Saturday, November 24, 2007
My Brother
Here's a picture of my beloved "little" brother with his 3rd daughter Emma. Our family came up with the following description of Uncle Jeff: Loving, Laughing, Friendly, Faithful, Silly, Skinny (but ripped!), Devoted, Daddy-Dil! We love you brother!!
Birthday Morning
It's been a tradition since Josiah was 2 or 3 years old, that we celebrate birthday mornings with "number pancakes". We have whole-wheat, buttermilk pancakes, with the birthday child getting pancakes in the shape of the age that he/she has now become. I used to make several attempts to get numbers like 3 and 8 just right, but I finally learned that I can just do a "rough draft" of sorts and then cut them out to accurate size and shape. It's been a fun way to document with pictures through the years!
As you can see, Josiah received his first gun for his 13th birthday! He's already been out once with Dad to shoot it!
Tuesday, November 20, 2007
What do we do all day?
It's interesting to find that the longer we homeschool, the more our family and close friends who don't homeschool find our lifestyle a curiosity. I suppose it is compared to mainstream America, but for us, it's just life and what we've always done. If you'll endure it, I thought it might be interesting to share with you what a typical day holds for the Kronz family.
I start the day early, as does Joe. He's usually out the door by 6:00 a.m. and I've been up for nearly an hour by that time. It's in the wee morning hours that I do my email, blog, and write. I wake Josiah up at 6:30 a.m. to go downstairs and exercise (he lifts weights and rides the exercise bike while watching the local news) while I take a shower and get ready for the day. Isabelle and Isaac are awakened at 7:00 a.m. -- Isaac reads his Bible while Isabelle listens to hers as do I while I shower and prepare for the day. By 7:45 a.m. everyone is dressed and ready for the day including beds made, rooms tidied, and teeth brushed. The animals eat before we do so all the children head out into the cold, dark morning to feed the chickens, cats, and dog before coming in to help me prepare breakfast.
We enjoy big breakfasts here at the Kronz's! I enjoy reading from the Catherine Vos "Children's Story Bible" (the best out there!) each morning while the kids eat. We're also going through the Catechism for Children which opens up the floor for all sorts of theological discussions. This morning however, all of this was interrupted at the shout of "It's Snowing!!" at which point all the kids piled out to frolic in the timid snowfall and plug in the Christmas lights Josiah had set up on the swing set.
While I do the breakfast dishes, the kids dismiss for their first instrument practice of the day -- Isabelle and Josiah head downstairs to do review practice together with their violins while Isaac heads to the piano. The kids are so far along in their music studies that we've found it helpful to break up their practice into two shorter practices rather than one long one. It's during this time that I do my morning cleaning (vacuuming, straightening up, laundry, etc). I love to start our formal school time with a clean house. By this time I've usually completed one load of laundry (I typically do one or two loads a day so that I will have minimal laundry or no laundry to do on the weekend). The boys do their own laundry and have so for about 2 years. They do a great job at it! Now if I could just teach them to iron .... ! The kids head out to the garage to do pushups, situps, jumprope and generally get a LOT of energy out before we begin our academic work.
We start our formal school work at 9:00 a.m. but keep in mind that by this time the kids have studied their Bibles, completed music study, accomplished life skills with their animal care and breakfast preparation, and done some basic P.E. Our formal school work in the morning involves a solid 3 hours of various academia. I spend one hour with each child individually working on different subjects. The other two hours they have designated subjects to study, a schedule to follow, and designated areas in which to study. The older the child gets, the less "teaching" time they need with me. Rather, I serve as a facilitator of their learning as time goes on, rather than as a teacher. Being able to discuss a subject and talk candidly with my children as they mature has been very rewarding as a homeschool mom.
