Ever had one of those mornings where school just sort of starts rather on its own?
I over-slept. Not that I've never slept beyond children rising and getting busy, but once in a while, it does happen.
I think I'm more 'thoughtful' of my husband's leaving this weekend for his new job than I care to admit.
He will be gone a good 12-18 months. He'll only be 6 hours away, but still...we've never really been apart for any serious length of time. He has gone to help on jobsites where he might be there 7-10 days...but 12-18 months??
I'm not really worried -- LOL, we're stout country folk here. No, let me rephrase myself -- we are stout backwoods, mountain-living, rural folk.
Think some sort of combination of Caroline Ingalls meets Olivia Walton meets Ma Kettle.
That would be us. The Ingalls-Walton-Kettle family. We are just the other side of rural out here on our mountain, but we have enough civilization around us to be comfortable. Town is about 13 miles down the mountain and over the highway. hey -- we're big time now -- we just got a Super Wal-Mart here.
But, I just haven't had a sound sleep all of this week now and today, it sort of caught up with me I guess. The children have morning tasks done aside from barn chores, and some are doing school without me.
Our schooling looks like this...on a good day...Rod & Staff books scattered along the harvest table we have. There is math, English, several Pathway Readers, the large KJV Bible and the big green Webster's Dictionary. The white board is ready with Bible verses for copy and memory work. Someone might be over in the living room, listening to a CD from Homeschool Radio Shows to give us a narrative later on. And the littles are coloring. That's their main contribution to a school day most of the time. They grab their ABC series and the crayons (ok, they are crayons only in the loosest of sense....how do you keep proper, intact crayons with so many oungers around?) and they begin creating masterpieces of school work for the day.
We have several read-aloud times during the day. Could be Considering God's Creation, or Mystery of History, our Heroes of History books, or some of our family reading time books...Little House on the Prairie series, Dear America or My America series, or any of our Rod & Staff story books we've been collecting.
Later today someone will have started a Daniel Boone DVD and most will be sitting in the living room. They might pick Christy, but usually they go for Daniel Boone...or one of the original Adventures of Robin Hood. We like that old time television stuff 'round here.
But...as I sit here, school is going on...crayons are all over, and one of the middles is reading a Pathway Reader while the youngers work on their math workbooks...one complaining because another is getting farther ahead.
This is a good morning. It's these days, when Mom might not be doing her part as she should and school just flows along regardless, that I sit back and get that warm, fuzzy, homeschool-y kind of feeling. Right now, public school would be nothing but arguments and paper fights and mayhem.
Don't get me wrong -- we have mayhem here too. Quite often.
That's why we live just on the other side of rural. That's where the Kettle side of the family comes into the mix!
Aren't those kind of days the best???? I agree -- that not all days are this way.... but when they do happen it makes one realize how precious it is to have our kids at home with us gathered around......
You have a good attitude about your hubby leaving.. God bless you & strengthen you while you are apart! Will he be visiting at all?
We did this when I lived in guatemala with our 10 kids while we adopted the 2 youngest...... my husband would visit once a month for a few days from the states. We did this for 9 mos. It was hard -- but absense does make the heart grow stronger! At least it did for us!
Blessings,
gloria
Aren't those days beautiful indeed? You listed quite a few DVD sets that I have been meaning to get my son.(Robin Hood and Daniel Boone.)
DD (18) loves the Christy series. I made her read it in the 11th grade and she was hooked. She can relate (somewhat) to the folks in "those" hills. Her Daddy is from the mountains of W.VA. Very klanish :- )
Great blog. I enjoy reading it! Have a blessed day in The Lord!
Where you live and your lifestyle sounds absolutely wonderful (and I am sure that life isn't perfect by any means) but I love your lifestyle and catching up on your entries.
I am sorry that your DH is going to be away for such a long time but plenty of visits and prayer of course will keep you all going.
"(ok, they are crayons only in the loosest of sense....how do you keep proper, intact crayons with so many youngers around?)"
Something that a friend of mine used to do (when the kids were smaller); she would take the broken pieces of wax crayons, melt them and then pour them into an old ice cube tray. Sometimes she would do them all one color or to make them a little more interesting she would do one color on the bottom and a different color on the top. Having the crayons in a cube shape made it a little easier for small hands to hold them and they didn't break as easily.
<>< Becky
~~Great idea...and I feel a bit of a DUH! moment coming on now.
Several Christmas' ago, my mother sent one of those crayon maker things to us. Totally forgot about it until you said this. It has a light bulb in it and melts the crayons into crayon-shaped tubes, then they cool and voila -- new crayons.
Guess I need to find it and put it to use...or get some other ice cube trays and get to work! I like the idea of the chunky crayons though for little hands :o)
Deanna
Edited by HandsNHearts on Friday, August 29, 2008 at 10:32
No indulgences of self will can be trivial, no denial unprofitable; Heaven or Hell depends on this alone. A parent who studies to subdue it in his child works together with God in the renewing and saving of their soul. The parent who indulges it does the devil's work, makes religion impractical, salvation unattainable, and does all that in him lies to damn his child, soul and body, forever.
Susanna Wesley
At The School Desks
We are a Christian family desiring to raise our children with the primary focus of Training their Hearts!
I have no greater joy, than to hear my children walk in truth... III John 1:4
Train up the child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it... Proverbs 22:6
Oh, that their hearts would be inclined to fear me and keep all my commands always, so that it might go well with them and their children forever!... Deuteronomy 5:29
Our mission in life is not to go to some far-off foreign land, but to work at home and in our churches and home communities. Our goal should not be to leave behind riches and possessions, farms and homes for our children, but a priceless heritage they will cherish enough to work fervently to pass along to their children. It has been done for generations and with God's help it can still be done. In teaching our children, we are striving toward a deep understanding of who they are In Christ. I am . . . a child of God, a gift to my parents and my country. I'm a person of great value because God made me. I can . . . do all things through Christ who strengthens me. God has made me able to do everything required of me. I ought . . . to do my duty to obey God, to submit to my parents and everyone in authority over me, to be of service to others, and to keep myself healthy with proper food and rest so my body is ready to serve. I will . . . resolve to keep a watch over my thoughts and choose what's right even if it's not what I want.
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