Making Sense of Joy...and Pain

Raising children brings so much joy. Inexplicable joy that can only be seen as gift, it's so priceless. Today I want to share some of the joy the Lord's flooded me with lately. He's so good and when I look on these children, I have evidence of God's love for me. Tangible evidence marking my walls and floors with mud, and piling my world with laundry. It overflows sometimes, this joy, and I have to share it.

A couple weeks ago the boys entered a children's fishing derby. There were prizes for the first caught, the biggest caught, and the most caught. Paul caught a 14.5 pound catfish, earning third place for size, but there were no third place prizes. Still, the catfish thrilled.



In case you didn't know...hamsters love pasta. Furthermore, when hamsters eat pasta, it's better entertainment than your favorite comedian's best monologue. Exaggeration you say, surely? Oh, but no, my friend; I kid you not. With surprising speed, they voraciously fill up both cheeks with it, looking more ridiculous with each centimeter. Try this at your house (plain pasta).



The beloved turtle was observed and let go, but not without posing for a picture first. He brought much wonder and entertainment to my children and to the neighbor kids. At his release, he found nothing better to do than to burrow in the mud, real quick like, as though he cared not what joy he brought and what fame he amassed. Oh, but to be so humble.



Dear God, thank you for the wonder of a semi-rural Ohio backyard...for frogs, crayfish, snakes, squirrels, chipmunks, praying mantises, bettles, ants, grasshoppers, worms, birds, butterflies and turtles. My children have a glorious gift here...a childhood full of wonder. Sincerely, A Grateful Momma.

Dear God, thank you for daughters who get dirty, and then clean up real nice and soft and pretty. Thank you for precious pictures I can show at their wedding, proving to their grooms that they're marrying girls who believe in living. Thank you for this climbing tree at our favorite nature park.

While I smile joyful today at giggling girls dancing in the sprinkler, thanking the Lord for the richness of this life, there are dear people hurting elsewhere. Here and here. There is a dear one who understands His heart and purpose and teaches it with poetry, from Uganda this time.

Our Savior says: “I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.” John 16:33

Oh...but the trouble hurts. Hurts deep.

Zephaniah 3:17 The LORD your God is in your midst, a mighty one who will save; he will rejoice over you with gladness; he will quiet you by his love; he will exult over you with loud singing

We'll have joy and pain in this life. Sometimes it balances, but other times, it's more pain than joy.

Here's a secret: Our response should be the same in both.

The same? How can that be? How can we respond the same to both joy and pain, when one makes us want to dance, and the other makes us want to lie down and die?

I wanted to lie down and die once, when I lost a baby. And again when my husband lost his job and we had four kids, one just three months old.

And I've wanted to freeze moments of joy, many of them, forever, they tasted so good.

The more I live, the more I learn...offer it all up. Offer it to the One who's overcome. We are His, bought and paid for, and that makes our joy and pain His too.

Offer it up, and share it. We can't turn away when someone hurts. Nor can we put on a false face and hide our own pain. We can't hold our blessings with tight fists, as though we've seen the last of them.

It's all about receiving from the Father, vertically, and sharing His love, horizontally, to those around us. I have a good grasp on life and purpose when I remember these three things.  

Vertical in, horizontal out, offer it all up to the one who's overcome.

Pain and joy have this in common: God's glory shines in both. We have the privilege, if we dare to be His servants, of sharing in that glory. Sharing in it brings the greatest sense of purpose, the highest fulfillment there is this side of Heaven.

 Make the most of this vapor time we have here....let His glory shine through you.

Isaiah 60:4 . . . the LORD will be your everlasting light, and your God will be your glory.

Psalms 63:1-3  O God, you are my God, earnestly I seek you; my soul thirsts for you, my body longs for you, in a dry and weary land where there is no water. I have seen you in the sanctuary and beheld your power and your glory. Because your love is better than life, my lips will glorify you.

