Glosser Chronicles: March Review

March proved to be a very busy month for us. We took a week-long spring break from homeschool and intended to use the time to get our four bedrooms switched around, repainted, and organized in preparation for Baby #4's arrival, but as usual, "We can make our plans, but the Lord determines our steps" (Proverbs 16:9). 

In fact, the weekend before our official break we received word that Josh's Grandpa Bill was not doing at all well. He's had many physical & mental struggles over the last several years & has miraculously bounced back each time without too much lasting impairment, but this time was different... more serious, more urgent. They didn't know if he'd make it through the night. Josh was able to go down to Ottumwa with his mom & siblings to see him that same afternoon, and when he returned he confirmed that the outlook seemed to be rather grim. The next morning Grandpa Bill went to be with his Savior & King. That was a hard day. Not how we imagined we'd begin our ambitious plans for the week. It was painful. The next three days were filled with conversations with family members, traveling for the visitation & funeral... and little work at home. Truly, it was a blessing in disguise that we planned for the week to be our spring break from school because Josh already had the majority of the week off work which enabled him to be there for all those important moments in his grandfather's passing. We are thankful for that. The postponed work was just that -- postponed. It was far more pressing for us to be able to be present with the family in grief, to minister as the Lord led, and participate in the sad loss of a dearly loved family member. And though it is a difficult circumstance to endure, we can rejoice in the knowledge that dear, sweet, joyful Grandpa Bill is experiencing the absolute definitions of joy & happiness as he worships at the feet of the Creator of the Universe. He is fully whole. Mentally, physically, emotionally, spiritually whole. He is doing what he was created to do. And I guarantee he is loving every. single. minute. Oh, how we long to join alongside him & offer our own praises to the Almighty God!

The rest of the week was a blur as we attempted to cram as much house work in as possible. Our kids were troopers! Surely, they felt brief twinges of neglect as Mommy & Daddy painted room after room after room. Two weeks later, our house is still out of sorts! Although the majority of the work is complete, we have been making slow progress almost every day as new things find their homes & well-loved things are repurposed or rearranged. We're getting there!

Of course, spring break was not the ONLY thing that happened this month, so...

National Pancake Day at IHOP is March 4th.
Naturally, we had to celebrate!

Chocolate milk is a rare luxury for this chick.
And she loves it.

Sort of a last minute field trip...
to the Science Center of Iowa!

Josiah shooting off his paper rocket.

Future crane operator?

Fun wall with air tubes, mazes, and plastic balls.

Which tennis ball will finish first?

Our local TV station has a weather center in the Science
Center where they shoot live at noon on the weekdays. It's
always fun to see yourself on TV!

We are early morning pirates sailing the river for crocodiles.

Hope to do a post on the outcome of this little project soon!

"I ready," she says... in the front seat.

Night time froyo is always a welcome treat...

Especially when it's to celebrate Starshine's
completion of her reading curriculum.
She's a super reader!

Chocolate is all that matters to this dude.

My big girl surprised me one morning by getting everyone's
breakfast ready for us! Oatmeal with Craisins & cinnamon/sugar.

Sometimes we stay in our pajamas until noon. That's how we roll.
And yep, the belly is getting bigger. No feet!

Spring has sprung! Well, kind of. But in Iowa we take every
advantage of the nice days while we can.

Bare feet in the sand. Always.

The older two & I attended a performance from the
Applause Series at the Civic Center of Greater Des Moines,
"We're Going on a Bear Hunt." Such fun!

Starling Migration means SPRING!! Watch and listen with us HERE.

Glosser Chronicles: February Review

A goal I have with this blog is to use it as a connection to friends and family we don't get to see very often -- so they can get a glimpse of what our day-to-day looks like and keep up with what we've been up to. (Because, let's face it, my scattered brain is never able to conjure a good reply to the famous question, "What's new with you?") So maybe you're reading this & you're neither friend nor family, or maybe you see us all the time. Feel free to ignore all of these monthly review postings, but I hope that you won't. Perhaps it will help you gain insight to who we are, what we do, and why we do it! Here's hoping...

Home Life

The beginning of the month greeted us in the cruelest of ways... with illness. A virus led our Little Bug to an ear infection and to the brink of pneumonia. Thankfully, with lots of prayer and helpful home remedies, she recovered from all of it in just over a week.

Little Bug is back to her happy, rambunctious self. Praise the Lord!

We had a family movie night with Despicable Me 2, and this is what we get... purple minions.

My Starshine and my husband, the love of my life. So glad we got to celebrate Valentine's Day together! (I think the flash caught them both off guard a bit. haha)

A night of worship with Rend Collective Experiment. 

I can't imagine a better way to spend Valentine's Day.

Homeschool

Working on sorting animals native to Iowa by habitat (land, air, water).

Taking advantage of our freak Iowa winter weather (dubbed a "thundersnow storm"). We collected sleet from outside and experimented by adding salt and/or water to see which cup of ice would melt faster.

