Memory Verse: Psalms 26:2 NIV
Test me, O LORD, and try me, examine my heart and my mind.Please try to learn our memory verse this week. We will be sharing a new verse every week and hope that you will store them in your hearts and find a special joy in His words. Intro: Try it, you’ll like it! (Life Cereal)
When everyone else was afraid to try Life Cereal, they called on Mikey. Sometimes stepping out of our comfort zone is just too scary. Have you felt God gently (or maybe not so gently) nudging you to do something for someone else? You know that it needs to be done, but you keep putting it off because it is outside of your comfort zone? Well ladies, this week we are taking a step outside of our comfort zones.

I dislike my flesh.  I don’t admire my carnal nature.  And my self-centredness is despicable. 

And sometimes, I feel too tired to do anything about it.

I am struggling with my attitude about life right now.  Struggling to keep putting one foot in front of the other with a smile on my face.  It’s easy to grumble and complain.  It’s hard to bless the Lord, anyhow. 

I want to “give thanks in all things.”  I want to learn that in “whatsoever state I am, therewith to be content.”  But unfortunately for me, I do not possess that happy tendency to do as many Christians do, and smile on anyway.  So there you go.  Full-on admission to being selfish and discontent.  (I feel guilty even expressing this, because just yesterday I was talking with another homeschooling mom who is about my age, and she’s fighting a battle with breast cancer.  Makes me sound petty.)  But, the biggest difference, is that most of those Christians I’ve known who carry on with their “glory hallelujahs” and “bless you, brothers” and “the devil is out to get you, but praise the Lord anyway, sisters” just aren’t realistic.  They don’t really deal with the big, difficult struggles in life.  They shove it all down inside, and pretend it isn’t there.  So is it better to live in denial, and have some sense of peace, albeit manufactured?  Or is it better to get the mess out in the open, even if it means a few moments, days or even months of anger and resentment being the main emotions you express? 

What say you?

Well, I’m still recovering!  ha, ha…

My shift was good, went fast.  They basically threw me into the fray.  This particular restaurant in understaffed, and they don’t have enough extra people to train.  So I hung out with one of the girls, and helped her assemble orders.  I’m in the take-out section, for now. 

The girl training me has been there for three weeks.  lol!

But, I’m thinking it’s pretty much a God thing.  She’s a Christian.  And we had some great conversation after the crowds died down and we were able to work on stocking supplies.  She’s got a great heart, strong faith, and is witnessing to her co-workers.  From the first time I entered this business to leave a resume to last night, I’ve had a good feeling about it.  I’m still struggling with just wanting to be home with my kids and hubby at night, but I know that this doesn’t have to be long-term.  For now, I think I’ll enjoy it. 

Note to self: purchase some REAL non-slip shoes. 

I will be getting to my Blogger Friend and Homeschool Memoirs posts asap. 

Well, today I go to work.  For the first time in well over eight years.  It’s nothing glamorous - serving/hosting at a restaurant - but it’s an income.  The business has not done well the past two years, and we just can’t keep up on the few contracts that Greg has.  We *could* move to a cheaper house, but that might take months just to sell this place, not to mention we couldn’t afford the moving expenses.  Traveling to town is hard with the gas prices, so in some ways, a move back to town makes the most sense.  At the same time, we’re not convinced that we should be anywhere but here.  So for now, I need to work, so we can eat.  Cause we all like food.  We’re crazy like that.  My first shift is today, and I work for six hours.  I know it will fly by, as it usually does on first days.  I’m not nervous about the job, really, just that I want to make sure I’m doing the right thing.  This means being away from the kids at night, so Greg will have tucking-in duties.  I’ll miss that.  At the same time, it’s been so long since I’ve done something that was sort of separate from my family - I mean this is FOR my family - but it’s just me…and the general public.  ha, ha….

Anyway, I WISH we were in a place where I didn’t have to do this, but I just keep telling myself now I’m even more Proverbs 31.  Now I’m out in the “marketplace,” while still homeschooling the kiddos in the morning, and getting lots of time with them.

Pray for me!

So, here we are, beginning our third week of school this year.  So far, so good.  This is our fourth official year of homeschooling, and the very FIRST where I’ve started on my target date, and stuck with it EVERY day.  I’ve had a few days where I felt more like doing next to nothing, but we’ve gotten it done anyway.  Not much resistance from the kids, and in fact, Cole seems to be more motivated than I am.  Luke is difficult to focus for any time, so I’m going to be purchasing a timer, as he loves to race the clock. 

We have a few fun field trips coming up over the next several weeks, and we will soon begin making trips to the library frequently.  Something that hasn’t happened since before the baby was born.  The kids LOVE the library.  I need to learn to relax while we’re there.  And I think we’ll be actually staying there longer when we go.  Up until now, we’ve basically made a quick run in, grab a few books each, and then back out.  After having a brief tour of the library in June, the kids are anxious to be able to stay, sit at the tables, use the computer and read books before we leave. 

For the other homeschoolers, how is it going in your homeschool?

This week we are to share something new that we are using for school.  I have several new things this year, but most I haven’t even gotten yet.  As we’re starting a full schedule in October, I haven’t purchased all my curriculum yet.

We are using Considering God’s Creation for science this year.  This is one we do already have.  The kids and I are both looking forward to it.  After finally -being able to go through it all, I have a better understanding of how it works, and I think there will be lots of lapbooking done this year.  You can find this for sale through various sources, including on the second-hand boards.  The authors are Susan Mortimer and Betty Smith.  ISBN: 1-931292-14-0 (Teacher’s Manual) and ISBN: 1-913292-15-9 (2 Volume Set).  The Company is Eagle’s Wings Educational Materials, and they are online at www.EaglesWingsEd.com.

