faith

Reflecting

May 3, 2012

in faith,family,God's handiwork,home school,homeschool

I don’t homeschool because I hate the government.  Nor do I homeschool because I think the public school system is all evil.  Nor do I homeschool because I want my kids to be smarter than yours.  In fact, raising super smart kids isn’t even my main goal of education.

I homeschool because I want to spend the time with my kids.  That’s it, in a nut shell.

But, if I may be honest and come clean with you, it’s hard.   In my head I have this picture of me sitting round the table with my four children dutifully working on their studies… a quiet calm in the air.

yea… stop laughing….

And every once in a blue moon, such a solitary moment will occur and I’ll snap a picture because it makes me smile and I want to remember it forever.  (or on those days when I am crying in the living room amid piles of dirty dishes and laundry and children screaming that they hate spelling)  And sometimes I’ll post these pictures to face book because I am so overjoyed to finally have one of those moments… one of those moments that as I mom I thrive off of.  And some one will inadvertently get the wrong idea and assume that’s what school looks like every day at my house.

It’s not.  School at my house almost always looks like mom in her pjs with the two older working on their studies.   There’s almost always a fight over who gets to sit by the window.  My 4 year old stays at the table to color for a few minutes then she’s off singing at the top of her lungs or playing with her baby brother.  Meanwhile my son will complain that he can’t do math/spelling/history/whatever it is I want him to do, b/c he can’t concentrate.  I’ll send him to another room but that too will result in a excuse of some sort being made for why this task is too unreasonable.  Meanwhile my 5 year old will complain b/c she wanted to do math first, but I’d rather start with reading b/c she needs me for reading and I am free at the moment….

See, my homeschool room is full of sinners.  Me, being the chief one of them.  Some days we start late b/c I got distracted by face book.  I’m usually in my pjs b/c I hit snooze when my alarm when off and I didn’t shower yet.  This typically has me wishing today could have been the day that I rose a different person, a chipper morning person who got up before my family, took care of my self and was ready to begin the day on a great foot?  But no, that’s not me.

And I am teaching/raising a brood of sinners as well.  And sin is messy.    And it has to be addressed.  Selfishness, disrespect, meanness… it all must be addressed, discussed, confessed, given consequences for, forgiven… and this takes time.  Lots of time.  Time which could be spent round that table angelically working on those assignments.

And most days when I am in the midst of battling sin, I think of that clock ticking in the background and those assignments waiting for me… assignments which will get done but since it now took twice as long as necessary, the house work won’t get done before it’s time to head out for evening of activities.  This frustrates me b/c I hate having a messy house, I hate having to let it go for tomorrow when I know tomorrow won’t be any different.

And as I battle this sin… in myself and in my children, I am more and more aware of the fact that I can’t change myself nor can I change my kids.  I can’t change their hearts.  Only God can.  And so I plead with tears in my eyes as I sit on the hallway floor, begging God to please work in their hearts, please work through me.

It’s a daily battle.

And this spring, I found myself growing a little weary.  A little battle worn.  A little fearful that maybe things weren’t going to get better.  That I didn’t know what I was doing.  Sure we were learning our history time lines and phonics rules… but where was that heart change?

But, the past few weeks, I’ve seen some growth which fills this Momma’s heart with hope.  God is working in my kids hearts.  I see it.  I see a genuine desire to show love to each other.  Not all the time, not every day… they are still human in fact.  But I see God changing my child’s heart.  I see love where before I saw selfishness.  I see HIM at WORK!  And I praise Him.  Because I can think of nothing, not one thing more exciting than to see the Lord at work in the hearts of my children.

This morning I posted this picture on face book.  And I was kinda afraid to post it b/c I didn’t want people to get the wrong idea.  To think I was bragging or to think that I had these perfect kids who angelically sit at the table and help each other with their studies.  I posted it b/c when I saw this scene… when I saw a sister accepting help and correction from her brother… when I saw a brother lovingly helping, not being bossy or showing off that he was right, but gently correcting and encouraging…I saw God at work in their lives and I couldn’t help but smile and rejoice.    We had tears of frustration later over noisy sisters and people using their crayons… but in this moment I saw that all those heart to heart talks this past year, those tearful pleadings for God to soften hearts and mold us to be like him… I saw them being answered…and I couldn’t help but rejoice!

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Preparing for Easter

March 30, 2012

in Easter,faith,family,holidays

Christmas is my favorite time of year.  I love the music, the food, the decorations, the smells, the lights… I love it all.  But without a doubt, my favorite part is that it is truly a month long celebration of our Lord’s birth.  And I love that as I am grocery shopping or at the mall, or in the inner harbor of Baltimore, I can hear music which praises His name. 

