A lesson in worry

A friend of mine just wrote a post about this same subject & it got me thinking about our last couple weeks. You see, hubster’s car died on the way to a meeting at work one Friday. It started just fine in our driveway & then as he stopped at the end of the street it just died. Not stalled – DIED! He called me about 5 minutes after he left and told the glorious – I mean, sad – news. You see my husband got this car the Christmas after he turned 16. I have been nudging him to get rid of the thing for YEARS, but it is sentimental to him and he just can’t seem to part with it. Thus, the reason I try to restrain my JOY when things like this happen. Secretly I hope he will just say it’s not worth fixing, I’ll just get another car. But no…he doesn’t! (I should know better after 8.5 years of marriage, shouldn’t I?) It’s paid for, so that’s a bonus & we’d pay cash for another car, but he just can’t do it. Here’s why it would be good to change vehicles: 1) it’s an itty-bitty Honda Del Sol, 2) I am nearly 6’2” tall, 3) hubster is the only person who can drive it, making some days difficult w/ 4 kids, dr appointments, errands, grocery shopping, etc, 4) only 2 people can fit in it (see also #3) and 5) it stays filthy (or looks that way) because its so stinkin’ small!!! (Did I mention I’m not a fan of this car?) Anyway…back to why I started this post…

After the car died, my grandpa came & tried to jump it with no success. He brought him home & the hubster took our family van to the meeting. When the hubster was finished with his meeting, he dropped the van off in the driveway, walked back to his car & proceeded to push it home – BY HIMSELF!!! (Now do you think he’s crazy about this car??) He even asked for help from the 6yr old to release the parking brake as he pushed it over the lip of our driveway & down the slight slope. My son’s response, “That. Was. Awesome!!” REALLY??? Now we’re passing this unhealthy car-love onto him? UGH!!! Then, hubster laid down to get some more rest before his overnight shift that night. Later that afternoon, after about 3 hours of sleep, my grandparents offered their AAA towing, so we took them up on it. Apparently though, their new policy is to send out the ‘gas truck’ first. Well, after about 30 minutes of him fiddling with it & putting more gas in it (which it didn’t need), he said he would call the tow truck. So we waited some more. Finally, the tow truck arrived and we all piled into the van to follow it to the repair shop. It was around 4:30pm on Friday by this time, so needless to say it had to wait until Monday to be checked. We did not get a call on the repairs until Tuesday & found out what was wrong wouldn’t be too much (thank goodness, cause he’d already replaced the part). Then, he told us it also needed a tune-up. When we had it in for some other repairs 2 yrs ago, he noted that we needed it & we still had not done it, so hubster thought it was a good idea. So the grand total came to $467 & some change. UGH!! What a blow to the budget. We don’t just have that kind of money lying around. But, we realized that the hubster’s semi-annual bonus was coming up the first week of November, so we asked to temporarily borrow the money from his parents so he could still have a car. I went by & paid for the repairs early because I knew we’d never make the 6:00 close time. At 4:30p the shop owner called to inform us that on his “test drive” following the tune-up the car died yet again. SERIOUSLY?? He figured he knew what the problem was but wanted to replace it to be sure & he’d let us know. He called us back around 6:40p that same night and told us it was indeed the part he figured. So, now another $163 out of pocket and we’re back in business.

Having the car fixed took his entire semi-annual bonus check and then some! We definitely had other plans for that money too!! I was so unbelievably frustrated, to say the least. However, I'm going to quote what my mother & grandmothers said, "At least you had the money to fix it!" Which is absolutely true!! The more I thought about why I was upset, I realized it was because I was being selfish. We had not sought God in our decision about the semi-annual bonus usage. We were being selfish. Nothing more - just selfish. I had to do a lot of praying about this because I too was mad. I was mad that we can't get ahead for anything and I was mad that "I" couldn't do what "I" wanted with the money. Shame on me! I am working on my faith and trust in God. Not the wishy-washy faith that I often have, but the complete, full trust – no inhibition – faith that I know my Savior demands of me. It’s difficult - especially when we live in such a monetary-driven society. Its difficult not to worry about money, gas, bills, car repairs or just LIFE in general. But, I rest in the fact that MY Savior knows what I need – even before I do!!

“Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more important than food, and the body more important than clothes? Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life?

