The Homeschool Mother's Journal

In my life this week...

This was the first normal week we've had since well before Christmas, and it was only mostly normal. On December 26th in the evening, I knew that the "minor" sinus infection I had been fighting since Thanksgiving had decided to become something worse. I had a fever, but I ignored it because Lukas had a vision therapy appointment the next afternoon. We left super early on the 27th because Eric had an early morning meeting, and I am ashamed to tell you that by mid-morning, I parked in a parking lot and took a nap while my children watched a movie in the back of the van because I was THAT sick and couldn't even consider going anywhere to kill time (our original plan) because I was so miserable. Seriously. The next day, I was in urgent care with a temp of 103 and pneumonia. So, this week? It doesn't have much of a story to tell except that I left the house twice yesterday, and neither trip involved a doctor or pharmacy.

In our homeschool this week...

Both kids have also been sick, so school during this month hasn't exactly been productive until this week. This is a bummer (there just isn't a formal word that works as well as bummer sometimes) for me because we usually bust through school during the winter months. I am not going to dwell on what we didn't get done. I am choosing to rejoice in what we accomplished this week and the fact that the three of us are almost well again! For Five in a Row, we have been reading The Finest Horse in Town, which is absolutely delightful. Ava has been struggling with reading, but it's mostly in her attitude. Math is going well for both kids. We had a fabulous science lesson the other day in which I learned so much about dinosaur sightings throughout time, even within the last century! I had no idea. I love Answers in Genesis science!

Helpful homeschooling tips or advice to share...

I have this tendency to allow myself to get caught up in the whole "We're getting behind!!!" hoopla. It is only hoopla, you know? The truth is, we aren't behind because we aren't following the guidelines of a cookie-cutter educational system. We're homeschoolers for many reasons, and this is one them. Even though I know this, I am still tempted to succumb to this thought pattern, which is why, if you are like me, I recommend staying away from boxed curricula that have everything perfectly laid out for you, week by week. I have nothing against this type of curriculum, and it served me well when I wanted something to help structure our days. However, last year, I found that it only caused me anxiety to see that we were on week 15 when we "should" be on week 17 or 18. God has laid the plans for what your children should be learning this year. Take things as they come and relax. Chances are, your children are ahead of their public schooled peers in many, many ways anyway!

I am inspired by...

Truth and integrity and the people who choose them even when it is hard.

Places we're going and people we're seeing...

Tomorrow, we're going to Lukas' Upward basketball game, and then Eric is working in the afternoon. The kids and I will hang at home for the rest of the day. On Sunday, we are actually going to church. I haven't been to church since Christmas, so I am SUPER excited about it. We're also going to my parents' house for lunch, which is another thing we have not been able to do since before Christmas. It's going to be a great weekend!

My favorite thing this week was...

Getting out of the house for something besides a doctor's appointment was definitely the highlight of my week. As far as schoolwork goes, that dinosaur lesson was a family favorite!

What's working/not working for us...

I need to restructure our routine again. Ava's reading lesson has been kind of pushed out of the routine, not purposefully, but it has. Of course, we're still doing her lesson; we're just doing it too late in the day. Since she doesn't want to do it anyway, it would be better if we got it out of the way earlier in the day. It's better from an educational perspective as well. Monday, we will take the plunge after I spend some time tomorrow figuring out the best plan of action.

Questions/thoughts I have...

Sometimes, Godly people are the target of unjust situations. Sometimes, those unjust situations are caused by people very close to us, which is heartbreaking. Sometimes, those people don't own up to what they have done because they lack integrity among other things, and that just plain hurts. I know because we are there. I am constantly trying to remind myself that what Jesus went through on the cross was so much worse than what our family faces, but I am not always successful. Sometimes I wallow. Do you ever wallow? Then I feel guilty for wallowing, and I pray and thank Jesus for all that He did for us. As unjust as things can be, Jesus knows injustice better than anyone. Talk to Him if you are going through an unjust situation. He will love you through it! I am counting on Him to love us through this because this...is hard.

Things I'm working on...

Mostly, I've been working on getting well, but I've also been working on not allowing roots of bitterness to grow in my heart or anger to burden my soul. This can be easier said than done, but I am relying on the Lord to help me through this!

I'm reading...

To the kids...Island of the Blue Dolphins, which is my absolute, all-time, favorite book!

For myself...Little Women (Love the movies. Now it's time to grow up and read the book.)

I'm cooking...

Homemade pepperoni/mushroom pizza on spelt crust with cheddar cheese. Tomorrow I'm making lemon brownies to take to a church dinner on Sunday evening.

I'm grateful for...

I can't even describe how grateful I am for the circle of friends which the Lord has given to us. Friends who believe in us, know us, and never doubt our allegiance to Christ. We have friends praying for us in far away places like New York, California, Pennsylvania, North Carolina, Minnesota, and right here in Ohio (and I'm sure I forgot someplace). This is a blessing that I could never have imagined, and we are eternally grateful for the support network which the Lord has given to us. God is awesome, and He gave us amazing friends!

I'm praying for...

A friend who faces daily a challenging situation with her soon-to-be teen among other issues on her full plate, a friend who filed for divorce this week, the 11 year old daughter of a friend who faces on-going health issues due to a congenital diaphragmatic hernia and is showing signs of a possible issue, a family member facing health issues, and the situation in which we find ourselves that is sometimes overwhelming and lays heavy on our hearts at every moment, bringing us to Jesus throughout every single day.

A photo/video/link/quote I'd like to share...

"The Lord will fight for you; you need only to be still." Exodus 14:14

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