Sleepless on a Wednesday night...sigh

Finally, I'm catching up on sleep I lost on Wednesday night. For some reason, I only slept 4 hours, and I was up at 3:30 in the blessed morning...which is definitely NOT my normal hour of arising. I just couldn't get back to sleep, and I was pretty brain-dead for all of Thursday. It's a wonder how I stayed upright during the dance class that morning. I hadn't felt that sleep-deprived since my kids were little.

Philippians 1:8

God knows how much I love you and long for you with the tender compassion of Christ Jesus.
~Philippians 1:8~

The beginning of this verse, “God knows...”, reminds us how He knows everything about all of us. He knows how much we love others...especially our families. God knows our hearts and what we really desire for our children. Sometimes we can't even put into words or actions just how much we love them. We need to get to know our children and teens, so we know how best to help them in every area of their lives. Homeschooling moms are in just the right position to learn everything about their kids. That can make it easier to choose how best to proceed with their middle and high school years. In our homeschool, I have them do a semester's worth of career studies around 8th grade especially if they're unsure of what their career path is. Once they knew what they wanted to be, we could then determine whether they need a college-preparatory, vocational, or general diploma. From there, we discussed and planned how the next four years will look in high school. During this time, I had to make sure the goal is really theirs...and not what I wanted for them.

If those goals are not theirs, they will just get more and more frustrated...and so will you. If the frustration is lasting and/or grows worse, it is up to you to sit down and re-evaluate what the source is. Do they still have the same goal? Are the resources we're using just not right for their learning style or goal? This is where we need to show the compassion of Christ. Part of the definition of compassion is “a strong desire to alleviate the suffering”. After re-evaluating, we need to get them motivated again to stay on their path. If this is truly their goal, it won't take much to do that...even during the middle of diagramming sentences or an algebra lesson.



Dear Heavenly Father~
Sometimes I feel such a weight on my shoulders in teaching my children. I want so much to do what's right by my children. I love them SO much and only want the best for them. Please help me to turn over whatever dreams I may have for their future, so their dreams can be realized. Help us also to make sure those same dreams are aligned with what You want them to be, so they can help further Your Kingdom.
In Your Hands~ Amen

Fitness Check-In: 2/24/14

Monday: Fitness 101
Tuesday: Step
Wednesday: 10 min on the bike, most of my weight machines, and about 20 min of the dance class. (FUN!!!)
Thursday: Dance
Friday: My dance class (It was SO fun to see some young girls in my class! We had a blast!)
Nothing this weekend. I really need to get motivated to do more on Saturday.

Weekly Weigh-In: 2/24/14

This week's stats: Gained 0.3 pounds, 1/2" in the chest and hips. Lost 1/2" in the waist. Heading to Fitness 101 this morning. 

Philippians 1:7b

You share with me the special favor of God, both in my imprisonment and in defending and confirming the truth of the Good News.
~Philippians 1:7b~

God's special favor, His grace, is what's required to get through each and every day. We all know there are some days that we need even more of it just to get the bare necessities done...daily housekeeping, language arts/English, and math. During times when life is a daily struggle or hourly one, we need to remember to lean on His everlasting arms to hold us up. Maybe you're in one of those valleys right now. Keep the faith! He will be there to get you through it. If you're on a mountaintop, thank Him for the wonderful view...and enjoy every minute of it!

Do you ever wonder how you're going to deal with being cooped up in the house every day with the kids for the duration of their schooling? It can be a daunting task. Whether we are suffering from “cabin fever” or out enjoying the day, we should still be sharing the gospel. We have Good News to share every day with everyone. No matter what we're going through, it can't compare to the agony and anguish our Lord and Savior suffered before His death. In the shadow of the cross, we have a whole new perspective of our own circumstances. He does care about every detail of our lives and the lives of our children. Because of that, we need to show Him how much we appreciate His love and sacrifice.

According to today's verse, we are to “defend and confirm the truth” of the gospel. How are we meant to defend the truth? When I think of defensive action, I think of sports which is unusual because I watch very little sports. Defensive players are meant to protect their end zone, goal, or basket to the best of their ability. This leads me to believe we are meant to protect the truth of the gospel. We must not let anything harm the purity of the gospel. If we don't know how to do it ourselves, we need to study our Bibles. Our kids will find it much easier to defend it if we can show them how to study and discern alongside them...and by doing so, we also confirm the truth of the Scriptures.

