Why is it so hard for me to trust God with the little things?

The past few weeks have been killer. I has felt that the schedule and the responsibilities we are carrying are totally out of control. The margin that I try so hard to create and preserve within our family seems to have virtually disappeared. If I survive this week, I will take some time and look back at what ate up all that margin so that I can avoid it happening again in the future. In the meantime, I’m hunkering down and trying to move through it displaying grace under pressure. Some days more successfully than others.

Somehow, multiple deadlines, end of the year activities and more, have all seemed to jump on eachother’s back and stand directly in my path. As I look around my normally somewhat clean and organized home, I see floors that need swept or vacuumed, dishes that need washed, a giant pile of laundry waiting for me, bathrooms that desperately need attention and schoolwork that we must refocus on as soon as possible, a mountain of paperwork on my desk and an email inbox that I am dreading. During times like this, I begin beating myself up mentally and emotionally.

Sure, I could tell you that I find it easy to move through times like this because I know it is only temporary. And, perhaps it is a bit easier now than when I was younger. However, I still find myself frustrated that I can’t do more and can’t do it faster. I’m frustrated that I’m behind and that I can’t be wonder woman and mother of the year 365/24/7.

Sigh! Deep breath! Look around! What’s the worst thing that can happen?

Hmmmmm! In most cases, all of these things that are not completed will wait for me until I can get to them. My poor husband and son, who have been finding sustenance in tacos, hamburgers and chicken sandwiches, will not starve to death. In fact, they seem to not even be bothered by the situation as long as mom is happy. The laundry will wait a few more days. No one is going to die because of some dust and dirty dishes. We will survive. The worst that can happen is that I will be a bit behind….but I will catch up.

In the meantime, if I can keep my attitude in check and my focus right, I can illustrate grace under pressure to my own child and to the children I am working with during this very busy week. Honestly, the worst thing that can happen is for me to not be a shining example. Guess what? Even if I mess up in that area, if I acknowledge it and apologize, God can use that as well.

Sometimes I let the little things be the things that cause me to worry, to be anxious, and to get frustrated. I think I have trouble “laying them down” because I think they are things that I can and should control. The things that I have no hope of controlling, the BIG things, are much easier to leave at the foot of the cross. However, those pesky little things, those are the ones I pick back up and carry around all by myself.

HE notices when a sparrow falls from the sky. HE knows the number of the hairs on my head. Surely, I can trust Him with the little things in my life. Surely, I can rest in the fact that there is NOTHING too small that is beyond His notice, His control and His care.

______________________

Lori and John Lane have been married 28 years and live on a ranch in the beautiful Colorado Rockies where John coaches the local high school baseball team, runs the ranch, and works with Artios Academies. They have four sons ranging in age from twenty-six down to fourteen, two beautiful daughter-in-loves, and a precious granddaughter. Lori is the author of the book, Beginning With The End In Mind, and the executive director of Artios Academies. You can follow Lori at www.theendinmind.net where she blogs about a variety of topics including life on the ranch, arts education, a Biblical worldview of education, home education and more. Her blog also offers many free resources to encourage you on your journey.

If you are anything like me, which I’m sure you are, there are times when you just haven’t got a foggy clue what you are doing, and you are pretty sure that no one has ever felt as lost as you, and that no one could ever possibly get the disaster that is your brain. Can I get an “amen”? Anyone? Thank you.

I remember one such time. It was way back in the days of “the Townhouse” which is code for “the days when, yes, we were living in a townhouse; more than that, it was in the time of life when we had 4 kids aged 3 and under, and I was embroiled in my biggest life battle to date”.

Someone had directed me to a blog and forum for moms where I went to find someone who understood me. Someone who’d been there. I tried to submit two questions about my state of confusion and exhaustion on the forum. The first question they refused to post as it “encouraged a behaviour or attitude that the moderators didn’t endorse”. So the second question, I made sure to be broad and unoffensive and something that would stir some helpful conversation.

What I said was something like this: “I’m a very young mom. I stay at home with my kids all the time. I love it and wouldn’t have it any other way, but I’m really tired. And sometimes really sad. Sometimes “scary sad”. Can anyone relate?” What I received back was a bunch of platitudes and “right answers”.

“No, I love it! I’m so blessed to be at home and I never feel tired or grumpy at all!”
“No, the joy of the Lord is *my* strength. I sure never feel sad at home at all!”
“Who could ever feel lonely when Jesus is your present help and comfort?”

