Creating Great Writers

One of the areas I have been concerned about in our homeschool has been writing.  It is no small thing to teach writing, and it takes time to help proofread and edit essays. I have tried various writing curriculum, but never found one that fit with our daily schedule and time restraints. I have used the IEW program by Andrew Pudewa and I do highly recommend it.  But, more times than not, writing was more miss than hit in our home.  We key on English grammar, which of course is a foundation for writing, but I was one of those Moms who worried that somehow my lack of consistency in this area was going to ruin my children and they were never going to be able to put two sentences together that sounded good and made sense!  Have you ever been there?  Then I had all the baggage from my public school mindset that these things must be formally taught…well, you get the picture.  I went to conventions and loitered around all the tables that showed me the "best" way to teach writing to  my children.  The years passed, we never stuck with a program, and writing got pushed to the back burner.  All of a sudden I had a fourteen year old girl that I just knew would be a dismal failure in this department because I had dropped the ball.  Then, it happened.  My daughter caught the writing bug and I began to read her work.  Her sentences for English sounded like something out of the page of a best-selling novel.  I was floored.  How had this happened?  I remember something I kept hearing from seasoned homeschool Moms over and over and over.  Just read to them.  Readers make great writers.  And for the first time, I realized this is absolutely true.  So, may I encourage all you homeschool mothers out there that may think you can't teach writing, or you are daunted by the task.  Read, read, and read some more to your children.  My oldest daughter wants to be a writer.  Whether she feels that way 5 years from now, only the Lord knows.  But, I know she could be if she really wanted to do so.  Was it because I was a great writing teacher?  No.  It was because one of the things I did do consistently was to read to my children.  Historical fiction, nursery rhymes, poetry, children's books, classics, Lamplighter's, missionary stories, and most importantly, the Bible.  Writing really is caught, and all my children love to do it.  I do want to share with you next time an activity I did do in the way of writing that was a success in our homeschool. It is a fun exercise that gets the imagination going.  But, in the meantime, read to your children.  It accomplishes so much more than you realize.  

Preparing for a New School Year

Well, it is that time of year again at our house!  Preparing for a new school year is such an exciting time.  I love the feeling of a new beginning.  Even though we school year round, there is still a definite end of one year and beginning of another.  I like to evaluate what it is that I may want to stop doing, or what I may want to begin for the first time.  It can be quite a daunting task, but I am learning to not think so much of what works for others or what new curriculum is out there, but instead, what does God want OUR family to accomplish.  God has been showing me more and more that what looks like the perfect homeschool schedule or curriculum for others, may be totally opposite of what He has planned for our family.  Our God is such a creative God.  No two people are exactly alike…and because of that, no two families, with all the personalities that make up the household, will be the same.  We can glean from others wisdom.  I have done so very often.  But, we must be careful not to duplicate someone's ideas just because it has worked for them.  We know our family best…their likes, dislikes, things they need help with, things they excel in, etc.  So how do we find out the "best" way to do things for our family?  We must bathe it all in prayer. God knows exactly what He wants us to key on and what "curriculum" will best accomplish this.  If I had my homeschooling years to do all over again, I would have prayed a lot more and looked at catalogs a lot less.  It is so easy to get caught up in the "newest" thing out there for curriculum.  But what does God want my family to be doing?  Does this or that curriculum fit the goals we desire our children to have?  

So, I encourage you, bathe your homeschool year and choices in prayer.  Our God is not disinterested in this area, or any other area of our lives for that matter.  Far too often, we are prone to set out on our own and make these choices without ever consulting Him.  So, as you begin a new school year, pray, pray and pray some more!  May the Lord bless your homeschool choices this year!

Keeping the Homeschool Vision Alive

Today I am guest posting for Heather over at Raising Mighty Arrows.  Please come and join me there.  And if you have not had a chance to be blessed by Heather's blog yet, I hope you will stop by and "see" her.  She has posts to encourage wives and mothers in their Biblical calling.  See you there!  Just click on the link above.

Also, I have my next installment ready for Wednesdays on my series on Training Daughters.  I will be tackling Modesty Issues ~ Part 2.  Please join me next week.  God bless you!

History Reading

Anyone who knows me knows that I am an avid book collector.  I have always had a great appreciation for books, mainly given to me by a mother who read to me almost non-stop!  So, when I became a homeschooling mom myself, it was easy to start filling the shelves with quality literature.  Unfortunately, many good history books are out of print and we have authors today who choose to rewrite history to fit into their political, spiritual and social agendas. 

