Life is Learning

Can you say eventful week?  What I love about Katie being a homeschooler is that I can use every moment to teach her regardless of our location.  Sure we have a classroom curriculum but life is one of the best teachers.  Life is constantly changing and we are running alongside trying to keep a good speed.  Ministry is a good way to teach your child to love and serve one another.  This is a good task as long as your children are involved and not tossed to the side.  We have some precious friends who are struggling a little in their marriage...so Katie and I discussed the day we visited what our tasks were to be upon arrival.  She was to round up the children and take care of them, love on them, and play with them while Mom loved on the female and Dad did whatever males do with the male. :)  I explained to her that the bible says to "Rejoice with those who rejoice and weep with those who weep." Romans 12:15   Of course Katie's middle name should have been love so she was on the task!   She did well for her age.  She at least kept the older one with the best comprehension pretty busy while enjoying some play time.

Days ago, our grandfather (Katie's great grandfather) had triple bypass heart surgery.  So we loaded up our curriculum and had school in the pre-op waiting area.  Once the surgery was complete, we moved up to heart floor where he was recovering.  Katie was ready to see him but one of our family members announced that the hospital did not allow children in the room after heart surgery.  The reasoning is to guard the children from "trauma" because of the patients condition with tubes...etc.  This was saddening to me for more than one reason.  The first reason was because Katie was concerned and had been praying for him, and sincerely wanted to see him.  The second reason is that it stole an opportunity from Katie to be a part of ministering to a sick family member.  The third reason (I could go on for days) is the opportunity she missed to cherish each breath we take.  It seems as if most kids are sheltered from the wrong things.  How will children ever know to cherish life if they never encounter the ups and downs?  How will children ever learn coping skills if we guard them from all pain?  Reality eventually is unavoidable for children.  I remember Katie's first funeral was a person she loved (she loves everybody!) who was a distant friend to our family. He was a wonderful christian man so none of us truly doubted where he would spend eternity.  So there was weeping and rejoicing!  It was at that funeral that she connected life, death, and heaven.  She wept with those who wept, and rejoiced when they rejoiced.  How can we keep our children from these life experiences and label it as "trauma"?   "Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it."  Proverbs 22:6  If instead it said, "delay the child's training until they are old enough to cope, and when they are old, they won't depart from it" well, then I would have to agree with the hospital!  "For the Word of God is alive and powerful."  Hebrews 4:12  Start now by cultivating a heart of thankfulness and compassion!  Teach them  to fear God and of God's judgments (Joel 1:3 Exodus 10:2) but at the same time His incredible love, forgiveness, and compassion (Psalms 103:13).  I am sure a lot of parents guard their child from pain with the greatest intentions, but sometimes our greatest intentions become the ruin of our children.  

"And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God."  Romans 12:2     

Miss Katie and some friends! 

City Frogs

These city frogs showed up just in time for our air, land, and water lessons.  Frogs happen to be the one of the exceptions that can live on both water and land!  Katie is not the typical squeamish little girl afraid of critters so she jumped right on in and captured these little froggies!  They will be joining us in class today then placed back home safely.  :)  

Big frog is Floppy and small frog is Little Rosie :) 

Guarding your child from dangers

Divorce statistics grow higher year by year.  Infidelity has grown even higher since women have entered the work force.  Pornography is at the reach of our fingertips and is destroying families; not to mention on the rise as well.  90% of predators who molest children have had some type of involvement in pornography.  How many of us know people who wink, peek, or are hard core users of pornography?  The natural result of all these statistics rising is that there are tons of people out there that are sexually unfulfilled.  I speak first hand as infidelity almost ruined our relationship.  So it's not a wonder that 1 in 6 children my child's age are molested. Wait, let me repeat that....1 IN 6 CHILDREN ARE MOLESTED AT AGE 6!  90% of all molestations are perpetrated by a relative or friend of the family!  They don't have signs on them that classify them, they don't have a special dress code or a scary look...they are regular "Joes".  Perverts hide behind a normal looking face. We teach our children to be weary of strangers, but what about our family members?  

