grow my seedlings into healthy plants and then let them go into the world.

A glimpse of the future....

Today we are watching two little boys so their mommy can work. That makes 5 kids under 6. Our kids get along great, so it's really no issue. I was sitting at my desk getting some computer work done and kids were playing outside. When they are outside, I leave my bedroom window wide open, so I can hear everything that is going on. Well, I happen to check on them and this picture is what I saw.

Avery was sitting on top of our hot wheel table with one leg propped up and her arm was resting on it. She was staring at the two boys playing with the cars. She looked like a mini-16 year old and I swear her face had just the little mischievous smile on it. Like she was dreaming of her future with one of these boys. 

Then next to this picture, was Mason. He was standing on one of our patio chairs singing at the top of his lungs. On the radio was playing a hideous Alvin and the Chipmunks song and he knew all of the words. He was dancing and singing as if this was his audition to the American Idol. I know that this seems cute for a 6 year old, but I can also picture him at 16 with the same charisma, dancing and singing on a chair. The song choice may be a bit different, but the heart behind the singing will still be there. 

This picture that I saw in my head made me smile. I can only imagine what their personalities will look like in 10 years. I hope that they are hanging out at our house with their friends. I pray that they are making good choices and that they are following God. These next 10 years will fly by and I hope I can savor all these little nuggets of fun that my children offer to me. 

Homeschooling our children

I was motivated to jot down some of our reasons for homeschooling Mason. These are just a few, but this seems to be my "short" answer when asked, why we are doing this......

The most important reason we are homeschooling is the spiritual side. Proverbs 22:6 - Train up your child in the way he should go, even when he is old he should not depart from it. This verse has been on my heart for months and both Allen and I feel that that is best accomplished with us being the primary teachers in all areas of their lives.

Educational reasons came in to play with Mason, since he is above grade level in all subjects. He is reading at about a 2nd grade level and really his school could not accommodate that. His teacher had 29 other students to help learn letter recognition, that Mason was the least of her worries. He didn't seem to mind this at school - but doing the mindless homework was a battle at home. We tried to challenge him at home, but his brain was already done and he didn't want to "do school" anymore.

Emotionally: I feel that kids grow up too quick these days. Girls as young as 4 are watching High School Musical and Hannah Montana. These shows are not bad in themselves, in fact they are great shows. But these shows are all about older girls who are boy-crazy and my little girl doesn't need to know about this stuff until much later. Boys are more violent these days and I know it plays into the video game/TV overload of our society. We are very conservative when it comes to what our kids watch, sometimes I think we might be too conservative, but this is just how we choose to play it. If I can "shelter" him and keep him young as much as possible, then that is a plus for our decision. We want to be the ones to mold his character, not his 5 year old peer. We want to be the one to teach him right and wrong and to give him "God knowledge" through out the day.

Just yesterday, our first day of homeschooling, Mason asked me about being baptized and what that meant. We were reading a bible story that mentioned that. This solidified my decision. I was there to answer an important question in his mind. The most important subject that we can teach our kids is about loving Jesus and I'm excited to be able to be there to do this with him.

I feel like most of my reasons can be accomplished in a school setting, but for our family it can be accomplished better at home. Allen and I have to stand before God one day and answer to the way we raised His children and we want to be able to say that we did the best that we could.