Coming Soon…

Today in Nova Scotia, it may be cold and rainy and grey, but the gratitude comes in the knowledge that ground is being prepped and nourished for spring planting in just a few weeks.

Before we know it, we will have days like this:

 

Buckets, sand, and summer frolic, coming soon to a beach near you.

Blessings on your day, friends.

Springtime Sunshine

It seems like I’ve been anticipating springtime sunshine for far too long.

You know the kind.  It’s the golden-glow type of sun that hits you square in the face first thing in the morning.  It casts a beautiful warm hue over everything, even though it’s still a tad frosty out there until late morning.

I LOVE this time of year.  

I actually truly appreciate all of the seasons, but because springtime marks the end of our period of relative hibernation, I get extra excited.   Springtime means that trees are budding, my veggies are sprouting (check out my garlic scapes reaching up and into fruition) and my laundry is making its way back out to the clothesline.   Line dried sheets anyone?  (Inhale….  Exhale….)   Ah.  Nothing like ’em.

I also see it as another time to restart.   For me, it happens in September with the new school year, and it happens again in January when we hang our new calendars.  But April always seems the perfect time to figure out where we are this year, and where to go for the next 8 weeks or so before we kick our reduced (but not school-free) summer schedules into effect.

So here’s to putting away the snow pants, bringing out the bikes, soaking up the vitality of the sun, and appreciating the newness of the season.

Happy Springtime, Everyone!

Maturity Seeps In

We work hard as parents and as Christian homeschoolers.

We get up early, we plan, we prepare the nourishment and wash the clothes.

We start our days with snuggles and kisses.

We also assign household tasks to the kids so they learn to participate in the functioning of the family.

We demonstrate how to fold, how to scrub and how to prepare a good omelet.

We open our devotionals and bibles and kick off our morning together.

We read to them.

We give a math lesson.

We encourage.

We wipe tears and explain that it’s more than okay to have mistakes on the page — it’s how we learn.

We crack the history books and read and discuss and discover.

We put aside our ‘me time’ for them.  Constantly.

We try our best to lead by example.

We attempt to develop Godly character through tough lessons.

 

 

But we falter more frequently than we’d like.

We become frustrated.

We marvel at the fact that telling them the same thing 2563 times can still have no impact.

We beg them to stop. fighting. with each other.

To pick up their messes.

To do things for someone else, just because.

We work HARD to keep up with all of this parenting business.

We wonder at times if it’s worthwhile to put in this constant effort into child rearing.

We think about how much easier it would be if we just lived the ‘boys will be boys’ and ‘kids ‘ll be kids’ sentiment, and just accept it all.

We wonder about all of it… Is it really worth such diligence?

There are times we raise our voices LOUD, sounding ugly and mean.

We are surprised by our own anger.

We immediately regret.

We pray.

 

 

And then we close the door on the day.

And try again tomorrow.

 

 

And then, there are little glimpses, moments of His grace.

They turn the frustration into relief.

They really ARE getting it!

One does someone else’s chores without being asked.

Another plays imaginatively and happily with a sibling.

The eldest puts aside his own free time and offers to read a favourite book to his little sister, just because.

The tough work of parenting,

the encouragement, the tough love, the diligence, the persistence, persistence, persistence…

all work as building blocks in the formation of character.

We’re not raising children.  We’re raising the Godly, mature, responsible, respectful adults they will eventually become.

Keep on parenting!

What School Looks Like Today: Spring Schoolin’

Nothing says “SPRING” quite like taking the books outside,

or rigging a pulley to haul your books up your favourite oak,

so you can hunker down in the blue-sky-sunshine to write,

and do a little reading aloud about Samuel de Champlain with your Brotherly BFF.

It’s all but a glimpse of today’s gratitude.

My Hope

¹ A shoot will come up from the stump of Jesse; from his roots a Branch will bear fruit.  ² The Spirit of the LORD will rest on him— the Spirit of wisdom and of understanding, the Spirit of counsel and of might, the Spirit of the knowledge and fear of the LORD— ³and he will delight in the fear of the LORD.

