Afternoon trip through Amish Country

Each summer, the kids participate in the local library's reading program. One of our favorite prizes?  Free tickets for the kids to ride a coal-burning steam train through our local country-side - its beautiful!  We enjoy going each year.  This year, we saved them until fall so it would be less busy!

I only took two pictures - but my youngest makes these pictures great - so I had to share!  I love these guys!

Up to their old tricks! ;)

Its been since Spring that my youngest, 3 1/2, has taken consistent afternoon naps. 

I still send the kids to their bedrooms for some rest time and down time once or twice a week.  Our oldest usually reads, our daughter plays 'school' with her stuffed animals.  And our youngest, well, he has a train set in his room now, but he prefers to climb Mt Everest (otherwise known as the wire shelving in his closet).

He knows he isn't to climb, so on Tuesday, he hid from me.  And promptly fell asleep.

I opened the door to his room, saw an empty bed and heard snoring.

The next day, Wednesday, after a full morning at co-op and looking ahead to Bible study that evening, I decided to have them take another rest time in their rooms.  This time, it got quiet quickly in Colin's room - no climbing.  I wondered what he was up to.  And I found this.

When his Daddy got home, we asked him if we should take the bed out of his room?  He assured us no, we shouldn't.  LOL!!!

On Thursday, we used our free tickets from the library's summer reading program to take a relaxing train ride.  So relaxing, that all three kids fell asleep on the way home.

I'll let you use your imagination for that picture! ;-D

Wordless Wednesday

Destination - Unknown

Finger Jell-O

Last year, a good friend :-D hooked me onto buying, yes buying, finger jell-o at a local family grocery store.  They sell it at their deli counter and it is cheap.  Plus, they sell a variety of colors/flavors and its a nice thing to pick up at the store when running in for a few other things.  And, the kids LOVE finger jell-o.

Last week we had to make regular jell-o to create an animal cell for science.  I had a few extra boxes in the pantry so I took the extra couple of minutes to make my children finger jell-o - homemade finger jell-o!  Strawberry flavor, no less!

My efforts were questioned when my 3 year old said, "Mom!  You know how to make finger jell-o?!?"  And then rewarded, when he told me, "You make the best jell-o in this city - in this world!"

Watch out people!  Leigh Ann's famous homemade jell-o may take first prize at next year's hometown farm show!  Is there a category for jell-o?  No?  Well, let's get that changed!!

We've had some company!

Our bird feeder has been quite the hang out lately!

Jars of Clay

2 Corinthians 4:7 (NIV)  "But we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us."

I have loved the group Jars of Clay since college!  They've just released another album and I'm in love with this one just as much as their others.  Here's my new favorite song!

Talk to me cause I've been talking to myself

Help me get these thoughts out of my own head

I don't believe, most days I don't believe

Mercy is true, it's hard to live with the things I do

So God bruise the heels we've dug in the ground

That we might move closer to love

Pull out the roots we've dug in so deep

Finish what You've started

Help us to believe

Keep our eyes wide open (Love is kind and love is daring everything we need to keep our eyes)

Keep our eyes wide open (Love is kind and love is daring everything we need to keep our eyes)

We can't go on, seems this conversation's done

It's so hard to win these fights and love You at the same time

So take my hand till grace makes a way to bend

Till the things I said to ruin only lead to my own end

So God bruise the heels we've dug in the ground

That we might move closer to love

Pull out the roots we've dug in so deep

Finish what You've started

Help us to believe

Keep our eyes wide open (Love is kind and love is daring everything we need to keep our eyes)

Keep our eyes wide open (Love is kind and love is daring everything we need to keep our eyes)

Keep our eyes wide open (Love is kind and love is daring everything we need to keep our eyes)

Keep our eyes wide open (Love is kind and love is daring everything we need to keep our eyes)

Draw us in, send us out

Draw us in, send us out

Draw us in, pull us out

Help us to believe

Keep our eyes wide open (Love is kind and love is daring everything we need to keep our eyes)

Keep our eyes wide open (Love is kind and love is daring everything we need to keep our eyes)

Help us to believe

Silly Nilly

We've been adding a little landscaping around our rock wall this fall.  This week, the hydrangeas were put in.  They are the "Pinkie Winkie" variety.

Aren't they just so cutsey wutsey?

Continuing Education Credits

Back in August, I was talking with my neighbor and a mutual friend (as she was dropping off children for a playdate at the neighbor's).

They were both preparing their oldest daughters to leave the private school they had attended and attend our local school district's middle school.

I listened as they shared their own fears and excitement as well as that of their daughters.

We said goodbye and I hopped on the mower.  As I mowed (which mowing is one of those uninterrupted times to have the ability to think about something more than 30 seconds), I found my thoughts drifting to when/if we would send our children to the public school, or even a private school.  Would we stop homeschooling at some point?   Are we going to need to send them to make sure they are getting the right subjects covered?  What if I'm not teaching them everything!?!?

I felt myself becoming very anxious over the unknown - and having experienced this many times before in the case of school decisions, I knew I needed to give it to God.

Philippians 4:6   "Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God."

I prayed that God would take away my fears, my worries and allow me to feel His Presence and Wisdom in this decision.  I was quickly able to stop worrying and get on with mowing!

Later that day, I opened an email from a homeschooling website, that I cannot remember how I discovered 6 years ago, but I know now that it was totally the Lord's Hand.
The Heart of Wisdom Blog

Psalm 90:12   "Teach us to number our days aright, that we may gain a heart of wisdom."

This site has helped me a lot since I first discovered it in 2004, and now, 6 years later, it was feeding me again.

Heart of Wisdom is a curriculum, but more than that, it is a homeschooling approach.  And it is an approach that you can incorporate with any curriculum.  The approach leads you into a passionate following of God, giving everything you have to Him and devoting it to Him.  And out of that, your goals in regards to school will fall into line as you endeavor to gain a heart of wisdom.

I clicked over to the website from the email, and I searched the site, breathing in the encouragement and fulfillment behind my purpose.  Then,  I came across a post, entitled "Biggest Mistake Made by Homeschoolers."

Right there, in the 2nd paragraph, God spoke to me through Robin, "We can so easily get anxious about the academics that we miss wisdom."

Yes!  I was getting so concerned about my kids learning "everything," but was missing the big picture of why we started to homeschool in the first place.  I want my kids to know God, to desire to serve Him with their whole hearts and to find their purpose through Him.  When we have that goal, yes, everything will fall into place. 

Now, I'm sure there are some that don't believe that, but that is where our hearts are.  When we first made the decision to homeschool - it was a huge step of faith.  And, now into our 5th year, it continues to be a huge step of faith.  But I am a witness to the things the Lord has done in the lives of my family and I continue to trust His call for our lives until He calls us elsewhere.

Further down in the article, I came across this quote by A. W. Tozer, "We are called to an everlasting preoccupation with God."

What a call!  We want to encourage our children to love God passionately – with all of their heart, soul, and mind.

Also from the article,

"We worry about state requirements but what does God require? God commands you to diligently teach your children His Word. Deuteronomy 6 says...And these words which I am commanding you this day shall be [first] in your [own] minds and hearts; [then] You shall whet and sharpen them so as to make them penetrate, and teach and impress them diligently upon the [minds and] hearts of your children…"

I had lost my focus and God brought me back to it.  Sitting at my computer, devouring the articles on the Heart of Wisdom blog, I again recognized that call.  The desire to create in my children, a hunger and thirst for God and His Word. 

Because of this 'divine appointment' we have changed our focus.  And I love that this divine appointment didn't occur in the middle of summer, where I had wasted time worrying - it happened the week before we started school.  Just the perfect "summer continuing education credits" I needed!

I understand that not everyone feels called to homeschool their children, but it is the call for our family.  It is my hope that you don't finish reading this thinking I believe homeschool is the only option; it is my hope to come away desiring to make God real in your children's lives and to pray and seek how He wants you to do that.

Science Lesson - Hot Air Rises

Silly Cartoon!