Homeschool and Mother's Journal, June 14

 
In my life this week:
The week started with much angst over a medical problem my husband was having, but thank the Lord, the news was better for him today. My nerves have calmed considerably.

I'm generally a positive, level-headed person, but now that I'm 47 (yikes!) the monthly hormonal fluctuation is far more exaggerated, and may stay so for several years. Let me apologize now to regular readers for the literary sobbing. (What else can I call it)? I'll try harder to keep silent one week a month from now on.  

You're welcome.

Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to become angry. James 1:19. Even perimenopausal women. God bless us all, this is not fun. Thank you, Eve?

My husband is a saint. Sometime he looks at me and can't figure out where his wife went, but always, he's gentle and full of grace.

In our homeschool this week:
I stayed plenty busy praying and worrying over husband's health concern. Thus, my part in school this week was light, including only reading aloud and doing writing with the boys. The girls, ages 4 and 6, enjoyed extra play time. When I'm off balance, I like the assurance that we won't miss a beat; that's why we school 10.5 months a year.

I'd like to share three historical-fiction picture books we enjoyed this week:



William's House, by Ginger Howard, set in 1637, is about an English family's new life in the New England colony. They come by ship armed with English ideas about homesteading, but as the seasons change they must quickly adapt their established ways to fit life in a new land. A land they learn to call home. Very engaging book with repetitive parts and rich detail. Ages 5-8 (Lovely illustrations by Larry Day)

Publisher's description: It is 1637 and William and his family are leaving England for the New World. William is determined to build a house just like the one he left in England. It will be a house with a gently sloped, thatched roof, surrounded by trees. As the days wear on and the seasons change, William and his wife Elizabeth realize that living in the New World means adopting new ideas. Filled with illustrations rich with historical detail, this is a book for both classroom read-alouds and for up-close study.



 

Sweet Clara and the Freedom Quilt, by Deborah Hopkinson, tells the story of a young, industrious slave girl who sews her way to freedom. Students will learn about slavery, the Underground Railroad, and the glorious freedom sought in Canada. (Ages 5 - 11) Wonderful paintings by James Ransome

Publisher's description:  As a seamstress in the Big House, Clara dreams of a reunion with her Momma, who lives on another plantation--and even of running away to freedom. Then she overhears two slaves talking about the Underground Railroad. In a flash of inspiration, Clara sees how she can use the cloth in her scrap bag to make a map of the land--a freedom quilt--that no master will ever suspect.





The Rag Coat, by Lauren Mills, is a beautiful story about an impoverished Appalachia girl's desire to go to school. She needs a coat to attend school in the cold months, but there's no money. Her coal-miner father gets sick, making matters worse. For a few years she doesn't attend school at all, partly because her Momma needs her to help with quilt-making, their only source of income. Her father dies when she's eight and a coat remains a distant dream, until a love-your-neighbor project begins in earnest to bless this little girl. Her beautiful new coat, though, when it's finally done, is not received well by her classmates. Determined Minna remembers something her father told her about people, and she uses his wisdom to soften the school kids and bless them at the same time. The illustrations, done by the author herself, are as charming as the story.

Publisher description: With paintings that capture all the beauty of Appalachia in authentic detail, this tender story about a resourceful mountain girl's special coat will touch readers with its affirming message of love and friendship.

In other school news: Paul, my 9-year-old, is learning "The Star-Spangled Banner" on the piano. He still doesn't attend lessons, but he's motivated enough to teach himself using good piano books and the music he prints off the Internet. He amazes me!

Peter stayed very busy in his (our) garden, fertilizing with Miracle Grow, picking strawberries, and planting the tomatoes and banana peppers Daddy picked up this week. He lives to be in his garden, but can be distracted for a time by his friends. He's trying to instill a love for gardening in them, too.

Both boys are reading and enjoying Johnny Tremain, by Esther Forbes, and both are still enamored with Writing With Ease, Level Four by Susan Wise Bauer. 