He will not judge by what he sees with his eyes, or decide by what he hears with his ears; ⁴ but with righteousness he will judge the needy, with justice he will give decisions for the poor of the earth.  He will strike the earth with the rod of his mouth;  with the breath of his lips he will slay the wicked.  ⁵ Righteousness will be his belt and faithfulness the sash around his waist.  ⁶ The wolf will live with the lamb, the leopard will lie down with the goat, the calf and the lion and the yearling^[a] together;  and a little child will lead them.  ⁷ The cow will feed with the bear, their young will lie down together, and the lion will eat straw like the ox.   ⁸ The infant will play near the cobra’s den, and the young child will put its hand into the viper’s nest.
⁹ They will neither harm nor destroy on all my holy mountain, for the earth will be filled with the knowledge of the LORD
   as the waters cover the sea.

 ¹⁰ In that day the Root of Jesse will stand as a banner for the peoples; the nations will rally to him, and his resting place will be glorious.      – Isaiah 11:  1-10

   

I hope that as you read this,your heart is smiling. 

And I hope that right now, where you sit,

your belly is full,

that you are sheltered from the wind,

that there are people who love you

and will  love you no matter what.

Above all, my hope is in the Saviour that was born in a humble manger.

It is my prayer that you appreciate the gifts of our Father,

that you welcome Him in – really get to know Him,

and are as amazed by his grace and glory as continually as I am.

It is my hope that you are as just as content as can be. 

With buckets of love and abundant blessings for 2012,

~T.  xo

This Week’s Gratitude

I appreciate the snow and the smiles it puts on the faces of my children.  Need I say more? 

I am grateful for our blinds that were installed yesterday.  We removed our old unrepairable shutters over a month ago for repairs and painting of window casings, and have been living in a fish in a bowl ever since.  Aren’t they purdy?

I am grateful for our homeschooling week.  It may have been one of the best weeks ever.  Happy children, eager to learn, eager to create, and working through their errors patiently and productively = happy Teacher-Mama.

Caleb even asked me before bed last night, “I know tomorrow’s Saturday, but could you please prepare some extra math for me to do?”    Um. YES!  Who am I to squelch any desire to learn? 

I am grateful for the life of my Grampie and the love he had with Grammie.  It was difficult being 2000 km away from his funeral this week, but I am so very thankful for the man he was, the abundant fruit he displayed, and for the knowledge that he is dancing at the feet of his Father… which is exactly where he wanted to be all along. 

Forever and ever,

Amen.

Treading Water

My last post (4 weeks ago!) was a sudden drop off from my involvement in the 31 Days series that I very quickly decided to jump into, so it’s no surprise that things have been completely upside down and inside out around here lately.  We’re slowly working our way through our renovations, our Community Christmas dinner planning meetings have picked up, I’m working on fundraising for a Mission to Uganda in 2012, and I’ve got clients out the wazoo.  I try to schedule them appropriately, but sometimes a bottle neck is unavoidable.  

Do you ever feel that there are times when you’re just doing the bare minimum to get by?  That’s where I am now with so many things in my life.  Our meal situation lately has been less than ideal.  The laundry is piling up.  My bedroom has become a household dumping ground rather than the peaceful sanctuary it’s supposed to be.  I’m not spending the time I should with the boys’ school work.  I’m taking the easy road with my Junior Church lessons.  I’m just treading water, trying to get through the long list of things to do.  

Fact is, I’m far too busy and I don’t like it. 

But what can I do about it? 

Well, for starters, I can pray.  Pray for patience and calm and for help in getting me step by step through this mountain I’ve created. 

Secondly, I can pick away at things, bit by bit.  I’ve been painting our new powder room since last week.  It’s something that should take an afternoon, but I don’t HAVE an afternoon.  So instead, I’ve spent 5 days in there, doing little bits with the 20 minutes here and 30 minutes there that I manage to find.  Still, I’m only at the first coat.  It’s not ideal, but it is what it is…  my reality.  Bit by teensy tiny bit is the only way things are able to get done around here. 

