First official day of Spring Break. Maddie is happy because her hard copy of her learner's permit was in today's mail.

The kids all slept until 11:30!  I got Maddie up and we walked over to hear Tom preach at a community-wide service at the Baptist church. It was great. 30 minutes and a free lunch afterward.  We laughingly said that maybe we should start doing that and would pack the church!

We're looking forward to the Good Friday Service and then some basketball.  I pray all of  you have a blessed day and pause and look at the Cross.  Don't rush too quickly to Sunday~savoring the sacrifice is vital to experiencing the life God calls us to live.

Wes and Maddie both got their learner's permits last Wednesday. Here is Wes with his actual physical copy that came today. Maddie didn't get hers yet and she was so not happy. :p

We finished up our last day of school before Spring Break.  The older two volunteered at the Thrift Store; I got my teeth cleaned; and we studied the atmosphere.  Of course the details of the study were tougher for the older kids but everyone had fun.

Tonight we have a Maundy Thursday service and dinner. Tomorrow is Good Friday service. Looking forward to worshiping with the Body of Christ.

Snapshots of a Wednesday!

1. Prayer, and Exercise are non-negotiable for Mom before the kids get up. Otherwise, they just don't happen.  You know the saying:  "When momma ain't happy ain't nobody happy!" ;)

2.  Kids get up, do some exercises, and shower. If my kids don't take showers they don't wake up. Wonder if other people have teens and pre-teens like that?

3. Chronicles of Narnia study time with Maddie and Tyler.  We're nearing the end of Magician's Nephew and today studied some critical thinking skills, the science of our atmosphere, and definitions and writing.

4.  Check on Wes and see that he doesn't have any questions. Discuss what he's doing and assign a short writing project. Wes is pretty independent so honestly I don't have to mess with him as much as the younger kids.  Maddie is independent too but she likes working with me more than Wes does~personality difference.

5. Talk with Maddie about her work. How is Algebra going, her history projects that were assigned yesterday, etc.?  Give her the same short writing assignment as Wes.

6. Bible Study.  Mom studies her Bible while the kids are working.

7.  Lunch.  Eating is also non-negotiable in my house. :D

8. Mom rests.  There, I said it. Some days I read, often times I take a 10 minute cat nap. Hey, I go to bed later than everyone else and get up earlier (well, Tom gets up before me)so I think this is a good thing.

9.  Study Tyler's Story of the World lesson with him and discuss any questions he has about his written assignments from Narnia Unit Study and his Comprehensive Curriculum pages.  End up looking at hilarious definitions he found in a Reader's Digest and reading them and laughing at them with all three kids.

10. Finish up work. The kids end up going to church early (they have dinner and youth there) and Mom looks over anything needed to do Bible Study that night.

11. After church events, RELAX.  Spend time with Tucker, who loves coming in to chew a bone or hang out. Get ready to go to bed, praising God for his grace and love showered on us.

Of course, in the midst of this, sometimes things come up and the day is completely thrown off. Tomorrow I have an early dental appointment and then the older two will do their volunteer work. Tyler has bathroom cleaning duties while they do that and often is working on PowerPoint for the 9am service. The kids also help with dishes, cooking (sometimes) and have rooms of the house they are to sweep daily~plus pet chores, etc.  No two days are the same for sure. And occasionally, we throw plans out the window and "unschool."  Those are some of the days we learn the most interesting things of all.

Okay, serendipity from The Magician's Nephew, for example.  The other day our chapter was talking about an animal named a Tapir. None of us knew what it was so we looked it up. We even got Wes and discussed types of tapirs, locations, food, etc.  Mainly we just talked about how crazy they looked. I mean come on, check this out!

So, there you have it. A look at our day today.  I'm grateful to God for the privilege of living this life with my children.

I've always enjoyed having a spring birthday. But today the high is 43, with 25 mile an hour winds, plus snow flurries!  So much for spring!

However, I've been blessed by the Lord to be alive for 48 years. I get to live, learn, and laugh with my children each day. I have a husband who loves Jesus and serves him with passion~and is darn funny to boot.  Truly I am blessed. And, they fixed dinner for me and got me this great cookie cake. Sometimes ya gotta splurge~and the good news is that I have kids who will leave no leftovers.

The second photo here was taken on Saturday, I think. Here's what 48 looks like!

The kids and I have a short week. We are doing two lessons of Narnia and finishing up sections of other work in order to be done by Thursday as Friday begins our Spring Break!  Yippee!!  I sure hope we have some nice weather next week.

Here was Tyler reading a book while Maddie and Wes were gone to Gainesville to take their tests to get the learner's permit. (Thank goodness they both passed!)  And Gracie, because she wouldn't let me post a picture of Peanut and not one of her!

Tyler ended up "unschooling" since his brother and sister were gone most of the day. (They did take books with them and do work while Tom visited a person in a nursing home AND they did some work when they got back). He read in Story of the World, looked up some information on Volcanoes, and watched a Nova presentation on the Periodic Table. That last one sounds boring but it was done in a hilarious way that taught you a lot.

