Keepin' a Schedule

When I first started homeschooling, the idea of following a schedule was the hardest thing for me. I was so used to getting up and planning out my day according to how I felt that day. If I was in the mood for shopping (which was usually the case :)), I would pack up and go! On the way home, I might stop for lunch and then decide to go visit a friend. Usually in the evening I would realize that I had forgotten to home school Brandon that day. I finally came to the conclusion that if I was going to successfully home school my children, I was going to have to learn to live by a schedule.

Disciplining myself to plan out my day took years of training. I would get a good schedule written down, and I'd follow it for a few days.  Then I would get distracted, so I'd try again! I tried to follow a schedule and failed over and over again for years. But I knew it was what I needed, so I just kept trying. Now my life is so scheduled I can hardly believe I used to forget to do school. :)

Scheduling isn't just good for homeschoolers. In his book, The Teenage Years of Jesus Christ, Jerry Ross quotes a pastor who said, "The longer I live, the more convinced I am that the key to a successful Christian life is living by schedule." Mr. Ross says, "To become a disciple of Christ requires discipline - the discipline to do, not just hear. Without a specific schedule and the character to follow that schedule, you will soon forget what you have learned... The desire to live like Jesus cannot be just a fad or a phase. It must be the most important goal of life, a goal that will only be reached when we discipline ourselves to live on purpose and on schedule"  

I know for myself, if I don't plan to read my Bible, it won't happen. If our family doesn't schedule a time for praying together and memorizing scripture, other things will suck up all our time. The important things in life will always get pushed aside by what seems necessary at the moment. Then we will look back and wish we had lived our life differently. How does the Lord want us to spend our time? Let's make a list of things that the Lord has put on our hearts to do and to teach our children, and then let's figure out what time of day we are going to do those things. At first, it will be painful and laborious, but over time we will adjust to the schedule. Then when we look back over our week, we won't have regrets, which becomes the motivation to keep on keepin' on! :)

Should children be made to work?

I was on the blog of a Christian author, and she was writing about how we need to teach our children to work.  I was amazed at one of the comments from a reader.  The person was so upset that there are people in the world who make their children work.  She said that childhood is a time for playing.  She was really bent out of shape and felt that it was a great disservice to a child to make them work.

Emily taking care of her chickens

 I laughed as I read the comment.  My children are all hard workers.  And what ignorant people, like the woman commenting on the blog, don't understand is that children who work hard and live productive lives are very happy children.  It is very rare for my children to wake up grumpy or even want to stay in bed.  They are happy and look forward to life.  I am not saying there is never a bad attitude, but it is rare to see my children feeling down or unhappy.

Boys helping dad pour concrete

  

Brandon mowing the lawn

Jonny cutting chicken throats

People that see work as a crime against children are most likely lazy people themselves.  In our home work is fun!  My husband and I love to work.  And if given the chance, most kids will like work too.  But if dad always sits on the couch watching television and mom always sits in front of the computer on Facebook, the children are not going to naturally think, "I should do the laundry and wash the floors."  They will want to self-indulge too!  And if they are made to work while mom and dad are being lazy, they will become bitter.

Mike and Jonny working on the sugar shack

Mike and Ben cutting off chicken feet

Apple picking day with friends and family

Ben changing the oil in his four wheeler - with Brandon's help

Emily showing of her baked goods

Brandon, Em, and Ben showing off the harvest

Ben with all his potatoes

What little girl will pass on baking with her mommy so that she can go play by herself in the playhouse?  Why play make-believe when you can do the real thing?  And what little boy will want to play with blocks when he can help daddy build something with a real hammer and real nails?  A child who is included in adult activities knows they are loved.  If you want your children to be confident and content, then include them in all you do.  Children who are pushed aside are angry, unhappy children.


