Homeschooling Q&A

 

In which I (try to) answer questions relating to educating at our home...

I'd love to know where you got the colored pencils (in this post)! 

I've been eyeballing colored pencils like these for many years.  I found them originally in the Magic Cabin catalog for sale, but never sprung for them.  Then one day, I was out shopping at Home Goods and they were there!  $5.00 bought the box and NO shipping!  (Good things come to those who wait!)

 I love the reclaimed barn wood (in this post) - it's all the rage right now! Who's idea was it?

You know, I *THINK* it was mine.  But it might have been Matt's too.  Our wave lengths cross often, so I am not sure.  

 Do you also have a written record of what was done which day? If so, when do you fill that in? And do you use a planner?   and
I know you have a lesson plan book, and I'm interested in knowing where you got it.  It isn't a lesson plan book per se, but just a calendar/organizer book that I am using to plan to school year.  I just got it in the calendar/organizer section of Target.  It will be interesting to see if it is what I need or if I will have to come up with something different. 

Having the laminated child-work pages helps tremendously .  I don't feel like I need to write down every single subject/every single lesson( Saxon, page 20)- but more the things I need to accomplish (like get library books on ____________.  Do this science experiment. Laminate poster.  Etc.)

I fill it in monthly (with composer/artist/poet of the months) but my big goal is to set aside a portion of each week (an hour or so on Fridays, perhaps?) to look over the work for the next week and fill out anything that needs to be done/printed/requested/prepared in advance.  This has been a goal of mine for too long, without coming to fruition but this year, I hope to finally implement it.  I am certain it would help me tremendously.

What made you decide to teach your children Latin?  

Matt did.  I'll be frank with you here- I am not looking forward to it.  I don't know it myself so it will be one of those things I will have to learn alongside.  But it is a pretty common thing to learn within the classical community and I have read articles about how valuable it can be....but mostly, I am just doing it for Matt.  :-)

How serendipitous that the barn chairs match your theme- or did they inspire it? 

Ahhhhh, the proverbial, which came first- the chicken or the egg question.  I think it was serendipitous- since I already had the "map" color scheme going. 


What do you have to do as far as reporting to the school district?

Too much.  PA is one of the top five (maybe even top TWO) worst states for homeschooling freedoms and I hate that.   Here are the requirements for our state.

Do you ever worry about the "social" aspects they may miss?

You know, it's funny.  I worry more about the social aspects that they imbibe when NOT homeschooling than the other way around (like when we go to a park and there are a bunch of crazy kids there).

 I think that people often define socialization as having contact with people of the same peer group when in fact, socialization speaks of being able to participate and be comfortable with....people.  In general.  NOT peers, specifically.

I laughed the other day with Matt because, the road on which we live houses many an old-person.  I don't know of any children at all.  We are surrounded by retired people, often in failing health.  And those retired people, often in failing health, are very often visited by my children.  In fact, this summer, it was hard not to become frustrated that the children were always off "visiting" when they should have been home HELPING.

We laughed because I was grumbling that our children were TOO socialized.  (I thought we were HOMESCHOOLERS.)  I always comfort myself, though, that it is not only important for my children to learn to socialize with other people but to have kind and compassionate hearts.  I know the visits mean a great deal to the cooped up elderly on our road. 

Also- I have a large family with lots of little children running around all the time so the children have many friends that way AND we attend a church where the children outnumber the adults by a lot...so my children do not lack opportunity to visit with even their own peers. 

I am going to go on a bit of a soapbox here (but it will be a short one) to say that children who are unsocialized are often taught to be that way by their parents...not by their circumstances.  I better stop there though, or this post will get MIGHTY long!


Do your kids participate in team/group sports or other activities?

One thing I am adament about is that I not become one of those chauffeur moms.  It is important to me that our lives not be a juggling act...but ones in which we have time to pursue our own interests and have time to ENJOY them while not letting them master us or stress us out.  We are only given so much time in a day-I don't want to waste a second of it being frazzled by a hectic and harried schedule.  So I try and avoid too many activities that have us committed throughout the week.

 That said, I'd love to see my children participate in a theater group of some sort down the road-but they are a bit young still for that.

We aren't big sports people here and wouldn't want to participate in games that happen on Sundays- so we don't have the same sports issues as some do.  We choose to be that way.  We play sports as a family and our goal is to eventually have enough for a team anyway (I kid, I kid.  sortof.) so it really isn't an issue for us.

I guess what I am saying is this- if the right thing came along (something that added to our lives, not took away from it) we would be all for it.  At this point though,nothing has really tickled our fancy.

How do you find time/logistics for the occasional "play date" or friendship fostering?

Hmmmm.  I am going to sound really weird here (brace yourselves) but we don't do "playdates".  If we do anything, I get together with women I enjoy spending time with and my children play with their children, whomever they may be, as we adults chat away .  I usually get along best with women who HAVE children so usually, my children have plenty of playmates.  (Here again- a good way to get your children properly socialized is to force them to get along with other children who (gasp!) may not be their own age!)

The end result becomes my friendships with other women often initiates my childrens' friendships with other children.  Generational friendships, if you will.  One of my closest local friends has children my own childrens' ages and her children are some of my own childrens' closest friends too.  We also happen to go to church together.  In fact, after church tomorrow, they are having a sleepover at their house- I should pack their bags.

When we get together with other people, it is only occasionally and usually during the week (so we can be with Matt as often as possible when he is home on the weekends) so we try to make up for our schoolwork in the afternoon and/or double up the next day.  It works, but it can be a hassle, which is why our visits are only occasional.

I'd love to know what you use for/how you go about teaching spelling.

Last year I used Spelling Workout books and internet lists of words that such-and-such-graders should know.  I printed lots of spelling sheets from edhelper.com.  This year, for the first year ever, I bought the books Wordly Wise 3000.  It is actually a vocabulary workbook not a spelling book.  It introduces new vocabulary words which I will use also as practice for spelling simply by having them write the words a couple of times.

Also, if I see consistent misspellings in writings/dictation/copywork/journals...those words will become spelling words.

 Just wondering what grammar program do you use? 

So far, I have used printed worksheets from edhelper.com.  I had a few Shurley books given to me so I might try them out too.  Apparently, they are supposed to be the cats' meooooow.


What phonics program do you use?

Veritas Press' Phonics Museum.  Pretty big initial investment, but when it can spread to all of your children it isn't so bad.  It has great beginning readers that are about REAL things like Benjamin Franklin (Ben and his Pen) or the Wright Brothers.  It comes with awesome phonics puzzle pieces that can help the child put sounds together in a tangible way.  And we read a lot of Bob books.  ;-)


 I would love to know how YOU get everything done in a day! (Miranda~who are you KIDDING?  You are just LIKE me!  Likely, a whole lot more productive!)  Do you follow a routine to your day or have a schedule? Do you have it written out like the kids?

