Fall into Reading

I'm participating in Callapidder Day's Fall into Reading challenge.  Some of these are books I need to finish, and others are books I want to read.

1.  When You Rise Up: A Covenantal Approach to Homeschooling by R.C. Sproul, Jr.
I started this book about two weeks ago, and just need to finish it up.  I love that he is helping to remind me why I want to remain faithful to the call to homeschool.


2.  A Thomas Jefferson Education: Teaching a Generation of Leaders for the Twenty-First Century by Oliver DeMille
This book describes ways that parents (whether homeschoolers, public or private schoolers) can help their children become leaders.


3.  How to Pray: The Best Of John Wesley (VALUE BOOKS)
This is a very short book.  No excuses for not getting this one done!


4.  Toward the Sunrise (Daughters of Fortune, Book 3) by Judith Pella
This is a fictional story of 3 sisters during WWII.  I am really enjoying this series.


5.  Homeward My Heart (Daughters of Fortune, Book 4) by Judith Pella
Really, I am going to finish the whole series.


6.  Ezekiel in Life Application Study Bible NIV
I've read it before.  We're studying it in Sunday school.  It kind of makes my head want to explode.


Okay, I am going to just stop there.  I think this is a manageable list.  Yay for books!

Home really IS cool

In an attempt at openness, I want to tell you that homeschooling is hard.

I have really been struggling with our decision to homeschool.  It is not so much that I am not feeling called to do it.  I do think it's best for our children.  God has entrusted the care of my children to me, not the government, not even the church.  My problem lies more with my nearly crippling lack of confidence.

Somewhere along the way, I lost sight of why I am doing all this.  Homeschooling, mothering, housekeeping.  I got stuck in the drudgery.  I'm overwhelmed.  I look around and see nothing but chaos.  I am reactive, not proactive.  I have no routine--no rhythm to the day.  I kind of lost my joy.

I started to hear these whisperings in my ear.  Things like:
You are not smart enough.
You are not organized enough.
They're going to miss something important.
Just let someone else do it.

Oh dear.  I am a big believer that this is the devil's best way of messing with my head.  Little whispers of self-doubt.  In all of this, I started to think I had to be the one with all the strength and organization and know-how.  Me, me, me!

Seriously?  I know better.

Here are the facts, people:
God has called me to mother and teach my children.  He will equip me.
God doesn't care if I look organized or not.  He cares that I treat my children with love.
Education is less about fractions and predicates, and more about loving Christ.
God chose this path for me, and I need to be obedient.


Homeschooling is not the popular path.  It ostracizes me from almost everyone I know.  People at my MOPS group.  People at church.  Even people at the store ("shouldn't those kids be at school today?").  It isn't an intentional thing.  I certainly don't sit around feeling superior to anyone.  Quite the opposite.  Honestly, sometimes I view it as a burden in my life.  And, of course, that is when it is most difficult to be joyful about my path.

I have to be careful who I listen to.  I especially need to tell that little lying voice to shut up!  I have to intentionally seek out encouragement.  It isn't always easy to find.  A lot of people are waiting for us to quit.  Someone said to me, "Hm, I thought you'd be over this homeschooling thing by now."  Many people think it's just crazy.

Homeschooling is kind of crazy.  But crazy in a great way.  It is the hardest thing I've ever done (as I lump it into the "mothering" category at our house).  I have always been refreshed or encouraged at the right moments.  I know it is what God wants for our family.  I know He will direct me and give me the strength to do it.  I know He is already growing me in the process.  The growing part is a little frightening.  But, in the end, I pray that I will have grown in faith and obedience, and that Hub and I will have raised our children to love the Lord, and have equipped them to teach their children the same.

Looking for encouragement?
Jeannie's Journal post on fear
Before You Say "I Quit"
The Call of God from CMA

"For God sees not as man sees, for man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart."
1 Sam 16:7

Bacon really does make it all better

I don't normally consider myself to be a very creative person.  I'm not crafty.  I'm not artistic.  But, I can look at a fridge and pantry full of goodies and see something delicious!

This week's CSA brought (more!) beets, as well as potatoes and onions.  This looked like a perfect recipe for breakfast.  Only...something was missing.

BACON.

Oh, I love bacon.  It makes the boring exciting.  I think I could go vegetarian if it were not for the bacon.

