Chronicles of a Blessed Heritage

Dec

10

Moving, but Still Around

December 10, 2010 | Personal Reflections  |  2 Comments

Earlier this year I flirted with beginning another blog.    It’s a thought that I’ve had over the last year or more as my blog has grown up.  Well, after the 4-day outage that kept me and everyone else from HSB, I made the final decision to move my blog.    I should state that it’s final for now.    It’s been a good run, so to speak, for the past four years with HSB, but this is a business decision as much as it is anything else.   

I will leave this blog up, and I plan to print off much of it–who knows where it might go?   I’ll also be back to visit all the fantastic bloggers that I’ve met here (even though most of you moved to Blogger, or stopped blogging altogether!)     I am hoping, however, that you will visit me over at theblessedheritage.wordpress.com.   For those of you who’ve subscribed to this blog in order to have posts delivered to your e-mail address, you can subscribe to my new WordPress blog.

May the Lord bless you richly

Dec

1

Saying “yes” to something new

December 1, 2010 | in our school, our heavenly home, Personal Reflections  |  Leave a Comment

The youngest, a 2nd grader, is embracing what is, in her mind, her biggest challenge yet—cursive handwriting (name covered below to protect the innocent).

 

I remember my own experience with cursive writing in elementary school; in fact, Handwriting was my first “B.”    Fast-forwarding many, many years, I can remember that the oldest began writing in cursive in 1st grade at the school she attended at the time.    And though I’m also aware of curriculum that teaches cursive from the onset, I deliberately delayed this transition to give the two younger children more time to perfect their printing.   I said all of that to say that you’d think this would be no big deal—just another new thing to learn, right?   I would think there’d be more drama regarding preschool—phonics, writing, adding.   For a small child, these are tough concepts!    Yet, for some reason, my youngest has agonized about writing in cursive.     “Noooooooooo!!!,” she says.    “Why do I have to do this?   Why can’t I just stay with what I already know??!!!”

You’d have to appreciate the dynamics of our relationship to visualize what’s taken place over the last few months.   The youngest is dramatic with a capital “D.”    If a situation deserves an ounce of emotion, she’ll give it a pound.    This is a kid who recently watched a television show about a teen who had to had wisdom teeth removed, and she whined and fretted all night about the horrors of dental surgery; did I mention that she’s only 7?   And her mom?    Well, as one whose presentation was once described as “stoic,” my level-headedness grows quickly annoyed with theatrics.   Of course, I must say that there are advantages to being dramatic; she is my most expressive reader.  

Meanwhile, as we wrapped up the last pages of manuscript practice, it took everything I had to balance being an encouraging, compassionate teacher with being a will-you-give-it-a-rest-already mom.   Each day as we opened the new workbook, I found myself saying, “C’mon, it’s not so bad,”  and the occasional “Look at you!” after some specific guidance.   With a few weeks under our belts, she’s embraced cursive after some initial success with the first couple of vowels and now thinks she’s the best “o” writer on planet Earth.   :-)  

 

 

I watched her today, and, like a bolt of lightening, I had this epiphany about myself and my own response to change.    My challenges are different, but her cycle of emotions is not unlike those of my own when presented with something new and unfamiliar.    I think about the challenges that have come our way just this year.   The Lord says to us:

I’m going to strip away some things that make you comfortable—old jobs,  old friends, and your other idols comforts.

 I’m going to place you in situations that are unfamiliar, that cause you to trust not in things or people, but in Me—new jobs, new relationships, new heights in your faith.

 I’m going to expose some heart issues in people you admire.

 

“Noooooooooo!!!” I say.    “Why do I have to do this?   Why can’t I just stay with what I already know??!!!”

 

I am glad that He does not struggle with being an encouraging, compassionate teacher versus being a will-you-give-it-a-rest-already parent.    His love for me shows me a higher standard of patience, kindness, of being not easily provoked.    His mercy endures forever.   So as I sit with the youngest, I have a new perspective on how to respond to a new challenge.

‘Trust in the Lord with all thine heart, and lean not to thine own understanding; acknowledge Him in all thy ways, and He will direct thy paths.’

Proverbs 3:3-6

 

‘All things work for good for those that love the Lord and are called according to His purpose.’

Romans 8:28

 

‘Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance.  Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.’

James 1:2

 

I usually get an in-the-moment test of how well I’ve really learned these lessons right after I “preach” to others.   Truly, I’d be okay if the Lord just marked this lesson with a pass and let me move forward (smile).   I’ll keep you posted.   In the meantime, may the Lord find me faithful when He says,  “C’mon, t’s not so bad,”  and the occasional “Look at you!” after some specific guidance.     God bless.