 

We learned about a novel called The Book of Three, selections of which Susan Bauer chose for dictation and narration exercises this week. It's not uncommon for the boys to say about Susan Bauer's choices...."We really need to get that book. I want to read it!" We're all thoroughly hooked on this writing resource. 

Places we're going and people we're seeing:
I saw the Pastor for a meeting about children's ministry; we went to a library program on Tuesday; Speech on Wednesday, and also on Wednesday, to physical therapy for Beth's Juvenile Rheumatoid Arthritis, at which I learned they're reducing her sessions to once a month. The methotrexate chemo drug (low dose) is really removing the sting of this disease. My little one is running and walking normally. You wouldn't even know she has this handicap--something I couldn't say last year. I remember being horribly distressed when they talked of giving her a chemo drug, but now, six months later, my little girl is thriving and I thank God for the wisdom of modern medicine.

My favorite thing this week:
Some of you know we don't have any money for entertainment, or a lot of extra gas to waste; we rarely go anywhere but nature parks and the library. Checking out a library movie to watch as a family on Friday or Saturday nights is one of our entertainment and bonding mainstays. This week we watched Because of Winn Dixie, based upon the book of the same title. So excellent, engaging, and heartwarming! My favorite thing this week, besides read-aloud time, was holding my girls while we watched this as a family.

My kiddos favorite thing this week:
Tomorrow we're going to a town party put on by our church. There will be bounce houses, free food, and games, and I daresay it will be my children's favorite thing this week, if not the pick-up baseball games they played in the backyard with neighborhood kids. My Mary though, age 6, votes this day as her favorite. Remember her four hours frolicking in the muggy Ohio rain?

Things I'm working on:
Baking cookies and preparing fresh fruit for the town party, and winding down emotionally after a stressful health week. And as always, I've kept up with the washing but not the folding. We'll need to have a folding party tomorrow sometime, in between preparing the house for our Children's Bible Study, and scooting away to the town party.

I'm cooking:
For dinner so far this week: gingerbread pancakes and fruit, crockpot whole chicken, spaghetti, grilled chicken, black-bean and corn chili

I'm grateful for:
my husband, my children, my prayer team, better health news, grace, being present to disciple my children, flexible homeschooling, beautiful picture books, the Lord's provision, a yard my children love, my son's passion for gardening, that our air conditioner still works, beautiful sunshine two days this week, and a strong, solid marriage 

I'm praying for:
Kristin Welsh and her Mercy House Kenya ministry, friends who have lost babies, my husband and children, neighborhood children, our Compassion children, online friends, salvation for extended family

Quote or Link to share:

How about a beautiful poem for Father's Day?

Only A Dad
Edgar Guest 

Only a dad with a tired face,
Coming home from the daily race,
Bringing little of gold or fame
To show how well he has played the game;
But glad in his heart that his own rejoice
To see him come and to hear his voice.

Only a dad with a brood of four,
One of ten million men or more
Plodding along in the daily strife,
Bearing the whips and the scorns of life,
With never a whimper of pain or hate,
For the sake of those who at home await.

Only a dad, neither rich nor proud,
Merely one of the surging crowd,
Toiling, striving from day to day,
Facing whatever may come his way,
Silent whenever the harsh condemn,
And bearing it all for the love of them.

Only a dad but he gives his all,
To smooth the way for his children small,
Doing with courage stern and grim
The deeds that his father did for him.
This is the line that for him I pen:
Only a dad, but the best of men.

Have a blessed Father's Day with your family! Love to you, friends.

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When It's Time to Surrender

My heart is so heavy today...one of those days you need His strength for every step. This is my third day of feeling so weak in my humanity.

My husband's abscess ordeal got worse. The nurse practitioner didn't get all the infection with the first incision. Yesterday she confessed this is more than she can handle--something I wished she'd confessed when he first went in to this low-cost clinic for the uninsured and underinsured. They apparently don't have doctors at all--just nurse practitioners.

