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I follow a lady on facebook with a page called Simple Homeschool. She often lets other families contribute by sharing what their days are like. You get anything and everything. It’s fun to read how other families homeschool. Sometimes I can relate to the moms that share…especially when their kids are super close in age, which I have found to be a blessing when home schooling, though it nearly killed me when they were toddlers! Sometimes I don’t relate at all…like when all the kids are in high school. Either way, I learn a little something from each family’s day.
And last week a good friend of mine, Mary, came to see me and just through our time of chatting, I learned about a chart she uses. She sent me one she uses for her daughter, and I went to work creating my own for each of my kids.
Sooo, here’s how today went for The Dorminy home school….and I say TODAY because if there is one thing I’ve learned, each day tends to be unique. Our routine is a loose one, that is for sure!!

6:00am- I woke up, spent time in The Word and prayer, I drank lots of coffee

7:30/7:45am-Kids start waking up, they usually make their own breakfast, but today I cooked bacon and cinnamon rolls
We all talked at the table about random things and about how the day should go

8:20-I taught First Language Lessons to the girls…predicate nomitaves, linking verbs, state of being verbs, helping verbs, direct and indirect objects and a dictation exercise

Mack takes a spelling test on a cool spelling app where I record the word and then he can play my voice saying the word and type it in!

8:45-Kids go do chores and devotions
-Mom starts laundry, walks on treadmill, showers for the day

10:00-All three kids are working on math

I checked Mack’s math, he goes to make corrections.
I checked Ruby’s math, she goes to make corrections.
I already checked Molly’s math test and had her make a couple of corrections while I was upstairs getting ready.

I taught Mack his First Language Lesson (reviewing types of sentences) and writing, which is copying a sentence from a classic today. He also wrote Proverbs 1:3 today and learned the letter C in cursive and practiced A and B.

I taught History and we talked about Montgomery Ward and Sears and Roebuck! I was so interested. I had no idea Montgomery Ward was a person. Very cool to learn all about these men and the first mail-order shopping! We’ve come a long way!

The girls practiced Bible Drill while I started preparing some lunch…leftover potatoes and Bagel Bites…it’s usually leftovers or sandwiches or pizza.
Mack read outloud to me while I was in the kitchen. Molly read to me while I ate and she waited for her lunch to be ready.

Kids cleaned up living room. I cleaned the kitchen.
Ruby practiced Ukulele and Molly played around on her piano.
I helped Mack make a zip line for his Lego man. I folded two loads of laundry.

We all kind of dispersed to our own spaces for time alone. Molly watched a show. Ruby played a game on her iPad.

Just now (it’s 4:00), Ruby read Mack about five library books.

They are all watching 19 Kids and Counting while I try to talk myself into starting dinner. Sometimes they help me in the kitchen. Sometimes I want to be alone in the kitchen. Just depends on lots of things.

So that was today in our life. We will likely have a very different day tomorrow. I’m an unschooler in many ways, but I can’t quite make that leap to just letting them pick what they want to learn, but I’m intrigued by people who do!! I still like my curriculum that guides us, but I also hope I am learning to listen to what interests each kid and take the time to help them pursue those interests.

Good readers get peanut butter cookies and milk!

This is the view from my treadmill…verses I’m memorizing and a calendar to keep up with the days I actually exercise. And a funny pic of my family many years ago! It reminds me that they change so quickly!

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Here are a couple of examples of the charts we are using around here to put more responsibility on them to take ownership of their day. So far, so good.

Ok, so now I really must get in that kitchen and get to cooking. A mother's work is never done! Haha!
But seriously, when is the mother's work done?

Anybody?

I spy two girlies that were excited to peel and cut up potatoes that we will eat for dinner! Now that does my heart good!!! They’ve come a long way to be able to use a knife and want to help. I’ve come a long way in actually letting them!

We started using a chart this week that I made and will tweak every Sunday night. It’s been amazing at helping us all stay on track, while putting most of the responsibility of owning their day on the kids! I love it. And it shows me and each of them how much they do every day! I was greatly encouraged by seeing the chart in its final copy…we do a gracious plenty around here!

And there’s a great game I would recommend to any elementary aged kids learning how to count money. It’s called “Money Bags.” Mack gives it two thumbs up.

I’m a blessed mama and sure am thankful for my time with each of these kids!

At the end of last year I finished reading the Bible through for only the second time.  I did it for the first time when I was 36 years old, and I cannot tell you the benefit it was to my soul and my mind.  That is meant to be encouragement for anyone, but especially for someone younger….don’t put it off because it seems too daunting or because you would rather eat raw eggs than make it day after day through Leviticus!  I actually really like Leviticus now!  I have a book that has been a HUGE help to me in my daily reading of the Word.

Even in those chapters where you wonder if there is any application to your life at all, ‘ol G. Campbell shows you that there is.  I usually buy it used on amazon.com.  I’ve found it for as low as .57!!!  Someone doesn’t know what they have if they are selling this book for cents, but I gladly ordered it!  Check it out if you you’re looking for a help in your reading of God’s Word.