We cover a variety of subjects during the academic portion of our day and as the week progresses. For example, Isaac covered 5th grade Math, 6th grade language arts (English grammar, spelling, and literature study), Spanish, Latin review, Science, copywork, Penmanship, Bible Quizzing, Critical Thinking, History, Geography, Creative Writing, Music, and P.E. during our first semester this year. This doesn't include his participation in Upward's Flag Football, Crossroad's Bible Quizzers, Science Club, or Asprire Homeschool co-op! Josiah's subjects are fewer but with greater degree of difficulty. Isabelle focuses mostly on the three R's, but also enjoys studying art, science, and some homemaking skills alongside me.
At around noon, we break for lunch. This is my favorite time of day because we always engage in an interesting read-aloud during our lunch time. Currently we're reading "An Old Fashioned Thanksgiving" by Louisa May Alcott. She is, by far, our favorite author and we've read nearly all of her books with "Little Men" being the hands-down favorite. We've also read many of the classics during this time -- "Stuart Little", "Trumpet of the Swan," "Ann of Green Gables" etc. After our reading and lunch break, we take a walk in our neighborhood. I should rephrase that -- I walk while the kids run, bike, rollerblade, or any other contraption with wheels that they can put to use. Our neighborhood walk is just about 2 miles if we repeat a section. This is a glorious time for me to LISTEN to my children. I'm their captive audience without any other household chore calling my name. We've had our best times and our best talks on these daily walks.
When we return home, it's time for the children's second instrument practice. It's during this time that I give them one-on-one attention for their music studies. Mostly I work with Isabelle on her violin and piano. We focus this time on her current learning piece. Right now, all the children are practicing especially hard for a performance they will be putting on as a service opportunity for single and widowed women at a local church in early December. After instrument practice we focus on our history, geography, and writing projects. Typically, Isabelle listens to an audiobook (Black Beauty is the new favorite) and plays quietly in her room during this time; but for the holiday season we are doing a fabulous unit study on the History of Classical Music which involves a lot of listening to both the music and biographies of the famous composers, studying the various instruments in an orchestra, and learning about the musical time periods. Because this is something that she can easily participate in, she has been joining us for this time.
Most often the younger children have completed all their school work by 3:30 p.m. and tumble outside if the weather is at all tolerable. During spring, summer, and most of autumn, I head out with them to do an hour or so of gardening and yardwork which I love to do (most of the time!). During the winter and windy months the kids will often play dress up downstairs or I'll pull the car out and they'll go crazy in the garage. We're also working (secretly and all together depending on the project) on our homemade Christmas presents in the afternoons.
Josiah, now that he is in 8th grade, often is not complete with all of his schoolwork until closer to 4:30 or 5:00 p.m. or possibly even later. He spends the extra hour finishing up seatwork which he wasn't able to complete during his 3 core hours; but also frequently has a paper he is writing for an assignment, a geography project (he and Nana made a fabulous salt map of Europe during the Middle Ages), or a computer assignment for Uncle Jason that he needs to complete (Josiah is fortunate to have his very capable Uncle teach him all about computers, web design, Photoshop, etc. once a week for an informal "class"). When he has spare time, he loves to read the latest Vision Forum blog (www.visionforum.com) and keep up with all that is happening on Generation Joshua (www.generationjoshua.org). He also is best friend to his brother and they enjoy a variety of sports and "manly" pursuits!
At 5:00 p.m. I usually pick a child and we make our way to the kitchen to prepare dinner. This is a blessed time to teach about food preparation as well as just be alone with one at a time. I've found that "three's a crowd" and so, during this often cranky time (for all of us!), it works out best to leave two to play together and one to help me in the kitchen. Joe arrives home by 6:00 p.m. and we share dinner together. Everyone helps with the dishes unless I'm in the mood to be alone and would rather work in silence (this happens frequently -- it's not always easy for an introvert to homeschool!). The kids and Daddy romp, create minor earthquakes, and speak and scream at unbearable decibals during this hour. I try to find a quiet corner, but occasionally they'll suck me into their play. Tonight it involved sitting around the computer making home movies of all of us being silly and loud.
