Excuses Excuses

Please take a minute to read this inspiring and encouraging link!
http://buildingtheblocks.blogspot.com/

Silly Baby

I was just wondering yesterday how long I'll be able to get away with calling her my baby. For awhile, I think. Charlotte, being the youngest of five is so much more babyish than Peter was at this age. I'm okay with that though! She is a sweet, silly little thing and I just love having her as my big giant adorable baby. She does these cute and smart things that I am surprised by for a moment- until I remember, oh, yeah. She should be doing that- she IS 17 months after all! Stop it! Just stop growing up so fast! Some of her favorite things to do right now are unfolding the laundry and unsetting the table. She is also learning how to sit still for longer periods of time and actually listen to a story. She is very loving and always willing to give big slimy kisses to her brother and sisters. She jabbers a lot, but doesn't say more than a handful of words. But she can point to all sorts of thigs if you tell her to and follow commands like "put that back," "close the cabinet" etc. It's almost funny how much she gets away with though because she sort of "plays dumb" :)

wiping her nose on a little baby doll blanket. lovely. this is why we keep the kitchen towels out of reach :)

setting up the baby dolls meal

February Gets Me Down

Winter is not one of my dearest friends. I tolerate it's presence for several months of our midwest life. In fact I almost like it in December when we are preparing for Christmas and the snow is new and pretty and we are cozy inside. Then in January I'm sick of this guest that can't quite get the hint and get out of town. By February I start feeling oppressed by the gloomy skies, cold air, early nights, and the fact that the weather we have to look forward to for the next six weeks (and some) is more cold, more gray, more staying cooped up inside. February also usually brings the stomach flu for our family. Well, we had that last week so maybe we're done with it for this year. I can hope. Basically, if we could just skip February every year all together that would be great. Some people really don't like March, but I say atleast March holds the promise of Spring. And so I can tolerate all the mud of March. But February, I loathe. In spite of the fact that there are a million things I should probably do right now, I am going to have a big mug of tea and do some knitting in front of the window where the sun is (surprisingly) streaming in at this moment.

Hymn and Scripture of the Month- January

I'm starting to have the kids memorize one passage of scripture for each month. I have the two oldest write part of it each morning which is great handwriting practice. By the end of the month they've written it several times. We also spend some time each morning saying it together. Then we sing a hymn everyday for a month- the plan is that somehow the topic of the Bible passage and the hymn kind of line up.

This month we've been working on Ecclesiastes 3:1-8 and #474, "Hours and Days and Years and Ages," from the (blue) Psalter Hymnal.

"To everything there is a season,
A time for every purpose under heaven:
A time to be born,
And a time to die;
A time to plant,
And a time to pluck what is planted;
A time to kill,
And a time to heal;
A time to break down,
And a time to build up;
A time to weep,
And a time to laugh;
A time to mourn,
And a time to dance;
A time to cast away stones,
And a time to gather stones;
A time to embrace,
And a time to refrain from embracing;
A time to gain,
And a time to lose;
A time to keep,
And a time to throw away;
A time to tear,
And a time to sew;
A time to keep silence,
And a time to speak;
A time to love,
And a time to hate;
A time of war,
And a time of peace."

Here's the first verse of the hymn:

"Hours and days and years and ages
Swift as moving shadows flee;
As we scan life's fleeting pages,
Naught enduring do we see;
On the paths our feet are wending
Footprints all will be effaced;
Present time to past is tending,
Though its page is not erased."

Wisdom

It has struck me lately how much time we waste agonizing over not only our own families decisions, but the decisions of others. We are so quick to judge whether or not a particular family is doing the "right" thing based on what we feel God has led our family to do. And no- I am not saying truth is relative or any such nonsense. God's Word is truth and contains all that we need for "instruction in righteousness" (2 Tim 3:16). When we are lacking wisdom we are told in James 1:5 to "ask of God, who gives to all liberally and without reproach, and it will be given to him." How is it then if Christians are all seeking God's Word for wisdom in our many decisions we come to different conclusions? The issues at the forefront of my mind are the ones that women bloggers all over the world are "discussing"- birth control vs quiver full, homeschool vs public school vs private school, what it means to dress modestly (skirts and dresses ALL the time? only skirts or dresses to church?) etc.... Well, I think the simple answer is SIN. We need to stop expecting others to make the same choices as us! Who are we to say that since God has convicted us of a certain thing, it must be the right choice for everyone else? How about if instead of trying to point out to people why their decision is wrong, we are examples of the wisdom from above spoken of in James 3:17 and 18? "But the wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, willing to yield, full of mercy, and good fruits, without partiality and without hypocrisy. Now the fruit of righteousness is sown in peace by those who make peace." I have to confess that I am more often than not impure, argumentative, harsh, stubborn, merciless, and hypocritical. It is my natural tendency and I pray God will work in me to make me peaceable and gentle! "Let your gentleness be known to all men. The Lord is at hand. " (Philippians 4:5) If we can display the wisdom of James 3 perhaps we will be an unspoken encouragement to others to turn to God's Word when trying to make a decision. We can be a "sermon in shoes" as a song from my childhood said.

I think the people who have been the greatest inspiration and influence to me are those that show grace towards others. They kindly ask people how certain things in their lives are going even if it wouldn't be their choice. For example, just because we have chosen to homeschool doesn't mean we are ANTI- day school! We can still be interested in the lives of our friends who have chosen to send their children to school! We can ask those kids how they like their teacher this year, what their favorite subject is, etc. And it goes both ways! I don't want people to be too afraid or too proud to ask my children what they're learning about in history or what their favorite subject is! You may not want to homeschool and you might even think we are crazy or anti-social for doing so. We have our reasons- just like you have your reasons to send your children to school. It is not my place to judge whether another families reasons for sending their kids to school each day are "right" or not!

If we are truly asking God for wisdom, seeking truth from His Word then we should recognize the need for GRACE! Where would we be without it?! I want to be a kind person who inspires others to love Christ and to grow in the knowledge of His Word. It is so full and rich with truth for life! May He write it on my heart- and on yours, my friend! May He be so gracious as to impart His wisdom to us!

Tidbits

*One of these days perhaps I'll upload some Christmas pictures

*For now I'm too busy with
Potty Training Ella
Getting back into a school routine after a lovely month long break
Knitting- a scarf for Pete, socks, another felted bag

*I'm feeling bad for Pete who is going to get groceries in the big snowstorm tonight after already having 2 nights away from home this week at church meetings.

*I'm relieved that Pete has informed me that I'm not allowed to go anywhere today due to previously mentioned snowstorm.

*I REALLY need to go to the dentist and get a haircut, but that means coordinating appointments and a sitter and I'm just too busy with....well....see above.

*I haven't looked through our homestudy folder or done anything to make progress on that in over a week now- we decided to take a break from it and just enjoy Christmas and company for New Year's- time to get back at it!

Merry Christmas

Wishing all of you a Christmas that is full of the joy of knowing the Saviour. May you have sweet celebrations and make many wonderful memories.