English Country Dancing...Fun for Everyone, Especially Great for Teens!

This summer our family discovered English Country Dancing.  Our community has a local, family oriented group that meets on a regular basis. We love attending and learning various dances. The setting is laid back and informal, and it is great fun!  Dads with babies in front backs, ladies in their seventies, middle aged folk, engaged young couples, singles, teens and elementary aged children...all spending a delightful evening together learning an old art form.

When our family heard that there was a formal event geared towards families with older children, we were thrilled! I whole heartedly support the Christian community reclaiming the art of beautiful, wholesome social dancing. Our entire family was not able to attend this event, but two of our teens were able to travel with good family friends and enjoyed a wonderful new experience.

 For the young men it is a wonderful way to learn about being a gentleman, even to their sisters!  The focus is group dancing  (you are forever switching partners in English Country Dancing), but the gentlemen must ask a lady to dance.  They are instructed to make sure all the ladies are being included, especially since there are often more ladies than gentlemen. It is an excellent opportunity for young men to initiate and lead. Even the occasion to dress like a gentleman is a benefit in this day of grunge and shagginess. I notice that our own young men stand a bit straighter and speak with a bit more confidence when they have a sport coat on their backs!

 For the ladies, a formal ball is a chance to delight in godly femininity. It is a time to be dignified  and graceful. Ladies are instructed to respond graciously to requests to dance, whether they accept or decline. I will do another post on how to dress modestly/modify a typical formal gown for modesty, but it is a wonderful time to consider these issues as mother and daughter ( not to mention learn useful techniques for modifying everyday clothing). Our gown modification was a three generation event in and of itself! And what a fun time of shopping and planning together!  Many of the ladies at the ball wore period costume dress, which I think will be on a wish list sometime soon. There are some lovely patterns out there!

One area I especially appreciate about such an event is the atmosphere that emphasizes godly relationships.  Modeled before my children are both older couples that love each other very much and  couples in the courtship and engagement phase of life. Several college age couples were present (couples who had attend these events as younger teens) and they, along with other couples in our circle of friends, provide a healthy "normal" of how such relationships can be approached. The whole emphasis on "otherness"... considering another's needs above your own...is what impresses me most. My favorite picture of the evening was of  a special set of four dancers: my son, a friend's daughter, another friend's son, and this young man's 20-something year old sister. The sister has severe autism and functions as a preschooler. When she heard there was a ball she wanted to be in on the action and came decked out in her own fancy dress. It brought tears to my eyes hear ( and see, thanks to a kind photographer) that our teens were thoughtful enough to see that she was included and had fun.

So....if you are looking for something fun and worthwhile, check out the English Country Dancing opportunities in your community. I hear they are springing up all over.  You Tube has come excellent tutorials, as well as video from various ball events.   Pleasant Dancing!

From Duty to Joy

...not our clothes line... we don't have any adorable bunnies in our area, but isn't he cute!

One of the best things that about living in an older home is that things are (as a rule)  family size and built to last.  The dining room?  Large enough for a crowd. The bath tub?  Still in great shape, and I bet a young mom could bathe at least four small children at a time! The bedrooms?  Designed to house more than one child. The clothesline?  Ah.... steel poles, 45 feet apart, and four wonderful rows of clothes drying goodness. I love it.

I didn't start out loving the idea of hanging out our wash to dry, but with a vintage clothes line beckoning to me, I felt I didn't have a choice. It was something I felt was my duty...saving our family money and using what the Lord has placed right there in our back yard to meet our needs. But now, hanging out the wash is one of the best parts of my day.  It is the semicolon between history and math...a pause between two related sections of my day. It is an import break in ideas that causes the latter subject to begin with a peaceful lowercase letter. It is a bit of fresh air in the middle of the morning, and a time for the little boy of the house to run outside and  help mom by carrying out the empty basket and handing her the clothes pins. In the afternoon there is another load to go out on the line....an opportunity to listen to the children enjoying their time outside without hovering over them, and the chance to see if the red-tailed hawk will be back. It is time for me to realize that my small amount of time and energy, combined with God's sunshine, are enabling our clothes to dry free of charge, while others are paying their machines to do this work for them. And later in the evening, with the last load in hand, it is a time for me to go out into the dusk alone. I often jokingly sing, " I Go to the Clothesline Alone" (to the tune of  " I Go to The Garden Alone"), because don't we moms cherish those few moments of alone time when the Lord gives them to us!

I once heard a home school mom say that she punctuated her day with her own little "happiness islands".  It sounded a little fruity to me at the time, and it still does.  I don't want to be running off doing my own thing in the midst of the day, focusing on my happiness when I should be focusing on the Lord and on my family. But I do need some semi colons in the midst of my daily paragraphs. Just a "slow" task now and then, preferably one that takes me outdoors and gives me time with an individual child or alone.  The Lord is good to turn our duties into joys!

Creating a Presidential Election Notebook

Our family loves a presidential election year.  We are not under the impression that politics is the answer to everything in our society...far from it.  However, we can celebrate our country's political process and the freedom we have to vote. Our children have always accompanied us to the polls to vote. They have also been allowed to stay up late on Election Day for an special party.  We print out maps and give them red and blue crayons so they can color in the states as the results are announced.  Snacks are in abundance and sleeping bags are spread out on the living room floor for those who drift off early.  One year we were really brave and joined with another family for the evening...lots of fun memories.

As our children have grown older we have sought to  involve them in the election process in other ways.  There is a little more talk of politics at the dinner table,and a little more watching of the news and reading news articles together. One of our teenagers even went to one candidate's local headquarters during the last presidential election and watched his grandmother make phone calls. This year we are trying something new... keeping a family Presidential Election Notebook. I was inspired to do this by my husband's grandmother, who has saved news clippings on each presidential election for several decades. It is so much fun to look through her notebook. I thought it would be even more fun for the children to one day be able to look back at their own reflections and observations on the election process. So, creating our own notebook is one thing we are "aiming to do" over the next year.

