toothless wonder

the Bible through a wide angle lens

I'm reading through a couple of children's Bibles with my youngest this year.  The first would be a great Bible to start with a child as young as two.  The story line is engaging and it presents Jesus as the long-awaited king from Old Testament days who brings salvation to the world.  Our pastor recommended it a few months ago; it was already on my Amazon wish list. :)

We are almost ready to start the second, and after glancing through I am excited!  The Jesus Storybook Bible captures the breathless anticipation of Christ as it chronicles God's loving story of rescue in page after page.  This is more appropriate for early elementary, but there is plenty of food for thought to benefit any age!! 

milestone of a different kind

It has been a tradition in our family to present each child with their own Bible when they are learning how to read.

Last week Josiah had his first day of children's church, and since we were going to wait until Christmas to get him a Bible, I let him take his big sister's with him. 

His response was not what I expected.

Josiah clutched that Bible with excitement, like he had hardly dared to believe he could be entrusted with such a precious book.  On the way to church he was "reading it," exclaiming each time he found the word "God."

Oh, to have such a joy over the word of God!!

Needless to say, he got his new Bible this week.



"From the lips of children and infants you have ordained praise..." (Ps. 8:2)

a milestone

It is such a kind blessing of the Lord to have allowed my great grandma to live for 100 years.  Today is her birthday.

I hoped and prayed while in high school she might live long enough to see just one great great grandchild.  She now has 7.

I think this picture says it all. 

She does not know who we are, but we know who she is so that's all that really matters.  When the kids are around she always lights up and loves on them, even though she doesn't understand they belong to her.  And in so many ways... I'm amazed every time we take the kids to see her, how much they give to her and love her back.  Josiah has always been willing to give her a snuggle.   He's seems to have a special place in his heart for older people.

I have to smile when I see this picture partly because Grandma kept trying to escape.  She was ready for a nap after such a big afternoon.  And of course the rest of the smile comes because it is my family. :)

Family...that is Grandma's legacy to us, but not only family.  Her faith has lived on in each progressive generation, and that is her greatest gift to us.  It's not that she was a perfect woman.  She was faithful but tried through a difficult marriage for over 60 years, and one can find the evidence of sin and wrong choices in each generation of her offspring because that is the way of the human heart.  Yet I also see God's hand of grace, redeeming those who trust in Him.  In a time when families are disintegrating, I see each generation growing stronger and more faithful in the Lord as they have become students of His word, its application, and its proclamation.  I also see His sanctifying work as He perfects individuals in each generation, a work begun now that will see its completion in heaven (Phil 1:6).  What a Lord, who is faithful in the past, present, and will continue to be faithful in the future!  He is our legacy, and I'm so thankful He rescued my grandma with salvation so through a chain of events, people, and the godly influence of family only He could orchestrate, He could rescue each of us.

"We will tell the next generation the praiseworthy deeds of the Lord, his power, and the wonders he has done." Ps. 78:4

Happy birthday, Grandma.  We love you!

Tractor, Tractor

Even my 13-year-old likes this song.  It gets really good at about 2 minutes in... 

in today's paper!

Front page of today's paper: homeschooling in the Twin Cities!

And inside the front page was this.

Simple Woman's Daybook

FOR TODAY: September 14, 2012

Outside my window...the grass is green again and small children are playing.  Our family seems to grow every day once school is done and the neighbor kids come over.  The swingset is quite a magnet, but that means I can see and hear most of what they are doing.  There are some wonderful friendships blossoming!

I am thinking...how funny it is that I have one child who insists she will never marry and another who walks around talking like this:

"When I grow up, I'm going to marry a woman who loves God.  I can't wait to be a dad."

How can two polar opposites be in the same family??

I am thankful...that a friend who teaches at our local high school has shared that the students are doing very well this week.  Our community is amazing in the way they have shown support, and many of these kids will be closer to each other and their teachers because of what they have been through.