A great resource for history books that we found out about years ago at a homeschool conference are the Landmark books.  There are about 200 of them, and most all of them are out of print.  We have picked up a few here and there from homeschool conferences we attended.  I have gotten some great deals on them through Ebay.  And I have also been fortunate enough to find them tucked away in obscure little used bookstores we have found while vacationing.  I never seem to take a vacation from searching for books!

I never thought we would have this many just picking up one or two here and there.  But, here they are.  I had my oldest daughter get them all out and write out the titles for me since I have been known to buy a book I already have!  We'll blame that one on getting older!  I urge you to look for these books when you are out and about.  They are written on about a fifth grade level, but hold so much information on their individual subjects that they are fit for adult reading as well.  Some of the best children's authors of the 50's were asked to author these books, so they capture the reader's attention.  My oldest son, Josiah, has really enjoyed these and has read several already.  Since they are out of print, some of them can be expensive, but at the homeschool conferences we have attended, they have ranged from about 8 to 12 dollars a book.  I have found quite a few of them much cheaper by winning auctions on Ebay or by finding them in used bookstores.  Other people have been successful getting them almost free from libraries that are discarding them!  So, when you are out and about, keep a lookout for Landmark books...and Happy Hunting!

Looking Forward to Watching This Documentary

If you are interested in keeping an eye on this movie, you can access their website here.  They have the latest information about the movie and more clips that you can watch. 

Fun Science

This is a fun science activity to do with your children.  Isn't this guy cute?  He is made of an old pair of hose, some dirt, seeds, small scrunchies, some eyes and glue.  To make this little guy, just cut off an old pair of hose about 7 inches above the part where you would place your feet. Take about a teaspoon of seeds...chia, grass, wheat, etc. and place them in the hose first.  We didn't use wheat seeds, but if you grind your own bread, they would be great to have the wheat grass growing for the hair.  Once your seeds are in the bottom then begin stuffing the head with dirt...or potting soil, whichever you have on hand.  Make sure you shove the dirt in really well and pack it down.  You will know how much when you start to have a good shape for the head of your creature.

Next, you will tie the hose at the bottom of your head.  To make the ears and nose, just grab some dirt in the hose, pull it out and then place a small scrunchie there to keep it in place.  Glue on your eyes and that is all!  Make sure to water your head everyday so that the hair will grow.  This is about two weeks worth of growth.  The hose holds water pretty well.  In the beginning, I just watered the heads twice a day, once in the morning and once at night.  You can keep it in a small plastic bowl to avoid getting dirt, or water in unwanted places.  There is no need to place them in a sunny place, our seeds did fine just by keeping them on the counter with only the lights from inside the house. 

The children enjoyed making these and seeing the hair grow.  It is a great way to make science fun and let them get their first taste of growing something on their own. 

Have You Ever Gotten Those Looks?

As a homeschool family, I am used to getting "those" looks...if you homeschool, you know the ones. Those that say, "Are you in your right mind?" "Why would anyone want to do this?" And although we do not have a large family, (especially by homeschool family statistics), we do have a large one considering the 'average' American family. So, for those of you that know exactly what I mean, this video is for you! And for those of you that don't, I think you might find it funny anyway!

Decision Made...Again!

As I said in a earlier post, I have been studying and praying about where the Lord would have us go in regard to school. I am pleased with many of our curricula choices, but some of them just have not given us the results that are totally satisfying to me. One of the great things about homeschooling is the flexibility to make changes and choices. But, that can be a two-sided coin and it can also be one of the most frustrating. On the one hand, there are a plethora of curricula choices for every kind of learning style imaginable. Along with that can come the feeling that this or that curriculum is better and the grass can look greener on the other side and can cause a lot of second guessing and frustration on the part of the homeschooling Mom. That is why it is so important to pray about these decisions and to make sure both Mom and Dad are on board with the curriculum choices. Many times Dad can bring a fresh perspective that Mom doesn't have because she is so close to the issue. I know that has been the case in our family. My dh, being the head of our home, has the final say when it comes to curriculum choices. He trusts me to bring to him the best researched materials I can find, and then he prays about those choices to make sure he senses that this is the direction the Lord is leading our family. Even long distance, I have given him options and ideas that I have been mulling over and he has given me the final decision on the matter. Therefore, I think we have come up with an assortment of curricula that fits our needs. I am very much of an ecletic homeschooler. I have never done a set curriculum. So, for those of you that might be the least bit interested...here is what our family is doing currently.



