Hey Veronique,

Next time you Pull-Up a chair to your computer, could you Pamper me with information about the websites that sell cheaper diapering supplies? Please make it Snappies, as I’d like to have them at my disposal soon.

Luvs and Huggies,
Jess

Pea S: This is really not as urgent as it sounds.

If this made you chuckle to yourself, you might enjoy her blog at: http://tendigitlumber.com/

First off, I have to say that I am in no way pushing homeschooling on anyone.  I don’t think homeschooling IS for every parent and child.  This totally depends on your current life situation, your personality as a parent, your child’s personality and his/her specific needs, what kind of support system you have, etc.  Some families have parents where both have to work…this is the economy we live in.  Some families have children with special needs which may be better addressed in a different setting.  As for us, we like the premise of homeschooling and how it gives us the opportunity to teach our children through a Biblical worldview.  This is great!  However, we have also decided that we can only make choices for our children’s schooling ONE YEAR AT A TIME.  I don’t know if I explained that well at all, but if you have any other questions, please e-mail me.

Now onto the nitty-gritty.  After much research and discussion with other mothers, we have decided to go with the classical model of homeschooling.  For more information on this, you can Google it and a lot of information can be found about it. We are currently using The Ordinary Parent’s Guide to Teaching Reading by Jessie Wise and Sarah Buffington.  JL has really, really enjoyed it.  It doesn’t come with activities or stickers or any other bells and whistles; it is a simple book on teaching your child to read.  JL has run with it…he is reading books to his little brother now.

The book that has helped me teach JL how to read.

JL just turned 4, so our homeschooling is really not that intense yet.  Our desire for him right now is that he would LOVE learning.  We want him to be a life-long learner.  Here is what our day typically looks like with homeschooling incorporated into it.

7:30-8:00-Kids wake up and they have quiet play time in their room together, so I have a little extra time to get dressed and ready.

8:00-8:30-Breakfast

8:30-9:00-Chores for me and JL (washing/drying/folding laundry, prepping for lunch and dinner, washing dishes, etc.)

9:00-9:30-Reading with JL and Caleb (the Bible and other books/audio book)

9:30-10:00-Free play for JL while I catch up on e-mail, pay bills and the like; Caleb naps until

11:30 10:00-11:00-Homeschooling with JL (consists of the reading curriculum mentioned above and a hands-on craft)

11:00-11:30-I prep for lunch while JL independently does an activity.

11:30-12:15-Getting Caleb up and changed and eating lunch together

12:15-12:30-Clean-up after lunch

12:30-1:00-Free play for JL and Caleb

1:00-2:30-Errand-running with the kiddos or taking them to the park or library

2:30-4:30-Caleb has his afternoon nap and JL has a quiet time for some of that time.  I use this time to organize something, sew/make a gift, catch up on e-mails again, read, take a small nap, return phone calls, pay more bills, prep dinner, put away laundry.  There is always SOMEthing to do.

4:30-5:00-Kids have a little more free play and we set the table and finish up dinner prep.

Ben usually gets home between 5:15 and 5:30 and we eat. That’s what our basic day looks like, though we are extremely flexible.  There are some days where Caleb naps awful…I get less done around the house.  There are some days where we have people over for lunch and we go visit someone in the morning who could use some company/encouragement.  Sometimes we have playdates with other moms and their kids.  Sometimes life just gets REALLY crazy and the schedule goes completely out of the window.  That’s not ideal, but we manage just fine.

What I consider part of homeschooling is teaching my children about loving and serving others.  It is a time in which I can teach them how to be boys of godly character, how to love truth and hate lies, how to put others before themselves.  Every moment I have with them is a time of intentionality where I can be sharing with them the Gospel and show them what it means to follow Jesus and love Him.  And, maybe I’m just doing it all wrong, but each day is a new day… I’m learning, too!

So, homeschooling or non-homeschooling moms, what things do you do with your children each day that encourages them to love learning?  How do you point them to the Gospel amidst life’s daily happenings?

