I know. This is not really a news post. It's mainly an apology for being so gosh dang busy! I'm not sure I can remember things that have gone on since Feb so perhaps I'll just start over from now at some point. My previous posts were pretty boring anyway! LOL Anyway, I'm sorry, fwiw.
News... Ok, a few tidbits.
We left a church we'd attended for about 6 years. A very difficult decision but it has also been rewarding as we learn new things at a new church home and meeting some supportive and accepting people. We're all very happy now that we made the change.
I have been taking a few Bible college classes and that has been a really HUGE challenge on top of homeschooling my two children who are now dealing with a heavier work load. I'm slated to begin on worship team rotation soon which I'm very excited about. I've been working on some of my hobbies again.. one being a table runner for my mom for Christmas. In summer I made a couple matching doilies for our niece's wedding gift. Sad part is, it's still sitting here and I need to try to find out if they moved as they were planning so I can actually send them. :-0 Once I have some time to figure out how to add an image, I'll maybe post a photo here.
My daughter has acquired a learner's license and can now drive! Ack! ;) It's so hard to believe my first baby will soon be 16! She's also singing on the worship team at church and I'm so proud of her! Some friend issues are beginning for her and so helping her work through those is sometimes a challenge. She's sure developing into a young lady we can be proud of.
My son is nearing the end of his Babysitting course and is looking forward to making the kind of money that his sister makes. My baby baby is 12 but don't tell him I called him that. I'd like to live a little longer... maybe see some grandchildren someday in the future! LOL He's on that threshold between child and "OMGosh, who IS this?" His latest venture is eating.. in an attempt to get taller than his mom.
Health and related issues for my husband have presented a challenge or two over the past year.. or so. One was the cancellation of the University classes he was planning to take. :'( We are confident that God still has a good plan in spite of all the recent events.
As always, I'm constantly amazed at the goodness of God "IN SPITE OF IT ALL".. although I really shouldn't be, should I? ;)
Monday, October 31, 2005
Thursday, February 24, 2005
My! Time Flies!..
I can't believe how fast the days and weeks seem to be flying by lately. I guess it's just a fact of life.
Hubby's application for his classes is going in to the University within a few days and everything is together for that. He's started his college prep classes and seems to be enjoying them so far. Adjustments have had to be made to allow quiet time for this but it's going fairly well overall.
My kids' schooling is improved since my last post here. My daughter is still struggling a little with her math but I think she's learned a valuable lesson, too. My son is back to where he should be and is happy that all his spare time isn't having to be spent with math these days. LOL We're rearranging our days to accomodate a more relaxed routine and it seems to be working quite well. They are definitely accomplishing more each day than they were before. It has also helped to come up with lists for each of them that contain suggestions of what productive things they can do with their free time. Our boy still has an obsession with the computer but that will either develop into something useful or be curbed more in the near future. ;)
As for myself, I've received a certificate for the training I did in January for running a post-abortive support group. I'm also enrolled and well into some counselling classes. I'm totally loving it! Tuesday we had a book review due on Larry Crabb's Undertstanding People. It was really a lot of work to both read the book and then gather my thoughts for the book review. I think I did a fairly good job but we'll see what the prof thinks. It's amazing how the things I've often wondered about during weekly church services are being covered and God is answering my questions. I'm so thrilled about it and looking forward to the subsequent courses I'll be able to take that will go more indepth. I've had a hard time believing that these credits will be transferrable and I'm only having to pay a small amount to take them.
I have struggled so much with my house all along. I'm learning lately to keep up better with the cleaning, tidying, laundry, etc and it's been really good for me. The key to doing this was decluttering though. We still have a long ways to go where that's concerned but it sure helps to keep things tidy if there's less in the room! Imagine that....
