I knew it was bound to happen eventually. I mean, really ~ how long did I truly expect this streak to last? Roads and good intentions... you know the saying, right? I tried - really I did. Unfortunately, this usually happens at least twice a year.
I made a mistake.
Ok...ok ... if you know me at all, you can hear my voice and the silliness dripping from this! Mistakes?? Oh my word ~ by the HOUR!!
I admit it. I told my students something in error. Blame it on lack of sleep, too much to do, looking forward to Friday... pick your poison. The fact remains that I made a boo-boo! I'd been doing so well, too ...... insert starry-eyed gaze here.
They took it well, especially since I offered to help them fix my mistake. Fortunately, it was comma placement and not life-altering.
Ah.... alas. I shall not win teacher/mother of the year.
I knew at the beginning of this venture that I would learn more than they did. I guess the proof is in the pudding, huh?
Each day is a new opportunity .... What I do with it is up to the choices I make... and the blessings God gives me.
I cannot change the world, but I CAN change me...
Thursday, September 13, 2012
Friday, September 7, 2012
O.O
Bug-eyed. Some days, that's just how I feel!
Perhaps it's the lack of sleep I've had or the silly giggles I've been involved in recently, but this particular lesson just can't be done soon enough!
The entire idea of homeschooling is being able to teach your children in ways that suit their particular learning style. I have a logical learner and a literary or language-oriented learner. I thought today would be a good day to drag out the legos and build a ziggurat. You don't know what that is? No worries - neither did I. We were learning about the Sumerians and their civilization, and the had built ziggurats. Google it. It's good reading. If you need help falling asleep. Sorry - truth!
I can't say that this went as planned. You would think that, with a box of 9 MILLION lego pieces, there wouldn't be any arguments... right? I mean, that's 4.5 million for each child. Well.. guess what? Yep. There was only one of a particular piece and they both wanted it. Enter bug eyes!
Some days seem endless -
My patience grows thin.
Why was I chosen
To be mother of twins?
Kudos to mom for not flushing them both down the toilet. Crisis was averted with a calm voice (pat my OWN back!!), and as I type this, they are working together to help each other's ziggurat be the best it can be. I don't think the Egyptians have anything to worry about. Apparently engineering isn't in the future of either of my students.... I'm not laughing - I swear I'm not. BUT .... somehow they got it in their head that a ziggurat was a church. It wasn't exactly a church. They believe these structures were "houses" for the gods. Although we talked about that some, they are still building Sunday School rooms. Lukas is also pondering the thought of a Smurf choir singing gospel songs in the basement. Now he's looking for speakers. Ok - ok! So I'm laughing just a LITTLE. Eh.... oh well.
I don't know if they will remember the word ziggurat at their graduation ceremony. My vote will be "no". However... I hope ~ scratch that ~ I pray that the lesson they learned here today will be teamwork and forgiveness, as well as a good dose of "don't get frustrated".
Which reminds me ~~ My bible study this morning included a story from Kay Strom. She was talking about signs and wonders. They still happen, you know. How hard do we look for those signs and wonders? We need them stored in our memory banks. When times get tough and the going gets rough, we need to look back at those items in our past to gain some knowledge and strength. It's important to have memories of "Remember when God ....(fill in the blank)" ... I know I have been accessing those memories lately. It's important to remember that He did it before, so we can stand secure that He'll do it again. That brings me back to "don't get frustrated". He's still working on me ~ and you.
Lessons. They hurt sometimes, but aren't you glad we have them??
Thursday, September 6, 2012
A scheduled update
First of all, let me say that the great homeschooling journey is off and running, we are settling into our routines, the twins are learning, thriving, and growing mentally, physically, emotionally and spiritually. This is all that a mom and a teacher can ask for. We are constantly changing, adding and updating. I guess that's life, right?? I'm excited about their progress.
I want to thank everyone for their prayers and positive comments. This blog is about homeschool, but it is so much more than that. This blog is also about one imperfect woman's journey through life, and the lessons I'm learning along the way. I hope to learn more than my children.
