Daily Devotions for Us Homeschoolers

I have been dealing with depression for several years now. I have gone between sadness and anger... dealing with both at times. I have worked very hard on keeping it all under control and sometimes I loose.

The last few months have not been good to me. I have been very angry and yell at the girls a lot. I have not been kind to them and every time I explode, I find myself begging them for forgiveness. I have taught them a bit about my depression and told them that my anger is not their fault even though it seems directed at them. I said that they do get in trouble for things that is their faults, but out right anger is not.

I have been praying, reading, asking others for help and advice for months now. I felt I was at a dead end for quite some time. Finally, the last several weeks have shown me some change. I have been in a better mood, dealt with frustrations mostly in a calm manner, have not screamed at the girls or used unkind words, etc. I do get a bit edgy and have raised my voice, but for the most part, things have gotten better.

I am not sure as to what has happened to me. God has been listening all this time, but I think He finally helped me. Maybe others have prayed for me as well. I am not sure, but regardless of what it is, I am so truly thankful... 'tis the time of thanksgiving and this is a BIG one!

So, thank you, Dear Lord. You have answered one of my biggest prayers. Thank you for blessing me and my family. Amen! -Maryann

Anger Management November 21, 2010

You never mean to use anger to discipline your children, but sometimes it becomes part of your homeschooling day. Perhaps you're too tired to get up again to reinforce your correction for the millionth time, or maybe you subconsciously model the parenting you received when you were a child. Whatever the reason, you find yourself caught in the deadly trap of yelling at your children to make them obey.

I'm sure my yelling must have made God cringe as He heard me destroying my children's tender hearts. Unfortunately, when they ignored the rough words, I felt like I was losing control, so I used even tougher words. I justified myself in the name of discipline, but I knew this wasn't the right way to correct a child. I knew I needed help. My anger was beginning to control more than my children. It was beginning to control me!

Finally, conviction came to me one day when I "lost it" with my young son. I still remember the day on the stair steps to his room. Time stopped as I saw my son's frightened eyes in response to my anger. How could someone so small and innocent be blamed for bringing out the huge ugliness inside me? I never thought that pressure from situations beyond my control would push me to such actions, but God certainly revealed the worst inside my black heart. I quickly needed to learn some anger management!

James 1:19-20 brought me to my senses, "Wherefore, my beloved brethren, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath: For the wrath of man worketh not the righteousness of God." On January 5, 1983, I realized my anger for what it was. I found the gentle forgiveness of God's correction and earnestly applied this same forgiveness to my children for the rest of their homeschooling days. Disciplining my children remained, but my anger no longer had a place in it. Instead, house rules and accompanying consequences for violations were decided upon as a family and posted on the refrigerator.

Does anger play a role in disciplining at your house? If so, do not give the devil an opportunity to cause you to sin any longer (Ephesians 4:27). Let Christ's love fill your heart and your home. "Let all bitterness, and wrath, and anger, and clamour, and evil speaking, be put away from you, with all malice: And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ's sake hath forgiven you" (Ephesians 4:31-32).

Father, forgive me today for using my anger when disciplining my children. Convict me of this sin and help me to always discipline in love. In Jesus' name, Amen.

How much money I should make a year

I started to re-read "The Power of a Positive Mom" by Karol Ladd. According to a study done just over 10 years ago, a stay-at-home mom should make just over $507,000 a year. With homeschooling thrown into that mix, I should make about $35,000- $40,000 more than that... give or take depending on the state. Wow! We could be millionaires by now if I actually got paid! We would drive that extra- large SUV, live in a house by the ocean, fly to visit family whenever we wanted, liposuction could be a reality (lol), and a personal trainer... the girls could each have their own high- end surf boards and any gaming system they wanted...
But I don't get paid. We have a nice car (more like a cross-0ver type of thing), take $10 lessons on a borrowed surf board, play on the Wii we were given as a Christmas gift, and I am continuously on a diet and riding my elliptical an hour every day. I pray and God provides. That's all there is to it. Prayer.

Daily Focus- AOP

Starting Over
Monday / August 02, 2010

Jesus is the same wonderful, loving protector and provider through all phases of life, “who comforteth us in all our tribulation, that we may be able to comfort them which are in any trouble, by the comfort wherewith we ourselves are comforted of God” (2 Corinthians 1:4).