Tonight I have a meeting at my house for a new committee for church. We're calling it the Compassion Committee and we're going to put together a "pantry ministry" where we will collect pantry items to give to those in our congregation that are in need. Our church is in a poor area of the city and so there's always need. We are also hoping to provide seminars now and again on various topics that would be of help to the members. I'm hoping to do one on developing community through hospitality toward each other and another lady is hoping to do one involving finances. I think it will be a lot of fun once we get going and shouldn't really require a lot of time.
Well, it's nearly lunchtime here so I best get going... I hope I get to write here more often. :) It won't be taking as long to figure out what to talk about, I don't think. LOL Many blessings....
Hubby's application for his classes is going in to the University within a few days and everything is together for that. He's started his college prep classes and seems to be enjoying them so far. Adjustments have had to be made to allow quiet time for this but it's going fairly well overall.
My kids' schooling is improved since my last post here. My daughter is still struggling a little with her math but I think she's learned a valuable lesson, too. My son is back to where he should be and is happy that all his spare time isn't having to be spent with math these days. LOL We're rearranging our days to accomodate a more relaxed routine and it seems to be working quite well. They are definitely accomplishing more each day than they were before. It has also helped to come up with lists for each of them that contain suggestions of what productive things they can do with their free time. Our boy still has an obsession with the computer but that will either develop into something useful or be curbed more in the near future. ;)
As for myself, I've received a certificate for the training I did in January for running a post-abortive support group. I'm also enrolled and well into some counselling classes. I'm totally loving it! Tuesday we had a book review due on Larry Crabb's Undertstanding People. It was really a lot of work to both read the book and then gather my thoughts for the book review. I think I did a fairly good job but we'll see what the prof thinks. It's amazing how the things I've often wondered about during weekly church services are being covered and God is answering my questions. I'm so thrilled about it and looking forward to the subsequent courses I'll be able to take that will go more indepth. I've had a hard time believing that these credits will be transferrable and I'm only having to pay a small amount to take them.
I have struggled so much with my house all along. I'm learning lately to keep up better with the cleaning, tidying, laundry, etc and it's been really good for me. The key to doing this was decluttering though. We still have a long ways to go where that's concerned but it sure helps to keep things tidy if there's less in the room! Imagine that....
Tonight I have a meeting at my house for a new committee for church. We're calling it the Compassion Committee and we're going to put together a "pantry ministry" where we will collect pantry items to give to those in our congregation that are in need. Our church is in a poor area of the city and so there's always need. We are also hoping to provide seminars now and again on various topics that would be of help to the members. I'm hoping to do one on developing community through hospitality toward each other and another lady is hoping to do one involving finances. I think it will be a lot of fun once we get going and shouldn't really require a lot of time.
Well, it's nearly lunchtime here so I best get going... I hope I get to write here more often. :) It won't be taking as long to figure out what to talk about, I don't think. LOL Many blessings....
Tuesday, January 25, 2005
Would you believe?
Would you believe that I accidentally deleted my blog post from October 30th? Duh! Well, hopefully it didn't have much really important stuff because I also deleted the copy that was sent to my email account. Yeah, yeah, I know. I had a really bad week. LOL
Well, so much has gone on here. My hubby has just received his transcripts in the mail and is looking forward to putting in his application in for his schooling. Some of his equipment has arrived though we are still waiting for some of the assistive devices to come. He's really excited and working on getting everything just right. His pain levels are very high but he knows that he needs to adjust to them somewhat if he's going to take classes. I'm so happy for him and proud of him. He's come a long, long way in the past few years. I hope we never have to go back for any reason. It was really ugly.
Our homeschooling has hit a couple little snags in the past couple months. Both kids were struggling with math and wouldn't swallow their pride to ask for help. I think we're close to being on the right track now so that is good. We still have a lot of work to catch up on but at least it seems the lesson has sunk in. ;)
I have had some rest over the holidays (Yay!) and then the routine hit again and with a fervour since we have so much Math to catch up with. I also took a training course for my volunteer position at the local Pregnancy Counselling Centre in how to run a Post-Abortive support group. That was a 2-day commitment that lasted 12 hours a day. Long, LONG days! It went fairly well all in all. Now I'm possibly going to.. ok, so maybe not so possibly except that I haven't registered yet.. a training that will help me with peer counselling. It's a 2 year course starting on February 1st. I'm very excited and scared at the same time because it's a legit course with book reports, papers and exams. At the end of each semester you get a certificate if you pass. I'm going to get more information yet this week but it sure sounds like it will be good.