Em and Jonny working in the garden

Ben mowing the lawn

Ben and Jonny choppin' chicken heads

Em watering the garden

Furthermore what girl, when considering a husband, says with a starry look in her eye, "I hope my husband is lazy."  No woman wants a lazy husband!!  Yet there are parents training their boys to play, play, play.  Then when the boy becomes a man (or maybe I should say...when he gets older), the parents will despise him for not being able to hold a job.  People have always admired my boys (and my daughter) because they are such good workers.  I told my oldest son that he will never have a hard time finding a job because employers are always looking for hard workers.  And he never has struggled to find work or keep a job! 

Ben, Jonny, and a friend (RJ) gutting our chickens

Yes, children need play time.  So do adults!  We love to play with our kids.  Family games and family sports are something we do regularly.  After all, all work and no play makes Jack a dull boy.  But let's not forget that all play and no work makes Jack a lazy, unhappy, ungrateful, unproductive, bored, confused, and depressed citizen.  It will also make him a good socialist! :)

Boys playing army

A ride in the boat Brandon made

Two fierce Indians

The boys on their contraption

Riding four wheelers together



Making a brick oven



Hunting together

Four wheeler fun!

Time for target practice

We just really like our kids and want to be with them!  We play together, pray together, laugh together, cry together, work together, and enjoy an exciting productive life together!  The bottom line is, life is work, and I want my children to enjoy life! ...and they do! :)



Mama lovin' on Jonny



Sixteen and Pregnant

I met Tracie about a month ago.  She has an incredible testimony!  I asked her if I could share her story on my blog and she graciously sent me this written testimony. 
Her email is tjaigrademacher@yahoo.com  if you would like to get in touch with her.

16 Years Old and Pregnant
“Being 16, scared to death, confused, and deceptively misguided, I was at a loss for what I should do. Everything inside me was telling me that abortion was wrong. However after numerous conversations and an ever present pressure that abortion was the best thing to do by my family, I gave in.
I remember it like it was yesterday. The clinic workers were so cold and the entire place was vacant of any morality. The doctor who murdered my baby even asked me at one point ‘why are you crying?’ I knew before I went that it wasn’t right. However when I walked into that cold room I was literally debilitated. I felt like there was no turning back and no escape. That day I went home in tears and cried for days. No talking, just crying. My mom swept the whole thing under the rug and never brought it up again. I was never able to speak to a counselor or support group I suppressed these emotions for over 5 years. 

After I got married and started having children with my husband it all came flooding back, times 10! What had I done? The abortion didn’t make me un-pregnant, it just made me the mother of a dead baby. I spiraled downward into an abyss of sadness and pain. My depression worsened day by day and it became difficult to function. I didn’t want to ask for help because I was terrified of the “judgment“.

My husband was extremely supportive, however I felt very alone and confused.” After a while I finally hit bottom and I found God waiting there for me with open arms. Up until then I didn’t have much of a relationship with God . However I was so desperate for help that I began to read the bible and study God’s word. I realized that I was forgiven through the blood of Christ. This was great but I still wouldn’t forgive  myself.
God started to put it on my heart that I should get involved with the pro-life cause now that I knew how horrible the affects of abortion were.

It took a some serious time with God  in prayer but he revealed to me that my baby was a little girl and her name is Julia.  Having a name now helped me to focus on her and not the abortion.  I was finally honoring her life.
It was through  40 Days for life and the unconditional love I received from those involved that I was finally able to remove the heavy chains I was carrying and surrender my life fully to God. I realized that GOD’S FORGIVENESS IS ENOUGH!
Once I did that, God has blessed me by using me, my mistake, my baby and my journey to teach others about the TRUTH.  The truth about abortion, and God’s love and forgiveness.  I am now a public speaker on abortion, leading a post abortive bible study and a board member at Pregnancy Resource Center in St. Cloud, MN. 

God is so good and continues to amaze me with his blessings, mercy, love and forgiveness. He has bestowed amazing blessings on my family and I am eternally grateful.
There is a scar on my heart for Julia, but I will walk out the rest of my days on this earth following God’s call for me and honoring the short but beautiful life of my little girl.

With  all of my heart,  Tracie Rademacher