Showing posts with label Telos Living. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Telos Living. Show all posts
Who Am I?


Hi! I am Nicole, wife to one amazing man, mom to three beautiful, inside and out, kiddos, and most importantly, a sold out passionate follower of Jesus Christ. Once upon a time I had this blog...and then life, kids, homeschooling, self doubt, and everything else crept in and I stepped away. But God has been so faithful! He continues to faithfully and painstakingly mold me into His image every day. As the days, months, and yes, years have passed, I have often missed sharing what is happening in my heart, family, and homeschool . . . so I am back and we have a new look . . .

What is Telos Living?



The name of our homeschool is Telos Christian Academy. Telos is the greek word for end, goal, or purpose. Basically it sums up in one word what I and my family are about. We believe in living life-- all of it-- family relationships, friendships, church, activities, sports, homeschooling...all of it, to the Glory of God. Like most families, we are busy, I spend half my day in the car chauffeuring children to one sport or the other, but it is my heart's desire that whether my kids are practicing gymnastics or memorizing Scripture, that they know that every breathe we take should have a purpose in advancing the Kingdom of God. This idea is the foundation of everything we do-- every parenting decision, every homeschool lesson, every field trip...every step we take should take us one step closer to Jesus. We live our lives everyday with the Telos at the forefront of our minds. Living to the glory of God is Telos Living!

Thank you for joining our family as we walk the bumpy road of life and I share our journey of homeschooling, parenting, and Telos Living. Some days are amazing, and others we seem to get stuck in a ginormous pothole...but our goal is that all of them are lived to the Glory of God!
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Chlorine, sunscreen, laughter, and smiles. The sights and sounds of summer.



During the school year, all too often I am "homeschool" mom. Focused on math and reading, history and science. I tend to be task oriented in nature and work hard to overcome that for my kids. I can often overcome by making relationship a task. I know that sounds crazy for those of  you who are relationship oriented, but I have to schedule things like forts and baking . . . I know it is important to my kids, so I make it important to me. It doesn't happen naturally. I have to be intentional. And it is easy to be distracted from that which is important...

We are in our first full week of summer. The older two have swimming lessons every morning for a few weeks. How we spend the beginning of every summer . . . swimming and playing with friends. Movie nights, read alouds, those projects we didn't get to this year (that crazy model castle I am wishing we still hadn't gotten to!), staying up late,  lazy mornings, free bowling, $1 movies. I love summer time. Not just because my to do list isn't full of "school," but because the first and foremost priority on my summer to do list is "enjoy my kids."

Yes, that is always my priority. But summer tends to put everything in perspective. It's time to breathe. Less distractions. Time to smile at those precious little people that are mine. 

 I am ignoring the messy house today. It can wait. This summer I will paint with them, I will get in the pool and not sit on the side. I will bowl with them, laugh with them, read to them, get messy and sweaty with them, put the iPhone and iPad down, and take advantage of the relationships of summer.

The Relationships of Summer

by on 10:43 AM
Chlorine, sunscreen, laughter, and smiles. The sights and sounds of summer. During the school year, all too often I am "homeschoo...
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Stop the ride! I want to get off! Those were the words I spoke to my dh last Friday. And those words explain why I have been absent from blogland the last couple of months. After a family tragedy, a missions conference, a week of teaching ESL, a tragedy adventure I have nonaffectionately named the licecapades, out of town family visiting, and numerous other events of both positive and negative nature. . . I am getting off the ride! 




We have been schooling, but in the midst of chaos there have been far too many weeks of just getting the basics of math and LA done. We are having a history heavy week this week and trying to catch up on some read alouds. Next week we will do the same with science.

A few highlights from January and February!

Math:
C finshed RS A in January and began MM1


E began MM 3A

 LA: E just finished All About Spelling 3 and started AAS 4 this week. We dropped Writing With Ease 2 in January in favor of using the WWE text to implement writing across the curriculum and mainly using narration/dication/and copywork from our current read aloud. (I am still trying to get my feet under me with this.)

E is loving using the Kindle Fire in homeschooling. I have loaded games and videos, but also just put on Writing With Ease passages, and First Language Lessons so she can follow along on her own and use the PDF annotator when applicable. She loves it!


History and Science: oh goodness we are behind here! I am currently trying to make it so we can finish in May but not rush through anything...all while still trying to enjoy the ride! (yeah, not easy, but I am doing my best!)


We had a trip to the Orlando Science Museum which was a blast! 
C particularly enjoyed the Star Wars exhibit.


