Weekly Wrap-Up: Grateful for "Normal"

• In my life this week…  It was a plain, old, normal week!!! Yippeee!!!
• In our homeschool this week…Let's just say that we've come to the end of the week, and I'm just so thankful that it was NORMAL!!!  I didn't have to share homeschool responsibilities; meaning Hubby nor Grommy were teaching this week, just me and my kids!  Work did not interfere this week!  The last couple of months have not afforded many weeks like this, and I'm just so grateful to have one.  I remember now that I actually like to homeschool, I hate sharing my kids (even with family) and time is so precious and fleeting!  I wish I could make time stand still on our normal days!

       Little Bit started a Jr. Homemaker course.  This semester is cooking.In less than 2 hours they made a 7 layer bean dip, cinnamon/sugar tortillas, and an ambrosia! She did great, and the tacos from our local Mexican restaurant went great with her bean dip.... YUM!I'm excited to have help in the kitchen! (Can you believe I forgot to take pictures?)

       We are working on a review for Math Made Simple, and my son is doing algebra...and likes it!  He is 11 people...oh my word!!! More on this in a couple of weeks.

       We did make it to the park and to a field trip.  Poor Bean Boy did school at the park, and late in the afternoon the next day to keep up!  I'm proud of him.

• I am inspired by…  Pinterest...I tried, tried, tried so hard to resist... but it got me.  My mom yelled at me for actually doing the things I pinned saying I make everyone else look bad. Well... truth be told, I'll never measure up to those amazing people. Ha!  I'll just stick with gluing fabric on plastic cups, and move on! 
• Places we’re going and people we’re seeing… Our field trip this week was to see the lego movie Jericho that was written/produced by a homeschool family.  It was hysterical!  AND, very well done!  Impressive! Here is a link so you can sneak a preview...
• My favorite thing this week was…  as stated above, having a "normal" week.
• What’s working/not working for us…  Work is not working for me...anyone adopting a homeschool family????  Though, I have to say I'm getting excited/nervous about transferring to the Trauma ICU....this is my last weekend on my current floor!
• I’m praying for… my friend Angie.  She's a long way from home, and I love her dearly.  Angie, I know your purpose is mighty, and that you are serving the Lord with all your heart!  I love you!

Linking with Kris as usual, and iHomeschool Network
I also love this lady! Rachel always displays a theme of gratitude...something God's teaching me so much about!!!



                                                 

Weekly Wrap-Up: Breaks Fly By!!!

How is it that when you are on a break from school, the week flies right past you?? It's just not fair!!! Although, I have to say this has been an ahhhmaaazing week!

 It started out with a surprise for my hubby. After he left for his internship on Monday, I packed the kids up and took them to my MIL's house. I came home, tidied the bedroom, put the new sheets on the bed, set up about 40 candles, and then texted him.... "Do you think you could come watch the girls while I take Bean Boy to the MD. I think he has strep." So wonderful Hubby texted when he left. It was a little too early... I hadn't gotten all dolled up yet, so I texted, "Bean Boy is begging for popsicles, would you pick some up on your way home?" Boy was he surprised when he walked in and found me all dressed up and no kids! I had pre-purchased movie tickets through Fandango so off we went; then out to dinner, then home where he finally saw the bedroom and the massage oil I bought for him. It was a great time... I can't remember the last time we had a date that lasted that long...usually it's just dinner!


While the date was great, the entire next day, home alone, was ahhh! I got a lot of school planning done, a nap, and some piddly stuff...I really need more days like this! I know you all just think I'm forgetful, and I am, but I truly don't know the last time I had the house to myself for more than a short time! Even the short times are rare!!!

 So Wednesday's plan was to clean out the school room... apparently, I really didn't want to, cause I got started in my laundry room. It took almost all day, but the girls and I cleaned out, organized, pitched stuff, and wiped off everything... we even moved some of the furniture around. I took a load to Goodwill and have a bag for the consignment store. It looks beautiful in there!

Very spacious... my Hubby built this room for me!

He built these shelves too!

So happy!

