He Wants to Bottle His Life!

One of the dangerous things about blogs is that they can potentially show only the highlights of life and perhaps not give a true representation of what it is really like over here.  But once in awhile, the side it shows is really how it is!  Take Saturday for instance....

My husband sat down when the day was over and said to me, "I wish I could just bottle my life and sell it....."  He had had a fantastic day!  It sure wasn't a typical Saturday, compared to how we used to spend our Saturdays.

It started with us standing in the kitchen around 8:30 am or so looking outside at the all the snow falling, watching how slow the cars drove by.  I noticed one car, driving particularly slowly and even mentioned it, "Look at how slow that car is going.  Wow, it's going so slow it looks like it might actually stop and turn around.  No wait, it's pulling in our driveway.  Someone's here!"  It was our neighbour, hadn't recognized the car.  I think we get watched waaaay more than we realize.  "Did you know your horse was out, the blondie?"  "No!  Thanks!  How did she do that?!"  Off she went, leaving us to deal with a loose horse.

Fortunately this horse is very docile, unlike the bad minis we have, and she didn't even run away when RM approached her.  We had the fence turned off and she figured that out.  In fact, she may have had that figured out for awhile as there had been evidence of her doing this before, but we wrote it off in our minds thinking, "Couldn't be...."  Sure enough, later on that day, we actually watched how she did it - caught her red-hoofed!  She lifts the top wire with her nose, then she steps carefully out with one hoof after another and ducks under the fence.  RM saw her out later on that day and as she caught his eye, she literally looked nervous knowing she was in trouble and that's when he saw how she got back in!  Funny horse.  Needless to say, the fence is back on.  That was just in the first hour of waking up, no coffee even yet!

Shortly after that, I stuffed some breakfast in him and the older boys and off they went to load a trailer full of hay, 50 bales to a customer about 15 minutes away.  This is part of the reason he loves living here - it gets him outside and active.  He gets to work hard alongside his boys.  When he worked in Toronto at a desk, he suffered.  I think his health would have seriously deteriorated if he had stayed there.  Even though he does have arthritis in a toe joint or two, getting out there, being active has helped him so much.

He left the boys with me thinking he'd be able to handle the actual delivery on his own, but it ended up being quite the experience.  After he got back, he walked in and with a loud voice said, "Would anyone like to know how my day has been??!!!!  Someone needs to ask me how my day was???!!!" "Uh, yes, Daddy, how was your day?"  "Thank you for asking.  Let me tell you about it!"  He was red and sweaty and clearly things hadn't gone as smoothly as he hoped.  Horse people, it turns out, aren't very helpful when it comes to delivery hay.  They expect it delivered right into their barn, even if they could help lift it, they don't.  And if you get your truck and trailer stuck, they tend to stand around and watch.  That's what happened.  Finally some grandpa who lived there helped him out with a tractor, but he would have been stuck there all day if he hadn't done most of it himself.  It was quite the ordeal.  But get this, he loved it.  He said he loves going to see other people's farms and how they organize them, the lay out, etc.  Even pushing his trailer around surprised himself as his strength has definitely improved since we moved here.  I do admire a lot more muscles around here......

The day was only half over.  At 2 pm we were expecting a family to come over to train us on how to prune the grapes.  We've made the crazy decision to not rent out the grapes to our neighbour this year. He pays us diddly-squat  (great word) and it won't hurt us in the slightest even if we do nothing with them.  But the grapes need pruning and trust me, we have no idea what we're doing.  It just so happens we have a friend who had a grape farm when he was growing up and when we asked his wife if he could train us, she was certain he would love to show us what to do.  So his whole family came over and, with all the pruners, off they went - in the snow!  All the pruning has to be done in either the fall or the dead of winter before the buds come.  We're already getting a little close to March, so snow couldn't deter us.  This will be one of the ventures we take on this summer at the farmer's markets, selling grapes, or possibly a u-pick or even selling to a grape buyer.  We'll see.  It'll take one person a full day to prune one row and we have 23 rows, so we're easily looking at the next month before it's done with all the kids helping.  Should be interesting!

The men and older kids were out there for several hours learning how to do this.  So many Biblical thoughts ran through my mind all day as they are pruning the plant so that it will produce more fruit. They cut back so far it looks like it couldn't possibly ever come back, but it does.  God's pruning, as we all know, is just like that - it hurts so much yet it always produces fruit, doesn't it?

