An article to write

*sigh*... I'm supposed to produce an article for this Music magazine. It is due end of this month. So far, I've only drafted out some points that I'd like to cover. How am I going to churn out the whole piece? It is an opinion piece on Music education for children from a homemaker's perspective. How how how? Help!!!! No time! No ideas! I think I need to stop the homeschool train for a few days just to be able to write.

At times, I think that this homeschooling thing is not going too well. We're always running late, the kids are not attentive, they don't come when called, they dilly-dally over starting school. I also have to clean the house, cook the meals as well as wait around for them to follow instructions. Then there's the problem of the kids messing up the floor as soon as I have finished cleaning it. Also the foolish one who disobeys and plays with a toy at meal time, and subsequently knocks over his whole plate of rice (right after I have cleaned the floor). Is this 'redeeming the time?' Then there is the one who decides to throw a tantrum over the shirt I have put on him to go out. Just as we are trying to get out of the house, he vomits his meal. We were going to be nice and early for the gymnastics class, but now that I have to clean up the puke, we'll be late. Late, late, late. How can we be early for once?

Dear Father,

I'm sorry that I have not redeemed the time. I'm sorry that I am also guilty of wasting time, and leaving things to the last minute. Please forgive me. Forgive the kids too, of not realizing that time does not wait for them. Help them to control their impulses and to be able to be more forward-looking. Help us to get to our next appointment with time to spare. In Jesus' name, Amen.

A Blessing in Disguise

We've been on a brand new schedule (again) for the past 2 weeks.

Just over 2 weeks ago, Sarah's gym coach informed us that she should be transferred to the Intermediate class for training. She had been training 8 hours a week with a China coach in an ultra-competitive group (Development), and making little progress. I had been frustrated watching her, and I think she was also frustrated with the endless drills and the tiring conditioning.

However, when we were told that she should go to the Intermediate class, training 4 hours a week, I was rather disappointed. My baby was not cut out to be a gymnast. I felt like withdrawing her altogether. Why was Sarah not making progress? Why was her work attitude so poor? Why couldn't she do the things that her classmates did?

So I prayed and spent time thinking it over, as well as comforting her (she was upset at the change and at the prospect of leaving her friends), and I read in Paul Tripp's Instructing a Child's Heart, that we must never make an idol of our children's talents, or even idolize ours or their dreams. It seemed that I had been doing this. So I was comforted by God's word, and then spent the weekend re-organising the homeschool schedule to fit in the new classes.

Hence, now, on Mondays and Thursdays, we're off by 8.30am for her 9 am class. 4 hours a week is half of what she used to spend on gym. But I still have to bring Ben for his 1 hour class where it used to coincide with Sarah's class. But after 2 sessions in this new class, Sarah is loving it all over again. And guess what, on her third class yesterday, she learnt new skills!!!!! Coach Nicole is from Perth, Australia. She's much more hands-on, and tells the girls what they can do to improve their form. It's not just drill, drill, drill, do a skill over and over again until your arms and legs can't carry you anymore. Sarah's progressing much more happily here. I'm happy. The stress of competition is not there. She gets proper coaching in a quieter environment (who does gymnastics at 9am in the morning but the Pri 1 and Pri 2 girls in the afternoon session?), and Thursday's class started with 2 of them last week, but will have an additional girl from this week.

Thank God that He knows best. Sometimes we think we know what we want for the kids. We're disappointed when it doesn't turn out the way we'd hoped. But the LORD will always take care of us and give us what is best. PRAISE THE LORD!!!