Hey friends, sorry about the seemingly constant changes to this blog site. Although I have a tendency to constantly rearrange my furniture at home and buy new purses with each season, it’s not my desire to confuse my readers. I’m new to this blogging thing and as time goes on I keep learning new things to make it a little better. I’m hoping not to keep making such dramatic changes to the layout (though I can’t promise no change to color and decor..wink wink). Please hang with me, I’m enjoying the process and hope you are enjoying the thoughts.
Author: jenschuyler
4Ts of Anticipation
Here it is midway through February and I find myself with this eager feeling of anticipation. I love anticipation. I find it both motivating and invigorating. It’s no wonder, after two weeks of being stuck in the house with record-breaking snow and low temperatures. I know those who live north of here think me a whiny wimp, but hey, I’m a whiny wimp. Here are my four T’s of anticipation that I’m dwelling on today:
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| My baby Crabtree, hoping for big things from her this spring. |
Turning Seasons
Today is projected to be about 73 degrees. Wow! With temperatures like this it brings on the anticipation of spring. I keep finding myself staring out our living room window to our backyard. I have plans and can hardly wait to get out there. I know that there will still be some cold days ahead, so I must restrain this feeling. However, it is motivating for plan making. There’s to be a vegetable garden between our house and my mother in law’s cottage. I am excited to see our Crabapple trees we bought last year burst into full bloom, along with our redbud tree. I’m itching to get out into the flowerbeds and clean them out. Oh the dreams I’m having. 2nd man will be getting scared pretty soon if this nice weather lingers long. The dollar signs and honey-dos keep adding up in his eyes when I get this way.
A Tribute
The next thing I’m anticipating is a book signing by the Pioneer Woman, a local celebrity, because of her cookbook and blog www.thepioneerwoman.com next week at our local bookstore. She has a new book out about how she met her husband. Honestly I don’t really know much about the new book, but I have her best-selling cookbook and love it. I’m hoping it isn’t rude to bring an older book to a book signing. I just love her wit and humor…really…the cookbook is a good read. I even got an apple green Dutch oven for Christmas from the 2nd man. I imagine myself posing like her on the cover of her book, wishing I were a good cook. Anyway, I’m taking my daughters to this book signing so that they can snap pictures of me meeting the Pioneer Woman. I’m not usually a fan of people like this. I don’t get moved much by movie stars or singers, but someone who can help me do better at something I already have to do and make it fun too…well, that’s someone I admire.
A Talk
In March I’m anticipating something so exciting. 2nd man, our kids, and I are going to the headquarters of The Voice of the Martyrs in Bartlesville, OK to a regional conference. I’ve been so caught up in reading books about martyred or tortured missionaries this year and can hardly wait to go. The first book along these lines that I read was several years ago, when I read the book In the Presence of My Enemies, by Gracia Burnham. She and her husband were missionaries to the Philippines and were taken captive by Muslim terrorists. Her husband was killed on the day of their rescue. I remember just throwing a whole afternoon away; because I couldn’t put her book down to do anything else. Anyway, she’s going to be one of the speakers at this conference and I can hardly wait to see and hear her along with three other speakers. They’re having a kids program as well. This is something about which I feel burdened to have my kids learn about. So that they can see beyond themselves a little and realize what others are doing in the world for Christ. You can read more about the organization at http://www.voiceofthemartyrs.com/
A Trip
Now, finally the piece de resistance of my anticipation is a trip the 2nd man and I will be taking a trip in April. I wrote in a previous blog post, http://www.2ndmanswife.com/2010/11/longevity-moment.html about a young evangelist, David Corn, who used to be in our youth department. Soon after seeing him in December, we heard that he and his girlfriend, Joy, had gotten engaged. Just a couple of weeks ago he called and asked the 2nd man to be a groomsman in his wedding! The catch is that the wedding is in Pennsylvania. 2nd man and I discussed this and agreed that he couldn’t say no, both for himself, and for David. Not only is it an honor, but a privilege and one of those memories that need to be made for longevity’s sake. When our Megan had been asked to be a flower girl in another of our previous teens weddings, I was on a high for weeks feeling honored and realizing that some do listen. I believe 2nd man needs this for a shot in the arm of usability.
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| Megan and I at Amy and Ryan’s wedding |
I’m excited, for the wedding, the time with 2nd man and the airplane trip. It’s not my first time on a plane by any means, but anyone who knows me, knows I love to fly. 2nd man is also going to take me around Philadelphia, since I’ve never been there too. I can’t wait for this trip and to blog about it afterwards.
