So, I have now been in the thick of homeschooling consistently for a couple of months. And, I have been meaning to post about it, but time just isn't always my friend. We are still in TLF in California, but we are leaving this weekend. YAY!!! It is good timing too for homeschool. The kids will get a two week Christmas break, during which time we will travel to Portland for the Christmas holiday, and then on to North Dakota. And, whenever we get housing in ND, we will probably take another week break. So, reason number one why I love homeschooling...we can make it work around our CRAZY schedule. But, back to the real reason for this post.
I really never thought I would homeschool my children. In fact, I actively did not want to. But, as parents, we also want to do what is best for our children. And, I always said, that if the Lord wanted me to homeschool my children, He would have to change my heart. And, in all honesty, He did. Even before the military forced us into this crazy situation we are now in. Even before I realized that Nate was having issues at school. I think it started when I had to drop my kids off at school. Even though they were going to an amazing private, Christian school in GA, I absolutely hated dropping them off. I felt like I was missing out on such an important part of their development. And, when Nate started school, he hated leaving me. I had to walk him into the classroom for way too long. Bottom line, was that I missed my children. I wanted to have them around me. I didn't want Brianna spending more time at school with her teacher than she did at home with me. And, when you take out the time she spent asleep, she was at school more than she was at home.
So, with the crazy military moves we have had this year, we really had no other choice than to homeschool, although we were considering it anyway. But, after doing it for a few months now, I can tell you that I honestly LOVE teaching my children. I love how much more relaxed our days are, not having to get up super early and eat and dress and be out the door by a certain time. (Although, we still eat and dress and get ready for the day before starting school.) I love not having to plan James' naptime around school pick up times. I love it on days like today when all of my children are just super tired, I just paused school and everyone is now napping, and we will finish school tonight, on our own time schedule. Each day, I get to choose what is best for my children. And, if that is doing all of the school in the morning so we can play all afternoon, than great. Or, if it is sleeping in and doing school in the afternoon, than great. We have a routine, and I like to stick to it. But it isn't a big deal if we don't. I love watching the light come on when they comprehend a concept in math or read a new word for the first time. And, most of all, I love spending the time with my children. Honestly I was a bit scared of trying to teach Nate to read. But, it has been such a fun experience. Nate needed the one-on-one attention. He really is smart, but he did not excel in the classroom setting. He is super shy and he does not handle social pressures very well. So, for now, homeschool is the best environment for him to learn. In fact, if he had gone back to school this year, he would have repeated K4. But instead, within a three month time period, he is reading, and pretty well. He continues to amaze me and I am so proud of him. Brianna is super smart and would do fine learning in any environment, but I love having her home. She is a huge help with the little kids and she loves to get up early and get her "self study" done early so she can play with her brothers and sister. And, Kinley...well, I don't do any planned homeschool with her, but she loves to learn. She does Bible time with us, she loves to sing the songs and do crafts with us. She loves playing with the math manipulatives and she really wants to learn her phonograms already. Probably once we get settled in our home in ND I will start that with her. And James, he just toddles around and colors sometimes and plays with whoever is available at the time. He is a good baby, for which I am so grateful.
Is homeschool easy? Not at all. It takes so much more time and preparation. Is is worth it? Absolutely!!! I want my children to learn the truth, according to God's Word. And, I want to be the one to teach that to them. There is no other place I would rather my children learn than right here at home...wherever that may be for us at the time.
Monday, December 17, 2012
Sunday, November 4, 2012
Right Where the Lord Wants Us
So, let's pick up where we left off. Last I posted, my husband had been unexpectedly deployed, my grandmother had passed away, and then a few weeks later my grandfather passed away. And, the Lord used that time in my life to teach me so much, mainly a total dependence on Him.
So, that brought us to the beginning of February. In fact, we left OK on Feb. 4th, Kinley's birthday, to head back home. Nathan was still gone, and we still weren't sure when he would be home. Luckily, the rest of the deployment went by fairly uneventfully. I finished teaching the Bible study on the book of James the week that Nathan returned home. God's timing is always perfect! As it all worked out, between people at church and people from the kid's school providing meals for us, I NEVER had to cook a full meal for my kids while Nathan was gone. Such a blessing. So, Nathan came home at the very end of February. During his R&R time, one of his brothers came to visit. Then, during Spring Break, my parents came to visit for a week. Nathan was working really long days to get reports and things done at work. Then, two days before Easter, bad news again.
