Life Lessons

The Lord has been teaching me lately. I'm ashamed to admit this but there have been definite times in my life where my "house" becomes an idol and loses all sense of being a "home". I love to decorate. I love to have things clean and in order. And I love a sense of beauty in my surroundings. This often doesn't fit with having three active children here all day, everyday doing everything from eating, sleeping, learning, playing, reading, running, exercising, cooking, painting, building, etc. etc. etc. I have found that I could easily spend more time in caring for my home (and actually enjoy it!) then I could truly caring for and being the mother that my children need and deserve.
It has often been easier for me to find more pleasure in the acquiring and caring for things then it has been enjoying them with the people whom I love. I am now seeing that God calls me to make my home - a home of comfort, not a showcase. He's reminding me to enjoy my "things" for their use, and not for their decorative value. Doing this means being a good steward of the blessings God has given me. He wants me to enjoy and care for the blessings around me ... but not at the expense of ignorning or pushing aside the TRUE BLESSINGS.
And so, my couch is going to get wrinkled and floppy and ripped in places because 3 people squeeze into it nightly to listen to stories and talk over the day. My wood floors are going to get scratched and marked because little children, trying to be helpful, are going to continue to drop glasses and knives and forks and let fallen ice cubes melt without my noticing. My walls are going to get dirty from little hands grabbing a hold of corners on their way out the door. My rugs will get wrinkled and have curled up edges from little toes stepping on and wrinkling while listening to me read another chapter in our history read alouds. My "new" table is not going to stay pristine and smooth but will show the signs of being used for three meals a day. In short, my "new" (7 years old actually) house, isn't going to stay "new". If I put my energy toward keeping it so, I'm going to miss out on wonderful opportunities to live and love and laugh with my kids. The house will be beautiful, but my kids will be grown and my opportunities to make a difference in their lives will be gone.
Will I still try to teach them to care for the things we have? Yes. Will I still want things cleaned and tidy? Yes. That's who I am. But I'm learning, and lightening up, and realizing -- they are just THINGS. Real living is so much bigger than that. My children will join me in the process of being good stewards of God's blessings to us, but only after the hot chocolate is drunk, the stories told, the tickles given, the lessons learned, the baking done together, and life well-lived. This is when the "house" becomes a "home".

The Taste of Easter

Happy Easter

Jesus Christ, God's own son, came to earth in order that I might have eternal life in spite of my sins, my humanity, and my self. He took my place and paid the ultimate sacrifice. Just as the Jews offered sacrifices as an atonement for their sins, Christ placed Himself in that position so that I wouldn't have to. He died and 3 days later He rose again. His rising again demonstrates God's power to give us new life when we offer ours to Him. He promises in His Word - the Bible - that "whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life" (John 3:16). His promises are true. His Word has stood the test of time historically and spiritually. I am a believer and I am not ashamed. Happy Easter everyone! He is risen!! I am so thankful....

Planting Potatoes

Here in Idaho, potatoes are a no fail crop. They are tremendously easy to plant and grow. Start with a few pounds of seed potatoes. You can find them at quality nurseries. I always buy anything that I REALLY want to succeed at Greenhurst Nursery. Yes, it's more expensive and the service is rather (I hate to say it) ... snobbish -- but you get what you pay for and quality pays for itself in the end.
Buy potatoes with several "eyes" and cut them into pieces. Try to make sure that each piece you cut has an "eye" on it. Potatoes grow best when grown in mounds. I make rows of mounds first (just far enough apart that I can use my small rototiller in between). Then I walk along, cutting the potatoes and dropping them about 6-10 inches apart at the top of the mound. I usually have a helper (a.k.a. son or daughter) come behind me and push the potato pieces about 3 inches deep into the dirt.
After the row is completed, I rake dirt over the top of the potatoes and then tamp the dirt down to make a flat surface on the top of the row. Having a flat surface will help keep the cutworms from getting at those first leaves.
You don't have to plant as many potatoes as I have to have success. I've done very small beds as well as large ones like this. They have never failed to sprout and produce a LOT of potatoes for me when harvested in September. Look for seed potatoes that store well and you'll most likely be able to keep them in the fridge until well into January. This year Joe and I will be experimenting with the Irish way of storing potatoes outside. I'll keep you posted how this turns out! Happy planting!

Filling Eggs

Isabelle and Isaac have just as much fun filling the eggs as they do finding them!! As long as we've got them doing this much, perhaps we'll eventually have them hide them as well! We're working ourselves out of a job around here.