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Amy and my Megan
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Yes, I’m full of anticipation like a kid at Christmas. I feel fresh and motivated and…hey…with alliteration like this I could almost preach it! Just kidding (fundamental Baptist remember J ) Anyway, wishing everyone a happy week full of anticipation like daffodil bulbs poking their noses up to see if it’s time to sprout out.
A Crown of Selfishness
I’m so glad that God’s love covers our sins. I shudder to think of what a deep hole I’d have dug myself by now if I didn’t have his patient, sin-covering, love guiding and directing me. It’s shameful enough, how long it’s taken me to even follow that guidance. And shameful, still, how often I still fight it. I think if we all had crowns that depicted our character traits to the world I’d probably be wearing the crown of selfishness.
There are a few moments, or events rather, in my life that have given me glimpses of just how selfish I can be. I don’t really like to dwell on these things, but they have had a bearing on my role as a 2nd man’s wife. I even secretly wonder if they’ve played a role in holding back my 2nd man from having a better ministry or being who he could be had I submitted better to the Lord in my life. Some may even be humanly justifiable, however, I don’t want to be a person who has to rationalize why I didn’t respond in a godly manner to something or someone.
A couple of these events are those that I believe most people experience. Those were marriage and childbirth. No two events greater reveal the selfishness of a person. In getting married, the expectations are the real kicker. When the wedding is over, and the details of daily life become reality, it’s hard to get over those expectations. I remember being so frustrated at the 2nd man for not being able to read my mind. I would think to myself, “how could he not know that I’d want him to take out the trash?” or, “How could he not know what I wanted for my birthday?” Thankfully, I have been able to grow in this area, and though I still battle selfishness in marriage, hopefully, I’ve grown just through maturity.
Childbirth was the other big reveal. I’ve never met another mom who doesn’t relate to this. Even from the day I first went into labor, the battle of the will had begun. When the pain set in and the reality struck I looked at 2nd man and said, “I don’t want to do this, I want to go home.” We laugh now, but at that moment it seemed perfectly logical in my head. Then the nurse came in and told me the baby would have to be fed every 2 hours! Whaaaat!!! I thought I’d scoured every inch of that baby book, but somehow I missed that 2 hour number. Oh, that really threw me for a loop. Ever since then and every child since then has revealed how selfish I am and chipped away at that luxurious selfishness. All in all, I’ve gladly given it up.
However, there is one area of my life that has been a struggle for me and I’m glad to say that it gets better with age. That is the area of being a 2nd man’s wife in relation to acknowledgement. Just this past week I had a birthday and it was one of the best ever. One may wonder why, it wasn’t a big one (37), there was no large party, it was a quiet day that ended with a fun date with my husband. That’s just it, though, I wasn’t hung up on needing any acknowledgement.
When we were young in the ministry (and young in age) I had kind of expected people to acknowledge my big days like they did our pastor’s wife. I was so impressed, when we first came here, to see how many of the women were concerned over what would be done for the pastor’s wife for her birthday. Every year I’d have some of them approach me about helping them with a plan. When my birthday came around I was excited to see what might be done. Oh, I didn’t expect all the women of the church, but I was sure that the moms of teens or even the teens might do something or at least acknowledge. The day would come and go, year after year without any grandeur. Really, the same happened for 2nd man. But we won’t go there, (he’s always handled things better than me.)
I got really excited one year when a family in our church had let the staff know that the Lord had laid on their hearts to do something really special for the staff members. Not, for any birthdays or holidays, but just as a way to express thanks, I guess. Anyway, they took the pastor and his wife, and the outreach minister and his wife to Colorado to a nice cabin retreat. They provided all the meals and even made them very special for everyone. They took them on hikes and let them have an all around time of pampering and rest. We weren’t invited, because I had just had our third child a few months earlier and of course nobody wants a newborn on a relaxing trip. This, I understood. To make up for not being able to take us they did something different. For 2nd man it was front row seating to a Dallas Cowboys football game! 2nd man is a die-hard fan of the Dallas cowboys so this was like winning the lottery for him. They sent him with our song leader. They told me that I was to be treated to a queen for a day spa treatment in Tulsa with the man’s wife. I was really excited. It sounded like a great gift for a new mom especially. Time came and went and nothing more happened or was said. Finally, at Christmas the man handed me a card for a half hour massage at the local small town spa next door to the church offices.