  We began taking notes during the first televised debate. We have already crossed out candidates and added others as the weeks have progressed. (We each have our own predictions about who will be remaining at the end of the candidate selection process.)  I plan on having one section of the notebook categorized by issues, one section categorized by candidates, one section of debate notes/winners, and a final section of news articles. Because we have such a wide age range in our children ( almost 17 years down to 4 years of age), different family members are responsible for different tasks. Mom and Dad will take notes of things to discuss with the children later. ( I must admit that being able to "pause" live TV would be very handy during debates!) Our eight year old will copy down each candidate's home town, family information, current position, and other general information as it pops up on the TV screen during the debate. The middle and high school students will each be assigned specific issues and will record notes on each candidate's view as a topic is discussed.  Older students will also take general debate notes: the questions asked, who was asking the questions, general impressions on candidate readiness/level of articulation, potential bias, and the like.  As we get deeper into the election, I plan to have them gather current events articles and write about the their relevance to the election. There will probably also be papers comparing and contrasting candidates and persuasive papers/speeches on why a particular candidate is the best choice.

 So far our debate evenings have been a fun, family time together...almost like a long awaited football game for something . Yes, snacks are provided, and there is the added bonus of getting to stay up late on a school night, but the best part has been the conversations we have had. Teenagers have opinions and they love to share them. What a great time to hear their thoughts and ask them challenging questions. Our two older children have had debate and logic classes and delight in critiquing ( and complimenting!) the "professionals."  An election year provides parents with so many opportunities to discuss values and ideals with their children and teach them to think critically about issues. Take advantage of this time!  You can be part of raising up the next generation to be "thinkers" instead of those who merely react to circumstances or those who go with the popular flow of thought.  It may be impolite to discuss politics at the beauty shop, but discussing these matters in your living room is one fantastic way to spend an evening with the family.





This post is linked to Growing Home!

Nurturing Creativity in Children: Part 3

Today is the final post on Nurturing Creativity in Children. I have enjoyed visiting this topic and thank you for all the feedback . If you missed Part 1 or Part 2, be sure to click here and here to read the other posts. Continuing on.....

* Let your children see you being creative in everyday life. There is no substitute for leading your children by example. Fortunately for moms, motherhood provides a vast and varied smorgasbord of creative opportunities. Making up games while riding in the car, telling bedtime stories, making meals out of whatever you have on hand, decorating your home, scrap booking, blogging, photography...the list could go on and on.  Involve them in your own projects as their age and attention span allows, or give them their own special project to work on alongside you. As your children see you delighting in creative moments they will naturally be drawn to the creative process.

* Provide a variety of quality, imaginative literature. Supply toys that make children "work" for their  play.   In a recent article on creativity, Andrew Pudewa  provided a great quote by Albert Einstein: " If you want your children to be intelligent, read them fairy tales.  If you want them to be more intelligent, read them more fairy tales." I love that!  The intelligence he is talking about here surely is of the "thinking outside of the box" variety. Whether you choose fairy tales or not, engaging and imaginative literature will get your child's creative thoughts going, leading to active play time. As far as toys, go for the items that are "open-ended" ( the child does the work, not the toy), can be used for storytelling play, and are able to be used in a variety of ways. One of the favorite toys at our home is Connectegons.  These little disks have been used to build all kinds of creative structures ( their intended purpose), but also as toy money, lilly pads for small toy frogs, baby doll food, and roads for cars.They are great math manipulatives as well ! Building toys, play dough, dress up clothes, a variety of paints and art supplies, dolls, cardboard boxes and tubes, and so on are the types of toys that will encourage imaginative play rather than merely providing passive entertainment. Limiting the number of toys available at a given time also develops creativity. They will learn to use and have fun with what they have!

* Encourage your children to serve others with their creative gifts.  One motto we are currently working to instill in our children ( and ourselves!) is " Non Nobis Solum"...Not for Us Alone. This applies to creativity just like it does to so many other areas of life. Whatever we have was given to us for God's glory and to serve Him.  Elderly neighbors will enjoy having a child's painting to hang on their refrigerator, a younger child will be pleased to have an older sibling read a freshly written story to them, an expectant mother will be delighted to drop her young children by your house for an afternoon of puppet shows ( or come to stay for a time of encouragement with another mom). Teach your children not to hoard and hide the gifts and experiences the Lord has given them, but to actively look for ways to use them to bless others. As Michael Card stated so well in an interview printed in the February 2011 issue of Tabletalk magazine, " Jesus always points away from Himself and His gifts and thereby wins praise for the Father. We are not our gifts. We are called to give more.  Like Jesus, we are called to give ourselves. That is the real purpose behind our gifts; they are vehicles for giving the self."

Many blessing to each of you as you nurture those wonderful, creative little ones the Lord has placed in your care. If you are interested in buying Connectegons for your children, see the link below!

Nurturing Creativity in Children: Part 2

Today I am going to continue discussing how to nurture creativity in our children.  I am thrilled you are visiting today! Hop on over here to read Part 1, and here to read Part 3!

* Focus on the purpose behind the mess. Almost all creative endeavors involve some degree of mess, noise, or both! For some moms, this is a real challenge :).  To further complicate things, some projects are ongoing and need to be left out during completion. Take a deep breath, do what you can to confine and assign creative work spaces, but remind yourself of what is being accomplished in the mess. Even if there is no real "end project" in sight, there is a valuable process going on as your child creates. After all, there is a huge difference between your child leaving their dirty socks in the middle of their floor ( laziness) and your child needing to dump out the bucket of Lego bricks so they can see what parts they have available (creativity). The time for cleaning up will arrive eventually, but to paraphrase my favorite home designer Alexandra Stoddard's comment about her daughter's room, What creative child wouldn't have a messy room!?

