A dream is a wish...

Have you discovered Pinterest yet? It's a vortex. A vortex fed by idle imaginations, promising the realization of dreams that my generation can't seem to get a hold of because of a failure to grasp the principles of delayed gratification. Of which I am as guilty as the worst. And explains why, instead of dwelling on the good things God has given me and relaying my thoughts and experiences to the friends who care enough to check in on us, I have spent that time amassing a collection of "pins"to use as inspiration for the house that I will not be able to afford until my kids are off and married and I won't want it anymore. [We interrupt this catharsis to marvel at the taste of the new coconut flavored M&Ms! Yum! They're like tiny, crunchy Almond Joys, without the filling and the annoying nut!] So that's where I've been for the past two months. Pinning and pining. And... homeschooling.

I get asked a lot what my typical day looks like. But they all look different. Here's a random week in my life:

Monday morning we read a kids book about gravity. New concept, new vocabulary words. Dominic practices his handwriting by writing the words on home-made writing practice paper. By 11 am we are off to the Broward Homeschooling Parent Support Group rendez-vous at a park by our house.

Tuesday we write letters to the little girl we support in Haiti through Mission to Haiti. We talk about the fact that not all kids live in houses with floors, or have the money to go to school. Our girl's parents don't read and write so they can't teach her. Noemie wants to visit her. Maybe in two years or so we can work that out.

Wednesday we read the second half of that kids book, which talks about friction. Conduct experiments testing the friction of different surfaces using toy cars. Any excuse to use measuring tape will make Dominic's day. After our experiments, Dominic practices writing vocabulary words, and then practices reading with phonics practice sheets I made to supplement Teach Your Child to Read in 100 Easy Lessons which Dominic finished a month ago. (Great book, but they stopped just short of Hop on Pop-level. Lots of kids book include words like "night" or "light" or "high", but IGH is not covered. Neither is OI or KN or PH.)

Thursday we read a book about the history of the Ringling Brothers' circus and I try to throw in physics related concepts like inertia (juggling) and "defying gravity" by balancing (tight-rope walking... I'm going somewhere with this...literally.)

Friday Dominic wakes me up with a demonstration on "Scissor Land." "Scissor Land is open!" he announces with the scissors opened. "Scissor Land is closed!"he says with the scissors closed. "Are you allowed in the office by yourself?" I growl sleepily at him with one eye cracked open. His face registers that he just incriminated himself. But even if his imaginary office-supply theme park had not revealed his infraction, the chunk of hair missing from his bangs would have. Deja vu.

Toby breaks a mug after breakfast.

While I clean up, Noemie puts on five layers of her most "FAVEoritest" clothes and throws her dolls a birthday party.

Toby gets caught with a box of Rice Krispies in my closet. He moves so fast!

Vacuum.

Two hours after our intended school start-time, read a book on circus animals and crash on the couch. Dominic builds a Lego transformer.

Saturday, we go to the circus! A Christmas present from my cousin Frankie and my mom's friend, Helga.

Sunday, we go to church. And we come home and take naps... and then we go to church again.

Sundays really are mami's day off.

Total time spent teaching:

About 4 hours, circus performance not included

Total cost:

I could put new (much needed) tires on my minivan with what I've spent in library fines. My fault. Otherwise, free!

Where the kids measure up:

-At five years old, Dominic is reading at a second grade level, is at a first grade science level, and somewhere between Kindergarten and first grade for math, without any formal instruction in the latter subject. No surprise there; Florida standards are that low. We will begin a math curriculum next week.

-Noemie, at three years old, is working on first-grade reading skills. Also, she loves to balance on one leg.

-Toby, is working on speaking. His spoken vocabulary is exhausted at "HI!" But his skills in undressing himself are phenomenal. He wakes up every morning, and tears his pants off. And then goes looking for goodies in his diaper. Some mornings, he gets lucky.

My mornings almost always include a bath and a change of sheets for that one.

Sunday evening before bed, I attempt to fix Dominic's hair cut. Fail.

Dominic: "I like it! It looks like a helmet!"

Fail confirmed.

Schedule professional haircut. No photos allowed till then.

Didn't get to report on Amy's wedding (or "ball" as Noemie liked to call it) the last weekend in November...

Dominic and Noemie did a great job as ring bearer and flower girl.

I would like to draw special attention to my hair. It was the first time I'd ever gotten a professional updo. It was a work of art. Held up by 86 bobby pins and half a can of hairspray.

As for Pinterest, like all things that tempt us, it's not the site that is bad, but the response of my heart that makes it dangerous. It's not bad to dream of paint palettes and garden designs, storage solutions and nutella recipes. But when I allow those dreams to upset my sense of peace, or a balanced perspective on life, I am letting my guard down.

Above all else, guard your heart, for it is the wellspring of life. (Proverbs 4:23)

I've found that one of the best ways to ground my feet again is to pray for others. This week, we are praying for a member of our church who will be receiving medical counsel concerning a malignant tumor behind her eye. She is in a lot of pain, and her life is at stake, yet she praises the Lord and trusts His sovereignty. I am also praying that a dear friend from my Monday morning homeschool group is healed of the MS that has ravaged her body for years. She has so much faith and it is a privilege to pray alongside her. In the meanwhile, she is praying that we are able to find a house we can afford, but I can't help thinking her needs are so much greater. We are praying for missionaries around the world who've left the comforts and familiarities of home to serve and preach Christ's redemption and salvation to a dying world. We are also praying for our Mission to Haiti girl, that she is able to do well in school, to begin a relationship with Christ, and to bring her family out of poverty. I am praying for a house with a yard so my kids can run around, while our sponsor child lives in a mud hut. I am dreaming of a Simmons Beautyrest King-sized mattress while our sponsor child sleeps on banana leaves. Having a Beautyrest mattress is a luxury, and the Bible does say that God's favor sometimes reveals itself in material wealth and riches. But I have been greatly, greatly blessed in so many other ways: husband, kids, health, parents, church, citizenship, education, food, vehicular transport, electricity, plumbing, the list goes on and on.

The heart is deceitful above all things and beyond cure. Who can understand it? (Jer 17:9)

Pray for the house, pray for the mattress, pray for the garden with the chickens. But if they don't come, it's not because God doesn't love me, or because he doesn't trust me, or because I am not worthy, but simply because God has a different plan. And I really can't complain about His plans so far... I have been blessed. And, because humans are silly things, and our hearts are deceitful little buggars, I have to remind myself of this more often than I care to admit. I will be spending a little less time on that site in the future.

In other news, today's Danny's birthday! Hippee! (As Noemie says)

Also, 10 weeks to go till we meet the new Espinosa!