They were sending Nathan back...again. At least this time, we had a little bit more notice. This time, we had a week to prepare. They told us it would only be for a month. Of course, that was not the case. But, by this time I had learned to not believe it till I saw the whites of his eyes. Nathan left, and again, I was the single mom of four small kids. This time, at least, there were no tragedies. We had a fairly uneventful deployment. Well, except that Nathan missed all of the end of school year events, programs, Brianna's birthday, etc. Of course, the month that Nathan was supposed to be gone turned into longer, and he didn't come home until the very end of May. And, all during that time I was dealing with trying to either sell or rent out our AK condo. (We finally decided to just rent it out again. Three year contract....couldn't pass that up.)
During the time Nathan was gone, he was told that they were trying to give him a new assignment. Would he like to go to either Beale AFB, CA (with six month deployments about once a year) or Grand Forks AFB. ND (very few deployments)? At first, we said we wanted to stay in place if at all possible. We absolutely loved our church family and school, my wonderful house, and didn't want to leave. But, the possibility of fewer deployments, of having my husband home more, was something we couldn't turn down. Nothing in this life is worth more than having our family together. So, we said to put us in the slot for Grand Forks AFB, ND. We were told that if in fact it did go through, his training would be at Beale AFB starting in November. So, we thought we had plenty of time to get ready once receiving the final assignment sometime in the summer. But of course, it didn't happen that way.
First of all, they said that if we were going to get the assignment, we would get it by the end of June. Well, that came and went, and no assignment. So, Nathan checked into it, and they were still handing out assignments, and we would get our assignment by mid July. Well, to make a long story short, we got our assignment at the end of July....and we had to be in CA for training at the beginning of October. CRAZY!!! We had seven weeks total to get everything ready to move. And, our vacation to Florida was scheduled during that time. But, we made it happen, and we left our beloved home in Warner Robins, GA on September 15th. Just before leaving town, we found a nice military couple to rent our home for their stay in Warner Robins. So, at least that it all taken care of.
So, where are we now? We are living in a small three bedroom TLF (Temporary Lodging Facility) on base here at Beale AFB. But, I am not complaining. We are all together. Nathan is learning a new aircraft. One that will provide a great skill for him when we leave the Air Force. We will be moving to Grand Forks, ND in January. That should be fun...and COLD!!! We are homeschooling Brianna (2nd grade) and Nate (Kindergarten). That just made more sense than them being in three schools within one school year. And, we are loving homeschooling. Both kids are doing so well. Brianna is so smart and does most of her work cheerfully and with ease. Nate, on the other hand, doesn't love school, but he really is doing well. He surprises me with how easily he is picking up reading. We have only consistently done homeschool for a little over a month, but he is already reading simple words. We have found a nice little church here with many families with small children, which is great for us. We know that we are right where the Lord wants us. We miss our real families as well as our church family in GA so much, but we know that the Lord had us there for a specific time and purpose, and now He has a new place for us to serve. We are excited about what our future holds.
So, that brought us to the beginning of February. In fact, we left OK on Feb. 4th, Kinley's birthday, to head back home. Nathan was still gone, and we still weren't sure when he would be home. Luckily, the rest of the deployment went by fairly uneventfully. I finished teaching the Bible study on the book of James the week that Nathan returned home. God's timing is always perfect! As it all worked out, between people at church and people from the kid's school providing meals for us, I NEVER had to cook a full meal for my kids while Nathan was gone. Such a blessing. So, Nathan came home at the very end of February. During his R&R time, one of his brothers came to visit. Then, during Spring Break, my parents came to visit for a week. Nathan was working really long days to get reports and things done at work. Then, two days before Easter, bad news again.