And you know what? I knew all that. I knew that was supposed to be my reality, but the reality was that I was still tired: physically, emotionally, spiritually tired. My spiritual life was not stagnant. I was not being disobedient, or ungrateful, or rebellious. I had a wonderful husband with a fabulous marriage, and a supportive church. My little children were good sleepers and obedient, all things considered. Life wasn’t bad. I wasn’t complaining. I was just a busy, tired woman. And no one understood. Or so I thought. They weren’t hearing me. They weren’t getting me. They couldn’t help me.

One day in my quiet time I sat down hoping to hear a word of encouragement in my daily reading. I felt a strange prompting to read 1 Chronicles 3:8. Really? Really. Who turns to 1 Chronicles for encouragement?

I kind of ignored it, but it wouldn’t go away, so I finally turned to that spot thinking I was probably imagining things. Sure enough, the verse says this: “Elishama, Eliada, and Eliphelet”. Nope. Not a word from the Lord. Just a list of names.

I tried to move on, back to my scheduled reading for the day, but I couldn’t shake the feeling that I was to read that passage again. So I did: I read the whole chapter looking for something in the context. Nothing. It is just a list of the descendants of David. I was hoping that those 3 names were not the ordained names for my next 3 children!

Still, I felt like I was supposed to “get” something out of that verse. Finally, I thought to look up in a Bible dictionary what those names meant.

Here’s what those names mean, and what the Lord wanted me to know that day: “The Lord hears, The Lord knows, and The Lord will deliver.”

He understood me. He heard my prayers. He knew my heart. And, as my present help in times of trouble, he would deliver me in his time and in his way.

How grateful I was that day for 3 funny sounding names. And how grateful I am still that we have a Lord who sympathizes with our weakness, and who understands our frailty, and who can speak to any specific circumstance in our day through the Word.

What does the Lord mean to speak to you today? What burden do you need Him to carry for you? He is more than able. And more than willing. And that is a very, very good thing.

Barbara Postma and her husband, as they homeschool their 7 children, are finding out that no two children are alike! Between lessons and lunches, Barbara blogs at Fuel by Barbara.

I’ve felt like a failure lately. We had a new baby in November, a move in August, and now the house is piled with boxes and laundry. Almost every day something happens to derail school, the dishes pile up, someone is hurt or crying or needs a clean diaper, kiss, or a pencil.

For two years, I managed a GFCF diet for my husband. I kept whole wheat muffin mix on hand to make snacks for the kids. I whipped up green smoothies in the afternoons and chemistry experiments after that. Since the move, we’ve been hanging on by the guilt-inducing thread of packaged foods, and they’ve all asked for vegetables.

I told my husband last month that I wanted to put the kids in school. I didn’t, really—I just wanted someone else to be responsible for something. I clip their fingernails, clean their ears, brush their teeth, change their sheets, wash their clothes, prepare their meals, teach their phonics, Latin, Spanish, math, I write their lesson plans and curriculum and schedules and meal plans, and I worry—that they’ll have diabetes, rotten teeth, poor spelling, inadequate self-discipline.

He said he’d take over. I rolled my eyes. Yes, I am the ideal wife, full of gratitude, peace, and joy. My exact words were, “It’s not any better to watch YOU fail.” He took over despite my sunny personality.

It wasn’t a total disaster. One kid is six weeks behind in Spanish, but it’s because I misfiled his papers and he kept quiet when he saw his sister moving past him. The grading got behind and still isn’t caught up, but I don’t grade things as often as I should, either.

The kids say he’s doing a great job, but he doesn’t help with math and language problems as much as I do—he asks annoying questions and makes them work things out themselves. They like that I just give them the answer (I thought I was “explaining”), but figure they’re forced to learn more Dad’s way. They had been walking through the whole house to find me to ask a question instead of asking him first, and now I know why!

A friend asked me what I was doing with all my free time. I change the baby, start the laundry, feed the baby, switch the laundry, burp the baby, change him again, and wash dishes. Then I help with school. Because really, one person can’t do all this.

And I started to miss my kids. I pulled my three-year-old into my lap and just squeezed him while we worked on his math and phonics books. He started reading that day, and ever since then, he’s asked me to do his “wonderful readin’ book that I’m so good at.”