After a long while in the cold, they came back in looking for dinner.  We all ate and then visited until late into the night.  Our friends didn't know RM and my daughter still had music practice ahead of them!  Once they left, he picked up his guitar and "S" went to the piano and they quickly did a short practice (as they were leading worship together the next day) before he flopped back on the couch and that's when he said he wanted to bottle his life!  My dad called in the middle of all this and probably thought he'd find us getting ready for bed.  I heard my husband say to him, "You have no idea all the balls I've been juggling today."

It was one busy day.  But he loved every active minute of it.  Of course the challenges of life still exist and I'll still make sure to write about those things, too, but I'm noticing that even the challenges can be positives (like being stuck in the snow - he found out he was no weakling!).  It really is up to me to keep my outlook forever turned heavenwards.  Then, the challenges we have during the day are immediately seen for what they are meant to develop in us - perseverance, endurance, patience...all that fruit we wish could come without the pruning!  Perhaps we won't be able to bottle his life.  We don't have to.  Each one of us has this same fulfilling life right where we are.

One-liners....

Here are a few things you would have heard if you'd been a fly on the wall in our house this week:

To my 6 year old girl, after being asked to do a chore she didn't like to do, "Please don't growl, it's not very feminine.

During family worship, from my 4 year old (of course), while praying, "Dear Lord, please help me not to be like "B" (our two year old).  Will everyone be quiet!  I'm trying to pray!!!  And Lord, please help Mom to stop laughing so hard." Seriously, he said all that in one breath....

"J, (speaking once again to the 4 year old), if you keep doing that, I'm going to explode!"  "Ok, go ahead!"  Clearly, he wanted to see me explode!

That's only a few of the great quotes of the week.

These kids keep me on my toes and on my knees!

Cats and Kittens, a Blessing from Above?

Our spazzy kitten is missing this morning.  This kitten keeps us entertained, no joke, for hours. He is the son of the other two cats we own, so we have a happy family of 3 cats, all related.  The male cat is the one who was stolen, neutered, vaccinated and then, ha, returned to us, to stay.  He's a huge cat. The mother cat is a tiny little thing and, surprise, surprise, is pregnant again.  I envy this cat - she takes the baby weight off fast and is very fertile, clearly.  The kitten is tiny like his mom and was literally the runt of the litter.  He tries to beat up his dad all the time and I'm telling you, there is no funnier thing in the world to watch.

Since his dad got neutered, sorry to say, he's lost all his manliness and fights like a....neutered cat. Before, he could have taken on a lion and won.  Now he gets beat up by this little son of his and we all sit around and laugh our heads off.

First, we help the fight get started by putting them in the same room.  It doesn't take too long after that.  The little rascal will jump on his dad's head.  The dad is so tolerant of this and will lie there for the first few minutes just taking it, but eventually, enough is enough and he suddenly turns on his son and the fight has begun.

We shut the baby gate and the other door and they can't escape.  Then we just sit back, watch, and howl.  It is truly one of the funniest things to watch as this tiny little kitten attacks this massive cat. Jump after jump onto the back of this beast, just to fall off and do it again. Then, we joke, it turns into "all-terrain" fighting where the big cat tries to get away from his annoying son and starts climbing the furniture.  The little cat loves this.  Then he scampers up the couch and leaps onto the big cat from a higher position.  The big cat has the ability to finish the little one off in one fell swoop, but never does.  It's almost as if they know this is just for fun and that they have an audience.

We film it, it's that funny.  We started talking that it must be like what the Romans used to do, putting these sorry people in the middle of the Coleseum with lions and then considering it entertainment!  I guess we aren't much better, oh dear.

This little cat is quite the wimp with the cold weather and absolutely stays inside.  The older cats both wander around outside for a few minutes and then come back in eventually.  My kids figure the little guy needs "character training".  This involves 2 minutes of standing outside and then back in. Yesterday, he was taken out for his training session and then the kids either forgot about him or he found a spot in the barn to hang out, but he spent the whole night outside.  Fortunately it wasn't as cold as the rest of the week, so I can only assume he'll show up sometime this morning, but boy, oh boy, our house will not be the same if something happened to him.

How does this possibly tie-in to debt-reduction????  Because these fluffy balls of fur are gifts from God!  We absolutely love them and the hilarious personalities they have!  We see them as an amazing way that God blesses us, for free, with their circus acts they perform each day (sometimes twice a day!)  We laugh and laugh and never tire of their antics.  We don't have to leave our house for this - we have a regular performance every day.  Even writing about it shows me how important it is to count even these little blessings.  The cats add so much to our life - our home is certainly busy and fun without them, but it is even funnier with them!

We're already looking forward to the next set of kittens so much.  You want humour?  Get 5 kittens in a room, shut all the gates again and watch out for a barrel of laughs as they attack each other and fall all over the place only to get up and do it all again.  They never seem to tire of it and yet suddenly, you look over and they are all dead asleep.  It's the funniest thing.