They were sending Nathan back...again. At least this time, we had a little bit more notice. This time, we had a week to prepare. They told us it would only be for a month. Of course, that was not the case. But, by this time I had learned to not believe it till I saw the whites of his eyes. Nathan left, and again, I was the single mom of four small kids. This time, at least, there were no tragedies. We had a fairly uneventful deployment. Well, except that Nathan missed all of the end of school year events, programs, Brianna's birthday, etc. Of course, the month that Nathan was supposed to be gone turned into longer, and he didn't come home until the very end of May. And, all during that time I was dealing with trying to either sell or rent out our AK condo. (We finally decided to just rent it out again. Three year contract....couldn't pass that up.)
During the time Nathan was gone, he was told that they were trying to give him a new assignment. Would he like to go to either Beale AFB, CA (with six month deployments about once a year) or Grand Forks AFB. ND (very few deployments)? At first, we said we wanted to stay in place if at all possible. We absolutely loved our church family and school, my wonderful house, and didn't want to leave. But, the possibility of fewer deployments, of having my husband home more, was something we couldn't turn down. Nothing in this life is worth more than having our family together. So, we said to put us in the slot for Grand Forks AFB, ND. We were told that if in fact it did go through, his training would be at Beale AFB starting in November. So, we thought we had plenty of time to get ready once receiving the final assignment sometime in the summer. But of course, it didn't happen that way.
First of all, they said that if we were going to get the assignment, we would get it by the end of June. Well, that came and went, and no assignment. So, Nathan checked into it, and they were still handing out assignments, and we would get our assignment by mid July. Well, to make a long story short, we got our assignment at the end of July....and we had to be in CA for training at the beginning of October. CRAZY!!! We had seven weeks total to get everything ready to move. And, our vacation to Florida was scheduled during that time. But, we made it happen, and we left our beloved home in Warner Robins, GA on September 15th. Just before leaving town, we found a nice military couple to rent our home for their stay in Warner Robins. So, at least that it all taken care of.
So, where are we now? We are living in a small three bedroom TLF (Temporary Lodging Facility) on base here at Beale AFB. But, I am not complaining. We are all together. Nathan is learning a new aircraft. One that will provide a great skill for him when we leave the Air Force. We will be moving to Grand Forks, ND in January. That should be fun...and COLD!!! We are homeschooling Brianna (2nd grade) and Nate (Kindergarten). That just made more sense than them being in three schools within one school year. And, we are loving homeschooling. Both kids are doing so well. Brianna is so smart and does most of her work cheerfully and with ease. Nate, on the other hand, doesn't love school, but he really is doing well. He surprises me with how easily he is picking up reading. We have only consistently done homeschool for a little over a month, but he is already reading simple words. We have found a nice little church here with many families with small children, which is great for us. We know that we are right where the Lord wants us. We miss our real families as well as our church family in GA so much, but we know that the Lord had us there for a specific time and purpose, and now He has a new place for us to serve. We are excited about what our future holds.
Sunday, October 7, 2012
It's been a while...
I couldn't believe when I logged onto my blog that it has been over a year since I last posted. But, in my defense, it has been quite a year. I have so much that I feel that the Lord has put on my heart to say, but let me first just catch you up on what has happened in our lives.
First, I believe I left off right after Nathan had come home from a deployment. That was my first deployment with four kids, and I remember that it was difficult. But, the Lord was probably just preparing me for what what to come in the next year. Nathan got home in June of 2011, and we had a great summer together. That school year Brianna was in first grade and Nate went to K4 three days a week. Brianna did really well in school, as always, but Nate struggled. I don't know why...he loved his teachers, but I think he is just really shy and he doesn't handle it when things don't go his way. And, well, last year nothing went our way, it seemed.
Let me back up just slightly to let you know that that summer my Granny passed away. This was the first person that I was really close to that had passed away. It was a really hard time, but it was also good because we know that she is in heaven with her Father and that she is no longer suffering. But, she was just the first of my grandparents to go home.
On my 33rd birthday, I was diagnosed with advanced arthritis in my back and hips. They told me my back was completely messed up and that I had the back of a fifty something year old woman. That is a pretty hard thing to swallow, especially being the mom of a six, four, two year old and an infant. But, we have just been trying to handle it as naturally as possible, knowing that it will progress and pain treatments will be in my future. We are just trying to prolong that as much as possible.