Later on, my husband and I were trying to talk but couldn’t hear each other over the racket in the back of the van. I turned to tell them to keep it down when I realized what they were singing—John 1:1 in Latin. My eight-year-old likes to make up songs, and this one was to the tune of Kumbaya.

My four-year-old follows me around the house, telling me about how her blood and brain work, describing ancient Egyptians, and telling me she has a good mind (therefore I should do things her way).

My eleven-year-old is translating snippets of The Iliad from Latin. His math is progressing enough that the answer book is no longer optional, and he chatters happily about the area of triangles.

Both of the big kids are juggling two languages, sitting in on political, economical, and religious “discussions” between my husband and me, arguing intelligently about predestination, socialism, and the justice of war. Their notebooks full of “evidence” of school are probably five inches thick, and that’s only half the year—because at this point, we’re about three months behind.

The house is still a mess. The food I serve still vacillates between organic and mystery meat. I can’t keep up, they sometimes wear socks out of the dirty clothes. The magnetic letters that hit the eleven-year-old in the head while he corrects declensions and conjugations and the three-year-old tries to spell his name and ‘supersedes’ are real distractions. My eight-year-old spent the week working on the floor because the dining table was too covered in a mountain of junk.

I’ve felt like a failure lately. If you came over tonight and looked around, you’d probably agree. But my kids seem to be at that precocious stage, at which they’re intent on proving that I’m wrong about everything.

Aubrey Lively is a homeschooling mama with a loud one-room classroom filled with four children, aged ten to two. She likes a Saturday morning with her husband and his guitar, a good cup of coffee, and a fresh sheet of paper. She has a BA in Literature and a MEd in Teaching, but more importantly, she thinks outside the box. (She believes the box is a conspiracy.) Visit Aubrey online at http://aubreylively.blogspot.com.

Jenny Penton is a homeschooling mother of seven children and loves the closeness that being home with them provides. Un-schooling is how they live and learn and she blogs about their learning experiences at Homeschoolingbelle.com. Jenny also has a passion for inspiring women to become master life planners and that includes menu planning. Check out her sites for life planning and her inspiring recipes on her food blog at plannerperfect.com and plannerperfectmeals.com

I’m sure that at one time or another, we have all discussed or read about the beauty of non-age segregated teaching in our home school journey.  It is a beautiful thing to see home school families and home school groups do things together regardless of age differences.  I love watching older children interact with younger children and act as mentors to them.  On the other hand, I love the energy and imagination that rubs off on teens when they are around younger children.

BUT, when it comes to mothers, I’ve observed something.  A lot of us tend to stick to groups of mothers who are around our own age and in the same stage of life.  There are lots of reasons for that:  children the same age, same types of challenges, same stages in the journey.  I get that!  Totally!  It’s comfortable. It’s where you are now. Empathy abounds. However it may not be where the most wisdom or motivation abounds.

We all need fellowship and encouragement!  We all need friends!  And I think we would be wise to think a bit outside of the “age and stage” box when seeking those friendships.  Why? Well, by only “hanging” with mothers my age and at the same place in the journey, I am missing out from what I can glean and gather from the experiences and wisdom of mothers older than me and from the energy, creativity, and fresh ideas of the mothers who are younger than me.

“In the multitude of counselors there is safety.” 

I’ve been visiting lots of blogs and websites lately as I wade into the world of Heart of the Matter.  Guess what?  The blogs and websites that I seem to gain the most encouragement, inspiration, and motivation from have writers who are in stages other than my current one.

“Let no man despise thy youth.”

I’ve been homeschooling for 19 years now and this year I turn 50 (please don’t tell anyone).  I have three grown sons and an 8^th grade son at home so I still have 5 more years of homeschooling ahead of me.  What a JOY it is to read blogs of younger mothers who have exciting new ideas, energy, and inspiration to share with me and to inspire me to continue to be creative in my homeschool journey.  I can learn so much from those younger than me.

“These older women must train the younger women to love their husbands and their children”

On the other hand, there are mothers, (albeit not so many) that are older than me who also blog and share their insights regarding being a wife, mother, and home educator.  OH…how I wish there were more “older women” who were willing to continue to be involved in home education circles, so that they could mentor all of us who are still on that journey.  I wish they would hang around us a lot more and share all that they have to offer. They have so much to give.

