Healthy Spiritual Snacking

The other day as I was making lunch (and apparently taking too long to do so), my younger daughter began her “I’m hungry”  diatribe.

“Can I have a snack?”

“Sure, you can have an apple, banana or some carrot sticks.”

“Can I have chips?”

“No, you can have a fruit or a vegetable because you haven’t had lunch yet.”

“Can I have a cookie?”

“No, you can have a fruit or a veggie.”

And so it went. She continued to complain and whine, yet refused every offer of healthier options to stave off her hunger.

We got to the point in our verbal tennis match that I almost laughed because it was so ridiculous. Later, I thought of our exchange and realized how I act the exact same way in my spiritual life. How many times has God offered me what I need to fill my void? Instead of opting for His presence, filling up on His word and being sated by a little quiet time with Him, I whine and complain for the meaningless, “unhealthy” things of life. Watching television or spending to much time on my computer often rob me of quality time with God. Maybe I could stand to listen to my own rules for my children once in a while!

My daughter finally caved in and decided an apple would fit the bill until lunch was on the table. In addition, I decided opening my Bible before my laptop would be the healthier option for me, too.

The girls are very fond of their American Girl dolls, and play with them often. Last week, they decided it was time for their dolls to be homeschooled, too. It was priceless. I think they spent about 20 minutes getting them all in the correct chairs and stuff. I couldn’t let the event go by without a picture or two (or 30).

I’ll spare you the 30, and share a few. Times like these make me so thankful we school at home. I can only imagine how many creative bursts would have been stifled had the girls been in a conventional classroom. Yes, these rabbit trails we tend to follow take a little more time away from “school”. But I’ve never been one to stay on the main road anyway. :-)

I was recently chatting with a fellow homeschooling friend of mine. During our conversation, I mentioned someone I knew would be putting her previously homeschooled daughter in public school this year. Although she didn’t say anything, the look on my friend’s face was a clear a mixture of disapproval and condescendence. We finished our chat and parted ways, but her reaction has stayed with me ever since.

It got me thinking – have I ever acted that way about parents who made different education choices for their children? I’m ashamed to say, the answer was yes.

The Lord reminded me of those times. There were the times we’d finished school early, and went off to do something fun. When we saw buses pulling on the road WAY after we were finished playing, I would say something like “Aren’t you guys glad you aren’t those poor kids!”  Or when my response to when someone did something less than stellar behavior-wise was “That’s public school for ya!”. I’m also quite sure my facial expressions have been less than loving when discussing public schools in general.

Why do I do that? Raising kids is challenging enough without having others judge us on how we educate our kids. Some parents don’t really have a choice – whether it’s being a single parent or just needing both parents’ incomes to survive. I know I’ve been on the receiving end of that judgment as a homeschooler, and I didn’t like it one bit.

Homeschooling was the right choice for our family. Actually, I can’t imagine us ever doing school any other way. However, if we were to make a change, I would hope my home schooling friends would support us regardless of where my kids were learning.

I’m supposed to be a light to others, not make them feel like losers because their kids aren’t schooled the way mine are.

Here’s a good verse for me to remember when I’m tempted to look down on others in this area: “Do not judge, or you too will be judged. For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.” (Matthew 7:1 & 2)

I could also take advice from those fun loving kids at East High – “We’re all in this together!” (Sorry if you’re singing that song now, and will be for the rest of the day!)

When I was in third grade, my sister and I forgot to remind our mom about picture day. That morning, we got ourselves dressed and went on to school (I think we had forgotten it was picture day, too).

When the photos came in, Mom was mortified. My sister fared pretty well. She’s three years older, so she did a better job keeping herself looking presentable on a daily basis. My photo clearly indicated otherwise. So much so, Mom opted not to buy any school pictures that year. She even threw the proofs away, if that tells you anything! Instead, she later took me to a “studio” to have my picture made.

As a result, my third grade year was not recorded with unkempt hair, sleepy eyes and a see-through butterfly print shirt with fringes (I forgot my undershirt).  Our box of pictures holds the image of me sporting a new, fashionable haircut (Dorothy Hamill), a coordinating turtleneck and pants set (in a flattering shade of peach), and a dab of under eye make-up to hide my dark circles.

Honestly, though, I often wish I still had the original photograph.  I’ve strived to live a transparent life. If you know me, you know me (whether you like me or not J).  I think having the picture would have been a good reminder for me through the years - of how I won’t always be put together very neatly, but that’s okay. God knows my heart, and that’s what matters.

Maybe just seeing that picture in my mind, as I often do, is enough. It keeps me laughing at my imperfections, and not dwelling on them.  It keeps me striving to be true to myself, and not scrambling to be someone I’m not. Most importantly, it keeps me seeking the approval of my God, and not of others.