*Encourage initiative, allowing success and failure to occur naturally.  If your child has an idea, let them run with it! I am reading a fantastic book by Kurt Timmermeister entitle Growing a Farmer: How I Learned to Live Off the Land. When speaking of purchasing his farm he says, " I bought this land and transformed it because no one said that I couldn't." I love this!  So much could be accomplished in this world if people would stop discouraging others from trying new and challenging things! And it starts with allowing our children to test out their ideas and plans. One of the most creative individuals I know was allowed to totally transform her backyard to her liking with construction and engineering projects.  Her birthday gifts were things like ropes, pulleys, and duck tape. Figuring out what to do with them was up to her!  She has also sewn elaborate costumes, made her own clothing, and produced films of her pets. When she has an idea there is no one to stop her! As a result, she has developed a wide variety of skills and has full confidence in expressing her creative gifts. Sometimes things don't work out quite the way she had hoped, but this is part of the creative process ( not to mention part of life in general!).  Don't try to block failure as your child attempts new things. I have one child who has to pay for her own basketball fees and she loves to come up with creative ways to earn money. Some of her ideas have worked very well and some have flopped. Having the freedom to try  her ideas had developed  confidence and has actually reduced her fear of failing. She's learned that some of her ideas are great ideas and, when an idea hasn't worked out,she's learned that it is not the end of the world. She remains always ready to try something new! Preserving the fearless desire to try something new is a huge part of nurturing creativity in children.

*Don't insist that your child always do things the way you do them. This judgement call can be a bit tricky because there are times when technique totally matters. For example, no one wants to have to re-learn the correct hand position when learning to play the piano. ( Believe me... I speak for experience!).  However,  there is great value in letting a child figure out the the best way to approach a problem or project.  This kind of creative thinking will give them both experience and confidence that will serve them well as adults.  It teaches them to consider their options, think about their strengths, and manage their time. Some individuals just naturally will do things in a unique way. One of the most skilled knitters I know knits in a really wacky way.  It is not at all how it looks on the how-to-knit videos, but it works for her and her sweaters are breath taking. One of my children unloads the dishwasher in a way that makes no sense to me, but the job still gets done.  I have also found that children who feel free to try out their own ideas/do tasks in their own way are also the ones who feel most free in asking for the " how-to" advice of others.  Funny how that happens, but it is true!

Well, be looking for the third and final part of this series later this week!   Be sure to check out my current ( and wonderful) read, Growing a Farmer, on the Amazon link below, as well as a wonderful book by designer Alexandra Stoddard! Thanks for stopping by Pleasantburg!
This post is linked to Far Above Rubies and Growing Home: Teach Me Tuesdays.

Math Facts... and an (unrelated) inspiring link!

 We have enjoyed getting back into the school routine this week. According to my daughter, one of the best parts of starting a new school year is that the math facts are all addition and are all easy!

Her comment reminded me of our favorite way to practice math facts. I just copy her drill sheets, slide them into page protectors, and clip them in her 3-ring binder.  I pop out the appropriate sheet when it is time to practice and, with dry erase marker in hand, she is ready to go. No more endless copying of sheets or buying drill workbooks!  My eldest son used this same concept when practicing his Latin declensions.  His co-op teacher had them use fine point Sharpie Markers, and then they would use a Magic Eraser to clean the page protector. Either way, it is a great way to stay organized, conserve paper, and save money! In addition to pen and paper drill work, there are some great folder games, board games, and songs that focus on fact memorization. Try several different things to see what works for your child. Shake things up from time to time and do something different and fun. Even a simple thing, like letting your student pick the color pen they want to use, can help keep fact memorization from becoming too boring.

To change subjects completely, a blog reader sent me the most wonderful link. Do you remember when I wrote about a book entitled The Boy From Baby House 10? It is still the best book I have read this year. And everyday I still think about about and pray for disabled children/former preemies worldwide who need families. It is a powerful book. Click here to see a wonderful story about John reuniting with an old friend from his orphanage in Russia ( courtesy of the Yankees!).  I know you will enjoy watching what God can do with "unsalvageable" children!

One Verse at a Time

*** I am pleased to announce that Pleasantburg Blog now has a Facebook page!  I have also added a way for you to subscribe to posts via email (see sidebar on right).  We are in the midst of getting a new school year rolling, so posting may be a bit sporadic for a few weeks. By "liking" us on Facebook or subscribing via email you can be assured that you will never miss a post! ***

Last winter I ran across an old video of my now eight year old daughter.  She was three, in braids and fuzzy footed pjs, and she was sitting on her bed reciting the entire 13th Chapter of 1 Corinthians from memory. She has learned the entire passage without our knowledge, merely listening to us work with her older brother everyday on his memory assignment. Amazing, and so very sweet. As soon as I saw this video I felt the need to repent.  If I had been diligent in daily memory work with her over the past five years, she could have probably learned the whole New Testament by now!  I  decided right then and there that we would, one verse at a time, learn an entire chapter of scripture during our second semester of school. I choose James 1 and guess what? With God's help we did it!  And do you know what else? It wasn't that hard!!  No fancy " Bible memory system" was required. No one moaned and groaned.  We just sat down everyday at a designated time (before history, in our case) and recited what we had already learned a few times.  Then we said a new verse a few times.  Then we said it all together a time or two. Finally, I would pick one person each day to say what they could by themselves, with  prompting from Mom when necessary.  There was no pressure associated with any part of the process. I figured that even if they for some reason didn't/couldn't learn it ( and our 4 year old doesn't know it all), it was certainly a benefit to all of us to just hear  those first few verses of James 1 read every day!

