3 hours ago
(Note: We took a trip to the beach recently - vacation recap coming soon - and I got this dress from Pinkblush just in time before we left! They sent it to me for free in exchange for the feature I am including in this post, but I totally used it as my dress for an unofficial 30-year-old photo shoot on the beach!)
In less than a month, I will be turning 30, and I'm not bothered by it. Not even a little bit. Here's why.
1. Growing older means more experience.
You all know I'm a talk radio fan (honestly, I listen to way too many shows and podcasts), and Rush Limbaugh often says how he is never sorry to grow older, because it means he has more experience and knows more than he used to. I have to say, I love that. I've adopted his attitude over the years, and especially as I've been surrounded by wise older people. Some of them are decades older than me, like my parents or grandparents, some are people just a few years further down the road of life (ahem, like my husband), but I always look at them and think about the experiences and growth that they've walked through and I haven't yet. So the passing of a year, even a big year like 30, is just another year that I've grown and matured and learned more.
2. Let's be honest, 30 is not that old.
We all like to joke about how old we are getting when these decade markers pass us by, but really, the early 30's are still relatively immature. We all think we know more than we actually do. Just watching the people in my life who are approaching 40, I see the difference even that one decade makes in maturity and wisdom. I'm not naive enough to think I have no more growing to do. Thirty is still very young (maybe not always in a good way).
3. I'm surrounded by people who love me (and vice versa).
It is not lost on me how much of a blessing it is to enter my 30's with my own family established, and surrounded by family and friends who love me. I think maybe the hardest part of getting older is not being quite where you thought you would be, whether that's professionally, relationally, or personally. Being surrounded by the people who are most important to me, feeling like I belong somewhere, was always one of my biggest hopes for 30, and so my heart is full. When I look to the years ahead, I can expect a continuation and maturation of the fun I've already been having with my husband and kids and family and friends, and that's a blessing!
It is not lost on me how much of a blessing it is to enter my 30's with my own family established, and surrounded by family and friends who love me. I think maybe the hardest part of getting older is not being quite where you thought you would be, whether that's professionally, relationally, or personally. Being surrounded by the people who are most important to me, feeling like I belong somewhere, was always one of my biggest hopes for 30, and so my heart is full. When I look to the years ahead, I can expect a continuation and maturation of the fun I've already been having with my husband and kids and family and friends, and that's a blessing!
4. I've figured out who I am.
Maybe this is just me, but I've always had these arbitrary marker years in my head, ages that I look ahead to and think "Wow, when I'm that old, I will have arrived." Well, I haven't really arrived because every time I reach the magical age there is another marker age on the horizon. But 30 was one of those years for me. When I thought about 30, I envisioned having figured out my own identity and style, and feeling confident in who God made me to be and what He wants me to do. And maybe it's just the power of suggestion, because of the mental picture I've developed surrounding the age of 30, but I do feel like I've figured out who I am. I just think 30 is going to be good. (The next marker age is 36, in case you were wondering.)
(Speaking of style...I think one of my favorite parts of this age is that I've figured finally figured mine out. I like to try new trends, but I fit them in around casual and feminine basics - this dress from Pink Blush is a good example! PinkBlush is my go-to for maternity clothes, but I love PinkBlush's non-maternity clothes too because they are the right cut for my grown-up, post-baby body, with tons of flattering options. Thirty means abandoning the juniors section for good, and finding brands that look good on my figure, and with options like Pinkblush I'm okay with that! You can check out the dress I'm wearing here. It's a perfect beach dress, right?)
5. Each year I live on this earth brings me closer to Jesus.
Each year I live is that much longer I have to grow in my walk with the Lord and learn to serve Him better. Life on this earth is only an incredibly small sliver of eternity, and for those of us who have trusted in Jesus for our salvation, we have eternity in Heaven to look forward to. And anything good that we experience here will be magnified and perfected there. Really, how can I be sorry to grow older when I think about that? Every year I spend here is one year closer to when I'll see Jesus face to face. As a believer, there are only good things to look forward to when you take the long view.
Was 30 a good year for you, or was it hard to leave your 20's? Or if you are in your 20's, do you look forward to or dread turning 30?
Comment below, I want to hear!
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I sat down and counted up our school days the other day and realized we have less than 20 days left before we hit our required number of homeschool days. That means I'm less than a month away from having my first true year of homeschooling under my belt! (I am not counting kindergarten.)
