I-CU Wednesday

It's that time again!  I need some I-CU!

This week we want to… finish up some preparations for sending a care package to my buddy Jon, who is serving our country in the Army, deployed to Afghanistan.

The kids are…well, "Man-Child" wants me to "graduate" him.  I don't even really know what that means, to be honest.  As life learners, I'm not sure I believe in graduation anymore. He doesn't want a party or a ceremony, but just wants me to say those magic words "you're done".  LOL Silly kid, doesn't he know we're never "done"? The Compulsary Attendance age in Oklahoma is 18, so maybe I'll oblige him on his 18th birthday with a Diploma or something. The girls are great.  Even our biggest girl, the adult one, is doing well.  She just got a promotion and raise at her job.  I'm starting to see some real maturity from that girl and I love it!

I am learning…. how to trust in the Lord, my Jehovah Jireh....He is my provider.  My husband is quitting his job to work for himself and we are totally living on faith as of October 30, 2011.

I am struggling with…AH....kinda the same response as the question above.  I am struggling with the fact that a paycheck won't be direct deposited every Thursday.  I'm struggling with the fact that we have to trust 100% in our Abba Father for everything. 

This week is the first time…. that our windows have been open 24/7.  I absolutely LOVE this weather.  It brings so much JOY to my spirit!

I am grateful… and along the lines of the job thing again....I am so grateful that my husband opened his heart to the Lord and he heard what He had to say.  Greg is SO certain that the Lord is going to provide for us in this transition.  He is SO sure that we're going to be ok and he says he's expecting us to do BETTER.  It's all perspective.  I am so grateful for my husband.

Our family first started unschooling…..We started homeschooling in September 2006.  The Lord took us on a journey for the next few years as we tried to find our place in this new endeavor.  Summer 2010 is when I think we really started identifying with the unschooling way of life.  I'm so glad that we did.  Our children have grown so much. I have grown even more, I think. :)

I-CU

This is a weekly thingamajiggy called I-CU, which means Intensive Care for the Christian Unschooler.  Here's my blabbering for the week......

“This week we want to…”  Well, I'm not sure about WE, but after the mess my children made while I was gone over the weekend, WE (they) need to get it cleaned up.  Still working on that.  They have until the end of the week.  Or else.  LOL

“The kids are…”  currently RE-destroying my living room.  BLAH!

“I am learning….”  what kind of woman I want to be.

“I am struggling with…”  feeling adequate.

“This week is the first time….”  I have been able to truly let go of some things in the past, such as....my father.  For years, I have been wearing his original wedding ring that he wore when he married my mother the FIRST time they got married.  (Not as my own wedding ring, just on another finger) Yeah, they married and divorced each other twice.  Neat.  Anyway, I felt like God said LET IT GO and that I needed to take off that ring and never wear it again.  My father and mother have both put me out of their lives, so taking off this ring was just my way to say that I'm finally OK with that.  I wasn't created for them anyway.  God created me for HIM!

“I am grateful…”  for the opportunity to be at home with my children.  I love them so much and can't imagine the days when I used to send them off to school every day.  Home education is such a GOOD thing for our family.

“I’m looking forward to…..”  cooler temperatures!!  I think my whole mood has been in the toilet this Summer.  I lost most of my garden due to the heat and haven't been able to use the pool either because algae infested us earlier in the Summer, started eating on my pool liner and I just ended up giving up on it.  Going to have to get a new liner next Summer to be able to use it.  I hate the heat!  I WANT COOL temps!

Hey, I need the I-CU!!

 Christian Unschooling

“This week we want to…”  go celebrate the youngest's birthday on Saturday by going to Build-A-Bear and out to eat as a family.  Fun stuff!


“The kids are…” all gone right now!!  I get a much needed quiet day.  I don't have too much of a desire for these types of days much anymore and I'm so thankful that I have truly learned to love being with the blessings that my Abba gave me.  Before we brought our children home from public school, I always seemed to want more "alone time".  That seems so weird to me!  Well, it's all good now!


“I am learning….” to love myself.  My postings recently have reflected a very broken woman.  I really praise the Lord for all He's done in my life in such a short time.  I am hoping that my future postings will reveal a very healed and WHOLE woman who is loving and serving the Lord with her whole heart, full of gusto!


“I am struggling with…” Uh, I can't think of anything?  Can you believe it?  Wahoo!  Well, hmmm, maybe I'm just a wee bit concerned about something, but that's not a struggle.  Going on our first every vacation as a family very soon and I'm wondering about the money situation.  Hubby says "trust me".  So.....I mean what else can I do?  

