Take a load off...

You are to labor six days but you must rest on the seventh day; 

you must even rest during plowing and harvest times.    Exodus 34:21

Isn't it fantastic that God tells us (commands us!) to take a break? I saw a tweet today that says, "Exhaustion is not a badge of honor." The God who created us made us with the need to slow down, to rest. 

I love how the verse says, "You must even rest during plowing and harvest times." During our busiest seasons (the Grand Opening of a church or business, welcoming home a new baby, Christmas holidays, etc...), even then we need to make windows to rest. 

Ways we try to rest:

1. Weekly Family Day: Andy takes every Friday off from work. That is our day to shut down the computers, take naps if we can, and do something fun as a family. A Sabbath with young kids may not always be the most relaxing and there are obvious chores that still have to be done just to keep people fed and children taken care of, but we view Fridays as our days not to do any extra work.
2. Weekly Date Night: Thursday is our night. Highlight of my every week. Find a family to do a babysitting swap with and make Date Nights a habit. If you're gonna be legalistic about something, be legalistic about Date Nights with your spouse!
3. Marriage Getaways: Andy & I are trying to institute a spring and fall getaway for a couple of nights just to enjoy being together and focusing on our marriage. It seems like a luxury, but we see it as an investment. A priority. We want to still be madly in love and enjoy spending time together 50 years from now, so we better make some memories and keep remembering why we just can't get enough of each other. Our marriage would probably be fine without it, but it will sure be better for it. 
4. Family Vacations: We're still trying to figure this one out because we often spend our vacation time visiting our dearly loved and much-missed family on the East Coast. But we also value making some special memories with just our immediate family. When our kids think back on their lives, vacations and special events are the types of things they will remember. Vacations are such a great way to unplug, unwind, and bond together as a family. 

There are lots of other ideas to rest as well... a day alone with God by the beach, a long walk to clear your mind, driving a scenic route to see the leaves changing... There's no one "right" way to rest. The key is just to make yourself do it. Regularly. Even when life is busy.

What refreshes you?

Kisses From Katie

I'm reading Kisses From Katie by Katie Davis right now and I CANNOT put it down. I'm talking reading while brushing my teeth, reading while I'm supposed to be watching my kids at the playground, reading while I sit on the couch during family movie night, even flashlight-in-my-teeth reading while Andy is asleep. Needless to say, it's a good book.

It's my favorite kind of book. I love stories about people who have said a wholehearted, "YES!" to God. I feel so challenged and inspired by her story, and every time I read it I get a healthy dose of perspective.

If you're not familiar with the story, when Katie was 17 she went on a short-term mission trip to Uganda for the first time. When she was 18, she went back for a year long commitment which has turned into a lifelong commitment. By the time she was 22 years old, she had started a sponsorship program to provide education, food, and medical care for over 400 children AND adopted 14 (FOURTEEN!) little girls.

Here's a few excerpts from her book:

"I no longer have all the things the world says are important. I do not have a retirement fund; I do not even have electricity some days. But I have everything I know is important. I have a joy and a peace that are unimaginable and can come only from a place better than this earth. I cannot fathom being happier. Jesus wrecked my life, shattered it to pieces, and put it back together more beautifully...

...I have learned that I will not change the world. Jesus will do that. I can, however, change the world for one person...

...I can do only what one woman can do, but I will do what I can."

She challenges me to evaluate if I am doing what I can. Am I loving who God puts in front of me each day? Am I trying to meet the needs of which I am aware? Am I stuck living my life in safety, comfort, and convenience instead of radical generosity, courage, and obedience?

Katie says, "When I imagine God creating each one of us and planting a purpose deep in our hearts, I never imagine that purpose being mediocrity."

I want my life to be one of full-surrender. There is no limit to what God can do through the life of one person who will unreservedly say "YES!" to Him!

Check out her awesome ministry called Amazima and maybe even sponsor a child today!

Mine.

