If you are a homeschooling family, seeking to obey the calling of God, our family is probably a lot like yours. We are a family with four blessings from God, who strive to raise our children to love Him above all other pursuits in life. We see our calling to homeschool as a life-calling; and pray that we will always have the privilege of fulfilling this call. We have four children; a 14 year-old girl, Heather, an 11 year-old boy, Austin, a 9 year-old boy, Calvin and a 7 year-old girl, Jordyn. Our oldest is the typical first born, posessing high goals which she usually reaches. Our boys are as cute as boys get, with all the antics that come with them. Our youngest tends to be louder and more assertive than most children her age. Hmmm....I wonder why? Our goal for our children is that they honor and respect one another, treating each other with the same deference and kindness they would their friends. This requires continual discussions, confession, forgiveness and prayer.
Jeff is a very devoted dad, seeking to be involved in the homeschooling of the children. Before he leaves for work each morning, he has the early readers read aloud to him, and does math fact cards with the older kids. He is an attorney for an international corporation, yet we have located ourselves within miles of his company so that he can come home for lunch each day. In the evenings, he spends time reading to the kids from books such as the Hobbit, which they finished last spring, or the Miller books. He then devotes the later evenings to Me.
I homeschool the children in the morning, always shocked at how much longer it takes than what I have planned on my little calendar. I can be very detailed about my lesson plans, with such things as "_______ does writing lesson 3, while I work with _______ on reading lesson 2." (Names are omitted to protect the guilty) I don't know why I never jot down, "check on ______ every 30 seconds to make sure he is doing his work." Because when I return to the child, I often find him not having progressed one word from the exact place I left him! I think it would also help me to write on my little calendar that I should not only expect a great deal of noise throughout the school day, but should also expect an occasional ball to hit against the table, a glass of ice water to sweat and ruin all the notebook paper next to it, a large stick to appear (that looks much like a spear) to punch holes in our expensive tri-fold science fair board "just to show everyone how sharp it is", a child to cry over assignments, and also many many requests for food. And that was just today's activities. Oh, what a joy it is to learn to be patient in the midst of chaos.
I so very much love homeschooling, though non-homeschoolers can't comprehend that sentiment - especially if I were to relate what it is really like. I used to pray for it to be easier. But I've learned that the only way it will be easier is if I change my attitude about it. My present desire is that my heart will change, that I would no longer wish for homeschooling to be quiet and peaceful and smooth sailing, but that I would have a willing heart to embrace and enjoy it the way it is today. For this is the way that the Lord has ordained it, and these little rambunctious boys and girls are my gifts to treasure, train and love. If the day is chaotic, I desire that my heart would be submitted to that with joy. If school takes all day, I want to remember that God is in control and He sets my schedule, not I. I want to homeschool as unto the Lord, not unto myself. For if I get irritated and upset because things didn't go as planned, or as easily as I wished, then I'm saying my plan for my day was better than God's. And because God's plan happened, which was out of my control, then I want to be thankful and joyful anyway.
So, these are my high hopes for myself. And I pray that this year, the Lord will accomplish in me all that I hope He will.
I'm often asked, "How do you have time to write with all that you have going on?" Though in the past I've fumbled over the answer, unsure of what to say, or how exactly it is possible that I've written five books, I've finally hit upon it. It wasn't me! It was truly a work of the Holy Spirit. In my flesh, I am unable to produce anything of value, anything of worth. And in my flesh, I don't have the time to do the things that I want to do. But writing these books was not as much a desire of mine as it was a work of the Holy Spirit through prayer. You see, many years ago, as a writer, I purposed to give my hopes and dreams of writing a book over to God, for Him to use my gifts for His purposes. I decided that I would no longer "try" to write a book, but that when God had a book for me to write, He would tell me. Though, He didn't so much tell me as compel me. The beginnings of the astronomy book were unlike any writing project upon which I had ever embarked. I had no idea why the Lord kept convicting me to return to the project again and again. My kids had long since lost interest in learning astronomy, yet, on and on I went, researching exhaustively, writing every evening and during nap and quiet times. It was compulsive. It was obsessive. Yes, it was strangely obsessive compulsive. It was not as if I had made a plan to write and God blessed it, God was not going along with my plan. It was as if I was going along with God's plan. I didn't really want to write the book, so to speak. I had to write the book. I wanted to write a Bible study. I even had a Beth Moore type study I was working on. I wanted to write to women audiences as I had always done. But the Lord kept pressing me forward. And thus, to answer the question of how I find the time, "I don't have time to write. But God does, and He will give it to me when He desires that I write. He will carve out that time, He will do it. I only need to trust Him for it." Now, I do have other books planned, not just science books. But, I can't seem to get God to go along with those plans. He tends to cut them off and keeps me writing on the topic of science.
I'm often asked about my qualifications to write science books. Though I began as a pharmacy major and completed three years under the University of Texas at Austin's Science Department, I later realized that my desire was to write and not fill prescriptions, so I switched majors. Thus, my degree from the University of Texas at Austin is in the liberal arts - I should also mention I could have graduated faster with this degree and gotten married sooner. My ability to write on science topics comes first from God, then from my obsessive love for research, and finally from my love for writing. My heart is to make science fun and interesting for my young and old readers. I want science to be fun for both the kids and mom! My strength is in taking all that left-brained information and combining it with right-brained, engaging text. And the Lord has seen fit to bless this work with an editor who makes certain all my research and left brained information is scientifically accurate. Dr. Jay Wile does a very thorough job of editing my books, sometimes requesting rewrites or removing facts he found lacking. I believe my own personal qualifications are as a writer, since that is what I have spent the last 13 years doing. I am a contributing author to many magazines and newsletters. In writing science texts, I combine all my joys; Jesus, my children, homeschooling, researching and writing. Writing these books has proven to be such a blessing and a privilege for me.