Unfortunately, the need arises for me to copy from my friend David's blog and set a few ground rules;
"Next ground rule, I am going to be blunt. I will not be intentionally rude; I will not get into ad hominem {an attempt to negate the truth of a claim by pointing out a negative characteristic or unrelated belief of the person supporting it} attacks; and I will not spar anonymously with other unnamed people. My opinions are just that; they are opinions and they are mine. It is doubtful that you will change mine, they have been too hard fought and won through the years."
In short, if you are reading this blog, then you probably know me and want to keep updated on me, my life and my family. I will not sink to arguments with anonymous nay-sayers with bad grammar. Posts are not made public on this blog until I approve them, so bad comments will never be seen anyway. If you don't like me, that's ok. An easy solution to that problem is to not read anything else I post.
I apologize to those of you reading this that truly care about me. I realize this isn't my normal type of post, and hopefully this will be the last of its kind.
I intend to take today forward and focus on the positives in my life. I can't stop the personal attacks that have hit me like mortar shells these past few weeks, but I can control my reactions to them. I will continue to do what I have done - ignore them and pray Pray PRAY for those involved. Just in case you were curious, that isn't easy. Is it what I want to do? No. In myself, I don't want to pray for them. I want to call them out on their childish and "anonymous" behavior. But, God's way isn't my way - thank goodness!!! I'm learning and growing every day. I'm learning from my mistakes and growing closer to God. I have a regular prayer time and a Bible time - something that I struggled with before. I'm not what I could be, I'm not what I'm gonna be - but PRAISE THE LORD I'm not what I was.....
Thank you for walking with me on the journey....
I want to thank everyone for their prayers and positive comments. This blog is about homeschool, but it is so much more than that. This blog is also about one imperfect woman's journey through life, and the lessons I'm learning along the way. I hope to learn more than my children.
Unfortunately, the need arises for me to copy from my friend David's blog and set a few ground rules;
"Next ground rule, I am going to be blunt. I will not be intentionally rude; I will not get into ad hominem {an attempt to negate the truth of a claim by pointing out a negative characteristic or unrelated belief of the person supporting it} attacks; and I will not spar anonymously with other unnamed people. My opinions are just that; they are opinions and they are mine. It is doubtful that you will change mine, they have been too hard fought and won through the years."
In short, if you are reading this blog, then you probably know me and want to keep updated on me, my life and my family. I will not sink to arguments with anonymous nay-sayers with bad grammar. Posts are not made public on this blog until I approve them, so bad comments will never be seen anyway. If you don't like me, that's ok. An easy solution to that problem is to not read anything else I post.
I apologize to those of you reading this that truly care about me. I realize this isn't my normal type of post, and hopefully this will be the last of its kind.
I intend to take today forward and focus on the positives in my life. I can't stop the personal attacks that have hit me like mortar shells these past few weeks, but I can control my reactions to them. I will continue to do what I have done - ignore them and pray Pray PRAY for those involved. Just in case you were curious, that isn't easy. Is it what I want to do? No. In myself, I don't want to pray for them. I want to call them out on their childish and "anonymous" behavior. But, God's way isn't my way - thank goodness!!! I'm learning and growing every day. I'm learning from my mistakes and growing closer to God. I have a regular prayer time and a Bible time - something that I struggled with before. I'm not what I could be, I'm not what I'm gonna be - but PRAISE THE LORD I'm not what I was.....
Thank you for walking with me on the journey....
Monday, August 27, 2012
To Judge or Not to Judge.... that is the question??
I have spent several weeks/months reading posts from friends on FaceBook and Pinterest about judging others. This is a nice hot topic and I really wanted to know what the Bible said about the subject, so I've done some digging.
First of all, yes ~ the Bible says not to judge others. But, God is very specific in what He says judging is. In Matthew 7:1-2, Jesus said “Do not judge others, and you will not be judged. 2 For you will be treated as you treat others.[a] The standard you use in judging is the standard by which you will be judged." Well - this is all well and good, isn't it? It sounds like a get-out-of-jail-free card to me. This verse, should that be all there is to it, would allow anyone to do anything and say anything and go anywhere at any time with anyone. Don't speak on it or you're judging. This would be the most perfect "me" based world. What these verses mean, just so there's no question, is that I'm not to judge another person's heart. I am not to decide if that person is a child of God. This isn't my job and I'm not qualified. So, just so we're clear, when you use this verse to justify and action, word or deed that are currently involved in, you don't have God's blessing.