Well, I should go and get some rest since I've been aching all over all day. I hope I'm not coming down with something. I'll have to make sure I get some extra rest and take some echinacea and stuff. Bye for now!
Well, so much has gone on here. My hubby has just received his transcripts in the mail and is looking forward to putting in his application in for his schooling. Some of his equipment has arrived though we are still waiting for some of the assistive devices to come. He's really excited and working on getting everything just right. His pain levels are very high but he knows that he needs to adjust to them somewhat if he's going to take classes. I'm so happy for him and proud of him. He's come a long, long way in the past few years. I hope we never have to go back for any reason. It was really ugly.
Our homeschooling has hit a couple little snags in the past couple months. Both kids were struggling with math and wouldn't swallow their pride to ask for help. I think we're close to being on the right track now so that is good. We still have a lot of work to catch up on but at least it seems the lesson has sunk in. ;)
I have had some rest over the holidays (Yay!) and then the routine hit again and with a fervour since we have so much Math to catch up with. I also took a training course for my volunteer position at the local Pregnancy Counselling Centre in how to run a Post-Abortive support group. That was a 2-day commitment that lasted 12 hours a day. Long, LONG days! It went fairly well all in all. Now I'm possibly going to.. ok, so maybe not so possibly except that I haven't registered yet.. a training that will help me with peer counselling. It's a 2 year course starting on February 1st. I'm very excited and scared at the same time because it's a legit course with book reports, papers and exams. At the end of each semester you get a certificate if you pass. I'm going to get more information yet this week but it sure sounds like it will be good.
Well, I should go and get some rest since I've been aching all over all day. I hope I'm not coming down with something. I'll have to make sure I get some extra rest and take some echinacea and stuff. Bye for now!
Saturday, December 25, 2004
Oh my.. it's been a long while..
I knew it had been a while since I posted on here but I didn't realize that it had been quite so long! October 30th... wow! A bit has happened since then but, luckily, I don't remember it all so this will be fast. LOL
I can't believe it's Christmas Eve already. I can't believe the past couple months has gone by as fast as it has. Totally amazed...
November 2 would have been my mil's birthday if she hadn't died in March. The first birthday of hers without her. I'm not sure how the rest in the family were really dealing with it. No one really said much.. it was a little bit quiet in the house and there was a tear from my 11yo son's eyes. I was teary all through the day. It was hard. She always treated me like a daughter and not with the distance of a daughter-in-law. She was a peace-loving woman who wanted everyone to be happy. She did so much for others even when it meant that she herself would suffer. She was like that right to the last. The hospital staff said before they put her on the ventilator her concerns were mostly for her family and not herself. I loved her a lot. Thankfully, I know I'll see her again.. in eternity.. but I miss her.
Our homeschooling was hectic and busy this fall. Adding more structure to it has really made a difference for me time-wise. I don't seem to have as much time or energy for other things like I used to. I'm sure it hasn't got anything to do with my AGE or anything... LOL I'd like to have things be more relaxed again but with the oldest doing high school I really feel that science and math are necessary to do more thoroughly than I have some years.
