A little summer learning

How has learning looked around here for the past couple of months?

Watercolor painting all morning long ...

Excellent audio books ...

Making paper dolls ...

Excellent reading ...

Building forts ...

Climbing the roof to watch fireworks ...

Yes, that is on our roof top ...

 Family beach excursions late at night in hopes of seeing some of the Perseids Meteor Shower (we caught a few) ...

Classical music on Pandora ...

Tons of poetry with our Poetry Tea Time on Tuesdays (we haven't missed a Tuesday in almost two months ... and I have a feeling they won't let me miss one again ever) ...

Morning beach walks ...

Twice-weekly surf sessions ...

Playing in the pink "rain" (flower) showers ...

Tons of Family Beach Nights ...

A little bit of Free-Writing ...

Attending a Rugby game and cheering them on ... 

Crafts galore ...

A bit of reading aloud ...

Making home-made play dough ...

Home-made sprinklers ...

Trips to the Library ...

Gzillions of books on everything from how cars work to wolves and fairy tales ...

Baking cakes ...

 

And making potato salad ...

Drawing and coloring ...

Dress-up ...

Snow days in August (snow angles and snowmen with packing popcorn) ...

"Snow" Angels

Snowman

Puzzles, finger-knitting ...

Walks to the Farmer's Market ...

An amazing adventure to the Lubee Bat Conservancy and then to the UF Museum of Natural History, finished off with watching 1/2 million bats come out of the UF Bat Houses at dusk ...

 A smidge (and I do mean a smidge) of cursive and math and writing ...

Making gifts ...

Vacation with family ...

Outdoor Family Games like Bocci Ball, Croquet, Badminton and Horseshoes ...

Gratitude Journals to thank God for all that He gives us ...

Learning to jump rope ... and then doing it *all* the time ...

Mental number journeys ...

Egyptian floor puzzle and the World geography floor puzzle ...

Fun with our Home school Group ...

 

Skip counting by 6s, 5s, 4s, 3s, 9s, 7s, 2s and 10s ...

Playing spelling bee ...

Total 80s immersion, including lots of Punky Brewster viewing (and dressing) ...

Playing instruments ...

Singing and dancing to music ...

Catching giant toads and lots of lizards ...

Lots of Madlibs (grammar practice) ... 

Family Game Night every Saturday night (lots of math and language here) ...

 

Building toilet paper towers and trying to beat personal records ...  

 

Writing lists, planning ...

Snail and slug care a few times ...

Tons and tons (and tons) of creative play ...

*******

Of course, not all of this has happened every day or every week or even more than once. But, this is the general feel of summer learning at our house. How about you?

 

My little mermaid

 

****

Until next time,

 ~ Irie Momma

 

 

 

Quiet around these parts

December ~ Making Peppermint Bark after reading The Legend of the Candy Cane

I've been quiet here lately.

I'm not sure why.

Honestly, I haven't known exactly what to say. Maybe it's "writers block".

I know I used to entertain you with very detailed homeschool posts on a regular basis. But, honestly, that is just too much to keep up with and still do a good job keeping my home and educating my children. We're still educating around these parts and I still keep notes for myself, but finding the time to write it up on here weekly (or even monthly, apparently) just seems difficult.

What else to write about?

Honestly, my head is often FULL of things to write about.

Religion ... Motherhood ... Marriage ... Health ... Recipes ... Natural Living ...

I think I have much more to offer you all than just homeschool advice.

Really!

We are living the "Narrow Path" dream that some people want to do and don't know how to get there. I could help with that. Why don't I?

Because, while sometimes my mind is FULL of good things to say, sometimes, it is just blank.

EMPTY

A blank canvas

The trick is to find the time to write WHILE IT IS FULL!

 

So, what would you like to hear about? Inquiring minds would like to know. If you have thoughts on this, share them in the comments section!

:-)

Anyhoo, I'm off to take the girls to a dance show at the local School of the Arts. We went last year and had such a wonderful time.

Until next time,

   IrieMomma

December ~ Making Christmas gifts

My heart is broken

I have a post in queue that I wrote on Monday and just hadn't published yet. But, I can't even begin to wrap my thoughts around that right now.