Lord, thank You for the incredible adventure of homeschooling and the strength to see the end rewards and blessings. Please, encourage those who are homeschooling today to remain faithful, so they too may reap the fruit of their years of sacrifice and love. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

Been Awhile

We have been very busy with "end-of-year activities." In the past month we have had: Awana Award's Night, Dance Recital rehearsal and the recital, Girl Scout Award's Night, Pre-School Graduation, and tonight we camp out at the zoo. It's been busy.
However, in the midst of the business, we haven't lost sight of our school work, we just fell behind a bit. Gabby has done some work every day, but as the public school kids on our street finished up two days ago, Gabby looks ahead to another full week. She's been done with her Science and Spelling for several weeks. Today she finished her Social Studies. Our hopes is to finish Math, Geography, Grammar and Phonics by the end of next week... all during Memorial Day, ballet class for Cheyenne and a Dream Dinners trip for me and her.... and we have to get ready for our cookie celebration for our troop next Saturday.
I thought I was on a break, but it never seems to end. I have been looking through their work for the next school year already and trying to plan some things out. No wonder I am so tired. I need to give myself a break.
July.... that will be 100% break other than soccer and Cheyenne's dance class. We plan to beach- it several days a week, get ahead on work-outs, and finally clean out the closets and garage... all while sleeping in and playing Wii. Fun times ahead.

What is my deepest need?

To put thing into perspective, I would have told you that my deepest need three days ago was to get my hard drive back up and working to recover the things that I lost... memories lost, school work lost, misc. things lost... well, lost until we fork out many dollars... but is it really lost? DO I not have a mind's eye that works really well? Sure, my hard work in organizing Gabby's school information has to be completely redone, but I still have most of the paperwork she's done... so, then, what is my greatest need?
Organization! My house is a pit, my brain is a bit, my car is a pit... so, I need help in organizing and keeping it that way...
WAIT, Peace! I need peace. Peace will help me to relax and to get motivated to accomplish the above. Peace for my brain, my body and my surroundings.
WAIT, Help! I need help around the house with every day tasks: cleaning, putting things away, making meals, keeping people happy... if I received help I would have peace and organization.
WAIT, maybe the Daily Focus is right! I need LOVE! Love warms the heart which leads to peace and all of the above. However, sometimes help and peace and organization shows me love.... love from my family and others, love from God, and love from myself. But, I know, the greatest of all the above is love.... If I fill my heart with His love... I will have all that I could possibly need.
So, God, continue to show me your love and let me feel that peace that only You can give!

The Deepest Need- from DailyFocus (AOP)

The Deepest Need
Tuesday / March 30, 2010


"The LORD is on my side; I will not fear: what can man do unto me" (Psalm 118:6)?

If someone gave you a blank piece of paper and said, "Write down your greatest needs as a homeschooling parent," what would you write? Would you write a few short sentences, or would you fill the entire page with a huge list of items? As unique as each homeschooling parent's needs may be, if you truly look inside your heart, chances are you'll discover your deepest homeschooling needs are love, significance, and acceptance. These needs aren't easily met, however, since the world considers homeschoolers "different" and shies away in rejection. Even your own family can fail in giving you the encouraging positive feedback necessary in homeschooling. So, where do you go to fill your emotional void?

Praise God we have a loving heavenly Father who is more than enough to meet our deepest needs. The story of Noah in the Old Testament is a perfect example. Imagine the rejection and ridicule he must have experienced for obeying God when building a boat bigger than a football field! In a world filled with violence and corruption (Genesis 6:11), I'm sure Noah was probably threatened as well. But Noah had it right, didn't he? Even though the people probably mocked him for days, it wasn't Noah who was on the wrong side of the door when it began to rain! God's acceptance of Noah's faith was demonstrated when He spared Noah and his family from the flood.

Have you been building your homeschooling ark, but you still find yourself being mocked by the world? Take courage. God's acceptance, approval, and love are all you need. Even though others will never understand the many benefits and blessings of homeschooling, you know the truth. Remain steadfast in teaching your children about the Lord, so when He returns, you'll be standing on the right side of the door. "What shall we then say to these things? If God be for us, who can be against us" (Romans 8:31)?