So, I can find joy even in cats.  Being debt-free would bring us even more joy, but in the meantime, we've got cats!

We've been praying about garage doors for awhile and asking the Lord for a way to pay for them as they are becoming vitally necessary to RM getting his work done in the shop. When my husband went into his shop the day of the snowstorm, he could have sworn it had gone on inside the shop as there was as much snow inside as outside!  But then, a couple of neat work-related things have shown us that maybe there is a way God is going to provide the money to pay for these doors after all.

He recently finished a contract where the people he worked for were very pleased with his work. They asked for a quote on some other work and, get this, they said they'll pay him in advance and he can do the work at his leisure!  Who ever says that????  In advance?  Never.

Then, several years ago when we built the house we had to pay a deposit on the land we bough to get it graded, etc.  We were always supposed to get that money back and we fought for it for a long time even considering small claims court as we were getting nowhere with the people we were dealing with.  Then yesterday, out of the blue, RM decided to give one more call to the contractor.  Somehow he actually got in touch with him and the guy knew exactly what RM was talking about and said he would look into it.  It sounded very positive.  If that money came back to us along with the other contract, the doors could be paid for.  It would sure be interesting if that happened as we thought we needed that money a long time ago.  Maybe God had it set aside for us all along, knowing when we would need it most?

When we were at this 60s party the other night it was at a friend's house that had recently moved. Their other house that they had moved from was something else.  It was huge, totally renovated with a glam kitchen, perfect landscaping, a pool, etc.  They only had two girls living at home and they felt it was time to downsize.  With the sale of that home they would be able to completely pay off their mortgage.  They did it.

Their new house is on a much bigger property in a very beautiful area, but it is a much smaller home and doesn't have quite the glam, though they've renovated it, too (debt-free, I might add).  I asked them about their new philosophy and the husband simply said, "It just makes sense!  Why would you do anything on credit?"  He was very matter-of-fact.  The house is much smaller, but they don't need more space.  The husband joked, "I'm not worried anymore if I lose my job.  I have no expenses to worry about."  In fact, he had lost his job recently and they celebrated by going on a cruise!  Who can do that????????  I want to be able to celebrate like that!

We thought going to that party would have just been a little night out, but God uses everything.  We ended up leaving that evening with another dose of inspiration to stay on track.  And so we will....

College-at-Home, End of January, and Buying a Home Debt-Free

A new week - hopefully less busy than last, though I enjoyed every minute.  The panel we were on went extremely well, the house was packed, full of young moms and a couple dads who all had very young children, wanting to make the best decision for their child's education and future.  I knew it would be hard for me to not monopolize the conversation.  I had to seriously work at it.  I smiled at some of the questions.  We let two of the older children sit in on the event.  One of the dads asked the kids a couple questions, "So, who are your friends?"  In other words, "Do you have any?  Or do you just sit at home all day and not meet anyone?"  This dad, we found out, told his wife the reason he doesn't want to homeschool his kids is because he doesn't want them to turn out weird.  I may have weird kids, but I think it's in a good way, personally.  In fact, I joke with my husband that we actually want them to turn out weird!  Not conforming to all those around them, so yes, my kids might turn out weird, but that's fine with me. 

All in all, each question got answered and I think each parent there breathed a sigh of relief to meet people they could see in real life who didnt have horns growing out of their heads.... One mom bounded over to me and said, "I need to spend a lot of time with you.  My husband needs to come, too.  Can we please come over to your house?"  Of course.  So, I'm expecting a few visits this spring. But, again, I love that.

On Saturday, we went to a friend's 50th birthday party (we're getting up there, too!).  It was a 60s theme, as she was born in the 60s!  What a hoot - I borrowed a couple outfits from a friend and went in a vintage style dress with vintage hair and makeup.  My husband looked hilarious.  He had peace-patch pants, tie-die shirt and a bandana wrapped around his head - very hippie looking.  He even dyed his soul-patch beard with my mascara so he looked even younger.  I laughed out loud every time I saw him.

My 6 year old is quite tired of me leaving so much, so I think it'll be a quieter week at home, I hope.

Today is a very significant day for us, not just because it is Groundhog Day (ha!), but because today our daughter starts college!  Sounds crazy, but it's true!  We heard about CollegePlus (a distance learning degree program) before and looked into it a bit, but in November a friend of ours actually came down and gave a presentation on it as she is enrolled in the program herself.  It started to really intrigue us.  Our daughter had already decided to pursue piano and get the highest credentials she could.  She'd already been teaching, but we were noticing it wasn't taking as much time in her week as we thought.  She actually had a fair amount of spare time.

