So, we're back from our big "gig"!
We went to the homeschool convention in Sexsmith where me & my crew played for their 'Welcome Cafe'. They did so well & i'm so glad we went. It was so nice to go back & see a lot of our friends & remember what a great time we had for those years we lived there. i feel pretty blessed to have lived in Sexsmith when i started my homeschooling journey. i totally didn't think that i was a fit for a homeschooling mama, & yet i just didn't have peace about sending my little girl to public school. ~ It was obvious that homeschool was a fit for her, even if i thought it wasn't for me. Lucky for me, Sexsmith was full of other homeschooling mamas, who encouraged me to give it a go. Within the first couple of months, i was in love with the whole lifestyle & was watching my shy little girl come out of her shell & bloom into this confident, smart kid. Now, here we are... Cai's going into grade 7 next year... "jr. high"... & i feel like in a sense, i've blossomed too ~ into a more confident homeschooling mama. i'll have 4 kiddos officially "in school" next year ~ grades 7, 5, 3 & 1 & i know without a doubt that home is where we need to be next year. Neil & i are always saying that we just take it one year at a time ~ deciding what to do with our children's education ~ but as i'm coming up to the halfway mark with my firstborn, i can see us choosing to keep her at home till the end. i've seen so much good fruit keeping them home & to be honest ~ i really enjoy having them around. They make me laugh ~ they help with the chores, laundry, vacuuming, dishes, babies... i love that their strongest relationships are with each other ~ i can catch bad habits, or disrespect before they become strongholds in their lives.
i know homeschool isn't a great fit for everyone ~ but i'm really glad it has been for us.

A while ago, i wrote a song about motherhood & i sang it at the convention. i see my roll as a mama as a part of the work that God created me for. & i felt myself 'born into' that work during the months of my pregnancy & during my first labour & delivery... & that's where this song came from:

For All That You Created Me
i held her all day long
she smiled at me ~ i sang her a song,
She looked inside my soul
& saw i'd been reborn.

For all that you created me
For all that you created me
For all that you created me,
i'm yours.

In me, i let her grow
protected her from this cruel world
so many in danger there
Lord, listen to my prayer,

For all that you created me
For all that you created me
For all that you created me,
i'm yours.


To bring you glory, Lord
is my highest calling, my greatest goal
To serve you here & now ~
in this home, i sing my song...

For all that you created me
For all that you created me
For all that you created me,
i'm yours