I always loved the saying "Tomorrow is a new day, fresh with no mistakes". (Who said that, anyway? It's from a movie, i think?)
Anyway, it always makes me hopeful for a new day.
I answered a question not too long ago; "whats your favorite day of the week?"
Well, believe it or not, mine is Monday.
No, seriously.
I love looking at a new week spread out before me, knowing the things here and there that must be accomplished, and i think about how there are seven days ahead of me that i can fill with memories, fill with great moments, fill with life.
And inevitably, life rushes in to meet me that week. a sick kid, fighting kids, a careless word between spouses, a mean look in traffic, a mis-placed library book, etc.
"Life".
But is that "just life"??
Jesus said " I AM the resurrection, and the LIFE."
These things I listed, that I called "life"... they are circumstances, they are not LIFE.
They may be the "events" of the week, they may be "happenings" but they all fall upon me through my LIFE.
Jesus Christ must be my "LIFE".
He is what keeps me here, keeps my heart beating, keeps my hope alive, keeps my responsibilites and priorities in line... HE must be my LIFE.
And while each day finds itself filled with 1,001 mistakes, and a handful (or a wheelbarrow) of inconvenient "happenings", each tomorrow spreads itself ahead of me, full of the promise of "being fresh, with no mistakes"..
Because the One who is LIFE is there waiting to meet me, yesterday, today, and tomorrow.
Monday, February 6, 2012
Saturday, February 4, 2012
Just BE and me
I got a chance to spend some one on one time with my little blue elephant this week.
we went to steak n' shake for lunch.
oh, how that BE makes me laugh!
The server came to the table.
BE: "Hi! I'm J and this is my mama! I'd like juice and TWO grilled cheese. One for me, and one for my MAMA!"
And he smiled his most winning smiled and waited for her to do his bidding.
I laughed, ordered juice and water, and told BE i didn't know what i wanted to eat, yet.
Yes, you guessed it. I'm a sucker. We both ordered grilled cheese.
(And it was GOOD!)
We colored.
A giraffe family, complete with a Mama, Daddy, and boy and girl. The boy was named Spots. The girl was named Giraffe. (original, buddy.)
We talked.
That is to say, I asked questions and he answered them.
He still loves homeschool. He likes the "games" we play the best. (mental note: more versions of games as we learn!)
He still wants to be a firefighter (and NOT get married) when he grows up.
He wants to drive the firetruck, and help make sure the water comes out correctly.
I told him he has to be good at math for that, and he stared at me like I had 3 heads.
Of course he would be good enough at math. Duh, Mama.
When we had eaten our grilled cheese, I ordered BE a strawberry sundae for dessert.
He loved it.. but he had to figure out how to get to the strawberry topping at the bottom of the cup.
Challenge? Not for my little BE!
He dug a "groundhog burrow" into the ice cream and reached the strawberries.
He also decided that since that day it was Thursday, the dessert should be a "strawberry Thursday"... and told the server as much when she came back with the bill.
He also looked her right in the eye and said with all the enthusiasm his little body could bear "HAPPY GROUNDHOG DAY!!"
Ah, my BE.
If anyone ever worries about the socialization aspect of homeschool, i invite you to have a conversation with my Blue Elephant. It's sure to be memorable!
I loved my time with BE.
I love my Elephants!
we went to steak n' shake for lunch.
oh, how that BE makes me laugh!
The server came to the table.
BE: "Hi! I'm J and this is my mama! I'd like juice and TWO grilled cheese. One for me, and one for my MAMA!"
And he smiled his most winning smiled and waited for her to do his bidding.
I laughed, ordered juice and water, and told BE i didn't know what i wanted to eat, yet.
Yes, you guessed it. I'm a sucker. We both ordered grilled cheese.
(And it was GOOD!)
We colored.
A giraffe family, complete with a Mama, Daddy, and boy and girl. The boy was named Spots. The girl was named Giraffe. (original, buddy.)
We talked.
That is to say, I asked questions and he answered them.
He still loves homeschool. He likes the "games" we play the best. (mental note: more versions of games as we learn!)
He still wants to be a firefighter (and NOT get married) when he grows up.
He wants to drive the firetruck, and help make sure the water comes out correctly.
I told him he has to be good at math for that, and he stared at me like I had 3 heads.
Of course he would be good enough at math. Duh, Mama.
