A Homeschooling perspective.

Because I spend the majority of my weekdays running a 1 room schoolhouse...or in my case a few-room, schoolhouse, I am, of course, passionate about our decision to homeschool.  I honestly LOVE teaching my kids everything they need to learn.  What I love even more, is what I learn in the process.  Not just academics but character-building--MINE!   I don't consider myself a pushy homeschooler, or one who feels that everyone should homeschool. I do, however, think more Christians should at least consider the option and see if it might be something God would want them to do. 
I recently received my favorite homeschool magazing in the mail--The Old Schoolhouse.
I bribed myself that I would only read it on the treadmill...and it is working.  Grin.
Yesterday, when I was reading and walking, I read a quote that was just too good to not share.  It really made sense and was an interesting new perspective on why some choose to homeschool.
I'm going share it here. It is from an article called The Princess or the Pack Mule by Denise Mira.

So why must we pray about whether or not to send our kids away to be trained by institutions for the best forty hours of every week?  Most parents won't share their car keys or pin numbers with anyone, yet they'll give strangers complete, unsupervised access to their most valuable treasures--their offspring--without a second thought.

I just thought that was some good food for thought.   I know many will disagree...that's okay, but I pray that it causes some to consider their options and re-assess their lives.

Mid-Week Musings

Here is what's going on in my brain this week, in no logical order.

That picture is my favorite breakfast this month.  Today I made it for the oldest 6 sweet savages and they devoured it with no complaints...here's how it works:
1. Slice 1 banana into bowl.
2. I use an apple corer and then cut those pieces into bite size pieces..add 1 apple to bowl.
3. Add  1/2 c of raw uncooked rolled oats.
4. Sprinkle cinnamon on top.
5. Add a handful of walnuts or other nuts if you like them.
6. I also add 1T of ground flax seed and 1 T of melted virgin coconut oil but if that is too weird for ya, it's optional. I've made it without both of those and it doesn't taste much different. I just try to get the healthy Omega 3's in my diet to help with breastfeeding...and my loss of brain cells from teaching 6 levels of math..but I digress.
7. Mix everything together, Thank God for your food and chow down.
It's super fast to make...even 7 bowls of it..and super healthy too.  It actually satisfies me til lunch as well!
For the younger kids, I cut that recipe in 1/2 for their bowls.

I just finished reading the biography of George Muller yesterday to the sweet savages for the 3rd time in 6-7 years.  He is my favorite missionary to read about because he trusted in the power of God and the power of prayer more than anyone I've ever heard of.  He has again motivated me to ask my Daddy God for even little things, knowing that because they are important to me, they are important to Him.
Muller also is inspiring in his determination to not let the things of this world clutter his life or ablility to serve God.  I feel SO cluttered in my life most times and truly desire to move towards what Muller describes in his life.  It's a process and I'm continuing towards that end.
We read the biography from YWAM Christian Hero's series.  I highly recommend you getting a copy and reading to your family.  Even just 1 chapter after dinner or before bed.  We LOVE our read aloud time every day....even the big boys don't miss it. =  )

I have spent a lot more time in prayer this week than I typically do.  Not prayer like you picture kneeling for hours at a time.....but the kind of prayer where I just chat with God off and on all day long.  I've had some friends going through some stressful stuff, that I'm always thinking about and bringing them before my Daddy God. I have a class that I'm co-leading on marriage and the topic tonight I feel very burdened about and have been praying all week for God's words to flow through me.   And I have had an overwhelmed feeling the last 3 days...not overwhelmed in a bad way, but absolutely, wonderfully overwhelmed with God's goodness.   I think of all that God has changed and worked in me in the past, say 16 yrs and I'm so humbled and thankful for what God has done  in my life to transform me more and more into the image of Christ.  It has not all been fun, some has been downright scary and the majority of it has been through these 7 sweet savages running around my kitchen and my amazing husband!   I sometimes (not often enough) get a glimpse of who I was/am apart Christ....the prideful, sinful person that God chose to draw to Himself, and I am so humbled that he would choose ME to give these 7 kids and husband to.  I truly see them all as precious gifts with a To and From tag from God and everything.   It's not that I've had a particularly smooth week here in savageville....on the contrary...it is quite like a 3 ring (or 7 ring) circus often enough.  But in the midst of that, God has allowed me to choose thankfulness and to see the blessings in the midst of the chaos. 
I'm thinking that the extra "chat time" I've had with God this week has been so amazing.  I literally feel the presence of God in our home and feel the joy of the Lord all over me like baby lotion on a baby.  It's awesome.   Like the song says, "Better is one day in your house than thousands elsewhere." 