But, as wonderful as Christmas is, and as very near to my heart it is, it means nothing, NOTHING without Easter.  For Easter is when we remember Christ’s sacrifice on the cross for our sins, and His conquering of death and sin when he rose from the dead on Easter morning.  

Easter is where it’s at, folks. 

217580225716815943_ACXXa8VI_fAnd yet, I don’t know why.  It seems Easter gets much less celebration.  Last year a friend sent me this link with some great ideas of activities to do with your kids Easter week.  I was super excited and bookmarked the site.  Next thing I know it was Easter Sunday and we had done none of the activities. 

You all know that I love a good celebration and will celebrate any day that comes along.  Pi day, anyone?  And therefore, since we are a holiday/celebration loving family, I felt compelled this year to attempt to go all out for Easter.  Being as it is, in my opinion, the holiday most worthy of celebrating.

So,  I mapped out our Easter celebration on my calendar.  We started our resurrection eggs on March 2o, with the goal to finish on Palm Sunday.  I gotta tell you we have missed a few days here and there and had to double up.  But, the kids have really, really enjoyed them and I think the physical symbols of the Easter story in the eggs helps them remember the details of the story.   While my 8 year old already knows what is in each egg and what they represent, I realized my 4 year old doesn’t and so this has been a great review for all of us.  Even our youngest enjoys his turn opening up the egg and playing with what is inside. 

Today, I sat down with the link I mentioned before, my Easter pinterest board and a sheet of paper to map out the week of Holy week and schedule in the things I want to do with the kids next week during our spring break in anticipation of Easter. 

I am so excited!   But, I know that my intentions don’t often pan out, however, here is my dream list of what I’d like to do with the kids in the coming week.  Here they are, in case any of you are looking for some Easter activities to do with your kids in the next week.

This weekend we are going to make a Easter garden like this.  We are also going to go to our neighborhood Easter egg hunt.  I am also hoping to make this adorable egg garland this weekend to hang above our piano.  I bought the supplies today, but not sure if I will attempt this one with the kids or after they are in bed.

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Sunday:  We are going to make palm branches out of construction paper and wave them around singing Hosanna!

Monday:  Bake bread for neighbor , make Handprint Easter lily bouquets

Tuesday:  Easter picture tree, and do an Easter egg lunch hunt

Wednesday:  Easter scavenger hunt, make cross shaped Rice Krispy treats

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Thursday: foot washing ceremony, also going to make jelly bean bracelets with the girls (I saw the bracelet idea on pinterest but when I went to link to it, the site where it was linked to no longer exists, so here’s the picture.  I assume a needle, thread and jelly beans is all that is needed).

 

 

Friday:  GOOD FRIDAY:  For breakfast we are going to have hot crossed buns.  I’ve never made them before but they seemed appropriate for Good Friday.   The recipe calls for raisins which I don’t care for and after an informal face book poll, it seems ok for me to make them without raisins as long as they are hot and crossed.  

I would also like to have each of us write down a sin we’ve done this week and nail it to a cross, as well as do the white carnation in red dyed water activity (both found here).   In the evening, we will also attend our church’s Good Friday service.  It is my most favorite church service of the year.

Saturday:  We are going to invite the grandparents over to dye Easter eggs.  I was also thinking about re-watching the Passion of the Christ after the kids go to bed.

Sunday:  We will go to church Easter morning.  Afterwards we are going to have both sets of grandparents over for Easter dinner. I’m going to have the kids make these resurrection rolls for our dinner.  We are going to have carrot cup cakes for dessert with those trick candles that keep relighting.  We will also do an egg hunt in the backyard.  That night we’ll have a family movie night and watch this animated movie about the life of Christ. 

Without a doubt, my favorite Children’s Story Bible is the Jesus Storybook Bible and I do plan to read the Easter story to them from it on Easter weekend as well.   I’ve also pulled out my copy of No Wonder They Call Him the Savior by Max Lucado to read personally this week. 

I gotta confess I set out on the first day of Lent to read the Holy Week account during Lent, and I got off track somewhere during week 1 and haven’t kept up.   I hope I do a better job this week of staying on track.  I can’t wait to worship our Lord on Easter morning and I think my worship will be much more heartfelt if I spend the week reflecting on my sin, and on His sacrifice for me. 

Happy Easter everyone!

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Desiring to be a Woman of Faith

August 3, 2011

in Book Review,faith,Motherhood

Years ago my Mom and I attended a Women of Faith Conference…I believe our first was when I was in college.  We drove to Cleveland, OH to attend the conference.  We left refreshed and inspired and vowing to make it a tradition to attend some sort of spiritual conference together as often as we could.   Since then, we’ve attend Women of Faith, Beth Moore, and a few women’s retreats together.  I appreciate the opportunity to worship, and grow alongside my mom.   Our faith and our ability to encourage each other in our spiritual walks, is one of my favorite aspects of my relationship with my mom.  It is something I have treasured since middle school when we first did a mother/daughter Bible study together. 