It really added to things that Bob has been going through a process of deciding what to do with the rest of his life as far as work. (I accidentally deleted the file for October 30 tonight and so I'm not sure if I had said anything much about it all then, but it's gone now anyway.) The summer brought a functional capacity evaluation for Bob which made the next couple months really hard for him pain-wise. He has Reflex Sympathetic Dystrophy - aka Complex Regional Pain Syndrome - affecting his right hand, arm, shoulder into his neck and upper back. In a couple weeks it will be 7 years since this chronic pain condition made its way into our lives. What a LONG 7 years its been!!! Things are finally starting to turn around for us though. The FCE brought a report that with some severe limitations, Bob could hope to return to some sort of home-based work part-time in the future. Well, we thought they were crazy and we couldn't believe they would even suggest such a thing. That was at first. After a while we began to see things a little differently with the help of God. We know that the Bible talks of how God works all things for good for those who love Him. (Rom 8:28) It doesn't say all good things; it says ALL things. Could rsd be one of those things? You bet it could. God does not bring sickness and disease on people but he's sure going to use it for good and for His glory. He will never waste a hurt. We also know that He has plans for our lives that will give us a hope and a future. (Jer 29:11-13) How could that happen through rsd? I sure don't know. But I know that God does. Things looked pretty bleak for us for the past 7 years but that doesn't mean it's God's plan. He will take all the good AND bad experiences from our lives and weave it into a beautiful tapestry. I also read on an email how someone's pastor had told them that God gives us the things in our lives that we would choose if we knew all He knows. We know that Bob would not have rsd if God didn't allow it. He's all-powerful and, when we love Him and live for Him, only those things that will be to our benefit (in His all-knowing eyes) in the end will come to us. So, if all this is as true as I believe it to be, then this was just one more thing to be woven into the tapestry. It would somehow bring something good and worthwhile to our lives if we just let God in control and trust Him. When we did just that, God started to turn things around. Now we're looking at a hope and a future for our family. Bob did some interest and aptitude testing and then some high school equivalency testing. He did some research using that information into distance learning programs and we just marvelled at how God is putting it all in place for Bob. We're currently looking at the assistive devices he'll need in order to take a course through distance learning and working on getting the registration process started for a Disability Management course through Dalhousie University. Six months ago we didn't have much hope, but God has restored that to us and we're looking forward to a brighter new year. We know the path won't be without its bumps but with God at our side guiding us, we know it will prove to be the BEST.
We went carolling last Sunday. We had several children show up from the neighbourhood where our church is to go with us. One other adult came but for our small church that is a good turnout. LOL We went for an hour and a half and the weather was absolutely beautiful! At +5C we sure weren't cold although the ice was a little slippery in places. There was a really good response from people, too. One family opened their diningroom window and their front door so they could hear better. They thought we were collecting for something and were very pleasantly surprised when we said we were just out having some fun and looking to bless people. They thought it was really nice for a change! It warmed our hearts to know that people enjoyed it as much as we enjoyed doing it.
This week has gone so very quickly. Here it is the wee hours of Christmas Day... I'd better get to sleep as tomorrow is a day full of cooking, surprises and fun. From the bottom of my heart I wish people everywhere JOY and PEACE in knowing Jesus as their Savior, Lord and King... but also their best friend. He is, after all, the real reason for the season we all enjoy. God bless every one big and small. And may He hold us all in the palm of His hand today and always. Merry Christmas... and to all a good night. :)
I can't believe it's Christmas Eve already. I can't believe the past couple months has gone by as fast as it has. Totally amazed...
November 2 would have been my mil's birthday if she hadn't died in March. The first birthday of hers without her. I'm not sure how the rest in the family were really dealing with it. No one really said much.. it was a little bit quiet in the house and there was a tear from my 11yo son's eyes. I was teary all through the day. It was hard. She always treated me like a daughter and not with the distance of a daughter-in-law. She was a peace-loving woman who wanted everyone to be happy. She did so much for others even when it meant that she herself would suffer. She was like that right to the last. The hospital staff said before they put her on the ventilator her concerns were mostly for her family and not herself. I loved her a lot. Thankfully, I know I'll see her again.. in eternity.. but I miss her.
Our homeschooling was hectic and busy this fall. Adding more structure to it has really made a difference for me time-wise. I don't seem to have as much time or energy for other things like I used to. I'm sure it hasn't got anything to do with my AGE or anything... LOL I'd like to have things be more relaxed again but with the oldest doing high school I really feel that science and math are necessary to do more thoroughly than I have some years.
