Making Your Vacation a Quest!
February 28, 2009 by Catherine
We live in the Great White North while our families live mostly in the Deep South. Once a year, we make a trek down the US Interstate System to visit with family members for a week. Since we live in the Great White North where there is so much snow and so little light in the winter, we find that this vacation works quite well in February (besides, we get to miss the very loud snowmobile races that occur just a block from our house!!). In the Deep South, it is usually pleasant shirt sleeves weather during February (although the humidity is pretty awful, but that’s another story). The entire trip is usually one very long day of driving (10-12 hours) and another shorter day (6-8 hours).
During the last two vacations, we have made them more interesting for our children by making up “quests” for them to work on during the trip. Last year, we had just finished reading the Dragon Keepers series of books by Donita K. Paul (wonderful books, by the way – if you have preteens or teens, they are great family reads). All of these books have to do with quests on which the heroes and heroines are sent. (By the way, they are written by a Christian woman and are chock full of Christian themes.)
Quest 2008
When it came time to go on vacation, our family was all “quested” up. So, we decided that our trip would be a quest. Several days before our scheduled departure date, our daughter made “quest books” using cardboard and cloth for bindings and computer paper for the insides. She was all ready to take notes and draw pictures. Bright and early on the morning of the trip, the kids got into their van seats where they each had an envelope addressed to them. The envelope told them the details of the quest and directed them to an encoded message. The message had to do with the trip that they had to take South.
I had actually written the message as diary entries describing a number of cities and landmarks we would be passing on our trip and then changing them to a “code-like” font in the word processor. The idea was that the kids would gradually figure things out as we travelled down South. Well, it didn’t quite work out that way. Our daughter had the code broken within 3 or 4 hours (with the help of the atlas). Regardless, they enjoyed following along where we were going. They also recorded things of interest in their quest journals.
When we got to my parent’s house, we had arranged for them to place some ceramic dragons out near their shed. On arriving at the house, I surreptitiously placed a final letter on the dining table for the kids to find and decode. The directions led them through the woods to the shed where they found the dragons.
Quest 2009
This year, I wanted the quest to last longer and use up more of our “downtime” that always happens on vacation. I decided to get a little more involved this time around. As it happened, both kids were able to get new cell phones the day before we left on vacation and they both wanted camera phones (which happened to be on special). I made a list of 20 items that one or the other of them needed to take a picture of. These included things like “a relative who is younger than you but not your sibling”, “something that starts with the letter G”, “something that converts carbon dioxide to oxygen”. You get the idea. Each time they took a picture, I gave them a 3×5 card with a riddle on it. Some were pretty easy, while others required some effort. The kids were allowed help, so they got to discuss them with grandparents, aunts, uncles, and cousins. After the first five or six, the kids got better at figuring them out.
When a riddle was figured out, I gave the kids a card with a letter on it. My daughter wrote each letter into a little notebook. By the end of the quest, they had twenty letters. I then gave them the last riddle, the answer to which would use all the letters they had collected. Here’s the final riddle:
What Am I?
Yo ho ho and a bottle of rum
My owner’s a sailor and an Englishman.
I’m filled to the brim with goodies so fine;
Some baubles, some jewels, some things quite a find.
I’m found on an isle in a sea of bright blue;
Under the sand or in a cave hid from you.
So, “X” marks the spot when you’re searching for gold;
But, today I’ll be found when you’ve deciphered my code.
The answer was “A Pirate Treasure Chest”. They figured this out the day we were leaving to come home. Their prize was . . . . a pirate treasure chest!
I had gotten some boxes from Wal-Mart and filled them with little trinkets – candy, flashlight, barettes for my daughter, card game for my son, etc. You’ll notice that the top of the box has names that are crossed off. My kids love the Pirates movies, so I used the names Montezuma, Cortez, Barbosa, Jack Sparrow, Will Turner, and then my kids names. It really was a fun quest – and cost less than $20.
How to set up your own quest
Consider the ages of your kids – Children who don’t yet read will do better with a scavenger hunt of finding items or taking pictures of items.
Single-Step versus Multi-Step – Our first quest had only one step, (decoding), but our kids were pretty quick at figuring it out. This year, the two step process worked better for the kids, but was more work for me.
Cooperative versus Competitive – We chose to make both quests cooperative and give both kids their “prizes” when they had both finished. This way they worked together. This works quite well since one of our kids is very verbal and the other is more auditory and kinesthetic.