Normally, I’d be ecstatic for a half hour massage. I mean, it’s not exactly a luxury I spend on myself, and I can appreciate the relaxation. I guess it was all the build up that got me. I had to really hide my disappointment at that one. But, really, that was a selfish response. I mean, they really did spoil 2nd man and he’s the actual one that’s on staff. However, that mean ugly selfish bug started to take root in my heart. When my birthday came around just a couple of months later, I found myself wondering if any of my gifts were even thought out, or just thrown at me out of obligation from the few friends who did acknowledge it. I shamefully admit it took me months to let go. Yet, I think it was a good thing for me. It was a release of thinking more highly of myself than I ought to. It forced me to come face to face with my selfishness and see that these birthdays and such aren’t really even a big deal.
This year, I was able to read all my little Facebook birthday wishes and truly appreciate them. The wonderful quiet time with my husband was fantastic since we don’t get away alone very often. Even my kids wowed me with homemade cards, (that I didn’t ask for) and a homemade chocolate cake, (that I did ask for). It was special and heartening. I pray that the Lord would not give up on me, and my selfish desires. It makes me want to sing that song, “He’s still working on me…” I only wish I had let him perform some of this work years ago, so I wouldn’t be so far behind the curve.
Give Me Some Routine
I thrive with routine. Oh, I enjoy spontaneity, but I need routine. The past two weeks have made me come to appreciate that. With sickness, snowstorms, health tests and a birthday, I’m finding myself in need of a week without interruption.
A week and a half ago, during our first snowstorm the sprinkler system at our church burst and left 2 inches of water in our foyer and all of the staff offices. Thankfully an emergency crew of members showed up to move all of the furniture out of the offices and into our Family Life Center. This meant that, even though 2nd man was feeling better, he had to work from home. Now, we get along terrifically, however, it still threw me off of routine having him here all day everyday. It was a challenge for him as well.
2nd man also had to have some medical tests done this past week due to some abdominal pains he’s dealt with for some time now. It wasn’t necessarily anything major or life threatening, however, as I was in the waiting room I decided to finish a book I had started several weeks prior. Evidence Not Seen is the name of the book and one that I’d highly recommend…just not while your husband is undergoing medical testing. I found myself reading a part of the book where this woman, in a Japanese prison camp during WW II finds out about the death of her husband in another prison camp. Her faith and strength from the Lord is simply outstanding and convicting. She even found herself witnessing to the cruel camp commander when he brought her into his office to discuss the situation. I found myself sitting there bawling my eyes out as I read and praying, “Lord, why am I reading this now? Please don’t let this be some sort of preparation.” Sounds kind of silly and emotional huh? But, it was a powerful feeling nonetheless.
Later in the week 2nd man took me out for the evening for my birthday. Dinner out is always a good gift for the stay at home mom. No cooking, no dishes, nuff said. After dinner and a little shopping we did my favorite new thing (if only it could be habit). We went to Panera Bread Co. for coffee and scones. I just love the atmosphere of calm music and trendy sandwiches, baked goods and coffee. I wish so badly we had a Panera Bread Co. in our town. I’d probably set up some sort of office from there. I could just see myself recruiting for counseling appointments so that I could have coffee and scones. We’d probably go broke in a year or less. Or maybe I could get the church to provide a Panera fund? Hmmm? (pause typing for a far off thought wandering moment).
The kicker for the week is when we got a call this morning (3:30am) that an alarm was going off at the church. 2nd man went out to take care of it. However, I find myself awake now with no hope of going back to sleep. I started the coffee and watched a few DVR’d decorating shows. Then I realized, I haven’t even had a chance to blog all week. Somehow, with no routine, and family underfoot at all waking hours, I never found enough quiet time to put together some thoughts. Such is life, so here I am doing it at 5am. Just another hour and a half and the family will start waking. Hopefully, I’ll be ready for them.
I’m so ready to get back to routine. We’ll start this week off with church today. Regular church. No snow closings, or sprinkler rearranging. Regular, routine, wonderful church services. Then tomorrow I’ll send 2nd man off to the office and start school at a regular routine hour. I may even find myself getting the house clean and dinner cooked. I may be dreaming here, for I know that each day brings with it any number of variables. I pray for plan A, but prepare to be flexible enough for plan B. I’m just hoping the Lord agrees with my sense of needing plan A for a little while, for my own sanity’s sake.