Last year before we started I shared all about my curricula picks for first grade. So how did all that work out for me? Here's the breakdown:
Math
What We Started With: Rightstart Math
What We Ended With: Rightstart Math
I have zero complaints about this curriculum! Rightstart has an unusual method and order for teaching math, but I was really impressed it. I love how it teaches underlying math concepts, instead of just rote memorization! This curriculum was such a good fit for my teaching style and Wyatt's learning style! We love all the manipulatives, the way it reinforces concepts through games, and the focus on teaching kids to visualize numbers in their heads. It is so much more enjoyable for Wyatt and myself than doing endless math problems and worksheets. I am really happy with it, and will use it with all my kids as long as it fits their learning styles!
What We'll Use Next Year: Rightstart
Reading
What We Started With: 100 Easy Lessons and Rod And Staff
What We Ended With: All About Reading
As we were entering the school year last fall, I knew we were going to be finishing up 100 Easy Lessons before the year was out...so I knew I'd have to shift to something else. We limped along with 100 Easy Lessons until I had Georgie, and to be honest, by the end we were kind of hating it. I really love the first half of that book, which takes your child from knowing nothing to reading sentences. However, by the time we got about 75% of the way through the book we were really bored and frustrated. I was also a little irritated because that book took forever to introduce all the letters/sounds, and didn't go over all the rules I wanted to teach Wyatt. It got him reading, but by the time Georgie was born we were fighting through the lessons and I was ready for something different.
We were loving our math curriculum so much because it had different activities and manipulative to go with each lesson, so I was wanting something more like that for reading. I did a little research and decided to give All About Reading a try. I've heard so many good things about it (and it was recommended by a great blog friend too!), so I ordered our level and got started. Wyatt flew through that whole curriculum in a few months and we both stopped dreading reading so much! It gave him so much confidence, so it was definitely the right call!
In the end, I don't regret starting with 100 Easy Lessons, because I still think that book has the best method for teaching blending that I have come across. Blending is only covered in one lesson in All About Reading, and if your kid doesn't naturally get it, 100 Easy Lessons would be a great resource. I think the reason we got through AAR so quickly was because we started with 100 Easy Lessons. For my other kids, I will probably start them on 100 Easy Lessons and then switch halfway through the book instead of suffering through the last half.
What We'll Use Next Year: All About Reading
Writing/LA
What We Started With: First Language Lessons, 100 Bible Verses To Read And Write
What We Ended With: 100 Bible Verses To Read And Write
I took a more casual approach to writing and language arts this year, since the language arts priority was solidifying reading skills. We did copy work (mostly with the 100 Bible Verses book) and wrote notes to family members for writing. For language arts concepts, we had plans to use First Language Lessons - but if I'm honest, we hardly used it at all. We talked about some LA concepts as we were doing All About Reading, and I'll review a few things over the summer with Wyatt before we start a more structured writing program this fall.
What We'll Use Next Year: TBD
Writing/LA
What We Started With: First Language Lessons, 100 Bible Verses To Read And Write
What We Ended With: 100 Bible Verses To Read And Write
I took a more casual approach to writing and language arts this year, since the language arts priority was solidifying reading skills. We did copy work (mostly with the 100 Bible Verses book) and wrote notes to family members for writing. For language arts concepts, we had plans to use First Language Lessons - but if I'm honest, we hardly used it at all. We talked about some LA concepts as we were doing All About Reading, and I'll review a few things over the summer with Wyatt before we start a more structured writing program this fall.
What We'll Use Next Year: TBD
Science
What We Started With: Apologia Flying Creatures and Building Foundations Of Scientific Understanding
What We Ended With: Apologia Flying Creatures, BFSU, and random library books
I'm going to be honest and tell you that science kind of took a backseat with the whole having-a-baby thing this year. I had so many grand plans to do all the experiments in our Apologia science book, the science activities in BFSU. I was going to be a science-super-mom!
However, after Georgie was born I just was not organized enough to plan a bunch of experiments and do a really organized study - so we ended up going through a few random sections of Apologia and BFSU (according to whatever looked interesting), and grabbing coordinating books from the library. We did a couple field trips, and a couple science experiments - all interest led though, not really what was in the books. We kind of just went flying by the seat of our pants! I'm actually quite happy with how this turned out. Science at this level is mostly to get kids interested anyway, and I'm fine with that! My plan is to do a few more science activities this summer to introduce different concepts that I really wanted to cover this year, and then start fresh in the fall.
