It's bittersweet but official

My homeschooling days are over. This season in life is over. Gone are the read-alouds on the couch, daily Bible lessons, and my favorite--unit studies. I have been a working mom for over a year now, and just began selling off my curriculum---I think that's when I really accepted in my heart that this new life might be a forever life. It's that hard to let go of what you know, of what's familiar and comforting.

For eleven years I was "homeschool mom"...my whole identity was wrapped up in my schooling and I loved every minute of it, even the struggling days. I know God had me homeschooling to give my children the best Christian education they could get, aside from private schooling, which was not in my budget. I will never regret my homeschooling days and the training grounds they provided me with; my only regret is that my younger two children will miss out on much of what I was able to give to their older brother. I feel as if if they (and especially my baby girl) have been "jipped" as we Southerners like to say. I will just have to work harder to teach them about the love of God among the worldly attributes they have grown accustomed to seeing every day.

I knew my season was over when my husband got sick, one illness after another, even having heart problems, bleeding ulcers that almost killed him, you name it. He went for a long spell not able to give his physical best at work, and his work demanded him to pull 60-plus hours a week. For 13 years he had pulled those shifts and I think his body just began to rebel, in some very dangerous ways. I began my return to the workforce by doing cleaning jobs while trying to continue homeschooling but more and I more we struggled until I had no no other way out than to enroll my children in school and go to work full-time. We needed my income to grow and my children needed more schooling than I could give at that point. This just about broke my heart, as I had so many plans for our homeschooling. I wanted my younger children to experience scouting, co-ops, field trips, all the wonderful things an active homeschool group can supply. I wanted to have that snuggle time with each of them, a time to really impact them for Christ, and in my heart I had decided there was no other way to really do that than to homeschool. Now here is is, over a year later with me working full-time...how do I feel today? I know I still would jump at the chance to homeschool my youngest children, but I know for this season, and here's where dedicated homeschool mom's gulp--maybe forever--I will be a career mom. My husband eventually lost his job and he has started over working for himself from home repairing car ECU's and game consoles. I am proud of him for taking those old sour lemons life gave us and making some sweet lemonade. I am proud of him for trying to learn new skills. I am proud of the way he has gotten closer to God since losing his job (maybe the job loss will turn out to be a blessing after all!), and I know it it my time to support him, the way he supported me those eleven precious years at home.

I was bitter on many levels at first but I have learned to see God's blessings in the midst of the upheaval. Jarred now has time for home and family, church and growing in God's Word, which was my prayer for a long time while he was pulling 60 and 70-hour shifts. I have a wonderful job in a local daycare where I get to assist and teach a lively bunch of lovable two's and three's, under the guidance of a wonderful Christian boss. I love my class and really enjoy each child. My younger children have a wonderful school with some marvelous, godly influences. And I returned to college this year to finish my Early Childhood Education degree from Western Governors University online.


 I am also taking Joy Anderson's Start a Preschool training. I have always loved working with little ones; even when we homeschooled I found myself among younger children at church and in our co-op. My dream job is to eventually open an in-home Christian preschool--not a daycare--a PRESCHOOL, where I can educate 3-5 year-olds in a love of God and get them kindergarten-ready. I spend much of my driving time praying about and daydreaming about it, from the way my classroom looks to the set up of the playground area. Nothing big, just small classes of about 8 children, two rotations a day, 5 days a week. I can't help but smile every time I start to picture it. I guess that's kind of how you know what you need to be doing...the thought of that "work" brings a natural smile to your face. My homeschooling made me smile, and working with little ones makes me smile too, plus it is a ministry of sorts. Planting seeds in these little hearts for God is a good thing. Now I think maybe I've been making lemonade, too. :)

I guess the point of all my rambling is sometimes God seems to throw a fork in our path, or open a new door, or put some unexpected food on our plate and gently say, "Taste it." We are often resistant to these changes, but they can be for a reason, and we can learn to use them in new ways to serve Him and our loved ones. Not being at home makes it more difficult to counteract all the nasty things my kids see during their day but that just means I have to work harder when I'm with them to show Satan what I'm made of. I have to have a dedication to really raising them right and to keeping them active in service to Him.

Life has certainly changed considerably in only one year, but it's not all for naught. It's just a new road, a new path, a new direction, a new food to taste, and God is still sovereign over all. God may be waiting for you to make some lemonade this year!

Merry Christmas friends, and a blessed and productive New Year,

Lynn

New product line coming soon: Kids Love Mail character letters

Children love to get mail. My 5 -year old enjoys checking the mail every day, always hoping there will be something in it for her. To actually receive a piece of mail addressed to her is a true joy and really makes her day. It's such a simple thing to send a letter but in our world of text messages, emails, and Face Book, it is quickly becoming a lost art. Yet children can learn so much from reading or composing a simple letter. It is an activity that boosts creativity, penmanship, proper grammar, and can be downright enjoyable. That is especially so if the letter the child is reading comes from a friend or pen-pal.

Thus an idea was born.

As a homeschooling mom of three, I appreciate any chance to squeeze in some educational activities into my children's day. I know the few times my children had pen-pals they were excited about it. Unfortunately pen pals don't always write back faithfully and before long, we find that all correspondence has stopped.

As a small business owner specializing in hand-crafted products, I am constantly aware that a hot selling craft may become tomorrow's least desired object once the general population learns how to copy the product for themselves. I have two Etsy crafts stores and most of my sales come from the same two items: lip balms and bottle cap jewelry. Most everyone I know in the teen/tween realm has learned to make caps already, so I anticipate that in a few years, this current fad will die out. I am always on the lookout for a new product, a new idea. Because we homeschool and live on one income, I try to find ways to be able to stay home in my God-given role and still be a little bit of a financial help-meet to my sweet husband.

