The One Thing We Always Do...

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Homeschool in a Minivan...Part 4

After many months of crazy travel life is settling down to a normal pace for our boys...

• Lunch at noon 
• naps at 12:30
• playing in the back yard
• trips to the library
• having all of their toys in the same house!

Reading books on the coffee table!

A few days off the deputation trail really showed me how much of a strain the last few months had taken on their little schedule oriented selves.  As adults we often discuss the stresses that come with living out of a suitcase, always being in unfamiliar surroundings, and not having enough space for our stuff; however, our boys have no way to express those feelings of frustration that arise from time to time.  I remember pulling out of the driveway on our latest journey with the van and car top carrier packed to the hilt and hearing our three year old's concerned voice cry out because he thought we had left his toy trains behind!  I gently reassured him (about 12 times) that we had "everything"...or at least we had the trains.

Yelling something, yet holding on to that train!

The first few days here were spent reacquainting themselves with their old toys and books, blankets, stuffed animals, and every nook and cranny of Grandma's house.  If you asked my older son he would tell you that this is his home and Grandma just happens to live here too!

Our schedule is hardly ever "normal" or consistent while on the road and that makes for confused, cranky children who seem to spend their life reliving the same training sessions over and over every place we go.  Imagine all of the things you've trained your children to do at home.  Now imagine suddenly moving in with your extended family, or a furnished apartment for a few weeks, or a hotel where jumping on the bed is allowed?  For a two and three year old, we don't expect them to remember everything, but there is one thing we always do (or strive to do)...

We try to consistently have Bible time with them on a daily basis.  We don't want our children to grow up thinking that the only time you read God's Word is during a church service.  Our boys love Bible time with Daddy at night.  Just yesterday, our three year old fell asleep on the couch, and when my husband carried him up to bed he asked to read the Bible first.  Of course, he was long gone before his head reached the pillow, but it was sweet to see that he desired to learn more about God.

Reading their story Bible with Daddy.

For the month of December we have been meeting together in the morning to read verses and color ornaments for our Jesse Tree.  I found some great material online here and here.  We've found it works best right after breakfast when everyone is happy and seated around the table.  If not in the morning, then right after dinner is our second choice.  Our sons may not remember all of the moving around and church visits in a few years; but our three year old is already learning trace the story of redemption from Creation to the Cross, and that is something that can forever change his life.

We may not live an exciting life sitting in our minivan traveling up and down the highways, but we serve an exciting God, and we want our children to know Him, and love Him above all!

When you can't sleep forget the sheep!

Pin It Ahhh...there's nothing like a good night's sleep!  Too bad I haven't seen one in a long time...or maybe the truth is that when one actually caught up with me I slept through it!

My little Boo-Boo cannot survive without his Amma (code word for Mommy).  This is an important fact to note, because no matter how many other able bodied human beings there are in the house, he prefers that his consolation come from Yours Truly.

Having said that, it was no surprise when at 4 a.m. this morning a shrill piercing cry (ok, that's what it sounded like in the midst of my delicious dream about today's To Do List) accompanied by banging on the door met my ears.  Boo-Boo immediately stopped crying as I reached down and picked him up, and of course he needed an emergency diaper change.  After a new makeshift pair of jammies (it's amazing what you can accomplish with your eyes half open), a fresh cup of milk, a cuddle or two, and another round of the "night-night" cd, he settled down with a contented, "Aah," and went back to sleep.

In my mind I thought, "Well, that's all fine and good for you," because now I was wide awake and knew that if I returned to bed, sleep would be long in coming.

Since this is often the scenario of my life as a mother of young toddlers, I often take these moments as a sign from the Holy Spirit to come apart and pray.  Everyone is asleep (except me), it's quiet, and there are no other distractions or demands for my time.  What better time to meet with the Lord?  Of course, if I tried to schedule in a 4 a.m. Praise and Worship time my body would never allow it to happen!

This morning my I John passage was only one verse long but powerful!

What better truth for a new believer to cling to than "your sins are forgiven for his name's sake"?  What better truth for an old believer to relish in?  And that is exactly what I did!  I rejoiced in the fact that God forgave my sin, not based on my own merit, but for Christ's sake.  It's not because of me, it's because of Him!  My soul soared with words of praise for the One who loved me through the precious gift of His Son. 

I thank God for his reassurance that my sins are forgiven!  The Word of God is my source of Truth!

I thank God that Christ's atonement was enough.  The Son of God is my source of Life!

I thank God for helping me to walk in the light and not in darkness.  The wisdom of God shows me the Way!

I am so thankful that I followed the Holy Spirit's prompting to come apart for awhile and meditate on God's Word.  Thanks also to Boo-Boo for being my 4 a.m. alarm clock!

Let us live in the light of His truth today.

To read more inspirational thoughts today, check out the link-up party over at Women Living Well!

Homeschool in a Minivan

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As we travel on deputation our Turbo Tots seem to store up energy quickly.  No energy drink in the world could give me as much energy as they have!  My high flying Buzz has a great love for books, letters, numbers and all things related to learning something new.  As a teacher I am thrilled to see his thirst for knowledge, but the downside is that since we are always on the go the plans for building the "schoolroom of my dreams" have been put on hold.  Instead of stock piling materials and filling shelves with books I have to carefully plan what we can and cannot take with us in the van. 

While I would love to open the trunk and see a miniature classroom, more important things like clothes, shoes, our display, the stroller, and office supplies get crammed into the back of our minivan.  When we stay in one place for any length of time my heart soars with the freedom of spreading out my treasures and organizing books and materials becomes my favorite past time.  I have studied many different styles of home school organization and am saving my favorite designs for when we are finally on the mission field in Peru, but until then I have come up with some simple strategies called "Homeschool in a Minivan" that I am compiling into an e-book to help other moms who find themselves in the same situation.  These strategies help make our lives on the road easier and still allow me to provide my sons with a way to put their energy to good use!