On Wisdom’s Path

Today the space shuttle Endeavor was suppose to take her last scheduled flight. Unfortunately, the launch was scrubbed until a later date. Our family had planned to drive to the coast, play at the beach and watch the launch. When I received the text from hubby that the launch had been scrubbed, the boys and I were sorely disappointed. The coast loving girl in me has been longing to see the ocean and feel sand between my toes and taste the salty air as the ocean breezes blew off the waves. The boys just wanted to run and jump and swim in the ocean and to complete their day by watching six astronauts fly into the great unknown.

With that disappointment came a decision that had to made. Would we allow it to penetrate our hearts and stay home and sulk or do we move forward into another plan? Immediately after telling the boys I felt prompted to call my sister in law and see what they were planning. Her husband answered the phone (he had come home early to drive with his family to the coast also) so I figured they would do something as a family but I told her of my plan anyway; to head to a local lake and make the best of the day. She said she would talk to her husband and call me back. I was fully expecting another disappointment.

So, we wait.

She called back a short time later and we finalized our plans to go to the lake!

It was a beautiful day and for most of our time, we had the beach and the lake to ourselves. We turned it into an Aquatic Science field trip as we found many creatures on our adventure.

What we thought was going to be a disappointing day, turned into a day of refreshing and bounding with our cousins and God’s creation.

It appears that it was not a disappointing day but a day directed by Providence.

A man’s heart plans his way,
But the Lord directs his steps.
Proverbs 16:9

I have started two new devotionals.  One is for me and the other is for “the boys”.

I say one is for me but in reality, it’s fruit (I’m hoping) will be for all in my life to enjoy.  Hopefully, it will taste sweet and be in season and just what they need me to be.  And, most importantly (2nd only to my Creator), just what I need to be.

Made To Crave – I haven’t bought the book yet but I was fortunate enough to find her 21 Day devotional for free through Amazon.  Thanks to my sister in law!  But just after reading today’s devotional I feel it is necessary to buy the book.    But this won’t be a download to my Kindle app on the iPad, this book I want to hold and touch.

Warrior Prayers – Praying the Word for Boys in the Areas They Need it Most. This one I started this morning.  At the end of the devotional, it has a page of scriptures to pray over your boy.  One at a time, you place their name in the scripture and pray it over them.  Today’s prayers were on obedience and submitting to authority.  It is an affordable download to your Kindle app at around $5.00.  Did you know you don’t have to have a smartphone or a Kindle to have the Kindle app?  Nope, you can download it right into your PC.

The Word of God not only contains life but it is Life.  It is sharper than a two-edged sword and it divides between the soul and the spirit.  The fervent, effectual prayer of a righteous man (in this case mom) makes tremendous power available, dynamic in it’s working so when we, as moms, pray for our boys the Word of God, we are changing generations.  We are making an impact on this world and for all eternity.

When we take the time to take care of ourselves, we are changing a generation and impacting eternity.  When our children see us taking care of ourselves and being good stewards of the life, the body God created for us, they will see the eternal value we have and hopefully it will impact them and teach them to be good stewards of the life God has created for them.

I’m pushing forward toward the goal, to know Him and make Christ known.

Moms impact generations through the life of their children and how they choose to raise them.  I choose life.  I choose to raise them up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord.  To truly do that, I must take care of myself.  I hope “Crave” will give the strength, the fortitude to make the hard but best decisions for my health.  We are made with cravings, desires but they must be submitted to God so that we crave and desire Him.

(This is my first week, so it’s not actually “13″ for me but it will help me stay on track with the group if I keep the same number as everyone else.)

In My Life This Week…
It was my dad’s birthday. I didn’t call him. Now I’m wondering if I should have. I feel the relationship is a little one sided but is that just the way I see it or is it really that way? I’m living my life to the glory of God, I don’t believe he is so I am the one in the wrong. I will repent and call my dad and pray he forgives me.

In our homeschool this week…

I started a new schedule! I actually feel more relaxed because I know exactly what needs to be accomplished everyday

Places we’re going and people we’re seeing…
We had an awesome opportunity to visit Kennedy Space Center this past Tuesday and celebrate the 30th anniversary of the space shuttle program. Buddy from TLC’s Cake Boss was there along with his family. They constructed a huge space shuttle cake on a launch pad. It was incredible! We were not able to see the cake as it passing by, as they brought it out to present to the NASA crew but we sure could smell the icing! It was divine! We all received a piece of cake (not the space shuttle cake but regular sheet cakes). I received one of my favorites Red Velvet with Cream Cheese frosting!!!