My mom in love made my 3 daughters the cutest dresses recently.  I wish I was as talented as her.  My superpower is laundry and breastfeeding, not sewing. Haha.
She asked me to pick out 3 shirts when I was shopping for them and I wasn't quite sure what she was going to do, but knew whatever it was would be great.  I LOVE these dresses...they are so cute!! (Thanks grandma!!)

Well, that's all I have time for now....bean soup and wheat bread is ready to serve up for din din.

10 1/2 down...8 1/2 to go!

I finally got motivated since Gilead hit his first birthday. I was sick of the extra weight and decided to just get rid of it. I've done this post partum weight loss 7 times now, some more successful than others. It is not on my list of things I love to do. I really prefer to eat whatever I want, have daily cappucchino and chocolate and pretend my treadmill wasn't sitting there in my living room calling my name. Thanks to an online friend who offered some of us to do a 6 week weight loss program with her, I bit the bullet and started the EAT TO LIVE plan on 1/1/10.

I had never heard of it before, but when she told me that it is centered around just eating super healthy fruits/veggies and beans, and that she typically lost 20-25lbs in 6 weeks, I knew it was for me. I truly do like to eat healthy.

The first week, I lost 5. By 3 weeks, I had lost 10. I'm on day 26 now and have lost 10 1/2. I'm pretty happy with that amount so far. My goal is 8 1/2 more pounds--that would put me at the weight I was when I found out I was expecting Aslan, almost 15 yrs ago.

I'm already less than I have been in 6 years now. It feels so good.

Those of you who are like me and know you need to lose weight and know you'd feel better, let me just encourage you to DO IT. Use any method you want, but DO IT.

I think back at if I had made 1 more excuse 26 days ago, I'd still weigh 10 1/2lbs more than I do now. It hasn't all been fun, but it's been worth it. I'm motivated to get the last few pounds off now! I see results!

The book as a whole was very motivating to read. It really re-opened my eyes to the fact that what we eat truly determines our overall health. So many of the diseases American's deal with are not a fluke of genetics, but a shoveling of the fork.

High blood pressure, diabetes (type 2), many auto immune diseases, many cancers, anxiety, hormone imbalances etc etc.

My theme verse for this month has been:

1 Corinthians 10:31

So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God.

Super Gil....

This little fellow is so cute and sweet. HOWEVER, he is actually hardly this calm except when he's a sleep. He has 2 speeds Sleep and Fast.

My kids had to write a poem as part of school today. Aslan chose Gilead.

Here goes....

My Baby Brother

I have a baby brother
Who is usually called Gil.
He’s cute, but boy does he
Destroy many things at will.
He splashes in the toilet,
He climbs up in the sink.
He goes into his diaper
And makes an awful stink!
He rattles and he bangs
All the pots and pans.
If he wants to make some noise,
I’m sure he probably can.
Sometimes I think this fella
Will drive us all crazy;
With him around, we’ll never
Be idle or lazy!
Though Gil is quite a handful,
We all love him a lot,
And he will never be sent
Back to where he was got.

The Mysterious Eggs

There was a contest in Backyard Poultry Magazine this summer to write a mystery story about the mascot of the magazine, Gertrude McCluck.
3 of my kids entered and we found out today that Aslan came in first place!
He wins a year subscription, a stuffed chicken and a book on chickens. Woo Hoo!!

Here is the winning story...his teacher is very proud of him!!


The Mysterious Eggs

Hi! This is Gertrude McCluck, and I’m going to tell you about the most unusual
thing that has ever happened here. The day it started was most usual: usual food, usual
bigoted crowing roosters, and the usual need to lay an egg. “What else could be
UNusual?” you might be thinking, “after all, chickens don’t do much, do they?” Well, you
overlooked one detail: Chickens take baths. Not in water, but in dirt, and this is exactly
where the unusualness starts.

On that most unusual usual day, I was taking a dust bath with one of my hen
friends, a White Leghorn named Thelma, who is just plain normal except for being
easily flustered and having a wild imagination. We were trying out this bathing spot near
the creek that runs close to our place. All of a sudden, Thelma scratches up some of the
weirdest things! They were kinda leathery, ovalish, and the size of a goose egg.
“MAYBE THEY’RE ALIEN SPACE CAPSULES!” Thelma said excitedly.
“Thelma, they look like eggs,” I said in my calm, usual voice.
“We should try hatching them, to see what comes out.” Thelma decided.
“Who’s we?” I asked. “It’s your idea.”
“Well, it’s the least we can do for scratching them out of the ground,” she argued.

I relented, so we cleared all the dirt from around the eggs, and Thelma sat on
them. Somehow, it became my job to bring scratch from the coop for her to eat.
Well, after three weeks, those eggs didn’t hatch, and Thelma was tired of the
whole ordeal. Don’t be too hard on her, though, since chicken minds are programmed
for only three weeks. But she didn’t want to let the eggs die, so we asked a Muscovy
duck who was broody to set on them. Five weeks later, the Muscovy’s ducklings
hatched out, and those eggs STILL didn’t pip!