However, after Georgie was born I just was not organized enough to plan a bunch of experiments and do a really organized study - so we ended up going through a few random sections of Apologia and BFSU (according to whatever looked interesting), and grabbing coordinating books from the library. We did a couple field trips, and a couple science experiments - all interest led though, not really what was in the books. We kind of just went flying by the seat of our pants! I'm actually quite happy with how this turned out. Science at this level is mostly to get kids interested anyway, and I'm fine with that! My plan is to do a few more science activities this summer to introduce different concepts that I really wanted to cover this year, and then start fresh in the fall.
What We'll Do Next Year: Stay Tuned, I'm figuring that out now.
History
What We Started With: Beautiful Feet Books
What We Ended With: Beautiful Feet Books
I love this curriculum! For history I knew I wanted a literature-based approach to American History, so we chose the Early American History set from Beautiful Feet Books. There are all kinds of suggested activities in the study guide, but we have really just read the books and done coordinating field trips this year. We are stretching this curriculum out for two years instead of just one, so we are finishing up half the curriculum this year, and we'll finish it next year. We haven't covered a huge range of historical events, but what we have covered I feel that we've covered well - my kids have retained a lot of what we've read this year. It makes my heart happy every time they see a historical reference somewhere else and exclaim "It's just like in our book!"
What We'll Use Next Year: We are continuing with Beautiful Feet Books Early American History for sure, and may throw in another set (possibly the World History set from BFB or Story Of The World).
Bible
What We Started With: ?
What We Ended With: CBS
If you remember, I was a little unsure of what we would use for a Bible curriculum. I had a really hard time finding something I was satisfied with, and I honestly just gave up searching as I approached my due date. Then after Christmas we attended a visitor day at our local Community Bible Study, and I loved it! I did CBS growing up, and I forgot how thorough and deep the lesson books are. This will basically be our Bible curriculum from here on out. Once the kids reach grade school, they get their own lesson book that coordinates with the adult lesson books, which I love! We work through the passage together and then attend our CBS meeting each week to discuss with others, so it's a social opportunity and Bible curriculum all in one!
What We'll Do Next Year: CBS
I'll do a more in-depth post soon about what we will be doing next year for 2nd grade and kindergarten! But in the meantime, I've been searching for books to read for me over this summer. I like to read a few homeschool-related books in the summer to keep my motivation up and give me ideas. If I get a good list going I'll write another post, but I'm excited about this one:
My blog friend Elizabeth is also one of my favorite homeschool bloggers - she gives so much inspiration, ideas, and encouragement on her site. Well, she wrote a new ebook called Lifestyle Homechooling, and it's launching today! I'm really excited to pick this one up, because I'd say "lifestyle homeschooling" is a perfect term for what I'm going for in our homeschool. This past year I have been loving how flexible homeschooling is, how I'm able to work it into our family life and fit it into the life stage we are in right now with a baby. I'm looking forward to getting some ideas from Lifestyle Homeschooling - definitely check it out!
(Note: I am part of the launch team for Lifestyle Homeschooling, and will be receiving a free copy of the book in exchange. Follow me on Goodreads to see my eventual review!)
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I'll do a more in-depth post soon about what we will be doing next year for 2nd grade and kindergarten! But in the meantime, I've been searching for books to read for me over this summer. I like to read a few homeschool-related books in the summer to keep my motivation up and give me ideas. If I get a good list going I'll write another post, but I'm excited about this one:
My blog friend Elizabeth is also one of my favorite homeschool bloggers - she gives so much inspiration, ideas, and encouragement on her site. Well, she wrote a new ebook called Lifestyle Homechooling, and it's launching today! I'm really excited to pick this one up, because I'd say "lifestyle homeschooling" is a perfect term for what I'm going for in our homeschool. This past year I have been loving how flexible homeschooling is, how I'm able to work it into our family life and fit it into the life stage we are in right now with a baby. I'm looking forward to getting some ideas from Lifestyle Homeschooling - definitely check it out!
(Note: I am part of the launch team for Lifestyle Homeschooling, and will be receiving a free copy of the book in exchange. Follow me on Goodreads to see my eventual review!)
It's not the most comforting feeling when we're leaving on vacation this month.
The last couple weeks have been just weird and unsettling. I hurt my knee two Sundays ago. Badly. I was peddling the bike at the gym, and my knee started hurting when I got in the car. The next morning I couldn't even straighten my leg without pain, much less put any weight on it.
I had surgery on that same knee seven years ago, so this feeling was familiar. I was convinced I tore my meniscus again somehow, and I was going to need surgery and be on crutches for six weeks. I was a soggy mess the rest of the day, crying because I'd be on crutches for vacation, and I had so many end-of-year events that week, and I couldn't take care of the kids...crying just from the stress of it all. I shared what happened with different friends as my mom drove me down to the doctor's office, who then ordered an MRI. I was pretty convinced my May was ruined.