Aaaaand, some of us just ate the ice.

Cheeseballs

We made a very cool DIY geoboard to use along with our math study of shapes. I'll probably do a post about this soon! Thanks, Pinterest!

Driven Distraction

This post was written a few weeks ago, but I didn't get around to publishing it until now. A testament of its content for sure...



In a culture where distractions lurk around every corner, desktop, handbag, and back pocket, I find myself searching for sanctuary. 

Maybe I'm doomed. You see, I am a naturally distracted person. I find it difficult to focus on any given task or idea for a long period of time or to focus on more than one thing at a time. I'm that type-A person who needs lists, schedules, and alarms because if that structure isn't there it doesn't happen!

You could say I'm a very organized procrastinator. I require order in my environment to function well, but, since I'm also given to distraction, if I am not motivated enough to stay on my mission I will put it off. Add it to tomorrow's list. Reschedule it. Then before you know it, my to-do list is 12 pages long, and I eventually implode or explode (thankfully not physically, because that would be one monster mess to add to my list!) because of the sheer magnitude of all that needs to be done.

Some people call it "mommy brain," some might call it ADD, I'll call it driven distraction. Why driven? Well, sometimes an idea or task presses SO heavy on my mind or to-do list that I am power-driven like a V8 engine to carry it out & accomplish it. For instance, today I was baking bread (not one of my favorite past times, but one I try to do on a regular basis for my family none-the-less) and while it was in it's final rise, 20 weeks of pregnancy hit me like a Mac truck and I was suddenly exhausted -- I mean flat-on-my-back, can't-keep-my-eyes-open, slurring-words-like-a-drunk tired. I HAD to lie down and close my eyes for a minute. And why not? The kids were playing wonderfully together in their rooms, our delicious, wholesome bread still had 10-15 minutes to go before baking, and the dog (a.k.a. God's handmade foot warmer) was already at my feet ready for an afternoon snooze. Perfect scenario. So I laid down on the couch for a quick siesta. Aaaand I fell asleep. Not long, mind you, but long enough to miss the peak rising time for that aforementioned bread! I jumped up upon the realization that my perfect sandwich loaves would now probably come out looking like a very large rectangular brownie & tended to them promptly, only to confirm 45 minutes later that they did, indeed, look like a very large rectangular brownie. My V8 ran out of gas. Disappointment galore.


"But that's understandable," you say. "You're pregnant. You have 3 young children. No doubt you're tired!" Why, thank you for your gracious concern, but this is not the only example from today. After pulling my sad, browned bricks from the oven, I "re-revved", started a load of laundry, swept the basement floor (where a certain toddler had dumped detergent earlier that morning), carted 2 baskets of clean clothes upstairs to be folded... and as I was returning the broom & dust pan to their rightful post, why not sweep the dining room & kitchen while I'm at it? Then I met with the dish pile that was by now looming very large in the kitchen sink. It was at this time that I began to think how very distracted my afternoon had been. "I should write a blog post about this," I thought. And here I sit. I literally left the sink, full of sudsy bubbles, because I know that if I do not begin writing out these thoughts immediately, they will be forever lost to the black hole in my mind -- that dark and mysterious place where high school math lessons, what I ate for dinner last night, and the loci of my cell phone and car keys go. So I had to deviate, right?


What can I do? I'm constantly being bombarded by chores & tasks, requests from little ones, and my own desire for "me time." Don't even get me started on social media, email, texting, and the lure of all the other propaganda the world throws in your face at every check-out stand or in TV shows, movies, and advertising of all kinds. It leaves my mind spinning! No wonder I'm so distracted.

I have a dear friend who is not like me. She is focused, driven, a "doer." She sees a task to be done, & she handles it swiftly with skill and force. I love this about her! It's everything I wish I could be! But it's not my nature. I'm not her. And she gave me some wonderful & much needed encouragement today. She told me I'm a good mom. Me?! Really? But I'm so harried & scatterbrained! However, what she said she observes in me is that I can anticipate the needs of others (namely my children) and see to them effectively with patience, tenderness, & loving kindness even in the midst of busyness. I'm not here to brag. Her words today both humbled me and blessed me tremendously. You see, I want to be her, but it seems God has gifted me in a different way.


But here's the crux of the matter: No matter where I am in my walk and no matter how many distractions capture my attention, it is my fervent prayer that my life will be a portrait of obedience to James 3:21-25,
"So get rid of all the filth and evil in your lives, and humbly accept the word God has planted in your hearts, for it has the power to save your souls.