We visited downtown Disney while in Orlando and went to the kids Orlando faves: 
 T Rex Restaurant and the Lego Store! 


Always the gymnast! 



C started Upward basketball, and LOVES it!!!


A trip to LegoLand and the County Fair. All three continue to be adrenaline junkies!!!


A few dance parties on the table and counters...I mean, why not?!? 




AND J TURNED 3!!!!!!
Happy Birthday J!!!!



She was excited for her pony/camping birthday party!


Her aunt made her a crazy awesome cake! 


The kids were in a commercial for their Papa's company...


Phewwww.... a whirlwind start to the new year! I was more than ready for some structure and stability this week, and am thoroughly enjoying it! You should hear some more from me as I dust off my blog and join you all back in blogland! I have missed it!

Stop the Ride!

by on 4:09 PM
Stop the ride! I want to get off! Those were the words I spoke to my dh last Friday. And those words explain why I have been absent from...
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I can't be the only one that struggles with the blurred lines of mom verses homeschool mom. How much of my time do I spend planning, researching, preparing, teaching, and doing projects. I have even come to view regular childhood activities like the park, children's museum, cooking, baking, and read alouds as part of the "curriculum." The amount of pressure mom's already put on themselves is absurd, then you add on their child's education, socialization, college options, and future career options to the list -- daunting is an understatement.

I wake up with the goal of getting the children moving to start school in a timely manner. We move through the day checking off the planner, going to the activities on the calendar, check, check, check...

I often fail to get laundry done during the week or leave a load long enough in the washer it has to be rerun the next day, and most of the cleaning happens on the weekends. My toddler gets way too little attention, and my mind is never still. By the time I have researched and planned curriculum for one year it is time to start planning for the next! I strive to teach and correct, but I still want them to know I am their biggest fan.

Sometimes homeschooling can seem all consuming. Sometimes, I just need to focus on being a mom. This week we had regular schoolwork, Operation Christmas Child packing, Lego class, music class, gymnastics, piano lessons, play dates, meetings, and a few doctors visits thrown in. However, in the midst of the scheduled chaos, I tried to find time to just be a mom. Time to play with friends, cuddle, read books not on the schedule, play at the park, cook together, paint finger and toe nails, make some new Pinterest recipes, dance and sing at music class and enjoy it instead of thinking ahead to all I have to do when I get home.


Yes, we still homeschooled. I still taught. We did math, language arts, history, and more science than we have done in awhile. We finished a math chapter I have been avoiding like the plague because of all the mess it would entail. It got done, and I enjoyed so much of it.

Yes, we finished science at 8 pm last night because of a doctors appointment, a trip to Chik Fil A, Spanish immersion class, and dinner with grandma. And I am OK with that. We might not have gotten in all four scheduled days of spelling, but we did progress, and we took a week to remember we are a family who homeschools, not a "homeschool family."  I am a mom who homeschools, not a "homeschool mom." Yes, I teach math, cursive, and how to read; and yes, I correct and assign, but I also love, cuddle, encourage, play, and even cook and clean. Sometimes I just need a break from my role as home teacher, and remember that my students only have one mom and she shouldn't disappear just because there is school work to be done.

Finishing Week 14 at the park!

Mom vs. Homeschool Mom

by on 9:02 PM
I can't be the only one that struggles with the blurred lines of mom verses homeschool mom. How much of my time do I spend planning, res...
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I love the sound of my children. No, not screaming, crying, whining, or complaining... Yes those sounds are present (all too) often, but yesterday as I had a few hours to myself, it was quiet. Too quiet. As parents we often long for quiet. Don't get me wrong, I enjoyed it. But the moment the garage door opened and the sound of running feet and giggles filled the house, I couldn't help but smile.

All day long I tell them to be quiet, no screaming, and hush. Whining is like nails on a chalkboard and I cannot put a number on how many times a day I say, "I will hear you when your voice sounds like mine." But the truth is those are the sounds of being little, and those sounds just won't last long enough.


As J and I cuddled up this morning and the daddy tickle monster caught us hiding under the covers... These are the sounds of joy. The sounds of giggles and laughter. I want these to be the sounds of my home. Laughter not tears. Giggles not shouts, affirmation not criticism. Feet running towards me, not away. These are the sounds of littles.

