We are a movie quote family. Meaning....most of the time, we speak to each other through movie (or t.v.) quotes. My husband's family did this growing up, and he has kindly passed this "language" on to our kids.
"I just like to smile, smiling's my favorite." Our favorite quote from "Elf". It's one of our favorite Christmas movies, but we will watch it any time of the year because it's just a fun, good feeling movie, and yes, it makes us smile. I've been conducting a little experiment lately. Smiling. I've simply been trying to smile more. This year, one of my personal goals is to be more joyful. I have been so guilty of letting the stress of everyday life and the troubles of the world, bog me down . It's exhausting, has stolen my joy, and I just don't want to live that way. So, in working towards this goal, I started with something easy, yet profound: smiling. It's amazing what a smile can do. It can change a room, a mood, and even a person. Sometimes, a simple smile can make an awkward moment easier to navigate. It can bring a chaotic atmosphere a little peace. It can bring on laughter in an embarrassing situation. It can help the lonely feel surrounded, the misunderstood feel accepted, and it can give the broken-hearted a glimpse of hope. A smile can completely change a moment for the good. What a difference a smile can make in our day to day interactions with our own families. It certainly has changed the demeanor of our home. I've heard it from childhood, and it's true: smiling is contagious. As I greet my husband each morning with a warm smile (and a cup of coffee) he can't help but smile back at me. As I talk to my children throughout the day and interact with them, I smile, and they usually smile back and our moments together become fun, joyful and sometimes silly. When my rebellious teen begins to disrespect me, I give him a genuine smile before responding to him, and usually it brings the tension down. My smile has also helped me. After getting up several times through the night with my baby, when I remember to smile at her, it reminds me these tough times are just a season and it makes me grateful for the moments I have to snuggle her. I tend to get overwhelmed when many things get loud and piled on me at once, so I have began to take a deep breath, smile, and reset my thinking when that occurs....and it has truly helped. And of course, on bad days, on hard days, on sorrowful days (and we all have those) when I am the one receiving the smile....it makes a difference. It gives me hope, shows me I'm loved, and helps me to seek the joy of the Lord. Remember to smile often, today. It can change things. "A cheerful look brings joy to the heart; good news makes for good health." ~ Proverbs 15:30 Keep reading God's Word. It is a treasure for our souls. Joyfully His, Andrea
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I would love to say, my house is always spotless. Squeaky clean. But in reality, I don't think it has ever been either of those things. We have a large family, we are always home, and we live on a farm. Spotless and clean are not common in these situations. I have teens, children, and toddlers in my home. Each of them make their own kind of messes, different, but messes all the same. So, it's not always easy to "keep" house.
I've learned a lot over the years about "keeping" my home. Although cleaning my home is a part of keeping it, that's not all it entails. It's not just about cleaning my house, or decorating by theme (although I do love the country, rustic, farmhouse decor, right now), but it's mostly the atmosphere. As the woman of the house, my attitude, is what makes my home a blessing or a curse. The way I act and speak in and about my home, determines the atmosphere that my family lives in. If I make or ignore a mess of something, if I don't have regular chores for me and my children, or if I am constantly complaining about the way the house looks and all that needs to be done, the atmosphere I am establishing is miserable. It is an atmosphere filled with whining, complaining, clutter, and a mess. These things only breed discontentment, negative reactions, and misery. "A wise woman builds her home, but a foolish woman tears it down with her own hands." ~ Proverbs 14:1 We currently have 8 people in our home. Eight different personalities, eight different opinions, eight different preferences. It's not possible to please everyone, and it's not always easy to keep the peace. Believe me, we have our fair share of whining, complaining, and arguing over here! But here is what I have noticed. My reaction -mine, the woman of the house -my reaction determines what direction our home attitude takes. Recently, my eighteen year old son and I were discussing an upcoming event. He said, "Mom, that sounds like a lot of extra stress. Are you sure you want to do this? Because if you're stressed and not happy, no one else is." He quickly reassured me he was not insulting me, but he said, "if it's stressful for you, it's stressful for us." He's right. If I want my home to be joy-filled, peaceful, and positive, then I need to be joy-filled, peaceful and positive. It's that simple. My mother-in-law had a piece of paper pinned on her office wall for years (maybe she still does? I'm not sure). It was a simple reminder, but so profound: Life is 10% of what happens to you, but 90% of how you react to it. Truth. Indeed. I am the keeper of my home. And I want to be a good steward of it. I want my husband and children to feel that our home is always a peaceful haven where they can rest, relax, and find joy. A place that is tidy and clean, yes, but most importantly, a place that is filled with joy, love, laughter, understanding, and Jesus. Because really....that's all that matters. "She looketh well to the ways of her household, and eateth not the bread of idleness." ~ Proverbs 31:27 (KJV) Keep reading God's Word, Friend, it is a true treasure! Joyfully His, Andrea Hello, Sweet Homeschool Mommas!