This degree program is offered with a Christian worldview.  It also allows her to get a Bachelor of Arts in music.  The more we looked into it, the more it appealed to us.  She is a very bright girl and longs to understand more about the faiths around her.  She wants to share her faith with others.  She was starting to feel she could take on more.  So, we took the leap and enrolled.  Her first exam is Wednesday and it's on critical thinking - CollegePlus is just that - college "plus" - she'll come out of this program with way more than just a degree in music.  She'll have her faith grounded in knowledge.  They make sure of it.

She also will be acquiring a coach in her life.  This is a young lady who knows the ins and outs of CollegePlus.  She'll call our daughter twice a month and mentor her through her courses.  This month her plan will be to create a degree plan with her.  They'll map out the classes that will best suit her, etc.  

By staying home, she can save a ton of money.  She'll still be able to have her students come to our house for lessons.  She'll be able to avoid some of the pitfalls of university, yet still get a recognized degree.  She'll still meet a lot of people as once in a while all the CollegePlus students connect, so that'll be fun.  The program also offers a whole bunch of interesting electives on being an entrepreneur as well, so that'll fit her piano teaching/photography business that she is pursuing already.  She'll be able to go as fast as she wants and if she goes through the summer, she could be done anywhere from 2-3 years.  She's starting very young as they allow younger students.  They figure they wouldn't be applying if they couldn't keep up, I guess!  So she'll be done by the time she's 20.  Her faith will be strengthened as a result of taking the courses on worldview....the list goes on and on.  She's got the time to do this now.  We're excited for her!

One of the things we like best about her choices is that she can still be a wife and mom.  Even if she were to marry in this process, she'll still be able to be at home with her kids, have students come to her, help supplement her husband's income if required, minister to the homeschool community by even offering lessons to them, etc.  That was definitely one of our concerns.  We wanted to give her an education for sure, but we didn't want her to become so career-oriented that she wouldn't be able to be home one day.  We long for her to love being a wife and mom and she wants that, too.  My mom was home with us which I think really gave me an appetite for that as well.  I went to university and even became a teacher, but the whole time, I just kept thinking about getting married and being a mom.  The day I found out I was pregnant with my first child was awesome - it was my ticket out of the classroom!  I couldn't wait to get home and be a mom.

We already have her piano studio set up.  Now we just have to move a desk and computer in there as most of it will be on-line.  Her brothers are being very gracious as the loft room above the piano was going to be their's for sleeping once RM got a rail and a staircase to it, but it looks like she'll be taking it over as her new "dorm".  She can't wait!  Financially, this is going to be a stretch, but we're trusting the Lord brought us here and that He will be faithful to help us pay for it all.

Yesterday also marked the beginning of a new month, but the end of January.  I diligently entered all the grocery bills all month and so now we'll do the assessment of where we saved and spent.  My grocery budget wasn't that high this month as I hardly had to buy any meat.  I suppose I should have included the amount of money spent on slaughtering, so perhaps in the end I didn't save as much as it appears, but at least we ate better meat!  I like the illusion of saving money just as much!

We continue to read the Maxwell's book "Buying a House Debt-free",  It's so inspiring to read the stories of just regular guys who got inspired to do this and then how God blessed their efforts by providing amazing opportunities.  The key we noticed was how prayerful they were.  Each of the Maxwell boys who did this (so far, the older 3 boys have bought homes debt-free, with cash!  The younger 2 are well on their way at only 19 and 23) were always praying along with the parents.  We had each child, including the 4 year old, pray, asking the Lord to show them how they could do this, how they could make an income that would provide for their families one day.  They were all very excited.  I live in constant anticipation to see how this will work out in their lives someday.

Now, a snowstorm is upon us...our vehicles are deeply covered with high drifts.  I'd send the kids out, but they might not find their way back home!  I'm sure the school buses must be cancelled as I haven't seen one go by yet....oh well, for our poor kids, school is on!

Facing Opposition as We Rebuild the Walls

My friend who just had her 8th child, her 4th boy, was given a great honour by some of us - she joined the "Mom of 4 or More Boys Club", created by some other friends of mine who have 4 or more boys as well.  This honour meant she got a special gift for only moms of 4 or more boys.  It included a box of bandaids, $5 meant for emergency room parking, a penny for their thoughts (as they won't tell her much what they are always thinking), etc., etc.....I thought this was a very clever idea.  Now that I have 5 boys myself, I get it - especially the $5 emergency room parking cause that's where I spent a lot of time on Wednesday!  And you guessed it, with the 4 year old....