As a Christian mom, I long for good role models for my children. Especially for my daughter who is growing up too fast in an age of often less-than-ideal Hollywood women to model herself after.

When all these ideas merged (and with some help and ideas from fellow WAHMs over on the www.bizymoms.com network), I decided I could try to meet all these goals with one new simple idea: a character letter writing service for children.

You've probably seen ads where you can send x amount of money and get a letter from Santa at the North Pole or a letter from the Tooth Fairy. This is a similar idea but so much more. I have spent a few sleepless nights developing a series of characters to interact with your children by mail through one-time letter sales or via a yearly subscription service.

Just to give you an overview of what is to come, I'll have two services geared towards different ages.

The first and most basic service will be seasonal monthly letters to children ages 4-8 or so. These will be from characters such as Santa and the Tooth Fairy, but also Patty the Leprechaun, Hug-a-Bug, Sally Sunshine, Lady Liberty, Bubbles the Clown, Frostina the Snow Princess, Hoppy the Bunny, and more. Each letter packet will include some sort of coloring sheet or activity page, the personalized letter to the child, and fillers such as a simple craft kit, stickers, balloons, notepads, pencils, etc. On the child's birthday there will be a special letter with a small gift enclosed. Children will be encouraged to write back or draw pictures to send to me (the character) which will be acknowledged in the next reply letter. This is an early start to reading and writing letters and hopefully will plant some seeds in young minds. When my children were little I bought a subscription to a company that sent an educational packet by mail. They so looked forward to getting that little packet in the mail. I would be delighted to find out my character letters were sparking the same kind of interest in another child.

As excited as I am about the younger letter service, my heart is thrilled over the idea I have for my older character letter service. At present I will only be marketing it towards tween and elementary girls. It will not only plant the seeds of letter writing but will also be a way I can encourage girls to be godly and be their best. I am calling it the BFF Club and I am looking into getting a graphic artist to draw out the 6 characters I have floating in my head.

Meet the characters:

Chloe-fun-loving, friendly, popular, a true friend who throws the best parties

Lily-a dreamer, artsy, crafty, creative, always has a vision and sees it through

Laurel-loves to read and is an excellent student but also makes time for hanging out and having fun

Star- a naturalist and animal lover, she likes to take care of God's world and all the living creatures in it

Adrienne-a fashionista and shop-a-holic, wants to be a fashion designer and live in Milan or Paris; she teaches girls how to be cute and trendy while dressing modestly

Alex-fitness and sports are where its at; she teaches girls to be healthy and fit and to glorify God with their bodies

My newsletter software will allow me to produce a nice letter from a different girl each month. The characters will share all sorts of things from tips on doing well in school to themed-party ideas to recipes and volunteer opportunities. There will also be a Bible verse to memorize each month and a section called "Hear it, Learn it, Live it" where girls learn to apply the memory verse to their lives. Another regular feature will be the "Be a Better Me" section where each character learns to work on an aspect of her life to be more godly. For example, Chloe is everyone's best friend, but sometimes she feels caught up in the other girl's squabbles. What does God's word say about being a friend? About being a peacemaker? As Chloe examines her own life and its problems, she will be able to give practical advice to other real girls like her who might be going through a similar experience. Short articles and graphics will hold girl's attention. There will also be links to safe websites where girls can learn and grow and receive free items.

On top of all this, each letter will include something fun--a small trinket or gift, a craft kit, a homemade beauty product safe for young skin, a jewelry item, etc. And on the child's birthday, parents can request a custom letter from the character of their choice written to the child, along with a birthday gift. The BFF Club is part character letter service, part pen pal service, part craft club, all rolled into a fun, Christian theme. It will available soon at www.whimsylanecreations.etsy.com so be sure to check it out.

I welcome your feedback and comments on this endeavor.

Blessings,

Lynn

Noah's Ark Toy

As if one free play set weren't enough, the people over at http://www.one2believe.com/, who sent us a nice Nativity playset earlier this year, surprised us a second time with another tales of Glory playset, Noah's Ark.

As before, my preschool daughter couldn't wait to tear it open. I had to remind her that the box has a bonus points coupon printed right on it to help you save money on future purchases (and who doesn't like to save money?). So we carefully removed the playset, then she flipped out! She likes it, well, because she knows the Bible story and of course, all little kids just like new toys.

Mom likes it because it's cute, helps me "tell the tale" in a touchable, hands-on fashion, and best of all, all the pieces store inside the ark! Easy cleanup. Another TOS Crew mom mentioned it floats so we'll be trying that out at our next bath.

I also like the fact that inside every box is a guide to assist parents in teaching the gospel and Bible stories to their children, based on the age of the child. Plus the children get a mini storybook that contains the Bible story relating to the toy. Just open the box and read aloud as the children interact with the 3-inch PVC characters and build not only Bible understanding, but imagination.

It's really cute and very child friendly. The animals are a bit silly-looking but that gives them even more appeal. We've been playing with it for over a month now and it has held up to typical four year-old wear and tear. This set is part of the Tales of Glory collection and contains a Noah figurine, 14 animals, guide, mini story book, and an ark large enough to hold everything inside.

This set costs $29.99. Great for home, church, or preschool use.

www.one2believe.com also sells Proverbs 31 dolls, playmats, and an assortment of other toys. Check out their website for parent and child resources as well.

-Lynn