TRANSITION

Although our family is in a state of transition, some things are still the same, like mornings on mommy and daddy's bed.

Some very kind and generous friends have let us stay in their basement for a short time as we plan for a summer of traveling while sharing our songs and stories of God's faithfulness.

In the meantime, as we are planning ahead we are enjoying our stay in our friend's lovely home. And making a new friend, as they have a very large dog, that everyone has grown to love.

Still plugging away at school work...

And we still have the little chefs.

THE HOMESCHOOL LIFE

Trying to pack, organize, purge, and plan in the midst of homeschool has been challenging, I will not lie. There have been days that I have barely made it through, and my ever growing "to do list" has to be put on hold many times. But we will make it through, and I have to remind myself that the benefit of homeschool is that we can stretch things out and allow grace for times such as these when we are moving. It just challenges that person inside of me that wants to check off all the things because a job complete feels really good. And pushing pause on homeschool feels a bit hard as I wanted to finish by the end of May. But I have no choice except to just focus on today, and let the rest fall as it may, knowing I'm doing my best right now in this season. 

THESE DAYS

These days have been filled with art, weaving, playing, school work, and organizing some as our lease runs out in this lovely home soon, and we will be moving on. We have enjoyed this house so much and it has been a such a blessing to our family. And soon we will be beginning a new chapter of our life.

KID ART

THESE TWO

The mini chefs. Lots of mornings when we are trying to get through our math and english, these two stay busy "cooking". There is such a fascination with cooking (for all four of them really). I'm thankful for a few moments of playtime that keep the peace while we work.

HOLIDAY

So, it's February 1st and I've let the month of January slip by on here for a bit, just to get back up to speed from the holidays. But I'm getting around to loading photos to get caught up again soon!

Here's a few from our Christmas holiday. We squeezed in a little art appreciation on our holiday break. Kansas City's art museum is pretty great...actually pretty AND great! We live super close and it's free. Always a good spot to go when we want to get out, but want to go somewhere indoors. We really like this city.

WE LOVE LIBRARY DAYS

We love library days. Books upon books, which we love so much we almost always end up with a late fee. But seriously, our local library around here is great!

TRY AND TRY AGAIN...

"If at first you don't succeed, try, try, try again." This line has been playing in my head over and over this past week. This is something I'm learning as much for myself (as a mom, a teacher, a friend, a home maker, a nurturer, a role model, a wife) as they are.

I always thought once I became a parent I was then in the position to do the teaching and they would be the ones learning...but it seems to me that I'm learning more now than ever before.

A FEW MOMENTS FROM HOME...

Most days look like this. Lots of playing...

mini chefs,

                                                                  the homeschoolers,

porch lunches, 

                                                             and of course the making of things.

TODAY WE LEARNED ABOUT TREES...

Sometimes homeschool stresses me out. Always thinking about whether or not my kids are learning enough. Especially my oldest because she's the first and I feel like I'm trying things out with her first and learning as I go. But then there are moments when I chill out a little and remember the basics, and what I really remember from age 9 and below. So, today we had to run errands during the day and I decided to stop at the park and let them run around and hang on some trees. It was nice to do something different from the norm. When we got back home we turned even this outing into a lesson as we did a little study on the importance of trees and even googled the park we went to because Sterling was interested in how big it was.

Today I'm thankful for the freedom we have each day to learn. And as they were so happy to be out and climbing trees, I will have to remember to take them more often. 

AFTERNOON WALKS

Starting back to school and making sure we get "all the things" done is harder some days than others. After a long day, sometimes we just take a walk around the neighborhood. This was a few weeks ago when the weather was a bit warmer and Sterling decided to bring along her harmonica for the walk.

Homeschool is a lot of work for all of us. It's not necessarily something that I was ever really sure I would do. It's a decision we are taking yearly and as we have felt led this past 2 years ...this seems to be the right decision for us in this season. It's work to maintain a respectful attitude towards each other. It's so much easier to let that slip with family because we become so comfortable with each other and see each other all the time. This is something that I am learning and growing in myself, and trying to teach them as well...to be respectful, and to treat each other kindly. It's hard work to keep everyone focused...especially with 2 little ones that can be quite the distraction. But even that is teaching the little ones patience and the big ones how to push through and try to keep focused. Thankfully there is grace and forgiveness that we walk through daily. There are many "I'm sorry's" and reflecting on how to make things work better, on their part and mine.

These past few weeks have been working themselves out, as the daily rhythm becomes more of the norm and what is expected. But there are still many days when a walk around the block for some fresh air is greatly needed. I'm thankful for those moments as Elle loves to run ahead of us, and before she gets too far out of sight she then comes running back to greet us. Most of the time Sterling joins her, but this day she decided to poke along with me and the two littler ones (who like to stop and touch or pick up all of the interesting things along the way) and play us a tune on her harmonica.

I'm thankful that even if I don't get every single thing done that I had hoped or wanted to, I know that God some how fills in all the holes and cracks that I miss and all will be ok. I'm learning to trust and partner with God in my role as a parent, and to know that although I'm responsible for myself and these little ones, I'm not in control. Grace...one day at a time.

SCHOOL TIME

Somebody was a little excited to start their first day at school (co-op once a week for homeschoolers)!

KID ART

 Last week we read a bit about Albert Einstein. Sterling was really interested in trying to draw him. We found a quick tutorial on Youtube on how to draw him (in about 10 minutes). And I'll admit, I joined in and gave it a try as well. The ones above are all Sterling though. I did not take pictures of mine. Here are a few of her other pictures she has done recently. None of them were traced. She's getting quite good at it, and is enjoying it more and more.