The unique and funny thing was that it wasn't because he was up to his usual antics at all!  He was in fact just sitting.  No one was in the room - it went from perfectly quiet to screaming in a matter of seconds.  One of the other kids ran in first as I usually don't run - I always wait to see if it is a "true" cry and most of the time, it's not real, or I wait for, "Mom! There's blood!"  This time, I heard cry #1 and thought, "Hmmm... that sounded bad," then silence, as he caught his breath for wail #2. When I heard that cry, I ran.  I was just around the corner and was there in a matter of seconds to find him on the floor, in a snake suit, holding his head, screaming.  He took off his hand as he felt his own blood and that's when I realized, "How in the world????  He's hurt bad."

I took him to the sink, got a cloth, and calmly demonstrated to the other children how to get a wound to stop bleeding!  It was quite helpful, I think, to show them how to do this for their own first aid one day!  It stopped fairly quickly.  I took a look and saw what looked like a hole.  He had punctured his head on what?  He was calming down, so we asked him to explain what had happened.  He had been just sitting on the chair near a stool, then somehow his foot got caught under the rug and it made him lose his balance (I'm totally guessing as it makes no sense....) causing him to come down hard on a soft cushion!  I'm serious, he hurt his head on a soft cushion - well, ok, not entirely, but under the soft cushion, is a corner on the stool and sure enough, he found the only part that could hurt him and wham - punctured his little head.

Shortly after, Daddy came in - we assessed and decided it would probably need a stitch or two.  So off we went, in his snake suit, to the emergency room.  Within 3 hours he was all taken care of - no stitch, just a butterfly bandage squeezing the skin together to cover up the hole that would have been there.

What was interesting during this whole experience, especially upon reflection, was the timing of this whole event.  It took place on the night when we would be giving a talk on creating a vision for your family.  This is quite typical we found out, once we became members of the board.  Apparently each monthly meeting, the board members would recount their days and they would realize the spiritual attacks had intensified on the night when they would be hosting a meeting - we soon found this, too. The dog attacks on our property had been on the night of our homeschool meeting, too.  The only way to really account for this, other than coincidence, is to realize Satan hates what we are about and anything he could do to mess that up he'll try.  It didn't totally work though as I know people were praying that day.  I was able to remain calm which is shocking - normally I wouldn't be able to handle blood and mess that well.  We were able to get care fairly quickly.  We still managed to get the talk finished, though it wasn't perhaps as polished as it could have been.  All in all it was a great night.

After many many weeks of talking and praying about what we wanted to say, my husband and I finally decided we would focus on Nehemiah.  That book gives an incredible example of a man who had a vision for rebuilding the walls of Jerusalem and despite opposition, went ahead and achieved the goal.  This was what my husband tried to communicate as well to the parents that came that night. I may leave out a point here or there, but this, in essence, was what he said..

First, Nehemiah had a burden.  The walls of Jerusalem were broken down.  His first action was to fast and pray.  Then he repented, on behalf of the nation of Israel.  His tremendous sadness was noticed by the king and he was asked about it.  Nehemiah told him what was concerning him.  He asked if he could leave his important job to finish the rebuilding of the walls.  Amazingly, the king let him go with the resources he would need and all the time he would need.  Off Nehemiah went.  He first assessed the situation by going around the whole city and seeing how bad it was.  Then he made a plan and had each family rebuild a part of the wall. Opposition began almost immediately, but this didn't stop the work, it only slowed it down temporarily as then he set it up so that some families kept working, while others kept guard.  The people were afraid and wanted to quit, but Nehemiah reminded them of the vision, to fight in the strength of the Lord. The goal was finally achieved, but the city was never as grand as it had been - there were consequences for the nation's sin.  Then, to Nehemiah's dismay, Israel fell back into their own patterns of behaviour.  To keep the new walls built, it meant constant watching and correcting of Israel.  They couldn't be left on their own.

The parallels are amazing.  We, too, as parents, have a burden - we want our children saved.  We want them to have godly spouses, godly offspring and not just this generation, but many generations to come.  We want to educate our children to be able to provide for their families.  We want them to be debt-free and have no bondage in their lives financially.  So, what do we do?  We fast and pray. We encouraged the parents to assess their lives and what their burdens are, especially for their children and then to stop and take it to the Lord and pray.  For those who have never fasted before we encouraged them to do this.  Fasting will reveal the plan God has for us on how to get rid of the burden.  It was the first time some had considered this. 