When BookSneeze offered the opportunity to attend a local Women of Faith conference and blog about it, I jumped at the opportunity.  When they offered me 2 tickets to the conference in DC, I knew instantly who I wanted to go with. 

I am very excited about attending the Women of Faith conference later this month.  I have to confess I have been negligent lately in my personal quiet time and I am looking to get back on track.  I am eager for some encouragement and inspiration in my personal walk with the Lord.    But from past experience, my favorite part of the conference is typically the worship.  There is something quite powerful about worshipping in an arena full of other women.   I am also so happy that my mom is able to get off of work and come down to attend with me.  I look forward to the quality one on one time with her (something that I just don’t get enough of anymore… especially now that I am a mother myself) as we travel to and from the conference each day. 

 

For more information on WOF and to find out if they are visiting a city near you, click here.

I received two tickets for free from the publisher through the BookSneeze®.com book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the ">">">Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255  “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

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The Sparkle of a True Princess

March 6, 2011

in faith,fashion,Motherhood,sisters

“Momma, don’t we look beautiful?”

As I praised them for their lovely fashion choices and snapped picture upon picture of their dress up fun, it dawned on me that this was an opportunity to reinforce what true beauty is. 

Ya know, I said.  To be truly beautiful, you have to be kind and loving to others.  In fact, you can be wearing the prettiest dress ever, but if you act mean and unkind to others, you aren’t beautiful. 

“Really, Mom?”

AND… you can be wearing plain, normal clothes, but if your loving and kind in your heart, then you sparkle like a princess. 

I am not sure if the message sunk in or not, but I realized today, that it is a message I need to speak to them often.

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“Your beauty should not come from outward adornment, such as elaborate hairstyles and the wearing of gold jewelry or fine clothes. Rather, it should be that of your inner self, the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is of great worth in God’s sight.” 1 Peter 3:3-4

I want to start praying that my girls grow into truly beautiful ladies that sparkle from the inside out and that they may always be confident of their worth as daughters of the King.

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One Step Closer

April 5, 2010

in faith,holidays,Weekend Thoughts

Since before each of my children were born, my hearts deepest desire has been for them to know the Lord Jesus as their Savior.   My son has demonstrated to us numerous times through various conversations that he recognizes he is a sinner and Christ died on the cross to forgive his sins. 

IMG_7023 My girls have not come to that point yet, but this Easter season we got one step closer.  We did the Resurrection Eggs with the kids this year and the way we did it was to start 12 days prior to Easter and open one egg each day leading up to Easter Sunday, opening the 12th egg, Easter night.  We would spend time review the previously discussed eggs each night, with the hopes of truly solidifying the Easter story in their hearts and minds and helping them to grasp the significance of the events leading up to our Lord’s death and resurrection. 

One night we were discussing the cross and my husband asked my oldest daughter some questions. 

“Who died on the cross?”

“Jesus”

“Why did he die on the cross?”

“Because he loved us.”

“What did he die for?”

“Our sins”

“Whose sins?”

“All of our sins”

“Did he die for your sins?”

“He died for EVERYBODY’S sins”

It took several rounds of discussing and questioning to get her to not just answer everybody’s sins, but to get her to say that he died for HER SINS.  And this was a crucial first step towards her coming to a saving faith of her own.

This is a huge point, that in my opinion is well worth spending time on.  It can be easy to say, “Yes, Jesus died on the cross for all of our sins.”  My girls can even tell you that sins are the bad things we do and that Jesus didn’t do anything bad.  But, until my child recognizes that she herself is a sinner, that Jesus died on the cross to take the consequences of her sins, until she makes it personal, she won’t recognize her need for a personal Savior. 

My prayer for my kids isn’t simply that they grow up with a sound head knowledge of Christian doctrine.  My prayer is that my children will have a personal relationship with Jesus Christ.  That they will call Him Lord.  This relationship is possible only because Christ, who had no sin, took the consequence of our sin upon Himself when he died on the cross.  With the consequence paid, the perfectly just creator God can be united with me and my imperfect daughters.  Jesus is the mediator between us and God, but only if we personally acknowledge our need for a mediator. 

Before my girls can have that personal relationship with our Lord, they need to first recognize that they personally are a sinner.  That their personal sins were enough to require Jesus to die on the cross.  He did it for them.  Once they recognize that point, then they can grasp what is means to call Christ their personal savior.  Then, once Christ is their Lord, they can go on to live the life of purpose God intends for them.

I eagerly await that day.  We’re one step closer.

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