Formerly, I turned my head at these statistics because I justified my occupation as a means to provide a good life for my child.  Every second she was away from me was one more second she could have been closer to becoming a victim of sexual abuse.   Recently, I was confronted by a person and accused of living in fear and being too protective of my daughter.  Weeks later, this same person's child who overheard this conversation came to me confessing she was, in fact, sexually perpetrated and had not yet told an adult.  There's that 1 out of 6.  A parent must be sacrificial. This is one of those cases where I hated to be right.   

There are ways to involve your children in everyday activities that you would typically need a babysitter.  If the activity is something my child can't come along and do, then the activity is not for this season of my life. I rely on my husband for the rare special girls outing or book study.  Instead of going to the gym and leaving her in daycare, we ride bikes together and run. Instead of sleepovers at other children's houses, we have play dates where all parents are attending.  If I want to go on a date or a getaway with my husband, Grandma watches her.  You would think my Katie would get sick of my face!  Nope! She begs me to play with her more and more.  :)  

Be wise, but not paranoid.  Most child molesters live out their lives in peace and success.  The average pedophile will molest 400 children in his/her lifetime.  No one ever tells on them, so no one ever knows except the silent broken trail of victims they leave behind.  

A good book to read your children is called "Sara Sue Learns to Yell and Tell" by Debi Pearl with No Greater Joy Ministries.  You can google it.  There is also a male version of this book for the young boys. God has put you on this earth to protect your child.  Take your job seriously!  


“Whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in me to sin, it would be better for him if a great millstone were hung around his neck and he were thrown into the sea."  Mark 9:24

 “Get wisdom, get understanding: forget it not; neither decline from the words of my mouth. Forsake her not, and she shall preserve thee: love her, and she shall keep thee. Wisdom is the principal thing; therefore get wisdom: and with all thy getting get understanding.”   Proverbs 4:5-7 

Credit for phrases from article goes to Debi Pearl from No Greater Joy Ministries.

The Pure in Heart

“You shall stand up before the gray head and honor the face of an old man, and you shall fear your God: I am the Lord."  Leviticus  19:23

I love to watch my child grow with wisdom and stature, and in favor with man.   I love to watch how the Spirit has trained her heart to love the elderly.  We have a neighbor named George who is  probably in his late 80's.  As we are driving up the road to the house, Katie is always scratching at the door saying, "Hurry up...let me out mom, George is outside!!"  I watch my little blonde headed girl rip out of the car and go marathon running to his house.  George will have a huge smile and his arms open ready to receive Katie.  George will get his chair out of the garage and  nestle in to prepare for the long chat.  They laugh and tell stories.  She cherishes him.  I couldn't dream of teaching her to love him in that way,  she is God's child.  

Thank you Lord for showing me how to love through her.    

Katie and George :) 

"Blessed are the pure in heart: for they shall see God." Matthew 5:8

Some days are fun....and some days are REALLY fun!

Did I mention that my daughter is way more creative than I?!  

Today, Katie made a whale family out of water balloons and stationed them in sink oceans all over the house!  At times I am reminded to pet the whale family but she mostly tends to them!  We have been learning about air, land, and water animals. We are finger painting today with colors that represent air, land, and water!  Well, most of the paint it made it to the paper!
  

A civet...One animals poo is another animals best part of waking up

Tomorrow, we are learning about a civet in school. Since I don't know much about these animals, I tend to look them up to get a grown up perspective prior to teaching.  (Katie is inquisitive so I have to be on the ball!) Apparently civets have amazing wonderful smelling anal glands!  Wow, if only our husbands were blessed with that!  :) Who would of thought that tons of American's who use Chanel were at one time rubbing a civets anal secretions all over their body?!

Another amazing use of the civet is the coffee they produce. Civet coffee is eaten and digested by civets and is a considered a delicacy at $100-$300 a lb!  If that doesn't sound delicious, maybe you will feel better knowing that the enzymes in the civet's stomach remove the bitterness from the coffee bean during digestion!

I began this journey as a mom at age 23, when I was unwed, fresh out of jail, 2 months sober of a meth drug addiction, and reunited with my high school sweetheart.  Jeramey had taken the leap and moved from North Carolina to Texas to help me get better and get my life on track.

