Voting

I am a Marine’s daughter and an American. I vote every election because many many people in our nation’s amazing history died so we can. Also, we have a responsibility to apply our faith in God to real life and vote for those who uphold His teachings and will as written for us in the Bible. Every person is obliged to become as informed as possible and vote for those who believe the closest to God’s teachings as possible, according to our conscience. That is the criteria for voting but please please vote. Every vote is an act of patriotism as well as obedience to God. You determine who you vote for via prayer and Bible study and conscience. No one should tell you who to vote for, but please vote. See you at the polls! And may Christians rise up and return to the Lord so He may bless us again! It is our heritage. May God bless our election!

Bread as Teacher

We made bread today. We learned several things from this process. The first was that it is amazing how cheap bread is in the store. It doesn’t taste like homemade but the process still must be followed. Making bread required arm strength and endurance as well as time. Lots and lots of time. So buying bread in the store does not taste as good but is worth every penny. Secondly, we worked on math. We discovered that we only had enough flour for a half batch (1 loaf) so we worked on fractions for measurements. Thirdly, we learned a little science as I taught about the yeast/ warm water/ temperature/ sugar interplay and why dough rises. Fourthly, we learned economics in that if you don’t have bread in the house and don’t have money to go get bread, you can make it yourself. And it tastes better! And lastly we learned that good things come to those who wait. And every person on earth needs to be reminded of that now and then. So, the kitchen is a great place for teaching children all sorts of things and talking about life as you wait for the dough to rise or food to bake. Making lessons out of life is what Christ did and we feel closer to Him when we do the same, I think. At least I do. Hope you had a great day too!

A Word of Encouragement

If you are having a rough day, please know for a moment and the remember forever that you are unconditionally loved beyond your ability to understand by Someone who is greater than your ability to understand and made of Love. So, He fights for you when you ask Him to and He always wins because He is biggest and smartest and loves you like that. So, stop being frustrated and pray for a minute and give all those frustrations to the One not bothered by anything and ask Him to fix them and hold you and He will every time. It helps to see it if you turn off the distractions, but even if you can’t, rest assured He answers prayers anyway. You are loved. Calm down. Pray. Relax. God will fill you with peace. He is good.

Homeschooling Moms and Tigers and Bears, Oh My

Several million kids are getting an education in America. Some dropped out, some are in private schools and some are homeschooled, but most are public school trained. And many of all of these come away with good educations, many don’t and that is the way of it. And each family has its own story and its own particular kind of beauty and uniqueness from the Lord. All of us are loved and treasured. But my firm belief is that homeschooling moms are strangely unique in that we have purposefully taken on the roll of both mom and teacher. While all moms are teachers of sorts, the homeschooling mom is full time everything. We have, on purpose mind you, freely given away any free or “me” time for the sake of teaching our children the way we think they should be taught. It is unheard of for a person to willingly opt for 2 full time jobs at once. And on top of it, we also do the janitorial duties and the cook’s duties to boot. So, it is really 3 full time jobs. Then there is the husband to make time for and care for. That is the fun one. Otherwise, who on earth would opt for such sacrificial giving of one’s self for the good of kids who may or may not appreciate any of it? The answer for me is because I answer to a God in Heaven when this brief life is over. Yes, I love my kids and want the best drama free, lie free, most well rounded individualized education for my kids. But for me, more than all of that is my personal conviction that my primary responsibility to God concerning my children is that I train them to be God’s kids who grow up to be healthy and productive adults who expand God’s work. I personally don’t feel that can happen easily with evolution and agendas with other philosophies crammed down their throats. Every person is responsible for their own convictions. We are instructed to do what is right in our own minds. So, some would call me crazy. And I’m positive that is true, though I think it is a good crazy for a good reason and I want to be called crazy about my family because I’m crazy about my God. We homeschooling moms really are a lot like bears in that we spend much time training our kids and play with them but will attack if our kids are threatened. We are like Tigers in that we are avid hunters of a large game of knowledge to share with our kids. And we are most like lions because when you work 3 full time jobs in the same space, you are the queen of that space. Moms are large and in charge. So, beware the homeschooling moms. We fight for our principles by sacrificing our freedom for the good of the family. We are true patriots. And when our children are grown and productive and independent thinkers later, we just want you to know you are welcome. It is worth every minute.