I want our home to be filled with the sounds of joy. I know life happens. Children cry and whine, and discipline is necessary. But I want to choose to laugh more. Put down the phone and iPad and choose to play, tickle, and chase. Choose to call them close and not send them off to play. Hold them a little longer, a little tighter. Smile more, laugh more, choose joy more. Because the sounds of littles will be gone before I know it.
"I will turn their mourning into joy;
I will comfort them, and give them gladness for sorrow." Jeremiah 31:13

The Sounds of Little

by on 9:44 AM
I love the sound of my children. No, not screaming, crying, whining, or complaining... Yes those sounds are present (all too) often, but yes...
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"Do you have to teach Bible?"
Now while I know what people are really asking when they pose this question is do we have to have Bible as a "subject"? I am always amazed and slighty perplexed when I read or hear the question  More than being perplexed by the question, I am astonished at how often I hear the answer "No, reading the Bible is enough. You don't want to do too much or be overwhelmed." Really? Would you consider just reading your history book? Science book? Grammar book? Of course not. While there is much to be gleaned from just "reading" we must interact and engage the material to really ingest and apply it.

Should you teach Bible as a "school" subject?
I think this is the wrong question. What else do you have to teach that is more important?

As a Christian a Biblical worldview and Biblical literacy is THE most important thing I teach my children. While I desire to pursue academics hand in hand with Biblical literacy and deep character training, the truth is, in my mind, my One Magnificent Obsession in life is not teaching my children the 3 R's but the Gospel of Jesus Christ. I want them to be passionately in love with Jesus and following Him with their whole heart and mind. It is to that end I teach math, reading, and writing.

I am so very passionate about this topic. We live in a culture of Christianity that is Biblically illiterate, and the church is evidence of this. 80% of churched teenagers leave the church at eighteen and never come back. We as Christian parents need to step up and say my child will not be a statistic. By God's grace I will do all I can to assure my children are firmly founded in the Word of God and that the Bible plays not just a role in our homes, but a central role. It is the foundation by which we do all things: make decisions, choose curriculum, choose friends, organize our time, spend our money, choose careers, colleges, and spouses. If the Bible is the basis for such life altering decisions, we should KNOW the Bible, right? Not just stories but the intricacies and doctrines, the people whose lives are offered as examples, and the message of the Gospel on which we hinge everything in our lives.

I had a very wise homeschool mom tell me once when I was tearing my hair out choosing curriculum, that as she looked back on those early years with her kids, the one thing she got right was making Bible the most important thing she did. Even if nothing else got done that day, the teaching of the Bible was the most important thing. I have adapted this mentality. Does that mean we only teach Bible? No, but if I had to choose one thing to do, that would be it.

Does Family Worship replace the need for Bible as a class?
No. Family worship is important but for our family we delineate between family worship and Bible study. During family worship we do our catechism questions, read a portion of Scripture, sing a song and pray. It is more devotional in nature whereas deep Bible study happens during Bible as a subject time.

How do you have time for all of it?
Martin Luther once said “I have so much to do that I shall spend the first three hours in prayer.” This is how I feel about studying the Bible. How can we fully grasp the truth of anything without the Truth? You make time for what you prioritize, and in our home we prioritize the study of the Bible. 

What about if my kids are in Christian school?
So, we are not all homeschoolers. What if your kids attend Christian school? They have Bible class already, so should you do more? Christian schools and churches are to come alongside you as parents to teach the Bible, not substitute you. Do you know what your children are learning in Bible class? That teacher is just a another person, be sure you are checking in on the doctrine and interpretations being offered your child. On the day of judgment it will be your responsibility not your child's Bible teacher or Sunday school teacher. Discuss with your kids what they are learning about the Bible and be sure they are founded in Truth. Be sure to be practicing family worship and prioritizing the Word in your home.

What about if my kids are in public school?
If you have made the choice to put your child in public school, consider this quote by Voddie Baucham.  If we send our children to public school "we shouldn't be surprised when they come home wearing the enemy's uniform and charging the hill of our home waving the enemy flag." Now I do not say this to say no one should put their child in public school, I quote this so you see the urgency of establishing a Biblical worldview and Biblical literacy in your children. The teaching of God's Word to your children is the responsibility of the parent no matter where they go to school.

If it is that important why don't we do it?
This section is not going to win me any brownie points because I plan to be rather blunt. If you were to assess and compare two solid moral families today, one Christian, one not, what would you find? One attends church, prays before meals, and before bed. There would hopefully be some accidental conversation about Jesus, God, and the righteous life at some point, but most of the time it is not intentional.

