Her First Communion

As a parent my biggest struggle and greatest joy is guiding my children in their relationship with Christ. 
I want their faith to be their own, not something I force on them and they later reject because I was too overbearing.  I also don't want to do too little now that someday when they are 23 years old (with two children of their own) they're left embarrassed and clueless as they are sitting around a table with a bunch of Christian friends listening to references of children's bible stories they've never before heard and feeling ripped off... terribly ripped off.

Or getting their oldest children baptized because it was "PAST time" according to the mom-in-law.  But this momma really didn't have a clue what it all meant.  And was again, too embarrassed to ask.

I was lost, with nowhere to start.  I don't really blame my parents {much}, they were facing their own struggles in this world.  And really, how do you know when you're doing too much, or doing too little?  They probably did just what they were supposed to do, but it took me a little longer than most to "make it my own".  Each child is so different and their needs aren't identical, especially when it comes to their faith. 

I want to give my children a firm foundation to build on.  And I'm learning more and more that I can't do that just with bed time prayers, a little bible reading and some intentional character building.  And I surely can't make it a classroom style ordeal. I've gotta take time with each child and seek their individual heart right where they are and go from there. 

Anyway, all of that just to say:

You know you're not totally screwing up this whole parenting gig when something like this lands on your office desk (AKA, the kitchen table).

A note from my sweet girl.

 She took this faith thing and made it her own, just as I've always hoped that she'd do.  My heart is stretched so big right now. So big.
I'm grateful for the village that helped my little girl reach this milestone. What ever good things you're working on right now, keep at it! 

And if you're sitting there wishing you could have your heart stretched by a child who is making their faith their own, worry not.  This sort of thing does NOT happen over night, but over many nights.  Or like in my journey, many, many, many MANY nights. Be blessed friends.  Oh, and please, if you're the one reading this going, HEY that sounds like me!  I'm so clueless.  JUST ASK the questions you have.  Don't put up a front or try to act like you know. Open your lips and let honesty pour out.  More than likely you will be filled with love, grace, and new knowledge beyond anything you could imagine. 

Sorry it's a little blurry.  She taught herself how to add some color to the font. 
I don't even know how to do that!

 

Philippians 1:6

"being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus."

In The Kitchen: Big Girl Salad

Here's a hearty lunch for those days when you just feel like eating.  Anyone else ever feel like that?  If so, grab a serving bowl and follow this quick and easy recipe.
In retrospect, you'd probably want to put the raisins on the side.  Salsa and raisins are flavor foes, not friends.  I needed the sweetness today, so it worked for me.

Brief Update!

Just a quick update.  We are almost to the end of our first official homeschool year!  Woohoo! 


This has been the best experience for our family.  Seriously.  I cannot even convey in words how much God has brought our family closer together through this. 
Both of the big kids have made big educational gains, and have become more independent throughout the year.  The baby has really gotten to bond with her big siblings, and that is something that just wouldn't have happened (at least not in the same way) if they were away at school. 

Thank you to all of you who have supported us through this journey.  And actually, thank you to those of you who haven't.  By challenging my abilities to home educate you also challenged my faith and have brought me closer to God, and closer to being the person I strive to be.  Patient, calm, and persistent. 

With only a couple weeks of school left, my current dilemma is this: The pages of our workbooks are running out!

That's good news, for sure. 

But I'm now really contemplating what's been working, and what hasn't.  Some subjects I'll just order the next level up, other subjects I may be looking for a different approach. 


For instance, math has gone well for both kids. But to get a better foundation for the little guy I think we will look into Math-U-See.  My oldest is doing excellent with Teaching Textbooks, so we will just move up to level 6 there. We finally found something that really works for her learning style.  Yes!    So I'll be doing that for each subject and trying to incorporate in more for our second year.
 
I've always had a passion for education, and I'm super excited about some upcoming conferences to help better equip me as a homeschool teacher.  If you're local (IOWA), check these out:


THIS THURSDAY, April 10th, Susan Barton, Dyslexia expert is giving a talk in West Des Moines.  I cannot wait to meet her!  If you are unable to make the conference, Check out this web-site for some valuable information.  This is good for anyone, not just homeschoolers.


May 15th-17th is the 2014 Homeschool Iowa Conference.  I've wanted to go for years, but it's just never worked out.    If it's God's will, I'll be there this year! 

A Word From Romans

And the Holy Spirit helps us in our weakness. For example, we don’t know what God wants us to pray for. But the Holy Spirit prays for us with groanings that cannot be expressed in words. And the Father who knows all hearts knows what the Spirit is saying, for the Spirit pleads for us believers in harmony with God’s own will. And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them.
Romans 8:26-28

Homeschool: Reading Incentives

It's no secret that I am an avid follower of Confessions of a Homeschooler.  Her blog posts and YouTube videos have been a great inspiration in our homeschooling journey.  If you haven't checked out her homeschool room tour, you've just got to do it... like right now... Well, you know, after you finish reading this! 

Last month I stumbled over THIS POST she had about reading incentives.  She had adapted it from another blog post that she saw.  Isn't that great how us women can keep on encouraging, adapting and sharing?  I love it!

I've shared here before that my oldest daughter (The Fashionista) has dyslexia.  The Fashionista has made great big strides in reading, but it can still be a struggle to get her to set aside time to read. 

She is the type that is highly motivated by a prize.  I don't like rewarding everything (in fact, that's a pet peeve of mine!), but this is one area I think it's okay to give a little encouragement. 

If you're a teacher (homeschool or other) looking for a way to encourage your students I highly suggest you check out Confessions of a Homeschooler for details on how to make your own reading incentive area. 



Because we have a huge whiteboard already on the wall, we just didn't have room for a bulletin board too.  Instead we used push pins to stick the reading necklaces in the tree on the wall. It works perfectly for our family! 

I think this idea could easily be adapted to whatever your child needs an incentive for: Behavior, chores, school work, feeding the pets, etc. 

If you take on this little #DIY project, I'd love to see it!  Post a picture to my facebook page: www.facebook.com/ASlightlyBetterWife



This picture was taken before we added our reading incentives, but you can see our beautiful whiteboard.  It was a $5 garage sale find from a friend.  Thank you Aimee!  It's been SO helpful in our schooling.