Written by CHEBWA member Tina Smith As home educating homemakers we are a unique group of individuals, and even among us happiness can mean so many different things. Just like our homeschools, there are as many different definitions as there are of us. Happiness may mean something totally different to me than it does to you. Have you thought about what it is that makes you happy recently? Is it part of your consciousness on a regular basis, or are you just going through the motions? As mothers, wives, home educators, and homemakers we are accustomed to giving a lot of ourselves. We know what it means to give until it hurts, and even then some. I would venture to say that we on occasion give more than we actually have to give. We wear ourselves out, and we forget that everything we do stems on us being happy and healthy. What are your priorities? Do you rank the care and keeping of yourself among them? I would like to share with you some things I do to take care of me so that I can take care of my family and strive to be the Daughter of the King that God would have me be. Trust me. I fall short each and every day. The newest lesson I have learned is to cut myself slack, a lot of slack. Of course, some days are better than others, but on the days that are less than stellar I ask forgiveness, and I forgive myself, which is not necessarily an easy thing to learn to do, and I move on. Each day, each moment, is a new opportunity to start again. God’s timing is perfect, and he places things in our paths just at the right time. No one ever said that being a follower of Christ would make our lives easy. In fact we are taught the exact opposite. So, I am here to tell you tough times will come. Burdens heavier than we ever knew we could survive will be placed on our shoulders. But, the load is lightest when we share it. Firstly, we must spend time with our Creator each and every day. Everything boils down to relationship, and as Christian wives and mothers we MUST nurture our relationship with God. The more time we spend in His Word the lighter our burden. Does that mean the trials and the difficulties and the heart break and the challenges will go away? I can attest that it absolutely does not. What it does mean is that Christ can work in our hearts and our minds, and in so doing he shares our load. Have you ever tried to move or carry a heavy piece of furniture on your own? I have, and it does not always turn out so well. It can even end in disaster. What about moving a piece of furniture with someone that is not so experienced? I have been in that position as well, and the load can seem even heavier than it actually is. However, when a nice, strong, experienced person lends a hand the load becomes so much lighter and easier to bear. That is what God does for us. He shares the load, and suddenly it becomes bearable. If we spend regular time in prayer and study of The Word our load does become lighter. We are carrying the very same thing, but we get help from the strongest handy man there is, our Father. I have learned that it is very important to care for myself so that I can care for my family (Kind of like the oxygen mask on the plane. What good are you to someone else if you cannot breathe?), and it is okay for me to do things that nurture my soul. It is okay for me to take time out for myself. My family will survive without my direct attention for a time, and actually everyone will be better for it. They will do much more than survive. In the long run they will thrive; we will all thrive together. Is your cup full, or is dust gathering in the bottom of your glass? Maybe it is time for you to think about what makes you happy. What feeds your soul? What area of yourself has been neglected and could use a little tender care? If it has been so long that you cannot think of anything or figure out where to start, and I have been there more than once, might I suggest journaling as a method of connecting with Christ as well as connecting with yourself. When I journal I focus on gratitude, and I make it a point to write three pages. It may seem daunting at first, but in order to journal one must write, right? First, I list five things I am thankful for, and it can be as simple as ‘daisies’ or ‘prayer’. It does not have to be elaborate. It can be, but it is not necessary. Then, just start writing. You’re not trying to write a best seller. You are just putting pen to paper, and it is for your eyes only. You can write a prayer, write about your day, vent, or just ramble about whatever. It really does not matter. What matters most is that you write. It is very therapeutic. Another thing that is helpful in the care and keeping of ourselves is to have a plan. It