Then, we said, repent.  Repent of anything that comes to your mind, any area where you've fallen short, perhaps in the decisions you've made in the past, or anything that may be creating this burden you have.  Then, like Nehemiah, go to the King, the true King, the Lord of this earth and ask for His help.  Our King will give us the resources and time we need to accomplish His will.  Like Nehemiah, it'll mean assessing the situation, going around our "walls" and finding where they are broken down in our lives.  Then, as families, we'll need to rebuild these walls.  But, we reminded everyone there, opposition will come, the naysayers who will hear about your vision for your family and they'll tell you what you are doing is wrong or they'll make fun of you.  There are times when we, too, will have fear.  We will want to quit.  It's hard to take sometimes, but we can't let it stop the work of rebuilding - we must persevere.  And we must stand guard for each other! Finally, the walls will be rebuilt - we'll be sending our children out into the world.  Our job will be done, but we never stop being parents.  We must be there if they fall into old patterns or if we, as parents, fall into old patterns. We're all so prone to that, just like the Israelites.

Finally, we talked about how this is being fleshed out in our family, how we are taking our burdens to the Lord, how we have fasted and prayed, asked God for a plan, assessed the situation, grabbed the necessary resources, fought against opposition, corrected, adjusted and monitored each decision as we went along.....it's a lot of work being a parent to 8 souls!

The book of Nehemiah is a great encouragement - so much can be gained by studying it. We just scratched the surface of this amazing book.  As usual, whenever we are required to put something together, like this talk on vision, we are the ones who truly benefit.  We gained so much by talking through it together.  

Meanwhile,  Little J is well on the road to recovery - some might think I over-spiritualized the situation, maybe, but I don't think so.  I think it was like the opposition Nehemiah experienced, trying to derail us before meeting with a group of parents that are trying to rebuild walls in their families' lives.  I'm glad it wasn't anything more serious.

So, tonight, it'll be with a group of seeking parents, wondering if homeschooling is for them.  I'll be praying all day for spiritual protection as once again we head into battle...

Not Just For Today, But For Eternity

What do you do when you get woken up at 3 am and then can't fall back asleep until 5 am, right when your alarm is supposed to go off?  You turn off the alarm and sleep in, that's what you do and trust me, I did it.  Thank goodness for homeschooling....an extremely wonderful side benefit if it's a bad night.

This week my husband and I have two amazing opportunities to talk to two different groups of folks about homeschooling.  Tonight we'll be speaking to our homeschool support group about having a vision for your family and homeschooling.  My husband will be trying to encourage the people who come out to not just think about homeschooling with a "let's just get through the week" type of attitude, but "let's think about the end goal - keeping our children's hearts for today and for eternity". Normally we have only a handful of guys that come out, the rest are women, but this week we sent out an email appealing to the men to be there, too.

Our family will be what we call the "feature family" where we will discuss how we vision as a couple for our family.  It is not just a one-time deal once a year.  We constantly are visioning, almost nightly, but we do set aside a more intentional time as well for this.  Once again, I can thank my parents for modeling that for us.  They would take what they called "Planning Weekends".  They would get us cared for by friends and then go away somewhere.  Even then I knew it wasn't just about planning for us.  I knew they probably needed a getaway and just wanted to be together alone, but still, it always stuck with me and I sure hoped I could do that when I got married.  Now I do!  We go away every anniversary for at least one night.  We certainly enjoy going away, eating out, being at a hotel somewhere, but we do talk...and talk and talk....we are always thinking of our future and the kids future.

We also vision for our family when we go away to the annual homeschool conference in the Spring. That's another two day event that we get mostly to ourselves (now our 3 older children will join us). It is another fantastic time to think, "Why do we pick that curriculum?  Will it benefit my child in any way or would a different one be more suited to him or her?"  We'll ask each other tons of questions that really get us thinking about each child specifically, their needs, and truly, how will that curriculum help them to be a better wife or father?  It's true!  We're thinking that far into the future. We always go with the normative thinking in that we assume, most likely, they will get married, so we have to plan for that.  The boys will definitely need to be able to provide for their families, so it most likely we will avoid subjects that will not waste their time.  For the girls, we always plan on them being wives and helpmeets, so we pick subjects that will allow them to be able to learn those skills as well as assisting in their husbands' ventures.  We encourage all of our children to be entrepreneurial in their thinking.  We'd be thrilled if each one of them had their own business of some kind.

So we are definitely deliberate in our thinking and talking, not to mention the time away that is required. It is always a sacrifice of time and money for my husband as these weekends never seem to fall at a time when he isn't as busy.  But he knows if he doesn't take the time our children will suffer in some way in their future.  Plus, I have no peace.  I need these times away to talk about all my concerns.  I always have concerns!  I'll see something in a child I don't like or the past two years, it's been, "Help!  I have kids in highschool!  Now what???!!"  If we didn't take those times to debrief, I would be in a constant panic all the time.