So, about mid December my back went out completely. We were in the middle of the Christmas party and events and field trips time, and I could not walk. I was flat on my back for about two weeks. Thank the Lord for my church family who chipped in and helped watch the kids and bring kids home from school, etc. I could not have done it without them. But, about four days before Christmas, I was feeling good enough to get out and run all my Christmas errands. And, believe me, I had a lot. So, I had a babysitter come over and she watched the kids all day. I shopped and got groceries, etc. We had a Christmas party that night, and I bought a new dress to wear. I got home and baked a cake for the party. I was getting ready to get ready for the party when Nathan called. I just remember that he said, "Beth, hold on to your heart." I sat down on our bed and he proceeded to tell me that he was deploying, and he was leaving that night. He told me he would be home in an hour and he would have to leave by about 9pm. So, after bawling my eyes out, I got my act together, and wrapped his Christmas presents. Luckily, I had wrapped to kids the night before. When he got home, we told the kids he was leaving, and we were celebrating Christmas that night. We ordered pizza, got everything together, and started. Nathan's phone kept ringing, but I didn't pay to much attention. When we were finished with our Christmas "celebration" it was about 7pm, and he told me they called and he had to leave NOW. Less than three hours from the initial phone call, and he was gone. It was the worst day, EVER. When we were all done crying, I called my Daddy. I told him what happened, and he didn't miss a beat. He said, get your stuff together, we're coming to get you and bring you home for Chrismas. He also told me to call someone from my church to come over to help me. So, I called Mrs. Pam, and she and Mike came over immediately and stayed with us all evening, until we were ready to go. What a blessing! My parents and Brooke left at 3am to come get us. We left about 6:30 in the morning, and we met in Mississippi. Brooke drove the kids and I all the way back to OK. I can't say enough about my family and what they did for the kids and I last Christmas. Britt and Lauren went to Mom and Dad's and cleaned to whole house and grocery shopped and the even went and got presents for the kids to have under the tree. It was a hard Christmas, but it was good to be with family. I tried to take the kids to church on Christmas day, but it was just too much for me. Everyone was so happy, and to be honest, I wasn't. I was grateful for so many things, but it was just hard. I left the church with the kids, and as we left we passed the nursing home my Nanny lived in. All I wanted to do at that moment was go cry on my Nanny's lap, but I didn't want to drag all the kids in there with me while I was bawling my eyes out. So I didn't. That is something I will forever regret not doing.
Between Christmas and New Year's we went to Colorado Springs to visit my sister with my parents. We had a great time and I was feeling much better and Mom was going to go back to GA with me and stay for a while to help out. We returned from CO on a Friday and we were going to head to GA on Sunday. But, early Saturday morning I heard my mom's phone ring. Way too early for it to be anything good. It was my aunt, and the nursing home had called her because my Nanny was having a really hard time breathing. She had COPD, and she was having serious complications. Too make a long story short, they took her to the hospital, and the prognosis was not good. Basically, there was nothing they could do and it was just a matter of time. They moved her back to the nursing home where she was given a private room and the 24 hour watch began. My mom and her siblings stayed with her non-stop. In the mean time, Dad, Brooke, Bryce and three of my children all got sick with the flu. I was so thankful I was there to take care of my Mom's house and family for her while she took care of her mom. And, then she got sick, and I was able to care for her as well. It was only by the grace of the Lord that I did not get sick. I literally prayed constantly that He would sustain me and not let me get sick, and He was faithful, as always. My Nanny passed away that Wednesday morning. She went peacefully and I am certain that she too is in heaven with her heavenly Father.
I made it back to GA for the next week of school. The kids had only missed a couple of days, and things went well. My church was wonderful! They provided meals for us, helped clean my house and watch the kids. It is truly great to see the church at work....in your own home. I was teaching a Bible study on James and the Lord knew that it was just as much for me as anyone else. A few weeks later I mentioned during Bible Study that my grandfather wasn't doing well. One of my ladies came up to me afterward and reminded me she was from OK, and if anything happened, let her know and she would help me go back. I thanked her thinking nothing better happen, but of course, it did.
