You can tell where my thoughts have been lately….

On schooling at home-

Go Outside with Your Children ::: A child learns to spend time outdoors through the companionship of an adult. He learns how to respond, explore, and find his way with someone who has the same curiosity as himself.

Is Your Homeschool too Heavy on the School? ::: To me, the fact that I'm squealing with delight over a vacation and counting the days 'til it's over with trepidation and reluctance means I'm doing something wrong.

A barebones homeschool day ::: Homeschooling, for us, is the foundation of a life time of learning. It's not the be-all, end-all of our childrens' education, it's just the beginning.

And on marriage-

I do: Belonging ::: when you say “I do,” it’s not just a marriage between two people at the altar.

The 4 Minute Marriage Habit ::: Who doesn't want a deeper relationship?

I do: Struggle ::: Marriage doesn't get easier over time, but it gets less hard.

Sunday would be the sixteenth birthday of my baby sister.

Earlier this week some dearly loved friends celebrated the second birthday of their precious baby girl….who left this life just as it was time for her to enter it.

I sat at a restaurant table today sharing pumpkin muffins with my three girls.

Tomorrow we'll join friends to celebrate ten years of there lovely daughter.

The perplexities of life…

I want to be real with people. The hard part is that it's just so messy. My joy overlaps with their sorrow and vice versa and it just seems like too much sometimes.

But just as I've learned about only wanting perfect, only seeking comfortable can't take you very deep in a relationship. 

The people I love… the friends that have entwined themselves in my heart in a forever kind of way…they've been real. They've told me their ugly truths and let me share their sorrows and though it's not necessarily fun or easy, it's tied us together in a way that no amount of "fun" time ever could.

I want to be real. I want to embrace what's real in others. And I want to know and see not just the bad and the messy but the good and the beautiful. 

On the evening of New Year's Day we walked up and down our street, inviting our neighbors to a "get to know you" BBQ. It's something we've talked about doing for a long time. But there was always some logistical reason that made it feel impractical. Finally, fueled by an impulsive moment, we did it. 

And people actually came. That was the part that blew me away. I had myself pretty convinced that no one would show up. But they did.

There was some fun conversation, and some not so fun conversation. Unavoidable in such a mixed group of people. But the moment that made it feel like a good thing was when an elderly woman who lives at the other end of the street said, "I'm so glad you did this. I've lived here twelve years and never met anybody!"

That lady brought pretty pink flowers that are still brightening my kitchen weeks later.

Another lady brought shells and bouncy balls as a gift for our girls. She lives around the corner. She told us she has to move out of her home because she can't afford the $400 a month rent anymore. So she is renting a bedroom in the house of the people who live behind her instead.

It made me sad to realize the needs that surround us. But then I became hopeful as I realized now that we know we can pray! And maybe even sometimes help.

Inviting these people into my home was a real stretch for me. I find a little discomfort and a lot of fear in the idea of reaching out to a bunch of people I don't know. But in spite of that I've had this burden on my heart to do it anyway, and I'm hoping this was just the beginning.

God uses sinners- there is no one else to use.

-Elisabeth Elliot

I haven't been sharing a whole lot of my own writing around here lately.

But just to clarify, that's not because I haven't wanted to write.

The issue is not desire or interest, but time. 

I'm sure you can relate.

There is SO much I want to do every day. So many good things, and they all feel so necessary. But the reality is that there is just not time for them all.

I have been reassessing my routines. Particularly in regards to school; working to establish a new plan for now. In regards to our home-schooling, every time I think I've got a routine down and it's the perfect fit for us, something changes and all of the sudden it just doesn't fit at all anymore. I've found that my pattern is to spend a week or two trying to make it fit anyway, then at least a week in "I give up" mode. Then finally I come around to, "Okay, how can we change things to work better for us now?".

I think we're finding a good groove in that regard (though of course who knows how long it will last?).

In the meantime, I'm working at trying to make the routine a habit. And trying to make sure other things don't get neglected. I feel like it's very fitting to describe the whole of my days as a never-ending feat of juggling.

Oh, and in the midst of all that, I've decided to (for now anyway) give up computer time at night. As a girl who often wakes in the morning exhausted by the busy-ness of her dreams, this felt like the most obvious prescription to try.

The problem with that is: nighttime was for the most part my only time on the computer. You wouldn't believe how much random screen-necessitating tasks have become backed up as I eliminated that time. 

I have yet to find another ideal time to squeeze the computer in, so for now I'm just getting to it in bits and pieces here and there throughout my days, trying to make sure I get to the essential stuff first. On the bright side it has definitely brought about a deep evaluation of how I spend my time on the computer.

So that's where I'm at. In a state of flux when it comes to how I spend each moment of my day. My brain piling up with thoughts I want to share here, but so little time to do it in. 

I'm not giving up though. I'll keep praying and paring down the unnecessary expenditures of time in my day. I want to spend all the precious time I'm given on things I love, not blow it in waste. 

How are your days going lately?

There's only grace.

Weaving ::: Why can’t I even love those He has called me to love?

Shine ::: For a while, it seems that we will look a little flashy, like junior high girls dressing for a Justin Bieber concert.

The Tyranny of Advice Column Christianity ::: For the overachievers in the crowd, you can forget the extreme spiritual makeover, and know that all the doing meant to gain you acceptance has already been done.

Atlantic Overview ::: (The amazing adventure of some real-life friends….kind of makes me want to throw caution to the wind and just do something crazy! Good kind of crazy of course.)

a lesser communion ::: Though it may happen at other times as well, dinner is the time of day when biblical community consistently happens in our home.

Let us beware of rebellion against the Lord. Circumstances are of His choosing, because He wants to bless us, to lead us (even through the wilderness) out of Egypt, that is, out of ourselves.
Settle the complaint with God; and it will settle other things.

Elisabeth Elliot
A Lamp Unto My Feet

If you're like me and could use a little renewal of motivation towards your schooling at home right now, here's a few links that might do the trick:

Education is a Discipline: Four Habits that have Made a Difference

How to Simply Homeschool: The Four Simple Cornerstones

Seven Daily Rungs…

How to Feed Brains Everyday

The important thing is not so much that every child should be taught,
as that every child should be given the wish to learn.
-John Lubbock

Skills for Children ::: What kind of skills do you think are most powerful when experienced at an early age?

Fair Trade is for Hippies. And Maybe the Rest of Us Too. ::: it was this conversation with a man that works with farmers in the hilltribes of Thailand that changed my perspective and understanding . . . .

Seven Ways to Keep Your Home Strong ::: Again, the return always to this: "It is written," he said to them, " ' My house will be a house of prayer'" (Luke 19:46).

The Only "What If" Worth Asking ::: And all those ‘what if’s’ questioning His goodness are answered here.

The truth {about "fine"} will set you free ::: It's powerful when a friend steps out from behind fine and looks you in the eyes.