God's Easter Eggs

Science Class

On Tuesday mornings, Josiah and I spend an hour discussing what he's learning in his Science text (Apologia Physical Science). Really, this is what it looks like -- Josiah gets comfy and then teaches ME all about his latest discovery in the world of science. While he spouts facts re: atoms, the periodic table, atomic numbers, Bohr models, alpha decays, and the fundamentals of radioactivity (that was this week's lesson), I sit (or most often fold clothes) nearby and try to seem as educated as the letters behind my name say I'm supposed to be. Meanwhile, I ask questions for explanation, make jokes about the names scientists have given things, and constantly come back to my typical question -- "How do they know these things when they can't see them?!" Of course, once a month Josiah has a REAL teacher (a.k.a. Dad - and gets to experience labs, quizzes, questions, experiments and living out some of this stuff he teaches me each week. This is science, homeschool-style, for now -- comfy chair, dark chocolate nearby, and a willing pupil on hand :)

New Garden Beds

My husband has a sense that our economy could be headed for a depression. With this in mind, he's encouraging me to garden even more of our land!! Hooray! I've always wanted to turn our smaller side pasture into one huge gardening space with pasture grass as it's border. It's here we currently have our berries and where we have a small "field" of sunflowers each summer. Last year I put the pumpkins there as well and it was a nice combination and fairly easy to maintain. Yesterday, Joe rototilled 4 new large garden beds for me in the pasture. 3 will go fallow this year with black plastic over the top hoping to fully kill out the weeds and pasture grass but will eventually be where I can put our corn, pumpkin, and cantolope beds. The 4th, in light of our economy, will be planted with 3 varieties of potatoes this year which all store well (we DO live in Idaho you know!).

Sunday Afternoon "Rest"

I know it seems sacrilegious, but one of the most restful things Joe and I can do on a Sunday is to work around our little "farm". Today, after a full morning with church and our final Quizzing obligations, we came home to "rest".
We rolled up our sleeves, donned our coats and work gloves, grabbed our young helpers and set to work pouring bark in the garden and around the backyard trees. I was able to put the slate steppers down on my newly laid path through the garden with the help of little muscles. Isabelle and I planted the garlic, radishes, and peas as well as a few cold-hardy flowers to add some color in our yet dreary and brown landscape. The sun was trying hard to warm us in spite of the chilly wind; and in the end, we all shed our outer garments once the warmth of hard work set in.
The porch rugs made their first appearance since late autumn and the porch furniture was set out, awaiting its turn to be cleaned and cared for. These are the days that bring me most joy -- the pleasure in a job well done, and one that is accomplished within the togetherness of family.

Blank Slate

Imagine the possibilities .......

A Full Week

What a busy week! Aside from our usual homeschooling responsibilities and music lessons, we had our first Spanish review lesson this week as well as visits with friends and countless interruptions. The majority of the week's focus was our final District Children's Bible Quizzing meet which occurred today. Our church, Crossroads, was represented by 18 Quizzers both old and young (and all incredibly precious to me!). Out of 3 1/2 teams, we had one place 4th overall and one place 3rd overall. Isaac, as well as 3 other teammates, were awarded the largest trophy for their perfect memory recitations of the entire first chapter of Genesis! Isaac did wonderfully and we are so proud of him and all his hard work this year. Today was bittersweet for me as I am hanging up my "coaching" hat and trading it in for a "parent of a new Quizzer" hat next year as child #3 enters into Bible Quizzing! Isabelle is already biting at the bit to get in on all of this action. Both Isabelle and Isaac will continue next Fall for their first and last (respectively) year studying the book of Exodus.

Golden Retr-oodle?

After two years of literally pounds of fur, we opted to take our 120 lb. Golden Retriever to the groomers to get what we were told would be a "summer haircut". What we brought home was something that looks a bit like Marmaduke! His face is still that of a Golden, his body is that of a Lab, and his tail -- well, it looks like a Poodle. We all laughed our heads off. The cats, who used to enjoy cuddling up to Kale in order to get warm, ran up trees frightened for their lives. As much as I miss a beautiful dog, I will NOT miss that fur everywhere. Yes, he'll be cold for a month or so (we put the space heater by his gigantic pillow in the garage at night); but my, oh my, I'm free from the constant duty of sweeping out fur!! Hip, hip hooray!! Have you ever noticed how much nicer it is to cuddle into a clean-smelling dog?!

