something old...something new...something borrowed.... something blue

Reading up about hands on homeschooling....

found a great article about unschooling here

but very much love the amazing person and the blog she has that this friend of mine shares about the Charlotte Mason Approach

I will reluctantly call it unschooling... but CM isnt really and truly unschooling.

It is teaching your children to love learning through parent directed learning.

so for now we are soaking up the mound of library books we came home with today, reading our Bibles, playing board games, and learning new stuff, gearing up for Kids Camp  as well as remembering how to just enjoy learning again.

Lord,

I dont know exactly what I am doing. But I know You are leading our family in a new direction for the upcoming school year. Help me to be faithful to prayer and reading Your Word as you guide and direct our path. I thank you for revealing where we were lacking... and making us teachable. I thank you for the resources to research this change but more importantly the how to actually do this change. Forgive us for getting so distracted. Help up to rediscover the love for learning we once had.
in Jesus Name.

Amen

We need to talk....

not exactly words I long to hear at 10:39 at night.

usually that means I have spent too much money on something
or not finished something that should have been completed days ago...
or I shrunk something I shouldnt have
or didnt get around to washing his socks

rarely are those words something I long for.

but tonight ....

I am still reeling after those words.

the past few years have been wrought with changes...
leaving the simplicity of the desert
dealing with my parents
deployments
not seeming to fit in

and homeschooling has had its ups and downs.

people telling me I am doing it all wrong...
trying to make everyone happy....
struggling to do it the way other people
(to include my husband)
think I should

but in that mess.
the Joy of it has been gone for a while

and he has noticed.

while dinner is on the table and the carpet gets vaccuumed.

something has been missing.

so tonight.... he said
"I dont know where to start, but I want to help you... I dont think we are headed in the right direction"
I almost didnt breathe.
what could he say next...
put the kids in public school?
I was feeling sick to my stomach.

"I think we need to reexamine how we are teaching the kids and find our joy again"
"we need to do some praying. and come back with the love of learning we used to have"

yes.
i totally agree.
now...
to figure out how.

We are STILL praying baby Zeke!

Your mama is a brave woman. Braver than I think I could be. She told me today you are having a rough few days. That healing isn't coming as fast as she wishes it would. Friends... his platelet counts are very low, his blood pressure too low and even his oxygen saturation is too low. He is on a vent and still those O2 sats remain low..electrolytes are low too.....He has even has a blood transfusion. Tomorrow an EKG and echo are scheduled to check his heart function. They have started antibiotics for a possible bacterial infection. Pray!!!! God Knows the exact circumstances.

also pray for their other sweet boy (#6) baby Sam, He needs another surgery as this 11 month old 11 lb little guy has started to lose weight once again.

Pray for their 5 other blessings as they are bounced around and cared for by church friends as Shelly and Donald cope with the challenges with 2 hospitalized children. Pray for those trying to minister to the children and care for them in their parents abscence. And pray for Shelly & Donald... as they face this storm that they remember that God is in control.

PLEASE PRAY!!!!

if not me... who? if not now...when?

please listen to the whole message. but if you are short on time at least the last 12 minutes.

great stuff!