Our Plans vs God's Plans

I have to admit, I am Type A personality and I am a HUGE planner. I have to be careful with this though. There are times that if I am not careful I Unintentionally plan God right out of the picture. I try to take complete control.
I had a life plan when I was younger. I wanted to be an attorney. A Husband was optional and I considered kids a no go. Thankfully God had different plans. Plans more amazing than I could possibly dream.
As my oldest child neared pre-k age I looked at private school options knowing that public school simply wasn't an option where we lived. Soon into the process I began to get a prompting from the Lord to investigate home schooling. WHAT!?!?! No way! I only knew one person who home schooled growing up and quite frankly he was just strange. I did NOT want my child turning out like that! Yet the more I investigated and the more I learned, the more I fell I love with the idea.
I prayed about it for MONTHS before even mentioning it to my husband. After much begging and pleading he very reluctantly agreed to try it for one year. As we now enter our 13th year of homeschooling we have no regrets in our obedience to the Lord and have come to see the real fruit of His amazing plans.
In reading the introduction and appendix this last week, Zan Tyler's story reminded me that I have much to be thankful. Without her brave obedience in a time when home school was completely taboo, I might not have the freedoms that our family so enjoys today. Reading her story reminded me of my own in that she had plans for her life, but God had better plans.
There are times God saves us in spite of ourselves, but the journey is so much better, though not necessarily easier, if we follow His promptings and rely on Him for direction. Zan's early days of home schooling sounded down right terrifying. Despite the odds she and her family battled on, not just for their own sake but for the sake of those following.
When I just had two children I was very actively involved in the political aspect of homeschooling. I stayed up to date on all the legislation and was proactive in making phone calls as needed. Since adding two more children, including one special needs child, I have become more complacent in this area. Zan's story has reminded me of the importance to stay involved and be proactive. After all, our home school freeedoms (or any freedom actually) could be just one bill away from being gone.

7 Tools Book Club Participant

I am so excited to be participating in 7 Tools for Cultivating Your Child's Potential Book Club. I have been reading articles by Zan Tyler for years and I can't wait to see what is in store for me and my family once I begin utilizing these tools.

Zan Tyler and her family are true pioneers of the home school movement. Without her and many more with her same passion and tenacity I might not have the freedoms I so easily take for granted as I go about my day to day responsibilities of homeschooling our four children.

It is not too late to join this book club, so if you are interested you can click on the button above. I should be posting a new blog post each week with my thoughts about what we have read. Look for my first official post on July 16th.

Until then, happy reading :)

Feeling a little discombobulated

Since we moved at the beginning of August I have had the worst time getting back on a schedule. So much of my life is the same, yet so much is completely different.

First, is our home. It is the same and when I mean the same, I mean EXACTLY the same. We have a mobile home and we had it relocated to our own land in East Texas. So it was so easy to unpack because I knew where everything went. It had to have been a record breaking speed. But here is the discombobulating thing about this. I can't begin to tell you how odd it is to walk out of your house and suddenly the scenery is different. Now I know how Dorothy felt. She went to sleep in Kansas but the next time she wakes up she is in Oz. It isn't just me either. It has really thrown a couple of the kids off as well.

Second, and this is a biggie. Our old church had Sunday morning service, youth on Wednesday and children's church from late September to early May. Now Suddenly our entire family is at church three times a week. Don't get me wrong we are loving it, but it has been a big change and I haven't done a great job of managing this change into our schedule.

Third, we are back to private in home speech therapy again. For the last three years we have been going to a hospital about 15 minutes away and doing speech there. Now I have a therapist coming to the house 2-3 times per week. Gotta say, on the one hand I am loving it. It is so convenient. I don't have to take anyone anywhere and I save money on gas. The downside... I worked out at that hospital and was able to kill two birds with one stone. Now I am having to find different times to workout and honestly that hasn't been working out too well for me, but it is getting better. The thing I love about the therapist coming here is that I am using that time to have my one on one sit down work with the other child. So I am still killing two birds with one stone, they are just different birds now.

Finally, Since moving I have been completely dedicated to getting up early and having my quiet time. Not being a morning person was just an excuse. I don't need excuses, I need God. Excuses is what landed me more than 100 lbs over weight. Excuses are what destroy families because they are too busy to deal with things. Simply put I am tired of excuses. I have found that you can do exactly what you WANT to do. I WANT to make God my priority and for me personally the only way that is going to happen is if I get up before everyone else and have my quiet time with God. So yes, I am getting up earlier- much earlier. Yes, I am having an amazing time with God, but boy am also having an amazingly difficult time getting my badonkadonk in bed on time! No excuses, I just like the quiet at night too. But it simply isn't going to work. I am not as productive at night and God is more important to me than late night solitude.

I am going to have some time this weekend to work on a schedule and I am hoping that will really make a difference. I have started decluttering and I am hoping to get it finished tomorrow and do a quick post. I am also hoping that our storage barn will be delivered tomorrow and I will be able to get some things out of the house that I have been storing in here. I am going to be very selective and careful about what goes in the barn because I don't want to end up having to declutter it when this is all over.