The clinic is trying to get a referral to a dermatologist who will take my husband on a sliding-fee schedule, but that could take some time, and meanwhile, abscesses get worse and are harder to treat, and the risk of serious complication goes up (blood poisoning for one), the longer you wait and let it grow. They have an epithelial cell lining to them that antibiotics can't penetrate. Thus, the need for incision and drainage procedures, which are excrutiatingly painful; they often can't get all the tissue covered with the local anesthetic. My husband almost passed out during the first procedure, and the thought of another makes him sick.

And me? I can't handle this. Not the daily dressings and the worries and the draining of the savings account, with no end in sight. Not the inconvenience of tub baths and me washing his hair in the sink, because the wound must stay open and packed with gauze longer because it is still draining; it can't get wet. No offense to my husband intended, believe me, please, but this is like suddenly having another child to care for, and with even less help. Better women might handle this like a minor glitch, but I'm sinking.

I have faith and I don't know why this seems so huge, but it does. One can have faith, but not endurance and strength. I'm short on those, what with Beth's tonsil and adenoid surgery coming up too, and a new volunteer job as a nursery and preschool church coordinator (though I look forward to that, beginning in July). And these neighbor kids sucking me dry, here so often now that summer's upon us.

For my sanity, I've limited each neighbor's visit to 40 minutes. The reasons are complicated, but suffice it to say these kids are not the best role models, and I have to disciple my kids through each visit, helping them to be strong against peer pressure. You fit in with God and your family, and that is enough. Don't ever do an act just to fit it, even if it's just removing your hands from the handle bars as you ride your bike. That might be something everyone tries, but that doesn't make it less foolish.

Everyone is usually wrong, and that is one of the biggest lessons of a child's life. Don't follow everyone. Follow Him.

As a non-Christian young person, I remember distinctly thinking, "But everyone is doing this. Can everyone be so wrong, and so few be right? That just doesn't make sense."

No, it doesn't make sense. Following God is an upside-down phenomena from day one. I'm glad my children have the opportunity, through neighbor kids, to strenghten their faith, but it's killing me. I'm so weary.

I'm praying for their steadfastness. For them to cling to God apart from Mom and Dad. To call Him their own, in every sense of the word. I believe all my children know God and are saved, but I can't get inside their hearts deeply enough to know for sure, at least at these ages. Kids have more questions as they get older, and their free will is still a powerful force.

My job is to pray, be the best role model I can be, and be ever-present to answer questions, and to ask questions--a lot of them, to help my children make Him their own forever. To help them choose Truth and reject everyone's tyranny.

And lastly, there's so much pain going on right now elsewhere. One dear one had a miscarriage, another dear one, Kristin Welsh, is going through incredible trial right now, along with Maureen, who runs Mercy House Kenya.

My problems are insignificant, I know. But anything financial- and health-related is always very hard, with so many wearying risks.

What verse of Scripture is needed? What will calm, sustain, strengthen us, in the midst of trial, however small or large?

First, we must imagine ourselves at His feet, just resting and crying, like a little child. We must do this in our minds...go through it as though it's real. Because it is.

He is there, meeting our need. As we cry and seek His comfort, he relieves our spiritual burden. He takes it upon himself.

And next, we must cling to the beautiful love words He's given us...in the Bible. Everything is there. Everything we need.

But we must choose. We must choose to sit at His feet. We must go through these motions of surrender.

So often, instead, we fret and cause ourselves greater trouble.

Choose Him today. Choose Peace and not everyone's tyranny. Everyone's tyranny says we can work this out on our own. Everyone's tyranny says we just need to be stronger.

But surrending all to God? That's genuine strength.

Knowing He is bigger than our pain, our troubles, our dreams, our need for ease? That's genuine wisdom.

Prayer Time: Dear Lord, We love you. We thank you that this life is just a vapor. These afflictions momentary. We thank you for never failing us, never rejecting us, always taking us back into your fold, filling us with your love and wisdom. You hold us dear, so dear, Father. We are filled with gratitude for your steadfast love.

