Homeschooling

A normal day On the homestead. Alarms start going off in the all parents rooms. It is time that I get spoiled. I normally turn over and know that I have almost an hour longer to sleep. The married couples get up and dressed. They stumble off to the kitchen in pairs. The mother's will start breakfast and if I am awake I can tell that my son's are about ready to go to the table when their shavers all turn on in their restrooms. It will be minutes before the mother's are off to get the little ones up for breakfast. On the way to the table, I will hear each father say something to who ever is left still tagging behind. That is my clue that Dad and I need to get to the table.

I know it might be nice if I would get up to help, however, I remember when I was younger. I always loved those first few minutes in the morning alone with my spouse. So I started staying in my bedroom to let them all have that special time.

During the morning Breakfast, If you would look at the table you would notice that it was divided up into groups. This is how the families have it set up in the Brunch room. Its them a time to be their own family and not a large group.

After Breakfast is done, The men head out the door. Each on goes their own direction and this is because they have all grown up to have different likes and dislikes. This has brought on different talents. The guys slowly did this over the years. I have one that is in charge of milking. He has always had this as a special place in his heart. Another one is into wood working with large and small projects. Another one of my sons does all the odd jobs and also is in charge of the bookwork, computer, advertising to the public and running all trips to town for everyone. He picked up this desire during all the times he had to have surgery to keep walking.

In the home, The children will dress and make their beds. Then Normally it is Grandma(me) that rings the bells for gathering in the main classroom. I normally do the morning devotional as the mothers are present but normally feeding the babies. After I am done, I return to the Kitchen and clean up after Breakfast. Sometimes I am done with the dishes before the first child arrives. I always have a helper. Sometimes we work on sewing, making soap, gardening in the greenhouse, helping with the babies. Then once that child is done the children normally are all back in the main classroom working on their assignments. One of the mother's stay with them and the other mother's come in to help in the home. Every day we have at a min. 5 loads of wash to do. This means wash, hang out on the line and then fold and put away. The one in charge of putting away clothes will take the married couples clothes to their room and sit inside the door.

After Lunch, The babies go to bed and some of the younger children go down for a nap. Then we bring the children in to work on things that they do not learn always in a book. Sometimes it is quilting, mending, measuring recipes, yard work, making candles, soap, working in the store, Etc...

As the little ones start wakening up then some of the children go outdoors to play, some will remain in the house and play. About 3:30 we start getting food around for supper. Evening time is most the time all eating together, unless one of the families is gone for the evening. We use our Sunday table but our normal everyday dishes.

It is a time that we all have time to share about things through out the day. Sometimes it does get a little noisy, but trust me, I would not change anything.
After supper, Evening chores are done, the men seem to end up with mostly all the boys working with them and the girls are with all of us females.

Shortly after dinner time, I am off to my own part of the house. Dad and I are ready for some relaxing times. We are getting older and this is a way we keep our brain together. I always joke at this time of night that I know why God has decided to stop females at some point when it comes to child birth. Those little babies and loving grandchildren, make us females think about babies, but God knows what is best, even when we would have chosen differently.

Sometimes, Dad will open the door to our part of the house and that means it is open to any visiting. I love this part. Sometimes I end up with the little ones coming with a book or just to tell us they love us, and those times they just need some grandparent time away from everyone else.

Of coarse there is those times we will end up in the main family room and you might be out their with everyone or just one family. Every family group has their very own family room. Around about the children's bedtime, I will notice a group of children missing. This means their parents are having Bible reading and prayer. Then sometimes the parents will wonder to our part or to the large livingroom to visit with just the adults.

I remember the day I had my first baby. I could not wait to hear the first words. Then those first steps. Those things came but the house has not been quite sense.
Well, I think that I rattled enough and I have got to look up some children's Sunday school crafts. I will probably post that before I get of here, So I will probably be back

Took Sometime Out today, Look what the Lord showed me

I took some time today to look at all our pictures this past year and I have to say it really makes a person thank the Lord for all he has done and given to you.
Although this is a picture of all my girls that were at this family fuction, we had three more missing at this time and even if we updated it a month ago, we have learned that soon we will be having another addition. My son, Martin is planning to marry his very first love.
I have to say that it has been a long road in this relationship but if you hold faith then all will work out. I think my son would be the very first to agree NOW.
He fell in love with this young lady when he was 17 and he said he would marry her. Then when he went to ask for her parents Blessings, his dreams crashed to the ground. It was a hard time for me because I had to keep focused upon the Lord and at times I would find myself extremely angry. Then I would put my thoughts together because my son needed me.
Let me expain. My son was born with Cerbal Palsy. He has had to learn to walk many times over because of all his surgeries. He never used his handicap as an excuse and I think at times we all would forget about it. We never noticed he walked differently. Infact, we truely didn't see it anymore.
That was until the day my son asked this man for his daughters hand in marrage. He had this mans permission to date her so he was not expecting to hear what he was about to hear. The man looked at him and his daughter and then replied, " Martin is a crippled and you can do much better than marrying a guy who is Crippled."
My son was already facing the fact that when he asked the mother and her companion that they had to think about it because of the fact that the mother said she married young and it turned out that she found out she was not happy and was a Lesiban. It was hard for my son to speak to two females as a couple but he was not the judge nor was I. We only knew that we could not promote it but we had to respect them as the ones that God placed as parents in this young Ladies life.
My son knew that we strongly believed that before marrage the parents had to give their blessings. We have known parents that said no, but through prayer it all changed.
However, I came to understand that a mother's love makes a mother want to step up and deal with it. However, The Lord watch those hang his son on the cross. He did not show hatred, just Love and Forgiveness. I had to find that same love and find it fast.
To make a very Long story short, they were forced to break it off for awhile. The girl didn't take it good at all and rebelled. My son didn't take it good at all but We spent hours with him. We did not leave him to dwell upon it and I never went to sleep until my home was resting peacefully. I had to know that he was not in his bed crying. I had found him often like this.
Three years have pasted and they ran into each other. She invited him over to her mother's home and her mother's partner. My son went and was welcomed into their home with open arms. Within a week my son has got all parents involved Blessings to marry and they have decided to move on with it within the next three months. However, My son is not only going to become a Husband but She had a baby and he will become a Daddy to a little guy who needs a Daddy in his life. He is so proud and He agrees that even though it was hard, God had his reasons and he is glad he waited for thier Blessings, even if we do not approve of the lifestyle. We still need to show love and pray for them. All have sinned...is what the Lord says in his word. He never said Nanna Brenda you have not sinned so you can judge. Nope, I will proudly show the Love of the Lord because I Do Love him with ALL my heart.