Over the past few months verses from James have been frequently quoted from our church pulpit.  Even my littlest one has noticed and has smiled knowingly at me, mouthing that he just heard a verse from James. (Don't think for a moment that those little wiggly boys aren't hearing what is going on around them!) I have had the privileged of hearing my older children remind one another about truths from this passage.  I  have been richly blessed as I have reminded myself to "count it all joy" in the face of trials. With the beginning of this school year we are moving on to James Chapter 2. I would highly encourage you to take a few minutes each day and work on a passage of scripture with your children. Keep it light with no pressure, but do it everyday at a designated time. You will be amazed at what can be accomplished in a short time. God's Word is living and active. Pour it into your children's minds and hearts today!

This post is linked to Our Simple Country Life's "Hearts 4 Home".  ***** Special Note! Esther is featuring Pleasantburg Blog this week in her Hearts 4 Home Link-up!  If you have never visited her blog, stop in and say hello! She's a country girl and I'm (currently) a city girl, but we have lots in common! I am honored to be chosen as this week's feature blog! ******

Surviving or Thriving? Back to School Reminders for Moms...Part 3

Welcome to Part 3 of the Surviving or Thriving series!   Today I am covering three of my favorite reminders : Tie Some Heartstrings, Keep it Light, and Pray! 

Tie Some Heartstrings. Years ago I received email reminders throughout the day from Kim of Large Family Logistics. In addition to reminding me to do things like clean up the back yard, spend 15 minutes of phonics time with the littleone, and organize my desk, I was sent a reminder to "Tie Some Heartstrings". I love the imagery of that phrase. Our children, our husband, and even our friends and neighbors, need to know how much we love them.  They need verbal and tangible reminders of our affection for them.  Study your loved ones and learn how to minister to their hearts with encouraging words and deeds.I once read an article stating that nurses, teachers and housewives often suffer from burnout because the consuming and endless nature of their tasks end up outweighing the time they spend on relationships with those they serve.We cannot let this happen in our homes! Yes, your work is endless...but, in a way, that leaves you plenty of time to prioritize showing love to those in our care.  You may never really get caught up anyway :)...and even if you did would it truly be all that fulfilling? Focus on what is truly important and show an abundance of love to those around you!

Keep it Light. Last fall a friend and I were at a ladies' retreat with our teenage daughters.  Late in the evening someone said something quite funny and my friend and I began laughing hysterically. Very soon we noticed our teenagers staring at us with shocked expressions.Laughing that hard is not something we do everyday! Most of the things we deal with day in and day out are not funny. However, this is no excuse for letting a heavy atmosphere creep into our homes. I find that one of the best ways to lighten the mood in the home is to do something unexpected. In our house, we occasionally will rap. Yup. God has placed us in the city and we can hardly open the door without hearing someone's car booming out rap music ( thankfully we usually cannot understand the words!).This often leaves me internally screaming, "ARGHHHH!!!! Melody? Harmony? Where are thou!?" So we, world's most unlikely rappers, overcome our circumstances by creating corny, wholesome numbers of our own. I "rap" phone messages to my beloved a few times a week. When I feel like I might start yelling about a messy room, I... conservative, quiet little introvert that I am...will rap the urgent request to "Let the Tidying Begin!". The big kids roll their eyes, but they are smiling, and the little kids are laughing. The pleasant mood of the home is preserved.  I am sure you have your own (much more dignified and distinguished) way of keeping the mood light, but do not underestimate the power of a smiling, laughing, unpredictable mother!

Pray.  Cast all your burden upon the Lord, for he cares for you ( I Peter 5:7).   But if any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all generously and without reproach, and it will be given to him.( James 1:5). 

Not much more to be said than that!  We have a Lord who cares for our every need and is ready to give us the wisdom we need for each and every situation during the upcoming school year. Don't be afraid to leave the school area for a moment or two  (take the little one with you if necessary) and go pray for a few minutes in your room.I do this often, and the funny thing is that my children seem to think I am in my room eating M&Ms :).  I like to kneel, not because there is anything magical about a particular posture while praying, but just because it reminds me of my dependence on the Lord and that if I humble myself He will lift me up.  And He does! Go to Him often with your cares and don't try to manage them alone!

My prayer is that each one of you will have a most blessed school year ahead! 

Surviving or Thriving? Back to School Reminders for Moms...Part 2

Today I am going to continue my series on Back to School Reminders for Moms.  Each day, in the middle of all the situations where the Lord has placed us, we have the chance to thrive. However, if we do not make careful choices when it comes to our attitudes, and if we do not fix our eyes on the Lord and His strength, we will find ourselves merely surviving in midst of our day to day responsibilities. As I said in Part 1, these posts fall under the category "Preaching to Myself". When I relate a personal example I am not somehow suggesting that I have arrived in these areas. I am merely remembering God's faithfulness in the past and providing my experiences as an encouragement to you as you consider your school year ahead! Let's get started with Part 2!   

Give Your Limitations to the Lord. All of us face situations that cause us to feel limited. Seasons of poor health, financial difficulties, inadequacies in a particular subject matter, a baby in the hospital, pregnancy complications, general lack of outside support, cramped living conditions...these are just a few of the difficulties our family has faced in our thirteen years of home schooling. And do you know what? With each situation the Lord has been faithful and shown His power in our weakness! Give your limitations to the Lord and gather up your faith in his goodness and love for you...He will provide! Perhaps he will provide a way out ( like an awesome Algebra 2 teacher!), or maybe he will provide a way through ( like the time he caused our favorite babysitter to be on paid leave from her nanny position just as I was trying to juggle parenting a hospitalized preemie and caring for 4 children at home...did I mention she was a certified teacher and helped with their schooling as well as general child care? Only God could come up with such timing!).  Maybe the Lord will sustain you in a supernatural way that causes others to see you in your trial and give glory to Him. Regardless, His power is made perfect in weakness ( II Cor. 12:9) and you can trust Him as you face difficulties.