I’ve been encouraged to broaden my horizons in this area. As we read, share, blog, and post……let’s be sure that we aren’t limiting ourselves to only those bloggers and writers who are at the same point in their journey.  Let’s expand our horizons!  Let’s glean from one another no matter what the age and stage differences may be.

_________________________

Lori and John Lane have been married 29 years and live on a ranch in the beautiful Colorado Rockies where John coaches the local high school baseball team, runs the ranch, and works with Artios Academies. (www.artiosacademies.com)They have four sons ranging in age from twenty-six down to fourteen, two beautiful daughter-in-loves, and a precious granddaughter. Lori is the author of the book, Beginning With The End In Mind, and the executive director of Artios Academies. You can follow Lori at www.theendinmind.net where she blogs about a variety of topics including life on the ranch, arts education, a Biblical worldview of education, home education and more.  Her blog also offers many free resources to encourage you on your journey.

I feel as if I have been pushed into the deep end of the pool now that our family has been tossed into the world of homeschooling three. I was use to schooling ten and eight year old girls. Even with their special needs I had things worked out and running smoothly.

Then in a very short amount of time a little three year old boy came into our life. He just got thrown into the mix. As you can imagine things did not stay quite as organized. I started to stress.

Yet when God asks you to follow His word He means it! When He asks you to do something, He will also equip you to do it. None of it is about our glory but all for Him. As we obey His word we are transformed by Him. He works in our hearts through the person of the Holy Spirit that lives within us if we are truly His. He will never leave us the same. The goal is Christlikeness.

God uses our children as a big tool to teach us this. When He calls us to homeschooling this requires dying to self even more. But there is reward in obedience. God sees the challenge and knows it is hard. Yet He gives us all we need to accomplish it.

Our family has been filled with just two children for the past 8 years. Just these past few weeks we have acquired a three year old. I am looking at this situation and wondering how in the world am I going to homeschool them all now. This new addition has thrown us in a frenzy. It is messy because my neat organized world is looking quite different. How will I handle this?

After I went into freak out mode, I remembered that God provides. He equips. What I need to do is believe it. He will work all things out. It may need to look different now but God is still in control. Life comes with many interruptions. We all face them. I wonder what is going on in your life now? Can I just encourage you to relax? To trust God’s plan? All things will work themselves out in their proper time. And in that proper time we will all be a little more like Him.

“LORD, my heart is not proud; my eyes are not haughty. I don’t concern myself with matters too great or too awesome for me to grasp. Instead, I have calmed and quieted myself, like a weaned child who no longer cries for its mother’s milk. Yes, like a weaned child is my soul within me. O Israel, put your hope in the LORD— now and always.” ~Psalm 131 NLT

Angela Parsley, of the international ministry Refresh My Soul Ministries, is a wife and homeschooling mother to her 2 young daughters. Angela is also a contributing author to a devotional book entitled, “Standing on the Promises of God” and Radical Revolution, a devotional site for teen girls through Proverbs 31 Ministries.

December is my favorite month of the year because it includes my two favorite holidays: Jesus’ birthday and my birthday. I love the presents (giving as well as receiving), the wrapping, the sights, the sounds, the smells, the anticipation, the caroling, the baking, the planning, the partying—all of it. At least, December was my favorite month until I was diagnosed with two chronic illnesses that have left me overwhelmed and gasping for air with a regular schedule before even adding holiday duties. I hate that my favorite season has become a series of duties.

So, what’s a mom to do? Cancel Christmas? Not likely! Go full bore and pay a heavy health price in January? Not a good idea. How ’bout a balance that falls somewhere in the middle? The following measures can help us experience a more peaceful nativity.

Ten Steps to a dread-proof December, even with a chronic illness:

• Think about what really matters. What’s at the top of your list that you just can’t give up during the holidays?

• Make a list of the top five items on your what-really-matters list and brainstorm ways to make those happen this year.

• Let go of the rest. Yes, I know that’s the hardest part!

• Delegate everything possible. The cookies will be just as good if your 13-year-old makes them.

• Simplify the decorations, the baking, the gifts, and most of all your expectations.

• Be happy with what gets done and try not to focus on what’s left undone.

• Pace yourself. Don’t try to complete your entire list in one afternoon just because you start off feeling great.

• Take naps.

• Rest often.

• Remember the real reason for the season: Jesus. Nothing else really matters.