This is not enough. We spend too much time on everything else that is temporal, and not a fraction of what we should on the eternal. We need to be intentional. Every day we must get up and intentionally build a foundation of Truth in our children, establish a worldview in them in which they will filter truth and stand firm even when they leave our care.

Does this mean we never just READ the Bible?
Certainly not. In my own personal Bible study time sometimes I do deep study surrounded by commentaries, Bible dictionaries, and other study tools, and other times I just read so that the Holy Spirit can furrow His Word into my heart. There is a time to simply read and meditate on God's Word, but meditation always takes deeper root when it falls upon tilled soil.

Be intentional 
Model a love for God's Word in your own heart. Be a lover of the Word and allow your kids to catch your excitement. Read it, study it, memorize it. Feast on it. Treat God's Word with more care than your math book. Give it more time and attention. Establish the role of the Bible in your home knowing that the fruit of it is eternal.
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Heavenly Father,

As I wake up today may you grant me eyes to see as you see.
May I see children that are treasures from you on loan to me.
May I handle their tender hearts with gentle care.
May I smile at their mistakes, laugh at their jokes,
Cry with their tears, and hug their fears.
May the words that I speak build them up and not tear them down.
May my touch declare Your love.
Help me to Choose joy and not criticism,
Peace not strife.
Today may I teach children and not curriculum.
Seek the completion of your will and not mine.
Seek the transforming of their minds not only the filling.
Seek heart connection and not simply knowledge retention.
May all that I teach and all that they learn be single in purpose--
To impart a love and passion for You.
May we do our best in all things not for our own pride but for Your Glory.
Tonight as I tuck them in,
May I know that as I have required their best, I have given mine.
I am so grateful for, yet humbled by the responsibility entrusted to me.
By the constant filling of your Holy Spirit,
May I be worthy of the calling you have placed upon me. 

A Homeschool Mom's Prayer

by on 9:38 AM
Heavenly Father, As I wake up today may you grant me eyes to see as you see. May I see children that are treasures from you on loan ...
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Our summer of starting 52.4.Him has not looked anything like I had imagined. We have not been as consistent as I would have liked and the summer was simply chaotic. However, the biggest change I have noticed from this is our perspective. Perspective is the overarching theme of 52.4.Him. --Creating an atmosphere that trains our hearts and our children's hearts to seek out and meet the needs of others. I have seen a shift in our homeschool group towards serving this year, and other friends and family, as well as in our own home. Maybe it is not every week as I wanted, but we are moving in that direction. And as I told C this morning, "we reward hard work not tangible achievement!"

This summer I had the privilege of visiting New York City and New Orleans. I was quickly reminded of how "easy" it was to do ministry when we lived in New Orleans. Needs are everywhere. In our current location, needs are certainly everywhere, they just look different and you have to look for them. I find myself constantly praying, Lord, give me eyes to see and ears to hear as You do.  This is exactly where He wants me. Seeking Him for where to place each step.


Sometimes as a stay at home mom, my perspective can get skewed. I know my primary ministry is to my family, my children and my husband, but it shouldn't stop there. I want to raise children that are aware of the world around them. To see others the way God sees them. To have a worldview bigger than themselves-- rooted in God's Word and yearning for the nations.


As we were in New Orleans, it was so easy to slip into an attitude of begging God to place me back in an area where ministry is "easy." But that isn't where He has me right now. He has me in a house in a subdivision in my hometown. The very last place I always thought I would be. Give me the inner city, give the village in South America or Africa. But here? I never imagined here. Yet, this is where I am. And this is where God has called me and my family to serve.


So we diligently see out opportunities to serve as a family. This summer, we had the privilege of hosting 2 exchange students for a few weeks. What a great way to serve! As I have heard it recently: "A reverse mission trip." We got to show love as a family and share our faith in word and deed. Opening my kids eyes to the intercultural world of which we are a part, showing them that there are people different than them and God's love and ours is to be shared.


In a time where Cuba is sending missionaries to the U.S., what are U.S. Christians doing to further the Gospel? Moms, what are you doing? Homeschool moms, what an amazing opportunity we have to infiltrate the minds and bodies of our children with service to others, meeting needs and making disciples. I want my prayer to be every morning, Lord, make me a Great Commission mom. A mom with a heart for her children and for the nations. A heart that seeks to make an impact inside and outside my home. Reaching the nations one day and one heart at a time.

Great Commission Moms

by on 11:57 AM
Our summer of starting 52.4.Him has not looked anything like I had imagined. We have not been as consistent as I would have liked and the su...
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