My heart is totally broken.

My husband and I never get time alone. Yesterday happened to be his day off and the girls had a two hour drop off Art Class, so we excitedly planned to spend the time together.

It started out so wonderful. Yes, there was a ton of traffic getting to the restaurant, but we were together.

Without children.

We enjoyed our drinks and our appetizers and got our meal.

The place was loud, but we liked it. There were football replays on the screens and general mayhem.

And then ...

Suddenly the place was quiet.
  The speakers no longer played the annoying pop music.
    Out of nowhere, the speakers broke up my happy morning with news of yet another tragedy.

But, this was different.

As I listened and watched, horrified, I discovered that this tragedy happened at an elementary school.

I cringed as I said, "Elementary school, baby. That is like "The Hippie's" age (she will be 10 in a week).

Then, it happened. That moment that crushed me. That moment that took my breath away and made me cry like a baby in the middle of a busy Chili's restaurant. That discovery that has squashed my spirit ever since.

I discovered that it was a KINDERGARTEN class and that TWENTY small children were dead.

Dear God, my throat closes up as I type that.

My babies are safe and sound in their room and I am completely wrecked.

Devastated.

Each time I woke up last night, it was the first thing I thought of. Just like when I discovered my own father had died. Just like when I discovered my brother had died. When you sleep and you wake, it's like discovering it all over again each time when you realize it was not a bad dream.

I've never been to Connecticut.
  I don't know these people.
    My children are safe.
      And, I am a mess.

Why?

Because all I can think about are the TWENTY families that lost their 5 or 6 year old yesterday.

TEN days before Christmas and their baby is gone.

There are probably presents under the tree with their name on them.

It was probably the last day of school.
  They probably didn't even need to be there.
    It was probably going to be an early release day for Christmas break.

Those poor Mamas and Daddies put on their little coats and their mittens and dropped them off at kindergarten. They trusted that they would be safe. They thought that they would play with play-doh and listen to a story and play on the playground while Mama ran a few last minute errands.

And, now they are gone.

I cannot even see my screen as I type this. My eyes are just pouring.

My heart is truly broken.

Here I was, thankful to get two hours without my children yesterday morning ... while other parents were losing theirs with no hope of getting two hours back with their children.

I have no wise words.
  I have nothing comforting to say.
    I apologize if my post today has done nothing to inspire you.
      I am sorry if I've only ruined your day.

I don't even know how to end this post.

All I can offer is for you to hug your babies tight when you close out this post.
  Hug them tight and kiss them and tell them how much you love them.

And, thank GOD for every moment you get to spend with them.

That is all I have been doing for the past 20 hours.

Coming soon ...

If you are still a faithful follower, I am so grateful. I'd like to quickly apologize for such an extended blogging break. Sometimes the living of life is so full that we don't have time to write about it. We are planning to get back to school and normal routines next week. I hope to get back to this space to share my thoughts soon as well. Again, I truly appreciate your patience and understanding.

Until then ...

IrieMomma

Are you living at the center of God's will for you?

"In the center of a hurricane there is absolute quiet and peace. There is no safer place than in the center of the will of God."

                                        ~ Corrie ten Boom

As I sat there with my piping hot tea on Sunday morning, I read this quote in my daily devotional.

If you place yourself at the center of God's will, He will provide for your needs and direct your path. I truly believe that. Do you?

But, how do we know when we are living at the center of God's will for our life? Does your life feel centered and peaceful? I'm not talking perfect or quiet (especially if you have children in the mix). I'm talking about your spirit. Do you feel centered and peaceful?

If you feel at peace with what you are doing with your life, then I'd venture to guess that you are probably living the life God intends for you.

If you feel internal chaos and discontent, you are probably unknowingly fighting the natural forces that are trying to guide you onto your path. If you feel like you are constantly struggling, maybe it's because you are fighting against what God has planned for you.

And, I mean really. Who can win in a battle against God?

No one.

This small bit of my reading yesterday morning really struck me.

Am I doing His will?

No doubt.