Bathtime and preparations for bed include cleaning up the homeschool room and having FDT's (probably 3 or 4 nights out of the week). FDT's stand for "Family Devotion Time" and involves sharing any offenses or confessions, praying through spoken prayer requests and reading something together. In the past we've enjoyed family stories such as "Ten P's in a Pod", or adventure stories such as Ballantyne's "Coral Island"; but currently we are each taking turns reading portions of the Gospel of Luke and then discussing what we read. When we make this a priority, we all are blessed by it. Bedtime for Isabelle is 8:00 p.m., for Isaac 8:30 p.m., and Josiah 9:00 p.m. Everyone, with the exception of Isabelle (but not for long!), reads prior to going to sleep. The kids always choose right before bedtime to discuss serious matters so it takes a lot of patience at this point to sacrifice my own desires and share in these precious moments of shared secrets, concerns, and dreams. I'm privileged to be here to hear them. I have found that character training is not something that can just be taught with a book or curriculum, but instead must be lived out daily in our everyday walk with God and eachother.
At 9:00 p.m. I escape to prepare for bed, spend time with husband, and finally READ. I'm currently reading 3 different books -- "Parenting in the Pew", "Family Driven Faith", and "Desperate Housewives, Passionate for God" -- but I'm anxious to get to the Francis Schaffer book called "L'abri" I just received in the mail! I never know what time I get to sleep. I just read until my eyes won't stay open anymore. Joe's usually snoring long before that happens!
Thus ends a typical homeschooling day at the Kronz house. Of course, often our days are not typical. Sickness, visitors, vacations (whenever we want!), or holidays come into play. We enjoy engaging in hospitality at least one evening or afternoon a week and greatly value the opportunities our children have to socialize with a wide variety of people of all ages -- from babies on up to senior citizens -- true socialization isn't about being in one room with the same-aged children all day long. This is one of the plethora of reasons we homeschool! And on Wednesdays we forgo all such routine to go to various lessons (piano, violin, and sometimes tennis), stop for cinnamon rolls and read aloud in the quaint sections of downtown Nampa, grocery shop if needed, occasionally go swimming, and every other week attend our homeschool co-op called "Aspire" which is made up of 5 other homeschooling families with kids that my children have literally grown up with now! They are all very close friends and it's an incredible blessing!. The kids still have schoolwork to accomplish on these days as well, but usually less.
Our Saturdays are work days and we all engage in chores of various sizes. The children have all been taught from a young age to work alongside of us. We typically spend Saturday morning doing household chores as well as barn chores and those things necessary to maintain 7 1/2 acres filled with over 100 trees (Idaho-sized trees that is), gardens, pasture, and yard. Usually Saturday afternoons are family excursion times or times to entertain guests. Sundays are quiet after church and our Bible Quizzing responsibilities are complete. Sunday afternoons are typically the only time of the whole week when the t.v. is turned on as we all enjoy watching "This Old House" and "Ask This Old House" on public television complete with a huge bowl of popcorn drizzled in butter! Family walks, hot tub time, and planning for the following school week finishes up our weekend.
Now when you think of us, you can imagine us within the realm of our typical homeschooling day! As you can see -- we don't just sit around, but instead enjoy a variety of tasks (academic and otherwise) which we're fortunate to share as a family. You're welcome anytime!!!
I start the day early, as does Joe. He's usually out the door by 6:00 a.m. and I've been up for nearly an hour by that time. It's in the wee morning hours that I do my email, blog, and write. I wake Josiah up at 6:30 a.m. to go downstairs and exercise (he lifts weights and rides the exercise bike while watching the local news) while I take a shower and get ready for the day. Isabelle and Isaac are awakened at 7:00 a.m. -- Isaac reads his Bible while Isabelle listens to hers as do I while I shower and prepare for the day. By 7:45 a.m. everyone is dressed and ready for the day including beds made, rooms tidied, and teeth brushed. The animals eat before we do so all the children head out into the cold, dark morning to feed the chickens, cats, and dog before coming in to help me prepare breakfast.
