Part of the joyful experience of moving overseas was that we took only about two thirds of our belongings with us. I wish we could say we took less. It would have been much easier; especially in light of the fact that we only ended up staying about seven and a half months. In hind-sight we should have stored almost everything, packed our suitcases and left.
But evening leaving one third of our possessions behind was a wonderful experience. I don’t recall missing a single item in storage while there and by the time our storage items were re-delivered, almost a year later, I had forgotten most of what we had packed away to begin with. For a few precious months, there was less to pick up, clean up, keep up, fix up and pack up. It was liberating. Since we did not own our house in Germany we didn’t have a myriad of home improvement or fix-it projects hanging over our heads. And thus felt available to pack a suitcase or just a picnic lunch for a day trip and leave to go sightseeing or exploring for a weekend--guilt free!
We lived with only items from our suitcases for six weeks in a German hotel and for another six weeks back in Idaho both going and coming. You just don’t realize how many possessions including houses, cars, pets and yards clamor for your attention and suck away time and energy until you have lived without them for a time.
Now that we are back living on American soil in a large house and garage filled-to-the-brim with stuff, we are once again overwhelmed at trying to manage and clean and fix and organize it all. And so we keep boxing it up and getting rid of it via donations and it feels like we have barely made a dent. But we keep trying because we remember how invigorating it was to live lighter for one (school) year.
Saturday, November 1, 2008
Wednesday, September 17, 2008
PRAYER--pass it on!!!
I was so blessed this morning. I opened my email inbox and there was this message from a friend. It read:
Dear Angela,
I am praying through my email address book and today is your day.
May God bless you!
Dear Lord Jesus,
Thank you for Angela and Cory and their desire to follow you where ever you lead. Thank you for the things you had them learn in Germany that are equipping them for the purposed you designed for them. You directed their path although the journey was short. Thank you also for bringing them safely back to Boise.
Give them wisdom as they are teaching their children to look for Your best plan. Give them knowledge and peace as they balance work, homeschooling, activities and rental. Give them strength to face each battle looking for Your definition of victory!
Amen
Wow! That was just about all I could say. I don’t think I had ever received such an email before. I was so touched it brought tears to my eyes. So, if God gives you an opportunity to do so, bless someone like this and pass it on…
Dear Angela,
I am praying through my email address book and today is your day.
May God bless you!
Dear Lord Jesus,
Thank you for Angela and Cory and their desire to follow you where ever you lead. Thank you for the things you had them learn in Germany that are equipping them for the purposed you designed for them. You directed their path although the journey was short. Thank you also for bringing them safely back to Boise.
Give them wisdom as they are teaching their children to look for Your best plan. Give them knowledge and peace as they balance work, homeschooling, activities and rental. Give them strength to face each battle looking for Your definition of victory!
Amen
Wow! That was just about all I could say. I don’t think I had ever received such an email before. I was so touched it brought tears to my eyes. So, if God gives you an opportunity to do so, bless someone like this and pass it on…
Sunday, September 14, 2008
Last on his list???
So, my husband says to me the other day, as he is reeling off a number of things he would like to do or accomplish before the day is over, “And you. You are last on my list.”
Me? Last on his list? I had to laugh about it later. You could definitely take that one of two ways:
1. I am last on his list. The end. Bottom of the barrel. Final place.
Or
2. I am last on his list. I am what he wants to find waiting at the end of a long day. I am wanted. Treasured. Adored.
Yeah, I think I will pick option number 2, not only because that is clearly how he meant it, if you could have seen his face but also because this is my husband we are talking about; He is not eloquent; just straight-forward and to the point.
Me? Last on his list? I had to laugh about it later. You could definitely take that one of two ways:
1. I am last on his list. The end. Bottom of the barrel. Final place.
Or
2. I am last on his list. I am what he wants to find waiting at the end of a long day. I am wanted. Treasured. Adored.
Yeah, I think I will pick option number 2, not only because that is clearly how he meant it, if you could have seen his face but also because this is my husband we are talking about; He is not eloquent; just straight-forward and to the point.
Wednesday, January 23, 2008
My life this week (according to Proverbs 30:15 &16)
(My very own, loose translation):
Proverbs
15 The {homeschool Mom} has two daughters,
"Give," "Give."
There are three things that will not be satisfied,
Four that will not say, "Enough":
16(W) Housework and constant corrections,
A child’s questions that are never satisfied,
And Hungry mouths that never say, “Enough.”
Proverbs
15 The {homeschool Mom} has two daughters,
"Give," "Give."
There are three things that will not be satisfied,
Four that will not say, "Enough":
16(W) Housework and constant corrections,
A child’s questions that are never satisfied,
And Hungry mouths that never say, “Enough.”
