End of our school year continued.....

Now that we are well into our summer, I have managed to do a large amount of decluttering. This was a major problem during the school year because nothing seemed to really be clean. We did not have a lot designated places for certain things. So those things just got stuffed somewhere. So chore time has been pleasant this summer. With many hopes we can continue this during our 2012-2013 school year.

Some of the things that I absolutely loved this school year were...... my weekly planning times, arranging my active teaching time where I began with the little's(2yo and 4yo) first and ended with my 5th grader, realizing that it is okay to school after lunch time, this did wonders to keeping me stress-free.....starting a load of laundry first thing in the morning, and the most important of all; getting up about 45 mins. earlier and working out and having a devotion time before the kids got up.

And just letting go...and trusting God to take care of the things I couldn't 

or

 did not have strength to do.

Some things that I was not pleased with were......not completing as much of the curriculum that I had planned on, implementing more character skills, being too busy outside the house, not doing nearly enough service time, and just being consistent.

And so, we bring another school year to a close with many ups and a few downs.....but we survived by the grace of God and infused with more love and joy because of His mighty hand in our lives. I am convinced that there really is nothing impossible with God; I've seen first hand the extreme change He has done this year as a whole with our family :) And what He is continuing to do in and through us. Our school this year looked completely different than the previous year. My prayer is that we continue to grow in the ways of the Lord and that our lives be living testimony of what God can do if you "put your trust in Him."(Psalm 2:12)


"Then you will know that I am the LORD; those who hope in me will not be disappointed." Isaiah 49:23


"May the words of my mouth and the meditations of my heart be acceptable to You, Lord, my rock and my Redeemer." Psalm 19:4

End of our school year....

Our school year started so much better than I had expected....I was so happy with all the energy and preparations that were actually used through out the year. I don't know about you but I tend to not follow through with all my plans....I somehow just like the idea that they are out there somewhere..LOL! So this year was a real treat :)

So with that in mind, I decided for this year to be more relaxed and focus more on my organization. I didn't try to mass produce lesson plans before the year started. I decided to have lesson planning Sunday's. I would plan out my lessons for each week on Sunday afternoon while the children played outside. It would take me maybe an hour to plan for 2 children (my third child just did the next page in her text book and I would read to her and my youngest). I put each lesson and child in a time slot. If you are wondering what I mean by that the book "Managers of the home" by Steve and Teri Maxwell gave me this idea. You can find there products at www.titus2.com .

I also set up a specific chore time and big clean up/declutter time. Which was a big improvement from last year. In the previous years, I would get so frustrated and stressed when I woke up to a huge mess of a house that school would be the last thing on my list to do. The cycle of that led me to feeling so guilty and like a failure that I would further slip away from school work and later try to push to finish the year without over working the kids. Which left me a very frustrated mama. I thought, "If God is calling me to this...there has to be a better way." And there was. Though I am still tweaking it all....I have realized that being a wife and mother to four kids organization is a major key. And while my house is not as neatly organized as I would like for it to be; we have clean and clear spaces to actually live in. 


And on another note :)



Guitar lessons have come along beautifully and he is still really enjoying it. We also decided to do American Heritage Girls for my Indya and she really enjoyed it, as well. She learned a lot and developed new friendships. We discovered that she really is a servant. When given the opportunity; she opened up.


........more to come on how we schooled this year..........

"You will keep the mind that is dependent on you in perfect peace, for it is trusting in you." 

Isaiah 26:3

Going natural.....

Wow! Let me say this....... In the beginning when i began transitioning May of last year; I was beside myself with so much excitement. Through out the year I walked the road of knowing my hubby was not to keen on my decision but settled, knowing that I had very little knowledge of how to care for my hair in this state, and really there was no one around me that looked like me. Okay i know what you are thinking.....

.....hello...!! 

why do you care what everyone else thinks?

Well apparently I cared a whole lot more than even I knew. God did though... and He knew exactly the liberty He was ushering me into. Not only was He leading me into a more natural lifestyle for myself through hair, cloth diapering my little one, and food changes; He planted me in a Beth Moore bible study that would eventually shake me to the core. He began a process of showing me how I truly saw myself and it was not how He saw me. Without going into all of that, I will say He is "...renewing a right spirit within me..."(Ps.51:10)

 After transitioning for 9 1/2 months, I decided to braid my hair up to push through the last 2 months. Since I wanted to transition for a year. Well, that was fine until I took them out with a month to go. And to my dismay my relaxed hair was all dreaded up and had to be cut. Leaving me with no choice but to do my big chop at 11 months transitioning. I discovered that I was no more ready to do my big chop at 11 months as I was at the first month. I literally cried. I had everything i needed for natural hair as I had been collecting all year. But that wasn't my problem......

Will I no longer be beautiful?
A question that rolled around in my head more times than i  can count.
I was about to discover that God had a different meaning for beauty....and I was far from understanding.