does not have to be elaborate, but life does go much better for our home if we have some sort of plan for our day. When I was a younger mom raising our oldest bunch I wasted a lot of time fretting about the care and keeping of my house. Now, I focus on the care and keeping of my home. What is the difference? A house is just walls and rooms that contain things. A home contains people, a family; in our case a very active, very messy homeschooling family. I don’t know exactly how your homeschool functions, but I know ours is active. Creativity is everywhere. Each and every meal is prepared at home, and we don’t have a dishwasher. It gets messy, and again that is okay. So today’s plan included washing, drying, and putting away the dishes, but it was so sunny outside, or the toddler needed more one on one attention than normal, or that ever pleasant monthly visitor showed up, and energy was on short supply, and (((GASP))) the dishes did not get done. Again, it’s okay. Who is the much loved first cousin of planning? Why flexibility of course! Flexibility is essential in the sanity of each and every homeschooling homemaker. Life happens. If you ask me my favorite thing about homeschooling I will tell you, “Its flexibility.” The key to flexibility is in allowing it to exist in your plan in the first place. Flexibility is freeing if you embrace it and cut yourself some slack. I have a sign hanging up by my desk that I think is a good reminder for us all. It says: The Proverbs 31 Woman… …isn’t so much a lesson on getting up early, sewing clothes, buying a field, or achieving perfection. The heart of the matter is that she was dedicated to walking in virtue. She cared deeply for her husband and children. She put the needs of her family before her desire She was a woman of noble character who walked by faith. My guess is, she wasn’t perfect—none of us are. But she was ready and willing to be perfected by God.” ~ Darlene Schacht By beginning each day with prayer and the study of The Word we are opening our hearts to God and allowing him to perfect us. Everything is baby steps. If you get up tomorrow and get caught up in the day and realize half way through dinner that you never spent time in quiet study, do it before bed, or try again tomorrow. The important thing is that we remember to go to Him, that we keep our feet firmly planted in The Word. Much like love, happiness is a choice. If we choose joy on a regular basis, genetics or not, old habits or not, big mistakes or small, eventually we will learn to reside in joy, and our hearts will be so full that happiness will pour out into all areas of our lives. No matter the challenges we face, when we are grounded in The Word and focused on things above we can always reside in happiness. That’s not to say we never get angry, grieve, or have momentary lapses in judgment. What it does mean is that we don’t wallow there. We return to the throne, we dust ourselves off, and we start again. We make the conscious choice over and over to actually BE happy. The bible tells us in Romans 5 to “rejoice in our suffering”. The old saying, “In every cloud there is a silver lining”, comes to mind. There is always, without fail, good amidst the bad. Christ DOES use all things to his glory. Our suffering as well as our joy will not be without purpose. Even suffering is a blessing as it does produce fruit. Romans 5 goes on to explain that, “suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope…”. In Romans 8:26-28 we learn that, “Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness. For we do not know what to pray for as we ought, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words. And he who searches hearts knows what is the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints according to the will of God. And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.” ![]() You can read more of Tina's thoughts on family, faith and homeschooling at her personal blog: The Zoo Crew
1 Comment
6/22/2011 3 Comments Books, Books, Books!And so it begins. . . the arduous task of organizing and bringing closure to the school year. I feel like I am drifting back and forth between the school year we have completed and the one that we will begin in August. I have a stack of books that need to be stored as proof that my kids were educated well in 2010-2011 (for my own peace of mind) and a growing number of brand new books that we will conquer in the coming school year. I have also been blessed by a friend that has just retired from years of public school teaching and made me the prime recipient of the mountain of supplies that she had to clean out of her classroom. My school room is an intimidating place right now!
