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.

Year 8: One down, one to go

      This post has been a long time coming.  Not just for the fact that most of summer has passed since I last posted and this has been sitting in my drafts since the end of July, but also because this post has been six years in the making.

I've graduated my first born, my first high schooler. 

A380 has completed high school!

     I don't have pictures yet (it's been a very busy summer) but we let him decide how he wanted to celebrate.  He chose to have a family meal at his favorite prime rib restaurant where The Principal and I presented him with his certificate.  We're so proud of him!

     Writing this is, of course, bittersweet.  We're in the midst of a pandemic trying to figure out what's next for him.  There are several different options but it will take some time to make the calls, schedule the appointments and go through the process before deciding which one would be best.  Still, he's excited.

     Year 9 starts in a couple of weeks and before I know it I'll be graduating Little Toughie.  Aaaahhh!! 

Year 8, Week 4: Bible

     Another week in the books!  Literally.  Sonlight is a literature based curriculum so we have A LOT of books.  I don't mind, though.  I love reading!  Sonlight is what we're using for our Bible, History, Science and Geography.  Today, I'm going to focus on our Bible studies.  We always start our day with our Bible readings/study and prayer.  It's an important part of our day; it's THE most important part of our day and I make a point to remind my kids to start their day with God.

My well-worn Bible

     In the past we've used Long Story Short:  10 Short Devotionals to Draw Your Family to God and Old Story New: Ten-Minute Devotions to Draw Your Family to God.  While both books are family devotionals I decided to use them as our studies because the kids were still young when we started them and they had a lot of great questions to draw them out.  It opened plenty of great conversations as well.  It took us a little over 4 years for us to finish both books; we started Long Story Short in 2016 and made a point to only use it during the school year (we did something else during the summer breaks).  We completed Old Story New toward the end of 2019.  In January 2020 I purchased a devotional suited for each child and decided that our Bible studies would be based on our personal readings from the devotionals; sharing what we read and how it applied to our lives. 

     Now, with the new school year under way, we're using what Sonlight suggests which begins with reading Mark along with a smaller "field guide to the Bible" of sorts.  I say suggests because while it's in the schedule I don't necessarily have to follow it.  Frankly, I may change it up.  Both devotionals above were so thorough in drawing the kids out and helping them make connections that currently they seem a little...bored.  We've done an inductive study of Matthew and our church did the same through the book of Luke over the course the past year and a half.  So, I can see where reading Mark with very little discussion can seem monotonous.

     Recently, I happened upon a short video that touched on the failings of some youth ministries and it convinced me to take this opportunity of homeschooling to also instruct them on how to study their Bible.  Perhaps an exegetical study of Acts?  Or a shorter book since this is their first time doing it?

     I don't want to overwhelm them but I do want them to do more than just read the Bible.  Of course I want them to live it out as well, but they can't do that unless they know it well.  I want them to be equipped. to fully put on the armor of God.  And...I think I just answered my own questions.  I think a study of Ephesians 6:10-18 is what I'm looking for!  It's amazing how God works.  I'm sitting here typing this and when I typed the word equipped, God brought me to that scripture.

     I'll take some time over this holiday weekend to see how I can approach this, but as I sit here finishing up, I'm getting excited at the prospect of digging into the whys and hows of Ephesians 6:10-18.  Woohoo!

     Have a safe holiday weekend!