I pray for Emily, that you would help her trust. That you would mend her broken heart and help her surrender her plans to Yours. Hold her in your divine, perfect arms. And Father, another pregnancy for her very soon? And Tesha's broken heart, too, please mend it. Help her to carry this new baby with trust and complete joy. Complete, utter joy in the moment. Innocent joy.

I pray for Kristin, for Maureen and for Maureen's siblings as they mourn the loss of Maureen's beautiful mother. I pray for all those who contributed to her brain surgery, that they would see your glory in this anyway. That their contributions will be blessed, their obedience rewarded. And for the thieves, God, who would break into the new Mercy House Kenya and steal from Your ministry? I pray for justice, for their salvation, for your glorious replenishing of what was lost. Two Mercy House babies will be born tomorrow via C-section. I pray for all to go perfectly and for the miracle of new life to renew broken hearts. For life is a miracle. Your love is a miracle, And It Is Enough!

I pray for my husband, that you would heal him so that no further surgical help would be needed. I pray for protection from MRSA and other complications. I pray for strength for him through the pain. I pray for a doctor who will take his case and for wisdom for that doctor. I pray for myself and for my children, that we would trust you completely for healing and financial provision. Bring glory through this little glitch, Father. Show your glory to my children, even as they deal with a weary mother.

In Your Son's name I pray, Amen

Psalm 28
1To you will I cry, O LORD my rock; be not silent to me: lest, if you be silent to me, I become like them that go down into the pit. 2Hear the voice of my supplications, when I cry to you, when I lift up my hands toward your holy oracle. 3Draw me not away with the wicked, and with the workers of iniquity, which speak peace to their neighbors, but mischief is in their hearts. 4Give them according to their deeds, and according to the wickedness of their endeavors: give them after the work of their hands; render to them their desert. 5Because they regard not the works of the LORD, nor the operation of his hands, he shall destroy them, and not build them up. 6Blessed be the LORD, because he has heard the voice of my supplications. 7The LORD is my strength and my shield; my heart trusted in him, and I am helped: therefore my heart greatly rejoices; and with my song will I praise him. 8The LORD is their strength, and he is the saving strength of his anointed. 9Save your people, and bless your inheritance: feed them also, and lift them up for ever.

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Childhood, Joyful and Rich

Did I tell you about my Mary?

She smiles at a pretty dress, but needn't try it on just now; no thanks Mom. She's interested in only girly colors, but unlike her thoroughly-girly sister, who changes clothes for fun, my Mary puts clothes in their place.  

Clothes are for covering us, nothing more.

When Mary awakes, nature sings unto her heart, beckoning her. As fast as she can, she dresses, waiting for Mom to have a shower so she can go outside. She submits to the morning hair brushing, dreaming of the escapades to come.

She makes frogs her friends, observes bugs, searches for snakes, plays with water and mud, catches butterflies, swings on tree branches. She becomes one with her environment.

The adventures change with the weather. Sometimes, when there's a heavy rain and laundry is already plentiful, I keep them in, preventing a muddy onslaught.

Other days I remember, thanks to the Holy Spirit and my own mother-spirit, that childhood is for getting dirty and exploring. For laughing at the rain and dancing to its beat.

Childhood is an open book upon which each day writes its own story. Childhood is for believing in joy and creating joy from the raw materials God provides.

Childhood is for inspiring the adults. Have faith like one of these, my Father tells me.

Toys r' Us has nothing on a glorious Heavenly Father who knew us before we were born. The richest child doesn't own toys. The richest child has a yard or a safe street and a Momma who will do the extra laundry and run a bubble bath.

After four hours in a muggy Ohio rain, clothes and body wearing mud from head to toe--high fashion for a child--she came in when I called her for a bath, some lunch and a little school.

Smile wide and wondrous, and grateful too, she announced:

"That was the most fun I've ever had!"