If you dig a little deeper into Matthew, you see a different side to the judging debate. in Matthew 12:33-34, Jesus ALSO said “A tree is identified by its fruit. If a tree is good, its fruit will be good. If a tree is bad, its fruit will be bad. You brood of snakes! How could evil men like you speak what is good and right? For whatever is in your heart determines what you say." Jesus clearly says that we will be known by our fruits. Most people consider this to be our "works" or all the marvelous things we've done. I don't personally agree. I think it's our spiritual fruits. You know what those are, right? Love ~ Joy ~ Peace ~ Patience ~ Kindness ~ Goodness ~ Faithfulness ~ Gentleness ~ Self Control. Go back and read those again. Repeat. Okay - one more time. Do you honestly think that you can do ANY of those on your own? We will know each other by those 9 items. I can't look for those 9 things without some form of judgment. I don't mean criticism and putting myself above others. I mean examining your fruits. If you are a hateful, spiteful, mean spirited, ugly, rude, foul mouthed, antagonistic person, yet you claim to be a Christian, HOW can you POSSIBLY expect no one to question your actions?????
God tells us to avoid certain people with certain problems. "Don’t befriend angry people or associate with hot-tempered people" Proverbs 22:24. {MAN. I wish I had seen this about a year ago. It would have made life easier} I'm not making this up, people. These aren't my words - they're the Lord's. God tells us not to befriend those with angry and hot headed traits. HOW, pray-tell me, do you determine if someone is angry and hot headed WITHOUT judging them?
Hebrews 5:14 "Solid food is for those who are mature, who through training have the skill to recognize the difference between right and wrong." We are to constantly study, learn and grow in the word so that we can recognize right and wrong. If I'm to recognize right and wrong, then a little judging of other's actions will happen. It doesn't mean I'm comparing myself to others in an attempt to build me up, but if someone in my life is living unbecoming to the word and I surround myself with them, they will influence me in a negative way. You do the math - then satan will have TWO of God's saved doing satan's work in Jesus' name. That's a train wreck just waiting to happen. I have to know my stuff. I have to know that, if the Bible says it's right, then it's right. If the Bible says it's wrong, then it's wrong.
We as Christians are not to judge the hearts of others. That's not my call. I don't know if anyone else has a personal relationship with Jesus. That's between them and Jesus. If they say they do, I have to take them at that word.
However, I have a responsibility to judge others actions, as well as my own. I am not to judge to "pass judgement" and we are certainly not to gossip, but I am to judge to discern if said person(s) is living a life pleasing to God. This affects not only their life, but mine if I have any kind of relationship with them. I am not called to admonish, condemn or criticize. However, I am called to lovingly and respectively speak to anyone that has strayed. “If another believer[a] sins against you,[b] go privately and point out the offense. If the other person listens and confesses it, you have won that person back. 16 But if you are unsuccessful, take one or two others with you and go back again, so that everything you say may be confirmed by two or three witnesses. 17 If the person still refuses to listen, take your case to the church. Then if he or she won’t accept the church’s decision, treat that person as a pagan or a corrupt tax collector." Matthew 18:15-17. This could be a slippery slope, if we look at this with pride and arrogance. Humbleness and reverance should be in abundance before you try this action. You should know (and be able to freely admit) your own weaknesses and sins.
I suppose it just all boils down to this. No one wants to be told that they're wrong and not living in a way that pleases the Lord. I have seen/heard/discovered that it's perfectly acceptable to judge anyone you want, as long as it's not 'me'. You are doing God's work and His will ..... unless it's at 'me'. Then ~ by crackey ~ you're judging and the Bible says that's wrong!!!
Have I ever had my actions and motives judged? Absolutely!!! Did hurt? OH YES!!! I didn't like it at the time. But .... it made me better. It shaped me and formed me. It's a painful process, especially since I was absolutely wrong at the time. Hitting rock bottom hurts. But, it's the price I paid for not listening to God the first 1,000 times He tried to talk to me. Lesson learned.