My favorite thing this week was…
I would have to say it was at KSC on Tuesday. Just seeing the joy on my boys’ faces and the delight in my husband. They are big NASA fans and of the space shuttle especially. Blue eyes was excited about seeing Cake Boss, his first “real in life” encounter with a celebrity and a baker at that! My adventure loving boy, loved racing up and down the tower to walk through one of the displays. The smile on his face and the sound of his laugh will forever be ingrained in my heart and ears. My brown eyed brown…What can I say? He is such a delight. He is so creative and his mind just is constantly going with ideas, thoughts, theories and new designs! It was a thrill just to see his imagination at work.

What’s working/not working for us…

What is not working is not being on a timed schedule! I have a schedule of all the academics we need to do in a day but we have not been deligent enough to get them completed at the times I have designated for them. Which isn’t a huge deal and a great benefit to homeschool. However, we are loosing time to do other things because we get off track.

Homeschool questions/thoughts I have…
We are preparing to attend a 3 day Parent Practicum in May through Classical Conversations. The end of May is the big FPEA convention. How do you prepare for a homeschool convention? I have never been and to be honest, I’m a little nervous. I’m set in doing the classical model through Classical Conversations, we just completed our first year and we are all hooked! Let’s just say, we drank the koolaid and we liked the koolaide. ) So I need help because I do not want to get distracted or moved off of our “educational path” by all the other koolaids.

A photo, video, link, or quote to share…

How many times have we looked into the mirror and said to ourselves something about how we look?  How many times have we looked into that mirror and not liked what we saw in its reflection?

Have you ever walked past a lake, a river, a standing puddle of water and saw your reflection?  It’s distorted then, it’s not the true you.

Have you looked at your heart today?  Have you seen it’s reflection?

Others have seen your heart today.  Reflections of you are seen in your words, your actions and treatment of others.

I have seen my heart lately and I do not like its reflections.  How do I change my heart?  How do I change the reflection of myself to others?

I have allowed the cares of this life and the cares of this world to creep their way in.  I have allowed the weight of needs to weigh me down.  I have allowed the words, the reflections of others to penetrate my heart; penetrate and distort my reflection.

I wall cast away the sin that so easily besets me and I will set my mind on higher things.  I will lift my voice to my God, the joy and strength of my life.  I will no longer live by bread alone but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of my Creator.

He was broken and bruised for me, my heart is broken and bruised.  I will take my heart to Him.

Matthew 11:28-30 (The Message)

“Are you tired? Worn out? Burned out on religion? Come to me. Get away with me and you’ll recover your life. I’ll show you how to take a real rest. Walk with me and work with me—watch how I do it. Learn the unforced rhythms of grace. I won’t lay anything heavy or ill-fitting on you. Keep company with me and you’ll learn to live freely and lightly.”

A friend has given me the confidence to share my heart. You can find the original post that sparked this continuation here, The Heart of A Homeschooling Mom.

My heart is simple. It is plain. It is His.

I try to complicate matters, I try to put my heart into words but words fail me. He knows my heart, He knows the intentions of my heart and so I rest in Him knowing that He alone is my Shepherd and He will guide me. I try to make flowery statements, statements that will tugged at your heart and make you think that I am a passionate writer and I have something that you need to hear. I (alone) have nothing.

He is the Writer. He is the Author. He is my everything. He has something for you.

I am broken. He makes me whole. He restores the years the locusts have stolen. He makes me complete.

On that Friday at the mom’s group, I was prepared. I had my notes. I knew what I wanted to say.

On that Friday at the mom’s group, I was not prepared. I did not have His notes for what He wanted to say.

One of my dearest friends (she probably doesn’t even realize that is what she is to me) was there on that Friday. She shared how she and her husband knew they wanted to homeschool from the beginning. She, a former public school teacher, knew she was going to follow her heart.

Me, a stay at home mom, shared how I knew I was to homeschool but I didn’t want to follow my heart. When Brown Eyes was 3 (almost 4), we put him in a private preschool that came highly recommended by my peers. One day when I was dropping him off, Brown Eyes looked at me and said, “Mommy, why am I being punished being sent to school? My brothers get to stay home with you and play?” Brown Eyes was promptly put back in the van and taken home to play.

When Brown Eyes was 4 (almost 5) we put him in a different, smaller private Christian preschool that also came highly recommended by my peers. He didn’t learn a thing except that he no longer needed me…

It was December and Brown Eyes came home from school, looked at me and said, “I no longer need you anymore Mommy, now I have friends.”

My beautiful, sweet, tender brown eyed boy went from asking why he was being punished to saying he no longer needed me in a little over a year at age 5….

This is the heart of this homeschooling mom – my brown eyed boy, my blue eyed boy and my adventurous nature loving boy. They have captured my heart and we have almost completed our 5th year of homeschool.