Spring Chores

Today was our first big "work outside" day and it felt good! Joe was able to trim all the berries and begin work on cutting the circles around the trees. Everyone chipped in to help (some more joyfully than others, smile). There was a HUGE stack of branches and leaves on the burn pile by the time we had finished.
Taking pride in our little "farm" has so much more meaning when we all participate in the work that goes into it! We finished the day with a tasty home-cooked meal and the kids jumping on the trampoline while Joe and I walked the field and "planted" more dreams in the soil of our minds.

Engineering Homeschool Style

My son Isaac is a natural born engineer. He often wakes up early, reads his Bible, and gets ready for the day before his siblings even awaken so that he can sneak upstairs to the homeschool room and build and create in the silence of the early morning. He is incredibly talented and we look forward to seeing how God uses his talents in the future. This was the creation he brought us to this morning. He used Zome for this creation -- a difficult medium for something so tall and yet stable. I love you Isaac, and I'm so very glad God gave YOU to me!

Things that I Love

1. Holding the hand of my husband while taking long walks
2. Curling up in a cloud of white,fluffy blankets while reading to my children in bed on a misty Saturday morning
3. Freshly vacuumed carpet
4. 65% cacao dark chocolate, mixed with mint
5. Finding no socks under my son's bed
6. The pale green of a seed pushing through the fresh, moist earth
7. The hymn "Be Still My Soul"
8. The sound of my 3 children laughing and enjoying each other's company more than anyone else's
9. Movie theater popcorn with lots of salt and "butter"
10. The smell of a precious new baby's head
11. Waking at 5:00 a.m. (AFTER a good night's sleep) knowing that I have a whole 2 hours to myself
12. The warmth and strength of snuggling up next to my husband each night
13. Watching my children excel at their natural, God-given strengths
14. Laughing and crying my way through every Louisa May Alcott book while reading aloud to my children during the lunch hour
15. My homemade chocolate chip cookie dough
16. My sons telling me they wish they could marry ME when they grow up.
17. The squeeky, endearing sound of my daughter's voice
18. Handwritten letters
19. Finding the dishwasher emptied!!
20. Kneeling at my ottoman, pouring out my praises and concerns to my Savior
21. To bring order out of chaos
22. To make memories ... the kind that last through a lifetime...
23. Watching my husband lead his family in prayer
24. Pumpkins, cornstalks, and Indian corn that I grew myself
25. White tulips
26. Candlelight during the Advent season

Incredible Eggs

This morning Isaac brought in a gigantic egg with a warbled egg shell. You can see it's size as compared to a normal large egg, also from our chickens. We have a variety of breeds, some of which lay these beautiful green eggs. Isn't it amazing to see the results of God's creation??!

Beautiful and Encouraging Words

Sally Clarkson of Wholehearted Ministries (www.wholeheart.com) is hands-down my favorite author and speaker. She has a heart like mine which loves to seek out the beautiful and truly meaningful things while walking alongside our families in the ministry of motherhood.
She rarely has time to blog, but when she does it's as if she is writing her thoughts just for me. The following is an excerpt from her latest post. To go to her blog, look down the side bar of my blog, to my "Blogs I Visit" -- hers is the one entitled "I Take Joy".

The words of Sally Clarkson --
"From the beginning of time, God created the home to be a place sufficient to nurture genius, excellence, graciousness and grand civility. But the key factor is nothing that can be purchased or owned. The accomplishment of this grand life is found only in the soul of a mother, through the power of the Holy Spirit, personally mentoring her children.

It is a personal relationship with a real person whose soul is alive in which the deepest imprints of life are given. The secrets and deep emotions shared during the goodnight hours in which a the soul of a child is tender and open; the comfort of warm, home-made food shared in the early evening as ideas are shared and discussed and prayers and devotions given; the laughter, stories, advice given in the midst of washing dishes together or sharing of a meal; the heroic and riveting stories read aloud and shared together that establish common patterns of morality, values and dreams in the comfort of the blazing hearth, mugs of steaming hot chocolate and squishing against each other on a den couch are those heavenly things which are food to the soul and nourishment to the mind and conscience of a child fully awake to all that is important in life.

There is no computer, television, software or text book that can pass on such passion, love and motivation.

