Five Day Blog Hop

As I sat here thinking about what to write as a letter of encouragement I had to admit, I was drawing a blank.  I thought about combining this post with my Five minute Friday post…and I actually might still do that, but my mind is full of the activities of the day.

I woke up this morning to a note left by my lad “I’ll be back at 8:10” he was out looking for ant, he came back all delighted he found a  new type of ant (queen and male).   But what kind was it? Soon I heard the request.  “MOM!!!   Can you help me email the ant man?   Maybe he can help me figure it out.”    For the rest of the day the kept asking “Mom, have you heard from him yet?   How long do you think it might take?”

He happily helped me care for our critters and then did his math and history for the day, I started working on the cold cellar.

I thought, this will take maybe a couple of hours.. I…. was…. wrong…

You know what we discovered?  A stinky smelly potato bin.. oh my.   Now.. we knew we had something going on there, but we needed the time and motivation to deal with it.  Our move in another six months is good motivation yes?

First we had to clean out all the stuff that a certain loved one had tossed in there over the years, then we removed the potato bin.. the wood was rotting!  Hence the odour… Loved one to the rescue, figuring out how to get it out!  Once it was out I kicked (literally) the guys out of the way, donned a mask and cleaned up the mess under the potato bin.  Boy.. rather icky that!  

Then came the fine work of sorting through and deciding.. am I willing to move this? NO?  Okay, list it for sale after cleaning it. Do I want to keep it?  Okay.. clean it up and organize it. I toss old canned jars of food, and garbage and.. well..  should have taken a picture but didn’t.. our lovely big bin couldn’t fit ALL THE TRASH!  

Wow.. I have to admit, it feels so good having that big job done.  And it’s clean and no spider webs or icky smell. It’s lovely.

Which brings me to this point… It took me ALL day to clean it out.  ALL DAY.. I was so very tired, the lad was tired as I had him running up and down the stairs taking things out to the recycling and garbage bins.  He worked hard.   

All day to clean a mess up from before we were married and was just added to over the past 15 years, cause it’s the basement right?  Hubby wasn’t prepared to deal with getting rid of stuff (cause he’s as much a pack rat as I am) so I just left it, I knew sooner or later he’d want to and why put pressure where it simply didn’t need to be?

Which makes me ask this momma… are YOU prepared to be patient?  Are you prepared to let time take care of that struggle that staring you in the face?

I could have pressured hubby over the past 15 years.. I could have really.  I could have said let’s argue about it, let’s make a stink … but I didn’t.  I knew that in time it would be dealt with and then it would all over and done with in one day (a long day mind).  When a fellow is ready to let go so it’s not a stressful matter.  

That boy child who is so focused on whatever issue… are you prepared to wait it out.  To enjoy the good, to train the needful and to just wait for the right timing?  To see that boy become a man full of character and wisdom?   That girl who is becoming a woman and doesn’t fully see who she is yet… are you willing to wait her out, to give a nudge when needed, a hug and a spot of encouragement saying  “it’ll come out okay in the end lovey?”

Are you prepared to NOT be stressed out over something that time will take care of?

I just want to encourage you… to wait.. and then in the waiting.. to be ready, ready to act, to talk, to work, to encourage, to don a mask (if needed) and clean out the ickiness from bad decisions made, to sweep out the old, to make it look new again, to just get the job done even if it’s exhausting.  But until then.. to just wait and see and enjoy what you have now.

The good Lord tells us to wait on him.  He knows the right timing for things.  Don’t rush it.
Trust him, oh just trust him, believe me.. IT’S WORTH IT!!! It really is. 

Come along won’t you on this last day?   You can find us all here, and you can start with this list.
Annette – A Net in Time -Five
days to celebrate back to school, curriculum choices, supplies, things
to do and encouragement for you. Come join us won’t you?

Ashley  – Gift of Chaos – Join us as we go “back to school” with a First Grader and a Preschooler!

