I'm sure the girls won't be too thrilled about this, but I am itching to get my hands on their books for this coming school year and start planning!  We are going to start in three weeks and five days, after all!
Yep, that's what I think I will do today, now that our visitor is gone.

I have become a grandmother since I last blogged!  I love my little boy--Bahr!  He was born perfect and healthy.  The girls are so in love with him.  I am still a little shell-shocked to be a grandmother, but the more I see him, the more I want to see him!

Very thankful for a special friend who always takes time out of her life for me--God knew I would need her.

STILL MY FATHER'S WORLD

  I haven't blogged in quite a long time, and I am thinking about blogging again, not necessarily just about homeschooling, but about every pleasant aspect of my life, and maybe a few not so pleasant, but nothing depressing, because I refuse to go there.  THERE IS NOTHING THAT SATAN CAN THROW AT ME THAT GOD CANNOT FIX, OR USE TO MAKE ME STRONGER AND CLOSER TO HIM.  So, the name of this blog can remain "Our Father's World", even though we are not using that curriculum in homeschool anymore.  It IS my Father's world, and I am going to take advantage of every blessing and lesson He wants to bestow on me.
  When and if I remember to use this blog, it will be about what gives me joy, what lessons I have learned, what my priorities need to be,and how awesome God is.  I will use it to encourage myself to thrive despite difficulties.
  I have so much work to do; why God has entrusted me with this task of  "growing" my children and becoming more like Christ, I don't know, but I do know I need to be thankful that he gave it to me.

WISDOM WEDNESDAY

"A wise woman builds her house, but with her own hands the foolish woman one tears hers down."  Proverbs 14:1
Building as in cleaning, teaching the children, sticking to a schedule, and having an attitude of  thankfulness and grace.
Tearing down as in being lazy, letting school fall behind, not staying on schedule, and not being thankful or gracious toward husband and children.
I am talking to myself, here.

Meghan is doing a better job of sticking to school work!

TEACHING TUESDAY

  What am I going to teach my girls today?  Hopefully, the fact that I am going to get a root canal done will teach them to have better dental hygiene habits then I did as a young person.  But seriously, when the day is done, and they lay their heads on their pillows, what will I have taught them today?  Hopefully, that they can trust me, that I will be there for them, most of all, that they are precious to God and He wants to bless them. I often forget that He wants the same for me; I don't do the best He knows I can with what He gives me.  He loves me just as I love my girls, only better.  I have an awesome responsibility to teach them about loving God, being thankful, and "chasing joy".  I admit I have been lax in this job, but maybe today, "the first day of the rest of my life", I can begin to improve.

BLUEBERRY MUFFINS IN A CEREAL WORLD

  Making breakfast together is one of the things that brings the girls and I together.  For the second morning in a row, the girls have gotten up reasonably early enough to help me make breakfast; turkey sausage casserole yesterday morning, and blueberry muffins today.  I've found this is one thing that the girls will really make an effort to get out of bed for.  (Yeah, I know, I thought "Come on girls, let's do spelling" would work too, but it hasn't so far).  

  I believe at the heart of this activity is the fact that we are spending time together, doing something for one another as we share what we have planned for the day, and maybe something funny that we dreamed the night before.  There is a feeling of accomplishment and being needed as one breaks eggs into a mixing bowl or gets silverware out to set the table.  This seems to set the mood for the whole day, that the day is going to bring more togetherness, rather than a feeling of being rushed or left alone that just grabbing a bowl of cereal while mom posts on facebook or grades papers would bring.

  Yep, we need to make this a morning tradition.  And I feel so blessed that homeschooling allows us to do this.  What about those mornings when we might be a little more rushed?  Then they can pour themselves a bowl of cereal, and I will sit down next to them with my cup of coffee while none of us wonders when the bus is going to come. :) 

Planning and Accountability

  I hope to make this blog about my accountability to my daughters as we go through our homeschooling journey this year. I guess I should make that my accountability to God; I have to answer to Him for what I do or do not teach them.  We are going to start on September 3rd for the 2012-2013 school year.
  Starting tonight, I am having Rachel get into bed at nine o'clock.  According to her body, she needs twelve hours of sleep, and I want the girls up absolutely no later than nine in the morning on school days.
  As far as curriculum goes, I looked over the Saxon Grammar and Writing I had purchased for Meghan, and decided to purchase the same for Rachel for her learning level.  There are schedules printed near the front of the Teacher Manual for each day's work, which makes it so much easier for Teacher Mom!  So, that means I can scrap three of the books I was going to use for Rachel for Language Arts--less "busy work" for both of us!  The girls will also both be using Saxon Math and Sequential Spelling.  We will start our History/Science with "Life in the Great Ice Age", a somewhat Biblical account of  "cavemen" (gotta start printing off those study guides!).
  I am excited about the new school year because I believe God has given me a new perspective on what I need to teach and how I need to go about it.  God is awesome!  The main focus (I hope) will be my time with them, learning along with them what God wants for our lives.
  I almost wish that I hadn't allowed them to sign up for acting and dance classes, because now I sense the impending doom of feeling rushed to get to classes on school days.  But if we start early, I think we will be okay and I can avoid the guilt of not having done at least the majority of what I had planned for us to do each school day.
  Oh!  And reading!  I have printed from the internet a list of what I think is a pretty good compilation of  literature to read through the school year.
  Since Meghan is off in Florida with my sister right now, my big plans for tomorrow are to go through her piles of craft supplies, scrap papers, things that should have been thrown out months ago, etc, and organize or throw out each item.
  My thoughts should be of going to bed right now, especially with sinus troubles, so here I shall leave you until my next post.

So, summer vacation is for swimming and camp and READING FOR ENJOYMENT, right?  Well, then why do I still not have any time to read the library books I have checked out or the stack of used books I bought at a discount price on my nightstand?  Gotta schedule that in every day this summer break!