 I don't really have a schedule (outside of breakfast, lunch, rest time for children, snack and supper- those things all happen around the same time.) and I don't follow a routine for my housework.   Mainly because, my life changes so dramatically from day to day.  I have to do applesauce when I have apples.  I have to do laundry when the weather is nice.  I have to mop when Judah decides to dump his entire milk cup.  (That sort of thing.)

 What I usually do is make to-do lists at night before I go to bed, listing all the things I have to do AND want to do- and putting stars next to the HAVE TO's.  Sometimes I don't even get all of those done.  But lists help me stay on track and help me accomplish a whole lot more than if I didn't have them.

What do the littles do while you help the others?  and Do you have a "schedule" for your preschoolers? How do you keep them occupied while you work with Corynn and Andrew? 

The depressing answer:  Ugh.  It can be really hard.  They, of course, want to be right with us in the school room (which is small, by the way) and it can be very distracting. 

The less depressing answer: 

Adele' really enjoys coloring and can color/draw for long periods of time so she often does that and those times are really helpful.  I have certain "secret weapons" like Play-Doh, puzzles, shaving cream and stickers that come out only at school time.  I might revert to Letter Factory movies occasionally, when we are working on difficult concepts with the older two....just so that we can get through them.

The truth is, it varies from day to day.  Some days are incredible, when the littles play nicely in the other room and the biggles get loads of work done.  Other days, it is incredible that we get any school work accomplished at all. 

There you have it. 

I hope I answered all your questions. 
I also hope that you can see that I don't HAVE all the answers. 

Homeschooling is a process- one that you can mold and shape and make your own in order to meet the needs of your own family.  And that is precisely why homeschooling is just.so.cool.

The "Be Inspired" Board and How We Tackle the Arts

Because I have been asked by several people, and because it is fun to talk about (much moreso than MATH), I wanted to answer a few questions about how we cover the Arts in a separate post.  (Get ready.  It's a long one.)

Here is my philosophy, in a nutshell:

  To that end, I created the BE INSPIRED board.  

If you notice on the school schedules for the year, we study a Composer of the Month, an Artist of the Month and a Poet of the month.  Obviously, that doesn't cover very many in a years time- but I like just having one to focus on so that we can experience (and by experiencing, hopefully, remember) that persons' gifts more extensively.  We look at a LOT of that artists paintings, we read many of that poets words, we listen to many beautiful works of music all through the month.  Much better than a quick gander at a few paintings that will likely not root seeds of appreciation.

The object, in these early years, is just to introduce things- create mental "pegs" to hold information.  Someday as more mature individuals, a painting or poem or orchestral work might move them deep in their soul, and it might feel as if they have known that painting or poem or song all along.  THAT is what I am going for.  

Not everyone does things the same, or even values the same things--but since you asked, this is what *I* do.  Or rather, this is what I *TRY* to do, when I am self-disciplined enough to do it and/or when life isn't throwing me too many crazy curveballs.

Composer Studies:

The nitty-gritty:

On Mondays we talk specifically about the composer of the month.  (1st Monday  we introduce that artist.  Following Mondays of the month, we review information we learned (name, date, birth place, important facts) and then follow up with other supplemental sources.   
Thursdays the children listen to an episode of Classics For Kids (there are usually enough for the month).  The rest of the week we just listen to some of their works--can be during school time, or while I am making supper or more often, while we eat supper.  We like to listen to classical music when we eat. 

Some  helpful supplemental sources:

Great Composer by Piero Ventura (a great book for elementary children that introduces the reader to many of the most famous composers through a chronological history of music.  Our library has this and Great Painters and last year I borrowed it, renewed it, borrowed it, renewed it so many times I thought I needed to get my own copies this year.  So we did.  Now the rest of the library-goers can have a chance with them!)

Stories of the Great Composers by June Montgomery (this one comes with a cd that has one classical work of each composer.  Good stuff.)

Getting To Know the World Greatest Composers by Mike Venezia (A great series of biographical works on famous composers.)

YOUTUBE.  At the start of the month, I search YOU TUBE for my composer and see what they have to offer.  Sometimes it is part of an opera, sometimes it is the music set to animation, you never know what you will find- but usually there is SOMETHING good.

 The Classic Cat (a free source of tons (6,000 or something crazy like that!) of classical works to listen to, organized by composer.)

Dover Great Composers Coloring Book.  I photocopy the pages instead of letting them color in the actual book.  That way, I can use the coloring book for ALL my children and not just one.)

Ambleside Online has a wonderful selection of links and resources for Composer studies (and art studies.)

A great link I found there was a series of  Music Talks with Children.  (and no, no relation to the e-text guy there.)

Art History and Artist of the Month:

The nitty gritty:

I want the children to not only be exposed to art, but to be able to look at it whenever the fancy strikes.  I'd love to see them really LOOKING at a painting-without me telling them what to see-so in the beginning of the month, I print out some of the Artist of the Months' most famous (or profound) works and laminate them.  That way, they can handle them ALL they want.  We hang 'em up on the board, but we take them down each week to look at them again and try and remember the name of the work by playing little games and having little contests.)

Mondays: Introduction to Art and Picture Study (We read a chapter of the book Introduction to Art or look at famous works.   Sometimes, Mondays don't happen (it is grocery day after all) and we kind of incorporate picture study into Fridays.

Tuesdays: Art Project, Craft Project, Drawing With Children.  Tuesdays may or may not correlate with the artist of the month.  There are great sites that have pictures to color of some major works of art which are good to do for our Artist of the Month.  There are plenty of good ideas swirling around the internet of how to recreate art in a similar fashion and using similar techniques as your Artist of the Month or to make projects related to him/her.  (This is a great book along those lines and another one of those books I should really just BUY instead of hoard from the library.)  But sometimes, we just want to do something frivolous.  A themed project.  A seasonal craft.  So, it all depends on our mood.  Some just-random art fun comes from this blog and this one.  I'd love to find a book that offers lots of projects and ideas of different art techniques to try in one place.  Maybe THIS one? 

Fridays: Artist of the Month (We spend time learning about the artist of the month; we spend it learning and/or reviewing the important information (Name, date, type of art, some of his famous works.)  We play guessing games with their works as review. We read books on them.  I go on Amazon and search for books on that artist, borrow them from the library and read them.  (Not just biographical books, but fun KID books too.  Like this one.  Or this.) Also, this is a great source of free lapbooking stuff for Artist Studies.

This is where I find most of my artist works to print and laminate.  It requires free registration, but they are very kind and give permission to print anything you like for homeschooling purposes if only you ask.  In fact, when I asked, she sounded downright thrilled!  I love people like that.  Plus, I totally agree with their philosophy.

