A Day Out with Thomas

Like most little boys, ours love playing with planes, trains and automobiles. So when I heard about an opportunity to spend the day with Thomas (the train), I figured that was an outing well-suited for our family!

The tickets came weeks ago. To count down the days, we made a paper chain (like the ones we use to do as a kid for Christmas), and the boys took turns cutting off a ring each day. FINALLY, last Friday came, and we got to go and enjoy the festivities.

Of course, the highlight of the day was actually riding on Thomas, but there were other fun things to do and look at too. There was a model train exhibit, a gift shop, a live and working Blacksmith (making tracks for Thomas, of course), glass blowing (I failed to see the connection to trains, but it was interesting nonetheless), and a bounce house. Other activities included a petting zoo, seeing Sir Topham Hat and eating some way overpriced jumbo corn dogs.
It was a great day!

The Train Ride

Meeting the Conductor

Rowden Academy

So, I realize I'm not exactly queen of frequent blogging. Except for the most recent post a few days ago, I haven't posted anything since January. And even then it was just ONE post on January.

Despite my lack of posting, there has been a lot going on in the Rowden household. Actually, I guess a better way to say it is that there has been a lot going on in the Rowden household, and that explains my lack of posting!

I wish I could say it has all been fun and fantastic (and certainly, there has been some of that), but actually, a lot of it has been nursing sick folk back to health. At one point, there were 4 bottles of antibiotics being consumed by 4 different persons, all for strep throat. That's a lot of strep throat. Between that and sinus infections, and ear infections, and breakdowns (see last post), and bronchitis, and runny noses galore, we've made many a trip to the doctor and could probably take out stock in facial tissue.

But in between all the blowing and sneezing and medicine-taking, we've had other things going on, including making a big decision. Are you ready? Drum roll, please...

After much prayer and careful consideration, we've decided to home school.

Don't worry, I'm pretty sure we weren't delirious from medication when we came to this conclusion (but I guess whether or not we really are sane remains to be seen). Ha!

But seriously, beginning in the fall with Cole's kindergarten year, we will be giving home school a serious go. At this point, we are only committing to one year, so we can see how it goes and if it is something that will be well suited for our family before we continue. And I have to say, I am very excited about the prospect!

Our decision was more "pro-home school" rather than "anti-public school" (although there are certainly things about public school we don't like). I'd been thinking about it on and off for a couple of years, but the icing on the cake came recently when I was reading Bringing Up Boys by James Dobson. (A must read, by the way, for anyone who is, well, bringing up boys.) In it, there is a chapter called "Boys in School." The information in that chapter combined with bits and pieces I'd heard and learned over the years laid a pretty good foundation for us to consider homeschooling as an option for our family. So we prayed and talked and prayed and talked, and well, here we go!

But for all the excitement, there is still some apprehension about how everything will come together. For that reason, I'm glad it's only March and I have near 6 months to sort through all my questions and get myself organized. I am so thankful for the plethora of resources out there to help me along. And if anyone reading this has any experience in home school or teaching, I very much welcome any suggestions or comments you may have.

So here's a question for you...

When's the last time you left the house without any pants on?

I mean, you know, in just your undies or whatever.

Except for a dear friend who was on too much pain medication after a recent surgery and actually did go in her front yard with no pants on, I'm hoping guessing most of you would say, "Uh, never."

Alright, that's good! Now, I know what you're thinking: "Where's she going with this?" Well, let me tell you...

I've had a break-through. A real, jump-up-and-down, so-excited-I'm-giddy kind of breakthrough. And no, I didn't just figure out how to put my pants on, although, it does feel kinda like that. You see, for a long time now I've been in some kind of dry, spiritual funk. I couldn't really put my finger on what it was. I mean, I read my Bible and prayed, I went to church, I sang praise songs and even talked to my children about Jesus. But there was something amiss.

Looking back, it seems so clear. But at the time, I was oblivious. You see, even though I thought I was reading my Bible, if I am honest, I really just sort of looked at my Bible, and maybe read a paragraph or two, or a verse or two, and then I'd get so sleepy and think "It's been such a hard day", or night, or week, or whatever, and "I really ought to rest so I can be a better wife and mommy." And so I would lay down and take a nap. Or I'd turn on the TV because that's mindless and easy and just "what I need to unwind and then I'll read my Bible."

But then the kids would wake up from their nap, or the timer would go off on the oven, or the phone would ring, or (insert any number of normal and expected excuses here).

And then evening would come and the kids would go to bed, and instead of picking up my Bible, I'd stay up too late watching a cooking show, or catching up on facebook, or talking to my dear husband, and I'd crawl in bed and think "I really need to get some sleep; the morning comes early." And so I'd go to sleep with every great intention of reading my Bible at nap time the next day "because I'm really not a morning person, and I just couldn't get up earlier than the boys do and expect to get anything out of reading it then."

And all the while I couldn't figure out what was wrong with me. Not that I went off the deep-end or anything, because really, if you noticed the list of things above nothing was especially bad or wrong with any of it. I just felt sort of blah inside, you know? Spiritually speaking, I was dry, and I couldn't figure out what happened. I used to love reading my Bible and I made time to read it and soak in it. But now, it was like a chore. A thing "to do". And I didn't know how to fix it.

And so the days went by until a few months ago when I had a fairly minor surgery and then had some sort of mini-breakdown during the recovery. I'm still not quite sure what happened, but I do know that it sent me running straight into the Word of God; the blessed, comforting, solid, faithful, corrective, timeless Word of God.

And then it hit me: "My son, do not reject the discipline of the Lord or loathe His reproof, For whom the Lord loves He reproves, even as a father corrects the son in whom he delights" (Proverbs 3:12).

"Ohhhh! I get it! I'm being disciplined! Thank you, God!" This "breakdown" or whatever it is, is just what I needed to wake me up and get me back into really reading God's Word. And this is fantastic news because it means one very important thing...God LOVES me. He loves ME. Because did you catch it? God disciplines those He loves.

I mean, I knew this, have known this, for a long time, but I think I'd forgotten that reading my Bible is not about checking an activity off my daily to-do list, but it's about being with God. It's about learning about Him and praising Him. The Bible is more than a book to read, it's God's WORD to us. It's what He wants us to know about Him and about us and about everything that's worth anything in this life.

And so I dove in. I lapped it up like a "deer pants for water." (Psalm 42:1) I spent hours of my recovery time reading and savoring and meditating on the beautiful truths God has given us in His word. And now that I am fully recovered (from surgery) and don't have the luxury of spending chunks of time in the middle of the day digging into the Bible, I get up early so I can do it. Yes, you read that right. I. get. up. EARLY. Ha! Who would have thought I could do that! A break-through, I tell ya. And you know what? I LOVE IT. I love starting my day out in God's Presence. Some days I'm alive and ready to soak up anything I can. Other days I'm wishing I kept a box of toothpicks by the bed to prop my sleepy eyes open. But I can't even begin to tell you what a difference this has made in my life. Jesus says in Matthew 4:4 that "Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that proceeds from the mouth of God." It's my bread and butter.

And not only that, but Paul tells us in Ephesians that as believers in Jesus Christ, we are in a battle, and the Word of God is our Sword. I need the Word of God in order to win battles and live victoriously. It's kinda like putting my pants on. If I wouldn't go to the mall without my pants on, why on earth would I try to do battle without my sword?