Don't Be Afraid to Find What Works for Your Family.  I spent several of my early homeschooling years trying to imitate the methods of a friend that  I greatly admired. I gradually realized that not only were our children very different , but my friend and I were very different, too. In fact, I really think our "different-ness" in personality is what gave us such a rich friendship.  However, when it came to schooling choices she could  just read the scripted math lesson and her children understood perfectly, and I needed to cut up apples and draw diagrams...for my students to learn,as well as to keep myself from falling asleep with boredom :).  God gave your children to you...he picked you for them! When it comes to schooling choices and decisions related to parenting ( extra-curricular involvement, bedtimes, daily routines and so on), be inspired by those around you , but be yourself and don't be afraid to be unique in your approach! 

In addition, do not neglect the option to change things for a season in order to gather yourself and pray through your choices.  Our family did this in the two years following the birth of our preemie.  In a year's time we had a pregnancy with bed rest, a preemie who was in the hospital for several months, a baby who didn't sleep/had therapy appointments every week/breathing treatments every few hours/frequent ER visits, and a job change/out-of-state move. After much prayer, we enrolled our oldest two children in Classical Conversations for 7th and 8th grade after our move. Co-ops are not my thing (although we loved the CC program overall),  but for that season of "recovery and reorganization" it was just what we all needed.  It didn't last forever. Talk with your husband, seek the Lord, and allow yourself the freedom to make changes if needed!   

Well, it is time to get my day going here... be sure to read Part 1 and Part 3  if your time allows. Have a wonderful time preparing for your school year!  

Surviving or Thriving? Back to School Reminders for Moms...Part 1

"Back to School!!!"  The words bring a range of emotions to the hearts of mothers worldwide. Excitement,  apprehension, a twinge of  sadness...all jumbled together with a million practical concerns.  Regardless of the schooling option they embrace, moms everywhere will be facing new unknowns, new routines, and new challenges as they consider the year ahead. The next few posts will fall under the category of "Preaching to Myself".  This will be my thirteenth year of homeschooling, but each year bring with it a fresh realization that I am going to need the Lord's help...every day, in a serious way... if our family is going to thrive.  Far from becoming more confident in my own skills, each passing year causes me to feel more dependent on Him. He is the only one who can lead, guide, provide, sustain, and grant us all joy in the year ahead. And while I love home schooling, the reminders I will outline are for any mom...working, stay at home, single, home schooling. God can give you the grace to make your home a pleasant place during the busy school days ahead, no matter what your situation!

The "reminders" are no particular order, but I will start with a big one: Keep God's Word in your mind throughout the day.  When things get stressful, when you are not sure how to handle a situation, when you know you are starting to lose proper perspective, when despair is creeping into your mind,when you have a victory, use God's Word to keep your thoughts in the right place. I keep a list of Scriptures posted inside the door of the cabinet where we keep our school supplies.I probably go to that cabinet 40 times during the morning, and each time I see God's love letters to me, encouraging and admonishing me to run the race for His glory and in His strength.  In years past, I kept a list inside my kitchen cabinet door and would run into the kitchen every now and then to refocus. I also keep my Bible open at the school table after our morning family devotions. Having God's promises and reminders of His character at my fingertips when I need them ( and often before I need them!) is invaluable. Other moms keep a Bible open in each room, a Bible propped up my the kitchen sink, or a audio Bible going in some part of the house or in the car. Choose what works for you, but make it easy to encourage yourself with God's Word.  And guess what? Your children will be watching you all the while and noting God's faithfulness to you!


Have a plan to care for your basic physical health. Let's be honest, if your family is like mine, no one is going to remind mom to take her vitamins each day! We need a simple plan to care for our health. Otherwise, even our most basic needs can get lost in our responsibilities. When tempted to let my physical health slide, I always think of the airline stewardess reminding me to put the oxygen mask on myself first, and then on my child. I cannot remind my little one to drink his water if I am dehydrated in a hospital somewhere! My basic list includes drinking enough water, taking vitamins daily, walking several times a week, having healthy/easy to prepare food at home, and getting proper rest. My plan? Vitamins before bed, water throughout the day, walks with an individual child in the evenings ( or around the interior of our home/exercise video/backyard walk with a younger child...see note below), organized shopping/food prep (with teenagers alongside me), and in bed before midnight.  Nothing complicated or expensive, and no real need to be separated from my children ( just in case that is your excuse!) , but so important to identify those needs and  be intentional about keeping care of ourselves.
*A word about exercise: where there is a will there is a way. Pray about it! Years ago I had young children, little support in the way of local friends and relatives, a husband who worked long hours, and no real area to walk outside around our home. I ask the Lord to show me a way I could get the exercise I needed. I began turning on a CD for an hour a day and walking inside our home, around ( and around, and around ,and around) the tiny kitchen-living room-entry way loop. Our children still talk about it! It reduced my stress, improved my sleep, and gave me something very fun to do with my little ones each day.Today I love to pop in a Leslie Sansone Walk at Home video on cold and rainy days when I can't get outdoors.  On nice days when I can't leave the home, I will often briskly walk around our back yard in the afternoon while our little ones play. If I can leave the little ones with daddy, I will  take an older child on a walk around the neighborhood with me so we can have some time alone.  Although there is certainly nothing wrong with belonging to a gym,on't buy into the  idea that you need a gym membership to get the exercise you need! Ask God to show you creative solutions when you hit a roadblock!


Be sure to check back in for Part 2.... and enjoy getting ready for your  school year!