Poetry:

This is the easiest of the bunch.  Basically, get a good Childs Anthology of Poetry and go through it.  Pick a poet, then spend the month reading poems!  

Poetry For Young People is a wonderful series of books, with each book covering the works of a famous poet.  Many wonderful choices.

I have quite a few books of poetry but even so, I would really love to get my hands on this book! 

Here is a good Introduction to Poetry for children.  When the time comes to start trying to write poetry, this book is a handy one to have.  It teaches the different poetry styles as well as offering examples of good poetry and short biographies of a few poets.

The Grammar of Poetry is a classical DVD course for older students (6th-9th) that seems stellar for "some day".



 Sometimes we use poetry for the childrens' copywork, sometimes it is poems that the children read aloud to me, sometimes they memorize poetry other times they just listen.   No matter what, they are becoming familiar with the beauty of the written word and learning to appreciate it.  And, that is the goal.

PS. Tomorrow I'll be answering all other questions in a Q&A post...so if you've got a question to ask- you better do it quick! ;-)

Q & A !!!

I wrote some of the answers to questions five or six times, thanks to a computer that kept crashing on me. At this point, I am sick of reading my own writing so I will post this and hope that you give me heaps of grace if my answers make no sense or come across wrong. Forgive me.

Erin asked:

How hard is it to can things? And how did you get started gardening? I'd like to try my hand at it sometime.

Canning isn't HARD to do~ the process is a very simple one~ but it can be hard to be motivated to do it as it IS time intensive, especially if you can large batches of things as I do. But it is VERY rewarding and when you are done, those jars make you very proud of your work! I learned to can by getting the Ball Blue Book of Canning and diving in. I think the first thing I ever canned was applesauce-my, how far I have come. I just recently got a new pressure canner (well, last fall) and have begun doing non-acidic things like meat. That is a whole new ballgame for me-I hope in the next few weeks to can a few batches of dried beans. If I ever get my act together.

And gardening? I got started gardening by just digging in. I knew nothing about it but wanted very badly to have a garden. This was the first year I was married, we were living on a farm where my husband worked and in the yard was a concrete pad where a trailer had once been. Matt built a raised bed on top of it and we loaded it with PURE MANURE *ew* and planted all sorts of things. I still laugh at the fact I planted carrots in about 6 inches of pure manure that year-though blessedly, they never grew. The tomatoes did great though. ;-)

Long story short~ start out small, read up on what you might like to grow and then PLANT SOMETHING! You can even buy plants at a nursery and enjoy the harvest with not as much work (it still saves you money from buying at a grocer.) Just starting is usually the best way to begin. ;-) I guarantee you will be bit by the bug before too long.

How is marriage different for you after being married for 8 years? I've been married a year and a half now, and loving it. I'm curious how it changes as your marriage gets more kids and more years and experience added to it.

Actually, THIS year will be our 10th anniversary so I am even more 'seasoned' than you thought. ha!

This question has so many different caveats, I think I will have to work very hard not to go on and on (always a challenge for me) about the subject. Here are my few (I'll try) scattered thoughts on the subject:

Firstly, I think the first year we were married was the hardest for us (until now) so if you are still swooning and wearing stars in your eyes, you are far ahead of us. For us, it was an adjustment learning to live with another being and different temperaments. It was a somewhat difficult transition.

For the most part though, the first year or two of marriage everything your husband or wife says (or does) is adorable or funny. I think we try hard to impress and please our spouses at that point~ we want to be loveable. It is glorious, being so enraptured with one another.

As the years progress a shift happens~ you begin to feel loved unconditionally. Your spouse has seen your nasty streaks, your unlovely moments, your sin. And s/he has loved you anyway. You begin to feel comfortable around them in a way that you never have before. This is a blessing and at times, a bit of a curse.

A blessing because it is a WONDERFUL feeling to know someone accepts and loves you for who you are, and a curse because it becomes easy take that someone and his/her feelings for granted. You don't have to work hard for love because you already have it. The result can be that husbands stop wooing their wives and wives stop trying to impress their husbands.

It is important to step up, no matter where you are in your marriage, and live for each other again... but especially important during those years when it is easy NOT to.

When children are added to the mix- ohhhhh boy!

If you are like us, at about 10 years you will have many little draws of your attention besides one another. Ours are Corynn, Andrew, Adele', and Judah. (And work. And animals. And land. And a hundred different things. But I digress....) You have to learn to share each other with the children (and that can be hard!) Sometimes it stinks that after Matt has been gone a week, I am the LAST to get a 'happy to finally see you' smooch; he is bombarded with jumping and hanging children before he even pulls in the driveway. It can be hard at times, but worthwhile.

As with the point above, I think it is crucial to get some 'couple' time together. No children, no distractions. After all, when the children grow up and leave-it will be back to just the two of you. How awful to have your other half, somewhere down the line, become a stranger to you.

But don't let me lead you astray-having children doesn't pull you away from one another or lessen your relationship with one another. On the contrary~ it intertwines you both all the more. You'll find great joy in laughing at the little funny things together, staring in awe at the wonder of these little beings that have 'your nose' and 'my attitude'. You will have a connection with your spouse unlike any you have ever had. It is really wonderful to share your life with someone.

How did you make a house a home when you were first married? We are living in a duplex right now, and next year we will be moving to a different state. No idea where, but somewhere. That's one of the difficult things about being military, is that I don't really have much hope of owning our own home until he's retired. We can't really plant roots because we'll be moving around every 3 years. How would you deal with that, do you think?

Well, we sorta lived the military lifestyle these last tens years. Sans military. It has just worked out that we have moved about every two years.

My advice would be to embrace each home you live in as YOURS (even if it is temporary!). Don't say "Well.... I won't do this because we will not be living here long anyway...." I can tell you for a FACT-it will be worth the time if you enjoy it for two years.

Be creative.

If you love gardening-but can't plant perennials, pot them! OR- plant it anyway and justify it as you leaving your mark on the world. If you don't like the walls of a home but can't rewallpaper or repaint, I have heard of people putting fabric up with starch (it comes right down in the end). If you can't put holes in the walls, make collage type things (varying high and low pictures) on a mantel or table. As much as I have yearned for permanence in my own life, there is something wonderful to be said for the adventures of a blank slate now-to-you home. Embrace that.

Oh-and one more thing: Fill your home with things you LOVE. Things that make you HAPPY. Don't fill it with stuff you don't....no one wants to move things they don't love and CERTAINLY not every three years! :-)

Where do you find all the books you want to read? I'm an avid reader, always eager to find good books. We have a library here, but it's a very, very small one. Any books you'd recommend for how to be a good housekeeper? What about good books on raising children?

