Oh Brother!!!!

Children of the same family, the same blood, with the same first associations and habits, have some means of enjoyment in their power, which no subsequent connections can supply...  ~Jane Austen, Mansfield Park, 1814

When you are the mother  of 4 kids that are homeschooled that  spends ALMOST every waking minute with your children ….you can’t help but notice how complex and unexplainable their relationships are.

Sometimes they LOVE,

and then they fight as if they were enemies.

Sometimes they hurt each other,

and then they help each other heal.

Sometimes they pick on each other,

and then they protect each other fiercely.

Sometimes they yell at each other,

then they read to each other sweetly.

Its a very COMPLEX relationship that they have.

Always dependant , yet INDEPENDANT.

So yesterday when Zeek was going to his friend Tai’s house …Malachi started to have a MELTDOWN.

He wanted to go…..BAD.

“Why can’t I go Mom?????  I want to go. WHYYYYYYYYYYYYY can’t I go????? PLEASEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE.”

“Because your brother needs time with HIS FRIENDS sometimes. You have your friends over all the time. “

Truth be told….Zeek doesn't have that many friends that he sees.

He has a cousin that is a couple of years older, and Tai(who is 11).

I know he WANTS to be with friends…we just don't KNOW that many.

So….Any chance I have to get him together with a sweet god-loving boy…I JUMP.

When Shainee and I talked and she wanted to have Zeek over for the afternoon…We were THRILLED.

Well….SOME of us were thrilled. LOL.

We dropped him off and the remaining kids and I headed off to dance.

(Which was ANOTHER reason Malachi couldn’t stay…he takes DUDE HIP-HOP during that time.Sweet!)

If you have ever had a couple of kids in different activities …you can imagine the next couple of hours for me….Call me TAXI-MOM!

Then we picked up Jay from work and headed to pick Zeek up.

The ENTIRE time Malachi was in the back saying , “WHEN are we picking up Zeek???? WHENNNNNNNNNNNNNN?”

I mean seriously….if Zeek was in the car they would be arguing!!!!

CRAZY KIDS…..<3

 

 

When we FINALLY got there he was OVERJOYED!

Malachi was SOOOOOO happy to be with the big boys.

He was stoked.

They played and rode the “little motorcycle” around.

Then were SUPPOSED to be taking turns…but Malachi is kind of “balls-to-the –wall” so he was a little inpatient!!!!

He basically RAN AROUND behind Zeek and said, “I want to ride” while Shainee and I LAUGHED so hard that we almost peed our pants. LOL

Then in true form …Malachi got on the bike and rode it as fast as possible 1 time in a circle before ROLLING IT only to JUMP right up and say, “And THAT is why you wear a helmet!!”

all the while Zeek was right behind him ….ready for the fall!!!

Oh BROTHER!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

SPRINGIN’ Back……

We started back to school today.

We EASED into it.

This month is our “Earth Month” in school.

We will study ALL things EARTH related.

Water.

The continents.

The three R’s.

Habitats.

Solomon and Sheba.(Makeda took a drink of PRECIOUS water in the Solomonic Kingdom.)

Earth Day.

So FUN!!!!!

Today we started school by watch a Magic School Bus episode..”Wet All Over”.

Then we went outside and collected pine cones and made bird feeders out of them.

 

Then we went over how PRECIOUS water is and talked about CONSERVATION.

We read OCEAN RELATED books,

THEN………………………………

Since we started out “WATER” unit- I decided it was TOTALLY appropriate to take an IMPROMPTU “field trip” to the beach!!!

YEAH!!!!!

Were Springin’ Back in!!!!!!!!

TRUE Courage……

 

 

“Courage doesn't always roar. Sometimes courage is the quiet voice at the end of the day saying, "I will try again tomorrow.”

This week I have been “digging thru” some issues with a friend.

Lets just say…she  is having trouble with “being ACCEPTED” by family members.

Sometimes people find it hard to accept something they don’t understand.

It’s actually something I have come to be FAMILIAR WITH over the last 12 years.

ESPECIALLY when people want to hold you to THEIR standards.

The coversations we have been having take me back to the begenning of my “journey”.

When I was 21 -I was what we now call a “hot mess”.

In serious DENIAL of what was of TRUE VALUE in life.

Trust me….it was SERIOUS DENIAL.

Then……………………………………………………………………….

My true self was awakened in me.

I was granted a gift……..knowledge of self.

Something happens in your heart and SOUL when GOD awakens you.

Something miraculous and peaceful.

A “seed of courage” is planted.

A “spiritual seed”  ..so to say.

It is something that at first starts small and needs to be NURTURED.

It has to have time to establish its “roots”.

It is like a tree that starts small and is quite easy to dig up-

AT FIRST.

BUT*****

if you leave it alone and let it LIVE,

if you let it establish its “roots”….

SOON-

the tree stands SO STRONG that-

Neither SHOVEL or STORM can harm it.

Courage is like this.

It was for me.

At first…it was HARD for me to explain what had “happened” to me to family and friends.

It was hard for me to explain WHY is I was BECOMING who I was.

Some thought it was a phase.

MOST were skeptical.

But Jah is amazing and when he plants a “seed” …

he intends for it to GROW into a TREE.