Father God~
I pray for the wisdom to learn the Scriptures effectively. I would love to be able to aptly defend the truth. Please also help me to learn how to teach my kids to be able to do the same. We need your grace to help us get through each day. Help us find those things we can use to accomplish everything to confirm and defend our faith. Bring to light anything in our home and schooling that doesn't do that.
In Your Service~ Amen

Fitness Check-In: 2/17/14

Monday: Fitness 101
Tuesday: Step Class...and worked on my own choreography.
Wednesday: Light day in the Fitness Center since I had to take kids to the dentist.
Thursday: Dance...and more choreo work.
Friday: My dance class!!! SO fun!!!
Nothing over the weekend, but I'm hoping to change that this week.

Weekly Weigh-In: 2/17/14

This week's stats: Gained 3.6 pounds and 1" in the waist. Lost 1" in the hips. Chest stayed the same. (I know that was due to eating things I either don't normally eat or more frequently than usual.) Back on it today with Fitness 101 and normal eating. Lesson learned.

Weekly Weigh-In: 2/10/14

This week's stats: Lost 2.6 pounds, 1" in the chest, and 1.5" in the waist. My hips stayed the same. Have a great day!

Philippians 1:7a

So it is right that I should feel as I do about all of you, for you have a special place in my heart.
~Philippians 1:7a~

Homeschooling and homeschool moms have a very special place in my heart...if you haven't figured that out yet. I can talk for hours with other moms. I know most of us have basic things in common: we feel this is our calling, we want to do what's best for our children, and we all have some measure of doubt whether we're accomplishing those things.

I think the longer we homeschool, the clearer our vision becomes. We start to figure out what methods of homeschooling work best for our families. We learn what goals our children have...and help research how to meet and exceed those goals. As we learn more about our kids and our capability of teaching them, we also tend to have more questions about how to plan their remaining school years. Are they interested in pursuing a career which will require college? Are they headed for something that requires a vocational school or better yet becoming an entrepreneur? Whatever path they choose, we need to help motivate them and encourage them in their pursuit.

We need to make sure our children know they have worth and have a sense of purpose. If our relationship with our own kids is strained, we need to make it right. How do we do that? We make sure we're honest with them. We take them seriously...even when it comes to things we don't like. It makes even more of an impact if we take those things seriously BECAUSE they do. They will know we can put our own feelings aside to make them a priority. They know they're important to us if we remember the little details because God remembers the little details about us. It's especially important to build the relationships, so they feel safe in coming to us when they need guidance or just to talk. Do your children know they have a special place in your heart? Have you told them that lately?

Dear Heavenly Father~
Please help me to examine my relationships with each of my children. Bring to light any part that needs work. It can be very difficult to know how to guide them. Especially as a homeschooler, SO much of their future seems to be up to us. At times, I feel so inadequate to prepare them for whatever You have in store for them. Please help guide me in the way to make them ready for their life and service to you. I need You to help me and my kids to rely on You for the future and all that entails...for all of us.
In Your Son's Name~ Amen

Why am I on this journey for my health?

This is the main reason why I work out: Don’t you realize that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit, who lives in you and was given to you by God? You do not belong to yourself, for God bought you with a high price. So you must honor God with your body. (1 Cor. 6:19, 20- NLT) Other reasons are for my kids and to have fun!!!

Fitness Check-In: 2/8/14

Monday: Fitness 101
Tuesday: Int/Adv Step
Wednesday: Fitness Center (50 min on the bike and most of my weight machines)
Thursday: Dance
Friday: Dance (Teaching my first dance class!!!)
Nothing this weekend.

Goji Berry Allergies

About a year ago, I tried a foundation that had Goji berries in it and had a terrible reaction to it. My face was swollen, red, itchy, and so attractive...NOT! It was like that for about three days, so I have been careful to read labels looking for Goji berries. Doing that actually stopped me from buying a haircare product I was super excited about trying. I have gray hair, and I wanted to try this product from Jhirmack. I'm really glad I went online and read the ingredients. Lo and behold, there was Goji berry listed on the label. Phew! Saved me from that again.

However, it didn't save me from it on Monday. I had bought another foundation in the same Maybelline Instant Age Rewind line because I didn't see anywhere on the ingredients "Goji berry". I put it on Monday and wore it all day. By the time I washed it off, my face was a big ugly mess and got worse. After taking two Benadryl and some Alavert, I was finally able to go to sleep. I was miserable.