But don’t just listen to God’s word. You must do what it says. Otherwise, you are only fooling yourselves. For if you listen to the word and don’t obey, it is like glancing at your face in a mirror. You see yourself, walk away, and forget what you look like. But if you look carefully into the perfect law that sets you free, and if you do what it says and don’t forget what you heard, then God will bless you for doing it." (NLT)

This I must cling tightly to & never deviate from! Because when it comes to obeying God's Word, there are no excuses. My personality, tendencies, short-comings, strengths won't hold an ounce of water when I finally come face-to-face with my God and King on that glorious day to be judged for the things I've done (or haven't). He created me. He knows me (Psalm 139). And yet He's still called me to obey His Word. I'm incredibly grateful that I am more than a conqueror in Christ (Romans 8:37) and that nothing can separate me from the love of God (vs. 39), but perhaps the most wonderful & necessary gift for me in all my diversions and preoccupations is the awesome power of the Holy Spirit, who, as I surrender to Him, is transforming me day-by-day me into the glorious image of my Lord and Savior (2 Corinthians 3:17-18; Romans 12:2). All praise be to God!

No, it's not a good thing to be distracted & it can certainly be detrimental to myself & others at times, but if I faithfully give my attention over to the Lord I have to trust that He will work that out in me over time. His time. And right now, I sure am thankful for how He's grown me so far because apparently my kids are benefiting from it, and, prayerfully, so are my husband and others around me.

Where do your attentions lie? Do you live a life of motivated movements, driven distraction, or rapacious roaming? Please share. I'd love to pray for you as we strive to be more One-minded together!

Homeschool: Where Do I Begin?, Part 1

(Image courtesy of Phaitoon / FreeDigitalPhotos.net)

I have been incredibly blessed to be a part of the upward moving trend of homeschooling the last few years. For 3 years now, I have been homeschooling my oldest child. Granted, the first two years were "preschool" and this year is kindergarten, so you might say my experience is not really credible. However, I will say that it has been a wonderful, worthwhile, but trying experience. We may be in the primary years, but they have certainly not been without their challenges! Ah, such is parenting. That being said, I hope I can offer some of you who are just starting out or maybe questioning whether homeschooling is right for your family a few words of wisdom and give you a place to start. (This is my first blog post series, so please bear with me!)

Here is my number one tip to get you started on your journey:

Pray

If you're thinking about homeschooling, if it's even on your radar, the most important advice I can give you is pray, pray, PRAY! And then, when you think you've reached your decision, pray some more. I don't say this to scare you, but in all seriousness & sincerity homeschooling is a BIG decision -- one that will affect you, your spouse, your children (both schooled & unschooled), your family, and virtually everyone else your life touches. Please do not take it lightly! Many people have worked arduously to obtain the homeschool freedoms, resources, and community that are now available to us, so let's do them a solid and treat this field with the respect it deserves.
Not only that, but guess what? Homeschooling is not for everyone! *gasp* What? You mean it's not every mother's duty to stay home with her kids and teach them Pre-K through 12th grade, insuring graduations with honors, biomedical engineering degrees, and lifelong success (financial & social) for each and every child? Blasphemy! Seriously though, I know there are some moms out there who feel this pressure, as ridiculous as it sounds. The reasons for these feelings are many, but let me put your mind at ease... Maybe homeschooling is not for you! And that's okay. Here's why...
Homeschooling is a calling. That's right, it's a God-given calling to train your children in all areas of life -- academically, financially, physically, socially, and spiritually. Now, don't get me wrong, every parent should be involved in the education of their children, whether homeschooled or not. Proverbs 22:6 says, "Train up a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not depart from it." The word "train" doesn't have any stipulations attached. You're not off the hook in any given area because of any certain circumstances, abilities, traits, or other *ahem* excuses. It's commanded that parents are to train up their children. Period. End of story. However, this will look different for every family, every parent, every child. This why it is so crucial as parents to seek The Lord when it comes to our children's education. We're commanded to train. Part of training is educating. So does that mean we should do what everybody else is doing because you don't know any better, or it's the easiest, or you've been guilted into it? Absolutely not! Just the opposite. We should carefully handle this decision with focused intentionality, diligent thought, humble discussion, and fervent prayer. I promise that if you are faithful to lay it before the throne of grace (Hebrews 4:16), God will hear you and answer you.

I'm praying for you as you begin your journey! My next post will look at a couple more tips to get you started, but you're not allowed to read it until you've prayed over your children's education first! :)

For more on prayer, check out this fantastic sermon by Charles Spurgeon.

Where are you at with homeschooling? Are you a seasoned vet with advice to dole or a newbie just looking for some answers?

Check, Check. 1-2, 1-2

Well, it's been a long time coming. A blog. Not that I have anything outstandingly new or important to say, but I do want to use the voice God has given me to reach the neediest people in the farthest places. The web seems just the place to do this. I am thankful for the opportunities online He's given me already to share bits and pieces of my life and what He's teaching me. I want to share more!
I pray that The Lord will fill me with His Holy Spirit and use my written words in this new venue to reach the lost, teach the searching, encourage the downtrodden, and uplift brothers and sisters in the faith. And you'll learn a little bit about me and my family along the way. :) I pray that this will be a useful & beneficial tool to connect us -- both my family across the country and God's family across the globe.
To God be the glory, great things He has done!