Sunday, January 13, 2008
Why we homeschool (or still homeschool)
So, I am repeatedly asked if we will continue to homeschool our kids all the way through high school. Now that our oldest is in his first year of high school, I suppose you would think that would be a resounding, automatic, yes! But, it isn’t really. It is something I think about, pray about and consider often. And some days I even ask myself why, oh why am I doing this? So, I thought I would pause during today’s routine and jot down a few of the many answers so that I may, on a bad day, return to these words and again test them out.
Honestly, I originally homeschooled because we couldn’t afford private school. No kidding. My husband was making somewhere in the range of $24,000/year and I stayed home with my kids and we were already a family of four with hopes to grow larger. At the time, we could barely afford two day a week private preschool at $50/month after rent, food, gas etc. When I looked at the private tuition costs of area schools, it was overwhelmingly beyond our budget. That was over 10 years ago in 1997/1998.
As the kids grew, the income did too but so did our family size and by then we were already hooked on the homeschool lifestyle. We were able to spend the best hours of the day with our kids, watch them learn and grow and best of all we could teach them anything and everything about God and this big, beautiful world He made. We found every subject seemed to come back around to Him and His ways. I also found the kids had opportunity to ask all kinds of questions about everything and I was the one who had the privilege of answering their questions, wiping away their tears and of learning about cool stuff.
Thus, we’ve found that I have opportunity to really know my kids and to be around them a lot, which is usually, an enjoyable experience. And I have found that, like most things, you learn more from the teaching than they do from being taught. God is usually at work changing me just as much as He is at work changing them. And the longer I do this, the more I learn that I am truly much more of a facilitator than a teacher. I can facilitate their learning by laying before them a plethora of rich and wonderful resources by experts in every field but ultimately it is really up to them on whether they decide to “learn” it or not.
Now we have four children, ages 3 to 14, which means we have four distinct developmental levels of learning going on simultaneously each day. This is the first year of high school but it is also the first year I am facilitating preschool to high school as well! I must admit, that most days my feet hit the ground running and I am still stretched and often overwhelmed. And on especially hectic days I wonder if I should be walking this path. But somewhere somehow I think God hears my humble, “please help, LORD,” and He is pleased to provide a way as we seek to know Him and the mystery of His ways.
Honestly, I originally homeschooled because we couldn’t afford private school. No kidding. My husband was making somewhere in the range of $24,000/year and I stayed home with my kids and we were already a family of four with hopes to grow larger. At the time, we could barely afford two day a week private preschool at $50/month after rent, food, gas etc. When I looked at the private tuition costs of area schools, it was overwhelmingly beyond our budget. That was over 10 years ago in 1997/1998.
As the kids grew, the income did too but so did our family size and by then we were already hooked on the homeschool lifestyle. We were able to spend the best hours of the day with our kids, watch them learn and grow and best of all we could teach them anything and everything about God and this big, beautiful world He made. We found every subject seemed to come back around to Him and His ways. I also found the kids had opportunity to ask all kinds of questions about everything and I was the one who had the privilege of answering their questions, wiping away their tears and of learning about cool stuff.
Thus, we’ve found that I have opportunity to really know my kids and to be around them a lot, which is usually, an enjoyable experience. And I have found that, like most things, you learn more from the teaching than they do from being taught. God is usually at work changing me just as much as He is at work changing them. And the longer I do this, the more I learn that I am truly much more of a facilitator than a teacher. I can facilitate their learning by laying before them a plethora of rich and wonderful resources by experts in every field but ultimately it is really up to them on whether they decide to “learn” it or not.
Now we have four children, ages 3 to 14, which means we have four distinct developmental levels of learning going on simultaneously each day. This is the first year of high school but it is also the first year I am facilitating preschool to high school as well! I must admit, that most days my feet hit the ground running and I am still stretched and often overwhelmed. And on especially hectic days I wonder if I should be walking this path. But somewhere somehow I think God hears my humble, “please help, LORD,” and He is pleased to provide a way as we seek to know Him and the mystery of His ways.
Friday, January 11, 2008
Last Monday Evening
So, my husband and I thought we would try and carve out a little date time last Monday evening. We left our teenage son at home to do the dishes after dinner and we took the girls to AWANA. Our plan was to go hang out at a nearby coffee shop for a short time together before collecting the girls and returning home to tuck them into bed.
Well, for starters, the dinner was late getting out of the oven and late to the table and thus, we were late getting out the door. Next, my unnamed daughter, who is older than four and younger than twelve managed to misplace her AWANA book for about the third time in a row, just before we left the house. I went back inside and did a swift walk through, but to no avail. Thus, my husband set down a judgment that she could not attend AWANA that evening since she had done this repeatedly.
