You Guys Sure Made Me Laugh….

Well you guys sure made me laugh…..guess the post yesterday struck a chord huh? Or is it just that misery loves company? Julie, I totally laughed outloud that you were gonna’ parade them all {even the dog} down to the local school for enrollment – hope you found some chocolate and feel much better today! Beach Mama – I am SOOOO stinkin’ proud of you being 51 {same age as moi} and starting homeschooling this year with a pre-schooler, kindegardner and a 4th grader – YOU ROCK!! And by the way, if you really do live near the beach, I am so trying not to be jealous as I look at my mounds of snow outside! Kathie, I totally agree, there ought to be some type of Lifetime Achievement Award – in a few years how aboutcha’ put a bug in Dw’s ear, will ya? Just please, please, please don’t tell him I sent ya’, K?
And by the way….. vince+shannon+mattie+ireland+afton+chamberlain what I was trying to say was that if I had saved $1.00 each time I was asked any of those three questions the last 22 years I would already have enough money to take my entire bloggy friend gang on a cruise…..I was merely wondering if Alaska sounded good to them as well?? I went last year on a blessing from a friend cruise thing and had one of the best times of my life….where you live is absolutely GORGEOUS!!
Hope to go back one day!!
On a sidenote, if any of you guys are even remotely thinkin’ about takin’ the plunge and giving homeschooling a try….here is what I have told others who have come to me and said they were considering it…..Try it. Your kid will not be ruined by one year of homeschooling. Infact there is a strong likelihood that you will enjoy it and I promise that you will never, ever regret that one year. You will have fun, maybe amidst moments of craziness, but you will not regret it. Promise!! And that promise even comes with my money back guarantee. =)
There were also quite a few emails and comments asking two things: What do we do with the little ones when the big ones need teaching? The closet with that big ol’ deadbolt comes in so handy…..okay, okay, totally kidding….And then the question: Explain how we do Bible.
Really friends, here are some ways I do life with lots of littles. Jubilee is probably at about a 3-4 year old, so really I have three in the 3-4 age group and they can get pretty rowdy!! Isaiah is 6. He likes his school work but he still is a little boy and so usually the four of them are in the thick of it together.
So here is what we do: If I need to help one of the three big ones with something, then I assign one of the other big ones the job of reading books to the four little ones. This usually buys me about 1/2 hour to an hour {if I’ve prayed and fasted beforehand – j/k}. If every one of the big ones just needs a little help, then everyone sits at the table and the little ones do different things depending on the day. Each day it is something different: coloring, beaded necklaces, painting, baking with mom at the island, play dough, etc. And they each can “work” in their books for awhile.
I’m not gonna’ lie. It is chaotic. Someone is inevitably taking something of someone elses or tormenting someone next to them or crying about something and if it keeps up – well, that’s why we have a time-out chair. I find though, that if someone is extra naughty they just really seem to be longing for some alone time with mommy and I try to find a few minutes alone to just talk or sing to them or snuggle.
As far as Bible…..we sit in the living room {unless it’s gorgeous out and then we go out to the porch or the back yard} together. The older kids take turns reading the Bible passage outloud that we are studying together. We have been studying the life of David. We started in I Samuel when Samuel the prophet goes to Jesse to see his sons. It is fascinating!! Because all the sons pass by and even though Samuel sees the first and thinks, “oh this is the one”….God says, “Nu-uh”…and each one passes and none of them are the ones God wants Samuel to anoint to be the next king of Isreal. Samuel finally says, “Is this all the boys you have?” Of course, you all know how Jesse says, “Ummm, no. There’s the youngest out tending the sheep.” Samuel sends for him. His name is David. And God says in I Samuel 16:7b “The Lord does not look at the things man looks at. Man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.” {We memorized it.}
So each day we take usually a chapter and read it together and talk about it. How does it apply to my life? For instance, with the above verse: What would God find in our heart? We talk about hurts, fears, forgiveness, mean people, jealousy, etc. It has been such a blessing over the years to talk about tough issues.
Before the fire we used a cirriculum called, “Bible Study Guide for All Ages” by Mary Baker. We had used it, off and on, for almost all 20 years. In four years you go through the entire Bible. It asks questions each day and does review. It is an awesome cirriculum and is just the Bible, pure and simple.
I am not an expert, but will gladly share, from time to time, what has worked for us, with the hope that it might just help and encourage.
Lastly, on a separate note: Our hearts and lives are dedicated to the orphan. Since the horrible earthquake in Haiti we have been praying earnestly for an opportunity for Dw to go and minister. He has made calls, sent emails, but nothing was really right. Until yesterday.
Someone contacted him, having heard about his mission heart and his love for the orphan and asked him to join them as part of a small scouting team. They will be going into a rough area, sleeping in a little tent each of them are taking with and assessing exactly how we can mobilize some people to help build an orphanage. {Right up his alley.}
He told the gentlemen he’s going with about you bloggy friends. He said that there would be somewhere around 2,000 people praying daily for the trip and for God’s love to be shown through this little scouting team. He said you guys would also be praying for their protection and for God’s wisdom to permeate the entire trip. {Amazing the power you guys have to minister to my husband’s heart!} The trip is soon, and I will keep you posted. I prefer to tell you just as he is leaving {since this is a very public blog} if that’s okay. Hint, hint, you can start praying now as the day is quickly approaching.

As always, you guys are the best!! xo

25 thoughts on “You Guys Sure Made Me Laugh….

  1. i'm really glad you talked a lot about homeschooling in this post and about things to do for different ages! My hearts desire is to homeschool one day whenever we have children, Lord willing. Not for sure if I will be able to but I want to try at least! What program is the best to do? I know some people have their children do it through computers? what do you think?

