Just when I thought my life would get simpler...the summer ended. Actually today is the last day of summer vacation. Last night we went to an orientation for 6th graders at the Middle School. Now I've got a whole bunch of papers to go through and glean information from. We also went to visit Alicia's classroom. Second grade is much simpler...but I still have "stuff" to fill out and send in and mark on the calender. The swim team is starting up again. I need to go to the YMCA to talk to someone about getting scholarship money. I took a saxaphone in to get cleaned and serviced yesterday. My core leader (Sally) called me to let me know I'd be in her core group this year. CBS will start on Sept 20. Everyone wants volunteers. Everyone wants me to clutter up my schedule with more committments. My sister-in-law would like me to paint a mural for her. Another person would like a mural too. I'm picking up another house to clean every other week. I need to get my house organized and calendar organized. Our back porch is rotting off the house. We have no money to build a new one. My house is under construction and will be forever. My husband would like me to come up with a way to pull in more money than I have been. (I don't pull in much at all)
I just don't think I'm good at all this. I feel like I never do anything really well because I am pulled in too many directions. The other day I was sitting with a group of women from my church. A few of them have older children and they had horror stories about the books their kids are assigned to read in school and the battles they have had to fight against this. One woman is sending her child to Lima Christian School this year. Another woman home-schools anyway and she told about the wonderful benefits of home-schooling. I made a mental note to pick up a list of all the books Allen is expected to read this year from his English teacher...and I forgot to do that last night!!!
I feel like I'm not doing a good job at being a "home executive." Am I doing enough? Probably not. Am I doing too much? Probably. I kind of miss those simpler days of having a new born baby and a toddler. No one expected anything from me other than to be a mommy. The world was safer. I didn't worry about school curriculums and policing it. I didn't worry too much about the calendar. Oh sure there were things on it that needed my attention, but I always took a nap in the afternoon when my babies did and I never felt too guilty about it. (ok...maybe I did a little) My kids didn't use a computer...and we had no internet hook up. No worries about what they were stumbling across (albeit accidently). We read picture books from the library and watched Veggie Tales, The Donut Man and Barney. When my kids went to preschool...they were under the wings of Deb Thompson, where they learned Bible stories and did fun projects and they learned about caterpillers and apples. Kids tapes could be heard playing songs like The B-I-B-L-E, and Jesus Loves the Little Children. Sometimes I felt like I was going crazy...but I had a stay-at-home neighbor with children the same age as mine and we were both Christians. I spent hours drinking tea with her and talking as our children played. I went to the mother's group at my church every Thursday morning. We would look at scripture and talk about parenting preschoolers.
Oh dear! I'm getting all sentimental and weepy! Somebody out there give me a good scripture to encourage me or some words of wisdom and comfort because I think I need them today!
8 comments:
Priscilla - that just sums up exactly how I feel and what I was trying to express in my post.
Do you mind if I link to yours on my page??
I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me. Phil. 4:13
As my kids grow older I find that life holds new challenges, challenges I have never faced and don't know how to handle. I am constantly reviewing my life and schedule and trying to simplify things but it is so hard to do. I'm pretty out of touch with public school now and I guess I'm into home schooling for the long haul. Not really sure how to help but I do understand that life is chaotic and crazy.
When you go to war against your enemies and see horses and chariots and an army greater than yours, do not be afraid of them, because the LORD your God, who brought you up out of Egypt, will be with you. Deuteronomy 20:1
Joshua said to them, "Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged. Be strong and courageous. This is what the LORD will do to all the enemies you are going to fight."
Joshua 10:25
He said: "Listen, King Jehoshaphat and all who live in Judah and Jerusalem! This is what the LORD says to you: 'Do not be afraid or discouraged because of this vast army. For the battle is not yours, but God's. 2 Chronicles 20:15-17
Hey Jon, those are great verses (just looked them up online, my Bible is NKJV and these are NIV). Maybe I'll have to print them out and put them up where I can memorize them. Funny thing is I just read the one about King Jehoshaphat and thought it was great then too.
Ruth, I don't mind if you link me to your page.
Jon and Mart,
I will look up those scriptures. Thanks!
Well...I just looked up the verses, Jon (the old fashioned way...using my Bible!) They were great. Very encouraging to me. Thanks.
Thanks for writing them out for us, Mart.
I am going through the same things Priscilla. Last year I had to find out the curriculum for Steven. It turned out (thank God) that everything they were going to teach him and give him were fine, but now I need to do the same thing for this year. Some of the books on their required reading for this summer were totally unacceptable, and I let it be known. Of coarse they probably thought I was crazy and "intolerant". We need to pray for our children and for wisdom.
I have to apologise for the pat answer yesterday. Not only can I "do all things through Christ who strengthens me" but "without Him, I can do nothing". These are things I keep reminding myself over and over. Especially when I feel overwhelmed and like I will never catch up with everything. Another reminder... "God is bigger than the Boogieman... " I need Him every day even when life appears to be under control.
Hmmm. Martha, I'm not familiar with that verse. "God is bigger than the boogieman." What book is that in?
Post a Comment