Week 2 of homeschool - some more things I learned

1. I don't have a good answer to questions like "why do I have to know what a preposition is?"

2. Lunch break is the best part of the day, just like it was when I was in school.

3. Kids will do anything to get out of work.

4. The red pen is a powerful tool.

5. The desire to cheat comes naturally.

6. Kyall has terrible penmanship, and I'm not sure it should be a big deal.

7. Coloring for a 3rd and 5th grader is a waste of school time.

8. Lucas loves to trace.

9. I'm glad Bible memorization is part of my kids' curriculum.

10. I cannot resist correcting misspelled words, even if the subject is math.

Figuring it out, a day at a time!

Miriam

First week of homeschool.....what I've learned

1. Why my teachers always had coffee mugs with them.

2. I am a rule follower - I need to learn to be flexible.

3. Kyall truly is the class clown.

4. My kids are super smart.

5. Bible reading and prayer with the kids is a great way to start each day.

6. Olivia daydreams a lot.

7. Lucas's attention span is way shorter than I thought.

8. Math remains my least favorite subject.

9. I have a lot of power.

10. I love spending this time with my kids.

Thanks to everyone who has been praying for me, knowing that homeschooling my kids has been a struggle and not something I really have looked forward to. I think we're going to like it.

Miriam

Store hopping

I think it's pretty safe to say that it's unlikely you will find every grocery item on your list in one store here in Lima. Grocery shopping can be an adventure, if you're up for it!

At times, it's fun, at times, super annoying, to walk into a grocery store with a list, and leave with everything minus five. So we head to a different store and leave with four of the five things we lack. So we head to a different store for the last thing, and see that this store has items we hadn't seen in the first two stores, so we go ahead and buy them too, because they may not be there next week!

I get so excited when I see a new product or something I haven't seen in a while. I'm not sure why, but they seem to try out certain products for a few months, and then discontinue them - of course, they're usually things imported from the U.S. that we love - and it's so disappointing when they disappear.

Some of the things that may or may not be in any given store at any given time are: sour cream, icing, syrup, Pringles, certain cereals, instant oatmeal, cereal bars, cream cheese, cheddar cheese, corn, canned soup, imported ice cream.....on and on I could go. It's a gamble every time and just because it's not in the first store doesn't mean it won't be in the next one and just because it's in the second one doesn't mean it won't be in the first one next month!

Grocery shopping is a big deal. It takes up a good chunk of time. It's something I have to do every week. I will keep doing it. Sometimes it's fun, other times, it's a hassle. I miss Wal-Mart.

Miriam

Friends and Amigos

What would we do without friends??? Life would be so much less enjoyable and fulfilling without friends.

My earliest memories include friends! God has blessed me my whole life with true, loyal and wonderful friends. There have been many times I have been far from most of them and have mourned them and longed to see them. There have been times when I have been very lonely and had no friends close by. There are people who I was great friends with as a child or teenager that I don't keep up with anymore. There are friends I have only had for a few years that are an important and special part of my life now. There are people who I was casual friends with years ago, that now are some of my closest friends. There are a few who I have been friends with since early childhood and remain so to this day. Whatever season in life I find myself, and whether surrounded by friends or just with one or two nearby, I know that I am greatly blessed.

The friends I grew up with helped shape me and make me who I am today. I thank God from the bottom of my heart for these friends. The friends I have made as an adult help shape me and sharpen me as well and they are so important to me. I don't know why God chose to bless me with an endless list of awesome friends, but I am so glad He did.

I am truly thankful for my best friend, who is also my husband. I won't embarrass him by going into all of his good qualities and attributes....suffice it to say he is the best.

I pray often that God will bless my children in this same way and always give them at least one soul mate to call a friend. As our lives change and we head to a new place in Peru to live soon, one of my top prayer requests is for friends for my children - true amigos.

To all of my friends, near and far, I love you, I thank God for you and my life is so rich, full and meaningful because of you!!!

Miriam

The Gift of a Day

Some days, it seems to me like the whole day was just a waste, you know? There are days that I am so bored, feel so useless, act grumpy, have no motivation to do anything.....ever been there?

