Great is thy Faithfulness...

Great is thy faithfulness. Oh, God, my father. Your mercies are new every morning...

...and every evening...and every moment.

It's been a doozy of a two day stretch. It all began yesterday morning when I was sitting writing my blog entry for my making things stretch blog. I had a feeling that I was going to be needing to trust God very soon. Little did I know.

I found water in my basement. A good size portion of my carpet was soaked. And so the journey began. I called the waterproofing company that did the job and someone is coming out Monday afternoon. I began the task of moving 3 huge IKEA bookcases and pulling up the carpet and the pad underneath. Then, I set about figuring out how to help it dry and putting fans out. Then I went to Lowe's and bought a sump pump for outside.

I went to my friend Kim's house for dinner--which was a huge blessing. I was exhausted. I came home and did our taxes and then shot an email to one of the elders of the church we attend asking for prayer as I tackled the sump pump.

He called this morning and offered to come by and do it for me. I took him up on it. He realized though that when he got here and saw the pit, it wouldn't do what I needed it to do. So, he said he'd make some phone calls and get back to me this evening.

This afternoon a friend from church brought me soup and muffin mix for dinner. It was truly such a blessing to me and Autumn loved the alphabet soup!

The elder from church did call later and I wasn't too worried. But, then an hour later, I went to check on the other sump pump that I had been avoiding checking and discovered water on the front wall too. No puddle though because the waterproofing system was doing what it was supposed to there.

I was so upset. I didn't have any idea of what that meant or what would have to be done. I cried and called a friend who's a contractor, but he was out. I left a message for the man from church and he called me back a bit later. He said he was coming over with another man from church who does waterproofing.

They were over in a half an hour. And they set my mind at ease. I understand my house a lot better now and I will be able to sleep not thinking that it's going to fall a part. Matt, the waterproofing fellow, said the system we had put in the house 2 1/2 years ago is a good one and at that crack, it's doing exactly what it's supposed to.

These past few weeks have been a doozy. I'm tired. 8 weeks down, 3 to go. 2 blizzards, 3 kids with pneumonia, everyone with the stomach bug (2 kids and me even at the same time), water in my basement... I think I need to go to sleep. But, I'm thankful for the Lord's provision. He has given me the strength I've needed even when I don't want it and I just want to give in to myself and cry. He has provided people to help me--people who will come right over and make time. I am blown away by this! I have been blown away by how God has taken care of my family during these past few weeks.

Now I really need to go to sleep. Thank you my friends for your prayers.

Missing Pieces

The other day I was discussing a book with my mom and explaining to her my concern about how "blame" is cast upon the child in the story. My mom commented about how deeply I read and consider what is written. Sometimes I wonder if I go overboard. Am I questioning too much? Am I overreacting? Why am I reacting this way? I come back to knowing that God wired me this way. But, I also reflect on how God has guided my path through the maze of books I've read over the past few years and what I've learned from the books themselves and from reading them. Recently, I read a book that troubled me. The book I finished reading was Guiltless Living by Ginger Hubbard. When I began reading it, I found myself puzzled and then disconcerted. And in the end, I cried. But, I cried for a different reason than one might suspect. I'd like to explain. I did not read Ms. Hubbard's previous book “ Don't Make Me Count to Three ”, but I knew from f...

listening or rather not listening to directions...

This week has been very eye opening. I am observing and noticing what I need to learn in order to be a better homeschooling mom and teacher and what my daughter needs to learn to be a good homeschooling student. My weakness when I was a teacher in a first grade classroom was not understanding how small concepts had to be broken down--and I lost my patience very quickly. This week, in particular today, I am seeing how detailed my directions need to be. I am going to be working very consciously and deliberately on this. On the other hand, I realized that my daughter does not listen! Wowsers! In a classroom, Autumn listens very well. She is a compliant child and very influenced by peer pressure and conformity. So, she listens along with everyone else and follows directions. But, at home, it's just Autumn and maybe Sami and Mommy. Very, very different! I had forgotten that most of kindergarten in the public schools is not focused on teaching students academic and learning co...

Writing A Homeschool Teacher Resume

I'm helping a friend who's switching jobs write a resume. She hasn't written one in years, so this is something new. I began working on her resume, but then stopped to write my own because I thought it might be helpful. Being a homeschool teacher may not seem to many like an occupation or career, but it is. I used the combined form of resume for myself. I began with the basic information, then moved on to strengths (the combined skills/experience part), education, Occupational Experience, then Related Experience, Certifications, Computer Skills, and mentioned at the end... References Available Upon Request. Sometimes homeschooling parents have to reenter the workplace because of family changes and needs. How could you express what you've been doing in a way that's acceptable for a resume? Well, here's my take on it... Teacher, Homeschool ...

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