The Autodidact

So now you are in the midst of home education and you have little ones under foot while you are trying to do school with the older ones. It's not easy. In fact, some days it seems impossible. And you are wondering how in the world can your older kids get a decent education when you have little ones to care for? It can be done, no doubt about it. This is  one way it could look  and there are others, I am sure. But one way some moms are dealing with this situation is to put those little ones in pre-school. It seems the perfect solution! You can get all your school work done with the older ones without all those pesky interruptions from the younger ones. Your all important school day will flow along seamlessly with the needy and messy younger ones out of the way. But is that how life really works? Is that what we home school moms are called to do? Do we put some kids out of our way so we can get done what we want to get done with the other kids? What are we saying to our ki...

The princes and kings roll into town and we bend the knee and cast our crowns. We wave our hands and cheer, hoping that our idols can hear over their preening and self absorption. Bringing glitz and glamour and fame Would we know if the real King came? We pump our fists and put up signs hoping that at last this will be the time that the world takes notice of us. The money and good times will roll and we forget to look into our own soul. Oh, look at us, see our town rise! And we think we have won the prize that will save our city and put us on the map. What have we come to when all we have is this: idols of talent and fame and power we long to kiss. Bereft of the true and worthy King we deserted, seeking the temporal in which to be comforted, we end up with empty pockets and hearts. Will the princes and kings and rulers, in all their glory bring hope and healing and help to those with a sad story? Will they look deep into our broken hearts and give us all a br...

Dear new mom, I know you are exhausted and feel at the end of your rope. I know you are wondering what in the world you were thinking when you thought having a baby sounded like a great idea. I know you think there will be no end to the sleepless nights and the crying and the nursing. So I will try to be brief. Because you need to sleep. You are in survival mode right now. You are recovering from 9 months of pregnancy, child birth (whether vaginal or C-section) and most likely trying to nurse a new baby. And you are doing it all at once. On very little sleep. And you've never done this before. You are trying to do what the pediatrician has told you to do, and you want to do it perfectly. And you may be trying to fit your baby and your mothering skills and needs into a cookie-cutter way of doing things. So, take your doctor's advice with a grain of salt; he is not a god. He is giving you advice based on recent research, trends and statistics, and doing so with good intentio...

A week away, spent at the ocean. It's a lot of work, camping with a bunch of kids, but it's good medicine, too. 9 parents. 25 or so kids/young adults. 5 campsites. There was always someone to hang out with. The first two days were cold and grey and the ocean waves crashed angrily on the shore. Only the bravest of swimmers (or craziest) ventured out. So those of us who were not as brave (or maybe a bit saner) explored parts of the campground we normally don't see, since we are usually at the beach. Cape Henlopen State Park is located on the Delaware coast, and is built in and around the former Fort Miles, a WWII military installation. Barracks and guns aplenty and mysterious, abandoned buildings beckon the adventurous. But then the sun came out and it was all about the beach the rest of the week. Calm seas, and easy waves and lots of fun in the sand. Campfires and sleeping on the dunes, roaming the campground in the m...