I was reminded of this poem by a friend this afternoon...

empty the dustpan, poison the moth,

hang out the washing and butter the bread,

sew on a button and make up a bed.

She's up in the nursery, blissfully rocking.

(lullaby, rockabye, lullaby loo).

Dishes are waiting and bills are past due

(pat-a-cake, darling, and peek, peekaboo).

and out in the yard there's a hullabaloo

but I'm playing Kanga and this is my Roo.

Look! Aren't her eyes the most wonderful hue?

(lullaby, rockaby, lullaby loo).

for children grow up, as I've learned to my sorrow.

So quiet down, cobwebs. Dust go to sleep.

I'm rocking my baby and babies don't keep.

hasn't made me a better blogger, but it has made me a better mother.

I haven't written much, but I have baked more cookies,

read more books,

and caught up on the laundry in a way that might be called semi-permanent.

I've snuggled more, taught more, and argued less.

I'm thinking more clearly, and struggling less with the details of life.

It hasn't been easy, and there have been some days that I have failed. It's not as though I haven't had anything to write about...

...but other things have become more important. I certainly don't think I'm done writing, but I think I'm at a point of "less writing" until I can get some other areas of life into focus.

When I can write, I will. When I can't, I won't...and I won't hold it against myself. Perhaps, in this way, my writing will be more Spirit-led.

I'd love to share some of the things that God has been teaching me during this time, but it will have to wait.

It will have to wait.

Oh, that I might treasure God's love letter to me as dearly!!!

There is a thief in my house...

A thief that robs me of my time...

It promises me peace, and happiness, and fulfillment...for a price.

It wants "just a minute...maybe 2...or 10,"
and then, the afternoon is gone.

Yes, there is a thief in my house.

It steals my energy and my joy, and leaves me with disconnected relationships and chaos.

It says to my precious children, "Not right now, sweetie, Mom's busy,"


It says of the housework, "That can wait,"

And it says to my dear, hard-working husband, "I'm afraid dinner will be late,"
and "Don't worry, I'll hand deliver that bill tomorrow,"
and, "I'm sorry...I forgot."


There's a thief in my house, and I've let it in.


That thief is the internet.


There, I said it.

But, here's the thing...


It doesn't have to be a thief.


If I can tame it...control it...master it rather than allowing it to have mastery over me,
it can be a very useful tool.

I got out of bed at 2:45 this morning, as I do most mornings, to pour my husband's coffee, pack his lunch, and send him off to work.

The world outside was dark, and my kitchen floor was cold. I could feel the icy air breaking into the house through the leaky door frame.

Chris joined me in the kitchen, and as he put on his coveralls, he called "the weather lady". He set the phone to "speaker", and put it on the counter.

"Good evening," she said (she never says "morning" until it is past the time at which reasonable people get out of bed), "the time is 3--05--temperature--negative--7".


Yikes. The coldest day of the season so far.


He kissed me good-bye, and I handed him his cooler.

"Keep those kids inside today, and try to stay warm..."


I sat on the couch to have my quiet time with the LORD, and then, I crawled back into bed to snuggle my sleeping baby for another hour or two before the rest of the world woke up.

As I drifted off to sleep, I got to thinking...

There are folks who think that, by homeschooling my children, I am being over-protective.

I've been told that my children need to be spending a great deal of time outside of my house, away from me, being exposed to people who think and believe differently than my husband and I do.

And I wonder...

--What would those same people think if I chose to send my children outside today, in the bitter cold, without the proper clothing?


--What if they weren't wearing a winter coat, and hat? No mittens? No snow pants? No heavy socks?  No waterproof boots?


--What if I sent them out after breakfast, and forbid them from coming inside until late afternoon?


--And what if, when questioned, I said that I did all this because I believed that they needed to be exposed to lots of cold air? That not to do so would be overprotecting them?


Would they agree with my logic, or would they implore me to shelter them inside, where it is warm? Would they not admonish me to wrap them up snugly in winter attire before sending them out next time?


The truth is, we live in a world that is cold and uncaring toward our children.


Sending little, fragile souls out into it alone, for long periods of time, without first giving them the covering of a thorough understanding of the Word of God is just as irresponsible as sending them out to play in below zero weather wearing shorts and a t-shirt.


The only real difference is one of time.