Any library, no matter how small, has an interlibrary loan option from what I understand. You request books from other libraries and they send them to you. Living in a small town, our library is also very small. So what I do is I go to Amazon.com and search for books. If I am interested in a particular topic I will search that topic and on the bottom, Amazon offers suggestions of other books you might like. I go NUTS with this feature. Instead of buying them, I just borrow them from the library. And I have a running wishlist of to-reads which I add to whenever I hear a good one. I really need to share mine....be on the lookout for it one of these days.

Brenda asked:

How do you clean your eggs? When do you clean them? What do you clean them with? Curious how you go about using them after you collect them? And do your other animals like your dogs or cats bother the chickens when they are roaming? We want to start letting ours roam but I am afraid the cats or dogs will go after them?? Any words of advice you can offer on egg cleaning and protecting the chickens from the other animals?

We don't clean our eggs unless we have to (if they have poo or have straw or yolk -when a naughty chicken eats one- on them...) and then, we just use water to scrub the nastiness off. The beautiful looking ones I don't bother with. If you are nervous about that and feel you ought to clean them-wait to clean them until right before you use them. Eggs have a protective coating on the shell that keeps them fresh-if that protective coating is washed off prematurely, the eggs lose their freshness more quickly.

Our cats don't bother the chickens at all. It was funny-when they were teeny little kittens, they would shake their rears and pounce on the chickens backs but it was just a game to them. As adult cats, they don't bother them at all.

Ruby, our dog, when she has been tied up for a long time (in winter she is tied up more than in summer when she basically runs free) has gotten naughty a few times recently and has pestered the chickens. I have had to scold her a number of times for catching them. It looks at first glance like she is going to kill them but I think she is just playing as the chickens usually just ruffle their feathers and move on. I am trying to break her of it. When she is loose all of the time, she is fine. It may just be an attention thing.

For the MOST part, if animals are around chickens they won't bother them in the least. If you are introducing animals to chickens for the first time, I would keep the chickens caged up and let the animals get used to their presence before you let them roam. When you DO let the chickens out in the open, be around your other animals to scold them if they begin to bother the chickens.

Another great thing for protecting chickens is to have a ROOSTER. They are fabulous! They are like watchdogs and really do protect their harem. ;-)

Bobbi asked:

what books to you recommend for home schooling prep? My daughter is 15 months old and we are just reading board books ect, but id love some christian inspiration!

My suggestion would be to read all KINDS of books. Poetry. Fiction. Non-fiction. Goofy. Who needs homeschooling prep anyway? The goal should be to establish an infatuation and LOVE of books. You got that, you've got an easy homeschooling road ahead of you! :-) And a love of books only takes READING them!

Read with an animated voice. Make different sounds. Make her point things out on the page. Make her point things out on the page. Ask her questions like "Where's the duck?" Scream when the character screams. Cry when the character cries. Moo when the character moos. Keep her engaged.

Remember that children can understand a LOT more than they can communicate themselves-so I would say 15 months old isn't too young for actual stories. Paraphrase the story if she gets squirmy before the words on the page end. More than anything-just read! And often! If she loves a certain book (My kids ADORED the Icky Sticky Frog) than read it. Over. and Over. and Over.

The goal right now is just to get her interested in books.

Maybe I will make a list of good books for different age groups in the coming weeks.... I wonder if that would be helpful to some?

Mary asked:

Please forgive the nosy question. If you are making meals like this without going to the grocery store, what are you buying there that you need to go often ?

Hmph. Funny you asked...I have been asking that myself this same question all week, thanks to my no groceries challenge. Seems to me- it is for dairy products (we eat A LOT!), fresh fruits and veggies and convenience foods.

And by convenience foods I don't mean the boxed/pre-made/junk foods that really aren't even foods (if you ask me): I am talking about BREAD. Crackers. Cookies. Pasta.

I never really thought of these things as convenience foods before-but it is a real CONVENIENCE not to have to bake bread all the time. Or cookies.

All these things CAN be made at home-but man, is it ever convenient just to pick them up at the store!

Snack time in the afternoon requires a WHOLE lot more forethought. No more opening a ream of chocolate sandwich cookies.

After this no groceries challenge is over, I have some changes that I will be making. Nothing like never buying a box of crackers ever again...but valuable changes that can and should be made.

Sandy asked:

How do you manage your weight when you're always making such delicious, abundant meals?

Well, the short answer is: I am not. I have a pesky 20 (or in my dreams, 30) pounds to lose that just don't want to say goodbye~hey like my midsection too much.

I know the answer- Eat better (quality, healthful, non-processed foods). Eat Less (Americans tend to eat portions like their forefathers generations ago-but without the physical, hard laborous days). Be active more (and here I sit at the computer, blogging!). Simple things really, except in the implementation, apparently! ;-)

As for the abundant meals~ I try to cook healthful foods most of the time. But by healthful, I do not mean skim milk and sald. I will never shirk (and wouldn't ever want ANYONE to shirk) away from real butter, milk, eggs, meat, cheese or even bacon grease. These things are HEALTHY-much more than margarine, egg beaters, or vegetable oil.

-what advice would you give to young mom's who aren't falling pregnant as quickly as they'd like? (I had a miscarriage in august, but am longing for another) My Olivia is already 19 months old and I SO wanted small gaps:-(

I am so sorry to hear about your miscarriage. It seems as though the longing for a child is made more sharp by the little life that you so briefly could enjoy. May God grant you peace.

My advice to young mothers who are longing for children is the same advice I give to myself-and often: That God has a plan for my life and it is currently in motion. I am not doing anything wrong if I do not get pregnant and those who have children aren't doing anything right. It is God who is in control of our wombs and no other.

If I have children-or do not have children-I am living the life that God WANTS me to live and has planned for me.

Sometimes I remind myself of this when I long for more children. Sometimes I remind myself of this when I am overwhelmed with the four I have! Either way, no matter what, God is in control of my life and THAT fact, my friend, gives me GREAT comfort.

When I am pregnant, I try very hard to enjoy every moment, and remind myself that it could be my LAST pregnancy. When I am holding a new little life, I try and soak it up completely-it may be the last new life I can bring forth. When I look at the children I have already been given, I try to remember they may be my only ones.

In this way, I prepare myself for the possibility that I will no longer have children. I would rather be prepared emotionally and be pleasantly surprised, then to expect things to happen just so and then be disappointed.

Because despite was 98.57% of the population using birth control believes, not using birth control will NOT immediately result in you having a new baby every 18 months.

Children aren't a given. They are a GIFT.

- how did you learn to crochet/sew/all the other amazing things you do. I am now living in the middle-of-nowhere! I would love to learn more of the domestic arts but am not sure where to start.

I learned pretty much everything I know simply by starting. Through trial and error, I am STILL learning and am excited to know that I will continue to do so every day of my life.