It really added to things that Bob has been going through a process of deciding what to do with the rest of his life as far as work. (I accidentally deleted the file for October 30 tonight and so I'm not sure if I had said anything much about it all then, but it's gone now anyway.) The summer brought a functional capacity evaluation for Bob which made the next couple months really hard for him pain-wise. He has Reflex Sympathetic Dystrophy - aka Complex Regional Pain Syndrome - affecting his right hand, arm, shoulder into his neck and upper back. In a couple weeks it will be 7 years since this chronic pain condition made its way into our lives. What a LONG 7 years its been!!! Things are finally starting to turn around for us though. The FCE brought a report that with some severe limitations, Bob could hope to return to some sort of home-based work part-time in the future. Well, we thought they were crazy and we couldn't believe they would even suggest such a thing. That was at first. After a while we began to see things a little differently with the help of God. We know that the Bible talks of how God works all things for good for those who love Him. (Rom 8:28) It doesn't say all good things; it says ALL things. Could rsd be one of those things? You bet it could. God does not bring sickness and disease on people but he's sure going to use it for good and for His glory. He will never waste a hurt. We also know that He has plans for our lives that will give us a hope and a future. (Jer 29:11-13) How could that happen through rsd? I sure don't know. But I know that God does. Things looked pretty bleak for us for the past 7 years but that doesn't mean it's God's plan. He will take all the good AND bad experiences from our lives and weave it into a beautiful tapestry. I also read on an email how someone's pastor had told them that God gives us the things in our lives that we would choose if we knew all He knows. We know that Bob would not have rsd if God didn't allow it. He's all-powerful and, when we love Him and live for Him, only those things that will be to our benefit (in His all-knowing eyes) in the end will come to us. So, if all this is as true as I believe it to be, then this was just one more thing to be woven into the tapestry. It would somehow bring something good and worthwhile to our lives if we just let God in control and trust Him. When we did just that, God started to turn things around. Now we're looking at a hope and a future for our family. Bob did some interest and aptitude testing and then some high school equivalency testing. He did some research using that information into distance learning programs and we just marvelled at how God is putting it all in place for Bob. We're currently looking at the assistive devices he'll need in order to take a course through distance learning and working on getting the registration process started for a Disability Management course through Dalhousie University. Six months ago we didn't have much hope, but God has restored that to us and we're looking forward to a brighter new year. We know the path won't be without its bumps but with God at our side guiding us, we know it will prove to be the BEST.
We went carolling last Sunday. We had several children show up from the neighbourhood where our church is to go with us. One other adult came but for our small church that is a good turnout. LOL We went for an hour and a half and the weather was absolutely beautiful! At +5C we sure weren't cold although the ice was a little slippery in places. There was a really good response from people, too. One family opened their diningroom window and their front door so they could hear better. They thought we were collecting for something and were very pleasantly surprised when we said we were just out having some fun and looking to bless people. They thought it was really nice for a change! It warmed our hearts to know that people enjoyed it as much as we enjoyed doing it.
This week has gone so very quickly. Here it is the wee hours of Christmas Day... I'd better get to sleep as tomorrow is a day full of cooking, surprises and fun. From the bottom of my heart I wish people everywhere JOY and PEACE in knowing Jesus as their Savior, Lord and King... but also their best friend. He is, after all, the real reason for the season we all enjoy. God bless every one big and small. And may He hold us all in the palm of His hand today and always. Merry Christmas... and to all a good night. :)
Thursday, October 28, 2004
where on earth did the week go?
I can't believe it's Thursday night already! Wow! This week went soooo fast! Not nearly enough got done either. LOL What else is new?
Well, I thought I'd try to get here again on the weekend but it didn't work that way. So here I am trying to remember what has happened this week. Saturday after brunch I did get out to get a few groceries but I missed getting a few things. We missed the library, too. Then that night we watched some tv and vegged after making some homemade pizza.
