Not Quite Ordinary Observations

For Today...Monday, January 7, 2012

In the great outdoors...bright sunshine. Still chilly today with highs in the upper 40’s, but warmth is coming in the end of this week. I’m going to enjoy the chilly!

Within our four walls...restoration! Getting behind is the worst enemy of my ability to be diligent. I’m going back into normalcy quite a bit behind where I’d hoped to be. But, our Monday morning, first day back to routine, began amazingly well! The children were done with their morning chores in record time, and Doug and I tackled the enormous pile (probably seven loads!) of laundry in our room. Such an encouraging start! Definitely motivation to continue in diligence today…and tomorrow…and the next day.

A heart of thanksgiving...for feeling better! I stayed on the couch most of yesterday. But, toward bedtime my voice faded entirely after being gravelly for a couple of days. When my voice goes, that means I’m on the mend. Sure enough, no voice today but I feel so much better!

A heart of prayer...for grieving friends. A couple buried loved ones over the weekend. Others received difficult news over the holidays.

Also for my mom as she recovers from carpal tunnel surgery, even while heading back to school.

Random observations...days like today show me that we really are reaching our goals in homeschooling. I can in no way teach them enough facts and information to give them all they need. I know too little, even if I did have enough time! But, they are learning to learn. When there is no doubt that we can push on into our first day back at school even when the teacher has no voice, that shows the students are confident in their ability to learn, glean for themselves, and receive (at least temporarily) minimal vocal instruction from me. Success!

My precious children...are so helpful when I’m sick! While Doug was at church yesterday, they made cornbread to go with our crockpot of soup AND cleaned the kitchen without being asked. They drew me pictures, played kindly together, and made sure I had everything I needed.

Thoughts from the kitchen...a menu plan! Yes! I have one! Feels so good! Today it is parmesan chicken cordon bleu.

On my bookshelf...The Child Training Bible. I love it! I was about to explain it right here, but I’m taking the easy way out and sending you over to my Home Educating Family review. Basically, it’s a way to keep Scripture right at your fingertips for discipline and training. If you click on the image below you can read all about it and enter to win a kit. Oh, and don’t be fooled by the word “child.” This is going to be a useful “at our fingertips” resource for years to come!

Projects...I hope to finally get to the library reorganization project, little by little, through the course of this week. Also, I want to get started on my quest to learn how to knit. (I’m wondering how I can convince my friend Teisha to move closer to me so I can have a personal knitting coach on hand!)

Sounds of the moment...quiet. It’s funny how much whispering goes on around the house when Mommy can’t talk. Makes me laugh. Just a reminder that a calm, quiet, peaceful nature does foster calm, quiet, and peace in the home!

Last week we learned...how quickly a week can fly by. Wow – did we even have last week?

A favorite thing from last week...visits. We started the week with the Choates and ended it with Doug’s parents and our friends James & Rebekah in Monticello.

The planner...at home this week, except for the restart of children’s activities and our fellowship meal at church Wednesday night. Oh, and I do have Bernina Club on Thursday.

Because visuals are fun...it didn’t take them any time at all to pull out their books in the car last Thursday! (Not much to see on a familiar drive through the Delta.)