Love Me As I Am

I’m Selfish

By Christi, on January 17th, 2012

We all are, really. It’s that whole dying-to-self thing, yk? It’s hard. And so not fun. I was going to blog about how God has shown me my selfishness and how it has been hurting me and my family, and others around me. Then I came across this blog post and realized she pretty much took the words out of my mouth!

God has been steering our family towards Thomas Jefferson Education for years now even though we had no idea. Man, I love how He does that! I started reading Leadership Education about 2 months ago and it just was so obvious that this was what our family needed to be doing. It all makes so much sense. And God’s hand is so obviously in it.

We’ve been actively DOING it for about 3 weeks now and I already see changes. Not just in my kids – as if those aren’t enough! R1 is READING on his own, voraciously, at that! R2 is reading, writing poetry and WANTS to do chores with me. And R3, well, she’s just amazing all the time.

But I’ve changed, too. (And so has Mr. Fox, maybe I can get him to blog his perspective!) Used to, if I had an appt and a sitter I’d draaaaaaaag my feet going back to pick them up. I just didn’t want to go back home and do the “mom thing.” I desperately sucked out every.last.second that I could be by myself.

Today, I had an appt. and I actually found that on the way back I was anxious to pick them up and go home. Turns out that the more quality time I spend with them (quality being the key word here) the more time I want with them. We spend hours a day piled up on the couch reading and it has done something to us. It’s gluing us back together. It’s teaching and ministering to our hearts. And it’s lovely. I want more.

God is SO good. He’s so good to me.

Studying MLK Jr

By Christi, on January 15th, 2012

I’m putting together some things for us to study about civil rights and wanted to have it all in one spot so I can easily refer to it, so, like everything else, I’m putting it here. Plus, maybe it’ll save someone else time!

The “I Have A Dream” Speech
The King and His Dream video
List of books to get from the library
Vocab. list and definitions
Biography of MLK Jr.

It Seems We’ve Done SOMETHING Right

By Christi, on January 14th, 2012

On the way to a friend’s house today we heard a blurb on the Christian station about MLK Jr. and R1 asked me who he was. I was totally honest and told him that I knew he was a great man and did some really important things for the civil rights movement but that I didn’t really know much about him and that I planned to remedy that. He said he’d like to research it with me.

I did a quick google and read a bit about him in the parking lot and we talked a bit about it as the 4 of us headed into Publix. When I said the words, “black people” and “white people” while trying my best to explain what the civil rights movement was my sweet R2 looked at me and said, “What are black and white people?”

My heart soared. To her, there is no such thing, it’s absolutely absurd because everyone is different, no one is the exact same shade as anyone else and we are all the same – God’s children. I asked her what color her skin is and she said, “brown.” R1 argued that albino people are truly white and I had to concede, LOL, but we talked about how even they have different shades.

The idea that any one “color” of person would hate another “color” JUST BECAUSE OF THEIR “COLOR” was (and I quote my son here) “STUPID.” I wholeheartedly agreed and told him so.

I fail a lot at this parenting thing. I’m not as educated or witty as some but it seems as though I just might have done this one thing right. Mr. Fox and I both grew up with a lot of racial junk being demonstrated and are so thankful that God has cleared our hearts and minds of it and allowed us to model LOVE for people to our children.

God Answers Freak-Outs

By Christi, on January 5th, 2012

Well, last night I had a mini-freak out (which, after posting to the TJEd-Muse group, turns out to be perfectly normal) and so today, God took the opportunity to once again reassure me that I am doing the right thing.

This morning I told the kids about our new morning routine and how it was going to go. R2 was begging to read to me from her Fancy Nancy reader from the second she got up but I told her she had to wait til we got to that part of the morning. Anyway. I read from the Bible, read our Bible story and we said the pledge. Then I let each kid pick a book from the stack of books I got from the library yesterday. After I read those I told the kids that I was going to listen to R2 read. Last night I brought up some things from the school room downstairs for the girls to do during reading (quiet things like dry erase board, crayons, coloring books, stickers, foam shapes w/cards, etc). Ry has no problem just sitting and listening but the girls can’t be still, yk? Anyway, while R2 was reading to me R3 took to coloring and R1 grabbed the dry erase board (I was totally expecting doodles or pictures) and he WROTE A POEM!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Y’all, this is the kid who LOATHES writing ANYthing. He hates it, and it’s always been a battle to get him to write and here he is writing on his own, a poem, no less.