Instead of reading the Bible through this year, I decided to do a plan where you read the Psalms through two and a half times and read the Proverbs over and over each month.  So far, I am loving it and it is proving to be just what I need!  I also dusted off my Prayer Book for Josh….not that I haven’t been praying for Josh….I have just not been as specific as I want to be.

I have been struggling with a sense of purposelessness (is that a word?) for a while.  Just wanting to KNOW that I am doing exactly what God has called me to and feeling pulled to be involved in a couple of other areas in order to feel more important or that my time is being spent well.  It’s funny because I would tell any other lady that  chose to stay home and teach her children and use her time to invest in her husband, kids and home that this was, indeed, extremely worthy work!  I would tell her to persevere, to ask God to show her the value in her eternal investment.  YET, here I was wondering if this was all I was made for.  ALL, like molding, training, teaching, loving, knowing my children.  ALL, like putting my husbands needs as high priority, helping him to be all God has called him to be.  ALL, like daily taking care of my home–laundry, dusting, cooking, making it a welcoming place for all who live here or visit here.  That’s “ALL” I do every day.  Ho-hum.  🙂

So yesterday morning I was GREATLY encouraged when I read in Proverbs 22 and Psalm 22, and The Lord had a very specific word for me and it GREATLY encouraged my heart in my calling and in my purposefulness!  I am also encouraged that I should do the right thing at the right time and in the right way.  I never know what the days are leading to…one day I won’t have three kids at home, and I want to learn all I can learn now in this season because I am certain all these days are leading to future days and new works God may call me to.  I want to be ready!  But I don’t want to spend these days wondering if I am doing enough….that’s why it is so important to spend time with the Lord.  He wants me to know His will.  He even wants to encourage me where I am and give me confirmation when doubts do arise.  I love how personal He is, and I sure am glad I didn’t miss His presence and guidance yesterday!  Or today, for that matter.  He is so good.  He is a personal God.

So, what else around here?  Just getting back into our school routine, which I love.  I really do.  It’s has rhyme and reason, yet it is so laid back.  We have the greatest conversations in the everyday life.  These are important people I’m discipling!

We are reading and cooking and doing puzzles!

And Timothy started on Tuesday…Mack loves his science class.

And right now we are anxiously awaiting friends from Tennessee.  We cannot wait to enjoy their company!  Pictures to come!

This morning Mack came upstairs and let us know he hadn’t eaten breakfast yet. I asked him why not. He said that Molly wouldn’t fix it for him! (Let the record show that Molly almost always fixes his breakfast!)
“She said that she would tell me what to do,” he said pitifully.

“Well that’s a good thing. Very nice of her to teach you how to make oatmeal,” I said.

He pouted around and told us several more times that he didn’t eat breakfast and Molly wouldn’t fix it for him.

Josh and I told him that she was trying to help him.
“Why wouldn’t you just do what she said so you could have breakfast?!?”

He was appalled. “Well, I’m not gonna take direction from her!”

That stinker. Willing to take a hot bowl of oatmeal from her but not willing to learn how to do it for himself.

Dear goodness. Being the baby of the family with two older sisters and a mom AND being cute is probably going to cause him to be a stinker unless there’s some intervention.

Goal of this week: have Mack proficient in making his own breakfast!!

Mack told Josh that when he saw Josh without his moustache and beard after having seen him with it for many weeks that he thought Josh would be nicer. Too funny! Josh did look more burly with his facial hair, and I was getting used to it! But when he shaved the beard and was left with only the moustache, we both agreed it just couldn’t stay. I hope one day…maybe when he is 50 or so…he can keep the scruff. But for now, we are glad to have his “nice” face back!

What a great opportunity my kids and I had today! We invited the elementary staff over for lunch, and I am so glad we did. Kids these days (and in past days!) sure do get a lot done for them. The words “catered to” and “selfish” come to mind. And it’s really not just kids! We all should be on guard against making sure most everything in life is geared around ME.

So what a golden opportunity we had to love and encourage and serve some of the hardest working ladies I know!! They prepare and serve week in and week out to make sure the kids at First Baptist Woodstock are loved on and taught The Word of God. They enlist some of the grandest volunteers and work their tails off during the summer to put on an amazing Vacation Bible School and camp! What a huge job these ladies have been entrusted with.
( This is where I would insert a picture of all of them around my tree…except I didn’t take one!!! Boo!)

Each of the girls were assigned three ladies each and Mack two ladies to take care of during lunch. They fixed their drinks and then Ruby and Molly sang Psalm 103 by heart, and I said the blessing.

Then, the kids served them salad, cleared their plates and then brought them baked potato soup. While the ladies ate soup, the kids each read a thank you letter they had written about church. I was very proud of them!

Thank you, ladies, for coming over and letting us serve you. It was a blessing to us. You all are deeply appreciated by The Dorminy Family!!