As moms we need to remember how the tyranny of chores can rob us of joy in the moment. But our kids? They live in the moment, unless we ruin that for them. Let's not over-schedule them or over-indulge them.

The Lord loves the little children and what does he want for them? To be able to go outside and say, "What do you want to show me today, God?"

A child's first experience of God is a personal one, not a parent-directed one. God reveals himself through his Creation. When they are told that first time, Genesis 1:1 In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth, the lights begin to go on and when they go outside, they remember.

God created. Flowers. Trees. Birds. Water. Mountains. Rivers. Sun. Stars.  

God created everything and everything is as interesting as it is beautiful. And He loves me.

The magical moments that make childhood rich are put together by God, not by the local Rec Center employees or camp counselors.

When I asked Mary what Bible verse she wanted to say on stage at the end-of-year AWANA awards assembly, she didn't hesitate.

Genesis 1:1 In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.

When Mary goes outside, she worships. God put His glory in her midst and now she knows Him intimately. He's the glorious God who put the purple in flowers and the yellow in butterflies. He sent the rain that made the puddle that beckoned and delighted her.

source

Set the little children free so God can speak to them in a way they understand. Set them free to find Joy, and Peace the Person.

Homeschool and Mother's Journal, June 7

In my life this week:
Life always has surprises for us, yes? A pleasurable weekend hike left my husband with a mosquito bite-turned-into-an-abscess. The pesky mosquito penetrated a benign cyst in the area, wreaking havoc and generating medical bills and much pain. With no insurance we can only go to clinics, so it was a nurse practitioner who did the minor surgery, necessitating four visits so far. Yikes! We're also spending a small fortune on gauze and tape and ointment, with no end in sight.

But God is good. We have the clinics, at least.

This is a small blog but lo and behold, I got an e-mail offering a $25 gift card if I would insert one sentence about a certain product (with link) into a relevant post. After the medical bills it looked enticing, but I just couldn't respond. This blog reflects my heart and my heart isn't for sale. I don't begrudge those who use blogging to generate income and perks--it's a job like any other job--but I could never bring myself to do it here.

I don't believe my Lord--who didn't want his Father's house turned into a marketplace--would ever make it necessary here, on a personal journal. More than anything, my journal records the nudgings and whispers of the Holy Spirit unto my heart and that is sacred to me and to Him.

Last week I pontificated about a minor drought here in Northeast Ohio, and this week we have a flooded garden; the heavens wouldn't stop dripping.

On the bright side, tomorrow promises good hiking weather, after which we'll cover all mosquito bites with ointment and bandaids for a time, because y'all, I've learned my lesson. A mosquito's bite is bacteria's delight.

In our homeschool this week:
We dove into half days this week, after which we'll break in August for 6 weeks. The children had a good year and we could certainly stop, but too much free time is as dangerous as too little, and momentum is important.

Since I don't need their help on the farm (I wish we had a farm) continuing to read, write, do arithmetic and listen to stories for a few hours a day seems like the best option...and a good excuse to keep them out of the sun from 11:00 to 2:00. Two of mine would play outside from 9:00 AM to 8:00 PM if I'd let them.

First I want to share our favorite picture books from the week.



There are so many beautiful picture books packed with learning and grace, that we scarcely need buy lower-elementary curriculum at all. One such book comes recommended by Honey for a Child's Heart, and tells the story of a  pioneer woman, lonely and heartsick out on the prairie, longing for friends, family and flowers. A Packet of Seeds by Deborah Hopkinson is a heartwarming story about a woman's broken heart and her young daughter's desire to see her mother smile again.

"I knew Momma wouldn't ask Pa to leave this new land...but I wondered if I'd ever see her smile again."

Woven between the skilled, poignant words is the story of all pioneer women and the incredible hardships they endured as our country expanded...a book every mother and daughter should discuss and enjoy together. The lovely Momma in the story must practice submission when her husband suggests moving west; she does so with grace, though she's heartbroken.

