IT WILL ALL WORK OUT

There's a common thread that weaves through the homeschooling mom syndrome of ambition to train our children well. There's an effortful well-meaningness that can cause even the most intentional, loving moms to crumble.
There's a "trying hard" called over-achieving and it masquerades under the guise of stress.

It's not God-honoring. It doesn't trust. And it deserves a thoughtful response.

To counter such discouraging inclinations that slither into homeschooling homes, I'm here to share the motto that God has used to encourage me time and time again. It's really rather simple, yet biblical when we digest and I believe it's worth etching on hearts that carry burdens we just aren't intended to bear.

Here it is...let's prepare ourselves with open-mindedness and carefully think this one through:

 

It will all work out...

 

I'm sure of it!

 

It will all work out...

 

Let's chant it in our minds.

 

It will all work out...

 

Because here's the thing...God is in control. He is wise. He is good. His plans CANNOT be thwarted. They cannot.

So, even if we feel we've accomplished a massive fail, we haven't. God is over all and He never makes mistakes.
He uses everything for His purposes, even our lowest valleys, even our flailingest fails, even our worst regret.

 

It will all work out...

 

I'm really sure it will!

 

It will all work out...

 

We serve a great God who is trustworthy beyond compare.

 

It will all work out...

 

So let's homeschool parents take some pressure off and enjoy our kids while they're ours! Let's dedicate their (and our) lives to Him. Let's loosen the reigns and let God drive. (He's the one driving anyway...so why don't we just admit it?!)

 

It will all work out...

 

Let's homeschool moms and dads relax. Let's let the small stuff go. Let's realize what will and will not impact our children's eternal experience. Let's let our little ones be little. (There's plenty of time to prepare for college should that be God's will.) And, let's make a choice to stop sinning in our efforts to do good. Really so much of what we moms stress over just simply is unnecessary and often sorrowful upon post-reflection.

 

It will all work out...

 

Even if it seems as though things haven't worked out...and everything feels all messed up. It's not.

Because God uses ALL things for good. He does! I believe it.

 

It will all work out...

 

So, here's to exhhhhaaaling...and tending to the hearts of our children.
Here's to trusting God for the outcome of things we can't control.
Here's to letting stressors fall by the wayside that really just don't matter.

Let's remain eternally focused. Let's seek Him first above all else and realize like we really mean it...
that it WILL all work out because God is good!

 

"And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good,

for those who are called according to his purpose."

Romans 8:28



DRESS UP HISTORY

We're always looking for ways to make learning fun and interactive, conquering the stigma that "school" equals sitting at a desk all day hammering through textbooks and worksheets.

Not that textbooks or worksheets are bad...we use them too, but if I were a kid (or the adult teaching my kids) I'd much rather learn (and teach) in creative ways...especially while they're young.

Hence, dress up history.

 

Our costume closet wardrobe is stocked with time period learning fun.

The kids of all ages LOVE it!!

 

We love historical fiction and we're always reading as a primary method of learning.

I'm constantly encouraging the kids to open up our Big Book of History (from Answers in Genesis) and see where their history reading plugs into the BIG picture. It's a great resource!

 

What a blessing to see siblings big and small putting their learning into action, playing together on an ordinary school day, traveling back in time, letting their imaginations lead the way, cooperating with one another...to name a few of the many reasons why we homeschool!

 

 

It's true that learning is always more fun when you (literally) get into it! It warms my heart to listen to them play, it's a privilege to have them home, and I can't imagine a more interactive way to "dress up" learning good old fashioned history than what my kids are up to today.

 

"Sing to him a new song; play skillfully, and shout for joy."

Psalm 33:3

READING BUDDIES

We like the buddy system around here and I'm all for creativity to make our schooling FUN!

 

 

Today, I laughed out loud when I found Aida pulling her reading buddy around in the wagon as Elka read aloud. Hey...whatever it takes, right? I LOVE it & I LOVE them!

 

 

"Therefore encourage one another and build one another up."

1 Thessalonians 5:11

OCEANOGRAPHY

I love when a school lesson becomes a life lesson. Yesterday we had one of those days. What started as a science study of marine life wandered us over to the ocean for some surf and play and eventually landed us at Petco at 8pm! Ha! I laugh when we get ourselves into such events. It's fun! All 10 of us browsed the isles last night (half in PJs), looking for just the right aquarium for our home. We're still debating if it's the right choice for us (after all aquariums can be complicated), but the kids were excellent about leaving the pet store empty handed, though not empty hearted. We all had a great time!

Also, I think we were able to encourage the store manager who helped us out. We talked about adoption and God's love through ordinary folks like us and it seemed she felt the LOVE. Perhaps she's the reason we went on our aquarium outing in the first place. Time will tell if we'll be welcoming new pets into our family in the near future or not...stay tuned!

