Faith and Life

Faith is the confidence that what we hope for will actually happen; it gives us assurance about things we cannot see. 

Hebrew 11:1 NLT

It has been a hard morning.

My 6 year old boy is so hard to inspire to study. He has homework to do for kindergarten, and cannot get through it withoutt numerous reminders to get on track and focus. I feel frustrated. I feel a failure as a teacher and Mom. I feel I cannot do this and how can I possibly consider homes school when this day has been such a struggle.

It isn't like this everyday. But I hold this up so close and so near that it blocks the light of hope from shining through to my soul.

Yesterday I listened to a great program on Focus on the Family for Moms

I was encouraged and blessed and liked the idea of Bad Mom's Club (listen to the program to know what I am talking about :)

Yet being a Mom is hard. Surviving the store with 3 kids is hard. Doing homework with kids is hard. Homeschool I am sure is hard. But everything is hard to an extent, right? That doesn't mean it isn't worth it.

And so today as I shared with a friend that I was having  hard time and she encouraged me. And as I ran to God time and again, twice with tears running down my face for patience and wisdom; He spoke to me from His word with above passage which I will paraphrase now in my words.

Faith is knowing that what you hope for your kids will actually happen (knowing they will grow up to be godly people, and will be smart, and kind and survive theird education); Faith gives us assurance and hope for things we cannot now see. 

Faith and God together will succeed! 

.

It's ok to be Different

Everyday. Everywhere. There is this pressure to fit in. to be like those around you. To think the same. To do the same. To act like everyone. Talk acceptably. . .

But I don't fit in. I never have. Trying to fit;  trying to be like others; trying to understand what is right for me and my family when the world pushes us to be like others is SO stressful.

Right now our kids do kindergarten at home. Which is acceptable here in LV. There is a program at a local kindergarten where they go once a week for a lesson and then are given homework. I also teach them an American Christian Program from Heart of Dakota.

But every week or (it seems even more often) I am asked why my kids don't go to kindergarten. Do they go or some other similar question. The pressure to attend, since that is what most do is so STRONG.

Then there is the question of school. Next year our oldest will be in first grade. Most people assume he will go to school. But since I was home-schooled and some know that they assume I will try to do it (since now it is possible here). 

I like teaching my kids. I enjoy seeing their progress. But it IS stressful. I have too many hobbies. I sell my art online on Etsy. Balancing lessons, and art and running a household is VERY tedious, and chaotic.

I want my kids to be involved. But I also don't want them or me (our family) overwhelmed. They need time to be kids as well. Knowing the balance is an art. This year my oldest also started music school. He is learning violin, and has theory lessons. This is good, but another thing to fill our time.

I don't know what is best for our family concerning next year and homeschool vs. public school. There are moments where I think sending my oldest to school would be so easy, and he probably would like it. But is that what's best for him? Is he ready?Is his character established? I know that I would feel like I wasn't doing the right thing when I imagine sending him next year. I am praying hard to know what will be best for our boy. Each child is different and as parents we must take that and our circumstances into account.

I guess when I think of the prospect of keeping him home next year and doing home-school the thing that scares me the must is the pressure and comments of others. Homeschool is not accepted here. Until recently only sick kids were taught at home by teachers. I fear what people will say. I fear the pressure. I fear being different. I fear standing out.

When you live in another culture and perhaps even in our own we long to fit. But when you are in a different country you really don't want to stand out any more than necessary. But lately I have been realizing yet again it is OK TO BE DIFFERENT!

God has made each of us UNIQUE!

If I could just grasp that and if others would too then the world would be a whole lot friendlier.

Somehow yesterday I decided to watch about the Duggar family- they have 19 kids. I had never watched any of their episodes, I had only heard of them. And I have been so blessed, and encouraged by watching and reading about their family. They are godly, they are different, they are AMAZING! And as I reflected on how they raise their children and live their lives and are so very different and in such a GREAT way I was again reminded.

It IS ok to be different.

And it isn't just ok, it is GOOD to be different!

Little Hands to Heaven

Over the past year and a half I have been working through the first book of the Heart of Dakota homeschool program with my oldest child.

I was delighted when we finally finished it just before the year ended. We have had so much fun using Little Hands to Heaven. And I would highly recommend it to anyone looking for a Bible based, easy to use homeschool program. It is for ages 2-5. We began it when my son turned four and finished it when he was 5 and half. It took us while, since we were in no hurry. He has learned so much, and I have so enjoyed teaching him. One thing I would say though is that you should definitely get the Bible The New Bible in Pictures for Little Eyes. The first year or so we used our own children's Bibles, we had three of them. But there were a lot of stories that the teacher's book said to read that are not in other children's Bibles. The New Bible has all the stories needed it seems :)

I had all the materials ready to go for us to start up again in 2014 with the next program using Little Hearts for His Glory and even though it takes a lot more time and might be a tad hard (at the moment) for my 5 1/2 year old we are already really enjoying it. He loves the science book and also is very into the story of Reddy Fox.

I have also started the Little Hands to Heaven program with my 3 year old daughter, and she is enjoying that so far. We are still on unit one, but I am looking forward to a great experience with her as well.

Thanks to Heart of Dakota for these great materials with a focus on the Bible, we are so enjoying them.