Hope For Homeschool Moms

 The seventh month old eyes locks with mine as he smiles behind his pacifier. The challenges of motherhood are all forgotten in this beautiful moment as my little boy's bright smile meets my own, laughs when I laugh, so clearly telling me that I am his favorite person in the world. It's little moments like these that make all the sleepless nights and all the busy days worth it. What he is saying without saying a single word fills my heart and makes me forget my headache and my long to-do list. There's nowhere else I'd rather be than here with my little boy who thinks that I, in spite of my many mistakes, am the best mom in the whole entire world.  There may be many lows in motherhood, but this is one of the many highs.

Every year the summertime just seems to go too soon,  Before you blink, start to relax, there goes July and June.  But before you lose your cheer and you begin to fret,  The month that we call August tells us summer's not done yet.  Thirty-one more days before September will appear, There's plenty more time for us all before the fall is here.  It's not too late for swimming, it's not too late for s'mores, It's not too late for getting sun and being out of doors! The early weeks of summer find us going way too fast, The lazy days of summer are for us at last. And as these days slip on by don't forget to remember,  That more good times are coming in the month we call September. 

 Twenty-three-year-old me sat in my living room at the boarding school in Zambia where I taught for two years. The intense three-month long term so often filled with fourteen-hour days was over, but after only a short while into the break, here I was feeling lost and lonely in the peace and quiet.  "God, You know that this isn't what I want!" I prayed aloud. I knew in my heart a life of singleness wasn't my calling. That a husband and children were my heart's desire.... the busyness of babies, the laughter and cries of children, the work of caring for a family.  Thirty-four-year-old me remembered that this morning and had to chuckle at myself. God has surely answered my prayer of eleven years ago, and as I attempted to relax and sip my coffee on the porch of our air bnb the natural noises and disturbances of many little children were everywhere.  "Mama! Look through my binoculars at those birds! "Mom, listen to this bell!" (BONG!) "Mama, may I ...

Hannah, Hannah Life is bananas How does your garden grow? Patiently and humorously,  With children stepping on each row. I'm always amazed at the difference a few short weeks in June make. Somehow, despite the weather, the amount of time I have, and the amount of times my beets have been stepped on by little feet, the garden takes off after a mere week of heavy humidity.  This is one of the many miracles of God. How seeds, sunlight, water and air can grow so large so quickly to produce a plant so full of vegetables is an incredible and fascinating phenomenon. Only God could do this! The gardener is simply the amazed steward and beholder.  How many life applications can be made by watching this process?  

 I love my yard in June. The grass is all grown in and freshly cut, the black flies have died down, the first summer flowers are blooming and there's the promise of late summer flowers on their way. The vegetable garden still looks neat and tidy, although every rain and each warm day brings a new noticeable growth to the plants. The green beans are popping up, and the newly planted flowers in the window box on the chicken coop seem to say that life is complete.  It is green, it is warm, it is summer. All the hard work from the spring has finally paid off!

I asked the seven year old to wash the breakfast dishes as I headed outside to finally plant the green beans and to take care of the chickens. We are currently transitioning new chicks to the flock, which takes extra time, and after a week of traveling I feel behind on just about everything....the garden, the house, the yard, the animals. A half an hour later as I came back inside to the puddles on the floor and counters, along with dishes that were not thoroughly cleaned, it felt like a useless endeavor to try and pull the kids into the household chores. To add insult to injury, at the same moment a candle was knocked over spreading glass onto the living room floor while the dog trudged into the kitchen with muddy paws.  The tension build up can often come bubbling out with angry words and raised voices at the culprits as everything falls apart yet again. But it hasn't fallen apart. Not yet. Not until I have yanked down the walls of my wonderful home by accusatory statements and a...