Tie it to something their interested in – This can be something you are studying in school or just something they enjoy. For our first quest, we used the set of books we were reading as our jumping off point. For this year’s quest, I just kind of went with the pirate theme. One of the funny things was that we listened to a book called Peter in Scarlett about Peter Pan, Captain Hook, and pirates. It all tied in quite well.
Family vacations can be wonderful or stressful. Hopefully, a quest can give your family something to focus on together to pass the hours!
Catherine is a homeschooling mom of a 13 year old daughter and a 10 year old son. Her children were homeschooled by their father while Catherine worked as a Family Physician until three years ago. Since that time, Catherine has been the homeschooling parent since she is no longer able to work due to illness while her husband is developing a business doing math tutoring. Her hobbies include blogging, reading, knitting, and trying to stay (somewhat) sane. Please visit her blog at Domestic Adventure.
Walking Among Them: Jochebed
February 28, 2009 by Lori
The object of this study is to take some time out of our busy, often chaotic days and spend some time with women who have gone before us. Not just any women, but 26 women of the Bible. We’ll
“Walk Among Them” and see how their stories relate to our lives. It’s my hope that we will discover God’s presence and grace in our own lives as the lives and lessons of these women unfold before us this year.
If there ever was a Jewish “MOTHER OF THE YEAR,” this woman would certainly rank high on the list! Three children, three legacies. One becomes the first Chief Priest (Aaron), one became a Priestess who dances (Miriam), and the other delivers the Israelites out of Egypt and carries God’s commandments. Seriously, that momma HAD to be proud! Many of us wouldn’t recognize her by name, she is simply often known as “Moses’ mom, Miriam’s mom or Aaron’s mom!” (Does THAT sound familiar?) Once we have children, especially IF they do amazing things, we often become “so~and~so’s” mom. Walk with me as we get a glimpse into the life of Jochebed. An ancient woman of great faith, passionate love for her children and the patience to let God reveal HIS plan in their lives. Extraordinary Biblical lives began with an ordinary mom.
Most of us know at least part of her story; it’s one of the most famous of Biblical Stories, Exodus 2:1-10:
“Now a man of the house of Levi married a Levite woman, and she became pregnant and gave birth to a son. When she saw that he was a fine child, she hid him for three months. But when she could hide him no longer, she got a papyrus basket for him and coated it with tar and pitch. Then she placed the child in it and put it among the reeds along the bank of the Nile. His sister stood at a distance to see what would happen to him. Then Pharaoh’s daughter went down to the Nile to bathe, and her attendants were walking along the river bank. She saw the basket among the reeds and sent her slave girl to get it. She opened it and saw the baby. He was crying, and she felt sorry for him. “This is one of the Hebrew babies,” she said. Then his sister asked Pharaoh’s daughter, “Shall I go and get one of the Hebrew women to nurse the baby for you?” “Yes, go,” she answered. And the girl went and got the baby’s mother. Pharaoh’s daughter said to her, “Take this baby and nurse him for me, and I will pay you.” So the woman took the baby and nursed him. When the child grew older, she took him to Pharaoh’s daughter and he became her son. She named him Moses, saying, “I drew him out of the water.”
Imagine for a moment that you are in Jochebed’s shoes. You are pregnant! With two little ones running around, already this should be a happy time! What should be a time of joy has turned into a time of fear.
She is aware that all of the baby boys are being ordered to be killed by Pharaoh, because of his insecurities about the Hebrews. She finds herself right in the middle of a horrifying situation. When she can no longer hide her child she has birthed, she knows the only hope she has is in desperately trying to save him. She knows that she can not sit by and watch her son be senselessly killed.
Faith in the God of her fathers. Faith in the God that spared Abraham. She knows the stories and she is CONFIDENT that God will do for her and her child what He did for them. She has no idea how this story is going to unfold. She has no idea what the future holds for this child, but she knows that as his mom, she has to do EVERYTHING in her power to protect this child.
Her mother instincts and her faith “kick in” and she sends her baby down the river. Imagine that! Imagine the fear, imagine the tears, and imagine the faith.
She tells her daughter Miriam to watch the baby as he makes it down the river. Miriam watched as the Pharaoh’s daughter and her attendants noticed the baby floating. She knows full well that the baby is a Hebrew but for some reason she feels compassion for the babe. We don’t know why Pharaoh’s daughter is so compassionate to the child, but because of that, the story continues.