I do miss that butterfly shirt with the fringes, though.

Tags: Christian, God, mom, parent, self esteem

If anyone says motherhood was easy, they are either referring to their pet hamsters or they are heavily medicated. I’ll admit, I used to beat myself up over not getting things done perfectly. After I got over that, I would occasionally beat myself up over not getting things done at all.

Over the past (almost) nine years of motherhood, I’ve made a few compromises. Some I can live with, many I rejoice in. Here are a few items that keep me somewhat sane and walking upright.

• Sometimes I under load the dishwasher so I have less dishes to put away
• Many summer baths for the girls are their time in the pool - chlorine cleans, right?
• If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it 
• If it is broke, hide it, duct tape it or throw it away
• Sliding through the kitchen wearing socks counts as sweeping
• Moving a coaster around before putting your glass on it counts as dusting
• No visible stains on the shirt? It’s good for at least one more wear before washing it
• The glamour poof will always be in style for me - it makes the simple ponytail look like I actually tried

The most important lesson I’ve learned is:

• The word “no” is now in my vocabulary. If I can’t do it, someone else will.

Tags: children, home, kids, mom, Moms, mother, parenting, Women

Hi all!

I’ve gotten such good response via here, Twitter, etc. regarding my last post. Thank you so much! Although we aren’t finished with our project, I wanted to give you an idea of what we’ve been doing.

I searched our library data base for books on every character, event, etc. in the movie. I also did a pretty extensive Google search for web sites about each subject. We are making lapbooks for this, and the girls are very excited (we’re big lapbooking fans!). To break it up, we study two characters/events on one day, then put our information in the lapbook the following day.

At the beginning of our lapbook, we’ve added a time line. We are doing everything chronologically, so we just fill it in as we go. However, I think I got a bit mixed up with Easter Island and put it earlier than it should have been. Good thing we marked the time line in pencil!

Two of the characters in the movie apparently did not exist - Kahmunrah and Octavius. For Kahmunrah, we just studied pharoahs in Ancient Egypt in general. For Octavius, we studied Octavian - Julius Caesar’s nephew whom became Augustus Caesar, Rome’s “First Citizen”.

At the conclusion of our study, I will post photos of our finished project. For the time being, I’ve posted a list of books and web sites I’ve come across that may be of help to you. I don’t have them listed chronologically below (because I’m lazy and just copied it as I had it written on my notes!). I hope they come in handy!

Oh, and a few of my links are lapbooking links. One site I found particularly helpful was www.homegrownhearts.com/lapbook.htm There are many templates/ideas here to help you pull something together. I’ve also used The Usborne Book of World History and The Kingfisher History Encyclopedia for a good summary of different subjects.

Also, I’m a little light on some characters like Abraham Lincoln and Sacagawea simply because we studied them both extensively recently. We will include them, but not go into as great a detail as we will with subjects/characters we’ve not studied before. In addition, we’ve just begun our study, so some of the resources I’ve listed I haven’t gotten to look at extensively.

If you come across good resources I’ve missed, please let me know. I know there’s a lot out there!

Have fun with it! I hope what I’ve listed is helpful.

Blessings,

Kristy

LIST OF RESOURCES

• Teddy Roosevelt - www.homeschoolshare.com/presidents_lapbook.php; and Bully for You, Teddy Roosevelt by Jean Fritz
• The Civil War - www.homeschoolshare.com/civil_war_lapbook_templates.php; History and Activities of the Civil War by Margaret Hall; DK Visual Dictionary of the Civil War by John Stanchak; DK Eyewitness Books of the Civil War by John Stanchak; B is for Battlecry by Patricia Bauer; I’ll Pass for Your Comrade: Women Soldiers in the Civil War by Kimberly Wagner Klier
• Al Capone - www.chicagohs.org/history/capone.html; www.alcaponemuseum.com
• Amelia Earhart - www.ameliaearhart.com; www.handsofachild.com/shop/amelia-Earhart-ebook-p1021.aspx; Amelia Earhart: The Legend of the Lost Aviator by Shelley Tonaka; A Picture Book of Amelia Earhart by David Adler; Amelia Earhart: Pioneering Aviator by Leigh Hopewood; Amelia Earhart: Free in the Skies by Robert Burleigh; You Can’t Do That, Amelia by Kimberly Wagner Klier
• Ivan the Terrible - www.mnsu.edu/emuseum/history/russia/ivantheterrible.html; and The Story of The World, Book 2, Middle Ages (pgs. 231-233)
• Octavian - Story of the World, Book 2 Ancient Times; and used both Usborne and Kingfisher History Encyclopedias for this study.
• The Thinker - www.musee-rodin.fr/welcome.htm
• Kahmunrah (may have been named after Akhmenrah) - www.homeschoolhelperonline.com/lapbooks/ancient_egypt.htm,; Ancient Egypt by Philip Steele
• Albert Einstein - http://www.alberteinstein.info/; Albert Einstein by Don McLeese
• Napoleon - http://www.napoleonguide.com/; Napoleon: The Story of the Little Corporal by Robert Burleigh
• Tuskegee Airmen - www.tuskegeeairmen.org; www.history.com/content/worldwartwo
• “American Gothic” painting - I did an image search for Grant Wood’s work. For this and The Thinker, we’ll do a combined art study.
• Easter Island - www.mysteriousplaces.com/Easter_Island/index.html; Wonders of the World by Philip Steele
• Abraham Lincoln - www.homeschoolshare.com/presidents_lapbook.php; Abe Lincoln Goes to Washington by Cheryl Harness; Abraham Lincoln by David & Patricia Armentrout; Abraham Lincoln by Ingri and Edgar Parin D’Aulaire
• George Foreman - www.thebiographychannel.co.uk/biography_story/248:310/1/George_Foreman.htm
• Sacagawea - www.pbs.org/weta/thewest/people/s_z/sacagawea.htm; Sacagawea by Don McCleese; Sacagawea, American Pathfinder by Flora Warren Seymour