“And why do you worry about clothes? See how the lilies of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith? So do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.” –Matthew 6:25-34

Sharing...

Okay, so by now you've guessed that I'm not great at keeping my promises! Actually, I usually am...but when you have 4 kids and they ALL get sick the same week as you - well, let's just say...LIFE HAPPENS!!! Yes, you read correctly 5 of the 6 people in this house have been sick all week. BLECH!!! It started out as allergies and mine is now in the horrible morning sore throat-getting ready to lose my voice-phase. The oldest is finally getting better (his started first - lucky dog!), while the younger 3 are still struggling with a viral eye infection. My oldest girl also has an ear infection! So, here was the breakdown at the doctors office on Wednesday: 4 kids with allergies (the 2 oldest can take medication, but the 2 younger ones are still too young - BOO!); 3 kids with viral eye infection and 1 with an ear infection! WOW!! Guess I should expect this from time-to-time, but BOY HOWDY has it been crazy around here!!! I'm doing laundry on a Saturday, which rarely happens. But, we're all getting better (I hope) and we're gonna make it!! Next week will pale in comparison to this one!!

I also want to share with you an email I got from a blog I subscribe to. These two links (here and here)will take you straight to the posts. They are GREAT reminders for us Mom's that want to just let things go or get frustrated when LIFE HAPPENS!! I needed both of these today, so I figured there was at least one or two of you that needed them too! ENJOY!!!

Blessings...

Preschool & Young kids unit studies

As you know, we homeschool our oldest child. I have tried to homeschool the 2 yr old, but as of yet I have not figured out how to keep his attention for more than 10 seconds! Oh the challenges of homeschooling!!! One thing we do know, he LOVES his flash cards! That boy would sit and do flash cards all day if I let him! So, most of the time, that's what we do - flash cards. Now, don't get me wrong, he knows how to count to 10 by himself and to 20 with help and he even recognizes most of his letters, so I don't think we're too far behind. But, it would be WONDERFUL if he would just sit nicely at the table with Tyler and do his color papers! haha Guess I'm living in a DREAM WORLD to expect that from an "all-boy" 2 yr old. (But, my dream world is oh so pretty!!)

All that to say, I'm SO EXCITED about this blog I subscribe to!! I really think this week we might turn a corner!! A while back I found a blog that does unit studies & puts the reproducibles on their blog for you to download. YAY!!! I've been storing them up as they re-do them and this week their new one is PUMPKINS!!!! I can't even tell you how excited I was when I opened my email and saw they had just posted the re-vamp of their pumpkin unit! Why am I so excited? Well, we're going to the Pumpkin Patch this Thursday and now I have a unit and some papers to go with our trip!! I think this may be the turning point for lessons with our 2yo. I think we just might need something tangible to make the lessons more fun and "doable" for him. So, yeah...I'm SUPER DUPER OOPER SCHMOOPER excited (as Sid the Science Kid would say)!!!!

Here's the link to the pumpkin blog post at 2 Teaching Mommies. Take some time to look around their site and see what they have. They've got some GREAT unit studies! ENJOY!!!

Look for an update later this week on how this unit & our field trip may (or may not) have changed our schooling!

Next post: Intimacy in Marriage (a review of a study we're involved in at church)

The Golden Rule

Okay, so it’s been a while since I’ve written anything here. I’ve missed it!! I’ve been so busy around here getting things back on track and getting into a routine with 4 kids, homeschooling, cooking and life! So, here’s my first post back and I hope you enjoy it!! I'm sorry I dropped the ball, but my plan is to post 2-3 times a week regularly. I'm also in the process of reworking and rethinking my blog, so hopefully in the coming weeks you'll see some changes & updates! Now...on to the story...

Monday was NOT a good day in the Breedlove household. About 4pm I was at my wits end & Tyler wasn't letting up. Plus, the other 2 little ones (not Bekah) were just feeding off his attitude & things were REALLY heating up around here! Jacob Breedlove got up from his sleep & I made dinner, only to hear Tyler say, "I don't like Chicken & Rice!! I've NEVER liked it ! It's disgusting!!" This, however, is absolutely NOT true & was the last straw for me. (This has become an almost daily quote, just FYI.) He was sent to his room & told to stay there until one of us came in to talk with him. First, you have to understand that Tyler stays "in" his room, but talks loudly & constantly so you'll come in there quicker. (Still haven't figured out how to remedy that one...) Anyway...all of a sudden he flings open his bedroom door & hollers some things towards the living room (where we were) and then shuts his door again. I was unable to make out the words, so I looked at the hubster & asked him what was said.