On Friday, along with 2 other couples,  we'll be speaking to a completely different group of people. We've found in the circles we run in that there are a lot of questions from many about homeschooling? Why do you do it?  How do you start?  What about (the classic question....) socialization?  What about being salt and light?  Etc., etc.   A friend of mine was taken aside one Sunday by another friend and explained she really needed to talk to her about homeschooling once and for all.  Things were not going well with her daughter in the public system.  Her daughter, who was only 6, came home and told her, "You don't make the rules, the teacher does."  The mom was not happy.  My friend decided there were probably enough people with questions about homeschooling to organize a panel of homeschooling parents and their kids and have a Q & A type of night.  So, that's what we've been invited to be on.  The interesting thing about that night is there will be quite a few skeptics, mostly the husbands.  They are only going because their wives want to go.  That's where our husbands come in.  They'll hopefully be able to address all their concerns from a man's perspective.  Even our children will be there as a testimony to homeschooling and its benefits. They'll be on the panel, too, at one point offering their unique perspective.

So, a full week, but again, my kind of week!  I love being out there talking with people!  I love talking about homeschooling and its benefits.  I love being alongside my husband as he talks with other men convincingly about these types of things, too. I pray we'll be used this week to encourage parents to think... it is not just about today, it's for eternity.

"Can We Put Mom in Front of a Show???" and Heather's Story

I have not conquered anger in our home 100%, but it is certainly something we all strive to get rid of. I have seen tremendous improvement in my own life as I aim to make it a cheerful place in the morning which, of course, can be the most challenging, as so many of us struggle to wake up...and happy at that! Yes, I'm a morning person, which has helped me, but it still isn't easy.  Here's a funny story to show the effort I'm attempting to make at changing the atmosphere in the home......

We're still using the Maxwell's Chore system most mornings and one of the ways I like to get people on board is to rile them up with either music or me (seriously) cheering them on.  I must look and sound like a loony, but that's what I do.  I clap my hands, yell out some crazy cheers and sometimes stomp around the house like I'm a cheerleader on steroids - all this in a happy, hilarious tone.  My kids, I think anyway (!), deep down like it - in my mind I'm creating a funny memory of their mom.  I guess I was getting a little carried away the other day as my oldest child said to my husband as he walked in the room, "Uh, Dad, can we put Mom in front of a show?"  I howled.  That's so often what we'll say if the toddlers are out of control, "Can we put J in front of a show?  He's acting crazy!" That statement from my daughter came to my mind in the middle of church last night and I actually snickered out loud.  I think it's great that they think their mom is nutty enough to put her in front of a show to calm her down.  Well, better a crazy mom than an angry one!

So, I'm a Grandma.  That's right, a Grandma, but not the usual kind, a spiritual one.  This is Heather's story....

Heather is a girl I met about 5 years ago when we first moved to the Niagara area.  She was dating Stephanie's brother at the time.  They were both in highschool, just finishing up their last year.  It seemed like things were going great, but for some reason they broke up a couple years ago.  Neither of them were Christians, though Heather had been raised in a church-going home as well as Michael. They both knew the truth, but either didn't fully grasp it or had rejected it for reasons I don't fully know.

During this time, Stephanie and I had become fast friends (my bffc, remember?).  Her life had turned around.  She'd found Christ as her personal Saviour, met Andrew and now has two kids of her own. During the time Heather was dating her brother, Stephanie and Heather also became fast friends. Heather is very likable.  She's actually one of the nicest people I know - beautiful on the inside and out.

After things ended with Stephanie's brother, it seems natural that Stephanie would have no longer seen Heather, but that wasn't the case at all.  Heather seemed drawn to Stephanie.  She observed her life and I'm sure she knew something was different.  Did she have something Heather longed for, but couldn't quite put her finger on it?  At first glance, you would think Heather was a downtown clubbing type of girl as she's a pretty slick chick, but there she was, spending her time, not in clubs, but with Stephanie.  She picked a slightly older mom to hang with and her kids and her husband.....sound familiar?????

Heather was there when Andrew first came on the scene.  I'm sure Heather was probably excited to think Stephanie had a "boyfriend".  She probably thought they would "date" for a couple years, then get engaged for a year, then get married and have kids a few years after that.....but no, Andrew not only suggested courtship where there was no touching, but proposed marriage within two weeks, and a wedding a few months after that, and, sure enough, a honeymoon baby came shortly after.....Heather was blown away.  What is courtship?  No touching?!  Aren't you going back to work? What about waiting to have babies?  Two babies?  Stephanie couldn't keep up with the questions. But she loved it.  Heather was asking all the same questions she had asked only a few years earlier.  She loved being on the other end of the questions now and happily, patiently answered every single one. Heather was truly fascinated by Stephanie and the two of them loved hanging out together.