I pray for humble hearts. I pray that people who call themselves Christains get that chip off their shoulder and their heart off their sleeve.
It's not all about you. It's certainly not all about me. It's about the Lord. It's about serving Him and worshiping Him and loving Him and sharing Him.
And I HOPE and I PRAY that when I stray and when I fail, s[notice I said when, not if] someone will have the guts and backbone to look at me and say "Anita. You BONEHEAD. What are you doing??!! This. Is. Wrong."
I doubt that I've changed much with this post, and that's ok. Unfortunately, the ones that need to read it most are the ones that won't see it. But, I learned - straight from God's word - and that makes me a winner. I can never study too much, read too much, pray too much, or love too much.
I hope this blesses you, and I also hope that it tugs at your heart. You can be as mad at me as you want, as long as you know that you're being mad at God, too. They're His words, written long before me.
We all sin. I know that. Geez, I live it. Admiting it is the first step. Did you get that? That's only the FIRST step. I don't have time to count all your sins. I'm busy counting mine. But, I believe that one day we will all stand before God and give an account for our lives. I also believe that I will be held accountable if I saw a sister or brother in Christ stray down a wrong path and I did nothing.
You may not agree with one thing I've said. If so, I sincerely hope for your sake that you're right.
Anita
Psalm 119:105 "Your word is a lamp to guide my feet
and a light for my path."
First of all, yes ~ the Bible says not to judge others. But, God is very specific in what He says judging is. In Matthew 7:1-2, Jesus said “Do not judge others, and you will not be judged. 2 For you will be treated as you treat others.[a] The standard you use in judging is the standard by which you will be judged." Well - this is all well and good, isn't it? It sounds like a get-out-of-jail-free card to me. This verse, should that be all there is to it, would allow anyone to do anything and say anything and go anywhere at any time with anyone. Don't speak on it or you're judging. This would be the most perfect "me" based world. What these verses mean, just so there's no question, is that I'm not to judge another person's heart. I am not to decide if that person is a child of God. This isn't my job and I'm not qualified. So, just so we're clear, when you use this verse to justify and action, word or deed that are currently involved in, you don't have God's blessing.
If you dig a little deeper into Matthew, you see a different side to the judging debate. in Matthew 12:33-34, Jesus ALSO said “A tree is identified by its fruit. If a tree is good, its fruit will be good. If a tree is bad, its fruit will be bad. You brood of snakes! How could evil men like you speak what is good and right? For whatever is in your heart determines what you say." Jesus clearly says that we will be known by our fruits. Most people consider this to be our "works" or all the marvelous things we've done. I don't personally agree. I think it's our spiritual fruits. You know what those are, right? Love ~ Joy ~ Peace ~ Patience ~ Kindness ~ Goodness ~ Faithfulness ~ Gentleness ~ Self Control. Go back and read those again. Repeat. Okay - one more time. Do you honestly think that you can do ANY of those on your own? We will know each other by those 9 items. I can't look for those 9 things without some form of judgment. I don't mean criticism and putting myself above others. I mean examining your fruits. If you are a hateful, spiteful, mean spirited, ugly, rude, foul mouthed, antagonistic person, yet you claim to be a Christian, HOW can you POSSIBLY expect no one to question your actions?????
God tells us to avoid certain people with certain problems. "Don’t befriend angry people or associate with hot-tempered people" Proverbs 22:24. {MAN. I wish I had seen this about a year ago. It would have made life easier} I'm not making this up, people. These aren't my words - they're the Lord's. God tells us not to befriend those with angry and hot headed traits. HOW, pray-tell me, do you determine if someone is angry and hot headed WITHOUT judging them?
Hebrews 5:14 "Solid food is for those who are mature, who through training have the skill to recognize the difference between right and wrong." We are to constantly study, learn and grow in the word so that we can recognize right and wrong. If I'm to recognize right and wrong, then a little judging of other's actions will happen. It doesn't mean I'm comparing myself to others in an attempt to build me up, but if someone in my life is living unbecoming to the word and I surround myself with them, they will influence me in a negative way. You do the math - then satan will have TWO of God's saved doing satan's work in Jesus' name. That's a train wreck just waiting to happen. I have to know my stuff. I have to know that, if the Bible says it's right, then it's right. If the Bible says it's wrong, then it's wrong.