Jochebed is rewarded for her faithfulness as God does what only God can do. He takes unimaginable circumstances and turns them around for HIS good and glory. If the story were a modern day drama, we’d find ourselves cheering when the woman who is brought in to “nurse” the baby in the basket is none other than Jochebed herself.
Not only is the child’s life spared, but she gets to watch and nurture and nourish him until he is weaned. When the time comes that the baby named Moses is weaned, she gives him up to be raised in the palace.
That must have been a difficult day for Jochebed. In order to save her child she has to do the unimaginable… give him up. That had to leave a hole in her heart. Faith again guides her. She is confident that her God has been faithful and will continue to be faithful.
Moses’ story continues on and because he is such a faithful giant, we often overlook the lessons of Jochebed. It began with her faith in God. She had NO IDEA what God was going to do in the lives of her children, she just knew that she needed to do all in her motherly power to save this life. You see, Jochebed, although a slave herself, knew the stories of her ancestors and she BELIEVED in GOD’S faithfulness.
That faith carried her in her darkest days and revealed on the other side God’s magnificent plans in her children’s lives, after all, they were HIS CHILDREN first. We often don’t reflect on this magnificent “mother.” We often skip past her story on our way to Moses’ delivery of the Israelites out of slavery into the desert, and yet Moses’ story, begins with his mother and her faithfulness to God’s plans.
That’s something even us “modern” mom’s can embrace!
With each woman that we study, I’ll have some thoughts and ideas for reflection, meditation and journaling that will be called “Reflections from the Walk.” It’s in Walking Among Them that we can learn lessons that we can take with us on our daily walks.
Reflections from the walk:
1. Read Hebrews 11:23,
“By faith Moses’ parents hid him for three months after he was born, because they saw he was no ordinary child, and they were not afraid of the king’s edict.”
- How do you “have faith” daily as you raise your children?
- Does fear ever creep in and try to overcome the faith?
- Journal your fears, big or small and ask Jesus to help you overcome them in faith.
2. Jochebed displays strong qualities, reflect on where you see these qualities in her story.
- Courage
- Patience
- Trust
- Motherly Love
3. While we may never have to go to the extremes that Jochebed did, we too will have to “give up” our children as they move into adulthood.
- How can we prepare for those days?
- How can we TRUST God for the lives of our children?
- What are your fears for your child?
- Do you TRUST God completely with their lives?
4. The basket that Jochebed placed Moses in was an important part of Jewish society. The baskets were used to carry items, as well as where the Israelite Priests stored the bread and wafers for worship in the Tabernacle. We all have images of a woman carrying a basket on her head.
Think for a bit of the simplicity of a basket and how that SIMPLE item, made of papyrus, tar and pitch (Exodus 2:3) became the vessel for God to carry out HIS plan. What ordinary items in your life does God use to reveal Himself to you?
5. Jochebed raised faithful children. What does that say about HER faith?
What do your children witness from you in regards to faith?
Do you outwardly express your faith, your prayers, and your purpose to your children?
Do you live as an example to your children?
6. Reflect on this quote:
“Patience is the companion of wisdom.”
Saint Augustine
Many of us struggle with patience. Jochebed demonstrated patience as there was no EASY way out of the situation in Egypt at the time. Her patience was rewarded. Her son went on to fulfill God’s great plan.
Are you patient, like Jochebed, or is it something you struggle with?
Do you ever go to God with your impatience? If so, ask God to guide you as you work at being patient as God does what HE needs to do in your life and in the lives of your children and family.
Jochebed was a passionate mother. She was fearless in her faithfulness. She was the mother who “fought” for her children. They were her life, and yet she KNEW they belonged to GOD. She trusted HIS plan. WOW! These same lessons apply today to all of us raising children in “challenging” times. Jochebed would understand what we are going through. She would likely offer us wisdom from her own journey. She would certainly tell us to abandon fear and cling intensely to the Father.
Join me next time as we Walk With Jochebed’s daughter, Miriam on March 14, 2009
Lori is a 5 year homeschool mom to 3. Currently a 8th grader, a 6th grader and a 4th grader. Lori insists that when she was wrestling with the decision to home school, a gentle voice guided her with the words, “you know what you should do.” Never looking back, accepting the challenges and rewards and CONSTANTLY clinging to THE ROCK…”No Storm can shake my inmost calm when to this ROCK I’m clinging.” Lori hopes to impart peace and inspiration amidst the daily chaos. Be sure to visit her blog at All You Have to Give.