I did get help crocheting by a wonderfully talented lady who turned into an extraordinary friend simply because I asked. She also helped me to step up from my self-taught seamstressing to do a much nicer job (ironing those seams IS important!). Our get togethers became more about our lives and less about the crafting as time went on and now, it is not only crochet hooks that hold us together.

My advice to you is to pick one and begin! That is where you start. By STARTING.

Books are such a valuable resource and are free for the borrowing at the library. The internet is a wonderful place full of valuable information and learning. Youtube has how-to videos on pretty much every subject in the world. Lovely people provide tutorials on blogs, many with step by step pictures. And there is a wealth of information just a click away at Google.

And if you know of family members, friends, church people or even strangers who have talent in an area where you would like some, then be brave and ask. The worst that could happen is they could say no. The BEST is that you find a new talent AND a lifelong friend!

- Do you read out of a children's bible or just a normal bible?

The Holy Bible. When the children were very young, I read out of a Childrens Story Bible (by Catherine Vos) so many times through that the children knew the stories by heart. At that point, I knew we had outgrown the childrens Bible and began reading the regular Bible using the Veritas Press Bible cards as a timeline.

Now that I have very young 'uns again, I may break out the childrens bible again and go through it a few times for their sakes.

- Lastly, how old was Corynn when you started having bible/school time with her. What age would you recommend having a set time for those sorts of things.

Christian Faith is the foundation of our lives. It is something that defines every single moment of every one of our days. As such, there was never a moment when we 'began' but it is just something that has always done.

I remember when Corynn was born-September 2nd 2003- the very day we brought her home from the hospital, Matt read to her Psalm 2, 'her' Psalm. I remember watching Matt in that overstuffed rocking chair, holding a Bible and a newborn and thinking how everything I loved was sitting in that chair. It was a beautiful moment and is a beautiful memory.

I read to the children the Bible at lunchtime every day and we talk about things...every day. We have family devotions often in the evenings. We pray. We sing. It is who we are.

As for school, five is when I begin teaching how to read (starting with letter sounds) and write (letter forms). Once they can read and write relatively well, then the 'formal' schooling begins-more complex topics, more time devoted to learning.

Even before that there is plenty of learning going on though-in the form of puzzles, songs, practice, and in life. As with our faith, we have a deep love of learning. And when one has a zealous sort of love of something, it is hard to disconnect it from other areas of your life.

Everything just flows naturally into and around it.

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And for the record: The no-groceries challenge continues:

Friday~

Breakfast:

cornmeal mush with maple syrup
(raw) Eggnog

Lunch:
peanut butter and honey on whole wheat bread
Water

Afternoon Snack:
A slice each of Papa's birthday Summer Sausage (Andrews present to him). The last of it, I am afraid.
Dried apples

Dinner: We were syrupping this night, at Matts parents'. My mil made goulash. I brought pickled eggs and beets and snickerdoodles.

and Saturday~

Breakfast: Dippy eggs. Sausage patties. Toast. Cheerios.

Lunch: Peanut Butter and homemade Apple Butter for the children (used the last of the bread)

After the children went down for a nap I made Matt and I chili cheese fries using the last of an open bag of french fries in the freezer, chili using the last of the leftover meatsauce (from ziti night) and some velveeta. (We buy Velveeta cheese MAYBE once a year since it is a naughty treat-but boy, was I so glad I found some of it in the fridge!)

Afternoon Snack: Popcorn and Raisins. Water.

Dinner: Taco night. I used the last of the rice (from the Pineapple Pork Picante night) in our burritos along with meat flavored with homemade taco seasoning. Refried beans. A teeny bit of shredded cheddar (I am hoarding that last 1/3 a the bar!) Lettuce. Salsa. Tomato.

Sadly, without the blissful dollop of sour cream I love so much. :-(

Milk.

Curiousity killed the....

I have a few questions

and

would love any input you all have to offer.

Answer me! No pressure. But do it NOW! ;-)


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Inquiry #1:
What is your opinion on sharing beds? I have always been a one bed for all kind of girl, but have recently been considering having the girls sleeping in a kingsize bed together. I figure it could fit three or four (little) girls. Completely teetering on the fence about what would be best. What are your thoughts? Have you ever done it? Do your children do it? Do they/you love or hate it?

It would certainly cut down on washing sheets. (And bed space). And btw, I am talking about same gender. Just so we are clear.



Inquiry #2:
For those homeschoolers out there~ when is your homeschool day over? Do you shut the school books in the morning, afternoon or work all the way until evening (though sporatically) ? I'd love to know how long the homeschooling takes you each day (realizing, of course, it changes often)

Inquiry #3:

I have an almost 8 (in two weeks!) year old girl and a 5 year old boy that have expressed serious interest in receiving mail. As part of their writing assignments this school year, I would love to get them each a penpal in order to encourage enthusiasm in writing and to maybe fulfill that yearning for mail (and yes, it is yearning). If you have a child who would be willing to be a penpal for either Corynn or Andrew~ please contact me. I'd like a letter to/from to happen once a month during the school year. I am sure my children will be including stickers, artwork, etc. in their envelopes so you mustn't be opposed to receiving junk treasures along with the letters.


Inquiry #4:

I am planning on a homemade Christmas again this year. (I have a few presents stored up that need to be moved out but everything else will be handmade). Just curious~ has anyone else started thinking/planning/making Christmas presents yet?

Any awesome ideas I can steal?


Inquiry #5:

I have been pining to watch a good old hardworking-woman-in-an-apron, type of movie like Run the Wild Fields or Babettes Feast. Any suggestions?



Inquiry #6:

Does everyone know what c'est la vie mean? (OOPS. Edited because I MEANT TO WRITE Joie de vivre. THAT is what I was contemplating as a business name. It means 'joy of life' or 'joy of living'. Maybe Matt is right...if I can't even get the name down MYSELF. hehehe)

I have been considering it as a business name and I think it epitomizes what I want to convey. Matt thinks no one will know what it means or how to pronounce it. What do you think?

I guess that is all I can think of for now. I knew I had a few more, but, alas. I have the memory of a 98 year old. :-(

~pictures of: steeping a batch of rosewater~

*Muah*

It was my birthday yesterday.

My last year in my twenties and all of a sudden I am feeling not quite ready to get old. I still feel like I ought to be 22.


Matt made it lovely for me~ not with big gifts but with little moments. Like making me breakfast in bed and calling me lovely (!!) in front of the entire church congregation. And for pulled pork at dinnertime that *I* didn't have to make.


And a friend from church made me a surprise cheesecake! (oh my, do I love me some cheesecake!) What a wonderful, thoughtful thing to do, no?


And it was.... sublime.


Saw this floating around and thought how perfectly fitting for my birthday. I thought it would be pretty quick to answer, but it was surprisingly difficult to answer at times.
Wonder if/how my answers will have changed by next year?