It is indeed the personal touch of a mother’s heart that creates grand civility, deep affection, care and commitment to the foundations of a family. When the invisible strings of a mother’s heart are tied to the heart of her children through loving sacrifice and nurture, the stability and foundations of a nation become secure and stable. A mother, living well in her God-ordained role, is of great beauty and inestimable value to the future history of any generation. Her impact is irreplaceable and necessary to the spiritual formation of children who will be the future adults of the next generation. Fun, comfort, humor, graciousness, spiritual passion, compassion for the lost, hospitality, chores, meals, training, life-giving words, hours and hours of listening and playing and praying and reading—all are parts of the mosaic which go into the process of soul development."

Birthday Card from Grandpere

My father is an artist. This is the painting he made based on a photo he had taken of Isabelle earlier this fall at the Oregon Coast. If you're interested in seeing more of his artwork, visit www.gicleecanada.com. We love you Grandpere!

A Filly is Born

One of the joys of homeschooling in the country is having the flexibility to drop everything and run across the street when we get the news that a new filly has been born. Our precious neighbors are always willing to share their animals with us so that we too may experience the glorious miracle of new life. We were able to be with this new little filly (a Palamino! Start saving your money Daddy!!) just a few hours after it was born. Isabelle and I are in love.

Spring To-Do List

Joe and I have compiled our To-Do list for this spring. Although we do love living in the country and the work that it entails, it can be a daunting task (one we embrace readily, mind you) to see all that needs to be done! Keep in mind that the following list doesn't include any planting or weeding!! That comes in April/May when hopefully many of these tasks will be done or in the process of completion. When you wonder what we do with our "spare" time, now you'll know.

House:
1. Replace 2 windows
2. Have pianos tuned
3. Clean/organize/simplify in garage
4. Clean windows and replace screens
5. Rebuild window box + add window box to upstairs window

Yard and Barns:
1. Buy new rock and spread between barns
2. Fix upper pasture gate
3. Remove debris from burn pile after burning to compost area
4. Clean/organize/simplify in barn
5. Put out patio/lawn furniture + garden trellises
6. Put pre-emergent poison on the rocks
7. Re-cut circles in grass around yard trees (28 of them) and garden beds
8. Buy and spread bark mulch to garden beds and around yard trees
9. Dig trench and pipeline to provide water for back of barn (to prepare for a potential greenhouse!!)
10. Have trees sprayed and trimmed.
11. Trim back raspberry and blackberry bushes/build new trellis for blackberries

Baby Chicks

Each year, in early spring, we buy a new set of chicks to raise as layers. We've had today (hatching day) on our calendar for the past few weeks so, from the moment she woke up this morning, Isabelle has been asking to go "pick up the chicks". She loves all animals, but especially those she can pick up and put down 2,000 times in one hour! The poor things are going to die of trauma before they ever lay their first egg!! We had fun getting their new (albeit temporary) home ready for them last night in the barn ... and mom cleaned up the mess from that adventure this afternoon! Raising chickens for their eggs is a worthy effort -- but we won't be getting eggs from these little ones until the end of July. This is what you call "del-egg-ed" gratification." Smile.

Quote for the Day

Isabelle came down the stairs crying this morning. I took her on my lap and asked her if she had just had too much "birthday"?
"No," she replied, "It's not that, Momma. It's just that I've discovered that I can never truly be happy."
"Oh, why not?" I asked, curious.
"Because Momma," she answered weeping, "I can never be a sheepdog. What I truly want in life is to be a sheepdog."
Sigh.
Go figure. And I thought the big plastic horse would have sufficed!

The Gift of a Daughter

When I was preganant with Isabelle and only had my two wonderful boys, I never thought I needed a daughter. I mean, what's the big deal!! "Boys are easier," I consoled myself regularly. When the ultrasound tech said, "It looks like a girl," I about fell off the table. I cried uncontrollably. I was simultaneously shocked, overjoyed, and scared out of my wits!!
And then she came ....
That first time I held her .... it was like holding me. I had this little look-alike with big blue eyes, a heart shaped face, and a contagious smile. She was (and is) my shadow. I was scared having a daughter (and still am on some days) because the responsibility seems so big and the relationship so tenuous and yet incredibly precious.
With a daughter I tend to want a bit of curl in my hair. With a daughter, pink is no longer such a bad color (in fact I'm wearing it today). With a daughter I tend to check myself more frequently -- my voice, my attitude, my priorities.
Having a daughter has changed my life.
I remember not long after she was born, I was cleaning (dusting really) the boxes of keepsakes in my closet. I came across the box that my wedding dress is preserved in. Literally forgetting what was in it, I opened it and gasped -- "I have a daughter now. If she wanted to, she could wear this!" It was like a sudden realization of a whole new world opened up to me of possibilities and responsibilities. Weddings, makeup, boyfriends, girlfriends, hurt feelings, tea parties, ballet, gymnastics, periods, hormones, grandchildren, cooking, cleaning, gardening, teaching, traveling, reading Anne of Green Gables, watching all those "girl movies" ..... a whole new world.
And so, today on her 6th birthday, I say thank you to my precious, precious little shadow with a zest and zeal for life all her own. What a gift! Thank you God, for the joy of it all.