Father, some days, teaching my children seems as huge a task as building an ark. Thank You for Your love and acceptance that encourages me to go on homeschooling. Please, strengthen me to hear Your voice clearly each day. In the name of Jesus, Amen.

Exploring the roots of our island....

Maddy really wanted to see the ruins of King Kamehameha III's summer home. After a long hike I thought that she would be too tired to start a new one. I was wrong. She was very insistent on finding this new trail (which was difficult to find). After a short drive, we found it and headed into a very dark Bamboo Forest. It was worth a hike up hill with a toddler on the hip. It was the most peaceful place I have found on Oahu yet. So pretty and the posted sign had some amazing facts. It wasn't a large area, but at a point, the king hosted over 10,000 people for a luau there. Where did they all fit?

If I ever picked a summer home location, this would be it. However, I am still trying to figure out how they found this spot and how they got all the rocks and items they needed to live up there and then all those 10,000 people hiking up there in their fancy dress.... it is all so amazing!

Lables, lables, everywhere....

During Thanksgiving, everyone was putting what they were thankful for on their Facebook accounts. Every day people would write something different. One day, I wrote that I was thankful for being able to provide a sound, Christian- based education for my children... or something to that affect. Many people said they liked my comment, some people made additional comments... one person was quite... vicious. That person will remain nameless, but they said something along the lines of me being a part of a cult and that meant my children were as well. Being a Christian, having the right to teach my children with a Christian education and putting God and Christ first means we are cultish? Wow, I have never heard that before.... WAIT, yes I have! Another person, who will remain nameless, also said something similar. Unfortunately, this person is a relative of mine. They said I was abusing my children and that being an Evangelical Christian must mean we are in a cult. Abusive? By giving my children a much higher education than the local school district, being able to go on any field trip we want, having quality family time any time of the day, traveling and learning about new places, having little to no pressure from our peers, not worrying about time lines every day, etc., etc... is abusive? They are unsocialized? Um, church, Awana, Girl Scouts, homeschool groups, dance class, swim lessons, and we are even surfing with friends in the middle of the weekday morning.... is that being not social?
I don't know what else to say, but the following section of this post talks about labels... Labels given to me, my children, our family.... our friend's families. EVERY parent has the right to raise their child and educate them. It's the parents responsibility to educate, not anyone elses.

Daily Devotional: Friday, March 12, 2010

What labels have been placed on your children because they homeschool? During our years of homeschooling, my children faced innuendos that ranged from mental retardation to religious fanatic. Today, the media still portrays homeschoolers as naive, unfashionably-dressed nerds. Even though studies prove the contrary, public educators also insist that homeschoolers are deprived of proper socialization. Why does the phrase "homeschooling" bring out such nastiness in people?

Unfair labels are nothing new. When Christ lived on Earth, He suffered from being misunderstood by the multitudes, Jewish leaders, and even His friends and family. Unfair labels like trouble maker, demon-possessed, and foolish fanatic were placed on Him, as He told the world about the Kingdom of God and His love. Although the label placed above Christ's head on the cross was intended to mock Him, it was the one label the world got right when it read, "THIS IS THE KING OF THE JEWS" (Luke 23:38b).

So, how do you live in a negative, anti-homeschooling world and not become negative yourself? As Christian homeschoolers, we seem to receive a double whammy from the world — unfair labels for our faith and unfair labels for our homeschooling. As hurtful as these labels can be, Christ can help us forgive and move beyond the painful remarks when they come. Jesus' example of love on the cross shows us the way when He said, "Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do" (Luke 23:24).

Lord, strengthen me to stand against the world's opinion of homeschoolers. Teach me to love as You loved when You died on the cross. In Jesus' name, Amen.

Timeout for me!

Timeout for Mom
Monday / February 15, 2010


"I will cry unto God most high; unto God that performeth all things for me" (Psalm 57:2).

Did you wake up this morning wishing you could just have a few hours or an entire day to yourself before homeschooling? Imagine the possibilities with that amount of unscheduled time! You could read a book, soak in the tub, actually fold the clean clothes on the couch and put them away, polish your shoes, weed the flower bed, window shop, take a friend you haven't seen in months to lunch, or spend a full hour with the Lord in prayer for your loved ones.

