Guests Posts!

Next week we have a special guest blogger: Kerri Pomarolli!! Since I will be down from having surgery, my dear friend has generously written two blog posts just for you! I'm excited for you to read what Kerri has to share, and I know you will be touched by her practical mix of reali-life and comedy.
Don't miss next week featuring Kerri Pomarolli, author of Mom's Night Out and Other Things I Miss!!

Keep me in your prayers as I begin my recovery. It's minor foot surgery, but I'll be on crutches for up to 3 weeks. No driving (UGH!). No going up and down stairs (Ugh again!). And crutches just to go to the bathroom! (Hope I can make it in time!).

Thank you for praying for me!

Blessings!

The Illusion of One Super Mom!

This post was originally written in 2011 when I first began writing my blog. In many ways, I have grown and changed as a mom and homeschooler. But in other ways, things have stayed the same. This post is for today just as much as it was for me 3 years ago.

Simply put, I'm the super mom ILLUSION!  I'm not better than another mom; I can't produce things with any greater ease than another mom; I don't remember everything all the time (contrary to what my family believes!) and sometimes, life gets in the way of MY plans.  It is all an illusion that I can pull off so many things: work, homeschooling, my own schooling, running my household, keeping my children in line, etc.  There are many workers and assistants in my day such as my husband and my older children, who help make my job easier.  Just as a church is not run solely by the pastor or a corporation is run by just the president, so my household is not run by this mom alone!  Because I work at night, it has been a great blessing to see my husband and oldest son and daughter making the meals for the family.  Some may argue that as the mother and wife this is my job.  But I would pose this question:  Isn't the end result teaching my kids to serve others even beginning at home?  If they serve their siblings, how much more will they know how to serve others in the world?  And how much more willing to be a servant of the Lord?  This is preparing them for servitude and is a great character trait to possess.

Galatians 5:13 says, "For you, brethren, have been called to liberty; only do not use liberty as an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another."  As a homeschooling mom, this is just one more lesson my children are being taught and it is a practical life-lesson that will shape who they are in the Lord.  So while I am not the "Super Mom" many think I am because of the number of children my husband and I have or that we homeschool, I always keep straight the fact that this is not a solo act and there are MANY performers helping to pull off the production of our family!!     Blessings!

Homeschool Hump Day Encouragement

Today, I want to encourage you with just two Scriptures. These are the two that will sustain you as you begin or continue on your homeschooling journey:

These are printable, too, so you can put them up in your schoolroom!

Blessings!

TIP TUESDAY: Decluttering Magazines

I don't know how or when it happened, but somehow we ended up with a lot of magazines over the past few months. Some have wonderful articles that I want to keep. Some have a particular design I like. So how do you keep the things you want without keeping so many bulky magazines around? I'm glad you asked!

Almost everyone has a printer these days. Take a copy of the page or pages you want to keep and put them in a notebook. Now you have all those designs you like in one handy place. You can donate the magazines to your local library, too. It's a great way to spread the word about organizations you enjoy and pass on some info packed magazines to others. And if you're like me and have some ministry magazines to give, think of the ministry opportunity that will be for those who pick up that magazine!

Feeling Restless? Find Out WHY?

About seven years ago, I had this feeling that I could or should be doing something more than what I was doing. It was like a sense of urgency overwhelming me. That restlessness prompted me to pursue going to college for my Emergency Medical Technician (EMT) certification. I thoroughly enjoyed the classes and going on the ambulance calls as I went through my clinicals. But I still felt unfulfilled. I was still restless. A year later, I broke my big toe at the foot and was forced to stop working as a lab technician at our local clinic. So I decided to ask God what it was He would have me do. I felt His gentle nudging to get back to the dreams of my youth; my dream of writing. Now I still have those restless pangs, but it is for my characters in my books and what they are going through, and I know that I am fulfilling the call God has put on my life.
If you are feeling restless, I have good news for you. It's normal! We strive for those things that God has for us and we can only fulfill them once we truly know and have found what He has called us to do in life and for the Kingdom. In Her book Restless, Jennie Allen uses the story of Joseph to show threads in his suffering, gifts, relationships and his story and how they fit into the greater story of God. By identifying threads in your life, you can also identify your gifts and how they ultimately fit into the overall plan God has for your life. If you can't come up with commanalities throughout your life, just ask the Lord to reveal that to you, and He will show you!

That restless feeling? It's a part of becoming who God designed you to be!!

Blessings!

Finding Time With God

Lately I've noticed that I am increasingly more and more busy than I feel like I ever have been. As the children have gotten older, their activities have also increased. I run one teen to work, another to dance, another to a friend's for a play date, and still two others to run errands with me. My day starts with a jolt as I rush that first kdi to work and doesn't seem to slow down until evening. Often as I end my day and start to fall asleep, I realize I missed my daily devotionals! How did I become so busy?!

Today, I want to share a few tips for finding and making time to spend with the Lord. Even as busy as I am, I can find a few moments to pray, praise and be thankful. Here are some ideas for getting started:

1. Turn on praise and worship music while you clean
2. Listen to music while running errands
3. Every time you are running an errand and you come to a stop light, pray
4. As you grocery shop, seek out just one person you can share the Lord with
5. Before you get out of bed in the morning, think of 3 things you are thankful for and can give God praise for doing for you
6. As you prepare for bed at night, ask the Lord to show you a Scripture to read

These are just a few examples and there are far many things you can do. What do you do to make sure you spend time with God every day?

Blessings!

Homeschool Hump Day Encouragement

Every once in a while, I find the kids and I have difficult homeschooling days. Either they just aren't in the frame of mind to do school or I'm not. You may have experienced this in your homeschooling days. And maybe you haven't yet. But there may come a time when you simply have to decide to stop trying to "do" school and do something else!

Here are some ideas that will still engage your kids educationally when traditional school needs to be set on the back burner for the day:

• Go on a walk in your local open space
• Ride bikes around a local bike path you haven't taken before
• Take turns reading books aloud
• Make up stories and each of you write one sentence at a time
• Tour the local fire department or police department
• Make plans to create the best park in the neighborhood (what equipment is there? Draw it!)
• Buy a dozen carnations and stand at the local grocery store handing out flowers to those who seem to need a little encouragement
• If you have middle school or high school children, visit a local daycare and see if you can read to the children
• Create "stations" in your home and allow the kids to choose what they will do for each 20 minute time period (Ideas: Yahtzee table with 2 kids, Wii Fit, painting/fingerpainting, reading area, and a writing area)
• Have a family Olympics complete with a 3-legged race, water balloon toss and kickball!

The bottom line here is that instead of trying to force school, sometimes you just need to step back--everyone--and do something educational and outside-of-the-box!

What are your ideas for tough homeschooling days?

Blessings!