I think that's all it takes is a little confidence and then we really start to enjoy things when we feel we are good at something.

I thought this "sister band" was just too sweet. My goal is to keep most of her best and I get her to date the back of them (even if it's just the year). Then years from now I think she will enjoy looking back at them. I've started doing the same with Elle now as well. So proud of these little artists!

TEACHING MEMORY VERSE

 Psalm 27:4 from waldenfamily on Vimeo.

                                                                   Psalm 27:4
                                      One thing I ask of the Lord, this only do I seek,
                        That I may dwell in the house of the Lord, all the days of my life.
                        To gaze on the beauty of the Lord, and to seek Him in His temple.

Once a week as part of our homeschool cirriculum we do about 30 minutes of Bible. 
( see here ) This was something that we started when Sterling was in a 3 day private school and we have kept it going ever since. This usually includes a memory verse and I put these to a melody to help the girls remember them easier. I remember as a child I had learned many scripture verses from a recording my parents had played a lot in our house (back then it was a cassette tape...crazy, I know!). Anyway, I still remember those songs/scriptures to this day and I'm now in my 30's. So, I want to give the girls a similar foundation that I had as a kid. And now even our 3 yr old will randomly walk around the house singing them as well.

In my single years I had tons of time to read the Bible. It was actually something I enjoyed a lot, even though I have never been a huge reader. (I've always enjoyed more hands on activities, such as sewing, painting, etc.) Now my spare time (especially quiet time) is less and less...and that means my times of reading the Bible are also less and less. So, I decided to do Bible time together with the girls during school time, and this way we are all involved. Even though it's not alone quiet time, we are all meditating on specific scripture that I have picked for that week. Singing it with them a few times a week actually helps me to really focus on the words. It's kind of like when you get a certain song stuck in your head. (Music has a funny way of doing that to you.) Well, what better thoughts to be stuck in our heads than these?! 

During this season of life with my kids being so young I am often drawn to these things Jesus said:

Matthew 18:1-5 At that time the disciples came to Jesus and asked, “Who, then, is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?”

2 He called a little child to him, and placed the child among them. 3 And he said: “Truly I tell you, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. 4 Therefore, whoever takes the lowly position of this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. 5 And whoever welcomes one such child in my name welcomes me.

or

Matthew 11:25-26 25 At that time Jesus said, “I praise you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because you have hidden these things from the wise and learned, and revealed them to little children.26 Yes, Father, for this is what you were pleased to do.

I can find rest in knowing that He is just as near when I'm talking and singing about Him with my kids as He was when I was a single person with lots of quiet space. In a lot of ways I see things more clearly through their simple childlike perspectives.

I know the school year is almost up but I wanted to document these, not only for our family but to share with others in case you might want to teach them to your kids. You could use it for school purposes or just as a family devotion to engage your kids in a time of meditation and worship. Before we start school work I get them all to sit down for maybe 10 minutes (the littlest ones don't last as long but 5-10 minutes is doable for them) and we sometimes sing our memory verse or another song, then everyone says a sentence prayer. On Wednesdays we do about 30 minutes of Bible (this is for the older two but the little ones are in there with us so that's how they learn the songs). I get them to write the verse and then draw a picture of what they think about it after I discuss it with them. There are some that we have learned that are a little more extensive because I felt like the content was too good to just use one line. When I taught those I would break it up into a few weeks, and just review the past week then adding the new part. In the next few weeks I will add the other scriptures here and there. It can even be something to try out over the summer when there is more family time. If your kids enjoy them and you would like to share, we would love for you to send us a video of them singing their memory verses too! 






(you can see some of the outtakes here and here)

KID ART

The girls have always loved to color and paint for as long as they have been able to. As Sterling and Elle have gotten older they have become much more interested. One of Sterling's love languages is to give gifts, so she is most often making cards for us or letters. 

For Christmas I encouraged them to make each other something as a gift. There were a variety of things they made...cards, necklaces, etc. For my gift Sterling painted me a picture (the one below) of Brandon and I getting married. She took quite a bit of time on it and it's definitely one that I will keep. I decided to put it in a frame to hang it and it totally made her day. You might not be able to tell from the picture but we are kissing. Kids are so funny! I'm not really sure what made her decide to paint this of Brandon and I but it was really sweet. I still remember making my mom cards and even little picture books. It brings back sweet memories.

And these are a few more. Either a card or just some drawings she has in her book.

And here's a card from Elle (she's giving me flowers).

And another from her book. Elle is 5 and I feel like she is really coming along with her drawings.

I think it will be pretty amazing to look back at their books in a few years and compare how much their ability has changed and how they perceive things compared to now.

INTERPRETATION

We were part of a family partnership school for Sterling's kindergarden and 1st grade. Three days it was private school and two days she did home school. They focused a ton on prayer and worship starting them from the very beginning with memory verses and such. Since we have been doing full time homeschool this year we have continued the routine of Bible as part of our curriculum. 

The girls have memorized several scriptures by putting them to song. I will add a few of these soon to the blog in case anyone wants to use them. Music is one of the best tools for my kids to learn and memorize pretty much anything. This is how Sterling learned how to spell her name when she was really young. I just taught her by putting it in the form of a song. Even Sophie (who is 3) has learned most of the verses. We work on them in parts if they are long. They are ones that I have specifically picked and once a week we talk about them and I give them a chance to draw a picture of their interpretation. Sometimes their pictures show that they really get it. 

This is Sterling's picture of this weeks verse. She said she immediately thought of herself doing a "trust fall" to God when she was meditating on the verse. This one really moved me and I wanted to share.

Trust in the Lord with all your heart.  Proverbs 3:5