We as Christians are not to judge the hearts of others. That's not my call. I don't know if anyone else has a personal relationship with Jesus. That's between them and Jesus. If they say they do, I have to take them at that word.
However, I have a responsibility to judge others actions, as well as my own. I am not to judge to "pass judgement" and we are certainly not to gossip, but I am to judge to discern if said person(s) is living a life pleasing to God. This affects not only their life, but mine if I have any kind of relationship with them. I am not called to admonish, condemn or criticize. However, I am called to lovingly and respectively speak to anyone that has strayed. “If another believer[a] sins against you,[b] go privately and point out the offense. If the other person listens and confesses it, you have won that person back. 16 But if you are unsuccessful, take one or two others with you and go back again, so that everything you say may be confirmed by two or three witnesses. 17 If the person still refuses to listen, take your case to the church. Then if he or she won’t accept the church’s decision, treat that person as a pagan or a corrupt tax collector." Matthew 18:15-17. This could be a slippery slope, if we look at this with pride and arrogance. Humbleness and reverance should be in abundance before you try this action. You should know (and be able to freely admit) your own weaknesses and sins.
I suppose it just all boils down to this. No one wants to be told that they're wrong and not living in a way that pleases the Lord. I have seen/heard/discovered that it's perfectly acceptable to judge anyone you want, as long as it's not 'me'. You are doing God's work and His will ..... unless it's at 'me'. Then ~ by crackey ~ you're judging and the Bible says that's wrong!!!
Have I ever had my actions and motives judged? Absolutely!!! Did hurt? OH YES!!! I didn't like it at the time. But .... it made me better. It shaped me and formed me. It's a painful process, especially since I was absolutely wrong at the time. Hitting rock bottom hurts. But, it's the price I paid for not listening to God the first 1,000 times He tried to talk to me. Lesson learned.
I pray for humble hearts. I pray that people who call themselves Christains get that chip off their shoulder and their heart off their sleeve.
It's not all about you. It's certainly not all about me. It's about the Lord. It's about serving Him and worshiping Him and loving Him and sharing Him.
And I HOPE and I PRAY that when I stray and when I fail, s[notice I said when, not if] someone will have the guts and backbone to look at me and say "Anita. You BONEHEAD. What are you doing??!! This. Is. Wrong."
I doubt that I've changed much with this post, and that's ok. Unfortunately, the ones that need to read it most are the ones that won't see it. But, I learned - straight from God's word - and that makes me a winner. I can never study too much, read too much, pray too much, or love too much.
I hope this blesses you, and I also hope that it tugs at your heart. You can be as mad at me as you want, as long as you know that you're being mad at God, too. They're His words, written long before me.
We all sin. I know that. Geez, I live it. Admiting it is the first step. Did you get that? That's only the FIRST step. I don't have time to count all your sins. I'm busy counting mine. But, I believe that one day we will all stand before God and give an account for our lives. I also believe that I will be held accountable if I saw a sister or brother in Christ stray down a wrong path and I did nothing.
You may not agree with one thing I've said. If so, I sincerely hope for your sake that you're right.
Anita
Psalm 119:105 "Your word is a lamp to guide my feet
and a light for my path."
Monday morning schedule
I thought I would give you a glimpse into the real homeschool experience. Around here, we run a tight ship.
- Class starts promptly at 8 a.m. ~ or 8:15. ish.
- We eat breakfast before school starts. Usually, on the couch.
- We dress for school each day ~ in play clothes and no shoes.
- If the temperature is below 32 when mom gets out of bed, then we wear pajamas and fuzzy slippers to school. No questions asked.
- If it snows ~ well, we're doing school anyway. Mean, you say? Really? I'll remember that when public school is going through June and we're done in April. This is the first year since I was in school that I'm hoping for 6 feet of snow.
- We listen to inspirational music during school - the biblical kind.
- We have a class pet. He looks amazingly similiar to our household pet.
- We have class chores.
- We take scheduled bathroom breaks ~ whenever.
- We learn. Constantly.
- We pray before tests. Actually, we pray every day. Out loud. After Bible reading and our daily devotional.