We enjoy big breakfasts here at the Kronz's! I enjoy reading from the Catherine Vos "Children's Story Bible" (the best out there!) each morning while the kids eat. We're also going through the Catechism for Children which opens up the floor for all sorts of theological discussions. This morning however, all of this was interrupted at the shout of "It's Snowing!!" at which point all the kids piled out to frolic in the timid snowfall and plug in the Christmas lights Josiah had set up on the swing set.
While I do the breakfast dishes, the kids dismiss for their first instrument practice of the day -- Isabelle and Josiah head downstairs to do review practice together with their violins while Isaac heads to the piano. The kids are so far along in their music studies that we've found it helpful to break up their practice into two shorter practices rather than one long one. It's during this time that I do my morning cleaning (vacuuming, straightening up, laundry, etc). I love to start our formal school time with a clean house. By this time I've usually completed one load of laundry (I typically do one or two loads a day so that I will have minimal laundry or no laundry to do on the weekend). The boys do their own laundry and have so for about 2 years. They do a great job at it! Now if I could just teach them to iron .... ! The kids head out to the garage to do pushups, situps, jumprope and generally get a LOT of energy out before we begin our academic work.
We start our formal school work at 9:00 a.m. but keep in mind that by this time the kids have studied their Bibles, completed music study, accomplished life skills with their animal care and breakfast preparation, and done some basic P.E. Our formal school work in the morning involves a solid 3 hours of various academia. I spend one hour with each child individually working on different subjects. The other two hours they have designated subjects to study, a schedule to follow, and designated areas in which to study. The older the child gets, the less "teaching" time they need with me. Rather, I serve as a facilitator of their learning as time goes on, rather than as a teacher. Being able to discuss a subject and talk candidly with my children as they mature has been very rewarding as a homeschool mom.
We cover a variety of subjects during the academic portion of our day and as the week progresses. For example, Isaac covered 5th grade Math, 6th grade language arts (English grammar, spelling, and literature study), Spanish, Latin review, Science, copywork, Penmanship, Bible Quizzing, Critical Thinking, History, Geography, Creative Writing, Music, and P.E. during our first semester this year. This doesn't include his participation in Upward's Flag Football, Crossroad's Bible Quizzers, Science Club, or Asprire Homeschool co-op! Josiah's subjects are fewer but with greater degree of difficulty. Isabelle focuses mostly on the three R's, but also enjoys studying art, science, and some homemaking skills alongside me.
At around noon, we break for lunch. This is my favorite time of day because we always engage in an interesting read-aloud during our lunch time. Currently we're reading "An Old Fashioned Thanksgiving" by Louisa May Alcott. She is, by far, our favorite author and we've read nearly all of her books with "Little Men" being the hands-down favorite. We've also read many of the classics during this time -- "Stuart Little", "Trumpet of the Swan," "Ann of Green Gables" etc. After our reading and lunch break, we take a walk in our neighborhood. I should rephrase that -- I walk while the kids run, bike, rollerblade, or any other contraption with wheels that they can put to use. Our neighborhood walk is just about 2 miles if we repeat a section. This is a glorious time for me to LISTEN to my children. I'm their captive audience without any other household chore calling my name. We've had our best times and our best talks on these daily walks.
When we return home, it's time for the children's second instrument practice. It's during this time that I give them one-on-one attention for their music studies. Mostly I work with Isabelle on her violin and piano. We focus this time on her current learning piece. Right now, all the children are practicing especially hard for a performance they will be putting on as a service opportunity for single and widowed women at a local church in early December. After instrument practice we focus on our history, geography, and writing projects. Typically, Isabelle listens to an audiobook (Black Beauty is the new favorite) and plays quietly in her room during this time; but for the holiday season we are doing a fabulous unit study on the History of Classical Music which involves a lot of listening to both the music and biographies of the famous composers, studying the various instruments in an orchestra, and learning about the musical time periods. Because this is something that she can easily participate in, she has been joining us for this time.