Summer Routines

Summer is my favorite season.  Overall, I just feel better in the summer… more time outside in the sun, more time to linger in prayer and Bible study in the morning, more exercise, more sleep, more fresh veggies and fruits, more time to read, and more time to catch up with loved ones. And then there are the “fewers”….fewer demands on my time, fewer pressures, fewer aches and pains related to cold weather, fewer socks to washJ.  But there is one thing I sometimes miss in the summer and that is basic structure.  The school year provides us with a basic structure for each day.  There are places to be every Tuesday, times we have to be done with one thing so we can get the next thing done, specific times when chores are to be completed. Home schooling also provides guaranteed, built-in, personal interaction with each individual child. While I relish the break from “schedule”, I miss the “routine” of it all. 

This summer I have worked to divide our break from school into segments…recovery segment, catch-up segment, and preparation segment. The first few weeks were focused on wrapping up the past school year and resting.  I completed portfolios, did the necessary paper work, sorted books, and so on.  I also built in lots of free time for everyone…mom included! We all need some long days of reading, traveling, and playing, with minimal household tasks and chores.

 We are currently in the “catch-up segment” of our summer. This is the time of the summer when everyone seems to be craving a bit more structure. Each morning (after sleeping later than usual…ahhhh), I give everyone an assignment to help us “catch-up” on the tasks we often let slide during the school year.  This includes things like cleaning out closets and toys, washing drapes, cleaning behind the fridge (eek!), painting, and reorganizing.  We work on these tasks until lunch and then have our afternoons free for other things. 

Before we know it we will enter the “preparation segment” of summer. This is the exciting time when we get ready for the year ahead. Most of these tasks (but not all!) will fall my shoulders. The mornings will be spent doing tasks like ordering books, organizing materials, making games and activities for the younger students, composing reading lists, thinking about daily school routines, and getting extra meals in the freezer to help us as we ease back into a busier season of life.  Older children will be taking turns between assisting me and helping with the younger children. My goal is still to keep our afternoons free for the summer-time things we love to do…gardening, playing in the sprinkler, visiting the library, reading, playing with friends. While we savor those last wonderful days of summer, we know we have much to look forward to in the months ahead.  Yes, more socks to wash and a few more achy joints to deal with, but oh, that precious time gathered around the school table! I am looking forward to it even as I praise Him for this blessed season of sunshine and refreshment!

This post is linked to A Wise Woman Builds Her Home  Wise Woman Link-up and Homemaking Wednesdays. 

Raising Musical Children ( a guest post....)

Today  Pleasantburg is featuring a guest post by Mrs. Marcia Russell. Marcia is the wife of Walter Russell and the mother to five musically talented children whose ages range from 13 to 27. In addition, she is a new grandmother! She is a home school mom as well as a math teacher and tutor.  She has been blessed with a musical family, but when she started on her musical journey with her children, that was not her goal. Today she will share about her journey in raising musical children. Enjoy!

It all started at a pre-school soccer game.  I had begun to home school my first child, and I felt strongly that I should look for some kind of group activity for him.  Home schooling was just about unheard of at that time, and I had a lot of people looking skeptically over my shoulder.  So we signed up for soccer.  Before the season was half over, I realized that this was not the success I had hoped for.  Matthew didn’t seem to understand the game much less seem interested in it.  On top of that, he appeared to be hopelessly uncoordinated.  I am not sure he ever touched the ball.  I began to investigate other extra-curricular activities.

I had read an article about the Suzuki Method of musical training.  This method held to the “mother tongue” philosophy that every child can learn to play a musical instrument just as every child learns to speak the language of his mother.  With the motto, “every child can,” I felt we couldn’t fail.  We bought a tiny 1/8 size violin and a L.P. recording and began attending one private lesson and one group lesson each week.

I attended the lessons with Matthew.  I loved being on his side and learning along with him.  My job was to help him practice every day and to play the recording for him.  Step by tiny step, he began to progress, and I began to relax and really enjoy this aspect of parenting.

When the next child, Thomas, turned 4, I began to think about which instrument he would play.  I decided that siblings close in age should not play the same instrument.  I did not want competition to be the hallmark of our family life.  We chose piano for Thomas, and later he chose organ.  Not only was Thomas the favorite accompanist of his brothers and sister, he was a church organist for various churches throughout high school and college, and recently graduated with a Master’s Degree in Organ Performance from Yale University.

You might be thinking, “Wait a minute!  You chose whether your children would play an instrument and which instrument they would play!?”  That is right.  My children at age four or five had little say in the matter.  They also had little say in whether they would learn to read, learn to swim, or learn to ride a bike.  We decided all of these things for them. 

I found that our children will often delight in the things that delight us.  I love classical music, and I used to play recordings of great masterpieces while the children played or worked on math problems.  We listened to music in the car and while falling sleep.

Once while in an old timey five and dime store, my 8-year old son and 5-year old daughter asked if they could go and explore the toy aisle while I collected the things I needed.  They skipped off while I took the baby in the other direction.  A  while later I began to look for them, but they were not on the toy aisle.  I found them instead near a relaxation display of wind chimes and candles.  A CD was playing music that they were very familiar with.  It happened to be one of my favorites, and they remembered not only hearing it, but having to remain in the car just to hear the end of it on more than one occasion.  They stood with rapt attention oblivious to the fact that an amused small crowd had gathered behind them.  Embarrassed, I tapped my son’s shoulder to get him to move along.  He turned to me with a smile and whispered, “Mom, Mendelssohn!”  As I ushered them down the aisle and out of the way, an older gentleman patted me on the back and said, “You’re doing a good job, Mom.”