He says, "I think our 6yo just quoted the Golden Rule to us!?"

Me: Really?? Are you serious??

Then, we both kinda chuckle.

A few minutes goes by and Tyler comes out again, only this time to the doorway of our hall & more clearly says, "The Golden Rule says, 'Treat others as you want to be treated.' And that's NOT what you're doing here!"

WHAT?!?!?!?!?! Surely my son did NOT quote The Golden Rule (also found in Lev 19:18) to us!! I'm sure my look was a mixture of shock, amazement, astonishment, horror & pride! I couldn't believe my child was speaking to me this way; however, I was proud that he actually knew The Golden Rule.

What happened next? Well, we had to inform him that although The Golden Rule was a good rule to live by with your friends and family, it did NOT apply to your parents and their discipline! He was VERY distraught by this, but after some explanation & why it didn't apply to us he understood.

Fast forward to today. We were doing our Bible time during school & as I read through our curriculum (see what it is here), I was humbled and yet, amazed. Humbled, that once again I knew for certain, God had lead me to this EXACT Bible curriculum and amazed that it was exactly what we needed right now! I don’t know why I continue to be amazed, He’s never done anything less, but still…I am in AWE of Him!!

As we sat down for our Bible time, I began to read aloud today’s portion of the lesson. We’ve been studying about God’s truth & how He is the ONLY one who is truthful ALL the time and therefore the ONLY one we can trust ALL the time. So, today’s lesson began by asking some rhetorical questions: “How will you respond to the truth the God shows you? Will you choose to build your life on the Rock and follow Him? Or will you choose to turn away from Him and disobey?” Then, it expounded on the last question and the discussion led exactly where “I” needed it to. It discussed how parents set specific rules for their household and how each child must choose to obey or disobey. Choosing the latter will result in consequences, for example: a form of discipline and/or loss of certain privileges. Since we’re dealing with defiance issues right now, Tyler is experiencing first-hand both discipline & the loss of certain privileges. It went on to explain that God, our Father, does the same thing when we disobey His rules and that He does it because He loves us (Hebrews 12:6) and that He “disciplines us for our good, that we may share in his holiness” (v. 10).

It then continued on by saying how we should obey – “cheerfully and willingly.” And, when we obey cheerfully and willingly there is peace in the home and with your parents (and God) AND you will “enjoy the trust and blessings of your mother and father. Likewise, obedience to God and His Word is an important element of God’s plan for your life and His design for creation. It is through your obedience to Him that He releases His blessings and fulfills His promises in your life.” Then, it gave us a practical & biblical definition of Obedience: “The act of doing what I am told with a willing and loving heart.”

As I began to have Tyler recite this over and over and over (as to drill it into his head & heart), I began thinking about my own obedience. How often do I obey with a willing and loving heart? Am I daily demonstrating this attitude for my children? Frankly, I didn’t want to answer that question – because I already knew I wouldn’t like the reality of it. I don’t always have a willing and loving heart or attitude as we often call it. So, as Tyler and I began talking about the practical application of a willing and loving heart, I began to think about what it would look like in my own life. Isn’t it funny how we think we’re going to have this GREAT time of teaching and God turns it around on us!! WOW!! What a humbling and sobering experience it was. What a blessing it is to know that MY GOD cares so much for me that He is willing to go to such lengths for me. He’ll even use my child’s curriculum to get His point across.

Blessings to you today as you seek to serve and obey Him with a willing and loving heart!!!

(All quotations were taken from “Who is God? And Can I really know Him?” by John Hay and David Webb, Apologia press. Lesson 2, pages 47-48.)

Our new arrival

Many of you may have already heard, but for those who have not I would like to introduce you to our newest blessing.

Meet Rebekah Jayne.

She was born on Thursday, August 18th, 2011

11:25am

10lbs 4oz 21 inches long

She is absolutely beautiful and we are so blessed by her!! We are adjusting to life with 4 kids (three under age 3) nicely. So far, she seems a little more laid back than the others - which is a really good thing!! I can't wait to see her personality develop and watch her grow into who God wants her to be. But, right now...I'm just blessed to be able to hold her, snuggle her and love on her.

