All about Love

Love had her first violin lesson on Tuesday.

 

 

Similar to myself when she gets into something new, she likes to immerse herself in all things that have anything to do with the subject. When she first asked if she could take on the violin and her Father and I started to discuss it, it seemed that all she could think about was violins! She visited her violin teacher’s website and read up on the “Suzuki” method that her teacher will use for her lessons. She also found the website of the violin shop in Richmond and read up on what they have available. When we visited the library she spent an hour or so looking up violin books to check out. She ended up settling on a violin mystery book.

My Love enjoys art. One day she whipped out a canvas, found a violin picture online and sketched a violin scene to later be painted.  The funniest thing that she did in her violin pursuit has to do with her fingernails. I never really considered that fact that long fingernails get in the way of strumming the strings, but her teacher told her one Sunday how she’s never been able to really grow out her nails. So, that afternoon my Love proceeded to bite off all of her fingernails so that if, when she ever got to a violin she’d be ready! So funny…

My Love has been a character since birth. Today she was a 1-woman actress, portraying the characters from a literature snippet and poem that she read today.

 

Where on earth does she get her ways from??? I wonder…

 

This makes me relish in the fact that God made each of us unique in our very own ways. Not one of us are alike and God blesses us with talents and gives that we can use to honor God. It is my prayer that as my children grow they will use their uniqueness for God’s glory.

This is the Day that the Lord has Made

We survived our first day of homeschooling today.  

It was a fun day. We started out with a picture so that the girls can look back and see themselves at the end of the year and reflect on how much they’ve changed. They woke up very excited.

 

 

After breakfast and some pictures, we started out with Bible and prayer time. For parts of our Bible time we’re using a book that was a gift from a friend entitled, “The Life of Christ” by John McArthur. The book is a collection of scriptures that capture the life of Christ in chronological order beginning with the Creation of Man. Scriptures from throughout the Bible are organized in a way that you’re able to read complete themes on certain topics (e.g., creation, the fall of man, etc.) using scriptures that span from the Old Testament to the New Testament.

After prayer and Bible time, they both worked in their handwriting books. Lea will be learning cursive writing this year and Love will continue to just brush up and refine her cursive writing.

I introduced “copy work” which is a technique presented through the Charlotte Mason philosophy of teaching where “copying good work encourages good writing”. The notion is that if a person copies the work of writing that is not just editorially sound, but full of meaning and fruitful context then they will adopt the sound principles that are gained from copying good writing. With copywork you can copy any sort of writing – Bible Verses/passages, poetry, literature, etc.

The time seemed to fly by as the girls wanted to take their time and be neat as they wrote and I tried not to hurry them along. Before we paused for lunch we did an hour or so of math, reviewing the areas where they left off in 1^st and 3^rd grade. While I worked with one individually, the other read a “Life of Fred” math book. The Life of Fred math books are literary books that teach the reader varying math concepts through storytelling. He’s an interesting little guy that will have you laughing. It’s always nice to have a little comic relief when you’re learning math.  

After Math we had some lunch and then had our time of reading and comprehension. Some of the time was spent with me reading out loud to the girls (“we’re reading the 2nd book in the Little House series) so that they can hear the expression and proper pronunciation as I read. And, after our together time of reading they each have their own books where they can do their own reading and afterwards, they each presented their understanding of what was read. Love of course didn’t disappoint us as she reenacted the 1^st chapter of “Charlie and the Chocolate Factory”.

By the time we got through reading and comprehension it was nearing 1 p.m. and I thought we’d finish for the day, but we squeezed in our spelling time with the “Sequential Spelling” curriculum and the girls ended the day writing in their journals about their first day of school. With this particular curriculum the student learns foundational root words and with each lesson the consecutive words that they learn builds off of the root word.

I had to shoo them outside after we were done. Love wanted to drill a little more on her times tables. Geez.. I hope this “problem” continues. I decided to save our history lesson for tomorrow. It was after all the first day of school (Love reminded me the week before we started, "Mom, you know that in school you don't do anything the first week, right?" I had to inform her real quick that this was not her typical school setting =)

Overall, it was a blessed day. It still seems surreal that I’m at home and not at work today. To just walk in the room and see them curled up on the couch reading and writing just warmed my heart. It’s a feeling that no amount of money could ever provide. I’ve experienced that feeling of enjoyment from giving to people in the workplace, but when its your kids its just priceless because its something that I hope they will never, ever forget. And, just maybe they’ll be inspired to give this same gift of “mom at home” to their own children one day.

 

 

1 school day down…. 1 hundred... seventy.... uhm.... who's counting.... yet?!?!?

(ask me again later if I've started counting =) 

SAHM

(written on Aug 21 2013)

I got the chance to write the words, “stay at home Mom” for the first time a week or so ago when we took Love to pick up her violin. I had to write down my occupation. At first I skipped the line and wrote down hubby’s occupation and then went back and thought, “What am I supposed to write?” Technically, today I’m a working Mom for 3 more days, but for the purposes of renting the violin I needed to document the fact that I will not be employed for the long term.

It was sort of freeing to write it down. I’ve been reflecting for the past week or so on the stay at home role since my co-worker gave me a book about SAHMs last week. I’m not sure if the author is a Christian, but she raises some interesting points that reflect the morals of a woman that chooses to sacrifice all else to stay home and raise her children. The book is called, “In the Praise of Stay-at-Home Mom” by Dr. Laura Schlessinger. I’ve only gotten through a few chapters. The author apparently is known for her radio broadcasts where she counsels and encourages SAHMs. So far, its been an encouragement as the author raises a number of benefits to staying at home and its rare to find an author that dedicates a book to praising an unpopular profession.

This coming school year if Love would’ve remained at FCS, she would’ve had the opportunity to select an instrument to play in the school band or winds orchestra. I’m not sure exactly what specifically drew her to the violin, but she is oober excited to start learning the play the violin. A dear friend of ours, Sarah, from our Church is a beautiful violin player and Love took it upon herself to write her a letter (in her 9 year old speak) asking her if she’d be willing to teach her. Sarah was oober excited that Love was interested, so she gave us the hook up on a great little shop in Richmond that rents violins for a very affordable price.

I’m not sure how long the excitement will last… we’ll ride it for as long as her interests continues.

 

 

40 Years of Love...

My parents celebrated their 40th wedding anniversary by renewing their wedding vows at the end of July. It was a really beautiful event.

To see them walk down the aisle together, in love as ever, just made me blush and be so proud to call them my Mom and Dad. I get my sense of affection from them I know this to be true.

When I was in school my friends would tease me after seeing my parents out in the mall together walking hand in hand like school age sweethearts. It was a wonderful example of true love within a marriage as I grew up. That's all I knew as a child in regards to what a marriage should look like and for that I'm grateful because it laid a desire in my heart to love and cherish someone in the same way with boldness and without fear of what others may think.

My hubby and I celebrated 13 years together on August 19th. Every year that our anniversary rolls around I relish in the fact that it feels like I just got married yesterday. I love that man with that giddy feeling that makes you blush just as I did 13 years ago. He and I have grown and matured together over the years - in mind, body, and spiritually together as we've strived - together - to grow closer to the Lord as husband and wife. This spiritual growth that we've had together has deepened our understanding of who we are in Christ. and, I have to say he's even more handsome because of His love for God.

Marriage is a beautiful thing...

At Firebirds for our 13th Anniversary Dinner