I'm pretty sure the "Mine" stage is a scientifically supported stage of development for children. They all go through it. For some (dare I say "most"?), however, this stage extends far into adulthood and consumes many people's lives. It's not really a stage at all, more of a socially acceptable way of thinking. Most of us, as adults, just learn enough social graces to not shout MINE! at the top of our lungs when someone wants to mess with our stuff. 

We work hard for our stuff. We're not sure others will take care of it if they borrow it. We're not sure there will be enough for us if we share it. 

• It's my house.
• It's my car.
• It's my food.
• It's my computer.
• It's my money.

I might be willing to share a little. But only on my terms and don't ask too much. Because it's mine, remember? Go get your own!

Of course we never say that. But most of us live that way...Painstakingly guarding that which rightfully belongs to us. And nobody around us really notices, because they, of course, are busy protecting what belongs to them. 

While this may be the norm in our culture, it is far from Biblical. The early church shared EVERYTHING. If there was ever someone in need among them, someone else would meet that need, even if that meant they had to go sell a piece of their property to have the money to do it. 

This is something we try to drill into our kids' heads. By our example, by our language, and by our requirements of them. 

Our Example: 

• If Andy is going to be out of town for the week, there is typically someone we know that could benefit from borrowing his car. We're happy to do that.
• When we were blessed to be able to purchase a new vehicle, we gave away our last one. Let me be honest, it was not very nice. Actually the kind of car you feel bad about giving to someone. But it met a need for a little while.
• When we see a need that we have the capacity to meet, we try our best to jump in and do it, even if it comes with personal sacrifice involved.

Our Language:

• When the Mine issue comes up, we often say, "Nothing in this world belongs to us. Everything that we have is a gift from God. He's given us so much so we are happy to share it with others." 
• A shorter phrase that you could hear me say (probably multiple times a day) is, "In our family, we share." It's part of what it means to be a Wood.

Our Requirements of them:

• We're not real big on identifying which toy belongs to which child. Sure, certain toys were given to a certain child for a birthday or Christmas, but once the toy is in the house it is a shared possession. We have guidelines for possessions that could be damaged by a younger sibling, but we don't typically give anyone the authority to say "That's my favorite car. You can't play with it." In our family, we share. 
• Also, an unwillingness to share with friends or siblings is simply not tolerated. It's not something that we're going to have a long, heartfelt discussion over on a counselor's couch. I'm not going to try to coax him into giving another child a turn with the soccer ball by telling him how good it feels to share. No. We share. That's what we do. Whether it feels good or not, it's the right thing to do. 

You know why "Mine" is one of the first words a child can say? Because it's part of our DNA to be selfish. If a newborn could speak, he would say "Mine" right along with the rest of us. To live the way Jesus wants us to live (with open hands instead of clinched fists) we have got to make some very intentional lifestyle choices. 

Generosity brings blessing and joy. Greed brings anxiety and isolation. 

What can you share or give away today?

An apple a day...

We've been studying about apples this past week during homeschool and, lucky for us, California grows lots of apples. So last Friday we took a Family Fun Fieldtrip to an awesome apple orchard. If you live in the Bay Area and would like to check it out, you better go quick because this weekend is the last weekend for apple picking this season.

Get ready for picture overload. I just couldn't resist (and the Grandparents wouldn't want me to!).

 This photo was taken by Caedmon. Not too shabby, eh?

 This photo was taken by Sammy. We'll put it in the "needs improvement" category.

 Of course, you can't go apple picking (or anywhere!) without 

spontaneously erupting into a sword fight.

Check out the gorgeous backdrop.

We got a little over-zealous with our apple picking and got more than our $20 budget 

that we had set. Had to rob Caedmon's wallet for additional cash! (Don't worry, 

I'll pay him back.) 

Unbelievable. The smell was intoxicating. Andy & I did share one piece with 

Caedmon and 1/2 a piece with Sammy. The rest we ate ourselves after 

the boys were in bed. Don't judge us. :-) 

It was such a perfect family day. One of those times that I could hardly keep myself from busting out with Edwin McCain's lyrics: "These are the moments I thank God that I'm alive. These are the moments I'll remember all my life. I've got all I've waited for, and I could not ask for more."

