Of bloody noses and yearning eyes

My children can probably set their clocks to their mama’s hormone-induced rushing about that occurs toward the end of every single pregnancy they have witnessed. This summer has been no different. My planning and organization often gets the better of me as I try to cram mercilessly fit every possible item I can into our […]

Prayers that cannot be refused

“Prayer is not eloquence, but earnestness; not the definition of helplessness, but the feeling of it; not figures of speech, but earnestness of soul.” ~ Hannah More

The poetry of logical ideas

“Pure mathematics is, in its way, the poetry of logical ideas.” -Albert Einstein Our struggle with mathematics has been particularly difficult of late. The verse “we battle not against flesh and blood” comes to mind. We battle not against Math-U-See and Steve Demme, but against the burden of finding the poetry within the logical ideas of […]

Quiet and the decluttering that leads to mental clarity

I am currently reading Susan Cain’s book Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can’t Stop Talking. The title itself is insightful, but I was initially intrigued when I came across a fellow homeschooler’s blog post discussing the role being a highly sensitive person has in her homeschool environment. She mentioned the book […]

Passing under the rod

Ezekiel 20:37 “I will make you pass under the rod, and I will bring you into the bond of the covenant.” One need not look very hard to find the beautiful, symbolic meanings woven by God into the fabric of the Fall festivals. The days are heavy-laden with the ripe fruit of needful repentance and […]

A Sabbath rest and a seventh baby

This school year has been going splendidly so far and we are 18 weeks in. Surprisingly, it’s the first year that I really tried hard to cut back on unnecessary curriculum and/or workbooks that I just knew would take up lots of time and provide little benefit. The children are still on target, which is […]

For the Joy Set Before Me

We are in the month of Elul, fast approaching the time when Yom Teruah will be upon us. Every year, this month really affects me with a strong desire to move deeper into the Lord in the coming year. We are called to fast, to repent, and to make things right with our brothers and […]

The Birth of a Mother

I am now facing the home stretch of this pregnancy. With only about 8 or so weeks to go, my heart and mind are consumed with a sense of awe and contemplation. With every childbirth, I find myself sobered and peaceful, quiet. I know in every fiber of my soul that what I have to […]

Desert blooming

Last night I had the opportunity to visit with some friends. It was long overdue. There is something so sweetly simple about falling back into the cadence of intimacy with women who know me and my heart and love me for who I am. They don’t ask anything of me other than to be true […]

Heart check

Next week will be 12 weeks that we’ve been doing school. It has been consistent and straightforward for the most part. What has blessed me the most is seeing how much we are able to accomplish this year compared to last year. When we started, the twins were still nursing babies and Chims was a […]