In the kitchen...experiments resume as I learn to cook without sugar or chocolate.  This time I'm the one with the food sensitivities, which recently became much more obvious after going gluten free for the summer.  A recent trip to the doctor was confirming when I heard, "Well, I think it sounds like you are gluten intolerant..."  Someone reminded me of this great website to check out!  My grocery cart looks so different than it did two years ago when this journey started.  We eat more whole foods all the time, and keep feeling better and better when we do.

I am wearing...jeans and enjoying the cool breeze coming in the windows.  Summer is losing its tight hold on us, and we are so glad to see it go this year.

I am creating...a homemade gluten free pizza for supper.  There is really nothing better than the Italian sausage from our health food store as a topping.  Even while trying to cut our grocery bill down, that splurge will remain.

I am going...with my family to Springfield next weekend to sit at a table to pass out Feingold information to interested people at an early childhood conference.  This diet has helped not just Josiah but our whole family so much, and it will be a joy to give back some of my time to share that with others.  Of course, we have to stay and visit the Lincoln Museum while we're there, and I've found a Chipotle where we can eat!

I am wondering...why so many people seem to worry about socialization when it comes to homeschooling kids.  The mom's socialization is the one we should be worried about.  Time to call a friend!

I am reading...Old Yeller.  I've avoided it for years since I knew it had a sad ending, but Rachel will be reading it later this year so it's finally time to face it.  I'm thinking it might be a good one for us to read together, even though it's not an official read aloud. 

I am hoping...that the making much of Leah I have sensed lately can be transformed into making much of God.

I am looking forward to...delving into our new grammar program, starting next week.  Hopes are high, but time will tell.  I know it's weird, but I really do love grammar.  Yes, the kids think I am weird, too.

I am learning... to trust that the place God has me right now is His best for me.  Last year I ached every day for the things I gave up to homeschool the kids.  That's not to say I don't love every minute of teaching them!  This year I am seeing more of what God may have in mind for these years, and am finding peace in His sovereign purposes.  These years with my kids are fleeting and I don't know how long this season of life will last.  One day I will ache for these moments, so my aim is to enjoy them and give them up to the Lord as a sweet offering as I serve Him in this task.

Around the house...Eric has been hard at work, replacing an outdated and too-often running toilet, our bathroom medicine cabinet, blinds, and other tasks.  The bigger project, a new kitchen floor, awaits our attention.  We're waiting while we watch our savings grow for that one.

I am pondering...that as much we may fear for our children's outward safety, their greatest danger could be the deception of their own heart. 

A favorite quote for today..."One thing I ask of hte Lord, this is what I seek: that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to gaze upon the beauty of the Lord and to seek him in his temple...My heart says of you, 'Seek his face!'  Your face, Lord, I will seek." (Ps. 28:4, 8)

One of my favorite things...is opening up my Bible and digging into a book with a notebook in one hand and a commentary in the other.  Well, that might take more hands than I have, but spending time with the Lord like that is simply the best!  That's not to say it is always easy.  There is a reason why Hebrews refers to God's word as being "sharper than any double edged sword...judging the thoughts and attitudes of the heart."

A few plans for the rest of the week: Josiah's soccer game and celebrating my great grandma's 100th birthday tomorrow.

From the learning rooms: It has been amazing to watch my kindergartner grow into what is expected of him this fall. The things I feared in homeschooling him have just not come to pass.

Yet for all my enthusiasm and joy, there are hard days, too.  Sometimes I wonder how to really reach into the areas of struggle for one of my children in a way that will make a difference.  It reminds me that joy or pain, I am not in this journey alone and I need to prayerfully depend on the wisdom of One who knows much more than I do about how He has wired each of my children.

A peek into my day...

Gluten free pretzels!!!

school happenings

 Our butterflies emerged over the weekend!  We had a total of 5.  Everyone has been captivated by this whole process.  What a marvelous Creator we have!!