We are heading into our 16th year of homeschooling (technically our 17th year as I began teaching my oldest at age 3, but traditionally a lot of families do Pre-K at age 4 so we will count from there). I wanted to give a little insight to choosing homeschool curriculum, especially for those who may be new at homeschooling or those who are looking for new resources. I have known that I would be a homeschool mother since I was in 4th grade at age 9. I came home from school one day and told my mom "When I have kids, I am going to homeschool them!" God rooted that desire in my heart, and from that early age, I truly always dreamed of being a homeschool mom. Thankfully, my husband was also on board from the beginning of our marriage ( I never had to ask him, just told him when we were dating that I hoped to homeschool my children one day, and he was fine with that from the beginning). I share this because I went into homeschooling our first child with years of thought and preparation behind me. I knew what curriculum I wanted to use, had been to several homeschool meetings in our area, browsed through different curriculum fairs, and had already joined a local homeschool group. I had time to prepare, but more often than not, that is not the case for many homeschoolers. A lot of new homeschooling families are finding themselves, rather quickly, thrown into preparing for home education (thank you, 2020) and are feeling the "stress" of what and how they are going to teach their children. And others who have been doing this "thing" for awhile, may be stuck in a rut and looking for some new resources or ready to switch over their current curriculum completely. So...my first piece of advise: *Don't get overwhelmed. There are so many choices out there. So many things to consider. How much will it cost? Does the curriculum teach our faith and values? How easy is it for me to teach? Are the lessons planned out? Can I use this for multiple children? And many more questions will arise, but don't let it overtake you. Get a game plan. Ask yourself these simple questions before going on your curriculum hunt. What is my budget? Do we want to use a faith-based curriculum that reflects our Christian values? Do I want to use all online resources or book curriculum as well? Do I want the lessons to be planned for me or do I want more flexibility to do my own planning? Once you have these questions answered, you have narrowed down your choices, just a bit, and know what you are looking for. Research the curriculums that meet your requirements. Second: *Ask your trusted homeschooling friends what they use? If you know a homeschool mom, ask her what she uses and why she likes it. First hand experience is a great way to weed out some resources. Now, this doesn't mean you have to use the same curriculum just because your friend uses it, but you want to know why they like it. Her answer will tell you all about the resource she loves, in those details she gives, you will know if those items meet your criteria or not. Then you can decide if you want to look at those resources or cross them off your list. If your friend uses a curriculum that peaks your interest, ask if you can look at it. On the flip side of this, if you don't know a homeschool family personally, ask around. I promise, we homeschoolers are everywhere! Ha! Ha! Ask around church, your family and friends and see if they know a homeschooler you could talk to. If not, there are many homeschool groups online that you can find with just a click! Look for a group in your local area. This is also a great way to get to know other homeschoolers. You can also leave a comment here and I will be happy to help you if I can! Third: *Don't go overboard! Yes, unboxing new curriculum is thrilling. There is just something special about the smell of new books! But....be realistic. Especially if you are new at homeschooling. Home education is different than traditional education in that you don't have to fill 8 hours a day with something in order to keep 20 different kids on task (unless of course you have 20 children of your own;) ). Teach your basics and get grounded in those subjects and then add in your extra subjects as you learn what your daily schedule will allow. Sometimes, that means the fundamental subjects are every day classes and your extra classes such as art, music, etc, may be a couple of times a week. Figure out what works best for your teaching style and your children's learning capabilities, and then run with it! Fourth, and what I consider most important: *Jesus first. Your children absolutely must learn to read, write and be able to do basic math, of course. But if our children don't have a personal relationship with Jesus Christ as their Savior, then NO amount of academic accomplishment really matters. In the big scheme of things, our future is only going to depend on one thing...Do we know Jesus personally? So take the time, Sweet Mama, every day, many times a day to teach your children about Jesus. Teach them God's Word. Pray with them and over them. Thank God out loud for His blessings. Read the Bible together. Answer their questions and steer them towards God. That will be your greatest accomplishment: leading your children to Christ! "I could have no greater joy than to hear that my children are following the truth." ~3 John 4 Don't worry, Mama! You got this! Pray each day for God to guide your teaching. He will. And He will bless your family abundantly. I hope these tips are a help to both new and veteran homeschoolers. I am praying for you as you continue on this journey! Keep reading God's Word. It is such a treasure! Joyfully His, Andrea Hello, Sweet Sisters!