So, being the faithful friend that I am, I promised to sit on them for two weeks,
even though I thought it useless. One week later, nothing. But on the ninth day,
something came out!

They were thirteen of the weirdest birds you ever did see. They had four legs, no
feathers whatsoever, a long, scaly beak (if it was a beak!) and a snake-like tail. They
were all black with yellowish stripes, and had a taste for toes and anything else that
crawled. Thelma was horrified and pleaded with me to take them back to the creek.
Needless to say, I was relieved, and we promptly brought them back. While we were
watching them swim away, I saw another one of them, but it was gray and twenty feet
long!
Thelma said, “Goodness! We’ve hatched thirteen ALLIGATORS!!!”
We scuttled out of there as fast as we could, and never dust-bathed near the
creek again!

Just wait til they are teenagers!

I was thinking about how many times over the past 14 yrs I've been told, "They are sweet now but wait until they are teenagers." I honestly never believed what they said though. I just have always felt that if a chld had truly given his life to God(and not just says he is a Christian) then it wouldn't and shouldn't be like "the world" where teenagers and parents just don't get along.

Aslan will be 14 in a few weeks and Noah is quickly coming upon 13. I just have to say that I think their ages is the absolute most fun yet! I LOVE having teens in the house! I can finally hold deep, meaningful conversations during the day without waiting for Chris to come home. They make me laugh, tease me, help me open jars, love our babies as much as we do, ask deep spiritual questions that I too wonder about and don't have all the answers for. They still kiss me good night and tell me every day that they love me. When the little savages are complaining about food, they are forever complimenting my cooking and Noah never fails to tell me that "it tastes like it's straight from heaven!" LOL

I love seeing them contemplate things God is showing them. I love hearing them wrestle with their futures and seeking God to see if His plan for thier lives is the same as the thoughts they have. I love talking them through a frustrating time where God seems far away, then rejoicing a few months later when they come downstairs late at night cause in their quiet time God just opened their eyes to a spiritual truth they had never seen before and suddenly God seems so real and near again.

I love when they pull me aside because something in the movie Pilgrim's Progress really jolted their spiritual eyes, and they ask me to pray that they don't become like Indifference did walking off the narrow path and taking the wide one.

I love that their legs are getting hairy and their voices cracking but they still wrestle each other like they did when they were 3 and 4 yrs old.

I truly do love all ages, but I never imagined that having young people in the house could be such a joy. I love that we can have teens who have their own minds, yet there is no arguing, attitude, disrepect or rebellion. I love that I can see them now as fellow brothers in Christ who are walking along side of me in our pursuit of God.

I'm also thinking that it's a good thing I DO Like them, because before Aslan's 20th birthday, I will have 4 teens in the house, and it will remain that way for years to come!!

Wordless Wednesday

Trouble with the In-laws

Because this week is both my father-in-law's birthday and their anniversary, I thought I'd pay a tribute to them. I mean, how many people blog about the dreaded "in-laws?"

The trouble with my husband's parents is that they forgot to read the rule book on how to be an in-law. They are terrible with the following "in-law" rules:

1. Criticise your daughter in law at least once every week.

2. NEVER compliment your daughter in law...she might get stuck up.

3. Give your grandkids tons of junk food, then leave them for their parents to calm down.

4. Complain to your son about how she runs the house.

5. Complain about how she cooks, cleans or trains the kids.

6. Don't spend time teaching the girls sewing or the boys how to shoot...that is only the parent's job.

7. When you take nature walks, don't teach them every tree name, bird name, wildflower name...it is too educational...who needs that anyway...

8. Don't ever sneak dark chocolate to your daughter in law...gotta watch those hips ya know!

9. If your daughter in law asks for help with sewing cause she stinks at it, tell her to take a hike and buy a book "Sewing for Dummies." You have better things to do with your time.

10. Never tell her that you are glad your son married her...she might use it against you.

Those are only the beginning of the rules that my in laws are TERRIBLE at. Either they forgot to read the book or think they are smarter than that......either way, I'm so happy to have in laws who rebel and just act like the world's best mother and father in law!! They come over every Sunday just to talk and play. It's always such a fun, relaxing day.

Thanks Mom and Dad! Happy Birthday....Happy Anniversary...love you!!