Sunday was a nice relaxing day. I try to always make Sunday one of those slow days. I had a baby shower I wanted to go to and I had to get to the library. By the time I got home from the library I wasn't feeling all that great so I didn't go to the shower. Instead I wrapped myself in a blanket at my computer, made some hot chocolate and played computer games for the afternoon. Then in the evening I got my assignment sheets for the kids ready and paid some bills. I really needed the downtime though.
Monday was a typical Monday for the most part. I caught up on some of my record-keeping between helping the kids with their school work. I also called a friend who lost her husband to cancer this past summer. It's almost funny the parellels there's been in our experiences even though they are really totally different. I feel for her.. so much. I can't imagine the pain she has daily.. and has had for so long. :( I enjoyed chatting with her for a few minutes. I'd put it off for so long because I just didn't know what to say and I didn't want to say something dumb or that would hurt her. I'm not sure I didn't anyway but I'm really glad I called her just the same. I hope to get a chance to maybe meet with her for coffee sometime in the future. My heart breaks for her but I'm honoured to pray for her and to know that our God who answers prayer has wonderful things in store for her and her boys. He is so faithful!
Later that day was my volunteer time at the local Pregnancy Counselling Centre. It was a different sort of day because I had my first evaluation. I didn't realize that we would have to do them, but it went pretty well and I'm glad it's done with. After a hurried supper Bob and I went to a corporate prayer meeting at our church and had a good time worshipping and praising God.
Tuesday I needed to take my daughter to babysit at bigger local church that's been hiring her to help out once in a while with childcare so that caused a bit of a rift in our day. It wasn't a bad thing though. I spent the time between drop off and pick up writing a short blurb for the PCC newsletter about a prenatal program I'm working on developing for the new year. And I had a short visit with a close friend of mine right after picking up my girl from 'work'. The rest of the day was spent with schooling needs and Bible study catch-up along with the normal routine.
Wednesday was one of THOSE days. In addition to school assignments, we had a day of working on 'character development'. I think some things really sunk in this time... at least I hope so. That's the thing I find the hardest with parenting. It seems to take so many times of hearing something over and over and over again before it really means something to them and it clicks. There were a few tears as my boy learned that he has to respect the belongings of others if he wants his own stuff respected. God took the opportunity to reveal a few things to me as well. As we talked about how habitual sin gets rooted in our lives and can cause generational curses, I saw a mental image of my grandfather as he was in the hospital a few years ago. At the time, I felt so badly for him. He obviously had many regrets in his life as he cried and the tears flowed freely because his children didn't really want much to do with him the last couple decades of his life. I remembered thinking about all the hurt in my family and all the unforgiveness while tears sprang to my eyes. I knew what God was saying to my heart. My family were victims of generational curses that began LONG ago. It prompted me to explain to my children (who had also seen their great-grandfather cry) the reason to want habitual sin to be OUT of their lives as quickly and as much as possible. There were a lot of tears shed in this house yesterday. However, God did give a gift to balance that out as He showed us that His purposes are being fulfilled in our lives a day at a time.. through the good and the things we view as bad. I'm not convinced that we see things clearly with our physical eyes.
Today.. Thursday once again. I woke to screams from Drew shortly after I had first awakened. It took a few minutes to figure out what was going on. He's had such a love/hate relationship with one of our cats. When Drew loves Fritzy, Fritzy hates Drew. Ever since we got him, Fritzy (grey tabby) has been a bit of a loner. Most cats are. My boy loves so much and so intensely that he doesn't stop to think. He just reaches out and tries to take affection in return. Well, today was no big surprise in light of that. Fritzy was playing with our calico baby, Calli.. so he was a little frisky at the time. Drew reached for Fritzy to pet him and Fritzy just flew at him leaving two little tooth marks and two little scratches in his left cheek. It didn't bleed all that much but it looks a little nasty. I think Drew is having a long week of learning this week! Anyway, we put hydrogen peroxide on it to clean and promote healing and because he had some pain, we added some pain relief polysporin once the bleeding was done. What a way to start the day! LOL
The best thing that happened this morning was that this month's issue of Homeschooling Horizons magazine arrived in the mail. :) I love that mag! I can hardly sit here and type because I am anxious to be reading. There's always an article in it that touches my heart and encourages me. And, of course, I love the opportunity to read about what homeschooling looks like in the homes of other Canadians with the "A Day At Our House" articles.