- We do math that they need to know for later AND math they will actually need to know in life.
- We do spelling ~ not BINGO. It's before, not B4.
- We do language - also called English - also called grammar.
- We do memorization skills.
- We do penmanship ~ also called you-are-going-to-learn-how-to-write-in-cursive-and-you-will-use-it.
- We do science. This year we are studying Astronomy. It's called God made it. We are learning how He made it so perfectly.
- We do History. We are learning from creation on. History includes the Bible and things happened all over the world in chronological order. It should be learned that way.
- We do fun.
- We do messy.
- We do loud.
- We do reading ~~ all the time and any opportunity.
- We do manners.
- Mommy grades - tough. At some point they need to learn how to handle constructive criticism and fixing mistakes.
Wednesday, August 22, 2012
Who's really learning, here?
While the twins were in class yesterday, I decided to take a stroll around the zoo. To be honest, I was just looking for a quiet place to eat my lunch. I was walking through a part of the nature walk, and I was the only one on that particular piece of path. I came upon the back of the red wolf habitat. They were all at the back, so the wolves and I had a "moment". It suddenly occurred to me that I was looking at these animals courtesy of Noah. Think about that. Every single land dwelling animal, lizard, snake, bird and bug is here because Noah was conscientious enough to do his job.
Once I had taken in the fauna, I started to look at the flora. Now - I am taking liberties with the Bible here - but I started to think about all of the tender plants that are here in East Tennessee. Think about spring and garden-planting time. Many of the seeds we use are very fickle, and don't respond well to too much water. Although it isn't mentioned in the Bible, I would like to think that Noah's wife and d-i-l were busy, too. What if they were frantically collecting food to eat during the flood, but also seeds and plants that would be needed once the ark landed again? I imagine after all that water, many (if not most) of the trees, flowers and plants were not salvagable. Do we also owe Noah a thank you for the shade trees in the backyard and the pumpkins growing right now??
Then I started to think about what the ground would have looked like once the water receeded. The artist renditions portray Noah stepping off the ark and onto beautiful green grass. I don't think that's the case. I think it was a vast, barren wasteland with dead things everywhere. This was the cost of sin, and would have been a reminder to the Noah family for the rest of their days. Memories like that don't fade.
Now, perhaps you're thinking I'm giving Noah too much credit here. Maybe I am. After all, God was responsible for directing Noah and getting those animals to the ark. God could have saved the animals without human involvement, if He so chose. But, God found who He needed and trusted him to carry out the plans to the letter.
Let's take that and apply it to our own lives. Can God trust you to take instruction and carry it through without question or complaint? If the world was depending on you for its continuation, would we all be doomed? Even simpler than that - are you living in God's will? Well, of course, we all fail. Noah failed. God said he was righteous, not perfect! Noah might have had a temper, or a selfish spirit, or an unforgiving attitude. We don't know. God chose not to tell us the bad - only the good. God focused on the good. Whew - insert cat whistle there!! If that isn't a lesson, I'm done!
If my children learn nothing from this adventure, then I have failed them in their academic career. But, if they learn nothing of eternal value, then I have truly failed them as a mother and have neglected my God-given responsibility. I pray that God teaches me something about me every day, and that I apply that to the life I have been given to live. And I pray that for you, too.
To finish the story, I did find that quiet place for my sandwich consumption! I ate with the zebras. There was a small area with a bench behind their habitat and I got to watch them closely, much closer than those on the main path. I think that's a lesson, too. Sometimes we have to walk a different path than the majority in order to receive God's richest blessings.
I am finding this blog to be less and less about homeschool and more and more about what I'm learning while we homeschool! Although the twins did get to see a fire belly toad
and a lizard in class and visited the vultures and river otters in the zoo.
Until next time,
Anita
Once I had taken in the fauna, I started to look at the flora. Now - I am taking liberties with the Bible here - but I started to think about all of the tender plants that are here in East Tennessee. Think about spring and garden-planting time. Many of the seeds we use are very fickle, and don't respond well to too much water. Although it isn't mentioned in the Bible, I would like to think that Noah's wife and d-i-l were busy, too. What if they were frantically collecting food to eat during the flood, but also seeds and plants that would be needed once the ark landed again? I imagine after all that water, many (if not most) of the trees, flowers and plants were not salvagable. Do we also owe Noah a thank you for the shade trees in the backyard and the pumpkins growing right now??