I got my exercise and Bible time in and even took Tucker on a long walk this afternoon.  I also took the kids to Walmart to get a few things they needed. They're off to dinner and youth now and I'm about to leave for Women's Bible Study. All in all, it was a blessed day.

Today was productive, although not in a traditional school way. After all these years you'd think I'd be okay with that but my mind still tells me on some days that things here should look more like school.  Crazy, huh?

The kids worked independently in their books and did a lot of reading. Maddie and Tyler did some work on Narnia projects. Tyler worked on the Power Point for the 9am service (that's his ministry project these days).  Maddie and I ran to the library and then she walked the dog while Wes shot hoops.  I went to the grocery and got my hair cut. AND, some people from our congregation in Blue Ridge stopped by the church and we had a nice visit.

The problem?  I didn't do any one on one teaching and sometimes that makes me feel guilty. It's crazy. I should be glad the kids can do things on their own without needing me all the time but sometimes I feel like things should look like school and less like a home and family.

And yet, that's what we are.  People learning to love one another, Jesus, and the people he made, day by day. So I guess, after all, we had a simply stellar day.

What happened to last week?  I didn't realize it had been so long since I blogged.

Thursday Maddie and Wes did yard work for an older couple in the church. They got lunch and some money out of the deal so that was win/win.

On Friday, Tom, Ty, and Wes hiked about 6 miles of the Appalachian Trail. Maddie and I dropped them off atop Blood Mountain (about 30 or 40 minutes from here) and then picked them up 3.5 hours later at Hog Pen Gap (another 30 minutes in a different direction).  Don't you love the names of the places? They had a great time and it was perfect timing. The leaves are still off the trees so you can see a lot further than when the woods are full of leaves.

Saturday was busy too. I preached at a small community service and we went out to eat at Zaxbys as a family~what a huge treat.

Sunday was church and play practice for the kids.  Today we hit the books hard again and now Maddie is at soccer practice and the boys have Scouts later on tonight.

The greatest serendipity for me lately, is realizing how many little things God does for me. I've been asking him to help me notice these things and I'm slowly starting to see them. I was talking about missing some cardinal birds that lived at our home in Rome and lo and behold:  I looked out my window today and saw a beautiful cardinal.  I was just so grateful to God for the glimpse of beauty and the reminder that he cares deeply about me. How much?  Enough to send my favorite bird my way just when I've been missing them. Now that is love.

Workouts:  I've been doing more barefoot workouts lately. They feel good and I notice I'm more stretched out and energized. Ellen Barrett and Jessica Smith have figured heavily into my routines for sure.

What I've been reading:  I keep forgetting about this. I'm reading a lot of different things but a major book now is Confessions of a Prayer Slacker.  I got it free one day on my Kindle and it's GREAT. Motivational and comforting.  I notice my desire for prayer has definitely increased as I read this little gem.

Homeschooling in the McElroy house today. Not bad~coffee, your studies, and an easy chair!

We're feeling better and enjoying the warmer weather. Maddie has decided to play soccer with Trinity Classical School this spring and Wes is about to achieve Life status in Scouts~the last stop before Eagle!  He's focusing on that these days.  Al three kids are participating in practices for an upcoming play at the church they Youth are performing. Throw in school, volunteer work, chores around the house, and daily events and you have a full life.

Oh, and Tyler has decided to "get into shape" so has been running a mile each day except Sunday!

I ran a low grade fever until Friday night. I did get to go out and have dinner with friends from Blue Ridge on Saturday though. They were here for a track meet and it was so much fun for our families to get together over some Mexican food. Sunday I went to church and today I actually exercised. Wes and I are still coughing a bit but are definitely on the mend. God is good!

Well, of course I came down with Wes' virus yesterday. Low grade fever, coughing, body aches, stuffy nose.  Oh well, this too will pass. It's been a hard winter on us from a health perspective and I am so excited about the 60s in the forecast for the next few days.

I'm very happy we have our Roku box!  I've watched a few Agatha Christie movies on there (from Amazon Prime) while being under the weather.  When I felt like reading I read Agatha's Sad Cypress and am starting on Evil Under the Sun.  It gives me something to do in the middle of the night when I wake up coughing and can't get back to sleep. ;)

The kids had a great time at SLR at Camp Glisson (Spiritual Life Retreat) and had some great stories to share. Tom and I had a nice time~we even built a fire and watched a movie together on Friday evening.

Unfortunately, Wes came home and got up sick on Monday. He's better today.  Not enough sleep and being around 300 kids where he picked up some sort of virus.  

We're plugging along with our regular work and doing some fun things with Narnia too.  And, of course, praying for spring!

I've been continuing to exercise daily and walk Tucker when I can. I am doing about 3 strength training workouts a week, 2 kickboxing, and 2 more fusion type cardio workouts. Having fun and keeping it moderate.

I've also been re-reading the Percy Jackson series and some homeschooling material.