My daily schedule

It is snowing today here in IA. So I can stay home and get some things done. I have wanted to post my schedule so you could know why I don't get to post as often as I want to. But I am sure that everyone's schedules are just as crazy. :) This is a typical weekday at my house...

6:00AM Bible Reading
6:30AM exercise/plan my day
6:50AM shower
7:00AM start breakfast/make Jon's lunch
7:30AM eat breakfast (wake older boys if they are not up yet)
8:00AM everyone does chores (on W,TH,F I give my sons' piano lessons)
9:00AM start school w/Bible, memory verses, singing
9:30AM do reading, LA & math w/ Jesse (older boys begin their own school, Joe & Jason at computer)
10:00AM Snack/work w/Jeremy (Jesse takes break)
10:30AM work w/Jonathan (Jeremy takes break, Jesse finishes seatwork)
11:00AM World history, poetry with all the boys
11:30AM make phone calls, start lunch
12:00PM lunch
12:30PM clean up lunch/ pack for shop
12:50PM leave for shop (we don't always get there on time :(
1:00PM-5:00PM work at shop (boys help out, finish school, play outside, Jason naps for 1 1/2 hrs.)
5:30PM start supper
6:00PM supper (we like to listen to Adventures in Odyssey while we eat)
6:30PM supper clean up
7:00PM family time (we play games, Wii, or sometimes finish school work)
7:30PM family devotions and read-aloud (currently Mr. Popper's Penguins)
8:00PM 2 & 5 yr. old bedtime
8:20PM 7 yr. old bedtime
8:30PM reading (The Westing Game) to the older boys
9:00PM older boys in bed I try to catch up with Jon, correct math, finish reading, etc.
10:00PM bed (I may have fallen asleep before this!!)

This schedule helps me to get the priorities done though my days do have a lot of variations... Right now we are involved in a music concert and drama with our church school. So on M, W & F we practice at the church from 2-3PM. On T & TH the older boys go to drama at the same time. On M and TH, I teach piano lessons in the late afternoon so I leave work early. On Tuesdays, we go in to work at 8:00AM and work all day. This enables me to get Jeremy to speech therapy at 10:00AM at our local middle school. On Tuesdays, I also get to share lunch with one of my very close friends and her girls. It is a special treat for me to get some "Mom time".

We make very few commitments on week nights. There is just not enough time. We feel that the boys and the shop are our priorities right now. "The shop" is Rich's Auto Repair, which my husband bought from his Dad 3+ years ago. He is a full time mechanic there while I answer the phone, write tickets and keep the books.

My weekends involve cleaning on Saturday morning. This is a family affair with each of the boys having their own chores. Saturday afternoon I spend 1-2 hours planning school for the next week. This makes the school days go smoother as I don't need to find what the boys are to do next just send them to read their schedules. Sunday we go to church at 9:30AM and again at 6:00PM. I usually get a well-deserved nap in the afternoon.

I have a lot of hobbies that have been set aside during this season of my life (sewing, cross-stitching, scrapbooking). I still allow myself the pleasure of reading and now blogging, but my time spent on these is carefully monitored. I have also been working on some herb courses lately, which will hopefully allow us to open a natural health store in the near future. In the spring, my Mom-In-Law and I put in a large garden which takes most of my spare time throughout the summer and early fall. This is like a hobby to me as I love to watch those little plants grow and see all those colorful jars on the shelves.

My ultimate goal.....
"Favour is deceitful, and beauty is vain: but a woman that feareth the LORD, she shall be praised. Give her of the fruit of her hands; and let her own works praise her in the gates."
Proverbs 31:30-31

Happy Birthday, my son James

I wonder…
Was your first hug from Jesus?
Was the first light that you saw from His face?
I wonder…
Did your little hands clasp His firmly?
In His arms, did your little body find a place?

I wonder…
Did you feel God’s sadness
As He saw how your parents wept for you?
I wonder…
Did He whisper of your purpose
And you knew of His love so good and true?

I wonder…
Who will see your first smile?
Or who will teach you how to walk?
I wonder…
Will an angel sing to you
And be the first to hear you talk?

I thank God…
For the precious treasure that you are.
May God hold you closely and let you know
That we love you from afar.

It was 4 years ago this weekend that I passed through the dark valley of losing a baby. I remember feeling like I would never be "normal" again, that I would always be sad.

Our baby was due May 20th, 2005. I was using a lay midwife for the first time and I was very excited about the possibility of our first homebirth. Over Christmas weekend I began to feel like something was not right. I no longer felt like I was gaining weight and the little tugging feeling of life inside me was gone. We didn't get to the midwife's until after New Year's because of sickness. On Friday, January 7th, we saw the midwife and she could not find a heart beat. After a ultrasound at the hospital on Monday, it was confirmed that the soul of our little one was with the Lord though his body was still with us. Because I had not begun to miscarry on my own and the risk of infection was great, my midwife recommended that we follow the hospital's advice of either a D&C or induced delivery.