Then I started to think about what the ground would have looked like once the water receeded. The artist renditions portray Noah stepping off the ark and onto beautiful green grass. I don't think that's the case. I think it was a vast, barren wasteland with dead things everywhere. This was the cost of sin, and would have been a reminder to the Noah family for the rest of their days. Memories like that don't fade.
Now, perhaps you're thinking I'm giving Noah too much credit here. Maybe I am. After all, God was responsible for directing Noah and getting those animals to the ark. God could have saved the animals without human involvement, if He so chose. But, God found who He needed and trusted him to carry out the plans to the letter.
Let's take that and apply it to our own lives. Can God trust you to take instruction and carry it through without question or complaint? If the world was depending on you for its continuation, would we all be doomed? Even simpler than that - are you living in God's will? Well, of course, we all fail. Noah failed. God said he was righteous, not perfect! Noah might have had a temper, or a selfish spirit, or an unforgiving attitude. We don't know. God chose not to tell us the bad - only the good. God focused on the good. Whew - insert cat whistle there!! If that isn't a lesson, I'm done!
If my children learn nothing from this adventure, then I have failed them in their academic career. But, if they learn nothing of eternal value, then I have truly failed them as a mother and have neglected my God-given responsibility. I pray that God teaches me something about me every day, and that I apply that to the life I have been given to live. And I pray that for you, too.
To finish the story, I did find that quiet place for my sandwich consumption! I ate with the zebras. There was a small area with a bench behind their habitat and I got to watch them closely, much closer than those on the main path. I think that's a lesson, too. Sometimes we have to walk a different path than the majority in order to receive God's richest blessings.
I am finding this blog to be less and less about homeschool and more and more about what I'm learning while we homeschool! Although the twins did get to see a fire belly toad
and a lizard in class and visited the vultures and river otters in the zoo. Until next time,
Anita
Wednesday, August 15, 2012
Well.........DUH!
I had my first "duh" moment this morning... I'm sure my first of many.
I have been beating myself up periodically about how unqualified I am, the twins will probably be "behind", etc, etc, etc....Yesterday at the zoo I had another episode. It hit me this morning - hard. We are not having public school at home. We are having HOMEschool at home. Big difference.
Is public school bad? Absolutely not. However, many of the teachers (if you can get them to be honest) will tell you that state standards are too high, and children are required to learn skills before they are ready. I don't have such strict standards. Will my children learn everything that they would have learned in public school??? YES!! And more!! Will they necessarily learn it at the same time?? NO!! And that's ok!!!! At this moment, I'm filling in the gaps from the last 3 years of math. Their teachers did a wonderful job of teaching them, but there are some hiccups I've found that I have to cure now. There is no perfect educational system. Period. There are pros and cons to each side. Everyone has an opinion (and most of the time, they will voice that opinion loud and clear!). My children are happy and excited to learn. For this, I am blessed, humbled and thankful.
Thank you for sharing this chaotic life with me ;) I hope you enjoy the ride!
I have been beating myself up periodically about how unqualified I am, the twins will probably be "behind", etc, etc, etc....Yesterday at the zoo I had another episode. It hit me this morning - hard. We are not having public school at home. We are having HOMEschool at home. Big difference.
Is public school bad? Absolutely not. However, many of the teachers (if you can get them to be honest) will tell you that state standards are too high, and children are required to learn skills before they are ready. I don't have such strict standards. Will my children learn everything that they would have learned in public school??? YES!! And more!! Will they necessarily learn it at the same time?? NO!! And that's ok!!!! At this moment, I'm filling in the gaps from the last 3 years of math. Their teachers did a wonderful job of teaching them, but there are some hiccups I've found that I have to cure now. There is no perfect educational system. Period. There are pros and cons to each side. Everyone has an opinion (and most of the time, they will voice that opinion loud and clear!). My children are happy and excited to learn. For this, I am blessed, humbled and thankful.
Thank you for sharing this chaotic life with me ;) I hope you enjoy the ride!
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