Nights Are The Hardest

Today has been a bad day, a really bad day. I won’t go into detail except to say that my heart is very heavy and sad right now. Sometimes people come into our lives unexpectedly and they make such an impact on us that we can’t imagine life without them. Sometimes we tend to overlook the bad things and choose not to see what we should be seeing because they mean so much to us.

Sometimes these things come back to haunt us. The little things we had been ignoring and choosing not to see. The little things that we just didn’t ask about or the things that just didn’t make sense and weren’t questioned suddenly turn into an erupting volcano. Sometimes there’s a warning that things are about to take a sudden turn but often times it just happens out of the blue.

Then we are left wondering what we could’ve and should’ve done differently. Did we handle the situation correctly or maybe we should have given them just one more chance. While we don’t want them to feel like we’ve given we know that we can’t just keep letting things slide either. We have to stand up for our values and beliefs and instead of clinging to the hopes that someone will change, we may just need to let them go.

We can’t force someone to change, change must come from within. Sometimes we need to distance ourselves from others so that everyone involved can see the problem more clearly. It also helps us to get our thoughts straight. When we can see and think clearly we may see the solution come to light. While others may feel like we have abandoned them when the going got tough, we are really just trying to protect ourselves from getting hurt even more.

The downfall is that we may start to dwell on the problems and our thoughts may run rampant. For me, I can keep myself pretty busy and occupied during the day, if I try. I must find something else to focus on and I have to pray, really pray hard. If I don’t, I find that the problem can become an obsession which is not good for anyone. Luckily I have a few little people who can keep me occupied and busy.

However, once night falls and the kids are in bed I start to settle down. I will take the dog out for her last walk before bed and the stillness of the night gets to me. I put her in her bed and switch off the lights before heading to bed myself. I will get up a couple of times to double check the doors, the lights, and the loft gate. I will listen to my sleeping babes and listen to the sounds of the night on our little pond.

I hear the animals calling out for their mates and I feel so lonely. All I can think about is how lonely I am. Really I was lonely before this as we had stopped communicating a while back. I don’t know what caused it for sure but I did try to fix it. Could I have done more? Did I try too hard? Who knows what I could’ve done.

My mind replays the good times and then it replays the bad times, both of which bring tears to my eyes. I lay here and wonder what the future holds. I am comforted because I know that God has a plan and a purpose for everything. I also know that He can bring some of the greatest blessings out of our hardest trials. This helps to calm me and bring me peace about the situation but it is still hard to accept that this person is gone, maybe forever.

Love can be such a crazy fickle thing but it can also be one of the greatest feelings in the whole world. I am reminded that my God loves me more than anyone here on earth can and that He is looking out for me. I know that He will provide me with all that I need and I can find rest in His arms when I am ready to let go and give my problems over to Him.

Why not join me? If you have something that is bothering you and keeping you up then please join me in asking God to take care of it and leave it in His hands.

Right now, Heavenly Father I pray that You will touch anyone reading this and help them with whatever their situation is, that You will bring them the healing they need for whatever they are going through, that You will give them the strength and courage to face tomorrow because it is a new day, a day full of blessings unknown. Please Lord take our worries and cares and deal with them as You see fit. In Jesus name, Amen.

Little House In The Big Woods Adventure Weekly Lesson Plan Links & Guide

**Although I try to provide as many FREE resources as possible this post may contain affiliate links alt no extra cost to you. We may earn a small commission, if a purchase is made through these links, which helps to support our blog and our family. Thank you!

Click Here for Little House In The Big Woods Adventure Weekly Lesson Plan Links Only

How we use these lesson plans:

Our school week is usually completed in 4 days. We use a Loop Schedule where we work for a designated amount of time on each subject before moving on to the next. After their work is completed for the day the kids are allowed to have independent studies were they can study whatever their little hearts desired.

Our 5th day is an optional day that we use to complete unfinished work or for other activities as we choose.


Please click HERE for a list of resources that we have purchased from Amazon and other suppliers.