Snowed In
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| Making snow ice cream! |
Ok, enough already with the blizzard! Being in the southwest is much different than being up north. This stuff closes everything down around here. Not to mention 2nd man and out middle daughter have both had the flu all week. My oldest daughter and I were the only ones that had any fun with this. Our little man doesn’t tolerate the snow…at all…like 3 minutes and he was done. So, Katie and I played outside and had a good time. Then, we made snow icecream. Really, it’s not that good to eat, but it was a fun experiment anyway.
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| Even the dog and cat are trying to keep warm! |
Once that was over and we had our roasted hotdogs by the fireplace, I was ready to move on with the week. But, noooooo, this stuff won’t go away! What’s up with that? It’s supposed to warm up and melt already.
Yesterday I finally cracked. I had to get out of the house and pronto. No more movies to watch and and I’d rather have a root canal than watch anymore Wii games being played. So, I thought I was doing pretty well getting around town. Then, suddenly out of nowhere in Wal-Mart my sugar dropped. Everything became a fog and I needed to get home quick and get some lunch. Though the main roads in our town weren’t too horrible, the side roads are…well…like going off road. As I rammed our truck up and over the mounds to get onto our street I thought I was in the clear until I turned into our driveway, only to get stuck! Ughhh. This meant more shoveling. I just stopped the car and figured I’d do it after lunch. So, I went around the back of the car to get my groceries out. I don’t know how I did it, but I shut the tailgate, hard, right onto my cheek! Ouch!! Normally, I’d shriek and then laugh at myself. Not this day! I stood in the boot high snow and cried like my four year old. I don’t know what came over me, exhaustion from all of the nurse duties, and meal duties, and housecleaning duties and an overall need for lunch.
After I got myself nutrified, and was able to laugh at myself, and my shiner, things looked a little brighter. I’m still sick of this snow, and mostly the cold weather, but it should build my appreciation for spring.
· On that note I thought I’d include a little diddy I’ve seen on a couple of my friends’ facebook posts to the tune of “Oklahoma”: SNOW…klahoma Where the cold front’s sweepin’ down the plain And the piles of sleet, beneath your feet follow right behind the freezing rain! We know we belong to the land…But it sure could use more salt and sand….That’s why we say….WHOA! We’re sliding the other way…YIKES! We’re only sayin’ you’re slick as snot SNOWklaho…ma SNOWklahoma -SNOW-K-L-A-H-O-M-A SNOWlahoma, SNOW-K!
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| Some poor little birdie didn’t stay long. |
Missionary Friend: Dalene Clark
This is my dear friend Dalene. She’s a missionary wife in Germany. Her birthday was this week and that had me thinking about her and how special she is. I met Dalene when 2nd man and I moved out here to Oklahoma in 1998. She and her husband were doing their internship at out church and had been there only a few months by the time we arrived. We had much that was not in common; she was already a mother, her background in a Christian school and Bible college weren’t anything like mine. However, we had something that was in common, we were both young and new in the ministry. This is a tie that can bond greatly. I remember sitting in her driveway one night years ago. We had been to some sort of event (I can’t even remember what it was). Anyway, we both started opening up and sharing about the insecurities, and the challenges and criticisms of being in the ministry. It was like a breath of relief for me that night. I’ve said it before, but I’m really stunted one on one. So when I do find dear friends in whom I can relate, I just cherish it so much in my heart. I felt like she was affirming all of my new shocking awareness of being in the ministry.
I also remember being at summer camp in 1999. Dalene was there with us and we had our bunks next to each other just like the teen girls do. It was then that I realized I might be pregnant for the first time. We somehow got off campus and into the local Wal-Mart to get a test. Back at the camp, we snuck into the nastiest abandoned bathroom there to take it and I found out that I was pregnant. Somehow sharing that moment was again, so special to me. I also miscarried that baby and Dalene was there to cry with me.
When I was pregnant again with our oldest daughter, Dalene also played a special role. She was pregnant with her third, which made my pregnancy so much more fun, being able to share and compare. The day I had Katie, I was up early and feeling the pain. I called Dalene first, (scared that if I was just overreacting, others would laugh at me). I told her what I was feeling, to which she replied, “It sounds like you’re starting labor! Just relax and take a walk, though, it’s gonna be a while before anything happens.” I remember hanging up the phone and dropping to my knees in pain. “Wow!” I thought to myself, “She must be like a super-hero momma or something. Walk?! I can’t even stand!” Katie, arrived just a couple of hours later and Dalene and I both laughed about that one.