Nov

26

1st Semester Progress Report (pt. 2)

November 26, 2010 | in our school, marriage and family  |  Leave a Comment

Picking up where I left off, I think the gap filler between where I am with the youngest and where I want to be is a planner.   Lisa(?) Hobar of Mystery of History once described the inverse relationship between time spent with your child and the amount of planning needed.   If you imagine an X with ending arrows pointing in opposite directions, planning would be on one axis, and one-on-one time with your child is on the other.    In other words, the more time you spend with your child, the less you need to plan.   I am almost constantly with our youngest, so I keep my “schedule” in my head.   I’m sure you’re there already, but yes, it makes it real easy to fall off track.    I always justify it by thinking, well, she’s not headed to college on tomorrow, which is true, but it doesn’t help my frustration when we get off track.   So, during the holidays, I’m going to work to get myself more on a real schedule, with everything in my head written down.   I have to admit that it’s funny to be so relaxed with her education; when my older two were her age, I would plan out the entire school year (before I learned better–smile).

Our son continues to perform well, but I pray continuously over heart issues.   Being wildly successful can be as problematic as being a constant failure.   So, we’ve had to work on not procrastinating just because you know that you can finish quickly, not gloating when you finish early, and not complaining or shying away when work becomes challenging.   Truth be told, those are lessons many adults have yet to learn.

He is at the season where we can begin to focus in more on his interests, and, at least for right now, one of his interests seems to be in the area of history and law.   I had the bright idea of enrolling him on a junior debate team at a local homeschool partnership.   Then I recalled another parent’s recollection about debate and the research that is required to do it well—the work for debate took up enough time and energy until she allowed it to replace her daughter’s history and English studies.   Then I thought about the weekly travel for class.   Is this a necessary part of our journey, or a disruption to an otherwise effective curriculum plan?

The oldest, for a variety of reasons, is almost always the last one finished with school.   At this point, I think she accepts it as ‘just the way it is.’   When her brother finishes before her, she stops to double-check that he really is through.   In the motherly tone that only an oldest daughter can deliver, she completes a mental checklist:

“Okay.   You’re done with Pre-Algebra?” Check.

 

“You finished your science?” Check.

 

“You finished your grammar?” Check.

 

“You read to Mom?   Did she read to you?” Check.

Her year is going well, and I believe the days off—whether with field trips or the recent addition of our “reading days”—are paying huge benefits in terms of giving her a space to relax and regroup in the midst of a difficult school year.    She has always had to work harder in math, and I didn’t realize until I watched her persevere how much math is a part of chemistry.    Chemistry was my favorite subject in high school—it’s why I majored in chemical engineering.   Our daughter had a slow start with chemistry, but thankfully she has picked up.  I know that we will not finish the text in one school year, so my thoughts right now are to take 1-1/2 years to complete it, then fill the last semester with one of her favorite sciences, meteorology.  

I have to think much more strategically rather than tactically with her, and I’m also making a point of documenting my work as our son is not far behind her.    She will begin a new season in her education on next school year—college.    Many Texas homeschoolers take advantage of the dual degree programs available through our community college system, and I aim to be no exception.   With college costs rising higher than the rate of inflation, getting an inexpensive head start will benefit us all.   Yet, the questions of what to take, how to position her to succeed and not fail, is she really ready, am I really ready, and so on, weigh heavily on my mind.   It all requires so much prayer, and then quite of bit of shoe leather and patience—patience with administrators, patience with processes, and patience with yourself.   Getting back to the sciences, physics is out there waiting as well, but I’m not sure if we want to do that here, or let her take the physics for non-math majors as a college options.   Decisions, decisions.   I’m so glad the holidays, with the associated break, are approaching; there’ll be more time to fast, to pray, and to get organized.

Nov

21

1st Semester Progress Report (pt. 1)

November 21, 2010 | marriage and family  |  2 Comments

I am not sure that I could capture well all that has happened in the last two weeks, friends, but I do hope to document the highlights over the last 1-2 weeks. After all, this blog is the chronicles of our family.

The older two were drafted volunteered to help our church children’s ministry with the annual Christmas play, and the associated practices taken up every weekend we have right up until the weekend after Thanksgiving. Parade season is also fast approaching, as is the beginning of the competition season, so dance has consumed the time that isn’t spent on school and church. I am quickly finding myself in the very position that I don’t like to be in at this time of year—too busy with the season to reflect on the Reason. I refuse, however, to give up that reflective time, and will be saying “no, thanks” to some opportunities that sound, at least on the outside, like great opportunities.