Lose Those Winter Blahs
February 27, 2009 by Darcy
It’s the last day of February. I’m a homeschool mom. The holidays are over. Cold lingers. Summer is still 4 months away. (Can you hear me sighing from there?)
At my house, this means burn out. And in Iowa, it means we’ve had snow on the ground for nearly 4 months and it’s looking like we’ve got another month or more of it. All of this cabin fever, too-little-sunlight, too-cold-n-wet to play outside also means a harder time falling asleep and a mighty, might case of the winter blahs.
So add it up:
- 1 burned out homeschool mom
- 3 boybarians with total cabin fever
- 4 months of snow
- 1 month more of bad weather
- 6 weeks until Spring Break
It’s time to break up the monotony! I’ve made a list of “Game Schooling” ideas to bring back the fun and get you through the spring fever! I’ve purposefully chosen non-electronic, non-video games here as many families already complain of too much screen time.
Darcy’s Top Five Game-Schooling resources:
Monopoly: this is math and communication. Let your 6-9 year old count money, make change and read the Community Chest cards. Your 10+ year olds can be bankers!
Yahtzee: Hey, it’s math again! Skip count those 3s. Add up the face of the dice. This game is so smart, kids have no idea how many basic math skills they are using!
Sorry: for the k-2 set, this is math. For older kids, it’s a lesson in sportsmanship.
Uno: Even my little one can get into this one. Matching colors and numbers is great for the PreK set. Easy enough for the 4-5 year old to play.
Apples to Apples: The boybarians beg to play this and laugh and laugh while we match unlikely partners of nouns with adjectives. Playful George Washington? Scary pickles? They have no idea it’s also grammar, vocabulary and spelling. As a bonus, you can use the Apple to Apple cards for a game of Pictionary on the white board. Ages: 6/7 and up. (Kids need to be decent readers to fully enjoy this game.)
I’d love to hear how you are incorporating games, activities or anything to break out of the winter blahs and keep your homeschool joyful. Please leave a comment or add your link so we can all gain some Lose Those Winter Blues Ideas.
Darcy is the mom to three boys ages 8, 7, and 5 and blogs over at Life with My 3 Boybarians. She is the owner of a blog design business at www.graphicallydesigning.com. She and Handy Man live in Iowa…nowhere near a Starbucks.
Starting Somewhere: Gearing up for Gardening
February 27, 2009 by Suzanne
As the weather starts to show signs of spring (or at least we hope it does soon!) I’m turning my homesteading thoughts to the garden. You know… that we don’t have, have never had, and have no idea how to have, but that’s for another day. Right now, let’s talk trash.
Composting! Here we come!
In the fall, I started my first compost bin. Overwhelmed by even what kind of bucket to use, I went to my closet, dumped some clothes out of a container and set about my starting. Then we went out into the front yard and started collecting dirt and leaves. I then started setting a plate on my counter and put all of our coffee grounds, egg shells, tea bags, and fruit and veggie peelings on it. Each day, or whenever I deemed it too gross to be in my kitchen, one of my children would step out on the back deck and dump the plate into the bin.
We have dumped some dirt into it and stirred it, but that’s been very rarely. It’s not been very stinky, though it has been winter time. I do hear that it doesn’t get really stinky like regular trash.
I do have to say, I wonder if it will be garden ready at the beginning of gardening this year. It appears to not be breaking down at the rate that I had thought it would go. But I will stay the course, and hope that something productive comes of it.
In the meantime, this has been an easy (read: lazy) way to feel like we’re changing our ways. It is so low maintenance. Seems like I can’t really get it wrong. And it’s one more step that by next year will be such a part of our lives that we won’t have to think about it and may contribute positively to our lives. At least I started, made one more change in our consuming ways, and stuck with it. Big steps in my book!
For y’all who have thought about doing this, but have not started because you were intimidated by the unknown (and you know you’re out there, I couldn’t have been the only one!!) start here. Let’s talk trash together and learn alongside each other. If I can do this, I promise you can.
And for those that are old pros: What I need from you is advice. I didn’t research this. I know nothing about what I’m doing except dumping our old produce in a bin and stirring dirt into it. Is this right? Should I be adding something else or not putting something in? How long will this take to be actually useful in a garden? Please leave a comment with your own composting blog post, someone else’s website that has great information, or just a comment telling me what I can do differently. And let’s do this thing!