Click on the links below for the series you would like to view/use. I will update these links as we get them finished.

Tip: If you want to go to a certain week/chapter or topic simply push the ‘ctrl’ and the ‘F’ button down together and a small bar will pop up. Type in the week number or chapter number you want and it will take you to it.


1. Little House In The Big Woods Adventure Week 1 Lesson Plans

  • Language Arts:
    • Read Chapters 1 & 2
    • Discussion
    • McGuffey Primer Lesson
    • Vocabulary
    • Writing Activities
    • These week we learn about fiction vs. nonfiction
    • Make a Pioneer Journal
    •  Mother Goose Phonics: Pat A Cake
  • Math:
  • Geography and History:
    • State Study: Wisconsin
    • Research Pioneer Life
  • Science:
    • Learn about Bears
    • Learn about Panthers
    • Research Microbes and Bacteria
    • Learn about Density
    • Bonus: Why does fire burn different colors?
  • Life Skills:
    • Research Pioneer Chores
    • Making our bed
    • Interrupting
    • Memory Work
    • Fun activities: Make Butter
    • Bonus Skills: Memorizing the books of the Bible, Archery, and/or Baking
  • PE, Health & Safety:
    • Stranger Danger
    • Play Little Brown Bear
  • Music, Arts, and Crafts:
    • Crafts: Hog’s Bladder Balloons, Corn Cob/Husk Dolls, Snowflakes, and Paper Dolls
    • Art: Bulldogs, Jack Frost
    • Music: Yankee Doodle Dandy, Butter Churning Song

Continue reading “Little House In The Big Woods Adventure Weekly Lesson Plan Links & Guide”

10 Things To Do When It Feels Like Your World Is Falling Apart

I know we’ve all been there a time or two in our lives, if you haven’t then you should still keep reading so you can be prepared for when it does eventually happen to you. We get comfortable in our lives and everything seems like it is going along so well. We have a good job and our lives are stable. Our home life seems pretty good too and everyone seems happy for the most part. Then it happens. It turns our lives upside down and tears our world apart, at least that’s the way it feels at the moment. Continue reading “10 Things To Do When It Feels Like Your World Is Falling Apart”

May 18, 2017

Hey everyone! It’s been a little bit since I’ve checked in. Life has been crazier and busier than usual and I’m loving everyday!

The kids are growing like weeds right before my eyes. I try to make sure to take a few moments to savor these moments as I know they will be grown up before I know it. Everything is not always great as we have the expected, and unexpected, challenges that go along with kids, large families, special needs kids, and introducing them to new people. We handle each challenge with as much patience and optimism as we can. (Note that I am saying ‘we’ as I have met someone very special. He has been an answer to so many of my prayers and I thank God for bringing him into our lives. God not only answered my prayers but exceeded my expectations in so many ways.)

We are still homeschooling and have 14 days? of school work left to finish out this year. That too has had a few challenges especially with one of my girls. Again we work through the problem and try to find the best possible solution for everyone. Parenting is not easy and you must stay on your toes at all times. The solution for today’s challenge may not be the solution for tomorrow’s challenge and it may not be the solution for the other children so you have to stay open minded and be creative. It really does help to have someone else that I can go to for ideas on occasion.

Monday was my youngest child’s 4th birthday! Where has time gone? He requested a Stegosaurus Pull-Apart-Cake and was so excited when Momma was able to throw one together. We sang to him and had cupcakes for our afternoon snack as Momma had a dance that evening. Yesterday I was able to take him out for his birthday meal. (This is a tradition we started a year or two ago and the kids all look forward to it.) He wanted a cheeseburger, chicken nuggets, french fries, ice cream, and a soda pop! We went to Dairy Queen and got most of his request. He was such a happy camper. He ate half of everything, except the ice cream which he finished, and brought the rest home so he could share.

After eating we went to Walmart so I could grab a few groceries and he was able to pick out a toy and a balloon. He had been so sleepy while we were eating that I was afraid he might not make it through his dinner. He did fall asleep on the way back home though. As soon as we got home he was awake and ready to show off his new treasures. Life is good and I hope this is something that he will remember in the days to come.