When it came time to choose an instrument for Seth, our third child, we chose cello.  A friend called to ask if I was interested in a Suzuki cello class for young beginners that was starting up in our town.  Seth, now age 21, has studied cello since age four.  His love for the instrument and his teacher continued to grow throughout his childhood.  After achieving the position of Principal Cellist in his youth orchestra and All State orchestra as well as winning concerto competitions, he has gone on to study cello performance at the Eastman School of Music in Rochester, NY.  His teacher, well past retirement age, is still teaching children.  Her love for the cello and for these children is unmistakable.

I can not stress enough the blessing of talented, passionate, and Godly teachers.  I can think of one couple in particular who had a profound influence on my children.  At age five Thomas the pianist started taking lessons from the wife of the music director at our church.  This wonderful young woman loved the Lord, music, and Thomas.    Not only that, her husband taught Thomas voice lessons and developed a Boy Choir in which three of my boys participated.  The motto of the choir was, “Be the best boy you can be.”  My boys watched this man set an standard of excellence in everything he did, and they followed.  My advice to parents seeking music teachers is to look for passionate professionals who do what they do not just to earn a living, but because they love their students and love the Lord.

There have been a few bumps in our musical journey.  Just as not every T-ball player will play Major League Baseball, not every child who takes music lessons will choose it as his vocation.  We knew this to be the case with our daughter, Faith.  After taking eight years of piano lessons, she asked to switch to flute.  We agreed.  She then took it upon herself to try to reach or surpass many of the benchmarks two of her brothers had achieved.  By the end of the ninth grade she had earned a position in the top level youth orchestra, scored high on the A.P. Music Theory exam, and competed nationally at a music competition in Colorado.  But what she was really passionate about was athletics.  When a leader in her musical world told her that she must choose between music and athletics, she chose athletics and didn’t look back.  The truth is that she had burned out, and I should have done more to prevent that.  But I still hear her playing Chopin on the piano or a Mozart flute concerto from time to time.  The skills she learned will never be taken from her.

The youngest, Ethan, plays the cello and studies with the same wonderful teacher Seth had.  When you find a good teacher, stick with that teacher.  His older brother Seth is his mentor.  Ethan loves basketball more than music, perhaps, but he continues to practice and progress and learn. Like his siblings, he has been privileged to use his talents in worship services at our church.  He enjoys playing with his siblings just for fun or on special occasions.  His home school orchestra has played at children’s homes, retirement homes, and at the airport for Honor Flights for WWII veterans.  Ministry to others is a very important benefit of having a musical family.

So whatever happened to that awkward soccer player turned violinist?  Matthew continued to play the violin throughout high school.  He played in a youth orchestra, made the All State orchestra, and wowed his teachers and classmates at Senior Night when he and Thomas played a very flashy piece.  And then he set his violin aside.  Today he is a Captain in the U.S. Army and an Army Ranger who enjoys running marathons and doing 50 mile trail runs in his spare time.  Matthew credits his musical training with teaching him that daunting goals can be reached with steady practice, one small step at a time.

The benefits of musical training are many, but one of my favorites is hard to describe.  Sometimes music is a beautiful way to communicate deeply felt emotions when words just won’t suffice.  Thomas and his violin-playing bride of one year were getting ready to move to New Haven.  Seth would soon be returning to school far away in New York.  Matthew was home on a two week leave from deployment in Iraq.  None of us knew when the next time would be for us all to be together.  Thomas and his wife Julie had worked hard on a hymn arrangement for the Russell family to play as an offertory at church on our last evening together.  Thomas emailed the parts, and everyone practiced.  That night they played from their hearts, communicating in a very beautiful way with each other, with the congregation, and with the Lord.  The hymn:  “It Is Well With My Soul.”

Soli Deo Gloria

Taught By His Tumbles

"We all know the natural conditions under which a child should live; how he shares household ways with his mother, romps with his father, is teased by his brothers and petted by his sisters; is taught by his tumbles; learns self-denial by the baby's needs, the delightfulness of furniture by playing at battle and siege with sofa and table; learns veneration for the old by the visits of his great-grandmother; how to live with his equals by the chums he gathers round him; learns intimacy with animals from his dog and cat; delight in the fields where the buttercups grow and greater delight in the blackberry hedges." -Charlotte Mason


* Special thanks to Phyllis for posting this quote on her wonderful blog! (You will especially enjoy her blog is you are home schooling special needs students...I love seeing what they are up to in their home!)  I remember reading this quote years ago, and seeing it again inspired me to pull out some of my Charlotte Mason books again. Very encouraging and inspiring reading for moms and teachers!  

The Preschooler: Days 4 & 5...Visitors and Dough

 The Day 4 and Day 5 highlights are a bit delayed, but for excellent reasons!  We ended up having visitors on both days!  Lots of playing outside and sipping homemade lemonade out of straws...delightful!

photo credit: our daughter , Peace T.

 For some quiet time we did end up pulling out one of our favorite preschool activities...dough! We use Moon Dough because it is wheat free, but Play Dough was our standard for years. We love it all! Currently our little guy enjoys what we call "Hide and Go Seek Moon Dough Style".  It is a game that our daughter Love came up with one day when she was playing with her brother.  One person takes a few little toy animals, like these:

and hides them each in a ball of dough.  Then you make several balls that do not have an animal inside.  You call the other person in and they have to guess if the ball is empty or not. Then they break it open and see what is inside. This game can go on all morning at our house. We all just take turns hiding the animals and being the "finder".

Another fun thing to do with Play Dough is to mix uncooked rice into the dough. This was something one of Thunderbolt's therapists had us do at home to assist with sensory development issues. It is really fun!  The rice eventually gets broken down into little bits, which changes the texture even more. Try using a dark color of dough, which will contrast well with the white rice and make the dough visually interesting as well. It's a good thing to try on a rainy day when you need something new!