Now, all I have to do is follow my own advice, and I can return to enjoying my favorite season instead of dreading December!

Bethany LeBedz is a veteran homeschooler, professional editor, writer, and speaker. You can check out her business website at www.bethanylebedz.com. Bethany contributes regularly to Heart of the Matter Online, has a regular column in the Home School Enrichment magazine, and occasionally writes for other magazines, websites, and newsletters. She lives in North Carolina with her family and she enjoys music, reading, scrapbooking, sewing, genealogy, and keeping up with friends in her spare time. Be sure to follow her blog, Confessions of an Organized Homeschool Mom, at www.bethanylebedz.blogspot.com.

3 If you live by my decrees and obediently keep my commandments,… 9 I’ll give you my full attention: I’ll make sure you prosper, make sure you grow in numbers, and keep my covenant with you in good working order. 10 You’ll still be eating from last year’s harvest when you have to clean out the barns to make room for the new crops.11 I’ll set up my residence in your neighborhood; I won’t avoid or shun you; 12 I’ll stroll through your streets. I’ll be your God; you’ll be my people.
Leviticus 26: 3, 9-12 The Message translation

If this were just another New Year’s message, filled with on visions and resolutions, it might fall short of inspiring you. Undoubtedly, you have begun to think about what you want to see in 2012—for you, for your family, for your business and/or job, etc. Hopefully you have taken the time to write some plans down, even if they are not documented in a fashion that means anything to anyone besides you. But I believe there is at least one person like me, who has had visions and made declarations in 2011, only to see a very different reality thus far into the academic year. You might be a brand-new, fresh-out-of-the-box homeschoolers who has just completed your first semester, and you are now trying to recall the circumstances under which you made such a crazy decision. Maybe the events of your school year thus far happened very differently than you would have planned it. Maybe you are questioning your decision, whether that decision was to begin homeschooling, or to homeschool this year.

If you could summarize in one word what you want to see in your homeschool in this coming year, what would that word be? Might I offer a suggestion?

Fruitful: 1. yielding or producing fruit; conducive to an abundant yield    2. abundantly productive  (www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/fruitful)

Feeling fruitful might be hard to fathom at this point in the homeschool year. Viewing nature, we see the majestic nature of God. His intricate artistry during each season is a wonder to behold. Even in the most unpredictable climate like coastal Texas, God still sends signs of change. The hours of daylight grow shorter. Leaves change colors, displaying magnificent shades of red, orange, and yellow. As the leaves die and fall, there is room for the new growth of spring. As the clock spins through the final months of our calendar year, we unconsciously associate fall, and even more so winter, with endings, with slowing down, with preparation and anticipation of what is to come.

God specializes in moving outside of what the season would dictate. Think about it. It was after the woman with the issue of blood had spent all her money and tapped into every resource she had that the Lord healed her. It was after the widow of Zarapheth had prepared her last meal that the prophet Elijah showed up with the secret to her continuous provision. It was well after Sarah had passed child-bearing age that the Lord blessed her with Isaac. It was after Lazarus had been dead three days that the Lord restored his life.

I challenge you to pull out those plans, even if they are just muddled thoughts swirling around the old “noodle,” and get excited again. Delay does not mean denial, and assuming that your overall plans did not center around certain calendar, you can still recapture the energy and the excitement with which you began. Even if you did commit certain plans to certain days, a lesson on thankfulness in November, as example, will be just as meaningful just before Resurrection Day. Acknowledging the contributions of our Armed Service members, is appropriate on any day, not just on Veterans’ Day. Finally, if you missed the opportunity to discuss the contributions of Latino-Americans during Hispanic Heritage Month, incorporate biographies into your studies in a different, yet still effective, way.

What is the big deal about being fruitful, anyway, realizing that your own personal “word” might be one that is totally different? Because of what the word implies, my friends: abundant productivity. No matter how you characterize your school and your vision for this year, you want to be productive. You want results for yourself, for your children, and for your witness to all of those around you. We are not called to mediocrity, nor should we take what we do lightly; too much is at stake. We are charged, with God’s help, to illuminate the darkness, which can include those ill-lighted areas of our children’s development. Furthermore, our children are not called to an average existence, but instead to ahead and not behind, above and not beneath (Deuteronomy 28:13). We need active leaders and accountable, responsible citizens. We need world changers. Operating in constant burnout and a whatever-will-be, will be attitude will not accomplish these results. Finally, when you are victorious, someone else will need to be reassured that they, too, can do this.

