So we went to a ladies bible study this morning in Uxbridge that we were invited to and were told that it would be OK to bring all three kids since there are other families there that homeschool and their kids would be there. I'm a little bit upset and disappointed by the experience. Nate came in to me halfway through crying because he had been pushed down by some other kids and "tied up with a rope" and stepped on. I realize that Nate was mostly likely exaggerating and not innocent in the situation and they were not prepared for the large number of kids that were there this morning, but I don't see how it got that out of control. I managed to get him calmed down and settled back in with the other kids and then went back to the study. When I went to pick them up, the lady who organizes the kids program asked if we would be coming on a consistent basis because she needs to plan for it. I realize that she was just taking care of it all but it came across in a very negative way. I am probably being overly sensitive, but I am really struggling with trying to fit the homeschool life with the rest of the world's way of life. I realize that we aren't doing the mainstream thing and so it is bound to happen, but I really don't like feeling "abnormal" or being an inconvenience.
On the other hand I was really encouraged by the talks that were given this morning. It was an open session and there were a handful of ladies who got up and spoke about goal setting and journaling. The lady who spoke on goals mentioned that goals need to be : Meaningful, Attainable, Measurable and Accountable. All very good points. I've decided that I need to sit down and make some goals about various things and determine how I'm going to measure them and who is going to keep me accountable. The two main areas I am considering setting goals in are weight loss/getting healthy and getting my house organized.
There were four ladies who spoke about journaling. I was struck with how it doesn't have to be just sitting down with a piece of paper and a pen and writing about your day. There are many ways to journal. One lady explained that her son journals through artwork. She brought a few examples of his work and they were BEAUTIFUL! Another lady said that her picture scrapbooks are a way of journaling as well since she is capturing life's moments and displaying them. There was a lady who was given her mother's journals after she passed and has been so blessed by reading them. It has been an encouragement to her to do the same to leave behind a piece of her heart for her children. The one that was the neatest to me was an 80+ year old woman who has been "scrapbooking" for over 60 years. She cuts out newspaper articles that have to do with family and friends or situations that they encounter. She keeps all wedding invitations, programs, funeral programs, birth announcements, thank you cards, and either hole punches them or glues them on paper and puts them in binders. She has bags full of these binders and they are SO NEAT. They essentially are personal history books for her family. It really showed to me how much she treasures life and the blessings that God has given her.
I also got the opportunity to chat with a few women. I met a woman who grew up in Cottam and went to the University of Windsor for engineering. I can't remember what year Tim graduated, but she graduated in 2002 so they might have been in some mutual classes. What a small world. She gave me her phone number and invited us to come over to her house anytime. I'm looking forward to connecting with her. She has two kids that are preschool age. She mentioned that she and her husband and talking about possibly homeschooling their kids in the future. Hooray!
The bible study I signed up for is based on the book "Resolution for women". It is a book that came from the movie "Courageous". It has 13 different resolutions to make. I think it is very fitting. Tim and I have been talking a lot lately about how we need to make choices to start doing things better and then just do them. Which is totally the impression that I get from this book.
So I guess we go back next week and see how it goes with the kids. If it's not working, then I guess we just move on.
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