Before I fell asleep though, I did a quick comparison of the ingredients in the two foundations to see what was going on. What was the culprit? Sure enough it was Goji berry, BUT it was listed under the scientific name...lycium barbarum. After a quick Google search, it popped up. UGH! Why couldn't they just put on the front of the label that it had Goji Berry in it like on the other foundation??? It would've saved me a very comfortable few days this week. (I really did like the coverage, but I'm NOT going through that every time I wear it.)

I hope this will save someone else from experiencing what I did...even if you THINK you might be sensitive to them.

I'm SOOOOO excited!!!

I start teaching my class tomorrow!!! It's a lower-impact dance class to mainly Disney songs. There are other family-friendly songs, too. It's been in the works since the summer, so it's FINALLY here!!!

Weekly Weigh-In: 2/3/14

This week's stats: Gained 1.5 pounds and 1" in the chest and hips. Waist stayed the same. Hello hormones! (Ugh.) Still heading to the Y soon.

Our "Normal" Homeschooling Schedule

When we first started homeschooling, we followed the traditional school year and week; we schooled from late August/September through May or June...and Monday through Friday. A few years later, we tweaked it slightly to sort of mimic the year-round track of some really good friends of ours, so the kids could get together and have the same time off. I really like that schedule because that's where I got the idea of taking off from before Thanksgiving through New Year's. I didn't have to try to squeeze school in around dealing with the hectic schedule of the holidays.

A few years into that schedule, the kids joined a homeschool bowling league on Mondays. It met at noon. Since we're all pretty much night owls, it was very difficult to get any schooling in before bowling...let alone after it. We adjusted our school week to be Tuesday through Saturday.

Shortly thereafter, I also realized that a big 6-8 week break during the holidays was great for everything but academics. We shifted our school year to begin mid-January and end the first week of November. (Some years we've schooled through November, but we aim to be done the first week.) No, we don't take the summers off because it's generally too hot here to do anything. So why not school then anyway? We're already staying inside.

There ya have it. We school mid-January through around November and Tuesday through Saturday. Oh! We also don't start school until after lunch. Talk about being rebels! None of the kids are in the bowling league anymore. (Two are graduated.) We do still meet one of the families we met on the league for lunch and talking every Monday instead. It's our crazy, mixed-up homeschooling life, and it works wonderfully for us!

Fitness Check-In: Week ending 2/1/14

Last week was an odd week. The instructor who teaches most of the classes I take has been ill all week, so I spent Monday-Thursday in the Fitness Center on the bike and doing my weight machines. (Yes, I do all my weight machines every day I'm in the FC. I like the results better when I do that.) On Friday, I spent about a half hour practicing my class actually in the Group X room, then I did most of my machines. The weekend was a little hectic, so I never made it to work out on Saturday. (Our water was turned off for most of the morning, and, trust me, I need to make sure I can get a shower after I work out. The people around me would really appreciate it.)

Philippians 1:6

And I am certain that God, who began the good work within you, will continue his work until it is finally finished on the day when Christ Jesus returns.
~Philippians 1:6~

According to Webster's dictionary, the first definition for the word certain is fixed, settled. This could easily be substituted in the beginning of this verse. It is settled “that God [who] began the good work within you.” God started something good in you! You, in turn, are starting something good in your children...or have already started. It's the trickle-down theory at work. God works within you, and you help God to work within your children. How awesome is that!?!

Even on days where it seems like nothing has gone well, when nothing seems to have been accomplished, He promised He WOULD continue that work until it was finished. I can testify that this is true. This is the beginning of our 16th year of homeschooling. I have now graduated two of my kids. It is finally finished! Hallelujah! Praise the Lord! This phase of parenting is over for these kids. When I began this journey, I was newly separated and had a third grader, a kindergartener, and a three-year-old. I can tell you He has remained faithful during all of these years. Through all of our curriculum switches and times it felt like we hardly got things done, His faithfulness endured.

He will do the same for you. He has promised He will continue to work within you until Jesus' return. What do you have to do? It's as easy and as difficult as letting Him. You need to rely on Him daily. I believe Proverbs 3:5-6 says it best. “Trust in the Lord with ALL your heart; do not depend on your own understanding. Seek His will in all you do, and He will show you which path to take.”

Dear Father God~
I want so very much to trust you to complete your work within me. Some days it feels like it's a simple do-it-yourself project, and other days it feels like a complete renovation down to the studs. Since You have done this for my homeschooling sister, I'm going to believe You will do it for me, too. I am excited, and maybe a little apprehensive, about what your finished work will look like when this journey is over. I want to be able to have my own testimony of what a profound impact Your work within me has had.
In Your Hands~ Amen