Three months later her daughter, Kyndall, was born and not long after that, they boarded the plane for Germany. I respect Dalene, for her bravery and willingness to follow God and her husband wherever they lead her, away from her parents and family, and away from friends and familiarity. She studied all about the culture and had to learn how to cook differently. She even gave birth to two more kids over there! 2nd man and I have often prayed that we’d be willing if God should lead us into missions. So far, no calling. However, if He ever did, I hope I have the bravery and gusto of Dalene Clark.
I don’t get to talk to her much anymore. We sometimes keep in contact via emails and such, but, I do miss her camaraderie and vigor.
Happy Birthday, Dalene. I pray that God blesses you beyond measure this next year.
Hunkering down in Oklahoma
Funny what a day can bring. I was starting to write a post this morning about the peacefulness of the morning before my crew awakens. I love this time of day to have my coffee and devotions with Curly kitty and prepare for the day. Then 2nd man came in and informed me that he was sick. Aw man! There’ve been about three different kinds of crud going around this town for about three weeks now. Our family had been doing pretty well avoiding it, but this weekend turned things around. I knew the changing weather would bring mayhem and apparently it’s bringing more.
Now, the weather service is predicting about 6-10” of snow tonight with blizzard like conditions. So the morning brought with it an early trip to the store to stockpile the essentials, popcorn, hotdogs and TP. Then, a trip to the library to find some movies. Found some Ma and Pa Kettle shows. If you’ve never watched them you haven’t lived…well…er…they’re at least good for a laugh. The wood has been brought in and the garbage taken out. I think we’re ready to hunker down here now.
I’m hoping not to get too much cabin fever. I must admit that even though we home school, I’m considering a snow day for us. Since, 2nd man will be home anyway and the fire will be roaring. Hmmm, well maybe a snow day for the teacher, I wonder how that would go over? It’s kind of hard to do the teaching, doctoring, cooking, cleaning thing all at one time. If you’ve read any of my posts you can probably already tell that I’m attention challenged as it is. Frenetic may be a better word for it. Anyway, it just feels like the time to give in to the conditions and be flexible. I’ll call it a “surviving January day” and declare it a holiday, because everyone knows that Feb. 1st marks the time to start dreaming about spring gardening ahhhhh. Now I’ve found that peaceful place again…but I digress.
Oklahoma Weather
Ok, so here it is January 28th and it’s 70 degrees outside here in Oklahoma!! So, I decided to do the obvious and make the kids finish school early so we could go outside and play. Funny thing is that the weather service is forecasting a big snowstorm come Monday. Whaaaaa? You may ask. Yes, this is Oklahoma. We do get bad weather in the winter, but just bouts of it. Enough to bring on serious migraines as the weather jumps 30 degrees or more in a 48 hour period. Don’t get me wrong, I appreciate the little pockets of niceness. I even made it a point to thank the Lord for it today. The sunshine is so therapeutic and it’s great to be able to kick the kids out of the house for a while. I thought it through enough and it seemed worth the possible weather change headaches to get out in it and play. I’ll give the whole family some medicine Sunday morning before the headaches hit…just in case.
The only kink in this plan is that I have all of our youth workers coming over tomorrow night with their families for a dessert and game night. So, somehow I’ve got to get this place clean and a peanut butter/chocolate pie made. Hmmmmm. Maybe I’ll just go out and nap in the sun while the kids play so I can have energy tonight to stay up and do the dreaded chores. Yep, that’s what I’m gonna do. Writing it out seems so helpful to the logic. Hope everyone reading this has a great day.
(Sorry, Momma, I know you all have inches upon inches of snow up there in Ohio. I feel for ya, but…well….the sunshine is calling. Talk to ya soon!)
Woman of the Year
Well, it’s confession time…I did it…the unthinkable…well…that thing we, as women, mothers and wives don’t ever want to admit…are you ready for it? I took a nap last Friday. Oh glorious 30 minutes that were worth every frantic huff my kids could muster. As one wondered what on earth she should do because her video teacher told her to take a quiz that I didn’t have torn out for her yet. I’ll admit, I heard her wondering…but I didn’t budge. Mean you say? Well, no, I don’t think so. She survived and took the quiz later. I considered it a lesson in flexibility, a characteristic she will need to acquire to survive. My little guy, kept wanting to stroke my face, thinking I was sick or something. I just pretended to unknowingly roll over. It’s not that I was tricking the kids. I simply had no energy to muster up to respond to them at 3:00 that afternoon. The good news is, everyone survived, and I was a much better mommy for it.