Every homeschooling mother treasures moments for herself when they come, but the problem is they rarely come on their own. If we want to stay emotionally and spiritually healthy to enjoy homeschooling our children, then we must make taking time for these moments a number one priority. Without them, we shrivel up and die within, and homeschooling becomes one repetitious day after the next. The Lord Jesus Christ needed timeouts to get through His day (Luke 5:16). Often, He left the disciples and the crowds to be alone and find strength from His Heavenly Father. A wise homeschooling mom will say "no" to the false guilt she feels for "stealing" a few hours for herself and learn from Christ's example. Besides, your children will enjoy homeschooling much more, too, with a content, happy teacher.

Is today your day to rejuvenate and find yourself again? Don't wait for the help to fall from the sky. Humble yourself and ask for it. Call a fellow homeschooler and ask her if you can trade watching each other's children every other week. Maybe your parents or grandparents have promised to teach your children a new skill and today's the day to cash in on that promise. Maybe you could ask your husband to use half a vacation day and homeschool the children (Don't worry. They'll still learn, even if he doesn't teach them the same way as you!) God knows you can't homeschool all on your own. Trust Him for the right answer to help you take a "timeout" for Mom! "Blessed be the LORD, because he hath heard the voice of my supplications. The LORD is my strength and my shield; my heart trusted in him, and I am helped" (Psalm 28:6-7a).

Father, take my tired spirit and provide the moments I need to be filled with Your strength. Please, send someone today who will help support me in homeschooling. In Jesus' name, Amen.

Education on the USS Missouri

The Mighty Mo' was in dry dock for several weeks and after its grand unveiling, military could come aboard for free.... after our self- guided mini-tour, I asked myself why didn't we visit a few years ago. $15 a person is nothing compared to what those men sacrificed for us. It was beautiful....


I showed the girls the wooden deck. We talked about the spot where a Kamikaze Japanese plane crashed into that deck. We were in awe of the exact spot the Japanese surrendered and ended World War Two. We looked over the graves of several other ships including the USS Arizona, USS West Virginia, USS Tennessee, and the USS Vespa.


As I explained in our family blog, I was amazed at the peace aboard this ship. It's not the quiet peace you get at the Arizona, but the powerful peace you get when a nation surrenders.... the MIGHTINESS kind of peace that only the Mighty Mo' can only give you!


Next time we take Daddy!

From my Daily Homeschool Devotional

Commissioned to Serve
Sunday / January 31, 2010


"And whosoever of you will be the chiefest, shall be servant of all" (Mark 10:44).

When was your defining moment of deciding to homeschool your children? Mine came one day as I stood over the kitchen sink washing dishes for the fourth time. After running all day to keep up with my preschoolers and the housework, I felt as limp as the dish rag I was holding. I had been thinking about homeschooling, but quite frankly, the thought of being a homeschooling parent for the rest of my life wasn't too appealing right then. As my children entertained themselves with one of their favorite Christian music tapes, the words to the song they were playing echoed in my thoughts. In that moment, something happened. The Holy Spirit convicted me and said, "Are you willing to be my servant?"

"Yes," I replied.

"Then teach these children about Me," He said lovingly.

"But I don't know how, God," I cried.

"Trust me," He said in return.

Throughout my homeschooling experience, no other moment was quite as powerful as that one. Taking God at His word, I began to learn that you can't be a good homeschooling parent without learning how to be a servant first. God gave me a new love for my children and the wisdom to use my spiritual gifts of teaching, administration, and exhortation to benefit the people I loved most, my family. Although plenty of "rag days" were still to come, I knew I was serving my Lord right where He wanted me to be!

Learning how to be a servant doesn't come easy for any of us. Our selfish flesh screams so loudly, "What about me?" Homeschooling may take you to a new dimension of sacrifice, but it will never be as great as Christ's sacrificial love for you. His death on the cross washed away every mess you will ever make, and He never complained once while doing it. With Jesus as your role model, will you pick up your towel and continue serving the Lord in your homeschool? "For even the Son of man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give his life a ransom for many" (Mark 10:45).

Jesus, help me to hear Your voice today instead of the "What about me's?" Thank You for Your wondrous love that sacrificed so much for me. Give me a servant's heart and teach me to follow You. In Your precious name, Amen.