I can continue to get up early.  My internal alarm clock has been successfully adjusted to spring me out of bed between 5:30 and 6:00 am each day, and what a difference it makes in the rest of my day!  I get a bit of time to myself to enjoy a coffee and work or read or blog (ha!) before the troops march down the stairs at 7:00.  It’s glorious and I need to keep it up. 

Additionally, I must, must, MUST say ‘no’ more often.  I’ve actually been doing pretty well with it, but I have told myself that in the New Year (after the Community Christmas Dinner and our big New Year’s Eve party is behind us and once I have a few work projects marked off my list), I will reduce the number of simultaneous clients.   I have already told some that I can’t take anything new for 3 months, and I think that’s the way it’s going to have to be if I am to keep some of my sanity. 

For now, I will tread water.  But I won’t tread it in a crazed panic with arms flailing all over the place.   Everyone knows how unproductive that is.  

No, instead I will tread slowly, calmly and steadily, seeking the joy in the warmth of the water, ever with my eye on the shore.

Day 9: Making Church a Priority

I love my church.  LOVE it.  I love the worship, the pastors (!!), the people, the sharing, the music, the learning, the message.  It’s become a very big part of our life and I can’t imagine what our life here would be like without it as an anchor. 

At the beginning, it was work to make sure we got there each Sunday.  We had a 2-year-old and a 2 month old; it would have been much easier to just stay home.  We didn’t know anyone.  We were a bit shy and apprehensive.   But we marched on because we knew we should.  We knew it would be good for us as a family in our walk.   We didn’t quite know how important it would become, and we certainly wouldn’t have guessed that our weekly attendance and everything else that stems from it, would be such a pivotal part of our lives.  

Over the years (9 to be exact) attending church has become habitual.  We love going.  It’s what we do.  It’s a part of our life. 

BOY are we glad we marched on in those early days. 

Reflection of Day 9: 

Being intentional about important things in my life makes it easier to continue being intentional about important things in my life.  

And that smart fish Dory comes to mind again:  “Just keep swimming, just keep swimming…

This post has been linked to the 31 DAYS series.  You can start from the beginning here, and check out the other 31 Dayers here by visiting The Nester.

A Gift

David is an absolute gift.

He’s flawed like everyone else.  He works constantly on building his patience as a Dad.  He is potter’s clay, being molded, shaped and transformed each day.

                Like all of us, he’s a work in progress.   

He works hard, but knows when to push ‘pause’ on the busyness to take time for a light saber duel. 

He’s a Dad with the unique ability to make the kids belly laugh until a beverage flies out of someone’s nose…and then laugh harder.

He sets an amazing example for his kids as a man who adores his wife and holds his marriage high. 

He demonstrates to our boys what it means to be a good husband, and epitomizes what our daughter should look for in one as well.  (Please God, give her a husband like mine!) 

David is a strong man of faith, on fire for Christ, proudly walking the walk.  

And he is a remarkable gift to this family. 

Thank you God. 

Happy Father’s Day to all the wonderful Dads out there!! 

The Mission of Motherhood

I love great messages of inspiration. 

I write them out, put them on my fridge, write them on my chalk board, highlight them in my bible.  I draw so much strength and focus from a handful of otherwise ordinary words put together to deliver a powerful message and hit you square in the face when you need it. 

We need reminders as Mamas. 

They come to us in a variety of forms at a variety of times for a variety of reasons.  This one came to me a couple years ago and it’s been resting at eye level on my fridge, right in my face where I can draw from it daily.   It just sums it up so perfectly for me, my family, and our desire to follow Christ.     

And the fundamental mission of motherhood now is the same as it always was:

         to nurture, protect, and instruct children,

         to create a home environment that enables them to learn and grow,

         to help them develop a heart for God and his purposes,

         and to send them out into the world

                      prepared to live both fully and meaningfully. 

It’s up to us to embrace that mission as our own,

         trusting God to walk us through the details

         and to use our willing mothers hands as instruments of his blessing.

– Sally Clarkson from The Mission of Motherhood

Amen to that! 

This post has been linked Finer Things Friday over at Amy’s Finer Things.