At 29 years old:

i am: living my dream

i know: that no matter how hard I try or how badly I want it, I will never do everything right or know everything there is to know. And that it is okay.

i want: words of wisdom to rush forth from my lips at the exact moment they are needed. But they never do.

i have: way too many craft supplies.

i miss: love letters, singing around my Mom's piano and fitting into my wedding dress.

i fear: big huge bridges, heights, and walking on grates in the sidewalk. Not petrified, just...nervous. OKay. MAYBE petrified when it comes to bridges.

i feel: like I am not ready to be old yet, but I am getting there anyway.

i hear: songs in the breeze, laughter in the brooks and God in thunder

i crave: acceptance and love.
.
i search: for unnoticed treasures, beauty, moments and memories when I pick up the camera. And with each "click", I NOTICE. This is why I love taking photographs. And that is why I can't stop.

i regret: something new every day.

i love: seeing old people holding hands. Seeing large families with lots of well-behaved children. The sound of uncontrollable laughter. Laugh wrinkles. Matts voice.

i care: too much about what other people think of me.

i always: wear toenail polish. I feel naked without it. And when I wear RED, I feel just a little bit risque. ;-)

i believe: that there is something beautiful about every single person on earth and that is what we need to be looking for.

i dance: even when I don't have a dancing partner (which is always since Matt only dances with me in the kitchen and never in public.) *sniff*

i sing: really loudly and in all circumstances

i don’t always: say yes to my children when I should. Say no to my children when they shouldn't. Use my time wisely.

i truly desire: land of our own where I can plant orchards and vineyards, rhubarb and asparagus and live there long enough to harvest them. I want to grow children in a place where they can dig dirty toes in dirt and make strong roots. To have a home that great-great grandchildren can still visit long after we are gone and say "That was great great Grandpapa and Grandmama's house. Papa played on that tree when he was boy."

i like: playing cards at my in-laws. Sitting around a bonfire. Anything sparkly. Yard-saling. Playing kick the can on a Sunday afternoon. My dad's gray hair. Reading in the grass. Throwing parties. Decorating. Working in my craft room. Wearing flowers in my hair. Giving Handmade. Finding a letter in my mailbox.

i write: every.single.day

i lose: almost always at chess, almost never at Blink.

i win: in all circumstances.(James 1:2-12)

i try: not to interrupt when friends are talking but sometimes I am so excited to talk to them I forget.

i never: eat fish, drink coffee or drive by myself to a place I have never been without VERY PRECISE DIRECTIONS.

i am grateful: for men who open doors for women, people who encourage and compliment at the grocery store even when they don't have to. For children who stand up to offer you a chair when there are no more available. For courtesies that were once commonplace that no longer are and feeling happy to witness them when they do happen.

i listen: to a wide range of music, from Psalms to Frank Sinatra to Johnny Cash. And I sing to all of them.

i am scared: Of living without my husband. Burying my children. Cancer.

i need: sugar

i am happy about: the very pivotal, very exciting, very challenging, very faith-building, very life-changing, very prayerfully-dependent thing that is happening this very week.

(and now you see my one freakish eyebrow that stands in salute. My gift to you.)

A bit more~

Recently~ I got asked a few questions I promised to answer and here are my answers:

About photography- I have a fairly good digital, but its a compact. Did you just work on skills until you could get a really lovely, 'fancy camera?

Yup. I saved and saved for my digital camera and in the meantime I used a little bitty digital camera that had been a gift. I really wanted to 'do' the photographs myself....focus them, set the attributes, etc. but I really stunk at it at first. I forced myself to shoot fully manual so that I would learn to do it and I have come this far just by practicing and through trial and error. As I said in the chatbox, though, I have a loooooooong way to go because I toss more photos than I keep. That is the reason why I created Foto Friday here at Renaissance, to keep learning and pushing myself with photography.

If you have a compact camera, you are completely capable of taking extraordinary photographs. The camera will set the settings for you, yes, but this will allow you to focus your attentions on getting great focus, keeping your hands steady to reduce camera shake, shooting from different angles, trying out different perspectives, using the rule of thirds, decluttering your backgrounds, and utilizing light. Here is a post with some links you might like to read. And you know....you could always participate in Foto Friday! ;-)
Secondly- did you get good at sewing by just practicing too?

You give me too much credit. I enjoy sewing but I am no great seamstress. I still find myself looking cross-eyed at patterns and looking up how to do zippers and buttonholes; I still shirk at the mere THOUGHT of adjusting patterns to my own measurements and I have YET to actually create something for MYSELF that is usable . I sewed, yes, for a long time but it was like child-sewing until a good friend (and amazing seamstress) showed me how important it was to iron, iron, iron. Take your time. Rip and redo if necessary and generally taught me what it means to sew well. I am still practicing that to this day and quite frankly, will continue to do so for the rest of my days.

Thirdly, (sorry- there's more!), why did you choose to homeschool? our church is starting a Classical school in 2013, but I still would prefer to homeschool. My little one is only 9 mnths old (I think WAY ahead!), but I would love an enormous brood, and love the idea of us spending our days around our home, and having them with me until they are much, much bigger. The thing is, the school would provide great Classical Christian education. My only real reason for wanting to homeschool is that it just seems right to me. I I want to be able to train my little ones myself. So just wondering what made you lean in that direction?

**** This is a LOADED QUESTION and by answering, I realize I will make quite a few enemies so let me just preface this with the fact that this is OUR decision for OUR family. We emphatically believe that Christian parents have the responsibility to educate their children in a Godly manner but we also realize that homeschooling is not the ONLY way to do this. That said, my answer: ****

Your ONLY REASON sounds like a great reason to me! If you ask me, having a desire to homeschool is a great sign that you ought to at least try it out.

I have often wondered what I would reply if someone were to ask me why I homeschool, mainly because I have SO MANY different reasons for homeschooling that I could probably make the curious persons' head SPIN.

You are talking about a classical Christian education, so sounds to me like you already know the importance of a Godly education and that is primarily the reason we don't send our children to public school. So the question then becomes~ Why do we homeschool instead of sending them to Christian school? Well, sometimes I only WISH we sent them to Christian school (homeschooling can be hard work!) but since today is a good day (hehehe)...

~ I want to be able to talk to, train and teach my children not only when they rise up and go to bed, but while they are walking along the way and sitting in the house. Homeschooling offers a whole lot more of those moments than does sending them away for seven hours a day.

~I would rather have my children use the time it takes going from class to class and waiting for the class to settle down instead to be playing outside, exploring or learning by themselves through play, art, etc. USING every moment, not wasting it because each moment is precious.

~ I want my children to be free to be who they are and not have who they are become measured by peer pressures, bullies, or any outside forces at all. If that means wearing cowboy boots and bandanna, so be it.

