There are two aspects to this weekend that need acknowledgment:

1.  The boys went to Maryland with my parents for the weekend. Easiest weekend ever!!  All weekend Tom kept saying, “This is what it would be like to have one kid. So simple and quiet.”  It was weird not having three kids in the house, but so easy. Did I mention that it was easy?  We also had the realization that we should cut ourselves some slack when we are tired or stressed out. Life is hard with three young kids and we need to recognize that more often. We have forgotten what life was like before kids:  easy. 

2.  Faith had a slumber party on Friday night to celebrate her ninth birthday. We had ten girls over for crafts, a piñata, pizza and cake. Six of them slept over. It is amazing how well little girls can get along, be polite, and entertain themselves for hours. It was the exact opposite of Wilson’s Nerf Gun party a few weeks ago. Haha. I loved seeing the excitement that Faith had in planning this party and celebrating with her friends.  I would have another slumber party anytime. Of course, we did it the easy way – pizza for dinner, ice cream cake, and I bought Lucky Charma for breakfast so that I didn’t have to cook. Brilliant move on my part. What kid doesn’t like Lucky Charms?  Here are some pictures of Faith and her friends doing crafts, piñata, and having a dance party/contest….

Months ago I felt the Lord telling me to go to a homeschool retreat in Asheville.  I saw the information about it on a Charlotte Facebook page that I subscribe to.  I only saw the information once, but it plagued me and I eventually had to do some research to find the information again.  I knew that I had to go to this retreat.  I didn’t know anyone else going, but I knew that I needed to be encouraged and meet other homeschool moms like myself.

The weekend finally arrived and it more than met my expectations.  A fellow homeschooler, named Heidi St.John, who of course has seven children, led the weekend.  She was very funny, very real, and preached Jesus all weekend.  I loved her!  I realized that almost all other homeschool families are crazy like we are, have complaining kids, switch curriculums, threaten to send their kids back to school, and pray daily for God to see them through this time in life.  I shared woes with other moms who understood exactly what I was going through and we could all laugh about it together.  I left with the realization that:

1- I need to read to my kids more.  Wilson loves to be read to and if that is all we get done somedays, then so be it.  They will be fine.

2 – I need to depend on the Lord more, read His Holy Word, and let God be my guide and strength. I am gotten a bit slack in my Bible studying over the past year or two.  I have done the bare minimum and checked it off my list, but I haven’t truly leaned on the Lord to get me through my days.  The Lord is the one who told me to homeschool and I need to trust that He is going to get me through it.

3 – My main job is to disciple my kids.  They will learn to read, write and do math.  That will happen, but will they learn to trust Jesus as their Lord and Savior?  Will they know that I lean on the Lord?  The verse…….came up a few times over the weekend and it was very convicting.  If the student becomes like the teacher then am I being the teacher that I want them to become?  Right now,no.  I am yelling too much and understanding too little.  I kept the kids at home so that I could enjoy them more, but I am beginning to enjoy them less.  It isn’t all their fault, some of it is mine.

4 – I need to scrap some of the curriculum I have and combine efforts in order to get more subjects into one lesson.  ex. copy scripture which helps with spelling, handwriting, and their Bible memory verse for CBS.