Is Today Your June 8th?

June 8^th was a normal day until 2010. Five long years ago that sometimes feels like only a few days ago. A few of our family and friends prayed around my grandma’s hospital bed. As I told her that I loved her, she squeezed my hand. This would be her last communication with anyone. A few hours later she slipped peacefully into the arms of her Lord after a brief battle with cancer. She was the woman I wanted to be when I grew up and I still look to her example. Strong, patient, kind and everything good. The glue that held our family together. Always willing to fill a need, even when that meant helping to raise her granddaughter. Even now, there are days when I pick up the phone to share exciting news or ask her advice, forgetting that she won’t answer.

Little did I know that  June 8^th would strike again just as hard. This time, it was my dad. The dad I never really knew. We met several years ago but the relationship didn’t last long.  Birthday text messages and Christmas cards continued through the years, but nothing more. Through that brief relationship I was blessed with several siblings and a large extended family who embraced me like I always belonged to them. Ironically, I was with one of those cousins and her family when I got the news that my dad had passed, also of cancer. That was the day he became the dad I would never really know.

Such different pains but both hurt so deeply. One longing for a relationship that I was able to fully experience and therefore know what I would be missing and the other sadness for a relationship I never really had and now never would experience. Two completely different people who had nothing in common until June 8th.

So today, as tears roll down my face and knots fill my stomach, I hope that people will give me a little extra grace if I snap at them or stare off into space. My head is full before my day even begins. I think back to a lady that our family cared for and her hatred for April 27^th (my birthday). To her, it was the worst day of the year because her husband died on that day. And now I understand. I probably have a little more compassion for the cashier who may be grumpy or the waitress who may seem distracted because the day I encounter them may be their June 8^th.

Using the Library to Homeschool

If you've been to one of my talks about getting started homeschooling, here are the resources I referred to:

Cathy Duffy's Reviews - reviews of many homeschool curriculums

Tapestry of Grace - classical integrated unit study curriculum (please use referral code aprilnourse)

Cass County Library 

Homeschool.com

Khan Academy - online learning site

Homeschool Legal Defense  - homeschool resources and legal information

Families For Home Education - Missouri homeschool organization

Midwest Parent Educators - Kansas City area homeschool organization

Mardel - homeschool store and online resources

You Can Teach Your Child Successfully

Honey For a Child's Heart

Beautiful Feet - history & literature curriculum

Rainbow Resource - curriculum vendor

Write Shop - composition

Sonlight

Christian Light Education - homeschool materials

Timberdoodle - hands on homeschooling

Home Science Tools - science materials

5 in a Row

What Every ___ Needs to Know

KONOS - homeschool curriculum

Simply Grammar - grammar curriculum

Teach Your Child to Read in 100 Easy Lessons - beginning reading

Prepping for a Homeschooling Convention

I was so naive when I went to my first homeschool convention. I thought that I could just show up, listen to some speakers, peruse the vendor hall and leave with everything I needed for the next school year. I was so wrong. Will you please let me help you not make the same painful mistake? From the moment you decide to attend, preparation must begin.

If reasonable, get a babysittter and book a hotel near the convention. These aren't necessary but will help you focus on the task at hand. I know moms who go as a group and leave the dads home with the kids and I have friends who use this as a couples getaway. Our kids are old enough that I want their input so we bring them and all of us stay near the convention.

At the minimum, make a list of the subjects you'd like to cover and your budget. If you have some specific thoughts on providers, jot them down too. Be warned that you may change your mind, but have a plan. As soon as you can get a list of vendors and speakers, mark the ones you want to visit and keep that with your list.

If you have some time, visit websites and stores (we love Mardel) to check out curriculum. This will help you get to know your options and the prices. Homeschooling friends are also great resources and will often let you look through their materials. Cathy Duffy offers helpful reviews on most of the top resources. 

On the day of the convention, wear good shoes and be prepared to take notes for later. I know many people who browse on day one, review the materials that evening and buy on day two. Even if you have only one day at your event, I tell people to pack a lunch so that you can take a few minutes to leave the building, sit outside in the sunshine and regain your thoughts after a morning of information overload.

Lastly, know that if you leave without buying everything you needed, that's ok. Unless I really know that it's something I will use and/or the discount at the convention is significant, I'm ok with paying a little more later. I'd rather be certain that have unused curriculum at the end of the year because of an impulse buy.