Then we have square dancing. I’m not sure if I told you all this before or not but I have been made the Publicity Chairman for the Silver Fox Squares! I am also the caller’s assistant at the Clay Allemanders club.  We have new classes starting up in another location too and upcoming dances and such to plan and organize.

We’ve had so many fun and exciting adventures and so many more to come. I better go for now as I’ve just put the kids down for naps and I have few chores to finish up before getting ready for the Luau tonight….

I pray everyone has a blessed week!

 

Would The Real Boaz Please Stand Up?

I’ve been reading a lot about Ruth, Naomi, and Boaz. It is one of the most beautiful love stories told in the Bible. It shows how God can use the most tragic of circumstances, the poorest of the poor, and the most humblest people to fulfill His great plans. It shows God’s power and control of our lives, even when we don’t understand what is going on in our lives.

For me, this really hits home. No, I haven’t been widowed, but I am alone. I have been transplanted to a place where I knew almost no one but I am not struggling to get by on a daily basis. Or am I? I do have my struggles but I don’t think they would ever compare to the struggles that Ruth and Naomi faced. Nor do I ever feel that I would be worthy of the blessings that were bestowed upon them.

I do however have hope that there is one out there for me. My ‘Boaz’, if you will. Over the past few months I have met a few men that displayed the character traits of Boaz. I am not talking about men who were rich landowners as I rarely ask about a person’s occupation or income. I am talking about men of integrity and faith. Men that are genuinely kind and give without expecting anything in return. Men that I would consider to be of good moral character and who I would trust to lead my family.

Time and time again I have been let down. There have been various reasons, sometimes they get tired of keeping up the false front, sometimes I may have been to blame in some ways. I know that feelings of rejection can creep up from hurts I’ve had before and affect the way I feel. I do have a hard time trusting people when I’ve opened up my heart to them and they use my weaknesses against me. This is not what my real Boaz would do, he would never want to hurt me or see me hurt. He would want to guard my heart and wipe my tears, not be the cause for them. I still have faith and hope that God is working and I will keep waiting and praying for this man.

I try to pray daily for him even though I don’t know who he is, where he is, or what he is doing. What am I praying for? I pray that he will love God more than anything else and that he will pursue his relationship with God above everything else. I am praying for his health, safety, and protection. I am praying that God will work in his life to help him develop the traits and character qualities, like humility and integrity, that will bring honor and glory to God. I pray that God will guide him to be the leader that I will need him to be. I pray that God will teach him how to love, unconditionally, as he will need to accept my children unconditionally if he is truly my Boaz. I pray that he is successful in whatever he sets his mind to and that God will bring him peace and rest after his hard work. I pray that he is surrounded by friends and family that support him.

I also try to pray that God will shape me and mold me into the person that my Boaz will need me to be. I want to be ready for whenever he comes my way. I pray that God will teach me to be a good help meet. I pray that God will help me to develop the qualities that he will need from me so that I can support and encourage him. I pray that I will be the love of his life, and he will be mine also. I pray that God will give me wisdom and discernment in the choices I am making now that may affect my future. I pray for the strength to overcome any weaknesses I have and that they can be turned into strengths. I pray that I will learn to love unconditionally and accept him for who he is. I pray that God will heal my heart from my past relationships and not allow those feelings to creep into future relationships.

 

God knows me better than I know myself. He knows my needs and my wants. He knows my strengths and weaknesses. He knows my likes and my dislikes. He knows what I need and when I need it. He shows me glimpses of traits and qualities that my Boaz will have and He gives me hope and encouragement. I trust that He will bring my Boaz along in His perfect timing according to His will and plan for me.

I pray for patience and faith while I am in this state of waiting. I am not actively searching for My Boaz because I know that God will put me where I need to be for him to find me. Who knows maybe he has already found me and God is still working on us before He opens ours eyes to see the plan He has in store for us?