We see the effects of frostbite almost immediately.

...blue fingers, noses, and cheeks...Numb toes...that throbbing sensation...


When frostbite is severe, the results can be permanent. Some people feel pain in the affected areas of their bodies every time they are ever out in the cold again, for the rest of their lives. Some people even lose fingers and toes.


The effects of sending our children away from us, to secular caregivers, teachers, and institutions, are more subtle at first. We may not notice the results of the seeds of doubt that are planted in our children's hearts until much later in life, but we will see them. 75-88% of children raised in evangelical Christian homes walk away from Christianity by the time they reach their freshman year of college. Most of the time, permanently.

We reap what we sow.


So today, I'll keep my little ones indoors. I'll dress them in warm clothes, keep the furnace blowing, and feed them nutritious foods to grow their bodies healthy and strong. Another day, I'll wrap them in their winter outerwear and take them outside. I'll bring them back in before it gets to be too much, and I'll give them warm milk, mixed with honey, and cinnamon, and nutmeg to drink.

More importantly, I'll teach them the Bible. I'll teach them what we believe and why we believe it. I'll teach them about the issues of our day and age, at a level they can understand, and I'll teach them how to think critically about those issues. I'll teach them discernment.

I'll take my responsibility to teach, train, and prepare my children in the ways of the LORD seriously.

And when the cold wind blows, and the wolf comes howling at our door, by God's mercy, they will fear no evil, for He is with them.


And when they leave my house, and go out into the world, if I've done my job they will be strong and faithful, equipped for whatever the World and the Enemy may throw their way.

By His Grace,


Tiana

I am delighted to announce that, as of the beginning of this new year, I will be a regular contributor to At The Well: In Pursuit of Titus 2.







I really enjoyed writing a guest post for them a while back. My first post as an official contributor debuted this morning:

http://www.titus2atthewell.com/prayer-for-a-tired-mom/

Please hop over and pay them a visit!

One of the things I love so much about being "At The Well" is their commitment to encouraging and exhorting women in our roles as wives, mothers, and homemakers. I have been blessed and stretched by the series of weekly practical application projects they are doing each Monday in 2011:

Photo courtesy of chatirygirl

With the election over, and the new year begun, it's time to send our representatives to Washington.

Some of our newly elected representatives may think they are doing homeschoolers a favor by giving us tax breaks.

Now, don't get me wrong...I love tax breaks! Don't we all?

However, "favors" almost always come with strings attached...

Strings that homeschoolers would prefer to do without, such as:

• State involvement in curriculum choice,
• Standardized testing (based on government school curriculum, of course),
• Mandating that students who perform poorly on standardized tests be enrolled in public school,
• Piles of paperwork, phone interviews, or even school official visits, to "prove" that we are homeschooling,
• A general attitude of distrust that says, "We (the state) have given you so much. Now we expect a few things in return."

However, this is the kind of thing that can give the government a proverbial foot-in-the-door into our lives. If we don't see "sticks" like these show up immediately in "carrot" proposals, that doesn't mean they won't come. Should the LORD tarry, we will have elections again, and the next batch of representatives may not be nearly as sympathetic to homeschooling.

While it would be nice to keep more of our own money, we don't need it in the form of targeted tax cuts that will impose more regulation on homeschoolers.

Finding a way to curb out-of-control, wasteful spending on government education--now that would save everyone money! I can figure out a way to give my children a superb education without spending $9,000 per child per year...why can't the state?

For further reading on this subject, please visit:

SpunkyHomeSchool--Homeschoolers and Tax Breaks --she has some critical words for the Homeschool Legal Defense Association (HSLDA). This is an organization I respect, but it needed to be said. If you're a member of HSLDA, you especially need to read this and let them know what you think about it.

Wisconsin Parents Association (WPA): An Open Letter to Our Legislators --This is very well-written letter from my state's homeschool advocacy group. If you're from Wisconsin, WPA encourages you to print as many copies as you need and send them to your state elected officials. If you aren't up here with me, enjoying 14 degree weather (that's before the wind), please consider using this letter as a template, and writing your own letter.

By His Grace,


Tiana

A photo taken by my sister, at Grandma and Grandpa's house, on Christmas Day. From left to right: Micah (2), Eliora (6 weeks), Tiana, Acacia (4), Christopher, Asher (6)