So after dropping off the other two girls at the nearby church building, we went to the nearest REDBOX to return some movies. It happens to be located in the entrance of the Albertsons store. So, we decided, with our daughter in tow, to pick up a few needed items from there such as orange juice, lettuce and doughnuts. Well, the doughnuts were not needed but we ended up getting them anyway. Then we headed across the street to the movie rental store/coffee shop. I stood in line and got a coffee and then took my daughter to the children’s section to see what nonsensical silliness she thought she couldn’t live without. While there I heard a faint, “Mom!” from the next aisle over and walked around the corner to the greeting, “I just peeed.”
“What? You did what?” I asked astonished.
“I peeed,” repeated my six and a half year old!
“Well, that is just great! Okay, let’s head for the car.” My husband was in the public restroom and so I had to call him on the cell phone from outside the store and break the news. Once he joined us we headed for the car and home. I left him and the wet girl at home to clean up and drove back to pick up the other two from AWANA before returning home again.
And that was our latest date night experience!
Well, for starters, the dinner was late getting out of the oven and late to the table and thus, we were late getting out the door. Next, my unnamed daughter, who is older than four and younger than twelve managed to misplace her AWANA book for about the third time in a row, just before we left the house. I went back inside and did a swift walk through, but to no avail. Thus, my husband set down a judgment that she could not attend AWANA that evening since she had done this repeatedly.
So after dropping off the other two girls at the nearby church building, we went to the nearest REDBOX to return some movies. It happens to be located in the entrance of the Albertsons store. So, we decided, with our daughter in tow, to pick up a few needed items from there such as orange juice, lettuce and doughnuts. Well, the doughnuts were not needed but we ended up getting them anyway. Then we headed across the street to the movie rental store/coffee shop. I stood in line and got a coffee and then took my daughter to the children’s section to see what nonsensical silliness she thought she couldn’t live without. While there I heard a faint, “Mom!” from the next aisle over and walked around the corner to the greeting, “I just peeed.”
“What? You did what?” I asked astonished.
“I peeed,” repeated my six and a half year old!
“Well, that is just great! Okay, let’s head for the car.” My husband was in the public restroom and so I had to call him on the cell phone from outside the store and break the news. Once he joined us we headed for the car and home. I left him and the wet girl at home to clean up and drove back to pick up the other two from AWANA before returning home again.
And that was our latest date night experience!
Wednesday, January 9, 2008
Not your typical Home School Mom
Well, for starters, I don’t wear a denim jumper; in fact, I don’t own a denim jumper. And on top of that I don’t even like to wear a skirt or dress. I’m definitely a pants-wearing kind of girl. And I don’t dress my children in matching clothes, even for family portraits.
Secondly, I am no Betty Crocker. Sure, I cook dinner for my family on a regular basis, but maybe cook is too strong a word. I serve them dinner most evenings of the week, but that doesn’t mean I actually cook what I serve. I have learned much about cooking, in my 15 years of marriage and I will continue to learn, mostly from my gourmet-loving husband. He is the true cook of the family. It’s just that his day job interferes with his hobby of cooking.
And lastly, I am definitely an upper-middle-class, college-educated person who lives in a city. We don’t own any livestock, don’t live on acreage, don’t sew our own clothes, don’t bake our own bread and don’t plan to anytime soon. (Though we do LOVE fresh-baked bread) While this is certainly the statistical norm of the American, homeschool, Mom, it certainly isn’t the stereotypical one.
My latest hobbies are photography, reading and now writing along with snow skiing, camping and occasional scrapbooking; Although, it is difficult to accomplish much of anything toward a hobby during most school days.
Secondly, I am no Betty Crocker. Sure, I cook dinner for my family on a regular basis, but maybe cook is too strong a word. I serve them dinner most evenings of the week, but that doesn’t mean I actually cook what I serve. I have learned much about cooking, in my 15 years of marriage and I will continue to learn, mostly from my gourmet-loving husband. He is the true cook of the family. It’s just that his day job interferes with his hobby of cooking.
And lastly, I am definitely an upper-middle-class, college-educated person who lives in a city. We don’t own any livestock, don’t live on acreage, don’t sew our own clothes, don’t bake our own bread and don’t plan to anytime soon. (Though we do LOVE fresh-baked bread) While this is certainly the statistical norm of the American, homeschool, Mom, it certainly isn’t the stereotypical one.
My latest hobbies are photography, reading and now writing along with snow skiing, camping and occasional scrapbooking; Although, it is difficult to accomplish much of anything toward a hobby during most school days.
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