I chose to deliver the body as naturally as possible. We went back to the hospital the next day, January 11th. It was a long day. They began the induction process with a special medication. We passed the time by watching movies, until I became too uncomfortable. We delivered James' little body around 3:00 that afternoon. I left the hospital with empty arms.

Our family, church family, and friends were so wonderful. They brought meals, watched our 4 boys and just listened when needed. We buried his little body in nearby Rochester Cemetery, a special place as it is the last natural prairie cemetery in IA.

Four years later, the pain is still there but the edge is gone. I like to pull out the ultrasound picture, the cards, and my journal from that weekend and remember each year. The tears do still come but the sadness is not as strong. I am so thankful that my little boy is with Jesus and "I shall go to him, (though) he shall not return to me." 2 Samuel 12:23

For anyone out there who has experienced miscarriage, still birth, or death of an infant. My heart goes out to you. I can understand a little of your pain. Please let others help you and don't be afraid to talk about it. Sometimes others will not know that you need to talk, even years later. Finally, cling to the One who is in control of everything. We won't understand why our little ones were taken from us on this side of heaven but someday we will.

Finishing the Course

I am in the process of finishing an herbal health course so that I can receive certification. I had great hopes to be done by December 2008 but may not finish until the end of this week. I have learned so much! One of my greatest "discoveries" was that there really is field of science where psychiatry and health is combined for healing. This field is called orthomolecular psychiatry. Orthomolecular psychiatry involves treating a person by giving them a biochemical workup and appropriate therapy. Dr. Michael Lesser, a CA psychiatrist and one of the founders of the orthomolecular psychiatry movement, found that fully 67% of his psychiatric practice was suffering from hypoglycemia (low blood sugar).

Le me give you some background as to why this was such a discovery to me. I graduated in 1995 from Baptist Bible College with a B.S. in Bible and a minor in psychology. My course was called "pre-counseling". I learned that counseling can only be adequately done with the Bible as its foundation. I read books by Larry Crab and Jay Adams. I was very fired up to go out and help people to change and overcome their psychosis using the Bible and traditional psychological methods. I was married the next day, moved to IA from PA, and went to work looking for a job with a Christian counseling ministry. I beame very discouraged when I was not hired because I was lacking the necessary experience or a MA.

I took a job as a student aid at the local public school for a 5th grade girl with severe cerebral palsy. This was a great experience for me as I had been educated in Christian institutions all my life and had no experience in local school campuses. God then began blessing us with children and I taught piano lessons from our home so that I could disciple our sons 24/7. Through the experience of pregnancy, childbirth and raising children I began to delve into alternative medicine. I was continually amazed at the amount of information (and scientific studies)that was available about healing not only common illnesses with herbs and nutrition but also diseases and psychological problems.

Now I can look back and see a little of the journey...if I had begun counseling right away I may not have been as interested in looking for alternative methods to bring healing to others. God has used my family and friends to help guide me into His way. My dreams involve owning a natural food store, getting my herbalist certification, and possibly exploring the field of orthomolecular psychiatry. Right now I am striving to the be the best friend and help meet for my husband, the best mother and teacher for my children, and the best friend and neighbor for the lost around me.

"But none of these things move me, neither count I my life dear unto myself, so that I might finish my course with joy, and the ministry, which I have received of the Lord Jesus, to testify the gospel of the grace of God." Acts 20:24 (KJV)

My Title - My Journey

I just wanted to explain about my blog title. I wanted a title that came from the Bible for it is my guide book for life. As I was searching yesterday I came across Psalm 27:4 - my life's verse (see side column) and as I read further, the next verse grabbed me. "In the time of trouble He shall hide me in His pavilion..." There are so many days that I just want to go and hide from my circumstances. Why not allow God to do it in His way?

My journey this past year has involved stress from our family business, my parents' move, homeschooling & training my children, changing churches, adrenal and hormonal problems, and my husband dealing with chronic back pain. In all of those circumstances I simply needed to lean on God. But I continually tried to do it on my own. As I begin a new year, I am planning and praying to find ways that will help me to live a more abundant and fruitful life for my Savior. Please join me on this journey and I will enjoy hearing about yours!

Under construction

I hope to get this up and blogging by 2009. For those of you who may have stumbled across my humble efforts...welcome. I plan to post about being a Christian, a wife, a homeschooler of 5 very active boys, a small business owner, a gardener, an herbalist, a counselor, a piano teacher, and so much more. Enjoy!