Redefining Comfort

July 14, 2008. Life was good.  My husband had a steady job, we were settling into our California community and church, we had a nice little house where we were planning to raise our three daughters. We were comfortable and had no plans of changing anything.

God had other plans.  A few months later, my husband lost his job, beginning a domino-effect of changes.  He applied for every local job he knew of.  His brother and best friend started encouraging him to come work with them in Iraq as a contractor.  My mom offered to let us move into her basement (half a country away in Missouri). Someone offered to buy our house.  My mind raced at the possibilities and choices.  

I prayed and prayed for God to give us a way to stay.  Even after my husband and I made our plans for me to move our girls to Missouri while he was in Iraq earning the money that would get us back on our feet, I prayed to stay.  I knew that it seemed to be where God was leading us, but I liked comfortable.  I didn't like change.

As the date drew near for me to leave my home, I still did not have that "a-ha moment" when I just knew this was exactly right and I desperately wanted that moment.  Across the globe from each other, my husband and I chose to fast and pray together.  Late in the day, I felt no different than when I woke up that morning.  In the quiet darkness, I curled up on the couch with my Bible and Esther study guide.  My study led me to Esther 4:14 which reads, 

And who knows but that you have come to your royal position for such a time as this?

Starting to feel like this was the moment I had been praying for, I read the verse several times.  This could be my time also, but for what?  The next verse from my study guide took me to my knees.  

For in him we live and move and have our being.   -Acts 17:28 (emphasis mine)  

Tears ran down my face as the realization came over me that God had just spoken to me in a very loud voice.  I know God does not always speak to us this way, nor should we expect Him to, but He did this time and I was compelled to move. On July 14, 2009, with the help of my family and friends, the girls and I moved from California to Missouri and started a new chapter in our lives.  

Five years in a foreign land has blessed our family beyond belief.  My husband came home from Iraq on leave and got a job nearby.  He is now self-employed and gets to take the kids with him to work.  Through our new church, we have been able to give to our community in a way we have never experienced.  Our family has hosted neighborhood movie nights and a car maintenance ministry.  We have participated in overseas mission trips, loved on kids at an orphanage, served meals at a shelter and volunteered at a pregnancy center.  Our kids have enjoyed living on a farm, getting to know my parents and helping to raise the animals.  The biggest change is that we have added a son to our family - a sweet boy that we adopted from the Taiwanese orphanage where we volunteered.  Although he's a big part of this God story, he has a pretty incredible story to tell another day.  

In the last five years, something has stood out to me over and over again. Comfortable is good, but being where God places us is better.  I have learned to redefine comfort as being in God's will for my life.  Do we miss what we left?  Certainly.  That's why we go back to visit.  But then we go home, ready for the next adventure.

Life's Not Fair. Neither is God.

A major revelation came to me recently.  Life's not fair.  Mind-blowing truth.  Life's not fair.  If you don't believe me, just take the past few weeks of my life.  A couple of weeks ago, I set out on a trip that was supposed to be the best week of my whole year. Just a few days before I left, I found out that my dad had cancer.  While gone, I received a message that I should hurry if I wanted to see him before he passed.  Then we got a call that our home had been broken into (false alarm, but worrisome nonetheless).  On the last day of our trip, I got the call that my dad had passed.  On the same day that we lost my grandma to cancer four years earlier.  The day after his funeral, I got the news that a close family member needs an urgent surgery. Really?  These days, it seems that I can't get passed one thing before another hits.  It's just not fair.  There's not enough of me for all of this.

But wait.  Before you bail on me because you think that I invited you to my pity party, I will share the real revelation.  God's not fair either.  He blesses us abundantly.  Daily. While we could never count all of His blessings, I am certain that they outnumber the instances when life isn't fair.  Many people have made a habit of counting blessings to increase their awareness of this truth.  I don't exactly keep such a list, but I do have a habit that I have passed to my kids.  When something happens that leads me don a path of self-pity, I deliberately turn my thinking.

Poor me, I didn't get to grow up in a home with my mom and dad.  Blessed me, I had grandparents who stepped in to give me a loving home.  I got to grow up with my cousins and have lots of wonderful memories with my family.  I have the best relationship with my mom and, as an adult, got to know my dad's family.

Poor me, my husband lost his very steady job.  Blessed me, someone bought our house and car and we were offered a temporary place to stay while we regrouped.  My husband got another job within a few weeks of our move and we have been able to serve our community in a whole new way.