It's been months since I have written here. I am sorry I have been behind on our reading schedule, but I do hope each of you find yourself in God's Word each day. Scripture is rich, fulfilling and sustaining, and should be our daily guide in living this life. I started our reading plan back up this month. I have been absent here, because life has just been busy. I am sure you understand. Raising and caring for our large family, our home, and our farm can be quite pressing sometimes, but it is also such a wonderful blessing and delight! In a world of continuous discontentment, I want to remember to be thankful each day for what I've been given. Yes, I can whine and complain with the best of them.....but I am praying and focusing on being content this year. As I'm getting older and our family has grown and our kids -themselves- are getting older, I'm learning more and more to appreciate the simple things. Last year, unexpectedly, we were able to move onto our cattle farm. It has been a dream of ours, for years, to have enough land for our cattle and our home to be on the same property so we can farm on a more full-time basis. And though, 2020 brought plenty of negative things for everyone, it brought us immense blessing in our farmstead move and our family growing by one! Although there is always work to be done on a farm and in a large family, there is so much peace looking out onto our fields, just watching the cows graze, and swinging our little ones on the playground. I'm trying to soak up these moments. They are truly going by too fast. My oldest child turns 20 this week. Twenty....no longer a child, no longer a teen, completely immersed into adulthood. Our second child just graduated from high school in May and he is navigating the waters of what's next for him. Yes, this is hard on my "Mama Heart", but I'm so excited for them both. They are both going to be just fine. They are good men, with generous, compassionate hearts and amazingly strong work ethics. I'm enjoying watching them grow into these men God has created them to be, and I'm eager to see what He has in store for them. Because of these two fellas, I know all too well, how quick the years go by. We have teenagers and little ones still at home and I am so thankful for the time I have left to train them, teach them, love them and have fun with them. My sense of family gets stronger every day and I am trying hard to cultivate an atmosphere that pulls our family together and keeps us close. I'm enjoying these slow, hot, summer days. All too soon, I'll be pulling out our school supplies and unpacking new curriculum for the upcoming school year. Our schedule will be more strict and our time for play and surprises will be fleeting. But today.....we sit in the sun, play in the water, eat our popsicles, talk, laugh, run and tell funny stories. Just enjoying our time together, making memories. For me, that means I let go of worry and stress, and I embrace just letting LIFE happen. Right here in front of me. Every day. With my people. Because right now, in this moment, and every moment after, I'm living my best life and I don't want to take it for granted. "Make it your goal to live a quiet life, minding your own business and working with your hands, just as we instructed you before." ~ I Thessalonians 4:11 Keep reading God's Word, Friend, it is such a treasure! Joyfully His, Andrea (Disclaimer: The above picture is not our personal farm, we don't have goats :), but this photo is beautiful and stunningly peaceful.) Happy Summer, Sweet Sisters! Sorry I have been off line for a bit. Here is our July reading plan.
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For we are God's masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago. " AuthorHi! I'm Andrea, wife to my handsome hubby, homeschooling mama to my 7 amazing blessings, and daughter of the King of kings. I am so glad you have stopped by my little piece of the web. My prayer is that the Lord will use this blog to encourage you in your personal, daily walk with Christ. Archives
October 2021
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