Living like Martha...unfortunately

Join us for Gratituesday at Heavenly Homemakers

This week I’ve had a rough time. Let me explain a little bit. Yesterday I hit 34 weeks in my pregnancy. Its 106 outside – DAILY!! My knee, lower back & hip are still very painful (and at times unbearable) from my wreck 4 weeks ago. Laundry & housework are piling up. AND…we’re trying to get ready for a baby in 5 weeks! I’ve been feeling very sorry for myself these past few weeks, as I’m not able to do most things to the best of my ability. My family’s eating habits have suffered due to my pains & lack of motivation when in such pain. I usually have a very strict schedule that I stick to for laundry & meals, but since the accident that has just gone by the wayside, which I dislike VERY MUCH! Oh…I wouldn’t want to forget to mention I’ve been fighting a summer cold (which are the worst in my opinion) for about 3 ½ weeks! UGH!!! There are days that I just want to give up, lie around on the couch & just forget everything. However, I know that’s not what I’m supposed to do.

I have 3 precious kids (and no, I’m not partial!!) that need me and even want me to be with them! It doesn’t matter that Mommy hurts or is feeling sorry for herself – they crave my attention!! In a lot of ways they are what keep me going every day. I LOVE waking up to their beautiful smiling faces – even if it’s at 6:45am!! Lately my 2 yr old has come bouncing out of his room all smiles!! He comes running to me in the living room and gives me the biggest, BEST hug he can give!! What a JOY!! I’ve found it difficult to get up in the mornings these past weeks for various reasons (pregnancy insomnia at 2am, restless babies throughout the night, etc.), but this morning when my 6 yr old (okay, that’s the first time I’ve typed that out and I must say it looks weird! I have a SIX year old!! WOW!!) came into my room at 6:50am I was ready to get up. I was ready to face the day and get started. So, I did just that. I got up and got with it. So far this morning (its 9:50am here) I have unloaded & reloaded the dishwasher (its now finished running, so I need to unload it again and I’ll be caught up on dishes – YAY!!); done 2 loads of laundry & my 3^rd is about to go in the washer and I’ve taken my 6 yr old (okay, still weird…) to his Robotics class at our local community college (with all 3 kids dressed & ready for the day too!). Am I tired, yes! Am I exhausted, a little. But, I must say it feels really good to be motivated – even if it’s for a short time due to my limitations these days.

So for those of you who’ve made it this far may be wondering how this fits into the “Gratituesday” category. Well, let me tell you the things I am grateful for. I’m grateful that my kids were not injured in the accident 4 weeks ago (I will blog about this later, but haven’t been able to just yet). I’m grateful my house & car have working A/C!! I’m grateful I’m here to see my kids daily and watch them learn and grow!! I’m grateful we have laundry & dishes to do – it means we are blessed to have food & daily meals and enough clothes to wear!! I’m grateful my LORD has blessed me with 3 precious children and a 4^th one coming in August. They may be work, but their smiles, giggles & unconditional love keeps me going!! My attitude reminds me of Martha’s. She was so focused on the tasks at hand rather than on what was important. Too often I find myself caught up in the “daily-grind” of Mommy-hood that I loose sight of what’s really important – my LORD and Savior, my husband & our relationship and my kids – just spending time with them. So, that’s my new daily goal – make those 3 a priority and worry about the “work” later!!

I hope you have had a GREAT Tuesday!!!! Mine is winding down finally, (yes, it’s taken me all day to finish this post. I guess that’s what happens w/ 3 young kids.) and I’m filled with JOY!!! I pray you are too! Blessings!!

Year-Round v 9-month schooling

Some of you may have questions about 9-month school years vs. year-round schooling. I know I did when I first thought about homeschooling. Several years ago, in fact, my aunt was teaching a public school that was year-round. I thought they were absolutely CRAZY!!!! There was no “summer vacation” for the kids, parents or teachers. However, as the year progressed and we talked about how she liked it, things began to make more sense. She noticed that with only 3-4 weeks off at a time, the kids retained SO MUCH MORE information and really started to excel in their school work. It was impressive to say the least (she worked at a low-income school w/ very difficult family situations). That has stuck with me and really played a HUGE part in my decision over this year to convert to year-round schooling. So, here’s some of the reasons and how we’re going to do year-round at our house.

