Off-Line
We have s-l-0-w-e-d down around here. Our days are nice, our screens are off, and our time is well-spent.
Not every day, but most days.
I’ve made time for things that have made my life easier. I made homemade laundry soap; $3 for 5 gallons that should last us several months. I bought all of our meat for the month, cooked it, canned or froze it and it has transformed dinner time for me. I washed, peeled, and chopped ten pounds of potatoes and canned or froze them: soups, casseroles, side dishes, or breakfast; they’re ready to be used.
We went to the library last week. I usually only let the boys get three books each…for fear of losing them and therefore defeating the purpose of the library being free! However, I was feeling brave. We usually set our books down on a certain round table between the children’s books and the juvenile books. This also happens to be where all of the really great educational books are. Everything from geography and history to cooking and camping. The boys were like kids in a candy store and each started a really great stack of books. I looked through each of the piles and by the end of our self-check-out we had over 30 books. I really should have thought about how we would walk back to the car with 20 pounds worth of books, but we made it work with nothing but our biceps. Sometimes they check out three books each and never really look at the books once we get home. This time is different. We spend a minimum of thirty minutes each day reading our library books.
With a slower pace here at Wilkerson Academy, I’ve been able to get a little more creative. We’ve done word searches that I created online and consist of words from our weekly memory work, we’ve worked through our US map puzzle many times, trying to remember where each state belongs, and we put things back where they belong as soon as we’re finished using them. This has helped us keep a much tidier house.
With no where to go, I haven’t felt rushed. When I don’t feel rushed, I’m more patient and have a better chance of cultivating a meek and quiet spirit in our home. We aren’t busy, so I start to think about dinner around 4:30 and by 5:00, it’s on the stove or in the oven.
We’re not out and about as often as we have been the past couple of months so I’m only filling up my gas tank about once every ten days. This will save us about $70/month. When we’re home, we don’t spend money on fast food. Our Kay Arthur Bible study for kids has been a top priority each morning and no one can discount the importance of starting your day, as a family, in God’s word.
With so many people having constant connection to the internet at their fingertips (literally), we’ve become so accustomed to posting our every thought on the internet through outlets like Twitter and Facebook. It’s so easy to compare yourself, your possessions, or your life to what everyone else has. This creates such a spirit of discontentment. The desire to have the constant approval of others or to have others affirm your every decision is poisonous.
His approval is it. It should be all we strive for and find contentment in.
Every. Single. Time. it comes back to taking our focus off of our heavenly Father. When I fix my eyes on Him, I am fulfilled; I am satisfied.
So for now, I will remain off-line. It took me three days to finish this post because I’d start it and realize I needed to be doing something else.
Do what you know is God’s best for you. Encourage others in His word, with things that actually matter. Make time for friends and family who are like minded and build you up in your faith. Cultivate a love for learning in your children, whether they be at home or at school. Work to make home a sanctuary so your children and your husband can’t wait to get home at the end of each day.
Peace.
Joy.
Love.
A good-smellin’ kitchen. (I just had to throw that in there! )
Blessings,
~audrey