As a homeschooling parent, I’m always on the lookout for ways to “school” everywhere (and still having fun in the process). Recently, a fellow homeschooling friend of mine had what I thought was a brilliant idea (thanks Janna!)

They had taken their kids to see the movie “Night at the Museum 2″, and she suggested what fun it would be to do unit studies on each of the characters and events mentioned in the film. I think I just might be taking her idea and running with it! Making a lapbook about what we learned might be a great addition, too.

If I can organize myself, I will post our results!

It was one of those days in our world of homeschooling. Frequent eye rolls, complaining and bickering throughout our morning lessons. I really did my best to be patient. I tried to keep my voice calm - despite having to sometimes  raise it above their elevated voices. Somehow amidst the “Why do I have to!?”, “I’m tired!” and the “Make her stop it!”, we managed to finish our morning school work. Finally - lunch. The girls ran outside to play as I headed to the kitchen.

While stirring the macaroni noodles, my thoughts poured over the morning’s events. Lord, I prayed. What is up with this day? I started the day with prayer and everything! I prayed for school! I mean, really!?

Then it occurred to me (Holy Spirit driven, I’m sure!) - imagine what the morning would have been like had you not prayed. 

Ouch. I think I get the point now.

Tags: Christian, home, Homeschool, kids, parenting, stay at home mom, Women

My daughters and I sing just about all the time. We’re blessed to have a couple of great Christian radio stations locally, so that makes up about 80% of what we sing.

Today I’m reminded of the verse Psalm 8:2 - “From the lips of children and infants you have ordained praise because of your enemies, to silence the foe and the avenger.”

That verse brings me such joy. I’m also stirred at the thought of the minions of the evil one scurrying away at the sound of my sweet girls singing to God at the top of their lungs.

My daughters finally cornered me. 

“Mommy, are you really the Easter Bunny!?”

After a few minutes of trying to skirt around the subject by asking them questions, like “What do you think?”, I realized it was futile. I caved in.

“I’m not going to lie to you. Yes, I’m the Easter Bunny.”

My five-year-old replied in a hushed, yet excited tone. “You go to everyone’s house and put stuff in their baskets!?”

After a little more dialogue about the subject, I realized something a little remarkable. The girls weren’t completely devastated by this news. No weeping and wailing. No this-is-the-worst-thing-to-ever-happen-to-me attitude. It was very uneventful.

It made me wonder something. Could my husband and I actually have done something right? See, as Christian parents, we’ve often gone back and forth about the whole Santa Claus and Easter Bunny deal. Should we foster that belief? Should we tell them the truth from the beginning? 

We finally decided to let them believe in those things, but we wouldn’t go overboard in pushing them. For each of those holidays we always focused on the true meaning. At Christmas we make a birthday cake for Jesus, read stories of His birth, make shoeboxes for Samaritan’s Purse, and sometimes do other things to help people financially (as we are able). Our mention of “Santa” has always focused on the works of real St. Nicholas. We treat Easter much the same way by doing Easter bible studies, making resurrection cookies, attending our homeschool group’s Passover Seder, and watching Jesus of Nazareth together.

While the girls have always gotten a couple of things from Santa and a little treat from the Easter Bunny each year, Jesus is always the focus. Because of that, they associate Him with those holidays - not the fake stuff society (and we parents!) add to them.

I’ve done a lot of things wrong over the years in this parenting journey. But as a result of this recent Easter Bunny revelation, the Lord has really encouraged me. And quite frankly, the sneaking out to Target for last minute basket fillers was getting kind of old anyway!

Tags: Christian, Easter, Moms, parenting