Wandering through life one season at a time
Merry Christmas from my family to yours!!
Pelicans!
Those of you whole follow me on Facebook know that we just made a HUGE transition by moving from the Dallas area to the Tampa Bay area.
The past year has been a long, hard road for our family. We went into business with a friend 3 years ago and discovered (too late) that we did not have the same vision for the company. Our partner wanted out at all costs and we sadly closed the doors at the first of the year.
We have had to deal with exhaustion due to 70+ hour work weeks, a broken friendship, and untruths being spread about why the company closed. We are choosing to hold our heads high and keep our mouths closed, because anyone who really knows my husband will hopefully not believe what is being said about him.
Since the beginning, we have been praying for God to reveal His will and leave us with only one open door. He has shown Himself time and time again throughout our journey. It has been so encouraging to us, and to the many who have been praying alongside us, to see His plan unfold.
5 minutes from our house!
A job, a move, a house, a new church home … all of these things were placed in front of us through no pursuit of our own. I never dreamed that I would be pulling up my Texas roots and replanting them in Florida. Or that my kiddos would joyfully agree! Such is the grace and mercy of the Father.
I feel like we are in a whole new country, not just a few states over. We have bananas growing in our front yard!
bananas! in my front yard!!
And a flock of whatever-these-are birds stops by for breakfast every morning.
what are these?
We are loving our new adventure, and I am excited to get to share it with you!
This post is linked up to View From My Porch
I’ve read several posts recently about being real on our blogs.
It seems to be THE hot topic amongst homeschool moms right now.
{because…REALLY…we don’t sit around talking about Socialization}
Sometimes we must come across like members of a Stepford society.
I know that I have not done a good job sharing my daily life with you. I post lots of wonderful resources, and possibly have even left you with the idea that we actually use most of them. The truth is that I just love to research & share. 😀
It is evident from looking at my blog that I am a Christian. But what you can’t see (because I haven’t shown you) is how much God’s love for me penetrates down into my very marrow, or how it affects every decision I make. I have not shown that side of my life because it is harder to put into words. I am ashamed of that because what I really want to offer to you tired homeschool mamas is grace and peace, not just more fun printables to clutter your already busy days. Don’t worry- the printables will keep coming, but hang on cuz we are going deeper!
For your entertainment, and to show you that we are far from the homeschool “ideal”, here are bits of the conversation I had with Sweetpea(4) last night while looking through her favorite animal picture book:
We went over the names of several animals, including a chipmunk which was deemed So Adorable!!!, but she just couldn’t remember the skunk.
In her mind it is a Stinkmunk.
Sweetpea: Aww, a monkey.
Me: It says it’s a chimpanze.
Sweetpea: No, it’s a monkey.
Me: A chimpanzee is a kind of monkey.
Sweetpea:NoooOOO! (tapping finger in book) I can tell it’s a monkey!!
Sweetpea: What is that?
Me: A centipede
Sweetpea: What?!? A centiPEE?
Me: No, a centiPEDE
Sweetpea: (said dreamily) *sigh* SantaPee … I love him
There you have it – my kid makes up her own animal names, thinks the word Pee is hilarious, and believes in Santa (even though we’ve told her he’s not real).
p.s. I have no desire to be the homeschool ideal. Those people are boring! 😉
I do want to be more transparent though, so don’t say you weren’t warned!
I mention my kiddos from time to time, but it has been a long time since I talked about them individually! They have grown a bit. 😉
{Funny Girl-15}
Funny Girl is my responsible rule follower. She sees the world in black & white. She is laid-back and inherited her parents’ sarcasm gene. She would be perfectly content living in the world of Jane Austen. Her current interest is learning how to breed and raise cockatiels.
{Ms. Creativity-13}
Ms. Creativity is my free-spirited artist. She is a happy helper, and prefers pretty over practical. Her favorite color is sparkles. She will choose a paintbrush over a book any day. Her current interest is drawing & watercolors.
{Warrior Boy-9}
Warrior Boy is my man-in-training. He is his daddy’s shadow. You will usually find him in the middle of a Nerf weapon war with the neighborhood boys. His tender side comes out whenever there is a baby nearby. His current interest is carving & whittling.
{Sassyfrass-7}
Sassyfrass is my social butterfly. She never meets a stranger and never stops talking. She is compassionate and doesn’t let anyone cry alone. Her current interest is creating & illustrating books to trade with her buddy next door.
{Sweetpea-3}
Sweetpea is my non-stop bundle of fun. Her job is to entertain her siblings and give her parents near-heart attacks. It is never a good thing if she is missing and it is quiet. Her current interest is stickers.
{The Teacher & The Principal}
We will be celebrating our 20th anniversary this Fall. We have almost nothing in common but enjoy every minute that we are together. 😀   We have been through the fire and, by the grace & mercy of God, have a life filled with joyful blessings.
So there you have it…the students & staff of The Way Home Learning Center. Thanks for stopping by!!
p.s. There is a book titled The Way Home, but our school name is from the book of Acts, which talks about followers of The Way.
 
On our trip to the zoo Sunday afternoon to see the new Koala Walkabout, we discovered a fun Lorikeet aviary.
They are friendly little critters, but it can be a bit unnerving to have them sitting on your head – poop could happen at any moment!