When we had eaten our grilled cheese, I ordered BE a strawberry sundae for dessert.
He loved it.. but he had to figure out how to get to the strawberry topping at the bottom of the cup.
Challenge? Not for my little BE!
He dug a "groundhog burrow" into the ice cream and reached the strawberries.
He also decided that since that day it was Thursday, the dessert should be a "strawberry Thursday"... and told the server as much when she came back with the bill.
He also looked her right in the eye and said with all the enthusiasm his little body could bear "HAPPY GROUNDHOG DAY!!"
Ah, my BE.
If anyone ever worries about the socialization aspect of homeschool, i invite you to have a conversation with my Blue Elephant. It's sure to be memorable!
I loved my time with BE.
I love my Elephants!
Saturday, January 28, 2012
Circus Tales
We took the herd on the road this past Thursday evening. Thats right, the circus was in town, and we got to go! Thanks to the local public library, both of our kids read 10 books and each received a voucher for a free ticket. Plus, we attended on opening night, which was half-price. So essentially, the 4 of us went for the price of one admission! Gotta love a great deal! :)
Maybe when I become even more blog savvy (because I have LOADS o' free time!) I will post some pics of the trip. Of course, our seats were a bit high up and far away, so they weren't the best quality. But I am NOT complaining, I assure you!
I was so certain that BE would love seeing the elephants the most. But, every time, that lil guy throws me for a loop. What was he the MOST excited about? The horses, of all things! I'm sure that the elephant interest has not declined...it's still thriving.
I enjoyed the elephants the most, I have to say!
It was amazing to watch them "sit" on the giant stools, "dance" and "go to sleep".
The elephants looked like somebody was inside thier baggy skin, trapped under layers of gray wrinkles, just trying to find a split in the seam so they could break free. When they would move around, their skin would follow. Nowhere near as sleek and fit as the tigers, or as muscled and precise as the horses.
But it was the elephants I enjoyed the most.
Because I can relate to them.
I lumber through life, i go through the motions I have been "trained" to perfect, I perform my duties diligently.
But still, I feel that somewhere inside of me there is another creature altogether just groping aound, checking and rechecking the fabric of my suit, struggling to break free, to be released from the baggy excess that weighs me down.
Is it a longing to be free from my responsibilities? No, I don't think so.
Prehaps its that bit of me that belongs to HIM, that simply feels the rub sometimes, the not-belonging-here-on-earth longing for heaven.
Once I get Home where HE is, I think my skin will fit just right.
This was a circus post.
The circus made me long for Heaven.
Sometimes, the way my mind works.... its beyond me.
Maybe when I become even more blog savvy (because I have LOADS o' free time!) I will post some pics of the trip. Of course, our seats were a bit high up and far away, so they weren't the best quality. But I am NOT complaining, I assure you!
I was so certain that BE would love seeing the elephants the most. But, every time, that lil guy throws me for a loop. What was he the MOST excited about? The horses, of all things! I'm sure that the elephant interest has not declined...it's still thriving.
I enjoyed the elephants the most, I have to say!
It was amazing to watch them "sit" on the giant stools, "dance" and "go to sleep".
The elephants looked like somebody was inside thier baggy skin, trapped under layers of gray wrinkles, just trying to find a split in the seam so they could break free. When they would move around, their skin would follow. Nowhere near as sleek and fit as the tigers, or as muscled and precise as the horses.
But it was the elephants I enjoyed the most.
Because I can relate to them.
I lumber through life, i go through the motions I have been "trained" to perfect, I perform my duties diligently.
But still, I feel that somewhere inside of me there is another creature altogether just groping aound, checking and rechecking the fabric of my suit, struggling to break free, to be released from the baggy excess that weighs me down.
Is it a longing to be free from my responsibilities? No, I don't think so.
Prehaps its that bit of me that belongs to HIM, that simply feels the rub sometimes, the not-belonging-here-on-earth longing for heaven.
Once I get Home where HE is, I think my skin will fit just right.
This was a circus post.
The circus made me long for Heaven.
Sometimes, the way my mind works.... its beyond me.