Most often the younger children have completed all their school work by 3:30 p.m. and tumble outside if the weather is at all tolerable. During spring, summer, and most of autumn, I head out with them to do an hour or so of gardening and yardwork which I love to do (most of the time!). During the winter and windy months the kids will often play dress up downstairs or I'll pull the car out and they'll go crazy in the garage. We're also working (secretly and all together depending on the project) on our homemade Christmas presents in the afternoons.
Josiah, now that he is in 8th grade, often is not complete with all of his schoolwork until closer to 4:30 or 5:00 p.m. or possibly even later. He spends the extra hour finishing up seatwork which he wasn't able to complete during his 3 core hours; but also frequently has a paper he is writing for an assignment, a geography project (he and Nana made a fabulous salt map of Europe during the Middle Ages), or a computer assignment for Uncle Jason that he needs to complete (Josiah is fortunate to have his very capable Uncle teach him all about computers, web design, Photoshop, etc. once a week for an informal "class"). When he has spare time, he loves to read the latest Vision Forum blog (www.visionforum.com) and keep up with all that is happening on Generation Joshua (www.generationjoshua.org). He also is best friend to his brother and they enjoy a variety of sports and "manly" pursuits!
At 5:00 p.m. I usually pick a child and we make our way to the kitchen to prepare dinner. This is a blessed time to teach about food preparation as well as just be alone with one at a time. I've found that "three's a crowd" and so, during this often cranky time (for all of us!), it works out best to leave two to play together and one to help me in the kitchen. Joe arrives home by 6:00 p.m. and we share dinner together. Everyone helps with the dishes unless I'm in the mood to be alone and would rather work in silence (this happens frequently -- it's not always easy for an introvert to homeschool!). The kids and Daddy romp, create minor earthquakes, and speak and scream at unbearable decibals during this hour. I try to find a quiet corner, but occasionally they'll suck me into their play. Tonight it involved sitting around the computer making home movies of all of us being silly and loud.
Bathtime and preparations for bed include cleaning up the homeschool room and having FDT's (probably 3 or 4 nights out of the week). FDT's stand for "Family Devotion Time" and involves sharing any offenses or confessions, praying through spoken prayer requests and reading something together. In the past we've enjoyed family stories such as "Ten P's in a Pod", or adventure stories such as Ballantyne's "Coral Island"; but currently we are each taking turns reading portions of the Gospel of Luke and then discussing what we read. When we make this a priority, we all are blessed by it. Bedtime for Isabelle is 8:00 p.m., for Isaac 8:30 p.m., and Josiah 9:00 p.m. Everyone, with the exception of Isabelle (but not for long!), reads prior to going to sleep. The kids always choose right before bedtime to discuss serious matters so it takes a lot of patience at this point to sacrifice my own desires and share in these precious moments of shared secrets, concerns, and dreams. I'm privileged to be here to hear them. I have found that character training is not something that can just be taught with a book or curriculum, but instead must be lived out daily in our everyday walk with God and eachother.
At 9:00 p.m. I escape to prepare for bed, spend time with husband, and finally READ. I'm currently reading 3 different books -- "Parenting in the Pew", "Family Driven Faith", and "Desperate Housewives, Passionate for God" -- but I'm anxious to get to the Francis Schaffer book called "L'abri" I just received in the mail! I never know what time I get to sleep. I just read until my eyes won't stay open anymore. Joe's usually snoring long before that happens!