Weird title, I know. Since we have been back from Israel, my eyes just cannot seem to soak up quick enough all the gorgeous fall colors everywhere!! My kids have grown weary of hearing me say, “Ooooh, look at that beautiful tree” or “Do you see all the beautiful colors??!!?? Look!!!” Ruby has told me several times, “Mo-om, our eyes are open. We see them.” And Mack, just yesterday when I told him it was so cold in the house that I was never coming out from under my blanket, said, “But who will drive us around to places and tell us to look at the trees?” Hahaha!! Made me laugh.
But, seriously, LOOK!!

I absolutely love fall. Gorgeous colors and beautiful reminders that God is an amazing Creator…creative beyond what our human minds can comprehend and yet orderly. Seasons are amazing.

This tree above is in our front yard. It turns a little later than many others on our street. It’s nice to watch it change. This tree was tiny, tiny when we moved in here 11 years ago.

Now, about the new bed. Mack has his own room with a double bed and a cool trucks/cars comforter. He likes his room until bed time. Every night for MANY years he has gone to bed mad. He wants to sleep in his sisters’ room. They each have their own twin bed with matching duvets. Very girly and cute. Mack has often laid on a pallet on the floor of their room. He has recently decided he would rather sleep in the TWIN bed with one of the girls. I usually don’t care if he sleeps with them. I’m glad they like to be together. I remember sleeping with my sister and making memories. But we had kind of been making him sleep in his bed on school nights. However, every night he would say, “I don’t wanna sleep by myself!!!!” We would tell him that he has a great bed and would sleep better in his own bed. He would then say, “This is not fair. Molly has Ruby and you have dad, but I don’t have anyone.”
And he had a point.
He would even add, …plus I’m the baby, and I’m the one all by myself.”
We would find him like this:

But now….

Everyone is happy, happy, happy! They crack me up. I’m very thankful they get to spend so much time together all day and even at night. I know one day these sweet sleepovers will be old news. I’m going to roll with it for now!

We went bright and early to The Garden Tomb. We saw Skull Hill. We listened to the guide explain the location of Calvary and the empty tomb.

We had a special time of reflecting on the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus! And many shared a word of testimony and praise to God.

We went to Bethlehem. It was here that Ruth came at the beginning of barley harvest, married Boaz and became the grandmother of King David. Bethlehem was the home of Jesse and his son, David who would be King of Israel. This is where Joseph came with Mary and where Jesus was born. This was where the shepherds heard the Angels proclaim the birth of the Messiah. And here is where Herod ordered that all male children 2 years and under were to be killed. We went to the Church of the Nativity in Manger Square.

Bethlehem is surrounded by tall walls because it is a Palestinian area.

Then it was time to pack up and fly home! So sad!! Shalom, Jerusalem!

I feel I’ve done a terrible job explaining our trip! There’s just soooo much. But at least for now I have pictures posted. If you ever get a chance to go to Israel, GO!!!

Today we started in The City of David. We saw the ancient ruins of David’s house.

We walked through part of Hezekiah’s tunnel to get to the Western Wall.

Here we walked on a 1st century road!

Then, we made our way to the steps leading up to the gates that would take pilgrims closer to the Temple. I was so glad that I got to see and walk upon these steps. These aren’t THE 15 steps that led up to the actual Temple…we didn’t go to the Temple Mount…Muslims have a shrine there today…not a site worth seeing in my opinion. But the steps reminded me of all my ladies from summer Bible Study. We took a journey and paralleled our lives with those pilgrims that would make the trek up to Jerusalem. It’s a truth etched in my heart and mind forever….Set Your Heart on Pilgrimage!!

NOW, Bless the Lord, all you servants of The Lord, who serve by night in the house of The Lord!
Lift up your hands in sanctuary and bless the Lord.
May The Lord bless you from Zion, He who made heaven and earth.
PSALM 134

Then on to the Wailing Wall.

We went to the pool of Bethesda (house of mercy). It has been partly excavated and is about 60 feet below the present ground level.

We walked through town and ended at the House of Caiaphas, the high priest. This day was full of much reflection…(Mt. 26:57-63)

We went back to our rooms that night, knowing tomorrow we had a full morning and then would be saying goodbye to Israel. Though I was ready to see the kids by then, I would definitely be leaving a part of my heart in this special place!

MASADA, DEAD SEA SCROLLS and The DEAD SEA! This was a full day. I enjoyed learning more about Masada…you should google it and read about what happened there if you don’t know. Very interesting!
Masada is located in the wilderness of Judea about 2 and a half miles from the western shore of The Dead Sea and about 15 miles north of Sodom. It was the location of one of three of Herod’s fortress cities and later it became the place where Jewish zealots went to escape Roman persecution. You will have to read about it to find out what happened to the 960 Jews!
On our way….

Inside the building and on the cable car to the top!

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What a fun day we had! Not only did we enjoy the trip itself, but we made some great friends. This was a fun bunch! I’m so glad the Lord allowed our paths to cross!
More of Jerusalem tomorrow!