The next day, my dad called to say my mom was in the hospital with chest pains and they were running tests. I stayed put in GA waiting to see if I would need to go to OK. Mom ended up being OK and that everything was stress related. Then Sunday morning my sister called to tell me my Grandpa had passed away. He was just ready to go home and see his Father and Granny. I called my dear friend Lori, and we made plans to go to OK that week. Monday my mom called to tell me my other grandfather was going to have an emergency pacemaker put in his heart the next day, because if they didn't he might not make it through the week. So, as I headed out on Tuesday my only remaining grandfather was going into surgery. He made it through, and I informed him when I got there that he was not allowed to pass away until Nathan got home. He is still alive...and doing pretty well. Please pray for him. He is the only grandparent whom I do not believe is a believer.
During that time, I questioned God. Why all of this at once? Why all of this while Nathan was gone? Why did Nathan even have to go in the first place? But, I now will end this forever long post with a verse from my study on James.
"Consider it all joy, my brethren, when you encounter various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance. And let endurance have its perfect result, so that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing." James 1:2-4
I was encountering trials to be sure, and I pray that I glorified the Lord through them. I would say that it was the hardest time of my life. Those two months Nathan was gone I went through so much. But, I think I needed Nathan to be gone for it, so that my trust and dependence had to be totally on the Lord Jesus Christ.
Tune in soon for what has happened since...it is a roller coaster!!!
First, I believe I left off right after Nathan had come home from a deployment. That was my first deployment with four kids, and I remember that it was difficult. But, the Lord was probably just preparing me for what what to come in the next year. Nathan got home in June of 2011, and we had a great summer together. That school year Brianna was in first grade and Nate went to K4 three days a week. Brianna did really well in school, as always, but Nate struggled. I don't know why...he loved his teachers, but I think he is just really shy and he doesn't handle it when things don't go his way. And, well, last year nothing went our way, it seemed.
Let me back up just slightly to let you know that that summer my Granny passed away. This was the first person that I was really close to that had passed away. It was a really hard time, but it was also good because we know that she is in heaven with her Father and that she is no longer suffering. But, she was just the first of my grandparents to go home.
On my 33rd birthday, I was diagnosed with advanced arthritis in my back and hips. They told me my back was completely messed up and that I had the back of a fifty something year old woman. That is a pretty hard thing to swallow, especially being the mom of a six, four, two year old and an infant. But, we have just been trying to handle it as naturally as possible, knowing that it will progress and pain treatments will be in my future. We are just trying to prolong that as much as possible.
So, about mid December my back went out completely. We were in the middle of the Christmas party and events and field trips time, and I could not walk. I was flat on my back for about two weeks. Thank the Lord for my church family who chipped in and helped watch the kids and bring kids home from school, etc. I could not have done it without them. But, about four days before Christmas, I was feeling good enough to get out and run all my Christmas errands. And, believe me, I had a lot. So, I had a babysitter come over and she watched the kids all day. I shopped and got groceries, etc. We had a Christmas party that night, and I bought a new dress to wear. I got home and baked a cake for the party. I was getting ready to get ready for the party when Nathan called. I just remember that he said, "Beth, hold on to your heart." I sat down on our bed and he proceeded to tell me that he was deploying, and he was leaving that night. He told me he would be home in an hour and he would have to leave by about 9pm. So, after bawling my eyes out, I got my act together, and wrapped his Christmas presents. Luckily, I had wrapped to kids the night before. When he got home, we told the kids he was leaving, and we were celebrating Christmas that night. We ordered pizza, got everything together, and started. Nathan's phone kept ringing, but I didn't pay to much attention. When we were finished with our Christmas "celebration" it was about 7pm, and he told me they called and he had to leave NOW. Less than three hours from the initial phone call, and he was gone. It was the worst day, EVER. When we were all done crying, I called my Daddy. I told him what happened, and he didn't miss a beat. He said, get your stuff together, we're coming to get you and bring you home for Chrismas. He also told me to call someone from my church to come over to help me. So, I called Mrs. Pam, and she and Mike came over immediately and stayed with us all evening, until we were ready to go. What a blessing! My parents and Brooke left at 3am to come get us. We left about 6:30 in the morning, and we met in Mississippi. Brooke drove the kids and I all the way back to OK. I can't say enough about my family and what they did for the kids and I last Christmas. Britt and Lauren went to Mom and Dad's and cleaned to whole house and grocery shopped and the even went and got presents for the kids to have under the tree. It was a hard Christmas, but it was good to be with family. I tried to take the kids to church on Christmas day, but it was just too much for me. Everyone was so happy, and to be honest, I wasn't. I was grateful for so many things, but it was just hard. I left the church with the kids, and as we left we passed the nursing home my Nanny lived in. All I wanted to do at that moment was go cry on my Nanny's lap, but I didn't want to drag all the kids in there with me while I was bawling my eyes out. So I didn't. That is something I will forever regret not doing.
