York, Pennsylvania 2011
Katy, Texas 2012
Hi, I’m Penney Douglas. I have been married to my precious husband for 24 years. We have been exceedingly and abundantly blessed with 10 children. They all belong to me and my husband. And to think that I was afraid I would never get married! I got a late start, but I guess late bloomers can blossom profusely once they get started.
I blog for several reasons. I like to keep a record of what we’re doing in our homeschooling and share ideas for other homeschoolers or moms who like to work and play with their kids. I try to encourage families to keep Christ first in their homes so they can be all that they were made to be. I want to help others to draw closer to God. I hope to glorify God and give Him praise for all that He does for us.
I am constantly learning, changing and growing. Sometimes I feel like a beginner even though I’ve been a Christian since I was 4 years old and I’ve been homeschooling for about 15 years. And I’ve been living for __ years (long enough!).
But the Lord has been faithful to keep me and my family on an upward climb drawing nearer to Him in spite of our weaknesses and mistakes.
He has led us on a crooked path across the United States and back and then some. (From Ohio to Kansas City to Arizona to Colorado, back to Kansas City to Illinois to Pennsylvania and now to Texas!) We are still looking for that place to call home. We hope to find it before the oldest chicks are ready to fly from the nest! But our desire is that they land somewhere near us even when that time comes.
We are believing God for miracles of provision. We have already seen many. We suffered the loss of our home almost 7 years ago. Now we live in a big, fancy house, and my husband is making more money than ever before. But the money is beside the point. What God did in each of our hearts, convincing us of His reality and His love for us, is worth more than all of the houses or money in the world. But now He has enabled us to help others in need, and we are grateful for the opportunity to bless others.
Our children are truly gifts from God. They learn from us and teach us so much. I would never have known even a fraction of how much God loves me if I had never had the opportunity to be a mother to my precious children. They are teaching me even more as they grow in wisdom and understanding and we share together what the Lord is teaching us.
Family was God’s idea. Marriage was His idea. God has good ideas. His ideas work.
He wants our families to be training grounds for children (and adults) to learn His ways and right ways of relating to God and to people. We learn how to die to ourselves when others are dependent on us, and when we have to learn to get along with the people around us in order to experience peace and harmony. The rough edges are rubbed off as we care enough to be honest with each other and humble ourselves to receive correction even from those younger than ourselves.
God created us because He wanted a family. That’s more than a trite saying. He created us in His image so that He could have sons and daughters that would look like Him, act like Him and love Him. He wanted to be a father.
He created you so He could love you. Receive His love for you. Let Him be your Daddy.
I’m participating in the Ultimate Blog Party 2012 at 5 Minutes for Mom. The second post on this page tells more about me and why I write this blog. If you’re a homeschooler, please read this first post and do whatever you can to preserve our homeschool freedom in this nation.
I would like to challenge new homeschoolers to carry the torch of homeschooling without government interference. Please learn the history of homeschooling in the United States. Find out about what happens in other countries when people desire to teach their children at home so that they can impart their values to their children.
See this story, for example. In most countries, they are persecuted and their children are taken away from them or forcibly taken to public school.
We have the freedom to homeschool in every state in the United States – now. But it didn’t used to be that way. Chris Klicka and the wonderful people at HSLDA helped the early homeschool pioneers to fight to make it legal. Before that, people in the U.S. who felt that God was calling them to teach their children at home were treated just like those people in other countries are treated now. They were persecuted by truant officers. They were even thrown in jail. They had their children taken away from them. They had Children’s Services called on them. They had to hide in their homes and never go out during school hours, or they would get “caught” homeschooling. This was in the 1980′s and ’90′s. It wasn’t that long ago.
There are books that tell some of these stories of the hard-fought battle to make homeschooling legal in America. One of these is Homeschool Heroes by Chris Klicka. There are interviews with early pioneers that tell of the harrowing experiences of being taken to court and threatened with jail time if they continued to educate their children at home. One that I know of is at http://www.blogtalkradio.com/watchtalk/2009/09/01/cultivating-your-childs-potential. This is an interview that Diana Waring did with Zan Tyler, who began homeschooling long before it was cool or accepted. The Lord led her into homeschooling and led her through the fire of legal battles and real threats to her freedom. Her stories are amazing and hard for us to believe in the atmosphere we live in now with the acceptance of homeschooling that we enjoy.