I hope you enjoyed peeking into some of our preschool activities.  I am always intrigued by new ideas, so send some of your favorites my way.  I'd love to hear from you!

The Preschooler: Day 3...Marbles and Cardboard

The pictures speak for themselves today....rescued card board tubes, rescued card board packaging from a box, and a marble. I frequently save cardboard tubes because Thunderbolt finds a million things to do with them, but he rescued the cardboard "maze". Although I hope it goes without saying, marbles are NOT a good idea if your child or his siblings might possibly put them in their mouths. Save this activity for you mature preschooler, at a time and place when no toddlers or babies are around, and even then closely supervise your child. I use a quilt on the floor ( near where we are working) as the designated marble zone. I can keep an eye on him, and the marbles don't end up all over the house. He had lots of fun with this activity!   

The Preschooler: Day 2...Folder Games, Clothes Pins, and Paints

Today I decided to pull out some folder games.  The girls and I made these games from File Folder Fun   this summer. They have been wonderful. Our guy tends to do better with them when I place the game on a mat of some kind, so that he knows what area of the table is for him. ( In the photo his "mat" is a folded up table cloth that I grabbed from a near by laundry basket!) I am sitting right beside him at the table to offer assistance, but can also be helping his siblings.   He is not a "sitting still" kind of guy, so we have worked up to doing several games in one sitting. 

 We also made several games that use clothes pins.  Because he was a preemie, Thunderbolt was a little delayed in developing his pincer grasp. Clothes pins are a great tool for developing fine motor skills. You can place them around buckets or boxes if you don't have games like this. These games match the letter on the clothes pin to a corresponding upper case (or lower case) letter, or match a letter to a beginning sound on a picture. I cannot recall where I printed them from, but it would be easy to make your own. I laminated both the folder games and the clothes pin games with clear Contact paper.

After some free play time ( he ended up playing with his cars on the bean bag game,which is also a stellar ramp!), I set up the water colors for him.

Several years ago I found this easel at a thrift store for five dollars.  I was thrilled! I frequently bring it into the kitchen and he can paint away while I am cooking or working with someone else at the table. I haven't found anything that can be harmed by water colors!  Yes, they do all eventually all end up being a brownish color...but they are only $1.97 each, and all my children have eventually learned to rinse the brush after each color! We were given a stack of scrap paper from an office, and it is great for preschool painting.

Hope you have had a fun day!

The Preschooler: Day 1 ...Bugs and Bean Bags

 I have been giving thought to the questions about how I keep our youngest child busy while I work on school  with the older children.  Many excellent posts have already been written on this topic and I am not sure I have anything all that unique to offer.  I think I will just let you follow us around a bit this week. I'll try to hit some highlights of our day in the "keeping the preschooler busy in a meaningful way" department!  My general thought on the subject is this:

                              The activity must be good for his mind, body, or soul.

We do not want to "get our preschoolers out of our way" so we can get on to more important matters.  So many foundational concepts and patterns are forming during these important years! And besides, these little ones are so fun and time is so fleeting, why would we ever want to do such a thing as shove them aside?! We want their days to be filled with rich times of imagination and learning. Whether they are playing alone, with siblings, or spending time alongside their parents, they need to be growing, creating, observing, and exploring. Many times these activities just happen naturally.  Keep your eyes open for what they are finding interesting and go with it! That is how our day started out...

Spring in full glory here, and we are finding lots of caterpillars around the yard.  Last night we put one in our bug jar. Thunderbolt was given the job of watching our temporary pet during some of our morning lessons. Whenever I came to a stopping point I would ask how our little friend was doing, if he seemed to be enjoying the leaves we had given him, if he had climbed on the stick yet, and so on. My very talkative, active boy spent a good deal of the morning being quiet and gazing into the bug jar. He could have been watching TV, but instead he was watching nature! After a while (and a change of clothes due to a spilled drink!), I could see it was time for something new.  He had been still for a while, so now it was time for something active... beanbags!

 My dad made this bean bag game for us one Christmas.  It is wonderful for times when you need an active indoor game. If you can't make something like this, just get out your laundry baskets, coffee cans, or whatever else you have, and make up you own game! Bean bags and rice packs are excellent sewing projects for your young seamstresses, but you can also just twist old socks into balls, or toss small stuffed animals. Hand eye coordination, lots of bending and throwing actions, learning to cooperate with siblings and take turns...great fun and very worthwhile!

I hope to be back tomorrow with a few highlights of our preschooler's day....in the meantime, enjoy your little ones!

This post is lined to Far Above Rubies and Raising Homemakers.  Enjoy seeing what other homemakers are doing this week!

Occupying Preschoolers...One Preschooler's Idea

 I have recently had several younger moms ask me how I occupy my little guy while I am doing school with the older children. I have a number of things I do, but the best thing I know of is to give preschoolers the tools, time, and freedom to be creative.  Today I told Thunderbolt to go find something to play for a few minutes while I taught a math lesson.  I didn't hear the normal sounds of trucks "vrrroooomm-ing" or blocks crashing down. He hadn't asked for the Moon Dough or the water colors. Hmmm. It was very quiet...way too quiet!  Peace did a quick check for me and found him playing in the bathroom sink with some Easter eggs. What adult would have ever thought of that!

 Later on he ran into the dining room and asked if he could play with some rubber bands in the water (?!).  I couldn't really think of any harm it could do, so I gave him a small handful. Pretty soon I heard," Hey Mom!  They sink!!"

He apparently read his mom's post on marking cups with rubber bands and had fun carefully putting the bands around his cup. He then used the eggs to scoop water into the cup. Who knew a boy could do so much with plastic eggs, rubber bands and water! Yes, an hour and a half later we ended up with a wet boy, wet clothes, and a wet floor, but he had a marvelous time! And math class? Ahhhh...very peaceful!