Bible: Rod and Staff. We will also continue reading through the Old and New Testaments. We are working on scripture memorization and beginning to learn the questions to the shorter catechism.



History: This has been the biggest change for me this year. I have decided to write out my own history curriculum for our family pulling from some of the top resources that I enjoy. I find that when I do this, I am more excited about teaching history and I am so much more knowledgeable in the subject because I have studied it more thoroughly. The downside to this is the incredible time it takes to do this. So, I will keep going as long as I possibly can. If I find out that this is not something I can accomplish (especially this year with dh deployed) then I will relinquish my lofty dream! Right now I am gathering data from the following resources: Gary DeMar's works, BJU's 11th grade text, Truthquest, Veritas Press and book lists from Sonlight.



English: I have tried many English programs...from Daily Grams to Shurley Grammar. I find that I am totally comfortable with Rod and Staff. They do a great job with being thorough. Their material is uplifting and many of their sentences even review concepts such as history and science. Lastly, the cost is so incredibly inexpensive compared to other programs that compare to them academically.



Phonics/Reading: (for Joanna and Josiah) Rod and Staff



Math: I have used Math-U-See from the beginning. Joy is getting ready to start Algebra I and I am praying about possibly switching her to Teaching Textbooks. The curriculum is costly, but what it will save me in time to be able to free me up with the smaller children may well be worth it.

Spelling: Rod and Staff


Explode the Code: (Joanna and Josiah)



Wordly Wise: Joy



Science: Joy will be going through Apologia's General Science. Josiah and Joanna will be doing the Rod and Staff science to get the basics and then will switch over to Apologia's elementary books. They will also be nature journaling.



Art: We will study an artist a week. Briefly touching on his/her life and most famous works. I will show them the work of art, give them the name and remind them of the artist. When they can tell me the name of the work and artist, we will move on to another work by that same artist and continue that pattern until we have mastered several of their works. I have not yet decided how we are going to work our actual drawing and such. I am looking into Artistic Pursuits for this, but have not made up my mind on that one yet.



Music/Composer Study: We will do the same basic thing with a composer. Telling a little about their lives and then listening to some of their most popular pieces. I am teaching Joy piano currently and hope to start Josiah very soon.



Geography: Rod and Staff and also we will be studying this while we do history. I also would like to incorporate the Holling's books to study it that way as well.



Shakespeare: I will be doing Julius Caesar with Joy this year. We will also be doing vocabulary along with this and will review the historical time period surrounding Caesar.

Handwriting: Italic



Classics will either be done through individual reading or read alouds. I am planning to incorporate some songs in here as well. I want them to learn many of the Psalms to music and some songs that correspond with the time period they are studying now.



Writing will be done some through English compositions, but mostly through narrating back what we have learned in history. Hopefully this will serve two purposes..to solidify their learning and to cut down on my grading.

I am also planning on getting a regular dose of poetry in there too.

So, for now, this is our plan for this school year...which is probably WAY more than you ever cared to know. But, thanks for humoring me!

Have a blessed day in Jesus!

Praying and Studying

I know I am not the only homeschooling mom that has experienced this. But, I am seemingly at a crossroads right now concerning scheduling and curriculum choice. I have had these revelations periodically during my homeschooling journey, so this is not the first time for me. But, it is a crucial one. I have fortunately found peace with many of our curriculum choices, but still have not found a literature, art, music appreciation, and history program (or should I say programs) that I am totally sold on. I have tried many different programs, but none that seems to really "fit" what I want our school days to look like. So, much of my absence from blogging as of late has been because of seeking God on this issue and trying to figure out a schedule that works for our family to help things to run smoothly. Without my husband being here, planning time has been either non-existent or at a bare minimum. It is hard to have adequate planning time when little ones are underfoot all the time. So, larger blocks of time are now relegated to small increments stolen here and there. That isn't the best method when trying to look at the big picture of where I want us to be by the end of this year and to try and plan weeks in advance. On top of this, four of my five children have colds, so that has obviously put a damper on much activity that would be going on right now. So, for now, my days are waiting for God's choice of schedules and plans and lessons and curriculum. I will hopefully be sharing with you answers to all these pending questions in my mind soon. Until then, pray for wisdom and that I will hear His voice clearly. I hope you are all having a wonderful, soon to be end, to our summer season. I am already longing for the crisp, cool days of fall and the beauty of the colors of that time. It is one of my favorite times of the year. God bless!

