New School Year

I'm not certain why I am up when everyone else is in bed, except that I have missed having time to read and write about life lately. It is therapeutic. I am regretting that I haven't recorded all the neat things that are happening this summer. I've just skimmed through the last few months of blogging and as usual I had forgotten some great things that God has been doing in our life and how much He encouraged me along the way!

I want to be certain not to ever lose hope. I was reminded on Sunday that "hope deferred makes the heart sick". That's the last thing I need- more heart sickness. So I am making a point to not get to that yucky place of feeling hopeless. It's always temporary but to be expected with so much responsibility and my own high expectations of myself!

Lately I have been appreciating the detailed differences in my children's personalities. God has given each of them gifts that are theirs alone and quite naturally. I am also trying to not be frustrated with the ones who are not naturally gifted in areas that help the family most. To be clear, some are great problem solvers, while others are voluntarily entertaining to little ones, and others enjoy running errands and so forth. Apprecitating them all, all the time challenges me greatly. Since I'm the mom, I feel compelled to train them all to be very thoughtful and therefore service oriented towards others. Sadly, this selflessness comes more easily to some than others. I was not a selfless teen. But I was different from my own teens in good ways and bad. It is the kindness of God that draws us to repentance and the mercy He has extended to me that I am to show to others. So I am trying to be wise and patient as I counsel and live with my maturing children. For the first time in my parenting I am unsure of how much to require of them. I make many "wise suggestions" but at what point should I command them if they are making poor choices. Since they are maturing at nine different levels, while my husband and I are maturing at different paces too, it's tough! Grace is the requirement. We are going to learn how to get along and be fruitful! I just hope it is very soon! We've been focusing on the blessings several evenings a week as a family. This is a great addition to all the correcting we're doing. I hope it helps to tie heart strings among us all.

Yes, the school year is starting. The new books are on the shelf. This year I have SEVEN students!!! They range from kindergarten to highschool senior! Wow! Just managing all of our books without buying more shelves is very difficult. Three of my students will be needing a lot more help than I have been giving in recent years. That scares me, since I have an infant to nurse and a TWO year old boy! So we are working our way gradually into the new materials, especially with my most challenged thirteen year old who is in second grade. He always thrives under patient daily instruction. I have to be sure to give him that!

In some areas I'd like to improve over last year and in others I'll just have to find more efficient ways to accomplish the tasks. Record keeping is very challenging. We are under the religious exemption law, but we have an agreement with HSLDA that we will keep a record of our activities that is reproducible. I cannot seem to get all those assignments for every subject and every child written in that record book! I've resorted to asking the children to date every page in their workbooks and trying to catch up at various points during the year. At the same time, my older ones keep asking why I have those record books with each page they've worked documented for every school day. I do not know! I gave the IOWA test to the top four students and that should serve as some evidence for their progress. Does that mean I can throw away the workbooks and just write in the record book that they completed the books they started??? I hope so.

Homeschooling materials can be found in unlikely places. I read an article in Reader's Digest this week that could possibly replace nearly a year of grammar. (although I'm still teaching English to all the children) It is about very common vocabulary and grammar errors. I'm going to ask my highschoolers to read the article and I might cut it out and try to save it somewhere important. Honestly, that means I'll come across it when I'm not looking for it and never be able to find it when I need it...oh well.

I haven't read a Reader's Digest since I left home. I couldn't resist this "humor"issue in the grocery check out. The children read every page of every magazine that comes into our house. Therefore, we are very selective! I read the Digest while nursing or burping Joshua. Then Kelsey read it while holding or rocking him. Yesterday Kendal was holding Joshua on the couch and he was fussing a little. I told her that he was cranky because she was reading that Reader's Digest that he'd already read twice before with me and Kelsey. : )

Well that was only one of the sweet, funny things that happened lately. It's too bad that I've forgotten most of the precious things the children have said that I really wanted to write down...I hope someone in heaven is responsible for keeping such a record for forgetful moms like me. I'd like to go back and read them all one day in eternity.