When we tell our children that they are so beautiful, we can believe it for them. We know and understand that God made them beautiful just the way they are.

But do we always believe that for ourselves??


To know that this is all part of the journey....a journey worth taking.










" In her chamber, the royal daughter is all glorious.........." Psalm45:13a


"Lord, You are my portion and my cup of blessing; You hold my future. The boundary lines  have fallen for me in pleasant places; indeed, I have a beautiful inheritance. " Psalm 16:5-6

Trusting God in the unknown places....

Though we all have experiences times of closeness with the Lord; there are simply seasons that we journey through that are far from familiar and we don't know exactly which way to turn. 

Trust God!

It is where our constant peace and provision rest. 

He is with me...., 

I am reminded in a song or  in the Word often.

I've journeyed through a place of feeling completely ripped a part and the broken pieces can't be put together by me alone. 

Thank God that He is the master at rebuilding and putting the pieces together in a way that we are healed and restored. 

No longer shattered.
                                                            Beauty for ashes........

.

"....and provide for those who grieve in Zion to bestow on them a crown of beauty  instead of ashes, the oil of gladness instead of mourning, and a garment of praise instead of a spirit of despair. They will be called oaks of righteousness, a planting of the Lord for the display of his splendor." Isaiah 61:3

Finding true beauty..at home..

Being a woman of noble character, I am somehow longing to be.

 Desiring to look just like her. 

Her, whom beauty and grace adorn like a crown about her head.

 Not surely knowing where she has been or what her Lord has brought her out of. 

Not truly knowing what a great captive she had been. 

Oh, but now the grace of her Lord has bound her immensely. 

Saturated in His love and mercy, she steps into each day with a sure knowing that He is with her. 

In everything...

 through everything....

 there is a grace that flows so richly from the throne room of her God.

Just for her.

" In her chamber, the royal daughter is all glorious, her clothing embroidered with gold." 

Psalm 45:13

Finding beauty in motherhood....

Sitting in my rocker, looking around at the many toys, shoes, and books that can't seem to make it's way back to where it belongs; I realize how sincerely  blessed I am. 

Yes, my littles can make just about any room look like a tornado has spun through it ........

..........and I'm grateful.

 My house could be nice and well-organized

(which I could stand to work on just a little bit more :)),

clean...without a toy in sight or books like "Guess how much I love you", just lying around.

My quiver is full and hopefully still growing. 

No, mothering four children is not easy and can be down right crazy in just about any grocery store, 

but the joy that comes with mothering super cedes every obstacle. The love of the Father poured out through my home is mind boggling. I wouldn't change a thing. Raising and nurturing them in the word is a gift from the Lord to this sometimes weary mama. Knowing that this is but my first round of discipleship. The rewards will exceed my lifetime. The hope is never ending. Oh, the privilege I have in watching these beautiful beings grow into the image of our Savior; and becoming the young men and women God purposed them to be.

"You have made known to me the path of life; you will fill me with joy in your presence, with eternal pleasures at your right hand." Psalm 16:11

A time when there is no more....

As I sat in my rocker, I thought ....there is coming a time very soon when I will not be washing diapers twice a week.

 And I'm sad.....

Should I be sad? Why do I not want to move into a different season? 

A season when my littles aren't so little anymore. I want to move past some things and freeze time on the others. Having smooth, well-oiled days all of sudden doesn't sound so appealing to me. Taking the good with the bad, I guess. I want my two year old out of the terrible twos yet I want to keep him two! A stage that is so precious. That I'm actually enjoying for the  first time with my fourth child.

Crazy, I know :)

I never paid attention before. I tended to focus more on the negative then. Something that comes from God's freedom is a positive attitude. I'm not so angry anymore...I'm not rushing to happiness anymore.
I actually took time this year and enjoyed the season change from winter to spring.

Amazing!!

God holds all in His tender hands. The love and comfort that I long for and the eye openers that I need.

Praise the Lord, for His goodness endures forever. 

To the ends of the earth, it flows.

So richly among us all. Precious moments of endearment with a glimpse of His face. His constant drawing releasing His children that had been captive to the enemy's sling.

Freedom! 
We call out and He turns an ear. Setting in motion our deliverance. 

Praise the Lord, for His mercy endures forever.

And flows to the ends of the earth. Rescuing His dear ones from the yokes we so easily become entangled in. 
Deliverance! 
We cry out and He turns a ready ear. Releasing the Savior to break the chains and draw His daughters near.

To my face I fall, knowing that now I'm counted as one so dear. 

The blood that broke the yokes also drips to bring me peace. Restoring and rebuilding this temple now saved by grace. 

Praise my God, for His love endures forever to the ends of the earth, it flows. 

Thank you, Lord that I'm counted as one so dear.

In His grace,

Along the way

"He sent forth His word and healed them..." Psalm 107:20