But there are threats to our freedom to homeschool in the way that we feel led of the Lord. Many times there has been legislation brought up to try to regulate homeschooling. This has happened in state governments and even in the federal government. The homeschoolers of my generation knew that we were the beneficiaries of great sacrifice and work by the generation before us. Our local support groups and state organizations made sure that we knew that homeschooling is a privilege to be cherished. They told us to guard that freedom and not to be fooled by any attempts of the establishment to infringe upon our rights or to curtail them in any way.
There have been several attempts to force homeschool parents to get a teaching certificate. Education falls under the auspices of state government, so the rules vary from state to state. Each of us needs to watch our state governments and see what legislation they are considering regarding our right to homeschool freely without any government interference. Each homeschool family should join HSLDA and keep track of legislation and threats to our freedom and cases where freedom is already being challenged by public schools and legislators. We all need to stand together.
Please be vigilant about this precious right that we have and don’t hand anything to your local school district that is not required by the law of your state. Be careful and cherish homeschooling as the gift of God that it is.
I linked this post at the BIG Family Friday Link Up at Holy Spirit-Led Homeschooling
Having older children who want to be home with their family is a great blessing. These young people wanted to take a picnic lunch to the park and share it with our whole family. They packed everything. They helped us gather the whole family together.
They are not running off by themselves. They are sticking around, spending time with their parents and their little brothers and sisters.
The littles went and played on the playground.
Gary enjoyed himself.
Patrick enjoyed himself. He didn’t eat the whole time. We just took lots of pictures of him eating for some reason.
On another day, Kelsey made pot pie cupcakes. They were delicious!
She also made homemade chicken and noodles. She took over lots of the cooking while I helped with Grandma’s care.
Kelsey kept asking me about my favorite things in the days leading up to Mother’s Day. Then as the day approached, she started providing those things to the best of her ability.
Like Brownie Pie!
And Chocolate Truffles, rolled in chopped walnut.
And Snow Balls
And Brownie Pie with ice cream and homemade Fudge Sauce. It tasted like the dessert they used to serve at Red Lobster called Fudge Overboard. It was one of my favorite things about eating there. I always used to save room for it.
These grown children who stay home with the family and live their lives with us are such a huge blessing to this mama. I’m so thankful that they choose to serve their family and share their lives with us instead of rushing off and trying to find their own lives with strangers or trying to grow up too soon.
We are all learning and growing together. And eating well!
We sent two Flat Travelers to Dayton, OH, since that’s where we’re from. Garrett and Fiona made two paper dolls that we downloaded from MakingFriends.com. We sent them to Dayton Aviation Heritage National Historical Park. You can find out how to do this here at this website.
They came home with all kinds of fun info about Dayton’s Aviation history, mostly about the Wright Brothers, and other significant parts of Dayton’s history, including the poet Paul Laurence Dunbar, who was from Dayton, OH. The people from the Historical Park made a neat little book and included pictures of our Flat Travelers in it.
Notice our little people included in the photos inside the book!
The twins were very excited about all of the neat materials that the Historical Park sent with their Flat Travelers.
They also read the book, Flat Stanley, to see where the idea of Flat Travelers originated from.
I just checked on this at Amazon and found out that the author has written several other books about Flat Stanley. It seems that he has gone on many more adventures since his original one recorded in the book entitled Flat Stanley. And they teach some geography!
I will have to check out these new adventures!
Kelsey and Morgan made a delicious, sumptuous feast for me this morning.
She used a scalloped heart cookie cutter to cut out a heart-shaped piece of toast and then made egg-in-a-basket.
It tasted delicious, and I was so touched by their efforts. Kelsey woke Morgan up at 6:00 to make the bacon. Kelsey worked very hard to provide this wonderful breakfast for me and to make a beautiful card with a lovely poem.
And if that wasn’t enough, she gave me a necklace made by my favorite jeweler, James Avery. It is sterling silver and cost her the money her Grandma gave her to buy herself some shoes. I am so grateful and humbled by her giving and loving heart. This pendant is called Mother’s Love. I love it because it looks like a mother holding a baby, yet it also looks like a heart with an elongated side.
My heart is full this Mother’s Day. God has given me too many blessings to count.
Ephesians 3
19 to know the love of Christ which passes knowledge; that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.20 Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us,
21 to Him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus to all generations, forever and ever. Amen.
1 Corinthians 2:9
But as it is written: “Eye has not seen, nor ear heard, Nor have entered into the heart of man The things which God has prepared for those who love Him.”
Kelsey has found a new passion. A very tasty hobby that we all get to benefit from. She has baked something new, and I mean new, every couple of days. She is developing her own recipes and tweaking other recipes. I’m wondering if she will be a baker or chef some day. I often pray that God will show us hidden gifts and talents that we have. He has been doing that with several of my children lately. How I love to see Him move in the lives of my children.