Finding Holiness on the Treadmill

One of my New Year's goals is to get back onto the treadmill again. Our tiny city just starting a walking club. It's not one that you have to show up someplace and walk (though you can.) You can just log your own miles and turn it in. So, I've gotten back into the routine of doing a few miles on the treadmill 3-4 days/week or so. My favorite part of it, is I love to download sermons to listen to while I sweat. http://www.sermonaudio.com/ is my favorite site since they have all of Paul Washer's sermon's, and I never finish one of his sermons without feeling ministered to.
The last sermon I listened to was called "Offering Your Bodies." He spoke of holiness and articulated some aspect of holiness that just blew me away. It, in some ways, sums up the whole message of the Gospel. I was in the middle of exercise and couldn't write it down on Saturday when I heard it, but today, I went back through the sermon and transcribed those few minutes because they were so powerful to me.
I wanted to share it with you...



Holiness
By Paul Washer
Taken from the sermon “Offering Your Bodies”

Be very, very careful if your child’s idea of holiness is just not doing what the rest of the world is doing. You’re not teaching the child holiness. If you’re just teaching them that they shouldn’t dress a certain way, they shouldn’t watch certain things, they shouldn’t do certain things, and on and on, which all are true but that’s all you teach them, you’re not teaching them about holiness.

Holiness is not just and not even primarily being separate from all those things that contradict God. Holiness is running TO God. It is cleaving unto Him. It is God being THE most important person in your life bar none. To teach your children holiness it to teach them that God is absolutely everything, and to cleave to him as the most important person or thing that there is.

It’s more than just dotting the “i’s” and crossing the “t’s”. It’s a passion. Sometimes an uncontrollable passion for God… for HIM. If your holiness has any other definition, it turns into Pharasaical legalism. Separating yourself does not make you holy, unless you separate yourselves UNTO God in a love relationship- a passionate relationship.

I would rather my sons turn out to be like David rather than the very clean Pharisee. Then again, more important than both, I’d rather have them turn out like Jesus than David. You see, David was a mess but there was something about him. He had a heart…that beat for God…that loved God. We are to be holy.

That message spoke volumes to me. How often do Christians get so caught up in the "do's and dont's" that we forgot what our one passion should be? Or how often do we compare ourselves that, "If I'm going to be holy, I have to look like so and so or do such and such."
Religion (and I use that in a negative sense) can really mess people up. You can call me all sorts of things but I shudder when someone calls me "religious." Ick. Religion is about rules...praying certain prayers...doing certain things...not doing certain things...and feeling really good and proud of your effort. The Bible says that "our righteousness is like filthy rags." We can't be good enough to earn salvation. It's all about running to God and knowing by faith that it's all about what Christ did on the cross for us. Our sin separated us from God. The penalty for sin is death (spiritual.) BUT JESUS!! Because he paid the price for our sins, we no longer have to be separated from God...we can know that we have eternal life because we believe and accept Christ's payment on the cross!

So like Paul says, "dotting all the "i's" and crossing all the "t's" is not what it's about. That means that one person can wear long modest dresses and headcoverings and white underwear and read the KJV and use only white or cream paint in their home and be totally in a love relationship with God. But on the other hand, someone else can wear jeans and tie dye shirts, Birkenstocks, makeup, use wild paint colors and wear pink undies (grin) and be totally in love with God. Isn't that neat? It all really is about RUNNING and CLEAVING to God!

So....THAT, my friend, is how I found holiness on the treadmill.

How a 7th born celebrates his First birthday...

When Aslan (Sweet Savage #1) had his first birthday, we had a big shin dig. All the grandparents came. There were mounds of presents all over the place. 2 cakes, the whole shebang! When we let him eat his cake...he stuck his hand in it, looked at how messy it was and cried and cried.
We washed his hand, changed his diaper and gave him a nap.
His favorite presents were a small football and an empty box.

Fast forward 13 years to our 7th born's birthday. We have learned a lot since then.
We had a small birthday with Grandma, Grandpa and Uncle Gabe. Homemade cake. A few pizzas from Pizza Hut (for us mainly not him since he just started solids and hasn't quite got up to devouring pizza yet.)
He enjoyed his cake more than Aslan did...no tears.
The only gift we bought him was a BRAND SPANKIN' NEW Toilet Brush. His very own! That's right. $3.00 from the Dollar Store and that boy was one happy 1 year old!! See, he's spent the last few months stealing our dirty toilet brushes from the bathrooms and carrying them around the house, only to be told, "No Gil, yucky!" Followed by tears of sadness. So....when his birthday rolls around, do we get him more toys (let's face it...he has SIX KIDS worth of toys to play with every day.) So we got him his hearts desire---his very own blue toilet brush. Out of 7 kids, this gift was the most treasured...more than empty boxes, Duplos, balls and even stuffed animals. So there ya have it.
Go against the flow....being a great parent isn't equal to spending tons of money on our kids' birthdays. It's making memories, eating cake and unwrapping beautiful toilet brushes!!!