~ I want my children to not be interrupted by bells every 45 minutes when their interest is just getting piqued. I want for them to become obsessed with subjects that make them happy~and be able to do so.

~ I want my children to have ample time to learn and grow and BE without being taught at all hours of the day. I am sad that schooling takes so much of our childrens' lives away from them and frankly, ANGERED, that enough is never enough.

~ I want to know firsthand what is going on in their lives and what is being fed to them, even in Christian schools worldviews vary.

~ Unlike even the BEST of school teachers in the very BEST of schools, I am able to adjust education to meet the needs of my individual child by offering more instruction or more challenging material, depending on his/her needs. It would be unfair to expect ANYONE to adjust education based on the needs of an entire classroom.

~ Childhood is fleeting and I love seeing every.single.minute.of.it.

~ Not to mention, we love children and want loads of them (big surprise, no?) so sending them to Christian school would be our financial demise. :-)

Again, these are the reasons why WE thought homeschooling was the best option for OUR family. I am not saying it is the only way to provide a godly education for your children but the way that best suits US. I made that qualifier in BIG font so we are clear and I won't get any hate-mail. I hate hate-mail.


Fourthly, I love your blog so much that I am reading all your archived posts, but they only show the last week or so of each month. Or am I doing something wrong?

Nope. You are not doing anything wrong. I noticed this a while ago but the only way to fix the problem is to create a new template for my blog. This means I would have to discard the beautiful flowers in the background that I love so much, the lovely print and scrolling quote at the top, the beautiful lace and flowers and well-just everything that makes my blog lovely to me. Not to mention, I STINK at technical stuff and am afraid when I DO change it, I will delete my blog or something. So I have avoided fixing the problem up until now. I know I must. But knowing and doing are two different things. The perk in not having archives for the time being? You do not get to see how awful my pictures started out as and how soapboxy I was in the beginning. I like to think I have grown a bit since the start of this blog and it is awful nice to not have to look back at what I once was. (Or have other people see.) :-)

Also~ I have news!

I was featured HERE with last years Easter ensemble.

I was featured HERE with my pillowcase skirt tutorial.

And finally, ever since Google Notebook abandoned me, I have been searching for a way to keep track of all the great ideas/inspirations/tutorials I find on the web. I finally found it a few weeks ago, in Pinterest, which is even MORE great because I can"pin" all the treasures I find around in photographs as well as ORGANIZING them into groups called "pinboards". You can check out my pins or even follow them by going here.

See all the cool projects I have in store for SOMEDAY?

I guess that covers it!

Q & A: (in which the audience cries FINALLY!!!)

It has been two months since I first opened up the floor to questions from blog readers for me to answer. The first installment with questions about me in particular I answered here, the second installment on education I answered here but then the holidays came and went and time flew by and my memory lapsed (as it does about 15 times a day) and now, here it is February.

Now is the time to post the final installment and I thank you for the grace you have shown me in your patience. This final installment is on religion and I want to admit right here and now, this is the one that has my hands all clammy and my nerves in a jumble.

We religious folk can be some of the most obstinate and my-way-or-the-highway people ever so it is not without quite a lot of hesitation that I write. But here goes anyway. Remember: YOU ASKED.

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In your homeschooling (or just in your lives in general), is there emphasis on the children memorizing scripture?

Yes, though I quite fail miserably at meeting my own expectations.

I remember as a young lady, sitting on the front porch of my parents' house and talking with my Opa, who lived through World War II in Holland, and being very much disturbed as we were talking about war and peace, struggle and triumph. I remember exclaiming over the atrocities during that time period, and the things he himself dealt with and him saying "Ach. You vill see, Rebay-cah, it vill be dat vay again. Dat is vhy eet is so important to memorize de Bible vile you haff it, so dat vhen you no longer vill be ABLE to haff it, it vill still be vith you." That conversation actually made me angry because I didn't want to believe it, didn't want to TALK about it, and it was too scary to even comprehend. Nevertheless those words have always stuck with me. The Word written on your heart, can never be taken away.

I am teaching the children to sing one psalm a month, we are working on the Westminster Shorter Catechism questions, we do memory verses sporadically (usually verses pertaining to present struggles) and I teach the children certain biblical foundations like the Lord's Prayer, the Apostles' Creed, the Beatitudes, and up next~ the books of the Bible.

Even still, I could do much better at this. It can be sporatic and sometimes non-existent. I should like to introduce new memory work more routinely, and I would love to get to the point of having large selections memorized. Most of this memory work is done during school time, then they recite them (a.k.a. show off!) to Matt during family worship time or at the dinner table.

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Second, if time allows, what does family worship look like in your house? Having three young children, I often wonder if I could make this area better in our home.

And ye shall teach them your children, speaking of them when thou sittest in thine house, and when thou walkest by the way, when thou liest down, and when thou risest up. ~Deuteronomy 11:19


We know the value of family worship, we know the value of personal devotions as well. But knowing the truth and importance and blessing of these things isn't a fail-proof way to succeed. Matt doesn't get home until late, that is, WHEN he is home and sometimes we are exhausted by the time dinner is over. Sometimes it is HARD to show discipline. But, the hardest things in life are often the most worthwhile and that couldn't be more true in this case. Also, the more you do it, the more you enjoy it, the more you are blessed by it. I tell you this because telling you what we do can wrongly imply that we do it perfectly each day, which we don't. Sometimes we fail rather profoundly. Keep this in mind as you read and remember, I am a *real* person. That changes everything.

We pray the Lord's prayer in unison for breakfast. We sing our monthly psalm before school starts.

Lunchtime is when we do the bulk of our Bible time. At lunchtime, I pray aloud, then it is Corynn's turn, then Andrew and recently, Adele' has begun to speak gibberish with folded hands. ;-) I began this as a way to encourage my children not to feel awkward with praying aloud (something I try at times to overcome myself) but have found a wonderful benefit to be the ability to see into their hearts and find out what they think about. It is one of the most worthwhile things I have ever done. It gives me great joy to hear my children pray.

While the children eat lunch, I read them a bible story and we discuss it. We read from a childrens bible the stories, and from a King James bible we will often read a psalm or proverb. This year I am going to begin reading throughout the whole Bible with them using these Bible cards as an outline. During lunchtime, also, we practice memory work that I would like the children to learn, often things our church is going through, like the Beatitudes, the ten commandments, etc.

In the evenings after dinner, we will sing some psalms, Matt will read from scripture (going through Matthew, presently), talk about it and then we pray together again. Sometimes we do this around the dinner table, other times we "retire" to the living room and comfy couches.

