Thank you for stopping by! I appreciate your visit.
I go by Christine here. I have four children; Peter, age 19; Paul, age 17; Mary, age 14; and Beth, age 12. (not their real names)
I'm introverted, a thinker and feeler, but friendly. I love the Lord, babies a lot and children in general, books, writing, trees, flowers, birds, farm landscapes, mountain landscapes, praise music, and every kind of delicious berry God created.
As a momma of four, I can't say enough good things about chocolate. On the roughest of days you'll find me sneaking baking chips out of the pantry. Somehow my kids sense the aroma of chocolate a room away, even though I always chew with my mouth closed of course. What's up with that?
I'm a Christian, grafted in at age 31 after a teaching colleague impressed me with her joy, peace, and contentment, despite a life littered with tragedy. I asked her many questions and she faithfully answered every single one, mentoring me for two years. I read my Bible for hours as a new Christian, grateful for every morsel of wisdom. Then I married two years later, after which I had less time but still enjoyed the Word. I'm grateful for the time I spent alone as a new Christian, growing rapidly.
Two and a half years after we married I had my first colicky baby and went four months without opening my Bible at all. Ouch.
I was 33 years old when I married in 1999--something still a bit usual at that time. My husband is referred to here by the ingenious name of "Husband". He's not perfect.....just maybe perfect for me. The fact that he went to Bible College and can answer virtually any Bible question I have is a wonderful perk, especially since I love to write about faith. It's not uncommon for me to ask him, "Where's the passage that says.....?" Or "What are the accepted theological interpretations of ....?"
Marriage is hard and mine is no exception to that rule, but we will finish the race. On that we always agree, because our marriage means something to the Lord and to the Christian Church. It is larger than both of us...more important than our respective needs. (That's not to say I advise anyone to remain in the same house as an abusive husband. Get out and to safety.)
I love expressing my gratitude here for everyday blessings--gifts that make our short journey here a joy-filled one. I believe that even in the midst of deep pain, blessings flow. We must acknowledge them and tell about them! It's a heart-changing exercise...and it's contagious!
Sometimes I mention our struggle with mental issues (OCD, ADHD, phobias), and a health challenge called JIA--autoimmune arthritis in juveniles.
In October 2011, when Beth was 2 years old, we learned that Juvenile Rheumatoid Arthritis affected her (now called JIA, juvenile idiopathic arthritis). She'll hopefully grow out of this sometime in childhood, with no long-term problems. 50% of children with her type, extended-oligoarticular, do grow out of it. For now she has to be on immunosuppressant drugs to prevent the disease from destroying her joints.
I was a public school teacher in CA from 1992 - 2001, first grade, full-time. Following the birth of my oldest in 2002, I changed jobs and began working part-time from home, visiting campus a few times a week as a homeschooling facilitator and enrichment-class teacher. When that became overwhelming--eighteen months after the birth of our second child--we sold our California home and moved to Ohio, where I've been a full-time mom since 2005. Selling a 3-bedroom CA home made it possible to pay off student loans, cars, and use the left-over profit to put money down on a very modest 3-bedroom in Ohio.
Homeschooling mother became part of my story in 2007 and I've never looked back. And the children? They're actually pretty grateful for homeschooling, too.
I love to write. More importantly, I need to write, but I did take a break when my oldest started high-school. I stopped blogging for several years during that challenging time. I'm just getting back to it now, and hope to someday help support myself in retirement with articles and/or books about all that I've learned about God and his grace, mothering, children, teaching, and learning.
I hope you find something that blesses you here, and once again, thank you for your time.