Starting a New School Year

Well, we are officially finished with our school year for 2008-2009. We are taking two weeks off from school before we begin our new school year. This week is the end of our first week off, so I have one more week before our new school year begins. I like schooling year round. It gives me the opportunity to take off during the year when emergencies, special events, or whatever else may come along that needs my attention, without feeling as though I won't be able to complete the 180 day school year. I have also found that just taking off a few weeks here and there doesn't give the children as much opportunity to forget concepts and dates that we have spent time drilling the previous school year. I do a lot less reviewing this way and we just continue on. It also gives the children structure to their days and makes the time off more special. They don't have so much time off that they get bored, and those special times off of school come sprinkled throughout their year and in different seasons and it is like a big celebration. I have been using this time to get much needed projects that have been weighing heavy on me accomplished. I still have MANY more to do. Before beginning a new school year, I weed through all our last year's books...put the ones away we will not be using this year...store their work from last year...rearrange the school shelves to better accomodate us...and acquire any new materials that we may need for the coming year. I will use this next week to work on school planning...not just the weekly, but taking time to look at the overall year and come up with a reading list from our classics and historical fiction...deciding which ones I will read aloud and which ones I will assign to the children. I have decided to create a different school week this year. At one point, I was going to have a four day schedule, to allow for errand running and other things on one day a week. Jonathan was so very good about helping me with running errands to relieve some of that for me since I homeschool. Without him, I had to come up with some other idea where I could get essential running around done and not take too much time out of my school day. Having Joanna joining our school full-time this year means a lot of working on phonics and reading so I cannot just leave and have them complete their assignments on their own. Therefore, I will have our major school subjects on the first four days of the week...math, English, spelling, writing, history, etc. The fifth day will be a fine arts day...a music study, art, completing work in their science notebooks, creative pursuits, piano lessons. That way, if I do need to take the whole day for something...a good many of those activities the children can do while being watched and without me. And when I return home, I can complete the activities...like piano lessons...that they cannot do without me. I will let you know how it goes! The great thing about homeschooling is that if it doesn't work...I can always rework it! Today marks officially the sixth week since my dh has been gone. The children are settling down some with their behavior issues. My little man Joel is still having the hardest time with that. But, he is doing much better. The pain of not having Daddy around is still just as strong...they are just realizing the inevitable and that I am not their enemy in all this. I give them time to talk about it. The other night we all sat around on the couches and talked about the things we missed most about Daddy...then to lighten the mood some I had them to think up with me an imaginary way we could get to the desert and kidnap Daddy and bring him back home! The boys especially loved that one! They are beginning to talk about it more...which is good. Joel is the only one that will not open up to me about it. That concerns me and I would covet your prayers on that one. He feels so much, but says so very little. So, I hug and tickle him and try to do special things with him and all of them to let them know they are still loved very much. I constantly remind them that it was not Daddy's choice to go...that he loves them...and he misses them...and he is praying for them. Sometimes I feel my own emotions are on a thin thread from dealing with my own feelings of aching for him, yet trying to be strong and hold up for our children. And it is in those times I am reminded that I cannot do it in my own strength...it is only through Christ in me that I can accomplish this. I pray you all have a wonderful Lord's Day tomorrow!

A World Full of Good Books

The other day, I walked into the den to find four of my children all lined up in a row, each with a book on their laps. It was definitely one of those Kodak moments. Being a homeschool family, we just relish our books! We are constantly trying to find ways to get more and trying to be creative in ways we can store them in a home with limited space. Books are something we take very seriously in our home. One of the reasons we try to surround our children with books is because we can control those books that come into our home and therefore, can control what our children read. There are so many authors today that are trying to rewrite history and reshape our understanding of what our founding fathers truly had in mind for this nation. Therefore, I rarely buy history material that is not told from a Christian perspective, or was written much after the 1950's. I also do not want my children reading popular books that just fill their minds with unsuitable material...such as Goosebumps or the Babysitter's Club. I remember reading the equivalent of books such as that when I was a child. What a waste of time! And not only that, but it filled my mind with things that either scared me at night, or had me thinking more about boy/girl relationships than I ever should have. It is amazing what power the written word has on us. It feeds our imagination...and gives us an appetite either for good, or for bad.