Thus ends a typical homeschooling day at the Kronz house. Of course, often our days are not typical. Sickness, visitors, vacations (whenever we want!), or holidays come into play. We enjoy engaging in hospitality at least one evening or afternoon a week and greatly value the opportunities our children have to socialize with a wide variety of people of all ages -- from babies on up to senior citizens -- true socialization isn't about being in one room with the same-aged children all day long. This is one of the plethora of reasons we homeschool! And on Wednesdays we forgo all such routine to go to various lessons (piano, violin, and sometimes tennis), stop for cinnamon rolls and read aloud in the quaint sections of downtown Nampa, grocery shop if needed, occasionally go swimming, and every other week attend our homeschool co-op called "Aspire" which is made up of 5 other homeschooling families with kids that my children have literally grown up with now! They are all very close friends and it's an incredible blessing!. The kids still have schoolwork to accomplish on these days as well, but usually less.
Our Saturdays are work days and we all engage in chores of various sizes. The children have all been taught from a young age to work alongside of us. We typically spend Saturday morning doing household chores as well as barn chores and those things necessary to maintain 7 1/2 acres filled with over 100 trees (Idaho-sized trees that is), gardens, pasture, and yard. Usually Saturday afternoons are family excursion times or times to entertain guests. Sundays are quiet after church and our Bible Quizzing responsibilities are complete. Sunday afternoons are typically the only time of the whole week when the t.v. is turned on as we all enjoy watching "This Old House" and "Ask This Old House" on public television complete with a huge bowl of popcorn drizzled in butter! Family walks, hot tub time, and planning for the following school week finishes up our weekend.
Now when you think of us, you can imagine us within the realm of our typical homeschooling day! As you can see -- we don't just sit around, but instead enjoy a variety of tasks (academic and otherwise) which we're fortunate to share as a family. You're welcome anytime!!!
Friday, November 16, 2007
Tribute to a Precious Son
My son, Josiah Alexander Kronz, turns 13 years old tomorrow. I can remember as if it was yesterday the moment he was first placed in my arms. It was 10:00 p.m. after 15 hours of induced labor. He was 9 days overdue and still didn't want to come out! When he did, he barely cried, but instead looked around wide-eyed and curious. He and I stared at each other the entire night. I never knew how it would hurt to LOVE THAT MUCH. Josiah and I were inseparable from that moment on. He was my constant companion and I was his protector, cheerleader, and regular snuggler.
Josiah has always been cautious, always been curious, always been a peacemaker. He has the gift of discretion and the desire to please. My favorite memory of Josiah is when he was 2 1/2 years old. We had just moved to Baltimore. We were so poor, very lonely, and completely out of our element. But Josiah was content. He had his mommy and daddy who loved him beyond words, and he had (even then) his very solid faith in God. I had been downstairs folding laundry in our tiny townhouse. He had been quiet for some time so I came upstairs to see if he had fallen asleep. Instead, I found him sitting snuggly in his rocking chair by the window "reading" his Children's Bible. He was fascinated with it and completely engrossed. I stood watching him for a long time with tears running down my cheeks. I knew that this child was special, that God had something amazing planned for him. I also knew that I would never forget that picture of sweet, innocent child-like faith. I never have.
I'm so thankful that I can be on the receiving end of his strengths. He is an incredible historian with a passion for anything truly heroic. He is a patriot and a teacher. He has a desire to show loving kindness to his brother and sister (most of the time!). Every morning he sits patiently alongside his sister as he reviews with her and plays her silly games during their violin review practice. Every afternoon, in spite of the desires he has for his own free time, he seeks out his brother so that they might enjoy throwing the football or baseball together (Isaac's passion, not Josiah's). He has a heart for following the ways of God ... for learning the hard lessons of life through the learned wisdom of the prophets of old and new.
I'm also thankful that I can be there to help guide and mold the weaknesses in his life. Sometimes in the process of doing this ... I am molded also. In fact, many of the most valuable lessons I've learned in life have been learned alongside my firstborn. Through him I have gained patience, learned (and am still learning!) to tame my tongue, gained control of my temper and occasional "dithers", grown in my faith and walk with Christ, and overwhelmingly learned how joyous LEARNING can be!