However you phrase it, and whatever it means for you personally, I challenge you to seek the Lord regarding abundant productivity this year. Realize as you define it for yourself that it does not mean running at 200% every day or accomplishing Herculean feats on a regular basis. It means committing each day to align your plans with the Lord’s plans for you, giving your focus and energy to the work of the day, and asking God to close the gap between His plans and your execution. Even if you fall short, the results could be tremendous.

Belinda Bullard is a wife and homeschooling mother of three, Belinda is an author and the owner of A Blessed Heritage Educational Resources, a literature-based historycurriculum featuring African-American presence in history, as well as the contributions of other races to American history. A chemical engineer by formal education, she also serves as adjunct faculty for college distance learning programs. Belinda blogs at Simply Belinda and Chronicles of a Blessed Heritage.

My beloved friend Marsha Drews is expecting a little boy on February 22nd and we are throwing a cyber party to welcome Ian Kenneth into the Drews family.

There will be GAMES, PRIZES and lots of GIGGLES! Invite everyone you know! Even if you don’t currently know Marsha, I know you’ll fall in love with her once you get to know this super sweet and silly mom…and we know everyone loves babies – so please join in the fun on January 9th.

Marsha and her family are currently living on the island of Guam. Shipping to Guam is the same as shipping within the states, however it does take a bit longer for packages to arrive. Please email me at amy@milkandcookiesblog.com for Marsha’s address if you have a gift to
send her.

My co-host for the party is the lovely Darcy.  Games and giveaways will be open all day to give everyone a chance to participate and Marsha will be available off and on all day to check in to answer questions and get to know everyone. Be sure to visit the Facebook party page and sign up to received a reminder and updates.

Want a sneak peek at just some of the goodies you can win… 

• Five attendees will win a package of beauty care products from Mac Cosmetics worth $100 each! 
• One winner will receive a jar of TARTE D’AMANDE Soufflé Riche Pour Le Corps: ALMOND PIE Rich Soufflé Lotion for the Body 
• One winner will receive a $30 gift card to Chocolate.com

Happy 2012! It’s the beginning of a new year. It’s a great time to refocus on properly caring for yourself so you can be the best wife, mom, and homeschool teacher you can be!

Refocus your mornings

Those cold winter mornings making you want to hide in your warm bed? Depression and winter blahs making you want to oversleep? Determine what your ideal wake-up time is and take baby steps towards it. Try waking up 15 minutes earlier each day or week until you reach your goal. Then once you are up use your mornings wisely. Bible study. Exercise. Preparing for your day ahead. And when those little ones get up early and blow the plan out of the water, rejoice in the time you have for cuddles and snuggles without beating yourself up or focusing on what isn’t being accomplished.

Refocus your health

Have you set the typical lose weight resolution this year? Let’s focus instead on being healthy. Cut back on refined sugars and grains. Watch your portion sizes. Get active with your kids. Find an activity that you like doing so you won’t get burnt out on the idea of exercising and change it up as needed. Been putting off that yearly physical for way too long? Make that appointment today!

Refocus your heart

Been neglecting your own spiritual life lately? Putting more out than you’ve been taking in? Find a good Bible study or book to go through. As a mom of young boys and family of one car, I find that I’m not able to get out as often as I’d like. But, that doesn’t mean that I have to hide in my house alone. I’ve chosen to spend the next three months going through Ephesians with some online friends. Find some women you can connect with and support each other – in real life and/or online.

Refocus your family

Has your family been running too fast? Does something need to be cut out to make more time together? Maybe you need to cut an outside class or sport. Maybe you need to set a goal number of nights a week to eat dinner together. Try starting a family game or movie night. My family loves movies. They love our weekly pizza and movie night, even if it does have to be gluten-free and cheese-less pizza.

I’m praying that God gives you clarity as you refocus and jump into 2012!

Amanda is a former church communications director turned homeschooling mom. She’s now using her BA in Bible and MA in Old Testament Studies to nurture and disciple her two boys with the help and support of her high school sweetheart and husband, Josh. She’s venturing into the world of Kindergarten with her oldest son this year using Sonlight as her base curriculum. She blogs about life, motherhood, homeschooling, technology, faith, books, and more at ThePelsers.com. You can follow her on Twitter at @apelser.