Well, my last BFS school assignment found me writing about struggling with isolation and loneliness.  Today I was up and at it early to be ready for my niece and nephew to spend a few hours with us.  I had a visit with their mom, my dear sister in law, when they first arrived, and when she returned to pick them up.  She wasn’t even out of the driveway, when a friend of mine came for a visit with four of her eight children.  Then off she went just in time for Greg to come home.  We spent the next two hours tidying up the house for a group of people coming for dinner and our weekly home fellowship.  It’s been hard for both of us to attend, and it just works so great having it here.  After our meal, which usually isn’t til late, we can tuck the kids in bed and keep on going with the adults.  There were three other couples, and one brought their dog, a golden retriever.  We had lots of fun watching Riley (their dog) and Copper (our dog, also a golden), get to know each other.  Through the course of discussion, we realized they are very likely full brothers, one litter apart!  How neat is that?!  So, we’re thinking more seriously about getting another dog.  Copper was sooo happy with his friend/brother, and so was Riley, who is quite lonely, so say his owners.  Maybe next spring?  

It was a good day, and tonight I go to bed feeling not quite so isolated, and very much a part of the body of Christ.

Assignment: This would be a good week to tell about your worst struggles with a lifestyle of homeschooling.  Tell about something you’ve struggled with and how God’s mercies gave us the strength to get past it.  Also, share any curriculum/homeschool methods that have been a relief to you, i.e., a particular Teacher’s Manual or Homeschooling method that’s been easier for your family.  Talk about how you felt when the burden was lifted and Oh, What a Relief it is!

I think my biggest burden or struggle with homeschooling has been the isolation. Not having much interaction with my extended family has been difficult, but we also live out of town, so there aren’t any neighbours with other children for my kids to play with. We all feel it sometimes. It has led to a huge battle with discontentment on my part. I am a very relationally-based personality, but as I said in a previous post, even my own pastor’s wife was discouraging me from homeschooling. This made me feel extremely isolated, and that was in a church that promoted itself as a “community” of believers. I felt like talking about homeschooling was taboo, sort of like if I talk about it, I’m encouraging it, and that’s going against what the pastor’s family was doing.  One of the older ladies in that church was over for dinner one night with her husband.  At some point I’d referred to homeschooling in the context of “when we were doing our homeschool this week…”  Well, my dear friend looked at me like she had no idea what I was talking about.  Then she just outright asked me if I was homeschooling.  That was after going to the same church for three years!  Needless to say, I felt very lonely.  I am still learning to find contentment in this stage of life, so it’s a work in progress. I can’t say that I’ve felt the “relief” in this area yet. I am also learning that contentment is more often a choice than a feeling, so I am concentrating on making my home a beautiful and nurturing place to be, making memories with my family, and living life with simplicity. Another big issue for me has been my autistic son. He is such a delight, and I knew that I couldn’t send him into the fray of the public system. He attended a Christian preschool for a year. He did well, but there was one thing about it that really bothered me. He would come home with a “report” card every so often. He was doing fine in most areas, but in the area of spiritual growth, they always marked “n/a”. That hurt! I’ve often struggled with wondering how much he does understand. Well, on Monday, God gave me a beautiful gift.  My son said to me, “Mom, God is real, right? And, Mom, Jesus is God’s Son, right?” Wow! I didn’t know whether to laugh or cry! And oh yes, “what a relief it is.”  God is good!

So, for you who live south of the border, you’re gearing up for the grand finale of two years of advertising, pontificating, promising, campaigning and primaries.  In November, you will FINALLY be able to cast your ballot and walk away knowing you’ve done your part to seem the completion of all the efforts of the past two years.

Well, here in the Great White North, we are also having an election.  We will be voting on October 14, the day after Thanksgiving.  The Election was called on Sunday.  Yes, you read that right.  Sunday morning to be precise, and by the afternoon there were signs up all over the city calling for voters to go Red.  We get a whole month of advertising, pontificating, promising, campaigning and debates.  Though there are things about our country that I find lacking, and I envy about the Good Ole US of A, I do NOT envy your two years of election news.  Heck, it even takes over our news coverage here.  I don’t even live there, and I’m tired of it! 

So, we’re voting five weeks from today, and it will be done, and we’ll know who our Prime Minister will be for the next four (I hope!) years. 

I really, really, REALLY hope it’s not ……

Also, please vote.  If you choose to not exercise this right AND privilege, please do not complain. 

So, remember this past January when I wrote this post about an old best friend from childhood?  Well, in August she was married, twice.  The official wedding was in Edmonton where she and her groom reside, and the second one was in New Brunswick, with her family and friends.  We’ve been in contact since a couple of days after I first posted in January about my “dilemma”, and since then it’s been fairly consistent contact. I had the honour of doing a reading AND singing during her ceremony here in NB. It was a beautiful celebration, and the joy was added to by the fact that my long-time best friend (since I was 12 I think…), Rachael, was able to come and spend nearly a week with us. Unfortunately she was unable to bring her family along, so I have yet to meet any of her children in person. She was finally able to meet the four youngest of mine, as Cole was about three months old when we went out west to attend her wedding. We had a fun overnight trip to Halifax, and just truly enjoyed many hours of talking and hanging out. And what fun to get dressed up together for this wedding. I miss her so much already, but we’ve determined we will never again allow EIGHT years to pass without seeing each other. Distance is a hurdle, but we are not going to let it keep us apart so much. Even if it’s just hopping on a plane and meeting in the middle for a long weekend, we’ll do what we have to. Love you, Rach!