JL and a snowman he made out of some modeling clay one day.  This boy loves to create and imagine, much like his own Daddy.

I love my husband for many reasons.  He cares for me so well, even when his days are crazy busy.  I don’t deserve him in the least bit.  One of the top reasons I love him so much is because he cares for my spiritual well-being.  He is passionate to see me run hard after Jesus and be close to Him.

This Christmas, one of his gifts to me was the book “Feminine Appeal” by Carolyn Mahaney.  It is simply AWESOME.  My intention is to discuss each chapter on this blog about once a week.  So, get ready…because you women out there will thoroughly enjoy what this wise, godly woman has to say.

I’m a huge fan of Carolyn Mahaney and this is an article by her: http://www.cbmw.org/images/jbmw_pdf/11_2/homemaking_internship.pdf

So, you all know about how the entire world is going nutso over this series, right?  I finally broke down a few months ago and just read the whole series to see what the hype is all about.  It was alright.  It’s addicting, but it certainly didn’t win me over like Harry Potter did.  ANYWAY, I experienced a side effect to reading about vampires…I DREAMT about vampires.  Yes, that’s right.  Beyond that, I dreamt that my HUSBAND was a vampire.  It was a good thing though.  I fell off a really tall staircase and Vampire Husband Ben caught me just inches before my body slammed into the concrete ground.  It was exhilirating enough that when I woke up from my dream, I was kinda disappointed that my husband was not a vampire…

1)  Friends who sharpen.
These are friends who "stir us up…to love and good works" (Hebrews 10:24).  They are people who spur us on to love Jesus more and who point out sin in our lives.  I am thankful that I have such people in my life already.

2)  Friends who mentor.
These friends should be older women who are training us younger women to love our families well, to be good workers in the home, and to be submissive to our dear husbands (Titus 2:3-5).  I have found that these are hard to come by, but the book really encourages intentionality in pursuing a relationship like this in the local church.

3)  Friends who need salvation.
Obviously, these are people who don’t know Jesus.  We, as women, should be striving to speak gracious, Gospel-filled words to those around us who don’t love Jesus.  This takes time and effort, but we must not forget and neglect these relationships.

This is a short summary of her chapter on prioritizing relationships.  I have not done it justice, so please read the book!  It is filled with so much wisdom that comes straight from the Word. 

Gift #1: A laundry basket.

I never thought I would see the day when I would ask for something that seems so boring and practical, but this year, that day arrived.  I LOVE my new laundry basket.  It’s sturdy, has good handles and can hold lots of clean clothes!

Gift #2: Tales of Beedle the Bard by J.K. Rowling

For those of you who know me well enough know that I am a Harry Potter fan.  Not one of those dress-up-as-Harry-Potter-whenever-you-watch-the-movie fans, but just the general type.  This was a good gift, too.

Gift #3: Cute pajamas

My husband hates my nasty PJs that I’ve had since high school and I guess I don’t really blame him all that much.  So, he usually gets me a new pair of PJs every Christmas.

Gift #4: Joy of Cooking cookbook

When Katie came to visit from MN, we went to the library where I borrowed this cookbook.  I fell in love with it and have been raving about it ever since.  I guess Ben picked up on all of those not-so-subtle hints and purchased one for me. I can’t wait to try all sorts of new recipes out on my family!

Gift #5: Salad spinner

I did what every husband fears his wife will do.  I returned one of the gifts he got me, but for good reason.  He purchased a bed desk for me from Bed, Bath & Beyond, which is really something I wanted.  But, the only one that fit into our budget didn’t fold up or anything.  If you’ve seen where we live, you know that we have limited space, so with great sadness, I had to return it for something smaller.  Thus, I decided on a salad spinner.  I hate eating wet salad.

Gift #6: Shopping for Time by Carolyn Mahaney

I’ve wanted to read this book for a long time because like most other women, I feel so overwhelmed and busy a lot of the time.  It was sweet for my husband to remember and get this for me for Christmas.  Don’t I have a great husband?