So what type of books does one have in a home when trying to cultivate a Christian worldview? We have all types of books. Many of them are overtly Christian. If you are not familiar with Lamplighter books, I highly recommend them. We have not bought a book from them that was not wonderful. We buy most of our school books through the Veritas Press book list. They have some great Christian historical fiction. We do not get all of them, because even their lists do not meet completely our personal convictions of a proper book. We also like to look at the Sonlight Curriculum lists. Since they were founded mainly for Christian missionaries, they have a lot of books about Christian missionaries. We try to get good Christians biographies and autobiographies. We look for appropriate art and music books as well. As far as a catalog that has great standards for reading material both for children and adults, one cannot beat Vision Forum. I find such encouragement in their materials for the whole family.

We load our science shelves with books that have a Creationist viewpoint and we also have field guides on insects, rocks and minerals, butterflies, trees, flowers, etc. We continue to buy books from Apologia science and those recommended by Answers in Genesis.

Even our children's section must meet certain criteria. We do have DK and Usborne books, but we are careful of pictures that may be unsuitable. I will actually go through and color clothes on certain inappropriately drawn characters. I talk with my children about differing worldviews and explain to them the errors based on scripture. Our children's stories are mainly about people and places and we strive to find books where brothers and sisters love and care for each other (The Miller stories are wonderful). We look for books where the father is not painted as some goofball (which is why we do not do the Berestain Bears anymore) but instead is a vital and respected part of the family. If you read many children's books today, the nuclear family is broken, or if the family is in tact, the father is a leaderless figure that relies on others to come up with any sound advice. Many will say that these books are necessary because so many children can relate to them...those without fathers, etc. A few, told from a Christian perspective, may be justified. However, how does a child have an example of what a family is supposed to look like, if not from what they watch and read? Many times, this is the only example many children will see when being raised in a broken home. So, I encourage you...look out for what is going into the hearts and minds of your children. The written word is not neutral. There is always a religious/moral viewpoint in the plot. Will that be a Christian worldview or a humanistic, anti-God one?

Answering Some Misconceptions About Homeschooling

I am often asked from people I meet about the demands of homeschooling, or more importantly the costs, both in time and finances. I find that many people have some real misconceptions about what it takes to homeschool and why many homeschooler's have chosen this path. I remember when Joy was born. The last thing on my mind was homeschooling. But God has a way of changing our hearts and I am so grateful that He changed mine in this area. So, here are some of the common misconceptions I have found among those questioning homeschooling, or just trying to better understand it. Hopefully, this will give some insight into the often misunderstood world of homeschooling.


Misconception Number One: "I could never homeschool my child. I didn't go to college to be a teacher!"


Often when people find out that I have a degree in teaching...an English teacher to be exact...they smile and say, "Well, see, I don't have a degree, so I could NEVER do that. You were trained to teach!" Well, yes and no. I was trained to teach English...but not reading, (students already knew how to do that when they came to me)...definitely not math, (my worst subject in the world ever!), not science, history, art...and the list goes on. I have been learning along with my children. One very wise person said that to homeschool, you only need to stay one day ahead of where your children are! That is so true! Some people just learn right alongside them. I have often said, I was never so educated as when I began educating my own children. I have a Master's degree in Library Science and I know more just from homeschooling my children these seven years than I ever learned in all the higher education that I received. You do not need a degree to homeschool your child...just the desire. The reason many homeschool children outperform many of their public school peers, in my opinion, is because the parent who loves their child is actually more interested in seeing the child succeed than even their teachers are. Amazing things can happen when someone who has a child's best interest in mind is also the one teaching them.




Misconception Number Two: "I could never afford to homeschool my children."


Once again, we make sacrifices for those things that are most important to us. When Jonathan and I first began homeschooling...it was literally the time in our married life when finances were most lean. He was going to seminary full-time, working a full-time job and we were renting an apartment there on campus. I got odd jobs that I could do at home and worked it around my family life. We got most of our clothes from a clothing closet at a local church, or a free ministry among the seminary students. Times were lean, but we knew this is what God had called us to and He would provide. We have also found out that the most expensive and flashiest curriculum is not always the best. We have found a good Christian curriculum that is extremely advanced and grounds the children in God's Word. It is also extremely inexpensive. It does not have all the bells and whistles, but what does that matter anyway? It is the content that is most important, not how it is packaged.

Misconception Number Three: "Aren't you concerned with socialization?"