Chocolate and peanut butter bars made with healthy ingredients.
Kelsey made a special treat for Anna when she was having a bad day – her favorites – blondies. The rest of us were allowed to eat the left side, but Anna kept the right side with the dark chocolate chips to herself.
Peanut butter and jelly squares. Kelsey’s own creation. They were delicious!
And now - A Surprise For Scooby Doo!
All the supplies gathered for a surprise for Scooby Doo.
Chef Scooby looks a little confused but ready to help with his surprise.
What do you think Kelsey has up her sleeve this time?
Could it be Scooby Snacks? I think she is getting a lot of inspiration from all of those cookie cutters Grandma bought for her.
Yes! They are Scooby Snacks!
Scooby Doo is happy!
He looks anxious to try them.
His first bite. He likes it!
Roobie Roo!!!!
This has a double meaning to me. I thought about making a T-shirt with this written on it. The words “Mommy Counts” would be on the front and “Her Blessings” on the back with a picture of children (the number of which would match the number of kids the mother has). The phrase “Mommy Counts” was meaningful to me because sometimes we moms feel like we don’t have much significance when the children are younger and even when they’re older, because kids don’t often think to tell their mom how much she means to them. They don’t even realize how much they need her or what she has actually done for them, so it can seem like a thankless job. But God is always watching. He lets us know that He is very pleased with what we do for our children if we go to Him and let Him minister to our hearts. And if we do it right, our children do rise up and call us blessed – someday.
Proverbs 31:28-31
28 Her children rise up and call her blessed (happy, fortunate, and to be envied); and her husband boasts of and praises her, [saying],
29 Many daughters have done virtuously, nobly, and well [with the strength of character that is steadfast in goodness], but you excel them all.
30 Charm and grace are deceptive, and beauty is vain [because it is not lasting], but a woman who reverently and worshipfully fears the Lord, she shall be praised!
31 Give her of the fruit of her hands, and let her own works praise her in the gates [of the city]!
I have entered into a blessed season where my older children are aware enough to realize the sacrifice and love I have poured into them and their siblings. And some of the younger ones are old enough to do things for me to express their love and thanks.
The twins did this all on their own. Garrett cooked the bacon and Fiona cooked the eggs. They were so pleased to do something nice for me for Mother’s Day.
Kelsey made heart-shaped toast and hot chocolate for me today. She used cookie cutters that Grandma bought for her the other night to cut out the heart shapes.
And here’s Grandma!
She came to stay with us for about a month. We had a wonderful visit with her. We got to pray for her a lot while she was here. She prayed for us, too. We will miss her.
She is Gary’s mom and my mom-in-love.
She blessed me with words of encouragement and love while she was here. She told me that I’m a good mom. It meant so much to me.
She blessed all of us and prayed blessings over us as a family while she was here. You hear a lot about the Father’s blessing, but I think a Mother’s blessing is very important, too. And a Mother-in-law’s blessing is priceless.
Isn’t she beautiful?!!!
We’re praying for you, Grandma!
The other part of the double meaning is that we mothers love our children so much that when we count our blessings, many times our children top the list. I know that’s how it is for me. My husband and children are my biggest blessings. I know that is how it is for many of us moms.
I have to physically count my children sometimes when we go to places, and I don’t want to leave anybody when it’s time to leave. Others may not have to literally do this, but we mothers are constantly aware of where our children are at any given moment.
I believe that God wants to say to mothers right now, “I am pleased with your labors of love. You are important. You matter to Me. I watch you as you take care of your babies and children. I see you changing diapers, cleaning up messy faces and hands, meeting every need of young ones who are completely dependent on you. I see your sacrifice when you are so tired, but you put the needs of your children before your own. You have a special place in My heart. I am watching you with a big smile on My face. Thank you for welcoming My little ones into your hearts and lives. Thank you for taking care of My children.”
Have a Blessed Mother’s Day!
"Oh that God would give every mother a vision of the glory and splendor of the work that is given to her when a babe is placed in her bosom to be nursed and trained! Could she have but one glimpse in to the future of that life as it reaches on into eternity; could she look into its soul to see its possibilities; could she be made to understand her own personal responsibility for the training of this child, for the development of its life, and for its destiny,--she would see that in all God's world there is no other work so noble and so worthy of her best powers, and she would commit to no other's hands the sacred and holy trust given to her." -JR Miller
