Thankful for many things.....

Today was a day I looked back at moments that I was simply thankful for....

Finding life among the trees

A sticky friend!

Watching courage take place in a four year old. She was determined to experience this frog in her hand, not just by her eye this time.

Finding a frog so beautiful

Being in our own rain forest here in our front yard! Love the ferns.

The warmth and glow of a sunset that passes so quickly. I have but moments is seems to snap away.

Cousins enjoying a last ride before sunset.

Even the weeds needed a photograph!

Simply I am grateful...

He arrived!!

The post on sisters has now changes slightly! She is not pregnant anymore and is proudly holding her eighth child, a boy. His name is Brock Payton. He is beautiful as is his mother! I am thankful for another life in this family. We can hold him and cherish him too! A blessing for sure. All are well and healthy. God is merciful and gracious.

Welcome Brock. Just you wait and see how many cousins you have!!!!

What I learn from a mare

She mothers her foal in a precious way. I learn from her.....

I know I blogged about our neighbours new horses already, but this applies to an instinctual mothering nature God gave to animals. The day of birth we arrived to meet this little foal known as Kai. So fresh and tender, ready to be mothered by a strong, willing mare. She would not let him out of her sight and the distance between them was almost exact. Close and closer still. She walked beside him, ran beside him, crunched on grass beside him and allowed him to nurse when she herself had calmed down to a stillness ...

We approached with our horse whisperer neighbour leading the way, and she tentatively allowed us into her world, but she did. We were allowed to embrace her foal and experience this newness of life first hand.

I watched her animal instincts protect her foal.

Today as we drove by we saw the foal running around and not so close to his mother, but she still had an eye on him, not too close and not too far.

I thought of my mothering.

I remembered Deuteronomy 6:4-8

"... The Lord is God, the Lord is one. Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength. Impress them upon your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. Tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads."

What I learn from the mare is that she walks with her young, lies down with her young and automatically impresses upon her young the ways of a horse! Profound? Not particularly! The miracle is that it happens....

Sounds almost humorous that I think of mothering when I see this mare! I apply it to my own young today that I am to impress upon their hearts that the Lord is God, the Lord is one.

I can do this everyday in multiple ways. The mare instinctively teaches her young, it happens by God's great design.

I am a mother by God's design and His plan and by His grace I want to also teach my young a gospel centered life. It may not be in a green pasture as the mare across the road! However, I have my own 'pasture' and young to care for, raise and teach the amazing love of Christ.

Our pastor Paul Martin spoke today from Titus 2

www.gfcto.com

I am to,

"...be self-controlled and pure, to be busy at home, to be kind, and to be subject to my husband so that no one will malign the word of God."

I was challenged and convicted. A good place to be....

My goal: Apply Deuteronomy 6

Live Titus 2

This is not an easy task for any mother and I know I can't do this alone. By God's grace, love and forgiveness I can. I can try day by day to walk with my children and live a gospel centered life. As the mare teaches her young the basics of life, I too am called to teach. Thankfully I have a the Bible to follow for every topic and prayer warriers that surround me constantly. A husband that cherishes me and walks this journey of parenting with me, not against me! For that I am so thankful.

I was reminded last night to remember in prayer the mothers in the world today that are not celebrated or celebrating. For those in mourning over a lost child or lack of children. For those that can't do what they so desire to do for their young.

I pray for them today.

Happy Mother's Day my friends....

I Can Paint

I see beauty in God's created world. The seemingly mundane often call me to my knees and the camera becomes my voice.

This picture is one of those moments....

So..back to the I Can Paint!!!!

Over the years I have heard countless comments regarding the ability of a homeschooling mom. How do they qualify to teach any subject to their child? I completely understand where that question is coming from and I do not take it quite as personally (or negatively!) as I once did! Lord help me, honestly! You just have to let things go. For some of us it takes a little longer! Most homeschoolers don't see themselves 'qualified' for most academic subjects and humbly accept their limits and pursue curriculum that enables them to spark learning in their child.

I see learning as a gift to impart to my children. If I can't paint, I find amazing books that show me how to teach it, a person qualified to show them how or just let the kids explore and stop worrying about the end result!

So, my point you ask?? I am not a painter, however I love art. I love it so much. I adore so many forms of art from sculpting, water colour, photography, cardboard houses, paper mache, our food placed on our plates at lunch, the music we listen to, the dance we perform (congrats Meg on your dancing lately!!)  model magic even (oh yes that is art my friend! Have you seen what Mrs. H taught Sara and Samantha? No, you kindly respond!! Well, she showed them how to make a model of the earth and the layers it is made of. Sara looks at it every night and is so proud she made it and knows the layers!! That is her art! The lovely lady that showed her knew just how to incorporate art into a geography lesson!

At our last homeschooling Canada presentation day one of the families made paddles and painted artwork on front and back - beautiful! There was art in every presentation that day, every single one!!!!

Art somehow is with us everyday and embracing it that way allows it to seep into us in a stunningly simple way.

I see it as such a precious gift from our God that created in us the ability to see it, desire it and perform it. I am not planning on having our art forms displayed in an art museum, but for some that is where God will have it placed to glorify Him. Our art here is simple, manageable and literally a breath of fresh air when the air seems somewhat stale with fractions! If I allow myself to see art in all subjects our days are literally transformed into something wonderful.

Tomorrow we are making brain hats showing the left and right hemispheres and from there going into some rain forest activities (thank you Hilary, Heather and Annie for sparking a flame of interest here in the rain forest!!)

Art in science and geography tomorrow! I will link the brain hats when I find it! So neat!! I can make copies Heath and Paula!!!! I have to say it is quite funny they end up looking like army hats with the brain on the outside! Hilarious. We have had lots of talks about the brain lately and even though our anatomy books are not there yet, we are doing it anyway. Hey, I am a homeschooler, I can do that right!!!

The art I chose to do recently was not my idea. I am so thankful that someone else has the gift of simplifying what could be an arduous task. In the book, I Can Paint by Irene Luxbacher (want to meet her!!) she starts with the basics and leads the reader toward a masterpiece! It is attainable and the kids know it. So we looked at page 14 -15 and created what is called 'Touching the Sky'. They learned about the horizon line (some knew about that but others did not) and using water colours is always unique! Also, Samantha was so inspired she went on to try page 10-11 'Warm and Friendly'

They all did it and here is the result.

                                                                   Sara colouring as usual!!

They all had the same water, brushes and paint and had different paintings at the end. That was the best part for me, all different and created by little artists doing their best!

So, for me, not a trained artist I bring joy, enthusiasm, an idea, a good instructional book and lots of patience (always more clean up than you anticipate!) but we had fun. It was great and showed them that they could do it and well.

                                                                  so...

Will I teach calculus? No, I won't I can tell you that right now, but what I can tell you is this...they will get there (where God wants them to be...) and I will walk with them however God calls me to, and I will provide for them as well as I can the beginnings of pathways and roads that only they can tread to fullfull God's ultimate plan for their lives. I can't take the test for them, I can show them how to study and  allow them to know the character traits necessary to succeed.
 I am not a calculus teacher. I serve a God who created it! Somehow we will navigate the  academics and juggle our moments, our days...