Still Waters

Every so often SweetPea and I have to have a pep talk about her being an only child--this week was one of those times.  She would love a sibling and since that's just not a probability, we have to go back to the basics--God has defined our family as it is and how do we live richly and with contentment within that definition?
I can't blame her.  It's often a lonely road and we are challenged to bring about that balance she wants.  We live in a neighborhood with no kids she can play with and puppies don't talk, P.E. is really boring (like how exciting is jump-rope?), we have to be careful not to be too demanding on friends and not to feel pushed to do too many outside activities to compensate.  All cousins and extended family live in another state.  Her mom has to be mom and teacher and friend and playmate, and when you're the whole student body, there's just not a lot of room for mess-up!
I've often told her she is having a unique opportunity to become good fr…

I've been thinking much in recent months about the very great and faithful mercies of the Lord.  I've had so many situations that were just beyond me to handle...to have strength for my day after a poor night's sleep, to juggle the full schedule, to make a decision, or even be faithful in the daily requirements.  And yet, just at the point of need, I have seen His glorious mercy so evident in some tender and very personal way.
Today was one of those days.  Two days ago, the Puppy (see previous post!) got an allergic reaction to some medication and was SICK.  A trip to the vet, a trip to the store for medicine, and all the interruptions to tend to her needs did in whatever semblance of order to our school for two days.  This, after two weeks of disrupted home life just training and tending to her.  Aack!  I was over the top.  (Did I mention the word 'stressed'?)
But today--what a different story.  God's mercies covered us like a soothing blanket.  Puppy was better…

I wanted to share a neat idea for a timeline that we're using this year in our history studies.  It's actually a composite of several I'd read about.  It requires the continuous-feed computer printer paper--you know, the kind none of us uses anymore!  Don't tear it apart, just tear off the strip with the holes and count out a page for every hundred years from 5000 or 6000 B.C. to now (a good idea is to use only one page for the early couple of millenia--we don't have much of a record of history then).  I split my timeline into two sections at 1 A.D. just for ease of handling.
Then draw a continuous timeline about halfway down through all the pages and label the 100 year marks.  I also made 50-year marks.  Write the B.C./A.D. year at the top corner on each side of each page.
The kids can add timeline dates either vertically or horizontally and color-code them using colored pencils for different categories--political, births and deaths, religious or scientific events, …

Life has taken on a new dimension at our house in the form of an adorable black lab/terrier mix puppy named Sadie!  And...I had forgotten that an 11-week-old unhousebroken puppy is very like having a baby in the house!  Our week has been defined by chew toys, trips out to the yard, kennel training, manners training, quick-let's-get-some-school-done-while-she-sleeps sessions, and a lot of hilarious laughter.  God loves puppies!
We had to put down our 14-year-old border collie mix last Christmas (yeah, rotten timing) and it's taken me quite a while to feel I could take on a dog again.  Times have changed for me; when he was a puppy I had oodles of time to play and train and carry on.  But now I am a homeschooling mom who just can't take on more 'stuff.'  So I prayed for the Lord's mercy on our dog choice--a smart one, low maintenance, not a barker, quiet and adaptable.  We've got it all in Sadie and then some...quick learner, wants to obey, and as loving as ca…