I only used the beet greens.  I think that a lot of people don't eat greens, which I find kind of sad.  They are super easy and tasty.  They soak up all the flavorings in the dish, so, in my opinion, they end up being the best part.  In this case, second only to the bacon.  I set aside the actual tuber part of the beets for another dish.  What?  I don't know.  I'm open to suggestions.

I just rinsed the greens, and coarsely chopped them.

Yummy, and pretty!

I had a bunch of cute little red potatoes.  I cubed them.

I also coarsely chopped the bacon, and fried it up in my trusty (non-cast iron, sadly) skillet.

Mmmmmm.  Bacon.

Greens & Potato Fry with Bacon

1 bunch greens of choice (beet, kale, spinach, chard, collard)
a few potatoes
1 lb. of bacon (yes, I used a whole pound.  I don't want to have regrets.)
1/2 medium onion, chopped
2 or 3 cloves of garlic, minced
salt
pepper

Wash and coarsely chop greens.  They should still be quite damp (but not wet) when they go into the pan.  Set aside.  Chop and fry bacon.  While bacon is cooking, cube potatoes.  Chop onion and garlic.

Remove bacon, once crispy, and drain.  I poured off most of the bacon grease, but I am not your cardiologist.  So do what you want.  You need some fat in the pan for the potatoes.  I won't tell if it's bacon grease or olive oil.  Whatever makes you happy.

Add potatoes, onion and garlic to pan with fat (or oil) in it (medium to med-hi heat).  Then leave them alone!  They need to brown.  Give them a few minutes to start browning, then stir and let them sit again.  After they are brown, you could cover them with a lid to help the middles steam.  This will probably take about 10 minutes or so, depending on how small your potatoes are.

When potatoes are done (taste one to see, but don't burn your tongue), throw in greens.  They will cook down in a couple minutes.  Sprinkle generously with salt & pepper.  Mix in the cooked bacon.

Log on here to thank me.

Week in Review--Week 5, in which we do school at the pet store

I can barely remember what we've done this week.  So I suppose this will be short!

Everyone has done some math, language arts, spelling, social studies, and science.

We finished Sir Gawain and the Green Knight.

Goofy is 1/3 of the way through his math book already.  That little overachiever.  I suppose I'll have to order his next book by mid-October at this rate!  He also read 3 new Bob books this week.  He's super adorable while reading.  He just loves it.  His whole face lights up.  He's just so happy to be reading!










Scrappy has had a reading breakthrough as well.  He finally (FINALLY) has a good attitude about it!  He loves his reader and can't wait to read more.  His reader is marked as Kindergarten level, but I think it's more 1st or 2nd grade.  He can read tougher stuff, I promise.  I'm working on developing his love of reading.  The fluency will come.  It's the love that needs to be nurtured.

Funny did some research at the local pet store about firebelly toads.  She really wants one.  I don't especially care either way.  I fear I'll end up taking care of it.  She's been a tad frog-obsessed for at least a year.  I figure it's not a fleeting interest, at least.  I'm inclined to let her get one, as long as Hub agrees.



Oh, one other thing.  I've been reading When You Rise Up by R.C. Sproul, Jr. this week.  It is wonderful!  It has been a great encouragement to me, as it's been a week of questioning homeschooling (it happens, let's just admit it).  I've been struggling with the different-ness that accompanies homeschooling.  I have been reminded that I belong home with the kids and that I am really helping them thrive.  And they, in turn, are helping me thrive.



Need more inspiration?  Check out Weird, Unsocialized Homeschoolers.

I'm Ruined

I was reading Heirloom Baking with the Brass Sisters, which is a dangerous book.

There's a recipe in here for Mayonnaise Biscuits.  I thought, that's weird.

Then today I was on AllRecipes, and then there they were again.

Clearly, God wanted me to make these biscuits.  I'm almost sorry I did.  Because they are THAT good.  And worse...easy.

I'm so sorry.





Mayo Biscuits

2 c. self-rising flour (I made my own:  1 c. all-purpose flour, 1 1/2 tsp. baking powder, and 1/2 tsp. salt)
1 c. milk
6 tbsp. mayo

Mix all together.  Seriously.  That's how easy they are.  These are drop biscuits, so you just drop them onto a lightly greased cookie sheet like you were making cookies.  Only maybe a little bigger than a cookie.  Bake at 400 degrees for 12 minutes.  Done.

I tasted one when they came out of the oven.  This is a light biscuit.  You will not be making egg sandwiches with these.  It was so good, I whipped up another batch right then and there.  Dangerous.