This week finds us unexpectedly on the road. My dear husband was asked to take a trip for week—on the same week as Thanksgiving, no less—and we chose to tag along. Writing while riding takes me back several years to when we traveled like this regularly, before job transfers and job changes. In fact, I’ve seen all but one region of Texas in my 20+ years of living here, thanks to the hubby’s jobs. Some prefer a plane ride (though nowadays that means you enjoy being felt up by strangers), but I love the freedom of the car—plenty of time to kick my shoes off, read, blog :-) , or just to sight-see when it’s my turn to drive. We were laughing on yesterday about our earliest work/ family trips when we began homeschooling. The children were small then, and I had to be very creative with meal times as the reality of quitting my full-time job began to settle on us both. I can remember going to vegsource.com and finding recipes like potatoes with chic peas and green onions. It wasn’t fancy, but it was filling, tasty, and most of all, inexpensive. I also recall being stunned at the difference in our lifestyle, and a bit apprehensive about whether the changes were really worth it, but we held hands with all the excitement of fear of brand new homeschoolers. Looking back now, it seems silly to fret so, but I’m so glad that we never gave in to all the uncertainties.

The kids are excited about this week as well, and the fact that I relaxed the schedule a bit, given the trip. They are only responsible for math and reading this week, with a reading day planned for the trip home. Speaking of school, we only have three weeks left in the semester after this one. With the end of the semester approaching, it is always appropriate to assess where we are and whether we are moving in the right path.

The youngest is performing well enough in reading that I’m trying to make a decision as to whether or not to spend money on more formal curriculum to build her reading skills. When I read Bob Jones’ scope and sequence for the 3rd grade reading workbook, there are some areas that she’s not learned—formally. Is it worth it? I think not, but I’m also having to evaluate, for myself, what’s really bothering me about the hole that a lack of formal studies in this area creates. I’m convinced that .what really bugs me—and it’s the same feeling I get watching my son—is that the kids have more free time than I’m comfortable with. That wouldn’t be so bad if they both used the time in productive ways. I’ll sort that out at another time.

The other quandary is what to do with her science studies. She asked to learn about the human body, and I thought it was so convenient that Apologia published a brand new anatomy and physiology text. As my dear friend Kysha says, this was not a good fit for our family. The text is way over the little one’s head, and she now says, “I didn’t know it’d be so gross!” So in trying to get direction from a child, I now realize that I should have followed my first mind, saved my money, and begun with either Zoology or Botany. So, as if I didn’t get enough the first time, I explained to her what I thought about our predicament. She says, “Well, Mom, can we just do two sciences?” Oh, boy.

I pray the Lord is blessing your week(s) as well. More to say, but I’ll stop for now. All the way here, we felt this shake that gradually grew worse. We found out 30 miles outside of town that our mud flap had cut into a tire, causing a slow leak. BUT, we made it, Praise God. He is sooooooo good.

Nov

11

The Discomforting Thing about Being Comfortable

November 11, 2010 | Personal Reflections  |  3 Comments

Earlier today, my adult students and I were dialoguing about word choices and the response that certain words and phrases trigger within us.    My response of the day was guilty pleasure, triggered by two words: comfort food.

According to Wikipedia, the term “comfort food” was first used in 1977.    It ‘refers to foods consumed to achieve some level of improved emotional status, whether to relieve negative psychological affect or to increase positive…Comfort food can be defined as food that brings some form or measure of comfort, sense of well-being, or easy satisfaction…Dishes may be warm and filling such as a dish made with a staple food, or basically pleasing such as sweets or desserts.’   (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Comfort_food, accessed 11/10/10).

I thought about my mom, and the many rich, warm foods she would prepare effortlessly.   Of course, nothing felt guilty about it then; no one was talking about the long-term health effects of shortening (we didn’t “graduate” to vegetable oil until I was much older) or margarine.   I didn’t hear about cholesterol levels until I was in college.    Understanding trans fats and anti-oxidants came much later; truth be told, understanding is still on its way.    Oh, for sweet ignorance that would have allowed me to enjoy this macaroni and cheese recipe without thinking about all the reasons I shouldn’t eat it!    Two kinds of cheeses?   Topped with potato chips and bacon?    But it was soooooooo good.    So good in fact, that we ate it before I could take a picture!   Sorry.

Thank God the house was quiet enough to get in a workout—something else I wouldn’t have thought about in a different day and time.

Comfort food speaks to familiarity, to warmth, to security.    To be ‘comfortable’ is synonymous with ‘relaxed,’ ‘happy,’ ‘easy,’ ‘calm,’ ‘at ease.’     Wouldn’t it be wonderful if we always felt this way?    Yet, there is an inherent problem with being consistently comfortable: we don’t grow.    I should restate that: we do grow—arrogant, that is.     We grow, we become arrogant, thinking that we have it all figured out, and scratching our heads in confusion as to why everyone else can’t just do what we do.     It all boils down to a pearl of wisdom that I wish was my own:

Comfort will never breed a comforter.

 

The next time you’re uncomfortable, praise God for the opportunity to grow in grace.    We are anointed to walk through whereever the Lord is taking us.   It’s a lesson that I’m learning.    Think about it—maybe over some high fat, high sodium food?  :-)

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