Two Reminders for when "Spring Fever" Hits

As the "Spring Fever" hit our household, and we all wanted to be doing something rather than schoolwork, there were two things I needed to remind myself of.

#1 REMINDER:  Teaching kids about perseverance is important, for them and for ME!

We must all do things in life we don't like (or want) to do, but giving up when things get hard is not the answer. After all, perseverance produces character. We want to please the Lord with our actions, and that includes not giving up when life is not what we want or expect it to be.

Rom 5:3-4  ...but we also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope. (NIV)

Of course, we ALL need to take breaks! We all need to walk away for a little while to renew our minds and gain a new perspective. But, that is not the issue I am addressing. The point I'm making is that, quitting "because its just too hard" is not a valid reason for quitting.

 

#2 REMINDER:   Being flexible is a key to remaining sane as we persevere.  Flexible with our schedule, flexible with our location, and flexible with our curriculum.

• An example of being flexible with our schedule:  As we have been winding down our school year, my children have become rather "antsy" and in need of a change of pace; but, rather than take an extended amount of time off this close to the end, we only took off  one or two days to do something different. For example, we took a day off a couple of weeks ago to visit family 3 hours away. Then, this past week, to attend a different family reunion. I also took the day off on my birthday! These one-day breaks are helpful in keeping us going.

• An example of being flexible with our location:  I allowed my son to choose where he wanted to do his book work. It didn't really matter to me where he did it, as long as he got it done. For several days, he chose to remove all the stuffed animals from their container and sit inside of that...

Other times, he chose to sit on the stairs...

• An example of being flexible with our curriculum:  This week, we are going to be finishing up our school year, so instead of doing absolutely everything listed in Creation to the Greeks, I decided to combine a few lessons in order to get through the most important parts. 

After this week, we will take two weeks off to do absolutely nothing school related. We will, however, be attending Vacation Bible School for a week, and both kids will be taking swimming lessons the following week. After that, we will continue with doing some schoolwork, but will only focus on Math and Reading throughout most of the Summer. We will also plan some hands-on projects and accomplish some things around the home. As I am able, I will post about some of these projects.

Have an enjoyable Summer!

 

  

Birthdays in May

May, is usually one of our busiest months of the year. We have David's birthday, my birthday, Mother's Day, Memorial Day, and whatever graduations or weddings that show up as well. Plus, as the weather gets nicer, we get busier doing things outside, as well as making plans to finish up our school year. This year has been no exception with business. But, for now, I'm only going to focus on the BIRTHDAYS...

David's birthday came first. The kids helped me make his cake this year. They were excited about that.

Jell-O Cake is David's favorite!

For my birthday, my dad bought a bakery cake to share at our family reunion picnic. That was on the day before my actual birthday. Then, after my husband arrived home from a work conference, our little family shared a frozen Hershey's chocolate pie! Mmmmm.

And, there was one more birthday that we took part in this year. Remember the 4 Robin eggs sitting in the nest on top of our hose? Well, they all hatched. Here they are on their first day of life outside of the eggs.

We weren't able to get a picture of them actually hatching, because we didn't even realize it was happening until we saw 3 baby birds and 1 egg left. The next thing we knew, all 4 had hatched and there was no sign of the egg shells anywhere to be found.

A couple days later, we are now able to watch the babies stretching their necks out for mama to feed them. Every time we come out the back door, they feel the vibration and pop those heads up. It is so neat to watch. If I can ever figure out how to get a video uploaded on here, I will let you all see it.

Enjoying the Outdoors in May

The weather has been nice these past few weeks. So, aside from our usual studies in CTG, we have been spending some time exploring and enjoying things outdoors...

One early day in May, we noticed a bird's nest sitting nicely on top of our coiled water hose.

We took a peek inside the nest and found four eggs. We will enjoy watching baby birds emerge from them soon, and see how the mother takes care of them.

On a nice evening, my husband took us all out to a local grassy airport to fly his remote-controlled airplane (his newest hobby). While we were out there, the sun began to set and we saw one of God's beautiful paintings.

And, as the sun set, the moon began to rise on the opposite side. This was the night of the BIG moon! It was another beautiful site.

The kids and I went for a walk one evening and noticed a flattened snake on the road. Coyote was especially interested in it, and was excited that he was able to see the snake's spine and bones.

On the same walk, we noticed purple clover growing. I showed the kids that the root of a clover petal tastes sweet, and that's why the bees like it so much.

And (last but not least), on a day that was sunny but a little bit cooler, we had a lesson in our Science book (Genesis for Kids) that talked about the ultimate cure for worry. After we read Matthew 6:25-34, the kids were instructed to find a comfortable, quiet place where they could be alone. Here, they were to write (or draw) about anything that worries them. Then, pray and ask God to take care of these things. (I would say, it was sort of like an introduction to a "prayer journal.")

Road Runner chose to stay inside the house, as that is her comfort zone. However, Coyote put on his jacket and went outside to the swingset. There, he proceeded to draw all the things that bother him - things like thunderstorms, heights, and losing a loved one.

This exercise was a great way to introduce the kids to how we should pray about our worries and give them over to the Lord. After all, if he cares for the birds and provides what they need, he will certainly provide what we need as well. Our prayers may not always be answered the way we want them to be answered, but they are always answered in a way that is best for us. Even if we have to endure a thunderstorm or experience the loss of a loved one, God is there to help calm our fears and to give us the strength we need.