And the boys in your home? They can learn empathy for a wife from this lovely tale; don't leave them out of the reading. While it's labeled for ages 4 to 8, I think the depth is there for this to be a wonderful learning experience for kids up to age 14.

Picture books that teach history are rarely just for little ones. Who doesn't enjoy pictures to go along with deep story? I loved the art work in this book too, painted by Bethanne Andersen. Beautiful!

Have a blueberry lover in your home? Why not check out Blueberries for Sal, which is a tale as charming as they come for little ones, by Robert McCloskey (also recommended in Honey for a Child's Heart).

You'll find this suspenseful, surprising, and delightful. Afterward I recommend hands-on math games with blueberries or a suitable substitute. Grab a pale and do addition and subtraction as berries are manipulated to and fro. Visit a blueberry farm for picking and make something delightful with these nutritious berries, discussing the healthful antioxidants and other vitamins.

And don't forget all the preparation animals go through to prepare for winter, much as Sal's mother plans to can her blueberries for winter nutrition, and bear's mother explains why her little bear must fatten up for the long winter nap. Can your child brainstorm other animals who must prepare...like squirrels and chipmunks?

Been raining in your state? How about a walk down rainbow lane with A Rainbow of my Own, by Don Freeman. This classic tale lends itself to science experimenting with prisms, and to tissue paper or watercolor rainbow art. Or even to torn construction paper rainbows, not to mention a splashy walk in the summer rain.

11-year-old Peter is enchanted this week by The Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler, by E. L. Konigsburg., winner of a Newberry Medal. Full of humor and originality, this book both teaches and delights.



My Paul is reading Johnny Tremain by Esther Forbes, set in the 1770's, a book recommended by Sonlight American History, Part One.



Technically, for the 2012-13 school year we're doing American History, Part Two, but we didn't buy the whole set of Sonlight books last year, and since I had a little extra curriculum money this year we purchased (used of course) the remainder of American History, Part One, Johnny Tremain included. We'll go back and read the best of what we missed this summer, and my girls, when they're ready, will have the whole set ready to go.

The following excerpt is from a wonderful study guide for Johnny Tremain, found at the Glencoe Literature Library:

In Johnny Tremain, readers share not only a historical journey but also Johnny’s personal journey of growth and discovery. When planning the novel, Forbes was determined “to give Johnny room enough to change and grow.” She also wanted “an obstacle [for] Johnny . . .to face from the beginning to the end of the book. . . . This obstacle was to have psychological significance.” At the beginning of the novel, Johnny is an arrogant and impulsive boy, but then life knocks him around quite a bit. He runs into some bad luck and also creates some problems for himself with his excessive pride. He has to face his problems and try to figure out who he is and what matters to him. When the dramatic events of the American Revolution involve Johnny, he must decide what ideas and beliefs are worth fighting for.

Even if you don't homeschool, I highly recommend this story as a family read-aloud, or as required reading for your upper-elementary or middle-school children. Sonlight recommends it as a read-aloud, but instead I'm reading it alongside my boys, to both challenge them and make sure the depth sinks in.

The boys are also busy building Lego Creations amidst the heavy rain we're having. They're playing with magnets, caring for the snapping turtle we're observing, learning new chores, and settling with Mom what "half-day school" means.

We continue to enjoy Writing With Ease, Level 4, by Susan Wise Bauer. So much more learning is packed into this resource than just writing instruction. All the selections Susan chose for us to use in dictation and narration are from a classic perspective. My boys learned so much about Leonardo da Vinci and the Renaissance, just from their dictation and narration exercises! And there's much more to come. I'm so grateful for this resource, which is self-contained, thorough, organized, and well thought out.



Helpful Homeschooling Advice to Share:
I highly recommend starting with Morning Meeting, right after breakfast, which entails prayer, a Bible reading, and discussing the day's agenda and expectations. I've found this really sets the right tone for the day and makes all of us stay on track better. I have check-off sheets on the walls, but I still need to go over the expectations each day so the children won't forget their chores or other responsibilities. I have one son who hopes I'll forget the check-off sheets, and sometimes, without morning meeting, I do!