So now, I say thank you Son. I'm so very, very glad that God gave you to me. You are irreplaceable in my life. I love you .... forever, and always, and NO MATTER WHAT.
Happy Birthday Josiah.
Wednesday, November 14, 2007
Holiday Preparations of the Heart
Last year at this time I was already dreading the hustle and bustle of the holiday season. The consumerism rampant in our society, particularly at this time of year, had left me dreading the inevitable "spending-mountains-of-money-on-people-I-hardly-know-due-to-"holiday obligation"-who-will-look-with-indifference-on-my-gift-anyway" sort of bitterness. I don't think God was pleased with my attitude, and truthfully, neither was I.
As I was putting the decorations away with gladness last year, I determined that this year (and hopefully all others) would be different. I wanted to purpose to put the Christ back into Christmas, and to keep our focus on where it was intended to be -- celebrating the joy and wonder of the gift of our Saviour. Somewhere along the line I discovered a wonderful book which is helping me do just that. It is "Celebrating a Christ-Centered Christmas" by Sharon Jaynes (www.proverbs31.org). In it she gives some wonderful ideas (some old, some new) for helping us, as keepers of our homes, to focus on the more important aspects of this holiday season. Last Saturday morning, Isabelle and I sat on the couch in the early morning hours and enjoyed looking through it. Mommy got out her paper and pen and we began to make lists (Mommy's favorite thing -- just ask my children!). The following are some ideas I gleaned and hope to put into practice this year. Feel free to use these ideas in your home this year. The world, our culture, your family, and your heart will be a better place because of it!
1. Decorate in such a way as to give glory to God -- either through purposeful remembrance of the events that took place so many years ago (keeping the nativity as a focal point), or the bringing to focus the beauty of the season through the display of God's creation (beautiful greenery, candles, and music that all reflect a peace and glory for the blessings God has given). Banish Santa Claus!
2. Be thoughtful about your giving. If the giving aspect of Christmas is keeping you from having a joy-filled spirit, then change it. Give less. Perhaps don't give at all! There are very meaningful ways to acknowledge the Christmas season (even with it's obligatory giving) that don't need to involve the swipe of the credit card. This year, we will be making many homemade gifts, individually and together as a homeschooling project. Homemade gifts are my favorite to receive! I can almost FEEL the love that went into every stitch, clip of paper, letter that was written, or cup of sugar that was added!
3. Choose activities as a family that focus on serving others. Be purposeful and PLAN times to share with others -- either with your time, your talents, your service, and yes -- even your money if you feel led. I believe the greatest gift that we can give to our Lord, Jesus Christ is to love others as He loved them. During the Christmas season, people are more open to receive and hear the story of why we celebrate Christmas. The music, decorations, and everything else prepares their hearts and minds for this. Don't miss any opportunities to be bold in your faith!
4. Finally, purpose in your own heart and mind to keep your priorities simple and straightforward. Christmas time should be a time of joy, of quiet reflection, of beautiful music and words and activities which draw us back to the birth of our Saviour. Endeavor to plan moments each day where you do just that.
As I was putting the decorations away with gladness last year, I determined that this year (and hopefully all others) would be different. I wanted to purpose to put the Christ back into Christmas, and to keep our focus on where it was intended to be -- celebrating the joy and wonder of the gift of our Saviour. Somewhere along the line I discovered a wonderful book which is helping me do just that. It is "Celebrating a Christ-Centered Christmas" by Sharon Jaynes (www.proverbs31.org). In it she gives some wonderful ideas (some old, some new) for helping us, as keepers of our homes, to focus on the more important aspects of this holiday season. Last Saturday morning, Isabelle and I sat on the couch in the early morning hours and enjoyed looking through it. Mommy got out her paper and pen and we began to make lists (Mommy's favorite thing -- just ask my children!). The following are some ideas I gleaned and hope to put into practice this year. Feel free to use these ideas in your home this year. The world, our culture, your family, and your heart will be a better place because of it!
1. Decorate in such a way as to give glory to God -- either through purposeful remembrance of the events that took place so many years ago (keeping the nativity as a focal point), or the bringing to focus the beauty of the season through the display of God's creation (beautiful greenery, candles, and music that all reflect a peace and glory for the blessings God has given). Banish Santa Claus!
2. Be thoughtful about your giving. If the giving aspect of Christmas is keeping you from having a joy-filled spirit, then change it. Give less. Perhaps don't give at all! There are very meaningful ways to acknowledge the Christmas season (even with it's obligatory giving) that don't need to involve the swipe of the credit card. This year, we will be making many homemade gifts, individually and together as a homeschooling project. Homemade gifts are my favorite to receive! I can almost FEEL the love that went into every stitch, clip of paper, letter that was written, or cup of sugar that was added!
3. Choose activities as a family that focus on serving others. Be purposeful and PLAN times to share with others -- either with your time, your talents, your service, and yes -- even your money if you feel led. I believe the greatest gift that we can give to our Lord, Jesus Christ is to love others as He loved them. During the Christmas season, people are more open to receive and hear the story of why we celebrate Christmas. The music, decorations, and everything else prepares their hearts and minds for this. Don't miss any opportunities to be bold in your faith!
4. Finally, purpose in your own heart and mind to keep your priorities simple and straightforward. Christmas time should be a time of joy, of quiet reflection, of beautiful music and words and activities which draw us back to the birth of our Saviour. Endeavor to plan moments each day where you do just that.
Thursday, November 8, 2007
Pleasure in the Simple Things of Life
Isabelle spent an hour piling, throwing, and playing in the Autumn leaves with Kale (our Golden Retriever). It was so precious, I had to take pictures!
A Legacy of Love
Len and Geri Back came to spend a few days with us. These two people have singlehandedly made a difference in the lives of hundreds of people! They are true followers of Christ in their unconditional acceptance and love to everyone they meet. Joe was privileged to have them as adoptive parents during his teen years; and now, we ALL get to enjoy and revel in their company as adoptive Grandparents to our kids. We praise God for the influence, love, and grace they have shown to us over the years.
Saturday, November 3, 2007
Autumn morning
This morning I allowed myself the privilege of being lazy. I sat in my pajamas with my daughter as we read and prepared for the Christmas season ahead (we're going to a Christmas bazaar later this morning). Then, while I let my children play, I turned on some beautiful piano music and followed my heart towards Scripture. In the wee hours this morning I had read Sally Clarkson's blog. Oh how thankful I am for women such as her who have inspired me to love and appreciate my privileged life of being a keeper of the home! This morning her words struck me like a bolt of lightning. She writes (and this is excerpted from her first book - and my favorite - "Seasons of a Mother's Heart" www.wholeheart.org):
"If it is God's will for me to homeschool, then He is not asking me to do more than I'm able (1 Cor. 10:13) and He is not withholding from me anything that I truly need (Phil. 4:19). The real problem is that I am not willing to adjust my expectations to life's limitations -- I want more than I can have, ask for more than I need, strive for more than I can do, and expect more than God has promised."
Wow. I know that this rings true in my life. I am learning that contentment rests not in our circumstances, but in daily (hourly!) allowing God to determine our expectations and trusting Him to do it so much better than we ever could.
"If it is God's will for me to homeschool, then He is not asking me to do more than I'm able (1 Cor. 10:13) and He is not withholding from me anything that I truly need (Phil. 4:19). The real problem is that I am not willing to adjust my expectations to life's limitations -- I want more than I can have, ask for more than I need, strive for more than I can do, and expect more than God has promised."
Wow. I know that this rings true in my life. I am learning that contentment rests not in our circumstances, but in daily (hourly!) allowing God to determine our expectations and trusting Him to do it so much better than we ever could.
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