Tuesday’s are “hectic” days, only because we have gymnastics followed by tutoring, which basically dissects our day right in half. Typically that calls for a shorter homeschooling day, which Brooks is always super excited about, and lots of ins and outs of the car, which he isn’t so fond of.

With the school year winding down today wasn’t as hectic as usual, and after yesterday I was super thankful for that. After an easy morning of homeschooling we met up with a friend for lunch. As much as I love Brooksy, and those of you who know me know how attached I am to the little fellow, I love spending some time with people my own age. And spending even one hour with a good friend is sometimes just what I need. Today was such a day. It was good to get out and do something for me.

After lunch we headed to Cove for gymnastics and tutoring. I’m pretty impressed with how quickly Brooks has progressed in his class. His cartwheel is definitely not perfect yet but the boy is perfecting his handstand and was even doing a walking hand stand a few days ago. I keep telling him he’d love the hip hop dance class on post but he’s not entirely convinced that he, himself, doesn’t already know everything he needs to know in that department. Big head, much? Just kidding!

Because I’m a bit of an environmentalist we usually leave our grocery shopping for Tuesdays. I try to condense all our shopping trips as much as possible and only run them when I’m already going to be in that particular area. Tuesdays is Commissary Day only because I’m driving back from Cove and it makes sense to stop by then. That makes our Tuesdays a bit long, but it works. Typically, since we are also passing by the library, we stop there as well, but seeing as how we had ice cream in the car and it was too hot we came home instead. Poor kiddos.

So, we have had a typically typical day here. Due to the yucky, rainy weather we rented a movie after dinner (and ate leftover baked oatmeal from breakfast as dessert). Afterwards, we tried our hands at making our own bouncy balls. A board game and books rounded off our evening.

If anyone wants to try their hand at the bouncy ball, here is the link for the science behind it:

http://www.sciencebuddies.org/mentoring/project_ideas/Chem_p012.shtml

And here is the link with a recipe I liked a bit better:  http://chemistry.about.com/od/demonstrationsexperiments/ss/bounceball_2.htm

We sure do love science around here. Brooks was a bit disappointed because he presumed at first, upon seeing the Borax and gallon of Elmer’s Glue, sitting on the counter, that we were going to make Gak. So I’m assuming that we’ll get to that at some later point this week. Only because the disappointed etched into his freckled face melted my heart.

Backtracking a bit, I have to say that I am daily, honestly and truly, daily edified by the women I have met during our homeschooling journey. When we began homeschooling I really took it for granted. Brooks was so little, if I would have placed him in daycare really that’s all it would have been. And then when he became a preschooler, I still didn’t see what a blessing it was to be his teacher. I was having so much fun teaching him that I didn’t look beyond that. When he was finally “supposed” to go to school and we chose to homeschool I finally realized what a true blessing it was, how blessed we were to be able to teach him at home.

This year was quite different from years past in that I became involved with a different homeschool group where there has been so much support. All of a sudden I began to see homeschooling in a different light, but more importantly, I’ve been surrounded by these amazingly strong women, who are strong Christians as well, and who really edify me. I love their advice and stories and suggestions. We may not all have the same ideas on parenting or homeschooling or nutrition, the list goes on and on, but I see the support and respect accorded to everyone and I love that.

And I love that Brooks has been able to spend so much time with other kiddos who share in his faith. Brooks understands that not everyone believes the things he does. We have frank conversations about those types of things, among so many others. He’s so curious and inquisitive some of the things we’ve discussed crack me up at times. But Brooks is also wears his faith on his sleeve because God is so real to him that even if other’s don’t believe He’s the reason behind so many things, for him, it is what it is. His faith is so simple and so deep and far reaching that it awes me at times. I love his prayers so much because when he prays he prays with such faith, he’s beyond expectation, he knows God will answer.

So today while I was upstairs homeschooling, Brooksy and the boys were playing outside with Nerf guns. Apparently one of the boys got shot in the eye with a dart and was in a bit of pain. Instantly Brooks rushed to help and offered words of encouragement that everything would be fine. After calling in the Mom’s he prayed over his friend, his eye and his pain, with the faith that the pain would subside quickly, that his friend would not be harmed, and that all would be well.

When they later told me the story I remember looking at him and thinking that my faith is so much weaker. How I wish that my faith was even half as strong as his, that disbelief or uncertainty would melt away, and the steadfast strength afforded by such simple faith would hold me up in uncertain times.

Just today as I watched Brooks work on the balance beam in gymnastics I mentioned despondently that my foot certainly wasn’t going to be healed anytime soon and that it looked like it would surely be a year before I felt like myself again. One of my fellow homeschoolers admonished me and reminded me to have faith, to believe in fast healing, to being in God’s timing.

The simple faith of a child. I know Brooks will hold on steadfast to his. I love it when I learn such sweet lessons from my own child.