Then Stephanie's mom got sick.  Heather now saw Stephanie go through the trial of her life.  Perhaps she thought to herself, "This will be the thing that sinks her faith."  But it wasn't.  Stephanie's faith shone through brightly.  Heather was one of the caregivers of her children during this difficult time. Heather observed it all.  She also watched how Stephanie's mom's faith was so strong as well.  She gave God all the glory and trusted Him for her strength even though she knew she was dying.  Her faith in God was so obvious through it all.  Her funeral was a tremendous testimony, as well, to her faith and Heather heard everything the pastor said that day, too, as he pointed everyone to Christ in his sermon.  I actually thought to myself, "How could anyone deny a God after hearing it put that way?"

Sometime in the last few weeks, Heather suggested that she and Stephanie do a book club, just the two of them.  Wow, ok - how about Screwtape Letters by C.S. Lewis?  Sure!  So, they started to meet every week to intentionally talk about the book.  Then, it was suggested that they do a Bible Study together!  By this point, Stephanie wondered what was going on...was her heart turning?  Had she crossed the line of faith in Christ without her even knowing it?  So Stephanie started to press her, ask more questions to find out where she was at.  This whole time Stephanie and I had been meeting over the last year or two specifically praying for Heather.

As Stephanie started to probe, Heather started to give answers that blew Stephanie out of the water - she, perhaps didn't have a full understanding, but she knew she was a sinner and she knew only Christ could save her.  This realization amazed her that she had only understood it now - the scales came off her eyes.  She needed a Saviour and she found Him!  Suddenly, everything made sense!  Now, she had a hunger for knowledge more than ever.  She started to immediately make changes in her life - specifically with regards to boys.  We like to tease her that she dates only American Eagle models, but it's true!  She's a very attractive girl and very attractive boys are drawn to her - no more, she said. She was starting to prepare herself now for a husband, not just a bunch of guys to date anymore just for fun.  One statement she made was quite profound after she came to faith, "I used to think," she said, "that life had no meaning or purpose.  You were like an animal, meant to live and then simply die.  Now I realize my life has purpose!"  How amazing!

She lives with several other girls, much like herself, or the way she used to be, good girls, nominal Christians, not realizing their faith could be even more real to them. When Stephanie first started to meet with Heather at her house to do the Bible Study, Stephanie just assumed that they would meet privately in her room, but no, Heather had it set up such that they would meet openly in the main sitting area where the other girls were able to watch, observe or even participate.  Stephanie was sure they wouldn't want to come, but sure enough, they do!  Sometimes it'll just be for a few minutes or for a few questions, but each one has seen what is going on and they are seeing the amazing changes in Heather.  They wonder, I'm sure, what has happened to their friend!

Stephanie called me to tell me all that had happened and we were both just praising God at how He had used her in Heather's life.  I have only had a few brief conversations with Heather and never really about spiritual things, yet God used me, too!  That's what makes me a Grandma.  My spiritual child was Stephanie, by God's grace.  Then, she in turn, influenced Heather to salvation - my spiritual granddaughter!  That's what Jesus meant when He said, "Go and make disciples..."  I was so privileged to play a part in Stephanie's life and now she is doing the same with others!  Heather is now doing it with the girls in her house!  It is so amazing!  Francis Chan and David Platt called it, "Multiply".  We are called to multiply, in a spiritual sense, not just physically.  Much earlier in the blog, I wrote about what I liked to call "The Multiplication Effect" - God loves math!  He loves to multiply!  He takes what I can offer, which isn't much, a little time here, a short prayer of desperation there, and He multiplies it - It must be God's favourite thing to do.  I even read in Genesis the other day how Isaac planted a field and then God multiplied it one hundredfold.  He is in the business of multiplying.

So, those are my two amazing stories of friendship and discipleship - Jen and Heather - both miracles of God's goodness and true examples of answers to prayer.  In both cases, it wasn't overnight - it was a process of discipleship, fighting the darkness through prayer - Satan longed to discourage all of us in the journey.  But we fought back through regular prayer and trusting Him, knowing He would be faithful if we remained faithful.  All this, by being a mom in my own home.  I used to think when I first decided to stay home and homeschool that God would never be able to use me again until I was back leading a study or doing a "ministry".  He has shown me that I can still be used, even evangelizing, by simply being at home, managing my children, trying to keep my house somewhat clean.....that is cool!!!!  I love that!  So, I wonder what is next - who will God bring into my life next?!  I'm open.