Jeramey and I met in the summer of 8th grade at the young age of 14.  We had an innocent love for each other.  Being the young foolish children we were, we ended our relationship and moved on.  Imagine my excitement when I found him all these years later and decided to contact him.  We immediately decided to meet!  He flew me into Georgia, picked me up, and I spent a week with him sobering up.  We loaded all we could fit in his blue pickup and headed back to Texas.  That's when life truly began for me.  2 months later, I found out I was pregnant with Miss Katie Lynn. 

You would think we would appreciate each other after all those years!  Wrong!  When Katie was 3, we decided to split.  I moved on with another man.  This seemed the simple solution to our problems, moving on is always easier than improving one's character.  Jeramey had become more out of control with his drinking so going back was not an option.  One night, Jeramey prayed and asked God to change him.  From that day forward,  he never drank a drop of alcohol.  The overnight transformation of Jeramey left me dumbfounded and I soon ran back home!  We got married months later and here we are today, headed down the narrow path!  

When Katie turned 5, I decided public school was not the road we would take. Her father and I being raised by public schools both took terrible destructive paths.  Knowing that, we weren't going to roll the dice and chance that she would be the small percent that turned out to be a leader or above the influence.   I enrolled her in a local private christian school with over the top recommendations.  When touring the campus, everyone was lovely.  They all obeyed the dress code and wore the cute little modest uniforms. Talking with people familiar with this private school, they all agreed that the children had an innocence like no other children.  Everything seemed to be wonderful and I was satisfied.  Until I was invited to awards ceremony!  It was a free dress day and party day so the kids could express themselves with any clothing they chose.  Noticing that almost none of the children had any sort of modesty,  I was concerned.  The more I stood and observed the children and parent's gestures, body language, language...etc...the more I realized that there would be no safe place for her to learn values.  Romans 8:5  "Those who live according to the sinful nature have their minds set on what that nature desires; but those who live in accordance with the Spirit have their minds set on what the Spirit desires."  

Sure, this place taught these values, but why weren't they penetrating the hearts and the minds of these children?  My world began to cave in!  I cried out to God and said, "God, there is no place better than this school!  Not me!  I can't teach her!  I dropped out of school and got my GED!  I am not smart enough.  Lord, send someone to teach her!"  It seemed my heart was crying out to change what The Lord had already placed.

1 Corinthians 2:5 says  ^{"Your faith should not stand in the wisdom of men, but in the power of God."}  

Job 38:36  says  "Who endowed the heart with wisdom or gave understanding to the mind?"  

Luke 24:45 "Then he opened their minds so they could understand the Scriptures."

1 Corinthians 2:16 "For who has known the mind of the Lord that he may instruct him?" But we have the mind of Christ."

After doubting God,  I would have no rest in my soul for weeks.  The Lord had provided and sent a teacher for her at my request, long before I requested.  The question now...is the teacher willing?  

Being the most anti-routine, A.D.D-ish, commitment phobic, person that I am, this did not go over well with my husband when presenting my case.  His concern was not my ability,  but my ability to commit to the job.   We devised a plan of accountability.  The decision was made to follow the footsteps of my sister using the same curriculum in case guidance was needed.   

The first 3 months.....sweet torture!  Starting a kindergarten program, it usually takes up only about 2-3 hours a day.  My flesh my crying out to do anything but repeat the same songs and letters everyday.  But once school was over for the day, we could hit the road!  I could teach her cooking, dishes, laundry....things she will use in the real world.  We could explore the world, go to the park,  or go swimming...do PE school.  Go to the zoo!  Whatever we could get our hands into!   The wonderful thing about homeschool is that the children not only learn what they would in a traditional school, but they also learn to do things that they will use in the practical world....plus God!  

Once I got over the 3 month commitment hump (or mountain),  and got over myself being inconvenienced, I began to harvest the fruits of what was being sewn.  The dynamic of our relationship has completely changed!  My daughter thinks I am the smartest person in the world!   When I see her doing addition problems, I know the Lord taught her through me.  Even Jesus in his suffering, brought such beauty.  Suffering by denying yourself for your children, brings such beauty and happiness to the soul!  It's an amazing reward that I want all to myself!  :)   She brings me so much joy!  

"The rod and reproof give wisdom: but a child left to himself bringeth his mother to shame." Proverbs 29:15  



Jeramey and I at age 16:

Week we left North Carolina to head to Texas: 

First comes love...then comes....wait..a baby?!

....then comes marriage!