Our exciting beginning!!

[Kathleen]

Monday was our 1st day starting Bigger and LHTH. And of course we love it!!

I've been so eager to share with you all...but just haven't had a chance to sit down and type. Our lives have been too exciting the last couple of days.

Here are the extras that have kept us occupied (and then I'll get to the good stuff! )...
Monday my ladies Bible study decided to have our last meeting for the summer at 11 am in town (going out for lunch without kids). It was a rare treat that I savored as I so enjoy the close friendships that have formed and the chance to pray and visit. I didn't even have to hire a babysitter because my husband was home ...replacing the hot water heater . We have had quite the ordeal with our water recently...new well pump, new hot water heater, tomorrow it will be a new pressure tank... I'm so glad that my in-laws are a mile down the road so we can bathe and shower, but I would love to have running water at home!! (And of course most of these "surprises" come...on SUNDAY morning! )

Anyway, I'd venture to say that I'm about as disorganized as I've been in my homeschool journey...and we've still had a great start!! I decided just to dive in and get a feel for everything before I make my schedule. I LOVE the lesson plans!! My house may look like a "stuff bomb" exploded, but I know exactly what I need to have quality school time with my 8 yo! I "feel" organized when I'm doing school, even though I know I'm far from organized in life right now. (BTW, I will be whipping things into shape around the house. I don't function well with clutter!!) Tiffini, I loved your idea about the walk through on your 1st day of Bigger post...I may just have to try that when we start "organized school"!

OK, here are a few of our favorite things from the last 2 days. We love the history readings! Grant asked if he'd be doing them on his own ever. I told him no and he said he was glad because he really likes listening to me read to him. I told him I was glad, too, because if he read them I'd miss something! He really got into his science notebooking today and did a beautiful job. (I'll have pictures on our week-in-review.) We are loving reading about George Rogers Clark...but I totally expected this. A boy who loves the woods, camping, climbing trees...there's even a picture of a "weapon" on the cover.

There are lots more little things that I could share, but I'm going to end with my favorite part so far. I love the Bible Study. I've not taken the one-on-one time like this with Grant to read God's Word and talk about it since Alli was born. (I'm tearing up writing this...) I have so enjoyed the time just in the last 2 days to be able to see his heart respond to God's Word. Our memory verse this week is "And if you call out for insight, and cry aloud for understanding, and look for it as for silver, and search for it as for hidden treasure, then you will understand the fear of the Lord, and find the knowlege of God." I've been challenged, too, and have been able to share with him that we don't ever quit needing God's insight in our lives and how important prayer and Bible study are to me! Carrie, thank you for sharing your heart for the Lord in the writing of your material. These are indeed precious - and eternally significant - memories that I'll treasure!

Happy and blessed!
Kathleen

[Tiffini]

Thanks for sharing, Kathleen. It is so neat to read about others doing the exact same things that we are and hearing how God is blessing your family as well. My son said last night as he was finishing his piano practice (that I had forgotten he still needed to do), "Mom, I'm trying to be persistent." Yay! Is anything better than seeing your chidlren apply the truth to their lives? I have been loving the Proverbs memory verse this week as well and am really seeing it at work in my kids' lives as well as my own.

[Carrie]

Oh Kathleen and Tiffini, what a blessing to be able to have those talks with your little ones! I treasure those times too! It forces me to take to the time to talk with my guys and get to their hearts!

Thanks so much for sharing!

By the way, Kathleen, we'll hope you have hot water soon! That is a trial!

Blessings,
Carrie

[Candice]

Kathleen,

What an absolute treat to read your post! I love taking a peek into the lives of others, quirks and all!
We had an ugly experience with our water heater when it decided one day that it was retiring and sent a flood of water over our garage floor. And I honestly do remember that it was on a Sunday as well, because at the time it was my husband's only day off! Go figure.
I love what you shared about your bible time with Grant, and the importance of God's insight into our lives, prayer, and bible study. So very, very true! Wishing you more treasured moments.

Candice

[MamaMary]

Oh Kathleen,

I've absolutely LOVED reading through your posts. I feel such a connection. My favorite part of HOD is that I can just grab my manuel and my books and GO! I also like that when I feel the need to plan and organize I can really throw myself into it. What a blessing your posts always are! Your are uplifting, real and fuh-KNEE

[Vicki]

What a great beginning!

I'm so excited for you, and I know you'll have many wonderful days to come!

I hope your water issues are resolved soon. We've been dealing with some of our own, so I know a little how you feel. I guess this seems to be the summer of water problems for us all!

[netpea]

Wonderful! I'm glad it went well for you. Here's hoping week 2 goes just as well...

[my3sons]

Oh Kathleen! What a great beginning to your homeschool year - and even in the midst of all of the "water struggles" You know I live on a farm in a 100 year old house, so you know I can feel your pain! ! Your homeschooling going so well is really a testimony to the ease of teaching from an HOD guide (though I know you are a pretty organized gal usually anyway ). Wyatt loved the history last year too - and it seemed like the Bible study really helped him pull out the character qualities of American heroes that I wanted him to take notice of. The people in history seemed to come alive for him this way, and I found myself more often than not a bit wistful that I didn't get to learn history that way as a child. Your list of favorites is pretty much a mirror image of many of my favorites from Bigger... - the Bible study and the discussions that Wyatt and I had because of the way it was laid out drew us so much closer to the Lord; and that has paved the way for the two of us to have great talks about our faith that may have otherwise been uncomfortable (or maybe not even have happened at all). I'm so happy for you, and Grant too! I'm also so glad for you that you got to enjoy a lunch out with your Bible study friends - we all need that Christian influence and shared time with faith-filled ladies in our lives! It is as refreshing as... dare I say... "water"? Couldn't resist! I pray your struggles with water are over and that life settles back into a normal pace again, but I'm also praising God with you for your wonderful start to Bigger...! Thanks for sharing - it keeps things exciting to share each others peaks!!!

Love in Christ,
Julie

[water2wine]

Kathleen I am so excited for you and I just loved reading your post! Isn't it great that you no longer have to worry about being organized in your school, it works anyway with HOD. Now you can focus on other things like enjoying what you see in your kids as they are learning and applying ti to their life. And your house if you want. So happy for you that it is going so well and you are being blessed. Thanks for sharing your moment with us!