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