Then my knee felt surprisingly good the next day. And even better the next, and the next, until the day of my MRI, I could almost step on it. Results came in. No tear. I was walking without crutches the next day. I just don't even see how that's possible with how my knee felt just a few days before. Because it was bad. It felt like something had torn, but this week I'd say it's pretty much healed.
I'm crediting all the prayers. God definitely healed my knee way sooner than I expected, and it was a gift.
So I'm hanging on to that thought, as I sit here and catch a whiff of smoke, wondering if there is another fire someplace. Derek isn't home right now, and he has some hard work-related things to deal with that will affect our whole family. Both of these things are stressing me out. But then I remember my knee, and I say a prayer and take a deep breath. Rotten things happen every day, and sometimes they work out, and sometimes they don't, but this week I remember that we have a God who cares about it all. When we feel unsettled and anxious, we are supposed to come to Him.
"Cast all your care upon Him, for He cares for you."
1 Peter 5:7
"Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, make your requests known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus."
Philipians 4:6
I know those verses are so much used that they can almost seem cliche, but they will never seem cliche to me. How amazing is that, that we have a God who cares for us? And the proof of that is Jesus. When we trust in Him for our salvation, our eternity is secure in Him. If He died to save us from our sin, our biggest, most insurmountable problem, then He can handle all these little problems too. And even if it doesn't work out like we want, we have Him, and that is all we truly need.
So I'll cast my cares on Him, and go work on some packing.
"Cast all your care upon Him, for He cares for you."
1 Peter 5:7
"Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, make your requests known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus."
Philipians 4:6
I know those verses are so much used that they can almost seem cliche, but they will never seem cliche to me. How amazing is that, that we have a God who cares for us? And the proof of that is Jesus. When we trust in Him for our salvation, our eternity is secure in Him. If He died to save us from our sin, our biggest, most insurmountable problem, then He can handle all these little problems too. And even if it doesn't work out like we want, we have Him, and that is all we truly need.
So I'll cast my cares on Him, and go work on some packing.
Happy Friday, Friends!
(Affiliate link below.)
The Prayer That Turns The World Upside Down by R. Albert Mohler Jr. is a book that focuses on the Lord's prayer, and specifically why this prayer was so radical in Jesus's time (and now as well!). Mohler takes each line of Jesus's prayer in Matthew, and explains it in detail, including the theological truths that Jesus was communicating through each line. I honestly never thought about the actual theology communicated through the Lord's prayer, even though I've had it memorized since I was a child.
I found this book not only fascinating, but also very practical when it comes to figuring out WHAT to pray. So often I get stuck in praying about things that feel trivial, and then not really knowing what else to say. The Lord's prayer is a wonderful basis for directing us to the things we truly should be praying for, and this book really inspires you to actually spend time praying about the things that Jesus told the disciples to pray. After each chapter I found myself closing my eyes and taking a minute to apply what I was learning.
This is a book that I'll refer back to again and again - I already have so many passages highlighted that I want to go back to now that I've read the whole thing! Highly, highly recommend if you find yourself stagnating in your prayer life. I think it will inspire you to focus your prayers on things that will last, obeying Jesus's example and honoring God in the process.
Note: I received a copy of this book for free from the publisher in exchange for a review. This is my honest opinion.
Note: I received a copy of this book for free from the publisher in exchange for a review. This is my honest opinion.
(Quick note - Post inspired by Amanda's beautiful 12-Minute memoir yesterday. I forgot how much I like doing these, and it's so much easier to fit in before the kids wake up. I'm getting my prompts here. Thanks Amanda! Also, picture is from somewhere else where they actually have those magical flowering trees.)
6:46 AM
When I think of spring I think of one thing: mud.
I've lived in the mountains my whole life, and in the mountains spring is an endless cycle of snow which turns to mud, which is covered by more snow. Even the springs that break form (like this one) are brown and grey in the mountains, with very little color. We wait and wait, until suddenly, all in a flurry at the end of May, it goes from spring to summer in one week.
When I was a child I never understood why people liked spring. When I became a young adult I started to realize that other places had flowers, flowering trees even. And well, if you have a spring like that, it makes sense why you would like it. But in my mountain world, spring is the ugliest season.
Mountain springs haven't changed that much since I was a kid, but while I used to hate the season, I don't anymore. It's still brown and yucky, but I notice the green grass poking through the ground, hidden behind the yellowed leftovers from last year. As my kids' feet pound the floor above me way too early in the morning, I realize I also hear birds singing an endless song outside the window. I walk over to let our big hound mix outside, because he won't leave me alone until I do, and I hear squirrels chattering and I breathe in the cold, wet smell of melting snow.