Soon..

my “roots” were firmly planted in my FAITH.

NOONE could deny it.

Lots didn’t understand it.

My life had changed..

I was DIFFERENT.

Not different in the “I am doing this TO BE different” way.

Different in the “I have changed from the INSIDE out” way.

It started on the inside and manifest itself PHYSICALLY on the outside.

Which is REALLY HARD for some to accept.

Hard for some to accept that I have CHOSEN this life.

I have CHOSEN this struggle.

I have CHOSEN to be on the “outside” of the norm.

I have CHOSEN to MAKE people confront THEMSELVES when looking at me.

I have CHOSEN COURAGE.

But it is a PROCESS.

Like I said…It starts small.

But…

over time-

it produces BEAUTIFUL fruit.

“Whatever course you decide upon, there is always someone to tell you that you are wrong. There are always difficulties arising which tempt you to believe that your critics are right. To map out a course of action and follow it to an end requires courage.”

Ralph Waldo Emerson

So Cliché……….

We started back to our HomeSchool Co-op today.

The kids were soooo excited.

We had PE at a local park where they did a “physical fitness test ” type activity…..running laps and then  pull ups.

Then the kids just had a FREE FOR ALL and played for about 30 minutes.

Fun, Fun, Fun!!!!!

The kids were STOKED to see all their friends again.

Its such a great MIX of people….

All coming together because we have ONE CENTRAL THING in common.

Homeschooling.

Every time we get together(every Friday) I can’t help but think of what a BLESSING it is to have a group of people who can all COME TOGETHER for the purpose of fun and fellowship.

Even if we are all TOTALLY different in other ways.

We can all learn from each other.

And as HOMESCHOOLERS….we NEED that.

Anyway…..

After PE we headed over to the church to have our classes.

Zeek is taking a SURVIVAL CLASS.

AWESOME!!!

Here is a pic of the list that he brought to me after class:

FLIPPIN’ AWESOME!!!!!

Along with this list he also told me that he HAD TO HAVE a pocket knife that locks because he HAS TO whittle a spear before class next Friday.

LOVE IT!!!!!

And then there was Shashas class.

She is taking EMBROIDERY.

PERFECT!!!!!

Today she learned how to do a RUNNING STITCH.

HERE is her 1st attempt:

I LOVE the fact that Mrs.. Jill had them use the gingham fabric so that they could measure the stitches…GENIOUS!!!!!

And here is her attempt at a straight stitch with NO GINGHAM!!!!!

Pretty Good for a 7 year old!!!!

This goes along PERFECT with her 4H sewing we are doing.

Last weekend we were given a SEWING MACHINE by Jays Mom.

It was his Grandmothers…so sweet.

Shasha was BEGGING for 2 days to open it up and see if it worked.

And when we DID she was one HAPPY GIRL!

Soooo SURVIVAL CLASS and EMBROIDERY….

We are soooo CLICHE’!!!!!

BUT

Its GREAT to be a HOMESCHOOLER!!!!!

Prayer and Preparation….

WOW!!!

What a week…..

Here is the RUNDOWN:

Thursday night we started putting everything IN our house out on the lawn.

 

Friday afternoon we got our 26 foot UHAUL.

That's right …a 26 footer!!!

Then we proceeded to play tetris till it was full.

We kept loading

and

loading

and loading.

INSANE.

THANKFULLY…..Awesome Aunt Amy and Uncle Jeff came to our rescue and took ALL of our SWEET kids to their house at about 5 PM.

Then…we proceeded to FINISH loading up the rest of the stuff into our vans and Josiah's truck.

Which took the ENTIRE rest of the evening WITH help from ROB, MIKE, JOSIAH and KASEY! (Thank you guys!!!…not that they are reading this.LOL)

AFTER THAT…at about 11 pm- with our vans and the U-Haul PACKED in front of the house -we STARTED to clean the old place.

And when I say CLEAN…I mean that in EVERY sense of the word.

Caulk

Putty

Paint

Steam Clean

Deep Clean

CRAZY CLEAN.

And after ALL THAT….

It was now about 3 AM-----and all the stuff was gone, all the carpets were wet, and everything was packed up.

We were TIRED…

I mean -

“Fall asleep on the hard wood floor with NOTHING tired”

FUN.

We woke up at 6:45….

swept our way OUT THE DOOR and went with a HAPPY HEART to our new HOMESTEAD.

THEN….

We STARTED to UNLOAD…..

And the UNpacking still hasn’t stopped.

There is TONS to do and I AIM to start school again on Monday.

Which entails REBUILDING the schoolroom this week….

Whew!!!!

Oh yeah….

we got here to discover that the TANK to heat the stove is GONE….

So we haven't been able to COOK since we got here.

The tank will be here on Thursday..THANK GOODNESS.

I felt like the WORST MOM EVER with a cart full of FROZEN MICROWAVEABLE food.

AWFUL.

Regardless of the CRAP you go thru when you move…it is ALWAYS worth it in the end.

We have lots of work to do.

BUT

every corner i turn seems to have ENDLERSS POSSIBILITIES!!!!

"Commit to the LORD whatever you do, and your plans will succeed."
Proverbs 16:3