  2. Linny,

    I really do live near the beach. If y'all are ever in southeastern NC give me a holler. We'll haul everyone over to the beach and enjoy God's creation!

  3. I so appreciate your honesty. I am homeschooling for the first time this year and it has been at times hectic! I keep telling myself "if Linny can do this with 4 little ones running around then I can do it with 1 (soon to be 2!)" This too shall pass so I need to enjoy it while it lasts!

    Hugs,
    Robin

  4. Thank you Linny for your thoughts and ideas, especially the Bible study you have used with your children. So terrific of Dw to be going to Haiti! What an amazing trip and experience. You bet I will be praying! Can't wait to hear all about it! Wonderful!

  5. Love you my friend but I also LOVE the school my daughter is in!!! No plans to homeschool here but I think it's awesome for those that can do it.

    Now if we were in a different school system I would be doing it.

    You tell DW you bet we'll be praying.

  6. Have you ever had some hard discipline issues with your children. We are dealing with sneaking/lying candy mostly. This is a very impulsive 8 year old boy who has not accepted the Lord yet. He has talked a lot about being baptised. His 9 yr. old brother was baptised last Sunday.

  7. Great post Linny! Much food for thought–thank you.
    Praying for Dw, so happy he is going to get an opportunity to "do his thing" in Haiti — make that God's thing!

    Love you friend~

    Tina

  8. Thank you for sharing the craziness that comes with homeschooling. I teach our 8 year old and are slowly starting to homeschool our 3.5 year old. I also have a 22 month old and a baby due in July. So I totally relate to the joy and frustration that little ones can add to the daily school routine. It is nice to know that I am not alone and that other moms out there need their dose of chocolate on those rough days too! Thanks for being such an inspiration. God Bless You All!

  9. Thank you for sharing the craziness that comes with homeschooling. I teach our 8 year old and are slowly starting to homeschool our 3.5 year old. I also have a 22 month old and a baby due in July. So I totally relate to the joy and frustration that little ones can add to the daily school routine. It is nice to know that I am not alone and that other moms out there need their dose of chocolate on those rough days too! Thanks for being such an inspiration. God Bless You All!

  10. Linny,
    I had a rough day homeschooling today. It was so good to read that it is chaotic. I am barely making it with three little ones! I love that you said that I won't regret this year that I've decided to give it a try. Thank you for sharing pictures and specifics. It really helps to "see" how you make it work.

    Blessings!
    Teresa

  11. PAINTING? You let your kids paint at home? Please don't tell my littles because they'll start to riot. I purposely let our co-op, and art class for the two big boys, do all that messy stuff. I can so see one little boy repainting my entire house with his little, chubby fingers…that same little boy who is very good friends with our time-out chair! I do love that little one!!

  12. Thank you, Linny, for sharing about your homeschool! It is such an encouragement to hear about the joys and challenges of your day. Sounds a lot like mine! It is nice to know we are normal. Keep on, Keeping on! You inspire me.
    We will pray for DW's trip to Haiti.
    Barbra

  13. You are an inspiration to me! I have already signed on to help homeschool my granddaughter. She is 1-1/2 yrs old now so I still have a few years before the homeschooling begins. I admire you more than I can say. Thank you for being such a godly role model in all areas of your life. You ROCK!!! ♥

  14. How exciting another opp to pray for the orphans and for your family, what a blessing. At this point we are not able to adopt due to my husbands mental illness, but I encourage all those around me all the time. I keep telling my bff that instead of having a 3rd they should just adopt a sibling group from Haiti. She keeps talking and I keep praying. Thanks for sharing about the everyday's of homeschooling, my children both went to public school because I worked but they were homeschooled some by another family and those times are priceless to us. What an honor to spend the whole day interacting and speaking into their hearts. What a high calling. Blessings to you all.

  15. Thanks so much for the bible study tips. I always feel like I should be doing more or could be doing more. I'll have to check out the recommendation you gave:O)

    Yaayyy for DW!! I'm so excited for him. I have a friend who lives and works in Haiti with her DH and kids. They work in some of the poorest places with orphans and parents trying to keep their children. I love their ministry. She is an old friend from YWAM:O) They are also adopting two precious ones from Haiti. She will be heading back soon to join her husband. She and the kids came home soon after the earthquake. Their link is: http://www.apparentproject.org
    I'm sure that DW could meet up with them too to get some ideas. Have him email Corrigan or Shelley to find out more details.

    Lots of love and prayers,
    jenn

  16. I will be referring friends to this post about homeschooling. A few of them have mentioned the desire, so this will be a great reference. Thank you!

    I'm also thanking God for giving Dw the opportunity to minister and be a witness to many hearts in Haiti. What an awesome experience! Prayers will go forth!

  17. Linny,

    Loved this post and the honesty. I have a quick question though about the Bible study guide you use. I have been looking at it and am very interested in it. Do you use the student guides or just the teacher's guide? If you use the student guides, how do you incorporate your older kids (Emma and Graham)? I have a range from 6 mos. to 15 with a newly adopted 13 year old in the mix still learning English. Right now we're reading through Catherine Vos' "Children's Story Bible" but would like something a little more interactive, and it sounds like Bible study Guide for all ages is.

    Anyway, thanks for the post.

    God Bless,
    Christa in NC

  18. Oh my Oh my Oh my!!! I just prayed and will pray several times a day for DW and the team! Haiti is never far from my thoughts and prayers!

    When I had the kids I homeschooled while they adjusted, before they "had" to go back to school (when you're fostering there are strict guidelines so once the social worker said they were ready that was it, they had to go!) and I absolutely loved it!!! The kids learned so much! Do you know they went from working 1 & 2 years behind grade level to working above grade level when they went back!!!!!

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