Betty – Let’s Get Real
– I am a veteran homeschooling mom.  Our family’s
passion is to glorify God in all we do and say and we pray that God will
use our lives for His glory.

Chareen – Every Bed of Roses –
I’m about to enter into my 20th year of home educating.  I have two
graduates and am currently homeschooling our youngest. I’m looking
forward to sharing with you in the week ahead.

Christy  – Unexpected Homeschool – Join us on our journey as we homeschool our only child through her high school years while dealing with chronic illnesses.

Crystal – Living Abundantly
– Living Abundantly seeks to help Christian women and homeschooling
families live abundantly, even when the thief tries to destroy your joy.

Desiree  – Our Homeschool Notebook
– I am Mom to 4 kids, and this is our place to share our family and
homeschool adventures. This year we will have children in 11th, 6th,
4th, and 1st grades, and we are all excited to get back to school.

To that end.. we happily use the community to educate our son in the things that we can’t.

What do we farm out you ask?

Physical Education.
I can take him biking, hiking, swimming, kayaking etc.   Can happily and easily do that with him, but I can’t teach him archery, or soccer, or karate. so you know what I do?  I farm those things out to skillful people who can teach it! 

Tell me.. do you have to farm out phys ed?   Or are you able to teach it at home?  If so, what do you use?  If you are not a “phys ed” type person what does it take for you to teach it?

Group Education
Two different homeschooling groups, one that does co-op days, field trips and group learning times. The other that plans monthly field trips – some for educational, some just for the social component, while a few are mixed.  

Co-op days are so much fun and yet hard work!  Depending on the class you teach…. some are so easy… like teaching about rabbit care, and others are a challenge when you don’t know how much children can or cannot do and you expect one thing and get something completely different. 

Field Trips! 
I know nothing about caves and yeah, I could research them OR better yet, I could take the lad and dad on a cave tour!  What better way could I give the lad a chance to get excited about a natural phenomenon that pictures and videos can’t elicit.  An expert in the field that loves what they do .. passes it along to the students.

I could bring him to the zoo where he can ask zoo keepers questions, and they could reveal things about the animals that we wouldn’t even consider. 

I can discover a radar museum and have the lad talk with a war veteran who can teach him the importance of good mapping skills and knowing what the radar is pointing out (life or death to be precise!)

What amazing field trips have you been on?

So Many Options.
There is SO much out there, people who can teach an art form I only recently discovered.  People who know something about the history of a region, people who can speak a different language and SO MUCH MORE. It’s amazing!!!!!   Sometimes I wonder, what great learning experience is awaiting me just around the corner… don’t you???

 Check out what the rest of us have to say.  🙂
 Here’s a list to get you started, see the rest here!

Jacquelin – A Stable Beginning
– We are in our 9th year of
homeschooling using a Classical ~ Charlotte Mason approach. Come along
for the good, the bad & the ugly.

Jenn – Treasuring Life’s Blessings – Jenn is a mom to 8 children. She shares about her everyday life, homeschooling and favorite recipes.
Diana – Homeschool Review
– Diana has been home schooling since 1992 and has tried many styles of
home schooling. Her blog reflects home schooling, crafting, and family
life.

Elyse – Oiralinde: Eternal Song
– When I asked my family to describe me, they said I
am an “introverted gypsy made of music.” My online moniker is Oiralinde,
which is an elven word meaning “eternal song.” My life is full of
music: love, laughter, and memories.

Felicia – Homeschool 4 Life
– Well, it’s back to school time and we homeschoolers have more to do
than others to get ready. … We all
could use a little encouragement and guidance during this transition
time from summer to school. That’s why we’re here!

Hillary – Walking Fruitfully – I’m a mama to six, from 7 years old up to 16. We homestead and
homeschool our crew in a relaxed, Charlotte Mason-inspired way, even
through high school.

Jacqui  – Homestead Bounty Blessings
– I am a wife, mother, teacher, homesteader in training, and believer
in Jesus, my Savior. My blog shares my
journey in gardening, chicken keeping, homeschooling and homesteading.