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I've often wondered how you would describe what your "Christian Doctrine" is, I mean you mentioned a while back that your children listened to the Westminster Shorter Catechism music CD. Are you Reformed? (I know you're not Lutheran cause you told me so).

and

I'm interested to know more about whether your faith would fall into any particular label/category-? -

See, now this is the one that gets me all nervous. Here is the thing. I get squirmy about talking about my denomination for a few reasons.

I find that people of the faith are easily tempted to pride and/or judgementalism. I don't want myself or my thoughts to be discredited because I am from a different denomination and certainly don't want people to think I feel I am all high and mighty, so I purposely leave this out. I like to dwell on the things that we as people of faith have in common, not our differences. I think this is one of the greatest downfalls of the Church at this time in history, that we allow teeny differences (and I *am* talking about teeny differences) to separate us from our Body. We are one loaf.

I was raised to be Reformed Presbyterian and Matt was even an Elder of a Reformed Presbyterian church for a time. A few years ago, however, after about a years worth of study and research (and quite a bit of kicking and screaming on my part), we became convicted of what is called paedocommunion; that is, allowing children to partake of the Lord's supper without meeting an age requirement or passing some intellectual test. We moved in order to attend a church with similar convictions. We now attend a small denomination called the Federation of Reformed Churches. We are a reformed denomination with paedocommunion as its distinctive.

And I still consider myself Presbyterian, I just haven't been able (as yet) to convince all my Presbyterian relatives and friends to join me or FORC members to join up with RPers. (But I am working on it.) hehehe

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I'd love to know how/when you became a Christian (I grew up in the Reformed Church but aren't a Christian.......I quite envy people with faith. Guess I must know that something is missing??

I am one of the faithful few who come with a boring testimony. I grew up in a church going family, and yet I remember as a little girl sitting on the top bunk of my bunkbed wondering "How can I be SURE that God is real? Aren't Buddhists as convinced of their god as I am of mine?" and "What if I am wrong? I will burn in hell for all eternity, thinking all along I was loving the RIGHT God, but being faithless to Buddha." I wish I would have had an answer like this one, way back then. I would have saved myself a lot of excruciating worry.

I spent my childhood practicing faith but there was a pivotal moment when it became clear to me that I wasn't just seeking God, but He was just as interested in my life. I was a wounded girl, miserable in my own doing and I was at a crossroads in my life. God, in His mercy helped me find the way and my life was completely, utterly and unequivocally changed forever. I wrote about it here.

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1. I think you touched on this in your disciplining series but could you offer more specifics on attending church with your little ones and your expectations for their behavior there?

We have our children worship with us. We have never sent them out to nursery school or childrens' church. When they need disciplining, we take them out and then bring them right back in. I don't allow our babies to walk around during service-they sit on my lap and snuggle, or they sit on the chair next to me. I realize it is hard, and harder for some than others, but the benefits far outweigh to difficulties.

Firstly, there is more chance to pick something up from the Pastor if you are actually in presence of the pastor and often we don't give our children enough credit for paying attention (even when we don't think they are.)

Secondly, I have found, when you teach your children straight from babyhood to sit still and quietly in church-it doesn't take them long to learn. It is much harder to train them to sit still if they have had a taste for playing in the nursery or running around in the pew. This is me, just trying to make my life easier. :-)

Finally, and most importantly, even if they get NOTHING that the pastor is saying, when they are worshiping beside us the most important lesson they can receive (and do) is "You are a part of this body of believers. Though you are but a child, you matter to God and He wants you here. This is yours." That is far greater than any sermon text.

My expectations for them? I expect them to not be a distraction to others, but there are times when they meet those expectations and when they really, REALLY do not. I expect them to participate as well as they can. Sometimes, they can tell me just what the sermon is about, other times they have no recollection at all. Sometimes we are the loudest singing family of the church, even with Miss Addie Mae belting out gibberish at the top of her lungs and other times, it is more than a whisper coming from the children.

For the most part though:

~For the almost-two year old, participating means sitting when we sit, standing when we stand, holding the bread and wine while WAITING for everyone to be served before partaking (Yes, these things are possible!).

~For the non-reading 4 yr old, this also means singing and praying, reciting things he has memorized and listening (as best he can).

~For the reader of the family, in addition to everything stated, she can read along with us and sing along with us, even things that are unfamiliar.

If we recite the beatitudes during worship, I make a point of going over the Beatitudes with them at home-teaching them, so that they can participate when in church. Being able to actively participate in church makes church a PART of them, not just a place to go.

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I've been in church all of my life and have never really understood the do's and dont's concerning honoring the Sabbath. I've seen you make references to this several times throughout your blog. What are your thoughts on what the Day of Rest should look like for your family... would love to know what you think and practice as a 'rule' for your family.

God made the heavens and the earth, the seas and all that they contain in six days by His very breath, and it was good. On the seventh day He rested. He didn't rest because He was tired, He didn't rest because He needed to. He rested to give His people an example of how to rest, knowing that we WOULD need to. He was considering our frame and blessing us with rest.

The Sabbath looks differently to different people but one thing I am certain of is that it isn't about a certain list of do's and don'ts. Sometimes we like these sorts of lists because they require less of us than using wisdom/seeking after wisdom, but the lists really are doing more to belittle it than to bless it.

The Sabbath ought to be our delight, a day set apart. It is the fresh start to the beginning of the week, a time to rest from the mundane and hard work of the workweek and a time when we can commune with God and His people. We need the Sabbath for all these reasons and it was created for us for all these reasons.

Some ways we make it set apart:

We prepare our hearts for the Sabbath the night before. We bathe the children Saturday evening so that we might have as unhurried (and unharried) a morning as possible. Setting clothes out the night before can also be a great help to the calmness of the morning. We want to be fresh and ready to worship, not falling asleep in our pews~ so we try to diligently get to bed (put the children to bed) at reasonable times on Saturday nights as well.

We try not to make other people work on the Sabbath. Not only does this encourage them NOT to work by us not requiring it of them, we are living out the testimony that the Sabbath is Holy and a delight.

I often write handwritten cards and letters to those in need, sick, widowed or dying. Or none of the above, and just friends who might get a smile from an envelope in the mailbox. It makes a difference. And yes, even to the men.

We spend it together.

We spend it wisely.

We celebrate it. Up until recently we had a weekly Sabbath feast and really did things up as a way of celebrating and setting apart the day. Only recently our church switched times of worship when we started borrowing another churches building. We now leave home at 12:15 and don't get home until 6:00 pm. (We have an hour commute each way). So I am trying to reconfigure a way that we can revive this tradition without me, say, going insane. Having a special meal with a special tablecloth or napkins, a bit of wine and a dessert is such a wonderful blessing each week. Truly edifying.

Here are two book recommendations on the subject if you are interested:

• Celebrating the Sabbath by Bruce A Ray and
• Call the Sabbath a Delight by Walter J. Chantry

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There now. Not a thing you don't know about me anymore...