Wanna hear it?

I have a cat
his name is mat
he likes to nap
and read a map and rap, do the tap!!!

I’ve been beating myself up a bit because we’ve really not done any school the last 2 months or so – turns out that was God ’cause it’s been the perfect detox for my boy.

I got another surprise last night. I started reading Anne of Green Gables to the kids. After one chapter the girls told me they didn’t like it – I was expecting the same from Ry but he said he DID like it and wanted to keep reading it. So I started another book for family reading and will continue to read Anne to him, since I want to read it, too.

I’m sure I will have many more freak outs – public school conditioned me towards instant gratification so I still have to work on that.

Changing It All Up

By Christi, on January 4th, 2012

Back in November I came across this blog post about Leadership Education and it resonated with me SO deeply. One of the main reasons I HS is because I don’t want my children’s core to be influenced by people who don’t believe as we do. I firmly believe that I can’t raise my child to know what I believe, behave the way the Bible commands and be the light if they are spending 3/4 of their time under the influence of others. If I want to teach them these things they need to be with me more than anyone else. I mean, what does it matter how smart/schooled you are if you SUCK as a person?

I did some reading but didn’t really go anywhere with it. Then, about a month ago I took the leap and ordered Leadership Education and dove in. A friend whom I’d shared the blog with dove in before me and we were both blown away with how much sense LE makes.

R1 hated school, every day was a fight and as I watched him pout and stomp and hate his schoolwork I started to think that I’d missed something and that as crazy as the above may sound to some it might be just what I was looking for.

Fast forward to today and we have now rearranged our house so that we have a family room with book shelves full of good books and NO media. We are working on getting our morning routine ironed out, we read for at least an hour every night (in addition to at least an hour during the day) and I’m starting to freak out a little bit, LOL. Mainly because I didnt’ have a LE, man I wish I had, and that makes me doubt myself. But that’s the thing about TJEd, you go back and GET/GIVE yourself the education you need and in the process your children learn by watching you and doing it along with you.

It’s scary. It’s like nothing I’ve ever seen or known and the unknown is scary. BUT, here’s the thing. I’ve wanted (and not wanted, out of fear) to back to school for years now. I never really knew what for but more and more lately God has laid on my heart a desire to learn Hebrew, to go to a Bible college and really learn theology. So, it seems that maybe He’s lead me here not only for the sake of my kids’ education but for my own, also. And the fact that I looked at Mr. Fox the night before last and told him I wanted to get the TV out of the family room and he didn’t look at me like I was nuts, but actually said, “I think that’s a great idea” really makes me believe that God’s hand is in this – He’s put us on the same page!

No matter what, after reading up on the true origins and purposes of Public Education I can say without a doubt thatI pray my children will never step foot into a school.

Coo Coo

By Christi, on December 29th, 2011

We went to the park with friends today and Mr. Fox was chasing a friend’s son. R3 joined in saying, “Nana nana coo coo” – adorable, she is.

Meal Plan 12-28-11

By Christi, on December 28th, 2011

Beef with Broccoli
Primal Philly Cheesesteak in a Bowl
Bacon Lovers Dream Pie
Roasted Cabbage with Bacon
Steak with grilled veggies and sweet potatoes

Funnies Take 1,345

By Christi, on December 26th, 2011

Chris told R3 he was going to start calling her cupcake. Later that day when I called her that she said, “NO! Call me Coffee cup heart with pie and a strawberry on top” – methinks she doesnt understand the purpose of a nickname.

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LMBO R3 just put a bracelet on Chris and then yanked it off and said, “Hey, you’re a boy not a girl, who gave you that bracelet?”

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R2 has had a loose tooth (bottom front right, the perm one is already in behind it!) for a couple weeks. Well, today she finally yanked it out and then ran thru the house yelling, “I’m gonna get a hundred bucks!” R1 quickly informed her that she was not.

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