Suzanne is wife to one and mama to four. The little ones are 2 boys ages 7 and 5, a girl who’s 3, and a baby boy who’s not knee-high to a grasshopper yet. She eclecticly unschools with lapbooks the Charlotte Mason way. In other words, she doesn’t have the slightest clue what she’s doing, but does it anyway. She lives in a world where there are few absolutes. The dishes don’t stay cleaned, the laundry doesn’t stay put away, the children don’t remember what she told them yesterday. But in their chaotic lives they have found joy. And they’d love to share that with you. So, come on over, kick a path through the toys, have a seat on the couch and grab a cup of strong coffee. Just be ready to hone your skills of “interrupted conversation”! And be sure to stop by her personal blog at JoyfulChaos.
Real Life Subjects
February 26, 2009 by Angela
Welcome to the Heart of the Matter Online Meme.
Every Friday we will feature a different topic for our meme. Please share with us your thoughts on the following: Real Life Subjects: What Your Family Does Ordinarily That Teaches Your Child an Abundance of Lessons
As homeschooling families we have an opportunity to reach parts of our children’s lives that are missed during public school hours. What are some of the ‘life lessons’ that come naturally within the walls of your home?
In our house some of the most important lessons revolve in how we demonstrate our love for others. One of the major lessons being servanthood. If the kids leave learning nothing else we hope that they gain insight on respect for their elders, and on a broader scale, our community. My husband and I choose to be ‘living examples’ for them. This includes being kind and respectful to our neighbors, to the teenager running the drive-thru window, and to people that have frustrated us. This last one is most important in my mind as I have seen teachers being ripped apart by parents in front of their kids, cashiers being degraded by adults who know the person has no power to change their situation, volunteer coaches who have lost the love for the game because of the unfair demands placed on them each week. I have witnessed these kids standing next to their parents. They absorb it all. My husband and I never wanted to be those parents. How could we teach them properly without demonstrating the actions ourselves? How could we teach them the love of Jesus and not participate? I believe that by taking the extra effort to make sure that our kids see us give up a chair for an elderly person who joins a group, bring a meal to a sick mother, and any other number of things that demonstrate servanthood that they will grow up with servant’s hearts.
What does your family do that teaches many lessons? I immediately thought of servanthood, but there are so many things that homeschooling gives us the freedom to teach. What are your lessons?
Blogs that Responded:
Dear Friends, About Those Babies of Yours
February 26, 2009 by Suzanne
For my third letter to you I want to visit with you about those little ones of yours. Oh, no, don’t worry, their imperfections don’t bother me at all. Their loudness and messiness, nah, I’m used to that, and, secretly think it’s endearing – at least I know my kids aren’t the only ones. I have no judgment for you, sweet friend, you have enough of that without me. I just wanted to let you know that I understand that this baby-raising business can be tricky and that maybe my words can soothe your confused soul.
1. Find the balance in everything. Not much in life is black and white.
2. Raising kids (and all else in life) is not as much about issues – watching tv, what they’re eating, what programs to put them in – it’s about the principles along the way. Are you doing it out of love? Are you praying for, and with, them? Are you forgiving them and others? Are they seeing that?
3. Life, like the Bible, is not about the law and rules (the law has to be there, but rules are not the end all) you must balance the law with forgiveness, grace, and love.
4. Life will not go as planned.
5. The house doesn’t have to be perfect – you’re the only one that cares.
6. Nothing will ever be perfect – don’t wait on it – it won’t happen.
7. If they’re getting into stuff – move the stuff.
8. Your babies are already who they are going to be – you just get to wait and discover them – you don’t create them.
9. They will not “get it” when you train them.
10. Training a child under 4 is like spitting in the wind. Do it anyway – but do not expect a behavior change.
11. Training is a process – over years – not a one-time event.
12. Discipline – ie. time outs, loss of toys and privileges – doesn’t start until they are closer to 2 years old.
13. Don’t react. Plan.
14. Do not discipline in anger – send them away to their room or you go to yours until you can discipline calmly, this will prevent so much guilt on your part.
15. Think of why they’re doing what they’re doing – how would you react in the same situation?
16. Repetition is what works. From about 10 months until it is clear from their faces that they know exactly what they’re doing willfully, discipline looks like a short command said quietly (ie. “not in the mouth”) and then removing them or the item. It never gets any firmer. You’ll just repeat until you’re saying it in your sleep.