“This week is the first time….” in a very long time that I've had some alone time which lasted ALL DAY. LOL  Ok, can you tell I'm a bit excited?  Now remember friends, I've been a mommy for coming up on 22 years (next month, wow!) and I'm a bit overwhelmed and exhausted at times.  My kidlets are older now, so not as dependent upon mom and this is a GOOD thing.  OK, NOTE TO SELF:  STOP feeling like you have to explain everything or justify yourself.  Maybe that's my struggle right now.  ha!  We'll work on that. ;)


“I am grateful…” for friends!!  For healing in the innermost fiber of your being!  For revelation in my life!  To feel loved for really the first time EVER!  Seriously.....I am a super grateful woman today!!

What is the worst thing you ever forgot to do? Might not seem horrible, but years ago, I forgot to pay our electric bill.  It was in the heat of the Summer.  I was at work and got a call from my children that the guy had just been here to shut off the electricity!!  I left work early, paid the bill and called the elec company only to find out they wouldn't send someone out until the next day.  MISERABLE mistake that was cause we were sweltering with no electricity in 100+ heat.  I haven't forgotten to pay that bill since.

Can you believe it’s Wednesday already? Some people call it Hump Day, but for those of us at Christian Unschooling, it’s time for the I-CU

What is I-CU?

Intensive Care for the Christian Unschooler– this will be a weekly meme (you post the questions to your blog each Wednesday that you are able, using one of the buttons to link back at Christian Unschooling (click button above), and hop over there and add your site to the linky at the bottom.)

“This week we want to…” get started on cleaning and purging some things in this house. We're going to have a yard sale in a few weeks and we're switching rooms around for the kidlets. Austyn is moving to the garage room and Madilen is finally getting her own bedroom by moving into his room. :)

“The kids are…” the man-child is really transitioning into a man. He is currently working 2 jobs and he is becoming more and more independent, which really bothers me yet excites me all at the same time. The girls aren't doing anything new right now, except constantly talking about vacation.

“I am learning….” that the Holy Spirit is so subtle yet so powerful at times. I woke up feeling so differently about something I previously had been so torn about. It's like I finally have clarity.

“I am struggling with…” my son growing up. He's always been such a mama's boy and not in that 40 yr old who still lives at home creepy mama's boy way either. LOL Just genuinely loves and wants to be around me. NOW he's discovering how fun it is to work and have new friends. He also drives so he wants to be out and about more. I just wanna know where my little boy went. *sigh*

“This week is the first time….” that I have realized how much certain people really care about me. I hope I can make up for lost time.

“I am grateful…” for my AC that works beautifully on these scorching hot days. I am such a wimpy girl and can't handle the heat. I tend to get cranky and cry when I'm hot. LOL

If you could do it all over again, what is one thing you would choose to do differently in regards to homeschooling/unschooling?

I honestly think that I would have done it exactly the same. I've grown so much in the last 5 years. I love the way we've grown together as a family and how we have progressed from being very strict and doing "school at home" to really relaxing and trusting that life learning is such a wonderful thing. I don't want to label us anymore....of course when someone asks, we say we're "homeschoolers" because I trust they wouldn't quite know what I meant by "life learners". :) Ok wait, I take that back.....I would do one thing differently. I would have just TRUSTED that my Abba Father would take care of every detail.

I-CU

It's time for my weekly visit to the I-CU. Intensive Care for the Christian Unschooler that is. ;)

This week we want to....
make more concrete plans for our first ever family vacation.


The kids are...
as of right this minute, everyone is still sleeping. The man-child starts his new job this evening. He is a wreck. I'm a little on edge as well, especially after the inquisition I got from the man who interviewed him (regarding HOW we homeschool). I know my son is brilliant, articulate and very well spoken, I just want him to feel comfortable in his new job.


I am learning..
that no matter what I do in life, someone is not going to like me AND that my perception of how many people dislike me is probably a bit exaggerated. I've just always had this idea that everyone dislikes me. If someone doesn't interact with me and they normally do, I automatically think they no longer like me. It's horrible feeling that way.

This week is the first time...
I have wanted to get back on the treadmill. We even put it in storage for awhile because we just didn't have room for it. Today I'm going to try to rearrange the furniture so it can come back home. I plan on walking while I watch my new fave show on Netflix.......Monk!

I am grateful...
Oh so grateful for my husband. I mean, I can't even begin to tell you how much I love this man. He is my everything and without him, I don't think I could breathe. Of course, YES, in reality, I know that I could. I know that life goes on, but we are so connected that he is on my mind 24/7. I think about him while he's away from us and I dream about him. Even in our rough times, I have never stopped loving him and I never will.

The biggest change I'd like to see take place in my family in the remainder of 2011 is...
that we become more intentional in helping others in need. There are some opportunities in our local area and I would really like to get the family out there being the hands and feet of Yeshua.

I-CU

It's time again to revisit the ICU (Intensive Care for the Christian Unschooler)

“This week we want to…” make a plan to get out of the house more. I feel like lately we're just cooped up and I think we're all going stir crazy.

“The kids are…” excited to go on vacation in August. We have never had a family vacation.......EVER. I'm less excited. I still don't know how we're going to do it financially. We have 3 free tickets to Six Flags so that's the reason we're trying to plan a trip. The rest is up in the air.

“I am learning….” that I really love old movies more than I ever thought I did. I just love the time period of the 1940s through 1960s. I love the chivalry, the clothes and the language (or lack of if you know what I mean). I love that men respected women and women respected men. That time period suits me well. Oh and I love black and white movies. Helps me focus on the story better for some reason.

“I am struggling with…” looking at myself in the mirror. It's not a physical thing, although I don't really like what I see physically. It's really more of what I see beyond the mirror. I've always heard that hurt people hurt people. I never applied that to myself. I think that I've been so blind to the hurts I've caused others. I push people away because I can't bear being hurt even one more time. I don't have it in me. I have an ugly, smart mouth and I'm just tired of being me most days. I wish I knew how to find myself, whoever that really is. I don't like me very much right now.

“This week is the first time….” I have watched "Walk The Line" which is a movie I've wanted to watch for a long time. REALLY eye opening and meaningful to me. I think there are a lot of life lessons to learn from the story of Johnny Cash.

“I am grateful…” that I can call out to my Abba Father and He hears me. I love the messages He teaches me every day. I love that I don't have to be perfect for Him to love me and that He is going to help me recreate myself into a woman that glorifies HIM in everything I do and say.

I'm grateful for His mercies that are new every morning.

I CU

Intensive Care for the Christian Unschooler. Much needed this week....

“This week we want to…” get our pool cleaned up once and for all. Crystal clear water but now the dreaded black algae has invaded the liner. I didn't realize what it was until now. If I can't get it out, we'll have to replace the liner AGAIN (did it 2 years ago). *sigh* I'm going drastic here. Have read that you can super dose it with regular chlorine bleach, scrub the heck out of it and see some results......sometimes. I do NOT want the expense of changing that liner. Owning a home is sometimes a royal pain in the behind. First a $1100 AC repair that we couldn't afford and now our one and only source of entertainment is stricken with the PLAGUE? Well at least a liner will only cost me $150. Good grief, I am NOT a money tree!

“The kids are…” playing Sorry with 2 of their friends on our living room floor. This is big for us. We don't normally have kids inside for some reason. I think our dogs being so obnoxious is one reason.

“I am learning….” that people don't like me and that I'm not sure how to deal with that. I have a LOT of people who do like me, but the ones who don't really really cast a shadow over everything.

“I am struggling with…” the fact that my husband doesn't have the same dreams for our life that I do. If I want to be with him (and I do), then I am going to have to abandon my dreams. He is content with how things are right now. I need God to help me be content as well.

“This week is the first time….” I have fully realized that I have never been in control of anything in my life.........and I'm pretty scared about my future.

OOPS...forgot one....

“I am grateful…” for my children who love me unconditionally.

I CU

Ah, another installment of Intensive Care for the Christian Unschooler! I need this!!!

This week we want to......get back in that pool! It has taken us a really long time to get it ready. First was the fact that we let it go and didn't get it covered last Winter. Oh, we KNOW better!! Then the pump broke and so it sat another few weeks, which is the perfect opportunity for algae to grow and grow and grow. I swear the algae had algae! Reminds me of the Saturday Night Live skit "Penelope" where she says "my panic attack had a panic attack, it's called a panic anic attack, it's much worse". LOL Ok, only my son will probably even laugh at that, but that's ok. It makes me smile. So, my amazing husband saved us over $100 by fixing the pump himself. He's my hero! Then it took another week to get the blasted pool swimmable! The kids got in today. They tell me it was delightful! I hope to join them tomorrow.

The kids are…AMAZING. Resilient. Loving. My best friends. I'm amazed that they love me so much. They have such gracious hearts.

I am learning…. that I have a real problem with trust. Not only in other people but in God. I just cannot grasp that He's got my back. I think mainly because for so many years, it didn't seem like He even cared. I KNOW He's good, but I often think that He's not all that interested in what I'm feeling or going through.

I am struggling with…the fact that my oldest child isn't all that interested in me anymore. She told me today that she might be moving quite a ways away and will be living with her boyfriend. I haven't even MET said boyfriend. Yet she spends a lot of time with HIS parents. I love her so much. I just wish she wanted to be my friend.

This week is the first time....that I have been this miserable in a long time. Our AC quit working on Saturday evening. I was anticipating a fairly cheap fix. The last time it did this it cost us about $150 if I remember correctly. I called the AC guy thinking oh yeah, that's what it'll be again. Nope, wrong-o. The compressor is locked up and it's going to cost $1,150. *thud* Yeah, I think I just fell over again. The AC guy is coming to fix it tomorrow and this is going to be very rough to fork over. But my husband tells me that it'll be ok. In Oklahoma, I just don't think that AC is an option. I know that many don't have it. I honestly don't know how they do it. I haven't really slept in the last 4 days. I am CRANKY! My dogs seem lethargic....they're ok, but I can tell they are extra hot. I can't imagine having all that hair and being used to the cool house and having that taken away. I know we all would adapt if we HAD to. I have even had a few well meaning people tell me that AC isn't necessary and that we'd be ok without it. Kind of reminds me of how we, as parents, tell our children to eat all of their food because there's starving children in China. Really? Now I get how LAME that is. I am truly sad that there are so many people in the world that don't have these comforts that I have and I'm sorry if that makes me heartless, but I won't apologize for enjoying these comforts we have. I think that leads me into the next one.....

“I am grateful…that I live in the United States of America and that my husband has a good job. I'm grateful that we can have a home with air conditioning and that we aren't starving. I'm grateful that I have friends who love me even when I'm cranky because I'm hot. I'm grateful that my Abba Father loves me even when I don't understand Him or His ways. I'm just grateful to be me right now.

I CU

http://christianunschooling.com/

It's time for I CU again! Intensive Care for the Christian Unschooler!! WOOT! WOO!

“This week we want to…” go to "Kid DJ Day" at our favorite Christian radio station The House Fm. It's a little over an hour away, so not a long drive. They have a bunch of fun stuff to do. We went last year and the girls got to talk on the air with the DJ's. It was a blast!

Here we are at last year's Kid DJ Day.

The kids are…” actually in bed and it's 11 pm. That's weird, in a good way. Gosh I love being weird! I'm sure some of you remember me talking about my "weirdness" a few weeks back. Our pastor thinks it's a good thing to be weird....in a God sort of way. I love that!

“I am learning….” how much my husband really loves me. I always have these lingering doubts, even after all of these years. This week he has been really different, not in a weird (bad) way, but in that "you've FINALLY released control over to God and now He can truly help me lead this family" kind of way. Does that make sense? Well, it makes sense in my head at least. :)

“I am struggling with…” my oldest daughter. I want so badly to have an ADULT relationship with her, to meet her boyfriend that she's really serious with but refuses to allow us to meet him. I want to talk and have meaningful conversations with her, but she's still making it seem like I am looking for that mommy/child thing and now that she's an "adult" she doesn't want me to be her "mommy". Guess what? I don't want that either!! I really really really want to move on to the next level here. I am praying about this a lot!

“This week is the first time….” I have had any "alone time" in quite some time and I spent it doing housework, which I thoroughly enjoyed! Go figure! But I'm sitting here in this beautiful, clean home and I feel so PEACEFUL!! Clutter makes me feel chaotic and crazy! I'm so glad I can feel peaceful tonight. :)

And on a side note.....I am going to go watch a few more episodes of Army Wives now. Just started on this show about a month ago on Netflix. Now that I'm addicted and almost through with 4 whole seasons, I'm gonna have a problem until season 5 is on Netflix or DVD cause you can't find the entire season online right now since it's currently airing. Blah!! LOL

I CU

ICU is......Intensive Care for the Christian Unschooler

Christian Unschooling

“This week we want to…”
work on some more craft projects. I personally want to continue to formulate a plan to remodel our home.....one bit at a time. Have lived here 7½ years and haven't done much other than paint. I need some updating!

“The kids are…”
enjoying their new backyard toy! It's more like a fort! LOL My husband did an excellent job and spent a LOT of time taking it apart at my friend's house and then reassembling it at home.

“I am learning….”
that I love gardening much more than I ever thought (and I didn't think that was possible)

“I am struggling with…”
being labeled as a "Christian". I honestly don't fit the mold. I love Yeshua with my whole heart, but I don't believe in or love what man-made Christianity is right now.

“This week is the first time….”
that I've had any amount of peace in a long time.


I have officially "come out" as an unschooler. We've been living and "educating" this way for nearly a year, but I've kept it a secret for the most part. Very few understand. Most think it's being lazy. I really don't care. I know what I see in my children. They are amazing....and SMART! I have also decided that while I want a more organized, clean home, what I have now is NOT uninhabitable and sometimes mess happens. I am going to keep reminding myself that we live here and it's not a showroom. If someone else doesn't like it, they don't have to come over. Oh wait, no one comes over anyway.