Classic Hilton's

When your job is to homeschool your three children, you end up spending a lot  of time together. Of course close sibling relationships is one of the benefits of our school of choice, so this is not a bad thing. But let's be real. All that quality time together means that eventually somebody is going to get on someone else's nerves! The other day I read a passage of Scripture that hit so close to home I laughed out loud. Maybe other mom's here can relate.  In Numbers 12, Miriam and Aaron, the big brother and sister of Moses, start complaining because Moses has a foreign wife.  Now this isn't new information to them.  He didn't go out for a weekend to blow off steam and come home married or anything. But all of a sudden Miriam and Aaron are bugged by it and start complaining, so the mother in me knows they were just trying to pick a fight. I love the end of verse two: "And the Lord heard them." In my home, I do my best not to referee every single ...

He tends his flock like a shepherd: He gathers the lambs in his arms and carries them close to his heart; he gently leads those that have young. Isaiah 40:11 (NIV)  I can't help but chuckle over the tender ways God deals with me.  It is not easy to describe what has been going on in my heart and head, but I suppose the best way is to say that so many of my dreams have come true or changed that I don't quite know what to dream about anymore. I know that sounds ridiculously hopeless which is not at all how I mean it because I know I have so much life to look forward to. I guess it's just in the vein of personal development...soul nourishment...what is my place outside of wife and mother?  I could go into a lot more detail here, but for now I think I'll leave it and just say that I have questions and I've been seeking the Lord about them. So then there is Grayson. Sweet, tenacious, four year old, control-freak Grayson. All of my children like plans, but Grayso...

Crazy. Sometimes life is just crazy.  For example, yesterday Madi and Grayson came downstairs where I was making lunch to inform me that they had beans up their noses.  See, we have a sensory bin. It's a large, flat tub that I keep filled with things like dried beans, corn, or rice. We pull it out when we need a little extra fun and the kids can dig around and play. It's obnoxious to clean up, but otherwise a great activity. We have had it in our home for the last two years and have NEVER had an issue with it. I guess we were due.  So Grayson plugged up his nostril and blew his bean out, no problem. However, Madi, who is only three, did not quite understand the concept of "blow" being different from "suck". Even so, it almost came out, but then she sucked it back up into her nose. We called the doctor, packed up Brooklyn's school work and headed out. (I very nearly left the house with the stove on and my grilled cheese sandwich cooking, but remembe...

It has been two years since I last published something, though certainly not since I've had something to say!  My brain is simply brimming over with thoughts that I want to get out, but for the moment I want to reflect on where we are versus where we have been. My hope in the coming months is to write more regularly and to capture our homeschooling journey on these pages. Perhaps they will be a comfort to a mom in similar circumstances or an inspiration to someone who wants to homeschool but doesn't know where to start. Or maybe they will just be a personal record of who we are and what we're up to at any given point in history and someday my great grandchildren will find it and get a better sense of who they are!  We moved to Pennsylvania about 15 months ago so that Ray could work as an actor in Moses  at Sight and Sound Theaters. It was an incredible experience that has led to many wonderful changes for our family. He was blessed with a second contract to be in the ...

Once upon a time, I happened upon a job that I liked. Initially I took a "no thought required" job in payroll, and within a short amount of time was promoted to a leadership position in Human Resources.  I liked the work (even if the company made me crazy) and I think I was good at it. In it I saw possibilities for my future, places I could grow to. In addition to the regular paycheck and benefits, I received a very regular boost to my self-esteem in the form of well received completed tasks and accolades from co-workers and superiors alike.  I left that job 10 months ago and my new job is much, much harder. I have greater responsibility, the hours are worse, the money is not as good, and I don't get those pats on the back, at least not as often as I used to.  Sometimes I miss HR. I was miserable at that job, don't get me wrong. But sometimes I miss the clear cut expectations, the rules that were easy to follow, and the sense that I was doing something right wit...

So, Brooklyn and I are walking around my favorite grocery store, Publix. While I looked at make up, she looked at tooth brushes and since hers is starting to get icky, I told her she could get one. She held it as we gathered the other items on our list. We put all of the groceries in the cart on the conveyor belt and checked out. Brooklyn's job when we check out is to hold the car keys and she does this marvelously! So it wasn't until we were out at the car and I asked her for the keys that I noticed the toothbrush still in her hands.  We realized our mistake and went back inside to pay for it. The cashier laughed at us a little, but in the end all was well! Brooklyn and I are back on the path of righteousness and her teeth will be clean tonight!