17. As they get older discipline more firmly for the important stuff: lying, stealing, being cruel. As opposed to spilling something, having a messy room, getting dirty.
18. Praise more abundantly for being kind, serving others, telling the truth, asking and showing forgiveness, giving freely.
19. When disciplining, sometimes show them mercy and let them off the hook completely with no guilt – explain that’s how God’s grace works and God is merciful.
20. What your children learn from you – they will apply to God.
Suzanne is wife to one and mama to four. The little ones are 2 boys ages 7 and 5, a girl who’s 3, and a baby boy who’s not knee-high to a grasshopper yet. She eclecticly unschools with lapbooks the Charlotte Mason way. In other words, she doesn’t have the slightest clue what she’s doing, but does it anyway. She lives in a world where there are few absolutes. The dishes don’t stay cleaned, the laundry doesn’t stay put away, the children don’t remember what she told them yesterday. But in their chaotic lives they have found joy. And they’d love to share that with you. So, come on over, kick a path through the toys, have a seat on the couch and grab a cup of strong coffee. Just be ready to hone your skills of “interrupted conversation”! And be sure to stop by her personal blog at JoyfulChaos.
Review: How Many Ways can you catch a fly?
February 25, 2009 by Karin
If you thought you’ve read every possible picture book scenario to your favorite little animal lover, think again. How Many Ways Can You Catch a Fly? by Steve Jenkins and Robin Page asks and answers the question of How many ways can you:
snare a fish?
hatch an egg?
use a leaf?
dig a hole?
eat a clam?
Karin Katherine is a proud stay-at-home mother of four. As the 7th of 8 children, Karin feels blessed by her average size (in her mind anyway) family and wouldn’t mind a few more – God willing and her husband notwithstanding. Her biggest homeschooling dream is to one day homeschool across the United States in an RV. Please visit her blog Passport Academy.
A Psalm 4 Homeschool Moms
February 25, 2009 by Marybeth
“Answer me when I call to you, O my righteous God.
Give me relief from my distress;
Be merciful to me and hear my prayer.”
Lord, today has been a long day of homeschooling. I am not so sure that I am cut out for this job. Are you sure you called me to this?
“How long, O men, will you turn my glory into shame? How long will you love delusions and seek false gods? Know that the Lord has set apart the godly for himself; the Lord will hear when I call to him.”
Lord, I admit that I am guilty of seeking the false god of education. I strap it on my children’s backs and burden us all with my expectations and insecurities. I want to do a good job… but I worry that I am not. What if I mess up, Lord? This is too important to do it wrong. I know that I am part of a remnant of people that You have called to be set apart… to do things differently from the culture with an eye on the prize of raising warriors for You. Help me do that Lord—and help me keep academics in the proper perspective.
“In your anger do not sin; when you are on your beds, search your hearts and be silent. Offer right sacrifices and trust in the Lord.”
Lord, sometimes at night I lie in bed and go over my day. I review all the things I did wrong and pray for You to erase all the bad stuff from my children’s minds. I know You have called me to sacrifice my sense of self, my time, and my agenda in the name of spending day in and day out teaching my children. I am learning that even on my worst days, I have to stay committed to this calling, continue making the sacrifices, and choose to trust You to bring out the best in all of us, no matter how badly I blow it.
“Many are asking, ‘Who can show us any good?’ Let the light of your face shine upon us, O Lord. You have filled my heart with greater joy than when their grain and new wine abound. I will lie down and sleep in peace, for you alone, O Lord, make me dwell in safety.”
Lord, I hear people lament over the state of our country. They wonder about the youth of our nation and seem to just throw their hands up, resigned that there is no use trying to change the direction things are going. And yet, I look at these children you have given me and I see hope in spite of my many mistakes. I see them displaying character, learning to work and value money, to be kind, and to hunger and thirst for You. Lord, it is true that there is no greater joy than to see your children walking with You. I thank You for these little glimpses all along the way that fill my heart with joy and give me the strength I need to get up tomorrow morning and do it all again.
(Passages quoted from Psalm 4, New International Version)
Marybeth Whalen is homeschooling mom to six children ranging in age from teen to toddler, as well as a speaker for Proverbs 31 Ministries. In her writings, she addresses things like burnout, dealing with interruptions, and handling homeschooling from a very practical perspective. Be sure to visit her blog, Cheaper by the Half Dozen.