Thursday, I tried again in the school room. There is something about it, and I'm beginning to loathe that room! First of all, you saw how messy it was here... And while, yes the mess is overwhelming, I think the problem is more of the sadness I'm experiencing... I've got so much great stuff, and just no time to do it! I have many, many great aspirations, but we get in a routine, and my forgetfulness sinks in, I get tired (can't imagine why) and I get busy, and we just stick with our routine. The clincher was when I found an experiment book for water. I would LOVE to do this with the girls...study how salt dissolves and pepper doesn't, how water evaporates, how it always runs downhill, etc.... Sigh... they'll just have to be satisfied with learning about Land Animals of the sixth day and watching cougar documentaries on Netflix... And me, I'm really trying to remember to be thankful for the precious time God has given me with them, and not mourn how fast it is flying by! AND, I moved out of the school room and onto the next thing to give my heart a break. (I'll get back to it next week.)  We have a big drawer in our coffee table that got really clean! It was full of old crayons, so we decided to make crayon candles! How funny is that?! Spur of the moment trip to Michaels to get wicks, and then ALL AFTERNOON AND EVENING spent on making candles. I did use up MOST of the crayons. It was neat, and the clincher was when, during our family worship time, Little Bit shared what she was thankful for, "I'm thankful that mommy used our old crayons to make candles with us instead of throwing them away."

We soaked the crayons in ice water to help loosen the wrappers.  It took about 40 minutes to get the wrappers off all of our crayons!  The kids were very patient with the process, and I was surprised and glad!

The girls peeling, peeling, peeling! Notice the empty chair...

He's ba-ack! And as silly as ever!

I can't believe how long they stuck with it!

That's a lot of crayon wrappers!!!

That's a lot of crayons!

Melting, melting, melting!  It took FOREVER!!

Then we got some votives poured... please ignore the dirty pan of grease! LOL!!!

Tada!  I did some layered ones too in glass jars, but didn't take pictures...

I, like Mary, am treasuring these things in my heart! They are fantastic and wonderful, and I'm so in love with my family! Thank you God for the rich, rich family life we have, the wonderful blessings you pour out!

I'm off to work for the weekend!  Have a blessed weekend!

Wrap-up:  

Gratitude Guardian

God has really been calling out to my heart. I've had such a struggle lately with contentment. I've struggled as I've mentioned before with contentment in many areas of my life. But, as I read through Scriptures, it is clear, painfully clear, this is not the mark of a believer. This is part of why I have started our Thankfulness Journey/Journal. It is a start, not the answer to my problem, just a start. 

I listened to another sermon by John Piper.  It was another sermon about gratitude.  I absolutely love the picture he painted, about a city under siege and surrounded by the enemy.  I am that city.  The enemy is constantly throwing temptations, distractions, blocking my concentration and my thoughts. I'm surrounded every where I turn around!  But Piper says that there is a song I can learn that makes the enemy fall back, one the enemy hates!  If I could just stop being distracted long enough to learn the words and to remember to sing the song of thankfulness...of gratitude!  It is a guard against the enemy and I could walk right through enemy lines, untouched, unscathed, without scar!   That excites my heart. 

But, I have doubts.  I'm so forgetful.  I'm still so ruled by my emotions and feelings.  I forget to thank God... even for the big things!  How can I remember to thank Him for all things and in all things?  I do feel as if I will never be intentional enough, at least not in this lifetime!  But, that doesn't mean that I have to give up.  I can continue to put effort into remembering. I can continue to try and plan to be intentional.  One day, the Holy Spirit will make my heart one that is abundant and even overflowing with thanksgiving. 

I sat the kids down today and shared the verses from Colossians 2:1-8, that John Piper's sermon covered.  I told them how he said thanksgiving is a guard for our hearts.  I then showed them how in Proverbs God said that Above all else.... I mean, it must be really important if He says above all else.... He says, Above all else, guard your heart for it is the wellspring of life (Proverbs 4:23).  And here, Piper has helped me to unlock one of the keys to guarding my heart with all vigilance, as the ESV states:  Thanksgiving and gratitude.  Then I showed the kids, excitedly, as God was speaking to me, that in Phillipians we are given another key....

Do not be anxious in anything, but by prayer and petition with thanksgiving, present your requests to God and the peace of God which transcends all understanding will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus... (Phillipians 4:6-7)

This is the second tool God gives us to help us guard our hearts... pray and petition with thanksgiving (there is is again!) lead God to give us peace which protects... It guards our hearts and minds the verses say!  How awesome is that?  God Himself will give us what we need to guard our hearts!  I'm so excited to learn this....

Paul tells the Colossians that they will be guarded from plausible arguments, empty deceit,  human tradition, etc. Piper warns that the opposite of thanksgiving which is grumbling, complaining, snide remarks, sarcasm, etc. leads to just that...it is a subtle, yet effective, way for the enemy to pry us away from our song. 