And goodness knows, every mother with young kids needs moments to feel like that.

Homeschooling: September Review

Hello, October! It's good to see you. October means pumpkin patches, birthday celebrations (mine & Sammy's), a getaway with Andy, and fall decor. Why do I love fall decor so much? I just can't get enough of hay bales, scarecrows, and pumpkins. Growing up in South Carolina, October also meant the State Fair, leaves changing, and a fresh crispness in the air. Now that I live in California, there's a little but not too much leaf changing and it seems that one of our hottest months of the year tends to be October. Kinda different, but hey, California makes up for it with all of the rad pumpkin patches and apple farms!

Ok, so here's a little review of what's been going on in the Wood Academy of Awesomeness during the month of September...

We covered two major units discussing the Moon and Leaves.

One thing I love about the "My Father's World" curriculum that we are using is that it teaches foundational truths for life as a follower of Jesus in ways that kids can understand. Every unit has "Words to Remember."

For the Sun unit the phrase was, "Jesus is the light of the world." We talked about how Jesus gives light to all of mankind in a similar way to how the sun gives light to the earth.

For the Moon unit the phrase was, "I am the light of the world." We discussed how the moon doesn't have any light of its own, but rather reflects the sun's light. In the same way, we can be a reflection of the light of Jesus to those around us.

We learned the phases of the moon. 

We built a spaceship and took a trip to the moon. 

We even had a supply list of what we thought we'd need on that trip.

I read "Goodnight Moon" to the boys and gave Caedmon the assignment of writing a "going-to-bed" story. This is what he came up with. (My only involvement was transcribing his words.)

I thought is was a pretty cool story. 

For the leaf unit, the Words to Remember were "I will live and grow in Jesus." We talked about the importance of staying connected to Jesus in order to be able to grow into the people He wants us to be. We pulled some leaves off of a plant and watched them wither and die over the course of the unit since they were disconnected from the source.

We did all kinds of stuff with leaves: traced them, leaf rubbings, pressed leaves, etc... Below, Caedmon and Sammy are painting the outline of the leaves.

We read the story "Leaf Man" together and then collected leaves outside to create 

our own versions of Leaf Man.

I made one, too, and had to share it because I was so impressed by my creativity. 

It's amazing how smart you can feel when you compare your level of competency 

to that of a 6 year old all day! :-)

Caedmon is doing fantastic with reading. Today we are on lesson 90 of "Teach Your Child to Read in 100 Easy Lessons." (We started this last year.)

We are using the Math U See Primer book and it is probably too simple for Caedmon. We typically do 3 lessons a day just to get through the easy stuff. I think it will get more challenging pretty soon.

We also started learning Spanish using a Spanish DVD from Language Tree. This is brand new for the boys and pretty tough. But we're just getting our feet wet right now.

I gotta be honest, the "newness" of school kinda wore off by the end of September and I found myself with a rather uncooperative student on my hands occasionally. When that happens, it's pretty tough and discouraging. One day towards the end of our planned activities, Caedmon said "I'm not doing that," laid down on the ground and pretended to be asleep. It had been "one of those days" and I was so frustrated that I just left the boys in the playroom, went up to my room with my computer, and started Googling articles about homeschooling uncooperative kids. Thankfully, not every day is like that.

Also, occasionally I feel a bit envious of other moms whose kids are in school 6-8 hours a day. I think of the "freedom" I would have to run errands or get certain things accomplished if we had gone the public school route. But then I have to remember how much freedom homeschool actually provides. For instance, I fit our curriculum into about 2 hours a day 4 days a week. That allows us to go on awesome field trips and have family days every Friday. We've been to the Children's Discovery Museum, the playground, and this past week to an apple orchard. So cool.

Everything in life has it's perks and it's difficulties. I'm learning to fully embrace the perks without feeling guilty about it, and at the same time not to begrudge the commitment that homeschool requires.