A Box of Chocolate & A Bubble Bath

By Jodi Whisenhunt –

This fall, my oldest child, Kyle, started tenth grade. As a homeschooler, I’m a bit anxious about it. Ok, I’m a lot anxious about it! “Everything should be done in a fitting and orderly way,” according to 1 Corinthians 14:40 (NIV). Paul’s referring to regulations for speaking in tongues. (By the look on my kids’ faces, sometimes they think I’m doing just that!) However, it’s also good advice for teaching. Problem is, I struggle to do anything in a fitting and orderly way. Recently, I carried a basket of clean laundry down the hall where I found something that belonged in my bedroom. I set the basket down and carried the item to my room where, after catching my reflection in the mirror, I stopped to brush my hair. My daughter came in, so I brushed her hair too. She was still in jammies, so I led her back to her room to change. Only when I took her dirty clothes to the laundry did I remember my original task.

I admit I’ve been a bit lax with our homeschool structure in recent years. Lax is an understatement. Let me try unorganized, panicked, disappointed, unstructured, befuddled. Like the laundry incident, distractions during class time often divert our attention. Some have become bad habits, like how, being the teenage boy that he is, Kyle must eat every ten minutes.

My daughter, Chloe, started first grade this year. Sure, I’ve been there, done that, but she has a totally different personality and a completely different learning style than her older brother. She wants to do her schoolwork at 9:00 at night when she’s avoiding bedtime, but still, if the child wants to learn, how can I turn her down?

Adam’s four. His education is not a major issue yet. He’s quite satisfied with number charts and picture books and children’s videos. As I said, though, he is four. He still longs to spend a lot of time on my lap with my eyes and ears tuned toward him. That can make teaching the other two difficult.

So how do I go about accomplishing school in a “fitting and orderly way”? Simple. With a box of chocolate and a bubble bath! I convince my husband to spend some quality time with the kids, or at least keep them from unlocking the door, and I barricade myself in my room. The running water is soothing (and drowns out the squeals and whines on the other side of the door) and allows me to commune with my Father. As I relax, I seek a higher education. I invite Him to “number our days aright, that we may gain a heart of wisdom” (Psalm 90:12 NIV), and I ask the Lord to arrange our daily schedules and to order our lesson plans. I also pray His hedge of thorns to surround us and prevent the enemy’s distraction.

I’ve also implemented some changes, including removing Kyle from the kitchen. He may take a snack to his room to do assignments, but he cannot come out until the work is done. I don’t think he’ll starve. I allow Chloe flex time. It just can’t delay bedtime. And with cool teaching aids, like a hand-shaped pointer and a fast facts dial, sweet little Adam can direct. I’ve also discovered that dry-erase markers work very well on the glossy ceramic tiles surrounding my kitchen desk. Fun for all!

Now if you’ll excuse me, my bath is ready and a box of chocolate awaits!

Jodi Whisenhunt is a 2009 Amy Writing Award recipient. She and her husband, Richard, homeschool their three children in McKinney, Texas. You can find her at www.jodiwhisenhunt.com and www.magicalmouseschoolhouse.com, where Disney IS school.

Geckos

By Jodi Whisenhunt –

Geckos. Nope, I’m not referring to a certain insurance company. I’m talking about tiny little lizards that like to frighten me.

“Scared of geckos?” you ask. Yes. Yes, I am. It’s not so much a terrifying fear as much as it is a startling fright.

It all started in the mailbox. I opened the door, reached in and grabbed. Something jumped onto my hand, ran across and skittered down the bricks. I tossed the envelopes high in the air and let out an “Eek!” Cautiously inspecting each parcel, I retrieved the mail and hurried back inside. The next day, I opened the mailbox and the guardian of the goods stood his ground, daring me to take his letters. I guess he was expecting a fresh shipment of crickets.

Another time, I glanced up through the window above my front door, through which the porch light illuminates the foyer, and noticed a gecko lying in wait for a late night snack. I watched him inch closer, closer to the smorgasbord of flying delicacies. He’d scurry a bit one way or the other, seeking a better vantage point, but his attempts were futile. He’d never taste those beetles, moths and mayflies, because he was on the ceiling inside my house. You think I slept very well that night? He was gone by morning—but to where?

Now a family of three geckos ambushes me whenever I open the storm door. Recently, as my son stepped out, all three rushed in. One climbed straight into a laundry basket. Another dropped his flopping tail and got stuck in a cobweb, and the other stopped still on the door frame. If I’d let the door close, he’d have been squished. Fortunately for them (and for me), my teenager came to the rescue.

I do appreciate these little guys, and I know they will not harm me. In fact, they get rid of lots of pests. I credit them for the reduction in wolf spiders this year—thank you, thank you, thank you, geckos! I suppose it’s a good reminder to me that God is in control, even in the small things I might normally overlook. These geckos keep jumping out at me, sometimes literally, and forcing me to notice and be grateful “that in all things God works for the good of those who love Him” (Romans 10:9, NIV).

Jodi Whisenhunt is a 2009 Amy Writing Award-winning freelance writer and editor in McKinney, Texas. You can find her at www.jodiwhisenhunt.com or www.magicalmouseschoolhouse.com, where Disney IS school.

Bark and Bark and Grrr

By Jodi Whisenhunt –

The toilet leaked and damaged the vinyl flooring. Handyman John showed up on Day 1 to assess the situation. Ding-ding-dong went the bell and bark-bark-grrr went my dog. So John introduced himself to Jojo. She sniffed and licked and jumped around while wagging her nubby, as if to say, “He’s safe.” Read more

Road Trip

By Jodi Whisenhunt –

My husband refuses to fly in airplanes, so our every vacation is a road trip. We drive a Quest, aptly named since it has racked up many thousand miles trekking from Texas to Canada to Florida and many states in between. When we travel, a GPS navigator announces the route, but road signs guide our journey. Read more

Backrow Baptist

By Jodi Whisenhunt –

On a hill far away stood an old country church. For decades Backrow Baptist occupied a dignified position at the rear of the aging chapel. There, he faithfully attended every Sunday morning worship. He reverently sat through weekly Wednesday prayers. He joyfully witnessed amorous marriage unions. He woefully bore grave funeral farewells. Read more

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