I feel it!  The city of me is crumbling.  I look back to my life that is void of that song and I cringe to think how effectively the Enemy has pulled me away from the Love of my life!  How dare he!  Just this weekend my mouth was full of complaining and my heart downcast over the silliest thing.  At work, my unit has moved to a brand spanking new floor!  It's beautiful.  Everything is NEW! I got to tell each patient that they were the first one to ever sleep in this room and in this bed.  Now you would think that I would be excited, happy, and grateful.... nope!  I spent the entire time complaining about how this affected me!  How much longer and farther we had to walk, how our team is separated by having a desk in the front and back, and how much I disliked it.  This led to complaining about other employees, and well, it's all downhill from there! 

So, as my journey of thankfulness continues, I will purpose to stop complaining first!  Then I will purpose to continue recording what I am thankful for in my journal.  I have other "projects" in the works that I will write about later.  But for now, know that I am attempting to be intentionally thankful... with hopes that soon my mouth will abound with thankfulness and that my song will effortlessly, vibrantly flow from my lips and heart so that the enemy will have no choice but to fall back.

Linking with Darlene at Time-Warp Wife

Thankfulness Journey

Give thanks in all circumstances, 

for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus.

1 Thessalonians 5:18

It is fitting that I was distracted when starting my thankfulness list. I wrote at the top of my page "Thankfulness Journey" instead of Thankfulness Journal, which was my original intent. However, I like the idea of this project being a "journey." The idea certainly was not original, just something I've "heard of" several people doing. But, it was an idea borne out of frustration with the constant, "Can we go/have/dos" and the "We never gets...." and the "But I don't haves..." that I feel like I'm constantly hearing. It seems like we leave one fun activity that was super fantastic, and they're already asking what's next, instead of lingering over how great that activity was. The "thank yous" are far and few between, without reminders, and I'm frustrated.

But then...perhaps I haven't been the best example. I've been feeling incredibly discontent with things in my life. While I do treasure the little things, and am grateful for them, and rarely forget my own manners, I have had a discontent spirit. My furniture is falling apart now, after many years of being used as a vault and mat, my floors still are not finished, my kitchen looks like a picture of something from the Brady Bunch, and we are struggling to put groceries on the table. What I tend to forget, is that God literally provided all our furniture, and we didn't pay a dime for it! I forget to be grateful that Hubby the Hero mops all my floors (and he's doing it now). I also forget that some of our most amazing memories come from that antiquated kitchen!

Not only have I struggled with discontentment in my "home" but also with the people in my life. Sure, they are all sinners and will let me down (and that is true of myself of course) but they are also blessings! My discontentment has spread to relationships! I shudder to think how dangerous this is! My dissatisfaction with my kids, my husband, and myself have led to dissatisfaction with my God. It is viral! It spreads like fire in a windstorm! And, it is so dangerous. And, I'm sorry! I'm sorry to my family and friends who have had to deal with my sour attitude. And, I'm sorry to God for allowing it to grow inside of me and affect my relationship with Him!

SO- the cure for this nasty virus.... I will be intentional and purposefully thankful. As I've told the kids, each day it gets harder to make that list, we need to be keeping our eyes open for opportunities to be thankful. What nice things have people done for us? What are things we don't like/enjoy and what about them can we be thankful for? For example I don't like washing dishes, but sure am thankful to have food! What can we learn about God from this? I've started two projects to help me be intentional. The first is, as you have already seen here, the list the kids and I are making together during our Bible study time. We will continue to daily list 5 things we are thankful for without repeating. If we list a person, it has to be followed by something specific that they have done to make us thankful. It is making it so that we have to pay attention during the day. The second project is to help remedy the dissatisfaction I have felt in my relationship with my husband. He truly is a guy most other wives would want! Other husbands should take notes.... but I've taken that for granted, and I want to remedy that. So, without saying more, just know that I'm working on that, and I will eventually share some details.

I'd love to know if you are interested in joining me in this journey. I'll email you the details of the project for Hubby if you like, and will probably "advertise" heavily about it when I'm done, but would love to have you join me on any part of this thankfulness journey.

And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of Jesus, 
giving thanks to God the Father through Him.  
Colossians 3:17

Give thanks to the Lord for He is good;
His love endures forever.
Psalm 118:1

I'm linking up here: