Worn out by Worksheets, Wrangling, and Warfare?

2 Corinthians 10:3-5 ~ 3For though we live in the world, we do not wage war as the world does. 4The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds. 5We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.

Strength for the Battle
Sometimes life just seems like one big battle. We fight ourselves, the ones we love, our schedules, our lists, etc... all to find a way to accomplish our goals, get things done, and manage our sanity-level. When you think about how many times I said "our" in that sentence, it comes to mind that maybe relying on "our" own strength is the reason so much of it feels like a battle.

B.U.S.Y. = Being Under Satan's Yoke
The kids are doing Math worksheets right now, and I thought I would steal a moment to stop in and give a personal update for a change. I'm grading papers and getting school done and checking emails when I get the chance to sneak off for a second during book-work. Our church had a fall VBS event this past week and we have been busy and going non-stop since Monday. Too busy. Today we're meeting friends for a play date that includes some fossil hunting... Friday is park day, and Sunday we are helping in Children's Church. All of these things are great things, but... I'm beginning to meet myself coming and going. When mommy is stressed, the day seems to unravel. Having to be three places at once tends to stress a mommy!

Staying busy is good, but making sure that the busyness is not keeping us from steering off-course is not as easy as it sounds. We homeschool moms tend to over-schedule sometimes, and that leads to burn-out and lack of academic and behavioral success if we are not careful. So next week, I'm going to try and limit our outings to Wed. night Bible class and Thursday co-op field trip. I'm having to learn to say no again. Our art class is not until the last week of October and is a once-a-month addition to our GeeArt curriculum and KONOS art projects. Field trips and social outings seem to be my problem lately. It is hard to limit field trips for me (since I am a field trip JUNKIE)... and who doesn't want to hang out with your friends? Yet this week has been so busy that I am willing to stay home more to get our routine groove back.

Free Printer Contest Notes
I spoke with a friend at the Old Schoolhouse Magazine last night and she mentioned that she didn't have a working digital camera right now... and that she wasn't sure she could enter the Kodak contest to win the free printer. I don't want not having equipment to stop you from entering the contest. You can use old photos or just art supplies to create your projects. Remember, you can also use magazine photos and do a collage. Be creative. Ask a buddy to photograph your project for you for the blog. The project doesn't have to be elaborate... just fun for your family!

More About the Homeschool Blog Awards Website
I have really enjoyed getting to know the new authors over at the Homeschool Blog Awards website. Trish has a devotional up today that is really amazing. I had fun interviewing Dawn yesterday, too. Her toenails photo is really a hoot!



I better get out of here... World War III is breaking out downstairs at the kitchen table. Apparently the kids are getting on each other's nerves. I had better go referee.

Hope you have a great homeschool day with as few casualties as possible.

In His Grip,




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