This goes without saying, but it works best to let the little ones leave the meeting earlier than the older ones.

Places We're Going and People We're Seeing:
We went to a movement, craft, and literature class at the library for my two girls, ages 4 and 6. And this Sunday afternoon we're visiting a pig farm with some friends so Peter can take pictures for a library photo contest. Promises to be fun and educational for all! Weather permitting, we'll do another family hike this weekend.

My Favorite Thing This Week:
My favorite thing is nearly always the same--reading to my kids! It relaxes and bonds us so well. And I'll have to add in the family walks this week as well.

My Kids' Favorite Thing:
Sometimes I know the answer to this question without asking them, but this week I had to ask:

Paul - That Mommy didn't have any headaches, family walks.
Peter - Storytime, family walks
Mary and Beth - Loving my Mommy, family walks.

I'm so glad I asked! :)

Things I'm Working On:
You know how the master bedroom seems to collect all the clutter, especially when you're cleaning for guests and short on time? We don't have a garage or basement so we're more challenged in this area. So this week I organized, decluttered, dusted and shined up the master bedroom. It's modestly beautiful, at last!

I told a neighborhood girl she can use our Teaching Textbooks math DVD-ROM to improve her math grades, but I don't know if she'll actually come (her motivation is low). Nevertheless, the room is ready for her, no longer a distracting disgrace. The computer in there is the only quiet place to listen to the lecture on the DVD-ROM.

 It would be a miracle if our 11-year-old friend earns a high-school diploma, I'm afraid. She's at risk for so many things, but none of it's too big for God...I'm thankful for that!

I'm back to regular walking and I love our neighborhood this time of year. So many pretty flowers and neat yards. Always a delight to stroll here, either alone or with the whole family.

I'm Cooking:
Dinner so far this week: french toast and cheesy eggs; crockpot whole chicken; chicken noodle soup; tacos; bowtie pasta; grilled chicken.

Our grill needed a part but thanks to Amazon's quick service we're back in business tonight.

I'm Grateful For:
Time with my children, fewer and fewer headaches, low-cost clinics for the uninsured, sweet kids, green lawns, walking, flowers, family dinners, a like-new master bedroom, that God always provides, that every day is meant for learning and growing closer to Him

I'm Praying For:
Family, husband, kids, friends, country, church, neighborhood, Compassion kids, my own heart to cling to Him for sustenance

Photo, Link, or Quote to Share:

How about a poem attesting to the delight children are to our hearts and lives, found here?

No Children!
Edgar Guest 

No children in the house to play--
It must be hard to live that way!
I wonder what the people do
When night comes on and the work is through,
With no glad little folks to shout,
No eager feet to race about,
No youthful tongues to chatter on
About the joy that's been and gone?
The house might be a castle fine,
But what a lonely place to dine!

No children in the house at all,
No fingermarks upon the wall,
No corner where the toys are piled--
Sure indication of a child.
No little lips to breathe the prayer
That God shall keep you in His care,
No glad caress and welcome sweet
When night returns you to your street;
No little lips a kiss to give--
Oh, what a lonely way to live!

No children in the house! I fear
We could not stand it half a year.
What would we talk about at night,
Plan for and work with all our might,
Hold common dreams about and find
True union of heart and mind,
If we two had no greater care
Than what we both should eat and wear?
We never knew love's brightest flame
Until the day the baby came.

And now we could not get along
Without their laughter and their song.
Joy is not bottled on a shelf,
It cannot feed upon itself,
And even love, if it shall wear,
Must find its happiness in care;
Dull we'd become of mind and speech
Had we no little ones to teach.
No children in the house to play!
Oh, we could never live that way!

Have a blessed week friends! If you read all the way to the bottom, I owe you thanks. :)