Mom & Daughter Time

The Thursday after Dwayne & I went to see the Maxwells, Mom & I took baby Zane to another homeschool convention. Mom helped so much when Zane was born and a 'Mom & Daughter' trip was a small thank-you to her. The convention was about 7 hours away, so we had plenty of time to catch up on each other's lives.



When we got there, we stayed with a billet family. I haven't done this before, but was so glad we did this time. What a great way to meet new families! They had a lovely home, 3 children still living at home and made us feel most welcome.

The convention was good. The keynote speaker was not near as inspiring as The Maxwells were, but there was another speaker there that was fabulous. She specializes in boys - raising them and educating them. She had two workshops there and I went home fully re-energized and ready to tackle my little men!

I'm not sure exactly how Mom felt about the whole homeschooling idea before the convention, but during the convention, I overheard her tell someone that anybody that is at all skeptical about the idea should really attend a convention. On the way home we talked about it, as well, and she sees why we have chosen this method of education for our family. It sure is nice to have the support!

The weather where we went is usually beautiful in April, but it was snowy, windy and down-right cold. So what are two gals to do in this situation? Go shopping, of course! I bought a couple of things for my house and an outfit and gift for my brother's wedding in May.

We were gone for 5 days and Dwayne had the oldest 2 boys. He normally spends alot of time with them, but there's something different about that long of a time. I expected to come home to a flurry of activity, cheerios for supper, house turned upside-down and everyone running to the door because Mom had come to the rescue. Hmmmm...I walked into a clean house, laundry done and children fed -and happy! Did I say, "Wow, thank you Dwayne. You did great!"? Nope, I said, "Are you trying to mock me? How did you do this?" How did he make it look so easy? You will understand why I'm married to him when you read what he said..."No, I just didn't want you to come home to a mess. I didn't have a baby here the whole time and I had 3 hours every night after the kids went to bed to get things done." I love him! (And I don't have a clue how he puts up with me!)

I think that sums up my high-points of April. (Oh, other than the e-n-t-i-r-e family got strep throat in amongst the trips!) It was fun, but I'll be glad to see the month go and get everything back to normal.

Amazing Grace

On our way home from the convention I posted about yesterday, we stopped in the city to see my cousin, Pamela. She was in a vehicle accident just before Christmas and lost part of her leg. She is in the city doing her rehab and this was the first time that I got to see her since the accident. My family all told me that she was doing good, but it was just so comforting to see her for myself.

Pamela is doing amazingly well. She was smiling and laughing for most of our visit. She was almost glowing, having a sense of peace about her. I have never seen her so confident and beautiful! She knows that we all love her very much and have been praying for her. She also has great support from her friends. She graduates from highschool on May longweekend and her goal is to walk up to get her diploma. Her determination will get her so far!

I also noticed some huge changes in her family. Pamela is her mom's only child and her mom has always worried about her. It is not fun being a worrier. But as we were shopping and talking, I said, "So I suppose you never want to let her out of your sight again?" You know what she said? "No, I have worried about her all her life and couldn't stop bad things from happening to her. I don't have to worry anymore. God took care of her that night - she could have died, but she didn't." What a weight off her shoulders, knowing that she doesn't have to bear all that anxiety! She seems softer and at peace. And she's right, Pamela could have died that night, but she didn't. It seems to me that God has big plans for that special little lady.

Pamela was out of rehab on a weekend pass and we spent some time shopping at Ikea. It was wonderful to see her dad pushing her around in her wheelchair, straight over to any place that Pamela pointed to. I sat back, watching the interaction between them and the love there is something else. Everything this family has gone through together has sure seemed to solidify their relationship.

I'll leave you with some pictures of us in the hotel. Please keep praying for this family, as it's obvious that our prayers have been answered so far.

Steve & Teri Maxwell

I just realized that it has been exactly a month since my last post. Although I seem to go in cycles, post lots and then nothing for awhile, this has been an abnormally long time. April has been a fun and crazy month and life has just gotten in the way of blogging!

First, we attended a homeschool convention where Steve & Teri Maxwell were the keynote speakers. They are ultra-conservative and while I don't necessarily agree with the way they think on everything, they were hugely inspirational. They are raising their family to walk with the Lord and they have such a soft and quiet way about them. I had read many of their books and when I saw that they were speaking in a town near ours, I quickly registered. The biggest emphasis of their workshops was the importance of family. They believe that Dad should be the leader (in all ways, including spiritually) of the family. As this is something that is lacking in many North American homes, I think it is an important message for dad's to hear. It's important for mom's to hear, too, as they often get in the way of Dad's leadership role. We can discuss things with our husbands, but we need to learn to trust their judgement and not be so quick to point out where they are failing or where they could improve.

Something that I've learned being Mom to boys is that Dad is going to parent them much differently than I am and that is okay. I tend to want to put a feminine spin on everything hover because I know what it was like to be a child. But...I WAS A LITTLE GIRL, which I'm realizing is so very different from being a little boy. I used to think that the difference between boys and girls at a young age was only their physical parts. Not true! My boys need to have Dad's involvement as much as, if not more than, mine. The good news? My husband has known this all along, has perservered in spite of me and has been very patient with me in the process. Oh how it humbles me when I finally start to figure these things out!

Getting back to the Maxwells...my best friend, Bobbie, was the one to introduce me to their books. She's read them all, except one. Since she wasn't able to go to the convention, I got her the book that she hasn't read - complete with a special note of encouragement just for her from Teri Maxwell.