Happy New Everything!

     It's been nearly a year since I last posted. As is often said, so much has happened in the past year. Not just in our homeschool, but in many areas of our lives. Updating the blog was very much pushed to the back burner, shut off and left to sit.

     I had hoped to update here more frequently since, as a writer, the more you do it the better you get. That obviously didn't happen. Much of that had to do with the fact that in the fall of 2021 we decided it was time to move and we purchased a new home, still under construction but closer to family. When we looked at the area we got a great view of the dirt lot that was to become the foundation of our new house! It wasn't a decision we made lightly. We prayed over everything: location, timing and finances.

     In the midst of homeschooling there were final doctor/specialist appointments for both kids. Frequent orthodontist appointments so that braces could be removed before we moved. One more musical theater performance which came with rehearsals. Farewell lunches and dinners. Oh, and of course, Covid! We all got sick toward the end of May. I was the last one to get it and dealt with several issues afterwards which required two trips to the ER (looking back now, they were likely severe panic attacks that I didn't have before). Thank God everyone else recovered quickly and thoroughly and I eventually recovered as well.

     Then there was selling our home. We were able to bless a family who had been looking for a home in our area for quite some time but kept getting outbid. Our realtor (who was also their realtor) showed them our home without listing it and they made an offer that lined up with what we needed. God definitely had his hand on that process too!

     When we started packing we had plenty friends and neighbors to help out. I know we would not have gotten it done without them. We had twenty years of stuff to go through, pack, throw out or donate and everyone pitched in. Early on when we were packing up the garage (the most daunting area to me) I had fallen and twisted both of my ankles. When I fell I couldn't get up. My son and a neighbor had the help me to my feet so that I could hobble back inside the house. Since it took nearly six months for my ankles to feel back to normal (I couldn't walk up and down stair properly), the help with packing the garage (and kitchen, and homeschool shelves and dining room) literally took a load off of me. I could only do so much at a time since I was in pain. By the time we were moved and staying in an Airbnb for a few days before our new house closed, my ankles were shot. I couldn't even get in the pool and attempt to swim. It hurt too much!

     Before we moved my husband and I were blessed with the opportunity to share our marriage story with our church's Couples Cafe. It was such a bittersweet moment when our pastor asked everyone to join with him and pray over us as we were close to our move date. Our last Sunday at the church another pastor gathered a few friends and prayed over us again. So. Much. Love.

     So, here I am sitting in our new living room filled with gratitude. None of the wonderful things we experienced last year would have been possible without God's provision, guidance and healing. We're in a new home, new city, new church. We're closer to family and have seen them more in the past four months than in the past four years. My Little Toughie is now in high school (yes, I'm still homeschooling). My son is loving his new Young Adult group. My husband gets to work from home. I'm slowly editing the second novel I wrote during the 2021 NaNoWrimo. We have great neighbors that help each other out (they pitched in to build another neighbors fence)! We're surrounded by countryside hills dotted with horses, sheep and cows. We see plenty of deer frolic in the area. We get to take it all in during daily family walks (when it's not raining).

     There are still little things that need to be done. Stuff like changing the addresses for our registrations or IDs. Getting some art on the walls. Redoing the kids' closets to make better use of the space. Redoing my closet so that my clothes aren't in piles on the floor. Figuring out what to do with all the greeting card making stuff I have since I'm not really using them anymore. Just little things here and there that are on my to-do list. I don't make New Year resolutions but I do try to think about, and maybe write down, where I want to be physically, mentally and spiritually by the end of the year. Last night I asked God to help me complete the things I wanted to get done everyday to reach those goals: read and study my Bible, workout, write/edit and then read for fun. All the usual things like cooking, dishes and laundry I can get done, but the things that are most important to me seem to fall by the wayside when my to-do list never ends. But just this morning, God directed me to his Word as soon as I awoke and upon completing this post I will have done everything I wanted to get done (except for reading for fun...I'll get that done before bedtime this evening). 

     All that to say Happy New Year! May God bless you in more ways than you can count. May He refresh your desire to know Him more fully and give you the quiet time to do that. May He instill a longing in you that seeks to pursue a relationship with Him first and before anyone or anything else. May He reveal His purpose for you and may you fulfill that purpose wholeheartedly. May He use you to share the Gospel and reveal His glory. May He use your testimony to bless others. May He direct your path in all things. May He protect you along the way.

     This, too, is my prayer for myself and my family and our New Everything.

Homeschooling, Week Two

     This week was even better than last!  Aside from a little excitement early in the week, we had fun learning about Ancient Egypt as well as the different components of the weather.  The kids are getting into the routine and are even grabbing books off the homeschool shelf before I'm ready to start.  Talk about eager!  I pray that they are always that enthusiastic about learning.

     We've implemented a couple of new things into our schedule.  We now start with the Pledge of Allegiance (we even have a flag) and then begin our prayer time.  Our prayers are more organized now so that the kids give more thought to who and/or what they are praying for.  At first, we were a bit all over the place.  I remembered our pastor encouraging us to designate a different day of the week to pray for something/someone specific.  I found this schedule online and I like that it coincided with the first letter of the day, so I went with it.  (It helps my daughter memorize the days of the week as well.  Bonus!)  It may change a bit as we find our footing, but I thought this was a great start:

• Mondays:  Missionaries
• Tuesdays:  Teachers (including therapists, coaches, church teachers)
• Wednesday:  Wisdom to witness (I tell my kids that most people don't read the bible, they read the Christian.)
• Thursday:  Those in authority (from local government and on, as well as our military and civil service members and those in the medical field who we seek for treatment.)
• Friday:  Family and friends (though we pray for them everyday, these prayers are more specific)
• Saturday:  Salvation (for those who are lost)
• Sunday:  The sick and suffering

     We started this schedule on a Thursday and I led the kids in prayer, giving them a moment to add to it before we closed.  When I told my daughter that it was "Family and Friends" prayer day, my daughter immediately wanted to pray for her good friend Connor, whom she misses dearly.  My kids always pray, thanks be to God.  Even at church I'm told by their teachers that they're always the first ones to raise their hands to volunteer to pray.  It's a lovely thing!

     My favorite part of this week was when during our Bible study discussion (somehow our discussion went from Isaac and Rebekah to heaven) my daughter asked, "When we go see Jesus will we need space suits?"  We had learned the different parts of the atmosphere and she remembered that in the exosphere, oxygen tanks and space suits are needed.  She needed clarification.

     My other favorite part (Can I have two favorite parts?) was when my son showed me his math work.  He's memorized his multiplication tables through 11x20.  Awesome!  My goal is to have him memorize all the way to 20x20, sooner than later.  He's doing great.  I may not be officially homeschooling him come September but that doesn't mean that I can't work with him now or even implement of few of the lessons I learned while reading The Core, even when he starts school. (Great book, by the way, and not as daunting as The Well-Trained Mind, which I will tackle one of these days.)

     We do copy work everyday but we ended this week with a fun one.  The kids had to write and send out an invitation.  Below is a picture of my Kindergartner at work:

Focused on copy work

     I'm in the process of getting a whiteboard to use, though I'm not sure if I want to get a tabletop one (for easy transport) or if I want to get one to hang on the wall.  (We've made very good use of our space at home, so finding a place to hang a whiteboard will be a little difficult.)  Or I might get both!  Maybe.

     That's it for this week!