Thinking back on 6 years ago I was newly married and thought beforehand that I knew everything, only to realize each day that I know NOTHING (hence the blog title!) Honestly, it was only by a moment of sanity, which didn't come often at the time, that I let my guard down enough to let my husband become a part of my life in the first place..... and it was a mercy of the Lord that my husband even allowed me to talk to him seeing as how I was a colossal jerk for quite sometime before. Anywhozzle! Despite the emotionally closed off work-a-holic person that I was, I decided that maybe it was time to make a change. From marrying my husband and on there is literally no way that I can thank the Lord enough for the woman that I have become and am becoming. (Just as a side note, Mother's Day isn't that great of a day for me since it's a holiday for one, you'll have to wait for a different post on how I feel about holiday's! Yep, if you guessed it has something to do with me being crazy, you're right! It doesn't help that my honey is rarely home for said day anyway, but I couldn't help but get a little philosophical about the whole idea. The moral of that story is that without my husband and kids I wouldn't be a Mother, so from here on our Mother's Day is now officially a family holiday where we celebrate each other and get a family gift like a game we can all play and mom makes a big breakfast and everyone helps make dinner and a fun treat).
Okay, not sure where that tangent came from, but thanks for hanging in there! Why I really sat down to write this is because of the wonderful things that I see everyday. There really isn't enough words in the world to describe my husband and how his words and actions have shaped my character. Things that he's said in passing have caused me to contemplate many subjects and because of them I have become a better person. It's truly because of his love and support that my focus on family and enriching our lives through nutrition, exercise, learning, and anything else that pops into my crazy head, comes to life. I didn't want to be married or have kids before him, and now I can't think of anything else! The Lord is so good! I feel blessed beyond imagination.
The other thing I thought of was my kids. Homeschooling isn't the easiest route to take, but I wouldn't take another one for all the money in the world. Every time I hear my kids discussing topics, or making decisions on their own (like giving back a sucker that contained corn syrup because they knew it wasn't good for them... *laugh* yep, that was a proud yet highly embarrassing moment for me!), or working together to complete tasks, or using proper manners... the list could go on and on, but I'm just thankful to be around for those moments. They really do learn and comprehend so much, and their little spirits are so loving and free of the concerns within the world. Within my home I'm preparing soldiers who will be able to stand strong against temptation and trials because they have embraced true principles and the tools necessary to do so.
As I've thought of the criticism of "sheltering" our children that often gets associated with homeschooling, I have to say that there is a time and place for everything. We don't live on a remote piece of land, (although, I would totally be up for that!), and we don't stay within our home 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Our children do encounter other people all the time. What I find so wonderful is that in their interactions with others my children have learned right and wrong behaviors and that I am available to help discuss those with them, I wouldn't miss that for the world! My children are young, this is the time to teach! Sending my child out to the world unprepared would be an injustice to them. I am blessed to have children that can come to me to discuss how some behaviors are hurtful and how we don't want to act that way towards others. I am so blessed to be able to be a stay at home mom who decided, and is supported, in homeschooling!
I'm also blessed by very loving and forgiving children who are always willing to share a smile. I'm amazed everyday by the people that they are! We've recently attempted to do more family work despite my anxieties and I have found that my kids are completely capable of taking care of loading the dishwasher and taking care of the laundry. I have serious germ issues, like I can mentally visualize them, so there's some tasks that I just prefer to do alone, but I am feeling so much more free letting the kids do more jobs especially since they literally BEG to do them! I'm always trying to find something else for them to clean or tend to that would be more "age appropriate," who knew that mom once again just needed to drop her guard and let things happen! They also amaze me with how they use their free time. I have seen incredibly intricate lego ships, a box used as a car... then when it broke was shapes, surf boards, tents, and now is a fully colored transformer complete with transforming abilities, and another very colorful robot. My almost 2 year old knows most of his letters and their sounds, counts well, and knows more words then our other kids combined at his age. I am absolutely blown away by how much these little people glean everyday and what talents and abilities are innate to the them.
More tender mercies? Well, everyone on the blog list to the right... they bring me inspiration. To live in a free country (okay, I know some of you are thinking that to be debatable now or in the future, but just run with it K?). To have an extended family as added support. To be healthy. To have a healthy spouse and children. To have children! To be able to read and write. To have access to good books and other mediums of communication. To have the means to take care of my family. To partake in wholesome activities. To practice religion and be able to pray to God freely in thanks and for guidance.
There are so many more! What tender mercies are you thinking of right now?
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