I have never had a problem starting the school year off well. After a nice summer break I am always rested and eager to get back to the routine of school and learning with my children. The end of the year is always my nemesis. My state of mind today is a perfect example. I sit here with absolutely nothing on my calendar. My house is *mostly* clean, my husband is working, my kids are occupying themselves with games and independent projects, and my school room is begging to be dealt with. I have records to finalize, supplies to organize, items to pack away, and, when I find it, a floor to vacuum. Instead of working on that, however, I am talking to you about it! This seemed like a much more enjoyable way to spend my free time! I know I am not the only one who struggles with forcing myself to do the thing that I know I should do instead of being driven to many less worthy endeavors by the part of me that prefers to stay distracted, unorganized, and lazy. So, I am sharing this little bit of my current struggle with myself to let you know that if you are in this boat with me, you aren't the only one. I am also casting away any images that you may have of me being perfectly organized all of the time. That's not me. I'll include a pic at the bottom of this post so you'll see my true colors :) Have fun working on your own end-of-the-year challenges. Don't bee too discouraged if it takes you a month or even the entire summer to get things where you want them to be. Having an organized school environment and keeping a record of what your family has accomplished in the school year has many benefits. Don't be tempted to take short-cuts that would undermine your ability to give an answer to anyone who asked how your children have been educated at home. Don't underestimate the blessing of being able to look back at past school years and the mementos that your children have created while learning at home. And if you need an extra dose of motivation, try this little trick: write a blog entry to your homeschool community. . . it may provide just the incentive you need! - Jessie When our children were little, it was so much work raising them. Training them to have healthy sleep patterns, eating patterns, how to walk, talk, read, write, add, subtract, and so on. The teaching opportunities seemed endless. There were days I felt I was not qualified for the job. Pray, have Patience, Practice, repeat. That seemed to be a constant pattern for me. We all know, there is no manual on the “perfect” way to raise children, although there are many tools to assist us in the process. Adding to the challenge, while teaching and training our children … God is trying to teach and train us! I remember so many times when God said to me “Are YOU paying attention?”
I am writing this to encourage you, You can do this! On your own .. NO! With God’s help .. YES! I am also writing to encourage you for the LONG HAUL! I thought, as our children got older, it would get easier. In many ways, it has. They bathe themselves, cook, clean, do their schoolwork more independently, make choices for themselves, yes, in many ways it is easier. I recommend though, you start praying for your future teenagers now, while they are young. Pray God will continue to be prevalent in their lives. Pray God will reveal their unique gifts, and how He will use those gifts for His Kingdom. Pray you will recognize character weaknesses quickly, and you and your husband will always make time to address them. Pray you will not just "chalk" attitudes, and failings up to "he/she is a teenager, that is how teenagers act, right?" Wrong. Only if you allow and ignore the behavior. However they are acting, is practice for the adult they will become. Questions I am hearing from my teenagers. How has He created me? For what purpose? What am I going to do with my life? Character? What shows good character? What does bad character look like? Who will be my mate? How do others view me? Do YOU think I can do it? Is there really a God? Do you really love me? Does God Really love me? Can I stand against what everybody else is doing? How do I do that? What do you believe about .......... ? God blesses us by starting with innocence. Our children believe we walk on water. Mom and Dad can do anything. We are the beginning and the end. They come under our umbrella. They are saved by our faith. Then, they grow up. They can no longer lean on our faith. It is about what they believe or don’t believe. Their destiny is in their hands, not ours. And then, there is the "watching." Teenagers no longer just do what they are told. They WATCH you. Watch if your words line up with how you behave. They see us. They REALLY see us. For who we truly are. Sinners. Just like them. I am telling you, this is not easy. As we face our own sinful nature, with our teens. It is really important to live the gospel during this time. If we can’t admit our sins, neither will they. If we can’t say “I am sorry” with a sincere repentance in our heart, neither will they. Moms and Dads schooling young children, GOD BLESS YOU! The commitment you have made to your children is commendable. This is a wonderful journey. God will give you everything you need, in each of the places you need, if you seek Him. It will not get easier though, as they age, it will just change. The children God has gifted to our care, are a huge part of God’s plan for our lives. Not only Arithmetic, English, Writing, Science, and History, but helping our son's and daughters be ALL that God made them to be! As Jim and I walk through this stage of home schooling our son and daughter, it definitely has been tough academically. More importantly, it has been tough spiritually. They are learning to rely on God. Their character and condition of their heart, are being tested everyday in every way. I realize how little time we have left to impart God’s word into their hearts. No, it hasn't gotten easier, but before we know it, we will be done. Trusting in Him, Michelle Fisher With the excitement of what's happening in our CHEBWA group, I've been diving head first into planning, creating, and meeting with next year's Leadership Council. There is an energy among the leaders that is contagious and we are having a great time working together exploring new ways to serve the group's members. Everything that happens in my life essentially happens to my family as well. That means that there is a lot of excitement in the Wiegand home as we make plans for 2011-2012; for our school year and now CHEBWA's. One of the joys of home education is that we get to mix "school" with everyday life and our children get to be a part of our acts of service and learn first hand how to use their own gifts to bless others.
