God is so Good!

"God is so good..."  It's a song I've known since I was a young girl.  My girls all know it in both English and Japanese.  It's one of the few nuggets of my childhood that I've passed on to them.  It is probably one of the simplest songs we sing, yet the words are more profound that we can ever comprehend. God is so good...

God is good when He sets the sky ablaze reminding us of His awesome power, yet God is still good when a country faces loss and sorrow and absolute fear of what's to come...

God is good when life gets simple, even for just a morning, with eggs & hashbrowns and playing with baby dolls, just for the fun of it.

God is good in the mundane, in the school work and the raking of leaves because later it leads to jumping right back into them.  

God is good when the arguments cease for a little while and sisters work together, showing patience and love that, Praise God! only comes from Him.

"We won't stop confessing He is good and we won't stop thanking Him for grace and we won't stop holding out our hands - and taking His hand.  We won't stop believing that 'God is good' is not some trite quip for the good days but a radical defiant cry for the terrible days.

That 'God is good' is not a stale one-liner when all's happy but a saving lifeline when all's hard." - Ann Voskamp

Day 31 - Finally!

Finally... 31 days are over.  Last year wasn't easy, but this October I really struggled to find something to blog about each day. Honestly, most nights by the time I got around to my computer, I was too tired to think, much less put words on the screen (hence the wordless Wednesdays).  

Homeschooling: Pure and Simple - What does that really mean? I'm still figuring that out.  Sometimes it means letting go of the messes to read about cowboys and Indians. Sometimes it means letting them learn some things on their own.  

I look forward to now taking the time that I devoted to blogging this month and re-energizing myself to setting up my almost-done school room, to planning new projects, and being better prepared for daily learning at home.

Day 30 - Nuggets of Hope

Over the past few days, despite my trivial struggles that I put myself through, I have been given nuggets of hope.  Hope that what I'm doing is not in vain...  Hope that they are hearing the truth, in spite of their mother's bad example at times...  Hope that one day they will make a difference in this world for eternity...

I was so encouraged this morning through a podcast that reminded me of this verse in Philippians (1:6).  "being confident of this, that He who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus."  It is God who has placed this desire in my heart to teach and to train my girls.  It is God who gives me the strength daily to get out of bed and put one foot in front of the other.  It is God who is doing a good work in my children who I do not deserve to call my own.  It is God who is already impressing upon my little middle one to one day live and serve in Japan.  It is God who impressed upon my oldest to sacrifice her Christmas gifts this year to send the money to Samaritan's Purse.  It's all God.

Here is a simple nugget of hope of a sister reading to her sisters.  (In the effort to keep things real, let me give you the whole picture:  A chair was fought over to see the pictures.  One sister purposefully tried to irritate another as soon as the book was finished.  Another thought it was her duty to critique the handwriting of a younger one, just for the fun of it.  Perfect by no means...)




All credit for attaching the video to this post goes to my husband.  He's pretty amazing like that!

Day 29 - Tales of our Tuesday

Pumpkin chocolate pancakes - because the cereal boxes are empty, no fruit, not enough eggs...

Impromptu tea party with daddy before he leaves for work - pinkie up required...

Handwriting amid the laundry...

Tea party (round 2) - ABC practice with mommy

After math, a little typing practice to prepare for a fundraiser to make a difference...

Painting toe nails like a big girl...

A walk to the pond with my three nature explorers...

Fun night with friends around a bonfire with hot dogs and marshmallows...

These are the tales of our Tuesday...

Day 28 - A Key Ingredient: Love

 

Love means helping a sister up when she can't do it on her own.

  

Love means passing the baton (the baby) to free the hands to make the climb.

Love means including those who may be a little unlovable at times.

Love... It's been the word that keeps popping up everywhere I turn. On a day to day basis, it's a struggle to always "feel" love towards my little pupils.  But thank goodness, love is not just a feeling, but an action.  I was reminded this morning of the verse in I John 4 that says, "There is no fear in love.  But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment.  The one who fears is not made perfect in love." (v18)  One of my prayers is that my girls will not obey and listen to me out of fear that they'll get in trouble or do something wrong.  I know they have felt that fear many times.  But how I long for my love for them to overpower any fear.  That my love may be like God's love, "His never stopping, never giving up, unbreaking, always and forever love." - Jesus Storybook Bible by Sally Lloyd-Jones

I love this 10 Point Manifesto of Joyful Parenting by Ann Voskamp and have it printed and tucked into the sleeve of my homemaking journal.  A few of my favorites point me back to this love.

- Today, I will pray to speak words that are only STRONG words, words that make these children feel strong.  Grace words.  Grace is the only non-toxic air.  All other words I breathe are death words.

- Today, the moment when I am most repelled by a child's behavior, that is my sign to draw the very closest to that child.

- Today, I will hug each of my children as many times as I serve them meals - because children's hearts feed on touch.  I'll look for as many opportunities to touch my children today as possible - the taller they are, the more so.

Day 27 - Sleep

Getting more sleep has been a difficulty for years now.  But I know that in order for our homeschool day to be the best it can be, I need more sleep.  Good night, ya'll!

Day 26 - How to Teach One Who Doesn't Want to Learn...

To be completely honest, I have no idea how to teach one who doesn't want to learn.  I was a typical first born.  I loved school (except grammar)!  I don't remember how I learned certain things, even after taking classes like "How to teach Math" and "Teaching Science" in college.  

I love each of our girls equally, but our first child spoiled us. We got to lesson 75 of Teach Your Child to Read in 100 Easy Lessons and she could read... before she was 5.  My next two girls are trying to remind me that there is more than one learning style & learning pace, and that's ok.  That truly is one of the blessings of homeschooling.  

Some days are better than others.  I consider every story that is read a success.  Making comparisons is easy to do, but extremely detrimental.  Each one has strengths and weaknesses, even if some have yet to be discovered. Praying for patience seems cliche, yet it is at times my saving grace.  When I show my frustration, the struggling child will grow frustrated.  When I manifest that we have all the time in the world, then words come easier (sometimes.)  I don't want to make excuses or give freedom for laziness.  All children need to be encouraged, sometimes pushed to work harder, and to do their best.  This is still a struggle for me, something that I have to daily lay before the Lord.  He is so good though!  My greatest prayer is not for my children to be the smartest or the prettiest, but that each one may come to know our Lord and Savior, and pursue Him with their whole lives.