 I was worried about how Josiah would feel about letting them go, but he actually suggested we do so this morning.

 "I'm a dog, and I'm here to help."  Our kitten has also turned into evil hunter with 5 butterflies coaxing her to jump on the counter often.

 It was just as exciting to watch them fly off to freedom as every other step!

I might be accused of locking my kids in their closet to do their work!  Micah has found his new favorite place to study.

Praying

We join many others who are praying this morning for the teachers, staff, and students as they return to school after Friday's shooting.  We are so grateful that no one was injured.  May the Lord bring good out of this traumatic and difficult time.  Here is the link to the newspaper article regarding yesterday's prayer service at NCHS.  We hurt along with those who are hurting right now.  Please pray for the 14-year-old boy who will appear in court today.  His life is forever changed.

"The Lord your God is with you, He is mighty to save." Zephaniah 3:17

Slugs and Bugs

Our family had the privilege of enjoying a concert by Randall Goodgame this afternoon at our annual church picnic.  It was so much fun I had to post a link to his website here.  This would be well suited for the preschool or elementary child in your life.  My 11-year-old even delighted in his goofiness, and I watched some empty nesters having a great time a few rows in front of me.  Still, if you are into the more "adult" genre, look up his hymn CD and listen to the song Jerusalem.  I promise you won't be disappointed!

Not just fun, I personally appreciated Randall's genuine desire to see Christ honored through music.  He's also a friend of Andy Osenga, for those in our local circle and beyond who know him. :)

the wonder of it all

Wake up.

Get Breakfast.

Clean up.

Teach school.

Snack.

Clean up.

Teach school.

Lunch.

Clean up.

Teach school.

Snack.

Clean up.

Supper.

Clean up.

Pick up house.

Evening activities.

Clean up.

Repeat.

It is hard sometimes, as a mother, to not get trapped in the mundane.  It seems our work is done only to be undone, fatigue sets in, and life crawls along.  Then we blink, find our children have grown, and wonder where all that time went and what we did with the endless hours that once stretched out before us with such promise.  What seemed it would last forever is gone far too soon.

I'm so grateful to the Lord that when I start to lose my wonder and vision in training up my children, He sends a little message into my life to shake things up and make me gaze in awe again at what He is doing.

These arrived in our mailbox on Wed.  Josiah claims they are the first real caterpillars he has ever seen.  Surely not!  They really don't do much at first except eat, crawl, and grow.

Josiah could hardly leave them alone, and left his butterfly chart out so they could see what they were going to be when they grew up (See Painted Lady picture in lower right.)

There is a sense of wonder when you watch a caterpillar molt for the last time and then see the new exoskeleton harden into a chrysalis.

Those eyes say it all!

Now we are waiting...

And that is what much of childhood is.  Growing, yes eating!, and waiting as we see how God molds and transforms young lives.  Whether prayerfully anticipating the new birth, or for the work of sanctification to unfold, we hold our breath, knowing all we do as parents is somehow caught up as part of God's greater story written into the lives our children as He graciously redeems failures and uses obedience, molding and forming lives to be used for His glory as He sees fit.  "Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation." (2 Cor. 5:17)  Sometimes all we can do is hold our breath, powerlessly wondering how it will all turn out.  One day, those young ones who seem to change almost imperceptibly will burst forth and spread their wings.

God spreads out His word to us, giving glimpses of what we will be when we grow up.  "Dear friends, now we are children of God, and what we will be has not yet been made known." (1 John 3:2)  "We will not all sleep, but we will all be changed--in a flash, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet...the dead will be raised imperishable, and we will be changed.  For the perishable must clothe itself with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality."  The Lord is powerfully at work and will carry to completion what He has set out to do according to His good plan.

May we never lose the wonder of the gospel.  It took 5 caterpillars to help me recapture the awe, and remember that the journey of raising children, and partnering with Him in the work of the gospel in any life, is never mundane in His eyes.