I know to the core of my being that I am doing His will with regards to my choosing to be a wife and mother above all else. I know that it is God's will for me to be at home. I know that it is God's will for me to provide food for my family in a loving way, each and every day. I know that it is God's will for me to keep my girls home and form lasting relationships with them while educating them about this amazing world that He created for us. I know that it is God's will for me to provide a loving home for my children and for my husband to thrive in. I know that it is God's will for me to strive to be the Proverbs 31 woman for my husband and for my family.

But, are we as a family wholly living in the center of God's will? Would He be providing more for us if we were more directly in the center of His will? What is His will for us? What is His will for my husband? What is His will for my husband's career and the manner in which we earn a living? What is His will for how we, as a family, spend our days? What might we be missing? How do we find the answer in the midst of day to day survival?

I don't fully know the answers to these questions, to be perfectly honest. But, it certainly got me thinking. And, I brought it up to my husband, so it got us talking.

It takes quiet time and reflection to really meditate on what God might want you to do with your life. But, figuring out the what is only half the battle. Putting steps into place to make that happen when you are struggling just to survive each day ~ now, that is hard. How do you work towards a goal when you have to work 10 hours a day to pay the rent? How do you start to make changes when you have to work 6 days a week to buy food for your family?

These are things we are working on here in our home. If I know nothing else, I know that none of it is going to be possible without the help of God. So, I took the first step. Prayer. I asked God to show us what it is that He wants us to do. I asked Him to provide the means to make it happen if it is to be a significant change. I asked for His strength and guidance and for Him to give us the courage to live the life that He wants us to live.

We're working on our "Five Year Plan". Are you? Where do you get your strength when things get tough? Do you lean on God as He has instructed us to do? When your life continues to feel like an uphill battle, do you ever stop to think that maybe you are out in the middle of that hurricane rather than living peacefully in the calm of God's will?

Something to think about. I'll leave you with a few verses to inspire your next Quiet Time.

"Trust in the LORD with all your heart; And lean not upon your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him, And He shall direct your path." 
                 Proverbs 3:5-6

"For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future."
               Jeremiah 29:11

“I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will counsel you and watch over you."
             Psalm 32:8

"Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand."

            Isaiah 41:10

"I can do all things through Him who strengthens me." 
             Philippians 4:13 
 
Until next time,
   ~ Irie Momma 

A new vision

August 2010

As you know, I recently spent a good deal of time without the luxury of this computer. It was tough not being able to look something up the minute I wanted to know about it. It was hard not to be able to print things I needed for school. Being disconnected from the people out in cyber-space that provide encouragement was difficult.

But, some really fantastic things came from that Internet hiatus as well.

I have a lot of things going on in my head that I've been wanting to blog about. It feels like I need to explain so much before I begin, but the idea of explaining every thought and moment over the past six weeks is daunting and thus prevents me from even starting.

So, I'd like for you to bear with me as I try to share snippets of my recent journey with you. I have some ideas for the future of this blog and in my life that I'd like to share and get going.

To be honest, I've hesitated to start anything here for fear of not following through. I have yet to "schedule" any sort of regular writing time into my life, as much as I want to. I'd love to post daily, but can't figure out where to fit it in on my "paper schedules". So, if I start an idea here and you see it start to fall apart, please accept my sincerest apologies.

Better yet, if you see me start a series or something and not follow through, please don't hesitate to call me out on it. Contact me. Say, "Hey, I thought you were going to share with us how you XYZ. What happened to that?". I need that accountability.

However, my life is far from perfect. So, I also ask that you be patient with me as I attempt to become a "real writer". I have aspirations and goals, but I lack organization and direction. So, I predict several failures along the way. I see a rocky path and lots of stumbles.

All of that to say, I have been making some significant changes in my life recently that I'd like to share here in hopes that it can help someone else out there who struggles with some of the things that I do. Stay tuned for some of my thoughts on:

• Becoming ME / My transformation project
• The Proverbs 31 Woman
• My Vision for the Future

I hope you'll check back often. Now, for me to figure out where to plug in "writing time" on my schedule. Any suggestions from those of you who've already mastered this are more than welcomed!