God has been pricking my heart and reminding me that each day He gives me breath to live is a gift. An amazing gift. It doesn't matter if I accomplish anything worthwhile (in my eyes) or if I just spend the day picking up toys, washing clothes and correcting children. God has decided that He has a purpose for me to still be alive on this day and I should rejoice in it.

When I think of women who write books, save people's lives, speak in front of large crowds, teach college courses, translate the Bible into another language - things like these - I think of these women as successful. It is easy for me to see my life as having little success, because I don't do any of these things. I know this isn't true, because I know success looks very different to God than it does to me. How often I need to remind myself that if I am serving Him where He wants me and with a pure heart, I am successful!!

Being my husband's helper and my children's mother are my greatest and most important jobs and each day I should treasure these jobs. I am speaking mostly to myself when I say that each day is important and should be seen as an opportunity to love God more, love my family more and find joy in the ordinary.

I have absolutely nothing to complain about and absolutely everything to be thankful for. I hope I will continue to learn to see each day as a gift from my Heavenly Father, unwrap it and enjoy it - no matter what I'm doing or not doing - and offer it back to Him!

Miriam

Who let the dogs out??

I have never had a dog, nor have I ever wanted one. I am told by my parents that they had a Collie and a German Shepherd when I was little and I was afraid of both of them, so they got rid of them. The only pets we had growing up were some bunnies that my brother let starve.

We are living in my in-laws' house for a few months while they are in the U.S. and it is situated on a large seminary property. For safety reasons, they have always had dogs on the property. So, I'm learning a lot about dogs, how to care for them, how to talk to them and when to leave them alone.

The two dogs here now are a Boxer and a Labrador. They are both beautiful dogs and good guard dogs. They seem to be good with kids as well, as my kids have played with them, pulled on them, sat on them, etc. and they just wag their tails at it all.

Unfortunately, they are also both males. Well, I've learned that one has to be the leader...... apparently, they picked the other night at midnight to decide who it would be. They fought off and on all night, and I mean, really fought! We hardly slept at all that night. Brent had a really hard time breaking them up and he had two guys helping him. I was observing from inside the house, of course. In the morning, we saw that they were both bloodied and badly wounded. They also couldn't be together or they would immediately start growling and lunging for each other.

Well, it looks like this won't stop, so we are going to have to give one of the dogs away, which has broken my kids' hearts.

Moral of the story: there really isn't one. The way the dogs have treated each other and the fact that one MUST be the boss has really made me think about people and how I've seen people behave like this, as well! I've never really seen two people biting each other and clawing at each other, but they may as well, so destructive are their words and attitudes.

There always has to be a leader/ boss, right? I wonder what would happen if one of the dogs would just concede and decide to let the other one be the leader and live in peace. That's not going to happen with dogs, but shouldn't it be a little easier with people?? Just sayin'.

Miriam

Lucas Seth

Just when we thought we had the parenting of small children down and we were done with diapers, bibs, and high chairs.....you guessed it, God decided He needed to mix things up a bit! Olivia was 6 and Kyall was 4 when Lucas Seth arrived. He "turned our world upside down" is a serious understatement. Motherhood has never been more difficult or more rewarding as it has been trying to figure this little guy out!

Lucas is 4 and is growing so fast, I just want to put a halt to it! During every stage of his life, Lucas has been completely different from his brother and sister, but I love the stage he's in now. He makes us laugh out loud several times every day, and also makes us want to rip our hair out about once a day. Lucas has a strong will if I've ever seen one, and has challenged us from day one. He has a mind of his own, his own way of doing things and he will do everything all by himself, thank you very much.

Lucas adores his big brother and would follow him around all day if Kyall would let him. He is very affectionate and will still sit in my lap and let me cuddle him. He has an awesome sense of humor and is surprisingly smart and tuned in to what's going on, even if we think he hasn't been listening.

Lucas loves to sing, dance, play the air guitar and air drums, play his DS and loves dinosaurs. Since he started talking, he has sung with vibrato and it is so funny to listen to. He may just be my musical one.

God is so incredibly good to us and we thank Him daily for our precious children. Our family was given an extra dose of joy and adventure with the arrival of Lucas. He keeps me on my toes and I wouldn't have it any other way.....except on the days when I want to lock him up and throw away the key! Just kidding, he is a gem and we can't wait to see what God will do with his unique personality. We pray for much patience and wisdom, all the while giving thanks.

Miriam