Wednesday, January 18, 2012
It's Getting Easier(Harder)
I love the new set up we have going in our bonus room upstairs. Or the "schoolroom" as I call it now. I love that I have set Blue Elephant an actual predictable schedule for school. Pledge and Prayer first, followed by letters/phonics followed by reading followed by.... yeah, you get the idea. Everytime we sit down, we follow the schedule. Except where I slide reading time around with math time and then swap out social studies for a puzzle (of the U.S. map)... Okay, so it's not a "strictly adhered to" schedule, but it IS working. And as a parent, and a home-educator, "it works" is the method I am striving for.
Blue Elephant seems to be responding well to the new locale, as well as the new additions to our school day. I now give him a journal topic everyday. (Thank you to my also homeschooling sister with a 3rd grader for this idea.) He LOVES the journal part of things. I may just have an author/illustrator on my hands. (After he becomes a successful zoologist, of course!)
So thats the part that is getting "easier".
And then theres the "hard" part.
I know that this is my first year of being a defined homeschool teacher, and that as the years go by, i will toughen up (right??) but it has been difficult to adjust to the reactions of people when they learn that we homeschool.
Everything from "Oh."....awkward silence... to "Wow! I could NEVER do that!" (As if being there for your children's learning process is akin to eating worms. This is education, people, not Fear Factor.)
From "How, you know, how long are you going to, you know, DO that?" to "Does your son enjoy it?"
The answers are "Oh, about as long as I will stick with being a parent"... oops, that doesnt have a "reverse" option... and "No! He is miserable! A lump, a mass in a chair never speaking, never learning, never growing! And its GREAT!"
Can you see just a tid bit of sarcasm running through this post?
Sorry about that.
It's just hard being so... well, so "misunderstood" [read:judged] for having made a personal decision with my child's best interest at heart.
I am certain that education options are not the only way I differ in my parenting methods than other people. There are probably a million ways that my methods differ from other parents, because I am, at the heart of it, a weird parent. No really, if you were my child, you would think so, too, as I know both my elephants must already feel this way about me.
But back to the topic...
Homeschool is a personal decision, like any other personal decision, it has to work into the fabric of the family to which it is applied or it is pointless to pursue.
It works beautifully in the fabric of our herd. Our days are spent in togetherness, and discovery.
BE is being challenged, and learning, and remains curious to learn MORE- a sure sign that he is not burnt out on homeschool.
But I am getting a little ragged around the edges with homeschool, or rather, just the area of the opinions surrounding homeschool.
I'm not saying you have to do it, in fact, I don't reccomend you try it.
If you were to group homeschool and flying pigs in the same category [rediculous things] then it goes without saying that you would be miserable attempting the homeschool option.
But, before the next time you comment upon learning that I (or any other homeschool parents) have chosen this life, please just realise that we put alot of time and thought into it BEFORE we made the decision.
Homeschooling itself, thats the easy part.
Dealing with the backlash for choosing to homeschool?
Thats the hard part.
Blue Elephant seems to be responding well to the new locale, as well as the new additions to our school day. I now give him a journal topic everyday. (Thank you to my also homeschooling sister with a 3rd grader for this idea.) He LOVES the journal part of things. I may just have an author/illustrator on my hands. (After he becomes a successful zoologist, of course!)
So thats the part that is getting "easier".
And then theres the "hard" part.
I know that this is my first year of being a defined homeschool teacher, and that as the years go by, i will toughen up (right??) but it has been difficult to adjust to the reactions of people when they learn that we homeschool.
Everything from "Oh."....awkward silence... to "Wow! I could NEVER do that!" (As if being there for your children's learning process is akin to eating worms. This is education, people, not Fear Factor.)
From "How, you know, how long are you going to, you know, DO that?" to "Does your son enjoy it?"
The answers are "Oh, about as long as I will stick with being a parent"... oops, that doesnt have a "reverse" option... and "No! He is miserable! A lump, a mass in a chair never speaking, never learning, never growing! And its GREAT!"
Can you see just a tid bit of sarcasm running through this post?
Sorry about that.
It's just hard being so... well, so "misunderstood" [read:judged] for having made a personal decision with my child's best interest at heart.
I am certain that education options are not the only way I differ in my parenting methods than other people. There are probably a million ways that my methods differ from other parents, because I am, at the heart of it, a weird parent. No really, if you were my child, you would think so, too, as I know both my elephants must already feel this way about me.
But back to the topic...
Homeschool is a personal decision, like any other personal decision, it has to work into the fabric of the family to which it is applied or it is pointless to pursue.
It works beautifully in the fabric of our herd. Our days are spent in togetherness, and discovery.
BE is being challenged, and learning, and remains curious to learn MORE- a sure sign that he is not burnt out on homeschool.
But I am getting a little ragged around the edges with homeschool, or rather, just the area of the opinions surrounding homeschool.
I'm not saying you have to do it, in fact, I don't reccomend you try it.
If you were to group homeschool and flying pigs in the same category [rediculous things] then it goes without saying that you would be miserable attempting the homeschool option.
But, before the next time you comment upon learning that I (or any other homeschool parents) have chosen this life, please just realise that we put alot of time and thought into it BEFORE we made the decision.
Homeschooling itself, thats the easy part.
Dealing with the backlash for choosing to homeschool?
Thats the hard part.
Saturday, January 14, 2012
What a Difference the Word Makes
If you homeschool, then you know what it is to have an "off" day in the classroom. Okay, lets face it, if you are a parent at all, you know what it means to have an "off" day!!
Homeschooling is wonderful. It is richly rewarding, it is full of discovery, challenge, lightbulb moments of learning, and that is just on the parent's end of things... I love homeschooling. I adore being a mother. But like any "career" in life, I have hard days at "work". What a difference the Word makes.
Today I said to myself "oh, yay, I DON'T have to teach today!". (It's Saturday!!) I am grateful for the 2 day break from school, each weekend. It affords me time to refresh, plan, rest up, and prepare for the week ahead.
Today's Bible reading was just what I needed. Surprise, surprise! (If you are a believer, you know what I mean; the Word is truely alive and active, and God speaks to our present moment through it.)
In Psalm 119:25-32, I found my refreshment. I prefer the NLT version, so it may read differently than your Bible:
Homeschooling is wonderful. It is richly rewarding, it is full of discovery, challenge, lightbulb moments of learning, and that is just on the parent's end of things... I love homeschooling. I adore being a mother. But like any "career" in life, I have hard days at "work". What a difference the Word makes.
Today I said to myself "oh, yay, I DON'T have to teach today!". (It's Saturday!!) I am grateful for the 2 day break from school, each weekend. It affords me time to refresh, plan, rest up, and prepare for the week ahead.
Today's Bible reading was just what I needed. Surprise, surprise! (If you are a believer, you know what I mean; the Word is truely alive and active, and God speaks to our present moment through it.)
In Psalm 119:25-32, I found my refreshment. I prefer the NLT version, so it may read differently than your Bible:
I lie in the dust;
revive me by your word.
I told you my plans, and you answered.
Now teach me your decrees.
Help me understand the meaning of
your commandments,
and I will meditate on your
wonderful deeds.
I weep with sorrow;
encourage me by your word.
Keep me from lying to myself;
give me the privilege of knowing
your instructions.
I have chosen to be faithful;
I have determined to live by your
regulations.
I cling to your laws.
Lord, don't let me be put to shame!
I will pursue your commands,
for you expand my understanding.
How I needed this today! And of course He knew, He always knows. After an "off" day, this calling of homeschool can be discouraging, disheartening. But I know where to turn when I need to be lifted "out of the dust" and "revived by the Word"... Even when I am sorrowful, even when it is mind-numbingly difficult to be a parent, even when it seems nothing is going right, still I will cling to Lord my Savior, in who's commands I find my strength.
For I have chosen to be faithful. I will meditate on His wonderful deeds, I will count my blessing, I will find my solace and my refreshment in the Lord my God.
Thank you, Lord. Every word of the Scripture is able to speak right to the heart of my need, right at the moment I long for understanding.
I understand anew that I am called to these precious little ones, I am to teach them not only the ABC's but also the love of the Lord. I cannot, MUST not lean on my own strength and understanding to get through.
Lord, keep me from lying to myself about parenting. It is impossible to BE a Godly parent without Your strength, it is impossible to raise Godly children without Your direction and leadership. I cannot do this on my own, I would be foolish even to try!
And so, "I cling to your laws. Lord, don't let me be put to shame! I will pursue YOUR commands, for YOU expand my understanding."
What a difference the Word makes!
Wednesday, January 4, 2012
New Year, New Room, New Way
I've never been much on resolutions. I've never really gotten on the "new years" bandwagon before. I didn't this year, either. I mean, I've made some changes that happen to coincide with the New Year's holiday. Just not not not "resolutions"... it's like if you call them that name, they are doomed to fail, or something. (maybe thats just me.)
Anyway, our 2nd semester of Kindergarten started back on Monday the 2nd. Blue Elphant was excited (relieved) to be back to a more structured day. I must remember that while I may be more of the spontaneous type, BE thrives on a schedule.
Truthfully, we only took a handful of days off for the holiday, but I was so busy I hardly noticed the break! (any other parents think Christmas flies by way too fast now that we are grownups??)
I was excited to begin teaching again. I was REALLY excited to begin in my "brand new" schoolroom.
When we started this venture in August, we were schooling in the kitchen. It worked, but i always felt claustrophobic. The kids never do stay in the playroom (our upstairs bonus room) when I ask them to, so switching half the room into a schoolroom was the perfect solution.
So we have a new semester started in the new year, a new space for our learning, and a new approach as well. I now have written a "schedule" of sorts for my BE to follow for each day. We start everyday with prayer and pledge, then begin our subjects. I have designed the day so that he gets mini "focused" breaks throughout school. Read a book in his reading chair (the rocker that my too-big-too-fast elephants have outgrown), or play a game with me and PE. Monday we played Candy Land (and it counted for school!!). He also gets built-in "songs and silliness time", in which we can jump around and sing and shout. Every 5 year old male elephant has to get his ants out of his pants after awhile! And, he knows that at the end of every school day he gets time on his "Scout Computer" (Leapster) before I make lunch. This structure and bit of predictability has really helped BE so far this school year.
New Year, New Room, New Way.
Its working for us, and BE is thriving. And that is just about all that matters to me! :)
Anyway, our 2nd semester of Kindergarten started back on Monday the 2nd. Blue Elphant was excited (relieved) to be back to a more structured day. I must remember that while I may be more of the spontaneous type, BE thrives on a schedule.
Truthfully, we only took a handful of days off for the holiday, but I was so busy I hardly noticed the break! (any other parents think Christmas flies by way too fast now that we are grownups??)
I was excited to begin teaching again. I was REALLY excited to begin in my "brand new" schoolroom.
When we started this venture in August, we were schooling in the kitchen. It worked, but i always felt claustrophobic. The kids never do stay in the playroom (our upstairs bonus room) when I ask them to, so switching half the room into a schoolroom was the perfect solution.
So we have a new semester started in the new year, a new space for our learning, and a new approach as well. I now have written a "schedule" of sorts for my BE to follow for each day. We start everyday with prayer and pledge, then begin our subjects. I have designed the day so that he gets mini "focused" breaks throughout school. Read a book in his reading chair (the rocker that my too-big-too-fast elephants have outgrown), or play a game with me and PE. Monday we played Candy Land (and it counted for school!!). He also gets built-in "songs and silliness time", in which we can jump around and sing and shout. Every 5 year old male elephant has to get his ants out of his pants after awhile! And, he knows that at the end of every school day he gets time on his "Scout Computer" (Leapster) before I make lunch. This structure and bit of predictability has really helped BE so far this school year.
New Year, New Room, New Way.
Its working for us, and BE is thriving. And that is just about all that matters to me! :)
Thursday, December 15, 2011
Blue Elephant: A Year In Review
Blue Elephant turns FIVE today! Here are the highlights of your "fourth" year in picture review:
First Viewing of Star Wars: A New Hope, complete with popcorn. Daddy Elephant was delighted to share this with you!
Second year of Cubbies in the church Awana program begins. You LOVE "Earn E. Elephant" (surprising, I know! lol)
Your first day of Kindergarten! Blue Elephant, I was met with alot of raised eyebrows when I decided to homeschool you, and when we started you at FOUR. BUT you are excelling!
Building your "new" red big boy bed with Daddy... men and thier tools! You love this bed, and are proud to be growing up!
First Predators Hockey Game as a family. You and Pink Elephant had alot of fun. You are acting silly for the picture, of course!
We spend alot of time creating imaginative toys/pretending at our house. Here, you and Pink Elephant are playing Firefighters in a repurposed box!
We love to bake and make cookies! Here you are making "mini fall leaves"... I think between you and your little sister, half the cookies got eaten before they made it to the oven!
You are growing so fast, it is hard to believe that you are already 5 years old, today! We love you, Blue Elephant!! Happy Birthday!!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)