I have to admit...I LOVE THIS ONE! Of course I am concerned with socialization! That is why I homeschool! It is really quite comical that many believe that proper socialization is to put your five year old in a room with 20 or more other five year olds and that is proper socialization. No where else in society, or in their lives will they be in this same type of "socialization." Even if your children go to college, they are apt to have more ages in the same classroom. I would much rather have my children "socialized" by many different ages...peers we choose, adult interaction, siblings, and members of our local church. The problem with many children today is that they are being socialized by their peers who do not hold the same values as their parents do.

Misconception Number Four: "I will forever be tied down to the schooling of my children and never have anymore "ME" time."

This is probably one of the more legitimate concerns of many young mothers, especially those with many young children at home. However, many times all that "Me" time just makes us more selfish. Jesus did not call us to a life of happiness, but rather holiness. My life is not about ME...it is all about HIM! He has given me the grand task of raising a generation of children that loves Him...where am I more apt to do that? Will it more likely be while sending my children to the public school that does not honor God, or will it be more likely to be in the confines of my own home where I can truly walk alongside them in this spiritual journey we call life? I have often looked at other mothers and lamented the fact that I don't have the time for this and that because I homeschool so many young children. But, by God's grace, those times hardly ever come now. He is teaching me to see the grand plan through His eyes...the great privilege that He has given me by having His precious children in my care for a little while. When I stand before Him, He will not be concerned about the jewelry classes, the quilting classes, the scrapbooking that I did or did not do, but what did I do with the children He entrusted to me? And for those who do have many littles...I am finding, now that I have a twelve year old daughter that is taking more and more responsibility...I am finding time for more and more things. It may not be great blocks of time, but it is time that we are spending together...knitting our hearts closer and closer.

Misconception Number Five: "I don't have enough patience to homeschool my child! It is better that we are separated for a portion of the day!"

I used to think this too. There are times my patience is still one of my greatest struggles. But, you know, God has given me every bit of the Holy Spirit that I need to tackle this problem. And when I read my Bible, patience is one of the fruit of the Spirit that I have been given. Having children at home all day has confronted my lack of patience and therefore, God has a perfect opportunity to work on that much needed fruit in my life! Many times I have found that it is all about expectations. When I expect to have MY time, when I expect to have my children behave a certain way, etc...that is when I am most disappointed, and therefore become the most frustrated. I need to look at this job of mothering for what it is. This is a training time. Children are not born knowing it all...acting correctly all the time...etc. For that matter, mature Christians never get to that point until God calls us home! So, why do we expect more than we should from our children? Because it is incovenient for us, that is why. And that, of course, goes back to the whole selfishness issue.

Is homeschooling challenging? Absolutely! But what a challenge! It is also one of the most rewarding "careers" one will ever take on. I do not regret our choice to homeschool in the least. And I praise God for the fruit He allows us to see on a daily basis because of the choice we were led to make. I hope this helps clear up some misconceptions others may have about homeschooling and if for no other reason, to help many understand the heart of homeschooling from the perspective of a homeschooler. I pray you have a great day in the Lord!

One of those Typical Untypical Homeschooling Days

As I am writing this, about 7pm, my oldest daughter, Joy (pictured above) has just finished up her school for the day! We had 16 wonderful days off with Daddy and were all ready and geared up to have that great, fresh new start for 2009 in school. But, one thing that homeschooling and the military have in common...expect the unexpected! Life happens along the way and we just have to roll right along with it. Josiah got a fever about three or four days ago and we thought the rest of the family had miraculously escaped unscathed...but alas, today my second son, Joel came down with a very high fever. He had a hard night last night, tossing and turning and not sleeping well, so of course, Mom and Dad didn't sleep well either. Josiah was up a good portion of the night with a cough, so we stationed ourselves to give him his medicine at the appointed times. Joel does not handle sickness well. So, I spent much of my day laying with him on my lap, checking his fever, trying to relieve his headaches and just do the overall comforting that Mommy's do. School started off well, but didn't finish as planned. One of the great things about homeschooling is its flexibility, but it is much nicer when the flexibility seems to work more in our favor. :) So, I do not know what tomorrow will be like...whether another child will be sick, whether we will still be working on school in the evening, whether some other unexpected task will befall me...but I thank God that I know He knows all about it...and He has promised to not give me anything that with Him I cannot handle. So, remember when you have days like the one I just had...God is still...and ever always in control.