Until next time ... 
~ Irie Momma

 
 

The TA-DA List

Have you ever invested yourself totally and completely into a task only to have your heart crushed when what is noticed is what you didn't do rather than what you did do?

You know what I'm talking about. You clean the house from top to bottom, inside and out, every corner, every crack, every crevice. You get on your hands and knees, you scrub with a tooth brush. You clean until your fingers bleed. Then, someone comes along and wipes a finger along the one window sill you forgot to wipe and comments on the dust.

There's nothing worse than that feeling.

If we're lucky (and I most certainly am), we don't find ourselves in that situation with our husbands or family. If we are lucky, we are with people who love us and appreciate all that we do and would never dream of criticizing the things we don't do.

But, as women, as wives and mothers and homemakers, don't we do it to ourselves? Don't we spend all of our energies making a wonderful life for those we love and then turn around and beat ourselves up for what we didn't do today?

It's funny.


God is gracious enough to bring us together with men who treat us well and then we turn around and treat ourselves with criticism. Don't you think we owe it to ourselves to begin to appreciate all that we do and are and stop harping on all the things that we can't do or aren't?

I can't remember where I saw it (and I do apologize to whomever came up with this for my inability to give you credit), but I recently saw on another blog where a mother said something about her "Ta-Da List".


I fell in love. On. the. spot.

That tiny little phrase spoke to me on a deep level. It was something I desperately needed to hear.


I thrive on order, so I make myself lists. Lists upon lists of things to do. But, as we all know, getting everything on the list actually crossed off is near impossible. Well, maybe if I had a maid and someone else was teaching my children and I had no animals and could spend 100% of my time working on my lists without interruptions. But, yuck. Where would the joy be in life? What would be the point of the things on my list if I didn't have these sweet people to do them for?

Oh, but I digress. Back to the point.


I like lists. I do best when I have a plan of what I need to accomplish. The problem comes when the day is over (or whenever my mojo runs out) and the list is not completed. Now comes the guilt, the shame, the internal name-calling and degradation. I know I'm not the only wife/mother/homemaker/home-educator that does that!


What if we turned it around a bit and spent a few minutes at the end of our day noticing what we did accomplish? What if we focused just as much attention on our "Ta-Da List" as we did our "To-Do List"? Wouldn't that be a boost in our confidence and self esteem?


So, the other day, I did just that. I had about 15 to 20 things on my "to-do list". Things like baking muffins and doing school and reading my Bible and cleaning the kitchen well and taking a shower and cleaning the bathroom and blogging and calling my mom and balancing my checkbook and making phone calls and doing our library stuff online (what needs to be returned, reserve upcoming materials for school) and type out a poem for the Hippie to memorize and reply to two emails asking me questions about food (raw and vegan) and make dinner and make lunch and clean up after each meal and .....


I worked hard, but as you might have guessed, I did not finish everything that day. At the end of the afternoon, though, I took a minute to look at my "Ta-Da List". Here is what I had accomplished:

• Spent time with GOD
• Completed the day's school lessons
• Talked to my mom for over an hour
• Cleaned the kitchen WELL (dishes, appliances, sweep, mop, etc.)
• Published a blog post
• Prepared three healthy meals for my family from real, whole foods

I could have felt guilty (and believe me, I tried) about not baking muffins or replying to emails or getting to all of my office-type work. Instead, I felt good about what I had accomplished.


I had done the things that mattered most, really. I mean, what is more important than God, the education of my children, maintaining my relationship with my mother and feeding my family healthy and nutritious foods?


If you take what is most important to you (in my case, that would be God and Family) and what you accomplish aligns with that, what could really be wrong?


There's always tomorrow to get those other things done.


And, for the record, I did bake muffins the next day and as of this moment most of those other things have been taken care of. And, even if they haven't, I can feel good about what I have been doing. Taking care of my relationships with God and family, educating my children and maintaining my home to the best of my ability (amid constant interruptions and distractions) are things to be proud of!

TA-DA!!!!!

Perspective.

It's what I'm grasping for, desperately.

