Encouraging – Isn’t That Why We Are Here? {Our Weekly WrapUp}

Encouraging success. Isn’t that why we are here?

As moms, we spend every waking moment encouraging our kids to succeed at their dreams and share their hopes. We teach and we guide. We feed and we nurture. And we work tirelessly to raise up our children full of faith and love and confidence.

We encourage.

As wives we wake each day with an ear open to hear the needs of our husband. He leads our family, he provides strength and direction. But he needs us. Without our care, he loses strength. Without our love, he loses direction. And so we gladly give ourselves to support him.

We encourage.

Every morning, we wake just a bit early, find a quiet spot where we can watch the sun peek over the trees, and we crack open the Book in our laps. Then we read for a bit. Just a bit every day. That is where we find the strength to be the encourager, at least that is how it works for me.

And in a good week, I get all the strength and grace I need to encourage my children, my husband, my friends, and even people I don’t know.

This was one of those weeks. I had so many wonderful moments of watching my children thrive and my husband be, well the patriarch (that is what my son calls him, half out of admiration and half in fun).

So stop reading this for a moment and look around your house for a moment. You have a wonderful family and a glorious life, in spite of life’s trials and troubles. You get to wake up every morning and encourage your children and your husband. What more could you ask for?

Our Blog was filled with activity this week – Thank you to everyone who is commenting and joining me as we talk about homeschooling life!

I wrote about Getting Out Joyfully, Homeschooling in Small Spaces, and why it pays to listen to your child in O is for Obidiah.

And a review of a fascinating book that is great for you and also your teen daughter: “Breaking Cover” by Michelle Rigby Assad.

I wanted to share a song that came out of a Mama’s constant encouragement:

We are evaluating even more products this week that will result in interesting and exciting reviews in a few weeks:

• UltraKey Online from Bytes of Learning (a typing course for the whole family)
• Drive Thru History Adventures (online curriculum built around those fantastic Drive Thru History episodes with Dave Stotts and his car!)
• Wulf the Saxon (Audio Drama from Heirloom Audio Productions)
• CursiveLogic Quick-Start Pack and The Art of Cursive (a fantastic program that both my teens are loving!)
• A 24 pack of Magic Stix Washable Markers from The Pencil Grip, Inc. (Ok, these are really fun!)

Places I am linking up this post

Drop by and read the posts of some great homeschooling families at this week’s Homeschool Highlights Link Up and the Friday Funnies, Flops, and Fails LinkUp. And read through the great posts at Weird Unsocialized Homeschoolers’ Link Up as well!