A Different Easter

A dear friend wrote this after erasing every activity from their family calendar.  Every activity and holiday, but Easter.  Easter can never be erased.  "He rose, He is risen, and He will come again.  That has not changed.  He has not changed.  And maybe He wants that for all of us during this time:  To watch our plans being stripped away until only He is left.  With room to ask Him to fill all the other days with ways He want to transform us into a blessing to share that eternal hope with others." - Ali

We are all missing the traditions from years past: the matching Easter dresses, the community Easter egg hunts, gathering with family for meals, even going to Target for Easter basket gifts.  But this Easter will be different, one that we will never forget.  It's ok to mourn the loss of the ordinary and expected, but to then turn the mourning into joy!  We have been given a gift of time, time to focus on the greatest story ever told!

Here are some links to ideas on how to celebrate this Easter season with joy!

If you are local and would like one of these Easter guides, I'd be glad to drop one off!

 - A Printable 15 Day Guide for Easter that we've used in years past

 - A Printable 2 day guide for this Thursday and Friday

 - Resurrection Eggs with a printable

 - Homemade Resurrection Rolls with a great explanation

 - Resurrection Rolls (with Pillsbury crescent rolls) 

Easter baskets may or may not be feasible or doable this year for some families, but if you're searching for online ideas, these are two of my favorite bloggers with great lists.

 - Preschool Easter Basket Ideas with Naptime Kitchen

 - Easter Basket Ideas for Outdoor Imaginations 

    with Over at Alicias

May your Easter be full of hope, full of joy, and full of expectation of what's to come!

Planted - Looking back and finding roots...

 

Dec 2018

Dec 2019

A new year,  a new decade.  This last month has been one of reflection as for most of us.  2019 ended and as we reflect on the past year, the past decade, we can either dwell on the past or look toward the future with anticipation!  10 years ago, I was pregnant with my 3rd baby girl, had just celebrated my 30th birthday, and had only been homeschooling for a year.  In the last 10 years, between Marty and I, we have traveled to Japan, Hungary, Ecuador, & Ghana.  We have moved 3 times, homeschooled our girls through elementary, into middle school, and now high school.  We have struggled through illness both physical and mental, sad good-bye to family many times, and survived a state to state move.  But the beautiful memories and experiences far out weigh the hard times, and even through those hard times so much good has come!

In some years past, I've clinged to a word for the year.  They have ranged from "peace," "trust," to even "words."  But this year as I prayed about the year ahead, the decade ahead (all three of my girls will graduate from high school!), the Lord gave me the word, "planted" from Psalm 1: 2-3, "But his delight is in the law of the Lord, and on His law he meditates day and night.  He is like a tree planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither."  I'm not sure what all it will entail, but I know that I'm to be "planted" in God's word no matter what.

I'm praying through the roots that my girls are growing, yet also for the wings they will spread in the years to come.  Over the year ahead, I hope to use this space to share our journey, mistakes we've made in the past, things we've learned, and what we hope for the future.  

Hope for the Homeschool Mom

More days than not, I look back on the day and only see my failures, I see the layer of dust, the clothes that should have been washed, the promised tea party or science experiment unfulfilled and the burden lays heavy.

Facebook can add to the guilt; Instagram inspires, but often makes me long for more, more of what?  Both distract me more than I want to admit.  Fil Anderson says we are surrounded by "weapons of mass distraction."  So true!

So often, I can throw myself into a pit of despair because I can't measure up to the imaginary moms who "homeschool and workout and bake and run triathlons and have clean houses and have business' and read their kids 18 books a week and crochet all the things... the list could go on." (Rachel Reeves)

"Comparison is the thief of joy."  It's the pep talk I give to my girls, yet why do I fall prey to it on a daily basis, if not hourly.  Let's encourage each other, remembering that each of our families are different with various interests, an assortment of talents, and a quirky uniqueness to each family unit.  Fellow homeschool mom, Toni Weber says, "You know and love your children better than anyone else.  Tailor their schoolwork to reflect their interests and learning styles as well as your teaching style.  You and your children will be much happier marching to the beat of your own drum than copying someone else."

So I say all this to not discourage, but to hopefully, encourage you homeschool moms (and anyone else who is reading this).  Hang in there!  Focus on the calling that God has given to you and your family.  Find joy in every single little success, whether it's a completed spelling lesson or a math test without tears.  Put aside the textbooks at times and rekindle the joy found in learning.  

It's February.  The time of year when we get tired of plugging through multiplication facts, repeating the definitions of nouns and pronouns, and the weather can't decide if it's still winter or spring. Grab on to this hope and hold on determining to finish the year well.

"Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.  Take my yoke upon you and learn from me for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light." Matthew 11:28-30

Get outside whenever possible.  Sidewalk chalk can be the perfect notetaking opportunity.  Spelling, nature journaling, simple playtime.  I've always heard that boredom breeds trouble, which is often true.  But when given freedom outside, I believe that boredom breeds creativity.  Put away the technology and let their imaginations run loose!

Homeschool away from home every once in a while.  As much as I love our new homeschool room, we all need a change of scenery sometimes.  We have some great coffee shops, bakeries, and libraries that are perfect for making our day a little sweeter.

Lastly, as we see brokenness all around us, the world seems heavy and it causes me to cling tighter to my girls.  "There is an evil whisper suggesting that I should feel hopeless, helpless, powerless and defeated.  But I am not without hope, help, power or victory.  I know where to lift my eyes.  As I look about my home today I am thankful for the ones placed in my care and for the labor before me. What the world may look upon as an insignificant day, is in fact, one drop in a tidal wave of powerful love.  I am not just preparing meals, washing laundry, reading books, wiping noses, cleaning toilets, sweeping dust - I am effecting world change within the walls of my home." - Elsie @farmhouseschoolhouse  Amen!

Keep praying...

We pray that our children will learn responsibility; that they will learn to be kind, generous, and full of mercy and peace. Sometimes you wonder if those prayers are even heard, much lest fulfilled in the lives of our offspring.  Then, one day, you see a glimmer... 

Instead of getting upset over the tired whines, she offers to carry her littlest sister.  A mother's heart can burst in that moment, not with pride, but with pure gratitude over answered prayers.  

Yet, as much as we can pray and pray over our children, it's not until we live the prayers ourselves that our children understand and follow by example.  Personally, I fail at this miserably, but by God's grace, I can start each day fresh with no mistakes in it.  

"Because of the Lord's great love, we are not consumed, for His compassions never fail.  They are new every morning; great is Your faithfulness." - Lamentations 3:22-23

Oh, Spring, where have you gone?

From celebrating 10 years with this amazing girl...

To the dreams of flying again... 

 

Treasuring every moment with these girls...

 

Yet, taking the time to rest...

Trying new things...

Memories made with Nana...

Rekindling the past fourteen years...

Yet thrilled to see what the future holds.

Longing for something different...

Finishing well to the end... easier said than done.  The pool is open, berries are calling to be picked, our summer bucket list is itching to be chalked out, and mentally, we are all done!  Next week should finish up our school year in the amount of days required.  A few books will continue throughout the summer to keep those wheels-a-turning.   

Change is the only constant part of life.  As humans, we are often longing for something different... a change of pace, a change of scenery, a break from the mundane.  I am ready for a little change!

I'm ready to read more, at least things that I want to read and not just what's listed in our lesson plans.  I look forward to curling up on the couch with my girls and reading some of our favorites and some new ones too.  

I finished Cleaning House by Kay Wills Wyma.  The subtitle says it all:  A Mom's 12-month Experiment to Rid Her Home of Youth Entitlement. She begins the book by asking the question, "Why am I standing with my arms up to catch my kids before they even get a chance to fail at work?  Instead of encouraging independence and an ability to assess a situation with an eye to what needs doing, I've taught them to be utterly dependent on me."  Guilty!

But by the end, she challenges and encourages parents.  "Culture doesn't determine who people become.  People determine what the culture will be.  Might our equipped, empowered, unentitled kids be the ones who set the course for the future."  Excellent book, but probably geared more towards parents of older elementary to high school children.  I've definitely learned a lot and hope to incorporate some of the advice gleaned from this book.

My current read on my nightstand (purse, pool bag...) was given to me by my sweet husband.  Treasuring Christ (when your hands are full) by Gloria Furman and has been exactly what I needed to read at this time in my life.  When I can't get through the introduction without underlining half of it, I know it will be a keeper.  What I have loved the most about this book is how scripture is infused within every paragraph.  She doesn't just write fluff to make me feel good. Everything word written is based upon God's word.  

"Day and night, moment by moment, we must choose to rest in Jesus.  That's what it means to treasure Christ when your hands are full, whether you have one child or a dozen." 

"Advice on things such as choosing a safe car seat or teaching a finicky preschooler to eat a well-balanced meal is easy to come by. Instructions on how to love your neighbor and nurture your children are also readily available.  What we are less likely to come by is encouragement to consider how the gospel transforms our motherhood." - G. Furman