First and foremost, one of my biggest reasons for converting us to year-round is the structure and consistency it provides in our family and daily routines. Tyler (as well as my other two) is a VERY routine child. He wants to know what’s coming and when, how long it will take, etc. We still have rough days, especially on Monday’s after a lax weekend, but he’s doing better. He knows that Monday – Friday are school days and he has papers and reading to do. Sometimes they get done in the morning and other times we do them when the babies are taking afternoon naps. Either way, he knows what’s expected of him. Some days our chores come first & other days school does. It kinda depends on the babies in our house too. For instance, today my babies were extremely fussy & M did not take her morning nap. So, we are doing school this afternoon. I’ve learned to be more flexible in this area, because frankly I was going CRAZY trying to make everyone fit where they couldn’t. It works for us! Some families are more structured and rigid in their daily routines and I applaud you!! I think as our family grows that will be become more and more necessary. So, we’ll see how this evolves over time.

Another reason we’ve decided to do year-round schooling is the fact that we can pretty much take off from Thanksgiving until January with no adverse effects!! This past Christmas season I began a seasonal candy making business. I was WAY busier than I thought I would be and I already have people asking if I’m going to make it again this year!! I may have to “up my game” and figure out some more recipes to add to our list!! I thoroughly enjoyed making the candy, but with all the mess in our kitchen & the constant flow of orders it was pretty much impossible for this “nearly single” momma to fit school in too! Plus, we were way ahead of anything required for Kindergarten, so I didn’t figure there was any harm in it.

I also like that we can take a “vacation” whenever we want!! We are NOT restricted to just the summer months, which are extremely difficult for my husband to take off at work. He works for a large company right now, but even with the number of people that work his same shift & can fill in there are limitations. Another reason I like taking “whenever vacations” is that the summer months are SO VERY HOT around here that we would rather go during the Spring or Fall when the weather is “less extreme” and more mild temperatures.

And, the last reason is that we are expecting baby #4 in August. Specifically, August 11^th is my tentative c-section date. If we followed the local school calendar, we would be in school for about a week and then off for probably close to three!! That would not be good for our family or for the 5yo. This way, we’ll officially finish Kindergarten in May and have a week or two break before we officially begin First Grade. (Okay, writing that out makes me kinda sad! I will have a First Grader!!!)

Okay, before you think I’m a CRUEL parent by making my kid do school all summer long, let me tell you it’s not gonna be that bad!!! I promise!! For the past several years I’ve volunteered at a Music Camp that the church we attend puts on. They’ve done it for quite a few years and it has grown tremendously. We used to do one HUGE camp and now we’ve had to split it into two camps! Last year was our first year to do that and we had a GREAT turnout & wonderful feedback. (If you really want to know more about it, just ask me!) Anyway…the kids and I will be at both weeks of Music Camp this year (one in June & one in July), so that will break things up a bit. We will NOT do school during those 2 weeks. This momma will be completely worn out by the time we get home & eat lunch each day. (Remember, I will be 7 & 8 months pregnant at this point!!)

We are also enrolling him in a couple College for Kids classes at our local Community College. A couple are math related and a couple are science related. I’m super excited about him getting this opportunity to expand his “knowledge” of those subjects and possibly getting a different outlook on them. I’m also hoping it will “spark” some interest in him with Math. He is so quick to “get” math that he gets bored very easily. One of the classes is called “Hands-on Math” and I hope he really enjoys it!! So, he will have a break from the “normal” routine for at least 2 weeks each month, even if it’s only a couple hours a day. We will most likely do the other subjects not covered at his class so we don't fall too far behind, but it will be “light” work (a few worksheets, nothing major).

Another way I “lighten” the load is by doing school work 5 days a week. I know with most year-round homeschoolers they only do 4 days a week, but like I mentioned earlier routine is KEY in this house! Plus, he does not like a lot of paperwork, so rather than piling it all into 4 days, I spread out our lessons and thus, our paperwork. It seems to work well for us.

So, there ya have it!!! Year-round schooling in the Breedlove household!! Hope it gives you some ideas and ways to make homeschooling work for you and your family!

Happy Schooling!!!