Review: Wild Tracks! A Guide to Nature’s Footprints
Artist and naturalist, Jim Arnosky, has written an inviting book for young naturalists entitled, Wild Tracks: a Guide to Nature’s Footprints. This informative picture book focuses on the tracks that animals leave behind that reveal their identity, what they were doing, how big they were, how fresh the tracks are and more.
Each featured animal includes a giant fold-out page with detailed illustrations of life sized paws, claws and hoof-prints! You and your children will never look at footprints the same way again!
Did you know:
…that you can tell if a deer or bear is running or walking by it’s footprints?
…the easiest canine tracks to identify are the fox tracks?
…that feet aren’t the only things that leave tell tale tracks behind?
This is a wonderful book to either encourage a love of nature, or to start one.
Jim Arnosky is an artist and naturalist who has been honored for his overall contribution to literature for children by receiving the first lifetime achievement award for Excellence in Science and many of his books have been chosen as ALA Notable books. Wild Tracks! is his 100th book for children.
Karin Katherine is a proud stay-at-home mother of four. As the 7th of 8 children, Karin feels blessed by her average size (in her mind anyway) family and wouldn’t mind a few more – God willing and her husband notwithstanding. Her biggest homeschooling dream is to one day homeschool across the United States in an RV. Please visit her blog Passport Academy.
Surviving the Mommy Meltdown
February 24, 2009 by Beth
Mommy Meltdown:
aka tightening of the chest, slowness of breath, a lack of desire to tackle the world, extreme hyper focus on the unaccomplished and uncontrollable things in life, an overwhelming urge to jump on the nearest plane and escape reality as you currently know it.
You know you are about to have a mommy meltdown when….
1. You are getting ready to pay your bills and realize that for some reason the online payment did not go through last month when your internet crashed, which means you now owe $490 instead of $245.
2. You realize you have to explain it to your very understanding husband.
3. You head out to the freezer in the garage to get meat for dinner and notice that you still haven’t unpacked a bazillion boxes of who knows what even though it’s been a year since you moved in.
4. While you are carrying the frozen meat, you realize that your writing class is tomorrow and you still haven’t prepared for it because you sacrificed your planning time to go to a very important unplanned event.
5. While the meat is thawing you check your email and the sweet librarian has emailed you that those 49 books you checked out are all overdue. Hmmm….
6. But you don’t have time to calculate your fines because you also just realized that your dinner plans have been foiled because that very important ingredient you desperately need is not in your pantry.
7. And your husband is already on his way home.
8. While you are scrambling to find a substitute ingredient the phone rings and its bad news.
9. The head of the volunteer program you work for has just resigned and they need you to fill in but it’s only for a short time they assure you.
10. As you hang up the phone you realize it’s that time of the month and for some reason you forgot to write down unmentionables on your toiletries list when you went to the grocery store.
We have all been there. We have all experienced moments in life when the snowflakes of stress can suddenly snowball. Instead of being able to enjoy life we find ourselves at the bottom of a hill watching as the huge snowball prepares to take us out.
Recently, I was there. Just before the snowball took me out I realized that some of the best things in life and the greatest victories come with a stressful price tag. Just because something is causing us stress does not mean that it is bad or that we should shrink away from it.
Where there are no oxen, the manger is empty,
but from the strength of an ox comes an abundant harvest. Prov 14:4
Simply stated oxen poop. They smell and create a huge mess. The farmer knows that but he is willing to clean up after his oxen because he knows the price of his reward far outweighs the stress he is now experiencing.
So, the next time your feeling a little ”covered up” and things don’t smell just right in your home. Grab the nearest shovel and start digging! And while your digging put a smile on your face because this is one of the benefits of reaping an abundant harvest.
My meltdown stopped when I realized that all of my internal stress was coming from good things. Things I am thankful for. Things I gladly invest myself in because of the abundant harvest that will come from it. When I focused on this truth the rolling snowball suddenly stopped and I survived the mommy meltdown.
Beth discovered how fun learning can be when she began homeschooling in 2003. She considers homeschooling to be a treasured blessing.On the path with her are her 2 boys and husband John, who is her biggest supporter and fan. Somehow she has enabled her frog loving outdoor boys to love tough subjects like Latin, Writing and Grammar. (She is not kidding!) Now if she could only get them to eat all their vegetables. Beth loves capturing life’s precious moments with her camera and decorating them with Photoshop. You can visit her blog at Pages of Our Life.
