Homeschool Schedules...Don't You Just Love Them??!!

If you're anything like me, you enjoy reading over other homeschool families' schedules...hoping to get a glimpse of their day in order to tweak your own.  I like to see how other families operate their normal daily tasks in addition to the homeschool routine...so I read and read and tweak and tweak.....

Not too long ago the Lord called us out.  He told us that we would eventually be in the ministry but hasn't given many specific details.  One thing I know for certain is that He told me to simplify our schooling schedule.  I have had to let go of a lot of curriculum...most of it never really got used anyway...but I develop bonds with my books and it's hard to let go....

I sat down and through much prayer I developed a school routine that will be (hopefully) a whole lot easier for us to follow and will allow time for ministry....

We'll be sticking with the 3 R's: Reading, wRiting, and aRithmetic!  I gleaned a bit from the Robinson Curriculum and tweaked it to fit our lifestyle. 

Reading will be 2 hours per day split 1 hour in the am and 1 hour in the pm.  I will read aloud from The Mystery of History (we're on Vol. 3) to all kids...hoping that Baby Number 7 will be able to sit still long enough to be a part of it.  I may also require my older readers to read different lessons as well...just so I can stay on top of their reading skills!  We will discuss what we read then I will have my older readers read their Bibles quietly to themselves.  They will also be encouraged to keep a list of words they come across that they have trouble with or that they don't understand and they will be required to research them so that they can fully understand what it is they are reading.  This includes word studies with Strong's Exhaustive Concordance and our Webster's Dictionary from....well...it's the old one from a long time ago!!  There will also be required reading that will be assigned by myself.  These are books I've gotten off of the Robinson Curriculum reading list and others I've come across along the way.  This will be how all other subjects outside of the 3 R's will be covered.  Writing assignments will be derived from the required reading as well!  I will work with my younger readers teaching phonics or just listening to them read aloud.  I will also work with my pre-schooler just in learning his letter sounds and recognizing the letters.  If he is ready I will begin teaching him to write his letters...but I won't push him...we'll take the gentle approach!

Writing will be 1 hour daily.  I will have my older children fill out a writing assignment sheet where they choose the type of writing they will do each day for that week.  The younger students will have simple sentences to copy and/or dictation.  For my pre-schooler, again, I will start with simple letter writing if he's ready...

Math will also be 1 hour daily and will be done first thing while their minds are fresh!  We have an array of curriculum we use for each student, basically because we're using what we have.  I know that isn't very scientific or anything, but that's what we're doing.  One will be doing Teaching Textbooks, 2 will be doing Math U See, 1 will be doing Christian Liberty Press, and my pre-schooler will be doing simple counting, number recognition and some adding and subtracting with manipulatives.  They will all do flashcard drills and they will each have time where they do oral math with me.  I downloaded the Ray's Arithmetic Series for free off the internet and have printed out lessons for each grade.  I like the old books and encourage people to go snooping all over the internet to look for these old 19th century schoolbooks...they are great sources for word problems and I think they really exercise the brain!

So that's it.  Simple.  I will next work on a spreadsheet chore chart that will hopefully simplify chores and incorporate their lessons with it so they can mark off what they've accomplished.  It will be divided into sections of AM CHORES, MATH, READING, WRITING, PM CHORES.  Again...keeping with the "keep it simple this year" theme!!

I hope this helps someone just a little bit...especially if you are feeling overwhelmed and unprepared!  The world says that luck favors the prepared, but I say when we feel the least adequate for the job and terribly unprepared we can take a moment to completely empty ourselves of our own strength and allow Abba to fill us up...even in our homeschooling journey!  I believe by far that your worst day homeschooling is better than their best day at public school!  Enjoy the journey!!!

A Prophetic Word From Abba

Our Father is speaking to us, His children.  His heart is to have us turn to Him...to seek His heart.  Are you listening?  Do you feel Him tugging at your spirit?

The Lord is saying that I know your heart is for Me and you're doing the best you can in your own strength.  You have a passion for souls and winning souls to the kingdom but you're doing it in your own strength.  I want you to begin to do it in My strength.  Not by might, not by power but by My Spirit says the Lord.  You must allow My Spirit to work through you.  Surrender yourself to the Holy Spirit.   Allow Me to have My way and you will see a flood of the harvest like never before.  There will be great rejoicing for when My Spirit is allowed to flow freely, when My Spirit is allowed to connect and interact with My people unhindered, who can resist My Spirit?  There are some pastors who seek fame and glory, they seek to be acknowledged among their peers.  They want to be well known for the amount of people they have saved.  But there are some who's heart is genuinely for Me, who's heart is genuinely for the lost and their sole desire is to bring people into the kingdom...to save them from hell and see them with Me in eternity.  Do not concern yourselves with the ones who seek glory for themselves, for I will bring them low.  But encourage one another, uplift one another, share the burden.  Work together to bring in the harvest.  Awaken your spirits to the Living God.  I will use you when you surrender to Me, when you seek to do things My way, when you seek to let Me have My way.  Then I will see that your heart is truly for Me and I will work through you .  I will draw people by My Spirit and you will see a great harvest.  Now is the time for awakening, turn your eyes to Me.  Seek My Holy Spirit. Cry out to me and I will hear your cries.  I am just waiting for you to cry out to Me.