That being said, our school day today has been a mix of the usual house cleaning and home making along with a few CHEBWA tasks that I have thrown in randomly when I had a free minute. It has gone a little something like this: coffee, email, CHEBWA Teens fb page invites, breakfast, dinner in the crock pot, laundry, start bread making for a marathon bread day, Bible, History, bread, laundry, design CHEBWA business cards, bread, Math 4, print business cards, bread, help Josh with Language Arts, laundry, add veggies to the crock pot, lunch, bread, find the CHEBWA cards covered with jelly, wait. . . seriously? Oh, yes. Seriously. One of my dear children, and I think I know which one, decided to eat lunch while examining my handiwork. I had shown the kids the cards after I printed them, but this child wanted a closer look, a much closer look. Child raising on its own requires patience, homeschooling just kicks it up a notch. Since I have been living in this heightened state of character purification for a while now, my Jelly Bandit didn't receive the wrath of a frazzled and furious mom. God silenced me after my initial shock and I realized that my work was being admired and not maliciously attacked. When I am honest about how that patience was developed in me, it is clearly a Gift from God. He has managed to use trials and difficult situations to refine my character, and the majority of those difficulties are related to my choice to keep my kids at home and direct their education. Homeschooling is not easy. Even though this was a "little" moment in our day, it was a moment where I was able to catch a glimpse of how homeschooling has, and is, changing us. Yes, it is is difficult, but that's why I love it. With kids constantly underfoot, the never ending demands of house keeping, lessons to correct, and character to refine, it is the perfect "laboratory" for developing strong character. If we are willing to be teachable, even as we teach, we will find ourselves becoming more faithful servants of the God who is molding us in His image. It teaches us to serve each other as Jesus did and that gift is worth pursuing at all cost. Homeschooling has been a blessing in our home for the last ten years and I'm looking forward to sharing the journey of home education with all of you! To God be the Glory, -Jessie Wiegand P.S. If anything in this post gave you the impression that I have it all together: while writing this, I received a phone call from my 12 year old son informing me that I forgot to pick him up from Boy Scouts. Oh, yes. Seriously. 3/8/2011 2 Comments Remembering Our BlessingsHello parents,
It's the end of winter (oh *please* let it be the end!) and personally, I'm feeling a bit worn out. There hasn't been a decent break in a while and there doesn't seem to be one in the near future. Day in and day out, I have to keep reminding myself WHY I'm hs'ing, WHY I'm doing my best to deal with behavior issues, and WHY I'm willing to give up some of that "Me Time" during my days. I know that God has a plan for our family, for our children....it's just that, well, I need more reminders at certain times of the year! This is one of those times~ So please, let's encourage one another today! What are some of the *blessings* of home education? What are the highlights of your day? How has God shown you that you are still on the right track, that it's all worth it, and that ultimately, HE is in control?? Let's share a bit of light today for that hs momma that might be struggling (like me!) during this end-of-winter season. How has God blessed you today?? |
Welcome to our blog!Here you will find updates on CHEBWA events and activities.
You will also find articles written by various CHEBWA members to inspire and encourage you on your homeschooling journey! CategoriesAll CHEBWA Happenings Education Inspiration Encouragement For Moms Ideas And Tips Monthly Meetings School Planning {Please note that articles written by individual members are just a sampling of the many views expressed within the diverse homeschool community and do not necessarily represent the views of CHEBWA.}
|