The afternoon brought ARCHE Activities for the kids. I usually enjoy them, too. Today was different though. I think maybe I was just emotionally worn out after the events of yesterday and this morning. The most fun was volleyball which I helped with a bit again. I do enjoy that sport and would sure like to find a fun team to play on just for exercise. The only thing is the incredible expense of doing any sports these days. I wish I even had a nice neighbour who would want to go walking with me a few times a week to keep me accountable. Maybe someday.... Ooops, I'm rambling. We stopped at the store on the way home to pick up some supper. No one felt much like cooking so we got some finger foods we could just toss in the oven and warm up. It wasn't filling but it was yummy. ;) And tonight was some chatting fun with some homeschooling friends out east. I sure need those moments when they come to recharge my batteries! I could have been organizing and cleaning my bookshelves.. (They REALLY need it!) but I guess I'll spend some time on that tomorrow. It will be a long, LONG day tomorrow since I need to have the kids accomplish some of Monday's work as well as tomorrow's. Monday is ending up a BUSY day and I'd prefer to have the kids only do independent work on that day so teaching for those assignments need to be done ahead. Monday morning we'll be finding out the results of Bob's past several weeks of testing and hearing what kinds of things he should be looking at to work at in the future. It should be a very interesting appointment!
Now here we are... at bedtime. And my magazine is calling...... so I'll say goodnight. God's richest blessings to you! :)
Well, I thought I'd try to get here again on the weekend but it didn't work that way. So here I am trying to remember what has happened this week. Saturday after brunch I did get out to get a few groceries but I missed getting a few things. We missed the library, too. Then that night we watched some tv and vegged after making some homemade pizza.
Sunday was a nice relaxing day. I try to always make Sunday one of those slow days. I had a baby shower I wanted to go to and I had to get to the library. By the time I got home from the library I wasn't feeling all that great so I didn't go to the shower. Instead I wrapped myself in a blanket at my computer, made some hot chocolate and played computer games for the afternoon. Then in the evening I got my assignment sheets for the kids ready and paid some bills. I really needed the downtime though.
Monday was a typical Monday for the most part. I caught up on some of my record-keeping between helping the kids with their school work. I also called a friend who lost her husband to cancer this past summer. It's almost funny the parellels there's been in our experiences even though they are really totally different. I feel for her.. so much. I can't imagine the pain she has daily.. and has had for so long. :( I enjoyed chatting with her for a few minutes. I'd put it off for so long because I just didn't know what to say and I didn't want to say something dumb or that would hurt her. I'm not sure I didn't anyway but I'm really glad I called her just the same. I hope to get a chance to maybe meet with her for coffee sometime in the future. My heart breaks for her but I'm honoured to pray for her and to know that our God who answers prayer has wonderful things in store for her and her boys. He is so faithful!
Later that day was my volunteer time at the local Pregnancy Counselling Centre. It was a different sort of day because I had my first evaluation. I didn't realize that we would have to do them, but it went pretty well and I'm glad it's done with. After a hurried supper Bob and I went to a corporate prayer meeting at our church and had a good time worshipping and praising God.
Tuesday I needed to take my daughter to babysit at bigger local church that's been hiring her to help out once in a while with childcare so that caused a bit of a rift in our day. It wasn't a bad thing though. I spent the time between drop off and pick up writing a short blurb for the PCC newsletter about a prenatal program I'm working on developing for the new year. And I had a short visit with a close friend of mine right after picking up my girl from 'work'. The rest of the day was spent with schooling needs and Bible study catch-up along with the normal routine.