This has been a very difficult year for our family.

Don't get me wrong, we chose the struggle when we chose to go a different way. We knew when we decided I would be a stay-at-home Mom that we were giving up material wealth. We knew when we again decided that I would educate our children at home that we were again giving up material wealth.

But, it was to be worth it.

And, of course, it is worth it. I wouldn't trade one moment of my life for one that meant that my husband and I both went to work every day and my children had their own separate lives.

I wouldn't.

I choose this struggle because I believe that the reward of putting our family first is worth any struggle.

But, that does not make the struggle easy. And, the struggle seems to be getting tougher by the day. You see, we chose to give up much in the way of monetary gain, but we chose it when things around us were okay.

Now, even the people who didn't choose this life are struggling.

That means that those of us who did choose it are struggling even more. A family of four (plus four animals) that attempts to survive on a blue-collar income that fluctuates with the economy, in THIS economy, STRUGGLES. in. a. BIG. way! I mean when our one paycheck depends on the paychecks of everyone else, in a time when their paychecks seem to be shrinking as well, we hurt.


We've been "poor" for as long as I can remember.


But, again, we CHOSE to be. I get that.


But, this has been the "poorest" year yet. And, I don't see a light at the end of the tunnel.

We are living paycheck to paycheck. We are behind on most bills. Each week I am making choices between needs. "What is more important this week? Toilet paper or toothpaste?"


When you are struggling to meet needs each week, obviously any sort of want is so far down on your list of priorities it has almost fallen off the piece of paper.


That's hard to accept. But, you get used to it. Sort of. Well, not really. But, you deal with it. What else can you do?


Then, you realize it is November. Thanksgiving is days away, before another paycheck and the money is already spent on bills.


Then, you realize that if it is Thanksgiving now, that means that Christmas is only weeks away.


You realize that not only do you want/need to buy Thanksgiving groceries, but you also want to buy a Christmas tree as soon after Thanksgiving as possible. And, heaven forbid, you might want to give your children a gift or two.


You know in your heart of hearts that the meaning of Thanksgiving and the meaning of Christmas both revolve around family and being together. That the meaning does not revolve around money. But, that does not take away the sting of wanting to give to your children (and your nieces and nephews) and thinking that you might not be able to.


When you sit down and try to figure out exactly how you can pay your rent and electric this month, you realize that there doesn't appear to be room for the Holidays.


Your heart weeps. You feel sorry for yourself. You feel lost, hopeless.

Then, you are reminded of the simple blessings.


Your children know that you love them. They know that times are hard and they don't care. They don't expect anything more than your love and guidance.


Your children hug you and assure you that everything will be okay.


"I can teach you how to knit, Mommy. Then, you can just make us something."


What really matters?


Is it hard to struggle so much financially? ABSOLUTELY


But, in the end I must remind myself of the reasons that we CHOSE this struggle.


They are smiling right in front of me! We love each other. We have a beautiful relationship. We will make it through the tough times and will remember being together more than what is or isn't under the tree this year.


And, as always, I need to remember to trust GOD.

He has not let me down yet. Why would He start now?

Wouldn't you know, as I am realizing that I do not have the money to buy groceries to cook on Thursday that God is lining up a side job for my husband to do tonight. That will give me just enough to get the groceries for Thanksgiving.

As I am realizing that I do not have the money to buy a Christmas tree, God is lining up another side job for my husband to do some time this week. That will give us just enough to get a tree.


One step at a time.


If I trust in HIM, He will provide what we NEED.


Possibly nothing more.


And, I must learn to be content with that. I must learn to be thankful for what I DO have right here in front of me.

• A wonderful marriage to an amazing man who works so hard to ensure that I can be at home with our girls.
• Two healthy children who are a shining light in any room they enter.
• A home with real floors and running water and a roof that keeps me warm in the winter and cool in the summer.
• Love and friends and family and life.
• Freedom to make the choices we've made. Freedom to live the way we want to live.
• A family that can be together for the holidays, which matters most.

Give thanks for what we DO have. Find contentment and acceptance in the little things.


TRUST GOD



One . step . at . a . time