Hearing From The Lord

I haven't been reading much on Facebook and we don't watch the news anymore so I tend to miss a lot.  It's time for harvesting and canning and I'm consumed in my own little world.  While we are out chasing cows all over the woods because someone (finger pointing at myself) forgot to plug in the electric fence and hunting for a lid for my water bath canner that someone (not naming names) used as a shield outside while he was playing... the world is in turmoil.  Most recently, there's a lot going around about Robin Williams and his tragic death.  Some people are using it as a platform to "preach" and others are just mourning the loss of a Hollywood funny man.  We criticize the "preachers"...we criticize the mourners...critical, critical, critical!  People everywhere are so quick to criticize...don't judge this or don't judge that.  Don't you see what is happening?  Have you heard what Abba is getting ready to do?  Are you getting caught up in all the distraction or are your eyes fixed on Him??

 

 Right now we are in a crucial time...things are falling down all around us.  Christian persecution, government corruption, rampant immorality....our world...our nation seems to be turning upside down.  BUT GOD!!!!!  God is moving in a mighty way!  He's been speaking through His prophets that He's about to pour out His Spirit on us like never before!  We've been hearing it for a while now, but the time is drawing so close.  The devil knows what Abba is about to do...that's what all this junk is about.  He knows that if you're looking at the waves you're not looking at the One who walks on the waves!  If you're looking at the storm, you're not looking at the One who calms the storm!!

 

Yesterday Darrell and I were praying and asking Abba about all of this nonsense and this is what He shared with us:

 

"People are saying how can God let all this be happening? How can God let the Christians be killed and everything that's going on in Iraq....the caos that's in the American government....people are saying where's God?  Why is God letting all this happen?  And God's response is where are My worshippers?  You want Me to swoop down and fix everything but your heart is not for me.  You want to continue on in your life, having fun, doing things...not worshipping, not focusing on Me...you want to close your eyes to these evil things.  You want to ask Me where I am but you can barely whisper a prayer for these people.  There are some praying, there are some worshipping, there are some who see what's happening.  There are some who see what I'm doing.  But there are some who are sleep walking.  You talk as though you're awake.  You look like you're awake, but your spirit is asleep.  Why all the destruction, you ask.  Why all the earthquakes?  It's because for all these years I've used the least severe means possible and you still won't listen to Me.  I've called you and called you and called to you repeatedly but you have hardened your hearts.  The earth groans for justice.  My creation cries out to me.  But the ones I have created in My image, they have hardened their hearts against Me.  So I am sending flood, I am sending famine, I am sending earthquakes, hurricanes, tornados... The things that you've seen so far...these are the least severe measures I've used.  So what I am sending now you have never seen the likes of.  Those who hear Me now, those who are focused on Me, those who are lifting their eyes for the outpouring of My Spirit, those will be spared.  And when the people are broken and they have no hope, My shining ones will rise out of the ashes and you will preach and you will prophesy.  You will walk in My favor.  You will bring healing to these people and they will listen because then they will be ready to hear.  So pray now.  Lift your eyes to Me now.  Don't be caught in this destruction.  I am sending you this warning because I don't want you to be caught in this destruction.  But even now I know that your heart is hardened against Me.  Don't you see that I weep for you?  Don't you know that My heart burns for you?  I sent My Son to die on a cross for you and He went because He loves you.  He loves you above His own self.  He suffered so much for you.  He bore all of it for you.  And you harden your heart against it all.  I stand here with My arms wide open just waiting for you to walk into My arms.  I call you My beloved.  Even as you stand with your arms crossed and your chin braced and your heart hardened I still call you My beloved.  And it's because I love you...because I love you I am sending this destruction.  Because I love you...to turn your heart back to Me.  I have legions of angels that stand at the ready to protect you.  Just cry out to Me.  Cry out to Me.  For I hear your voices, I hear your cries...cry out to Me."

Saying Good-bye

Yesterday marked the end of an era.  Yesterday we loaded our herd bull, Billy Burger and his son Hurricane Isaac, and took them to the livestock auction.  Ok, so 6 and a half years doesn't really make an era, but for Number 5 that's a lifetime ...and bless her heart, she had the hardest time of all of us letting him go.  I don't really understand why she was so upset.  I mean it's not like he was a pet, but he's been with us her entire life and now her life on the farm will never be the same.

  It didn't hit her until we began our drive home.  She wasn't concerned with the loading of the bulls or the long drive to the auction.  She was excited that she got to ride with Daddy in his truck while Mommy followed behind in the van.  She was excited to see all the livestock running through and disappointed that we could not stay long enough to watch Billy Burger run through.  No one mentioned his life here on the farm....not the fact that he was born just 2 weeks after that precious little girl.  No one remembered how he demolished their swing-set and ate parts of the blue padding from the old trampoline.   No one talked about how he chased Daddy one time while he was mowing or how he used to get all excited and try to fight the hay bales while we were trying to load them into the hay feeders.  We all just knew that it was time for him to go.  We've lost a few cows due to milk fever and acidosis and even sold a few so the majority of cows we have here are his daughters.  The excitement of looking for a new, younger bull just isn't enough to soften the pain of saying goodbye.   Billy Burger was part of our family in a small way.  And I think, especially for little Number 5, it all hit home when we hit the freeway behind our empty stock trailer.  Then all the time with Billy Burger here came flooding over her as she realized she would never see him again.  We're all a little sad...my heart hurts a little too.  But life on a farm, as wonderful and beautiful and amazing as it is, can sometimes bring a little heart break.  So Billy Burger...wherever you are....thank you. 

Thank you for 6 years, for fun times, and for 6 beautiful heifers that we get to see little glimpses of you in.  We will miss you and it really won't be the same here without you.....