It's been a crazy couple of months in our little world. I was spending too much time on my (and others') blog, so I took a little break. Glad to be back, though! I have been thinking today - and it's always interesting what comes out when I start doing that!
It's been a gross, rainy day here and my Babylove and I have just spent the day playing, eating, and napping. It's been marvelous! It's also made me all too aware of how quickly he is growing up, and what a privilege it is to be able to stay at home with him most of the time, and simply play peek-a-boo in his tent, or giggle with him at Sesame Street, or act silly while we eat our lunch. It's truly a gift from God to be there to experience those things with him. I know that some mommas don't have a choice but to go the day-care (or even babysitter) route, but I am so humbled and grateful that God allowed me to be at home 5 days/week with my sweet one. Lord, help me to take advantage of every moment spent with him to teach him and love him the way you would have me to.
Following that train of thought, another thing that has been on my mind lately is homeschooling. If you didn't already know, I was homeschooled from 6-12th grade, and I definitely plan on homeschooling my kids. Here's a link to a interesting and thought-provoking blog post that I read this morning during nap time. I thought she had some very valid points. The biggest thing for me about homeschooling, other than the obvious family unity, is that I believe that children learn best when they play. As an OT, I've learned the ins and outs of "play" as an occupation for children. When children have developmental disabilities, therapy focuses on play to promote the child's full potential for independence. To me, this makes it clear that my kids can learn just as much - and probably much more - by exploring the creek looking for "wildlife", the chemistry of cooking, and working together on projects, than by sitting in a classroom with relative strangers for 8 hours/day. We weren't programmed to sit still for so long, especially at such a young age. I don't know about you, but I had difficulty with that even through college. We were made to explore, play, and enjoy the world around us while learning. I also believe that by playing to learn, we foster a lifelong love of learning that doesn't end with high school or college. If it's enjoyable, we will all pay closer attention and take greater part. I know my Babylove is only 15 months old, but it's never too early to start teaching them simple concepts, and I love to gather homeschool ideas in preparation for the (overwhelming) future that lies ahead of our family.
I think it's good to have a vision of the desires that God has placed in your heart for your family, and think about the possible implications of that in your life.
Our family's vision and plans have been somewhat murky lately, with some unexpected twists and turns in our "plan". I say that in quotes because, obviously, it was our plan, and God had a different plan.
God is not the author of confusion, but of peace...
1 Corinthians 14:33
I have had to turn to him and give up my confusion for peace on numerous occasions lately. Things that I thought I knew for certain were from God were suddenly hazy and, well... confusing. But you know what? They aren't hazy and confusing to God. He has them mapped out. He knows where my path leads and every pothole along the way. He knows how many steps it will take me to get to the end. And as tough as it may be some days, I must simply trust Him to guide me down that path He has created for me & my family.
Now I have to go and cook some dinner for my hungry Hubs and Babylove - I know for certain that is the next immediate step on my journey!
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