Doing the Next Thing

I was in and out in five. The grocery store, that is. Just needed a few necessities to round out the Christmas leftovers. As I stood at the checkout, I noticed the cover of People Magazine . The current issue declares Sandra Bullock to be "Woman of the Year." Hmmm... I thought, I get that. She's had a year in which heartache and joy, success and defeat have all been intertwined . I don't know her personally, but she seems to be keeping a stiff upper lip. I find her to be likable and decently talented. I have nothing at all against Sandra Bullock. But Woman of the Year? Really? Another sad side-effect of our celebrity-obsessed culture. What about the young mother, diagnosed with cancer after giving birth to her 3rd child, finding joy and strength in the Lord as she walks through cancer treatment, struggling to care for her family? Or the devoted mother, still grieving the loss of a son, caring for the special medical needs of another son with the same disease - yet ke...

The Balm of Gilead for me today.... A lovely 3.5mi jog on this trail was the perfect way to reset my mood and my energy level after a busy week. School is in full swing, and we are all still adapting to the new lifestyle. Part homeschool / part classical dayschool ... all making me feel a little bit like I'm perpetually in fast forward . But blessings abound: A(6yo) and M(11yo) are thriving at their new school - a fact that is evident each afternoon at carpool when they hop in the car chatting away, eyes bright and hearts merry. We've had our struggles - A somtimes is a bit teary in the mornings for drop-off; and M is adapting to a rigorous workload and nightly homework. These are very light afflictions, however, when compared to the joy and blessing of having them in such a godly, like-minded school! (gotta love the dead plant in the background. sign o' the times.)

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As I've hinted before , my homeschool journey is taking a new turn. Lord-willing, if all the details (like financial assistance!) continue to work out, M (11) and A (5) will be attending a classical Christian school next year. The Big Boys will attend the same tutorial they did last year: in class one full day, working from home on the other days. And little miss K (4) will be home with me full-time. I'm not kidding myself into thinking this will be an easy year - I know better. It will be a time of transition for us all: getting out the door on time, doing homework, making lunches ... a different kind of stress. But my burden will be lifted, and that's huge. I've been stretched so thin these last couple of years, juggling so many ages & stages, managing our home, and being a helper to a hubby busy running his own business. There are cracks. Big ones. Stuff is falling through. I'm looking forward to knowing, for all four of my students, that education wi...

This is VBS week for us. I'm spending my time with a cute bunch of 2- and 3-year-olds. It's a different pace than I'm used to at VBS, a more physically demanding class, but what a blessing! I'm enjoying it so far. My Mom is here cooking and cleaning for us this week, and I'm so thankful for her servant's heart and cheerfulness. I took little miss KL (4) out in the jog stroller for a short run this afternoon, to work out the kinks and burn off some of my Mom's yummy cooking! It was a sweaty run, and the hills were hard in the 5 o'clock sun with a toddler. But it felt goooood to be back out there. GOTTA find time to run more often! Got in 2.5 miles in just under 30 min. Not a great time, but did I mention that it was hot? And that I was pushing a stroller? Uphill?

Helpful thought for this frustrated perfectionist: If a thing is worth doing, it is worth doing badly. -- G. K. Chesterton