Wednesday was one of THOSE days. In addition to school assignments, we had a day of working on 'character development'. I think some things really sunk in this time... at least I hope so. That's the thing I find the hardest with parenting. It seems to take so many times of hearing something over and over and over again before it really means something to them and it clicks. There were a few tears as my boy learned that he has to respect the belongings of others if he wants his own stuff respected. God took the opportunity to reveal a few things to me as well. As we talked about how habitual sin gets rooted in our lives and can cause generational curses, I saw a mental image of my grandfather as he was in the hospital a few years ago. At the time, I felt so badly for him. He obviously had many regrets in his life as he cried and the tears flowed freely because his children didn't really want much to do with him the last couple decades of his life. I remembered thinking about all the hurt in my family and all the unforgiveness while tears sprang to my eyes. I knew what God was saying to my heart. My family were victims of generational curses that began LONG ago. It prompted me to explain to my children (who had also seen their great-grandfather cry) the reason to want habitual sin to be OUT of their lives as quickly and as much as possible. There were a lot of tears shed in this house yesterday. However, God did give a gift to balance that out as He showed us that His purposes are being fulfilled in our lives a day at a time.. through the good and the things we view as bad. I'm not convinced that we see things clearly with our physical eyes.
Today.. Thursday once again. I woke to screams from Drew shortly after I had first awakened. It took a few minutes to figure out what was going on. He's had such a love/hate relationship with one of our cats. When Drew loves Fritzy, Fritzy hates Drew. Ever since we got him, Fritzy (grey tabby) has been a bit of a loner. Most cats are. My boy loves so much and so intensely that he doesn't stop to think. He just reaches out and tries to take affection in return. Well, today was no big surprise in light of that. Fritzy was playing with our calico baby, Calli.. so he was a little frisky at the time. Drew reached for Fritzy to pet him and Fritzy just flew at him leaving two little tooth marks and two little scratches in his left cheek. It didn't bleed all that much but it looks a little nasty. I think Drew is having a long week of learning this week! Anyway, we put hydrogen peroxide on it to clean and promote healing and because he had some pain, we added some pain relief polysporin once the bleeding was done. What a way to start the day! LOL
The best thing that happened this morning was that this month's issue of Homeschooling Horizons magazine arrived in the mail. :) I love that mag! I can hardly sit here and type because I am anxious to be reading. There's always an article in it that touches my heart and encourages me. And, of course, I love the opportunity to read about what homeschooling looks like in the homes of other Canadians with the "A Day At Our House" articles.
The afternoon brought ARCHE Activities for the kids. I usually enjoy them, too. Today was different though. I think maybe I was just emotionally worn out after the events of yesterday and this morning. The most fun was volleyball which I helped with a bit again. I do enjoy that sport and would sure like to find a fun team to play on just for exercise. The only thing is the incredible expense of doing any sports these days. I wish I even had a nice neighbour who would want to go walking with me a few times a week to keep me accountable. Maybe someday.... Ooops, I'm rambling. We stopped at the store on the way home to pick up some supper. No one felt much like cooking so we got some finger foods we could just toss in the oven and warm up. It wasn't filling but it was yummy. ;) And tonight was some chatting fun with some homeschooling friends out east. I sure need those moments when they come to recharge my batteries! I could have been organizing and cleaning my bookshelves.. (They REALLY need it!) but I guess I'll spend some time on that tomorrow. It will be a long, LONG day tomorrow since I need to have the kids accomplish some of Monday's work as well as tomorrow's. Monday is ending up a BUSY day and I'd prefer to have the kids only do independent work on that day so teaching for those assignments need to be done ahead. Monday morning we'll be finding out the results of Bob's past several weeks of testing and hearing what kinds of things he should be looking at to work at in the future. It should be a very interesting appointment!
Now here we are... at bedtime. And my magazine is calling...... so I'll say goodnight. God's richest blessings to you! :)
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