Homeschooling 101

The children are away with Daddy, the floors are vacuumed, the tea is brewed, the laundry is done ... all is well. Ahhhhhh.

I've been aware for a while that several non-homeschoolers are reading this blog. Because of this I thought it was important that I share some realities re: homeschooling. The biggest myth that I must dispel at once is the fact that I don't create lessons plans each day for each individual child. In fact, I don't stand up in front of them and "teach", ever. I suppose there are those times when I call a family meeting on the couch and I stand and speak sternly to my children re: some particular behavior that needs retraining. As far as teaching goes though, instead it looks more like mom reintroducing subjects that have long since left the forefront of her mind. I'm usually at the table or sitting on the couch. I don't have notes or a script of what to say. I know the learning styles and bents of each child and so the "teaching" is done uniquely in a way that each can receive it willingly and joyfully. Mostly, we work our way through different subjects with texts or books or workbooks ... each day, offering a new lesson.

The strangest thing about homeschooling for those who are completely unaware of what it looks like in reality, is the notion that somehow we are replicating traditional school -- only at home. No. At least not in this homeschool. Instead, I started with an incredibly curious child who's capability and desire to learn taught me more about "school" than any degree ever could. (I do have a graduate level degree by the way -- I use it to counsel myself nearly every day! Hah!). As time passes, and the level of learning becomes more difficult, it is necessary to keep on schedule -- particularly when it comes time to calculate and plan for credit hours to go on a high school transcript. Even then however, I would say I am more of a "facilitator" of learning, than I am a teacher.

So, how I began with my first child was -- I HAD FUN learning and reading and discovering and digging and exploring. Eventually, after I taught him to read using homemade flashcards of the alphabet and nothing more, I found resources (and there are HUNDREDS out there for homeschoolers) to find curriculum and needed supplies and books that the local library or Barnes and Noble didn't carry. I began to attend Homeschool Conventions (see www.chois.org for Idaho's Homeschool Convention coming in June), listened to workshop speakers, read hundreds of books (out of pure joy), and wandered the halls of the curriculum fairs. Homeschooling is a culture in and of itself. There were and are SO MANY choices for learning materials for our kids. Some are more traditional textbook approaches, some have your daily learning with each child outlined per hour, some offer flexibility, some push your kids academically, and some encourage natural learning. You can buy programs that cover every subject or just one. You can buy DVD's to teach advanced subjects. You can hire tutors. You can belong to co-ops where the teaching is shared and kids can have a classroom feel once a week. The possibilities are endless.

Should you choose to homeschool, you are among some wonderful company. The "teaching" part is easier than you realize, especially if you're working diligently to learn alongside your child. The hard part is simply the discipline and self-sacrifice to make this a regular and integral part of your day. A schedule helps -- even if it's just a loose one. In choosing to homeschool you are taking on the incredible, awesome and life-changing experience of introducing this world to your child one subject at a time. It is a responsibility however, and not one you should take lightly. It requires daily prayer and sacrifice. But ... it's totally worth it. The fruit received from homeschooling goes far beyond just the academic for your child. It becomes a lifestyle for your whole family.

Flu anyone?

Well, in spite of getting the flu shot, taking daily echinacea and vitamin C, and drinking tea with our homegrown honey everyday -- I still got sick this late winter. 3 out of the 5 of us have the flu, and a 4th is on her way. Ugh. Pictured above is my daily allowance of kleenex, water, honey and Germ-x (although at this point I'm tempted to go swap spit with everyone so that we can all just have it at once!!). It's been a long week of sneezing, snorting, coughing, and spewing. Tomorrow we'll take the day off and do -- who knows what?! Isabelle has requested an entire day to watch videos. Since her birthday weekend plans of going to Sun Valley to ski and ice skate have been canceled due to sickness, I'm liable to give her whatever she wants! The good news is that my friends have spoiled me rotten and, to date, I've received a homemade pizza, a wonderful big bowl of hearty bean and ham soup, and tonight am having homemade macaroni and cheese delivered hot and to my door!! Delightful!