Learning and Teaching

One thing we do often in our home is listen to Pandora. If given the chance, my kids like to choose one of the Walt Disney stations. When I was making dinner (mac and cheese with Brussels sprouts), a Tarzan song played with this quote:

“In learning you will teach, and in teaching you will learn.”
~ Phil Collins

And I was standing at the stove whisking my roux and thinking, "YES!"

I think this must be true in most aspects of life, but when I became a mother, I never expected to learn so much from my children. (I don't know why it didn't occur to me how much they would teach me, because when I was a therapist, I was continually amazed at the depth of the statements some children would make.)

When I was first contemplating these words, I was mainly thinking of homeschool. Homeschool has taught me so much about myself AND my kids. What works for us and what doesn't. What to say to those who discourage homeschool. How it is such a blessing to have this opportunity to teach my children at home. But then I realized that these words are directly applicable to my life in general. Every day, when I pray, I pray to set a good example for my children, to teach them how to love, to pray, to respect, to write their names, to brush their teeth, etc. I also pray that others see Jesus shining through me. (Some moments are better than others.) What an honor it would be to teach someone about Christ's love just by being me. By being kind. By sharing a smile or a hug. By whispering when I want to shout. By doing what is right for my children....myself....my family....

Now I am thinking about being a student. I've always been quite eager, academically. My love of learning has never stopped. I still enjoy my books and pursing knowledge, but I have learned that "learning" means so much more! I would say that LIFE is one big lesson!

We're people. Don't we all learn from one another, each and every day?

Giving my Husband some Props

A good friend of mine on facebook had this as her status today:

"What makes me a strong woman? The man standing beside me, standing steady, even during my weak moments."

I know for me, without a shadow of a doubt, this is a billion percent true!


I'd be lost without him.

I'd like to think he'd be lost without me too. "It takes two, baby...."

We're meant to be, yes it is true.

Christian has known this since age 6. It took me a while to catch on.

Praise God for guiding my heart. I think I always KNEW, but was so stubborn. I think I exhausted every possible excuse (and dated some....jerks....along the way) for not dating Christian.....

Christian.

He was ALWAYS there to catch me in every bad situation.

Hey, he's still there. Except now I have a slip of paper making it legal! ;-) haha!

I'm always the one melting down. He's the one who glues me back together, sweeps the floor, and even steam cleans it sometimes....

In a world where the divorce rate is climbing and many people seem so unhappy in their relationships...I'm thankful for my marriage. Every day, I feel a little sad when Christian leaves for work, and I'm (almost) always thrilled to see him when he gets home. After the kids are down plowing him down!

Someone recently mentioned that getting away without our kids would add some spice to our marriage. (This was unsolicited parenting advice from a nonparent when I mentioned that my kids have never had an overnight stay anywhere.) I'm happy to say...we're content. We're spicy enough hanging out in our sweats (well, usually jeans for Christian) and sharing a bowl of popcorn while playing a board game...which if he is smart, Christian lets me win!! (haha) Boring does not mean the same thing as BORED.

Oh...and being a good dad....sexier than any vacation, as far as I'm concerned.

I'm out of words. My heart explodes when I think about him. Nothing would make me prouder than my sons to grow up to be just like their dad, and for my little girls to marry men like Christian.

My cousin captured this "look" between us. I could have avoided the rest of this post just by posting:

Yep, we're in love.