Poor me, my daughter has special needs.  Blessed me, I have a background in special education and a friend whose son has the same conditions as my daughter.  My daughter's experiences have connected us to some amazing people.  My daughter is one of the best parts of my life and brings a smile to the face of anyone who knows here.

I could go on and on, but the point has been made.  For every unfair thing that comes our way, God throws a handful of unfair, undeserved love, grace, and mercy our way.  For that I am thankful.

Book Review - Callie’s Contest of Courage

My daughters and I were recently blessed with the opportunity to preview Jan May’s latest book, Callie’s Contest of Courage.  Both avid readers, my girls had high expectations for a story about a Christian girl’s life.

Annie’s Opinion (13 years old)

This was a touching story that I could easily relate to.  I liked how Ms. May incorporated scripture throughout the book.  I also appreciated that she showed a real picture of kids going through a rough time in their lives and showing good character though the experience.  As an oldest sister in a family with a military dad, I could sympathize with how Callie was feeling.  I would recommend this book to any girl, whether she’s going through a rough time or not. 

Cece’s Opinion (10 years old)

Twelve chapters was just the right amount to pack in a great story with a lot of information.  I loved that Callie was so much like me.  We both like nature and creatures.  We also both missed our dads while they was gone and our moms took us on road trips.  Even though I liked the story, my favorite part of the book was everything that came after it – the recipe and activities for me to do with my family.  It’s like I got to live the story even after it ended.  The town where Callie’s grandparents live reminds me of the little town that we moved to when my dad was in Iraq.  I’m looking forward to reading more books from Ms. May.

Mom’s Opinion

This is a story that most girls can relate to in some way.  Whether it’s having to give something up, missing someone they love, or just making the right choice in a difficult situation, we all face those circumstances throughout life.  The last thing I expected from Ms. May’s story was to cry, but it happened often (I also laughed and smiled in case you wondered).  This was our story a few years ago when my husband served in Iraq.  During that time, my girls and I packed up and moved from California to Missouri.  Ms. May perfectly captured our anxiety, fears, loneliness and joys during that experience.  She also gave us a great example of a family’s faith in God through a difficult time.

I also loved that Callie was a very real girl with a strong foundation.  Those don’t often come hand in hand, but it happens with this character.  Like my girls, she is passionate about the world around her and loves her family.  She also struggles with her faith and feelings and experiences a positive outcome that girls need to see.

The activities at the end of the book were a great bonus.  As a homeschooling mom, I’m always looking for ways to extend the story.  Ms. May gave us a wonderful variety of hands-on activities with something to please everyone in my family (the pie is super-yummy).

Book Description (from http://www.newmillenniumgirlbooks.com/)

Eleven-year-old Callie Fleming is a passionate animal lover! She’s been waiting all year to enter photos in the I Love Nature Photo Contest. Her dad, who is the coolest dad in the world, is an award winning photographer and Marine Corps Reserves Sergeant. She is leaning on his help to win. But when her father is untimely deployed overseas and becomes strangely silent to her emails, she finds her whole world crashing down on her. Can she muster up the courage to step out on a journey that whisks her away from all the things she loves? Join Callie on a journey of hope, trust and the power of prayer.

Get Your Own Copy!

One reader will win a copy just for commenting below.  Winner will be announced June 1st here.  If you just can't wait, order your copy at http://www.newmillenniumgirlbooks.com/.

Disclaimer

I received a free copy of Callie's Contest of Courage in exchange for an honest, unbiased review on my blog.  All opinions expressed are our own.  We received no compensation other than a free copy of the book.

Mother's Day Necklaces by Wal Center 4H

Support Wal-Center 4H and make your mom smile!  Get her a custom-made necklace with a card for only $15! 

Choose a chain: silver or antiqued gold
Choose a shape for your pendant: circle or square
Choose an image from below (scroll down for larger images):

Choose 2 charms from below:

 

 

And order below by April 27th.  Your necklace will be available for pick up by May 9th.  All proceeds ($5 per set) will be donated to Wal-Center 4H club.

What are you waiting for?

 

Pick Up or Ship

Necklace & Card - Pick Up $15.00 USD Necklace & Card - Ship $20.00 USD

Color

Antiqued Gold Antiqued Silver

Shape

Square Circle

Choose 1 Image & 2 Charms