This year we used: The Ocean Book from Answers in Genesis

We also love: Oceans by Disneynature

...and some of the cool Oceans videos here.

God's creation under the sea is absolutely AMAZING!!

"The sea is his, for he made it."

Psalm 95:5

HAITI FUNDRAISER

On an ordinary school day, we found ourselves baking for Haiti.

The kids also made cookies for their dad's coworkers who have kindly donated toward our Haiti Fundraiser Garage Sale. These are the things that can get squished out of our lives if we let ourselves get too busy. I'm glad we're keeping it simple around here and I know it's making a difference in these little hearts who mean the world to me!

 

 I'm so proud of Aida! She organized this whole event

all by herself and she has done an outstanding job!

 

 



A few sweet friends baked to help out and everyone had a fun time!

 

 

Later that evening, we went for a walk in the neighborhood to give away the remaining baked goods to our neighbors.

One kind neighbor insisted on giving the kids $100 toward their Haiti trip

because he said he felt the Lord had led him to do so...What a blessing!!!

 

"He who supplies seed to the sower and bread for food will supply and multiply your seed for sowing and increase the harvest of your righteousness. You will be enriched in every way to be generous in every way, which through us will produce thanksgiving to God.  For the ministry of this service is not only supplying the needs of the saints but is also overflowing in many thanksgivings to God." 2

 Corinthians 9:10-12

HISTORY IN THE BAKING

Our kids love to bake. It's become a passionate hobby around our home...and I'm not complaining since that equals a constant stream of fresh goodies and yummy smells wafting. 

 

From the time our oldest daughter, Aida, heard that her cousin was baking her way through U.S. history, she has thought of doing the same. As soon as she shared her thoughts with me, I ordered the U.S. History Cookbook and she has been studying American history in a whole new way ever since!

 

It's always a pleasure to turn a child's interests into life lessons and

really it's so overly obvious that we almost miss the fact that we're LEARNING.

Works for me...

 

 

Who knew history could be so much fun??!!

10 BOYS & 10 GIRLS

I love the series 10 Boys/Girls by Light Keepers.

The kids learn about VIP heroes of the faith in an understandable way that's not too lengthy but still inspiring. Writing a sentence or two about each influential hero sums up the most important qualities that each is remembered for.

Meanwhile, we can use this opportunity to correct spelling mistakes and talk about grammar and such. I wish I had been introduced to more of these movers and shakers when I was a young girl and I hope that these trailblazers light a fire in my children's hearts to change the world for Jesus too!

10 Boys/Girls Who Changed the World

10 Boys/Girls Who Didn't Give In

10 Boys/Girls Who Made a Difference

10 Boys/Girls Who Used Their Talents

10 Boys/Girls Who Made History

"Let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works

and give glory to your Father who is in heaven."

Matthew 5:16

HANDWRITING LETTERS

One of our favorite ways to make handwriting, spelling, and grammar lessons fun is through letter writing. Some of the kids have pen pals and there are always thank you notes to write. Though we don't store the finished product in end-of-the-year binders, their content is definitely an accomplishment. The kid's hearts are dedicated to the writing because they genuinely care for those they're writing to and the recipient of the letter receives something special in the mail. It's a win, win!!

This week as Daddy is in Africa for the first trip to meet Noble and India,

we are writing letters for him to open on his second trip. This knits our hearts to his while

he is gone and will hopefully make him feel close to us when he returns to the DRC next time.

We {heart} handwriting letters!!!

 

"Therefore, my beloved brothers, be steadfast, immovable,

always abounding in the work of the Lord,

knowing that in the Lord your labor is not in vain."

1 Corinthians 15:58

PILGRIMS PROGRESS, PUPPETS, AND A PLAY

When a child is resistant to things like writing and "seat work", what's a conscientious homeschooling mom to do? As one who is unaccustomed to giving up and highly bent toward resolution, I'm on a mission to figure this one out!

Some kids are readers, some are writers, some love math and science, while others excel in the arts. I'm not looking for a box mold for my kids and I'd be crazy to even attempt such promised defeat, but what I am looking for are ways to incorporate that which we ought to do academically with that which we want to do creatively and otherwise.

One such triumph in our homeschooling week was the discovery of playwriting for handwriting and language. Amazing!
And, biblical lessons through Pilgrim's Progress to boot?! Look no further...I think we're onto something here...

 

"And he has filled him with the Spirit of God, with skill, with intelligence,

with knowledge, and with all craftsmanship, to devise artistic designs..."

Exodus 35:31-32

HOMESCHOOL TIDES ARE TURNING

 

In our family, much of what we do for education is "intangible" to a certain degree, meaning we experience it and learn from it, but it doesn't always translate to a concrete, paper-pencil product.