Between Christmas and New Year's we went to Colorado Springs to visit my sister with my parents. We had a great time and I was feeling much better and Mom was going to go back to GA with me and stay for a while to help out. We returned from CO on a Friday and we were going to head to GA on Sunday. But, early Saturday morning I heard my mom's phone ring. Way too early for it to be anything good. It was my aunt, and the nursing home had called her because my Nanny was having a really hard time breathing. She had COPD, and she was having serious complications. Too make a long story short, they took her to the hospital, and the prognosis was not good. Basically, there was nothing they could do and it was just a matter of time. They moved her back to the nursing home where she was given a private room and the 24 hour watch began. My mom and her siblings stayed with her non-stop. In the mean time, Dad, Brooke, Bryce and three of my children all got sick with the flu. I was so thankful I was there to take care of my Mom's house and family for her while she took care of her mom. And, then she got sick, and I was able to care for her as well. It was only by the grace of the Lord that I did not get sick. I literally prayed constantly that He would sustain me and not let me get sick, and He was faithful, as always. My Nanny passed away that Wednesday morning. She went peacefully and I am certain that she too is in heaven with her heavenly Father.
I made it back to GA for the next week of school. The kids had only missed a couple of days, and things went well. My church was wonderful! They provided meals for us, helped clean my house and watch the kids. It is truly great to see the church at work....in your own home. I was teaching a Bible study on James and the Lord knew that it was just as much for me as anyone else. A few weeks later I mentioned during Bible Study that my grandfather wasn't doing well. One of my ladies came up to me afterward and reminded me she was from OK, and if anything happened, let her know and she would help me go back. I thanked her thinking nothing better happen, but of course, it did.
The next day, my dad called to say my mom was in the hospital with chest pains and they were running tests. I stayed put in GA waiting to see if I would need to go to OK. Mom ended up being OK and that everything was stress related. Then Sunday morning my sister called to tell me my Grandpa had passed away. He was just ready to go home and see his Father and Granny. I called my dear friend Lori, and we made plans to go to OK that week. Monday my mom called to tell me my other grandfather was going to have an emergency pacemaker put in his heart the next day, because if they didn't he might not make it through the week. So, as I headed out on Tuesday my only remaining grandfather was going into surgery. He made it through, and I informed him when I got there that he was not allowed to pass away until Nathan got home. He is still alive...and doing pretty well. Please pray for him. He is the only grandparent whom I do not believe is a believer.
During that time, I questioned God. Why all of this at once? Why all of this while Nathan was gone? Why did Nathan even have to go in the first place? But, I now will end this forever long post with a verse from my study on James.
"Consider it all joy, my brethren, when you encounter various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance. And let endurance have its perfect result, so that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing." James 1:2-4
I was encountering trials to be sure, and I pray that I glorified the Lord through them. I would say that it was the hardest time of my life. Those two months Nathan was gone I went through so much. But, I think I needed Nathan to be gone for it, so that my trust and dependence had to be totally on the Lord Jesus Christ.
Tune in soon for what has happened since...it is a roller coaster!!!
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