Laundry Soap

I made my own homemade laundry soap today. It smells great, because I used Sunlight bar soap, which has a lemon scent.

Here is the recipe:

1 bar of shaved bar soap

1/2 cup of borax

1/2 cup of washing soda

Thoroughly stir together for 5 minutes!

Next, I'm going to make Dishwasher Detergent.

Procrastination

I'm tidying my desk while my son does his writing assignment and my daughter writes a letter to her penpal. I just came across this tip:

Develop a system for paper, files, and bills; by keeping on top of your paperwork you will eliminate 20% of your stress in keeping up a household.

Well, duh.

I have a system. In our house, the kids always watch for the mailman, and there's a mad dash to be the first to the mailbox each morning. The winner brings the mail to me, wherever I happen to be - in the laundry room, putting on a load of laundry, or in my bedroom, making my bed, or in the living room, reading my Bible, or in the kitchen, pouring myself a cup of coffee. Wherever I am, they bring it to me. I read the mail, then sort out Rick's mail and send the rest of the stack to my desk with one of the kids. (It may or may not get there. Distractions have been known to happen.) If it does get there, it often gets mixed in with letters and bills and French papers and English assignments and ant bait and envelopes and pictures I am keeping to scrapbook some day.

I INTEND to have a system, whereby bills are put into a specific folder to be paid once a month, and letters that are to be answered are put into a separate folder to be checked and responded to on a regular basis. I INTEND to correct the kids' assignments daily. I intend to get the ant bait into the garden before winter.

Sadly, even though my intentions are good, my actions are not. I am a procrastinator. Sigh.

“Never put off till tomorrow what you can do today.” ~ Thomas Jefferson

Smart fella.

A smarter fellow (the wisest man who ever lived, apart from Christ) wrote the following:

Ecclesiastes 9:10 Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with your might, for there is no work or thought or knowledge or wisdom in Sheol, to which you are going.

I don't think that procrastination is conducive to doing whatever my hand finds to do with my "might". If I am to do my best, to use all of my strength to glorify God, then I ought not to procrastinate.

Woodrow Kroll of Back to the Bible has a study on Procrastination available online.

He writes that we should never procrastinate, but do things with fervour, for three reasons:

1. We are imitators of Christ.
2. God created us with potential.
3. The time is limited.

Because I am an imitator of Jesus Christ, my glorious Saviour, and because I have been given talents to use for the glory of God and to benefit others, and because time's a wastin', I must quit my procrastinating.

Here's three more verses to think about. I'm signing off to finish the task of tidying my desk.

Proverbs 27:1 Do not boast about tomorrow, for you do not know what a day may bring.

Luke 9:59-62 To another he said, “Follow me.” But he said, “Lord, let me first go and bury my father.” And Jesus said to him, “Leave the dead to bury their own dead. But as for you, go and proclaim the kingdom of God.” Yet another said, “I will follow you, Lord, but let me first say farewell to those at my home.” Jesus said to him, “No one who puts his hand to the plow and looks back is fit for the kingdom of God.”

Matthew 6:33 But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.

A New Fireplace

Actually, not quite. It's a new stone wall and a new hearth going up in my Great Room... but we'll be using the OLD wood stove.

We had a wood stove that we used for years, but when smoke started to leak into our bedroom, we thought there was a problem. Turns out that an inspector confirmed that our over a hundred years old chimney was no longer safe.

So we spent the winter last year with no wood stove. This meant that when we were working on our computers in our classroom area, we did so with numb and barely-working digits. It was painful, cold and uncomfortable.

Just imagine my excitement now. Our son is in the process of building a stone wall. It has a sheet of steel behind the stone, and it will have gaps in the stone for air flow. It's going to be safe, and warm.

I am feeling very happy this evening, and counting my blessings. It's another one of those perks of having a large family - you're bound to have sons and daughters with skills to help with projects.

I can hardly wait!

Pros and Cons to Homeschooling

I am linking to this article because Ann Voscamp has such a way with words. Her responses to these questions regarding homeschooling are wise and seasoned with grace. If you are a homeschooling parent, or know a homeschooled child, or have ever wondered why anyone would be so crazy as to keep their kids home with them all day, year in, year out, click on the link and go there. It'll be worth your time.

John Wesley on sending children to school...

“Let it be remembered, that I do not speak to the wild, giddy, thoughtless world, but to those that fear God. I ask, then, for what end do you send you children to school? “Why, that they may be fit to live in the world.” In which world do you mean, — this or the next? Perhaps you thought of this world only; and had forgot that there is a world to come; yea, and one that will last for ever! Pray take this into your account, and send them to such masters as will keep it always before their eyes. Otherwise, to send them to school (permit me to speak plainly) is little better than sending them to the devil. At all events, then, send your boys, if you have any concern for their souls, not to any of the large public schools, (for they are nurseries of all manner of wickedness,) but private school, kept by some pious man, who endeavours to instruct a small number of children in religion and learning together.”

I do firmly believe that we Christians can (and should!) love one another. We can (and should!) interact with other families who don't necessarily agree with us on every jot and tittle of our lives. I posted a video of Josh Harris exhorting the people in his congregation to love one another and not take sides on issues of education. I still firmly believe that.

However, I also believe that sending children to government schools is something that should be avoided unless the parents of those children are heavily involved. They ought to be there. They must be in constant dialogue with their kids, the teachers, the other parents.

This is the other side of the story (Thanks, Amy!):

TOP FIVE REASONS NOT TO SEND YOUR KIDS BACK TO GOVT. SCHOOL