Readying my heart and home

This is a year of transition for our family. And a significant one is coming up in 11 days (wonder whose counting) when I will be dropping my kids off at James Russel Lowell Elementary school.  After 5 wonderful and at the same time challenging years of homeschooling this mamma needs a break. I am thankful for these words of advice I received when I first started homeschooling, "Your children only have one mom. Anyone can educate your children but only YOU can be their mom. To the extend that you can do both great! But if you every find you cannot do both then let someone else educate and you be their mamma." So that's what I am going to do.

I look forward to someone else getting on my kids case about handwriting, a period at the end of a sentence and dreaded math (where my kids math abilities have seriously surpassed my own!) And I will seek to invest in their hearts instead. Especially that of my tween boy who, in a very age appropriate way, is starting to pull away. I look forward to a more intentional season of attempting to love my three kiddos well and to invest into who they are becoming.
 
And rather than surfing amazon for second hand curriculum  I am on pinterest looking for ways to organize our home to ensure a more smooth morning routine. Relaxed mornings is something I know we are all going to miss!!

   

But hopefully the advice from friends and my pinterest projects will help to reduce the chaos just a little. For some reason I anticipate the morning rush being the hardest change for us all. But we will see if laying out clothing the night before, and these simple breakfast ideas from facebook friends will serve us well. And then there is the hair brushing of my girls with regular tears, I find myself thankful for my sons buzz cut. 

 

But there is also readying our hearts to new relationships and so we have had fun at an ice cream parlor with one of Daliya's class mates and her family. What a great family!  It was so fun to laugh together and be with another family who are considered "resident aliens" to the USA. And yes that is what green card holders are called.  We have loved getting reacquainted with a family who lives just houses away and we are thrilled that our boys can walk to school together and share a class together! Just yesterday our neighbors son spontaneously knocked on our front door asking for a playdate and I was smiling.  And last week we were at a sprinkler park for a kindergarten meet & greet. And amidst awkward first time introductions we got to get a little glimpse of the wild and wonderful 5 year olds starting school for the first time with our equally wild and wonderful Ilana.

Opening our Zuckertuetten last year

Gifts can be so much fun

Helping my kids process the nervousness of change has also been important and so we have talked a lot. Prayed together. Celebrated the amazing teachers they each got. And as the anticipation of the start of school creeps up we have a wonderful tradition that I grew up with called "Zuckertuette" (literally meaning sugar bag). A German tradition of a bright colored cone shaped "bag" that is filled with school supplies, fun treats and yes candy. My kids cannot wait to get theirs but they will need to wait another week or so.

And in the mean time I am still trying to think of how to incorporate prayer, Bible reading and a general spiritual climate into our day when my kids will not be around nearly as much. But for that I am thankful for the advise of a wise mentor and trail blazer who suggested that breakfast time be a time where I hold off on my own breakfast and use that time to read from the Bible to my kids and pray for them. I tried it this week and it was actually a really meaningful time of discussion.

I am also processing all the truly fun and exciting extracurricular activities out there and how to respond to my children's desire to participate in them. I know that I will need to be saying no to some; after all one of  our Smith family values is that we seek to be "A loving, joyful, secure and encouraging family where we prioritize family and faith over friends and activities"

On that note I will end my morning time of blogging and will get off my computer and enjoy one of those leisurely mornings with my kiddos while we still have them :-) Here's to a few more days of Summer and to a wonderful new year of transitions!

Smith Family Values

  Smith Family Values

*     A vital growing relationship with God, living a life            

      pleasing to Him, and maintaining fellowship with

      His people.

*     Choosing to be thankful in all circumstances.

*     Valuing people over money, character over

     reputation, pleasing God over pleasing others.

*     Cultivating a life of humility, servanthood,

     patience, kindness, honesty, courage, and

     self-sacrifice.

*     Living a modest life materially and being

     generous with our money, possessions and time,

     considering others needs above our own.

*     Practicing hospitality keeping an open home,

     welcoming guests no matter the inconvenience.

*     A loving, joyful, secure, and encouraging home,

     where we prioritize family and faith over friends

     and activities.

*    Living at peace with one another, never

     harboring anger, committed to being reconciled,

     always asking forgiveness, and extending grace

     when wronged.