Gettting Settled

Two months of travel are over for the time being...ok, not really, we're travelling again tomorrow to Jax to attend a wedding of a friend's son, visit family and visit some supporters. I also plan to visit Chamblin's Bookmine...at some point, not sure when that will happen but it's on my agenda!
I just have to share a new discovery in my life. Most of you will not be impressed, in fact you will be disappointed! But, here it goes. I discovered the Seminole County library in our town! Adele and I went together the other day to check it out, get a card and such. I brought home a few books...and I feel like I'm stealing or something because of all these great quality books at my disposal. I was very much overwhelmed as I didn't go in with a book list...ok, I did but both books were for me not for the kids. I just am so excited at the resources at my fingertips with the library. I think if you are ever looking at ways to creatively support and encourage missionary families, send them books! I know it's expensive but, at least on our field, English books are expensive and good ones are hard to come by.
So, I've been preparing mentally for our year ahead of homeschool. I have basically decided to follow Susan Wise Bauer's and Jessie Wise's book The Well -Trained Mind: A Guide to Classical Education at Home. About six months ago I was sure I'd be using Sonlight (and who knows I may one day end up using Sonlight) but I wasn't having a peace about it. For those of you who don't know much about homeschool, Sonlight is a wondeful curriculum that has a beautiful multi-cultural flair to it...you read a lot to your kids and you can buy entire Cores for each year. Each Core comes with a teacher's manual and schedule...which really appealed to me. So, you might be wondering what changed? The more I thought having to keep to a schedule, it scared me. I do horribly with schedules (not so much that I can't keep one as much as if I get off schedule I instantly go into bad mood mommy). My kids have had enough of bad mood mommy and quite honestly so have I. In March I had an experience that I never want to relive and I am too embarrassed to tell you about it. Let's just say that I realized that home school for us wasn't fun on most days; in fact both PJ and I dreaded it. Sadly, since March, we've done very little. This brings me back to The Well-Trained Mind. As I've been reading I've realized how little we did this past year in homeschool. Yeah we did the stuff we had to do...we read, I taught reading, math, phonics and even a little science, but it wasn't fun and I didn't encourage PJ to be imaginative by giving him wonderful books to feast on (but I will interject that Paul did this by reading through many great works with PJ before bedtime). Now, I know that some of that is partly due to the lack of literature available but a lot of it is due to me and my attitude and how I looked at homeschool...I just wanted to get my agenda done before 11:30, no matter if it was done well or poorly...we just had to get it done. Now, don't get me wrong, you have to get work done...no doubt! But, there is a way in which to teach that encourages and brings out that creativity and imagination. I see it in my nieces and nephews (who I might add have wonderful parents who encourage this sort of thing) but sadly, I don't see it in myself. So, all of this to say that I am not doing Sonlight, not because I don't think it's great (in fact, I plan to do the read-alouds from Sonlight) but because I need to figure out our own rhythm to the day and let God show us. I deeply need your prayers for this year ahead. I plan to begin August 3, the day Paul begins seminary. There is much that needs reviewed with PJ. Please pray for his heart as well. I am learning just how influential I am in their lives (you'd think I would have figured that one out a long time ago!). I am seeing that the hurt I've caused him in the past makes him shut down when we start to do school and for that we need the healing balm of Jesus...for both of us. I am in such great need of our Savior's grace at this time...not only in homeschool but on so many fronts and I would ask you to pray for His presence to be known among us, that He would be merciful to me, a sinner.
With that said, I am going to the beach for a couple days next week..just me and my Bible and journal at the suggestion of my hubby. Please pray for a time of renewal and refreshing and pray for God to meet me there and assure me of His great love for me. Pray that I would see the sin in my life and repent of it and give it to Jesus and pray for the control of the Spirit over my life, for Him to reign and rule and govern.
I will try to post some pics from our time in PA last month. Thank you to those who continue to read this blog...sorry posts have been so sporadic, I hope you understand!