This is what I appreciate most about homeschooling!

Although I keep binders and workbooks for records, at times I've felt disappointed that so much of how we learn goes undocumented...and it's the undocumented stuff, the life experiences, that mean the most to me.

I heard a quote recently, "When people think that unschooling is revolutionary, and scary, they forget that's most of human history, was unschooling." (from the movie trailer Being and Becoming) It struck a chord. As I've pondered deeply and prayed consistently about how we educate our children, more and more I'm convinced that God is moving us into a new season full of new lessons and new ways of going about learning in general.

As I've talked about this with other homeschooling moms, I'm amazed how many of us feel the same way (not all, but many) and yet, we're all trying to find the balance. Heart/ head, textbook/exploration, should do/want to do, read about the tide pools/get wet reaching for a sea urchin in the tide pools, responsibility/throw caution to the wind, life is short/days are long, hard work/don't forget to have fun, it's time to grow up/enjoy childhood while you can...the list goes on and on.

I'll always be a mom who needs to "cross her t's and dot her i's" when it comes to education, and I love contemplating curriculum choices for each new year. However, I think there is much to learn from "unschooling" and following our children's (and our) God-given inclinations as we all learn through the gift of homeschooling. In our family, our educational goal is to set our children up for the best introduction possible to God's plans and mission for each of their lives, discipling their hearts as we do. I'm trying to listen to the inclinations of my heart, searching Scripture for God's best for our growing family, and asking His Spirit to convict and guide as we seek to please Him with how we live out our lives. What matters most to me is that we are serving God in all that we do and searching for His will in our lives and it's so unique for each individual. Our children express many different types of intelligence.

 

Change. It's brewing...

More and more, I'm embracing my children's inspiring creativity and soaking in where we are now.
They'll only be little once and there is so much to cherish during the "little", so much to explore!

I don't want to miss this moment.

I don't want to be too busy to write puppet shows and plays and orchestrate elaborate shows.

I never want to have so much on our To Do list that we miss the very things that we really ought to do..like pray and read (both God's Word and books of all kinds) and play and explore and build and bake and reach out to others in need; like linger over breakfast in conversation and somehow end up talking about the meaning of life, theology, our favorite things, manners, hopes and dreams, how to build a dart board, China, adoption, fears, concerns, yesterday's memories, today's plans, and the possibilites for our future...all in one encounter. I love watching my kids grow in their friendships and teamwork with one another and I especially love watching them as they care for their younger siblings gently...not because they have to, but just because they long to. For me, this is one of the sweetest rewards of our Quantity Time homeschooling as a family and I hope it sets them up for success in their future families.

I want there to be enough time in our days to stop and smell the roses, to work through arguments biblically, to go on one-on-one dates with all of our children, and flow where the wind takes us every now and then!

These are very special days of making very special memories and training very special hearts.

I don't want to miss it!

It's clear that God has been nudging me for a while to follow my instincts and His voice, focus on what matters most...Him. It's obvious that the tides are turning and how we have "done school" historically is preparing for change. It seems to me that God is prompting something new on the horizon.

There's freedom in the thought of it...

 

 

endless possibilities...

I'm in. I'm excited. Brodie's ready and willing (as always!). And, I have absolutely NO IDEA what that means. NO CLUE what that looks like. Ha! But God, He does. He leads, we follow. That's the way it goes around here.

 

 I'm encouraged as we are able to see what we've been up to in our schooling/learning/exploring/experiencing, going back every now and then to reminisce. I'm inspired and curious and prayerful as this promises to be an exciting year with the addition of two new family members just around the corner.

 

I thank God for the life lessons we will all gain this year that go way beyond any textbook learning. I thank Him for prompting my heart to a reevaluation of our educational experience as our family grows. And, I look forward to what He has planned for us with the rest of our school year and beyond!

These children, they are an incredible gift from the Lord! They are a blessing and a challenge and inspiring and precious. They sometimes drive me crazy, but they always make me grateful. They are God's and they are mine and I am exceedingly thankful for the privilege of raising them.

 

 

I pray for God's grace to train them well for Him and I'm grateful everyday that God has chosen this road for me...trials and all...I'm thankful. I'm trusting and leaping and falling and praying and reading and thinking and asking God for guidance as the homeschool tides are turning.

"When they saw the courage of Peter and John and realized that they were unschooled, 
ordinary men, they were astonished and they took note that these men had been with Jesus."

Acts 4:13

 

"Behold, children are a heritage from the LORD, the fruit of the womb a reward. Like arrows in the hand of a warrior are the children of one's youth. Blessed is the man who fills his quiver with them!" 

Psalm 127:3-5