Why do we have to hide things like this? I wish we were one of those cultures that shut down at 3:00 everyday and starts back up around 5:00. Wouldn’t we all be better off for it? Just think how rested and congenial all moms would be if that happened? Not to mention kids and husbands and…well…everyone.
Instead, ours is a culture where we women must vie for the woman of the year award by putting on airs that we sleep 4 hours a night, sew our children’s clothing, run the PTA, work for our local elections, show up to every town hall meeting and volunteer for every committee the church has. While in reality we sleep in too late most days making us have to rush around. We spend too much clothing our children and usually say things we may regret at PTA meetings (yes, I home school, but when I taught school I noticed a lot of this “saying things they should regret” stuff). We do show up to vote, but don’t even understand what they’re talking about at the town hall meetings ( I mean who cares about the traffic light at main and 3rd? the real question is “What on earth am I going to make/buy for dinner?) Well I say patooy to that!
I have a sneaking suspician that if one would ask my family what woman of the year meant they’d say something like, “Oh, that means a mom who is happy and rested and enjoys her family…all of them.” Also, “a momma that can cook well and feed us stuff that tastes good and is good for us.” You know the basic stuff like one who doesn’t yell, doesn’t get tired a lot and makes home a haven blah blah blah.
Well, they’re the only ones I need to impress, and in order to do that I need a nap. So, go ahead, ladies vie for the titles, bowl the world over with your impressiveness. I’ve got a nap to take so I can keep this home happy and sane. I haven’t won the any awards yet, even by my family’s standards so I guess I’d better get busy. See ya’ll in an hour yawwwwwwn!
Learning to Love Home Schooling
After several self-deprecating posts about my spiritual walk, I feel it’s necessary to put some thoughts down about something that’s going well in my life. I, the admittedly reluctant home schooler, am learning to enjoy home schooling my kids. Yes, these are words I never thought were going to come from me. I’ve never been vehemently opposed to public school. I even have a secondary English degree. As a child, I loved school, the people, the atmosphere and even organizing my school supplies. My husband finds this very weird, but…oh well. Anyway, when we moved out here I substitute taught for a little while. I was amazed at how different it was from when I was a kid in a small farm school. This is a larger city and, at the risk of sounding ancient, times have changed. Other factors went into our decision to home school, financial, spiritual, and practical. It’s not that I’m against home schooling either. I know some really sharp families that home school. I also know some…well…not so sharp ones. It truly is a tough decision when you are responsible for how your child is educated. I love planning the year, and getting ready for lessons. I love getting supplies organized and knowing exactly what my child is learning, but I have fears too. Fear of messing them up. Fear that my kids won’t be able to spell or think or handle themselves in public somehow. For instance my middle daughter is a lot like me in personality. That’s good and bad. She gets easily distracted and easily frustrated and requires a lot more explanation than I seem to have time to give her. Then I get frustrated because she’s so frustrated. That’s what lead to our decision to switch her to video school after Christmas break. It’s only been a couple of weeks, but I can already tell that she’s thriving better. This is such a relief to me that I can hardly explain it.
So here is a list of what I’m loving about home schooling:
- I know exactly what my kids are learning.
- I get to use my love of teaching
- I get to be with my kids
- We laugh a lot
- I love seeing the light bulb go off when they “get” it.
- It’s amazing to watch a child start to read
- Let’s be honest, we don’t have to be ready by 7 am. To go anywhere
- We have flexibility to go with 2nd man when he goes out of town
- We can adjust our schedules if we need to.
- We can go places on weekdays like The Incredible Pizza Co. and have the place to ourselves because everyone else is in school.
- I can make sure to take the time and make sure that they “get it.”
- I’m relearning some things too.
- They’ll be healthier than if they ate school lunches
- They’re protected during these crucial foundational years
- My kids like each other because they are their only classmates
- They still get chances to play sports and have social friends through church as well
- No snow days to interrupt us.
- The teacher to student ratio is ideal
- We can have Home Economics days
- Field trips are cool
I don’t think home schooling is the only way. Or even the best way for everyone, but I’m learning more and more to appreciate it. I’m thankful for the opportunity and Hopefully, I’ll make the best of it.
JENuine Interests 