Spring will always smell like that to me. Not like flowers, or green grass. Like mud and melting snow.
There is life out there, new life stretching up, peeking around the corner, sitting in the tree branches. I never noticed that as a kid, but I do now. Now that I've felt new life in my womb, held it in my arms, and had a few more Resurrection Days under my belt, spring holds a bit more significance.
So even these muddy, ugly springs are beautiful after all. I look out my window and can see the echoes of God's words in Genesis - even here, in the mud.
"It is good."
6:54 AM
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If you are interested in thinking on the subject of assisted suicide and other end-of-life decisions from a Christian perspective, I HIGHLY recommend this book. This book addresses not only those who might be considering assisted suicide, but those, like me, who are wanting to look at this subject in a God-honoring way.
Joni not only doesn’t preach in this book, but she presents a truly compassionate look at these subjects while remaining uncompromising. She addresses those who may be facing suffering or death with compassion and a challenge to use every day to God’s glory, and she addresses those around these people to consider the situation with compassion and biblical truth. She speaks from personal experience on both sides of these circumstances, and I don’t think you will find a more well-balanced Christian approach to end-of-life decisions than in this book.
As someone who is strongly against assisted suicide, I especially appreciated this book because it made me look at the whole subject with more compassion. Joni challenges you to think about the real people who are facing suffering and death, to put yourself in their shoes, to imagine yourself as their friend, and to consider how you would handle these things in a Christ-honoring way.
I also personally found some of her distinctions in the last section interesting as she addressed end-of-life decisions, and she made me realize I really should sit down and write an Advance Health Care Directive. Even though I’m healthy and don’t expect to die soon, you just never know. People get in care accidents every day, and it’s important to think about the potential healthcare decisions that could be made and how to approach these things in a way that glorifies God, should a difficult ending be part of my story.
I highly recommend this book for every Christian to read. It’s not a happy subject, it’s not one that’s “fun" to read about, but I think it’s important to think about these things from a biblical perspective - both for the sake of those who may be facing these kind of issues, and for ourselves should we, God forbid, face them ourselves on day.
Note: I received a copy of this book for free in exchange for an honest review.
Each year in the spring, I start to think in the direction of all things homeschooling (at least ever since my kids have been old enough for me to think about school). I start planning next year's curriculum, I break out all my books about homeschooling, and I watch a bunch of videos on Youtube. I happen to follow several homeschooling moms on Youtube (one of these days I'll put a list together for you), and I've come across quite a few "homeschool room tour" videos.
Now, most of you know that I was homeschooled growing up, and this homeschool room idea honestly surprised me. I had never even heard of having a "homeschool room" until the last couple years.
We do not have a homeschool room. You can watch this little video to see our current homeschool setup:
We do most of our schoolwork together right now, and it happens most often at the kitchen table.
The kids seem a little less wiggly when I have them sit at a table (which is probably also why most homeschool rooms feature a table). Occasionally we do work on the couch, but that's always a little more chaotic. Since the only table we have is in the kitchen, that's where we work. This works out really well for us, and I'll often have Wyatt read to me while I fix dinner or whatever. Having him at the kitchen table allows me to multitask part of the time (and he actually seems to read better when I'm not sitting right next to him looking over his shoulder).
When I was growing up, we did not have a homeschool room. School was a more casual affair, and my mom gave us a lot of freedom as long as the work got done. As a child, I would grab my schoolbooks in the morning, and take them wherever I felt like doing school that day. My typical routine was to fix a big glass of ice water and lay down on my stomach in the morning sunlight that came through our living room window. In the afternoon when the sun shifted, I often put on my swimsuit, gathered up my books, and did school in the hot tub (in retrospect, kudos to my mom for not worrying about me dropping my textbooks into the water). Doing school wherever I wanted weirdly made the whole thing feel less like work and more like fun.
So honestly, even if I had an unused room, I'm not really sure if I would designate it as a homeschool room. I don't want to restrict my kids to doing their schoolwork in just one area of the house. As a former homeschool student, I know how much I enjoyed shifting to different areas throughout the day, and as the kids become more independent with their schoolwork I want them to have the freedom to go wherever is easiest and most fun for them too.
Though I tell you, if I had an extra room, I would definitely consider a homeschool library room...
Do you have a room designated for homeschooling? Or do you just do schoolwork wherever, like me?
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