When I was a child, my parents put serious thought into where we would live based on the reputations of the public schools in the area. And I was fortunate to be caught up in a group of achievers with almost endless opportunities. The people I went to school with amaze me with the way they have impacted others positively since high school.

So, when I became a mom and it was time to move to the suburbs, my husband and I also weighed the value of the school district where our babies would grow up to attend school. We picked a house quite near the elementary school in a very well regarded district.

And our children have never stepped foot in that school as students.

It all started simply enough. Each of our children went to Mother’s Day Out first at the church we attended and then at a different church as we re-evaluated our church membership.

I loved that they were learning Bible songs and Bible stories and coming to know Jesus as much as sweet innocent toddlers, and then preschoolers could. I loved that they were getting a very strong foundation but knew that would end one day and we’d have to step it up at home as public school was right around the corner.

But then it became time to move to the public school for kindergarten and we didn’t go. We stayed right at that church school. My husband opposed the standardized test preparation that is so prevalent at public schools in our area. I loved the solid Biblical teaching and individual attention at the church school. And so we stayed. And stayed. And now we are beginning our tenth year at that school.

Our decision to send our kids to a private church school was not one either my husband or I intended ever to make. We were products of public school and enjoyed it and learned. But then we fell in love with an early childhood program and couldn’t bear to leave.

People that know me from my blog, MomsToolbox, often assume I homeschool. As much as I support that form of education for other families, it is not the path that is right for our family… at least not right now.

People who have known me since childhood probably assume I send my kids to public school, and that is not the path that is right for our family… at least not right now.

I love that I live in a country where we have so many options for educating our children and growing our families. And I love the support I gain from my children’s school family, even though we do not attend that church. (We are members of another church almost around the corner.)

Deciding how to educate our children was not a decision we took lightly, although our path there was nearly effortless. I am thankful to have been lead where we are and I don’t believe it was at all by chance.

I love to hear what each of our children is learning in school in the different subjects, and I love discussing their scripture memory each week. (And each December when the entire day school, grades 1- 8, recites all of Luke 2, I do cry in amazement. I’m getting weepy just typing here!) I love hearing how the school is using the chapel offerings each week to change others’ lives in the name of Jesus and I love the small community feeling of the school. My kids have enough space to spread their wings, but are also carefully guided.

For us, church school is the way to go, at least for right now. And our family loves it.

What about you? How do you do school?

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Amy is the Mom behind both Mom’s Toolbox and Mom’s Travel Tales. She is a world traveler — in heart, body, and prayer and enjoys sharing her experiences with others. She regularly hosts the Bible in 90 Days read-along. A mother of three young children, Amy writes to equip moms with tools for success whether at home, abroad or in between.

As my children are getting older and more independent, I cannot help but think back to those first days I was brave enough to venture out of the house to my very first moms’ Bible study group.

I was tired. No, I was EXHAUSTED! And I was overwhelmed with all that came with my new role as a mom. The idea of a tiny little baby being so absolutely reliant and dependent on me was a lot for me to take.

I particularly remember watching a mom with three children, two of whom could actually walk on their own, and thinking that she had arrived. She had made it through the rough patches and yet obviously decided to go at it again since she also held a tiny baby in her arms.

She was my hope.

Now my own three children are 6, 9 and 10 years old and I do feel like I have arrived. They have achieved (somewhat of) independence days!

My sweet children can walk all on their own! They can dress themselves and feed themselves! They can make their own beds and load and unload the dishwasher! And now, even when we don’t get seats together on an airplane trip, I no longer worry. Plus, they make me laugh. They amaze me with so many of their observations. And sometimes they remind me to pray.

My kids truly are gifts from God… and I am only at the very beginning. I cannot wait to see what else they will have in store over the years ahead as they grow.

Now I look at parents of older children and recognize that I am in a sweet spot of parenting. My kids are somewhat independent, and yet they recognize that they still need me. Their lives are still largely intwined in mine and all play dates (which are no longer allowed to be called playdates) are supervised in some way.

As I’ve seen from my days as a foreign exchange host parent, there will come a day when I won’t know everyone they hang out with. They will do things without parents around. They will be forced to make decisions I cannot help with in the moment.
And then they will continue in their independence and truly no longer need me.

It my job to prepare them exactly for that. God picked me and my husband to be their parents to prepare them for a life without us around every day.

And so we talk about fun things and the tough things. We remind them to call out for the Holy Spirit. We remind them to pick up their own toys and put them away. We require them to do jobs around the house as part of our ‘team’ or family.

And they are growing more independent each and every day. And they continue to amaze me.

If you are a mom of a teeny tiny baby and feeling overwhelmed, please remember that you are in the thick of the hard times right now… at least those were hard times for me.

Cling to God and cling to the fact that yes, it will get easier. And yes, you WILL make it. Your children will grow in independence and you will grow more in your confidence as a mom.

If you are a mom of children who have a bit more independence and ability to do things for themselves, think back to those earlier days and realize how far you’ve already come. Then, the next time you see a mom with a teeny tiny baby who might be looking a bit frazzled, let her know that it IS going to be okay. She will make it, too. Encourage her as her own children make it to independence days.

Where are you on the trail to your children becoming independent from you? I’d love to hear your story in the comments…

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Amy is the Mom behind both Mom’s Toolbox and Mom’s Travel Tales. She is a world traveler — in heart, body, and prayer and enjoys sharing her experiences with others. She regularly hosts the Bible in 90 Days read-along. A mother of three young children, Amy writes to equip moms with tools for success whether at home, abroad or in between.

“I promise to always try to remember that you are God’s gift to me.”

That was the last line of the vows my husband and I made to each other when we married.

And, fortunately, I still do see him as a gift… a gift to me and a gift to our children.

My husband is loving, kind, funny, a great provider and generous. I truly believe he was, and is, God’s gift to me. And I do believe he is a gift to our children, as well.

He is the kind of dad that can get the kids all crazy and fired up. He loves to throw little ones in the air and catch them, and, at my daughter’s birthday party when there was a big pile of wrapping paper to be thrown away, and all I could see was a mess, he commanded the girls to go pick up the paper… and then THROW IT IN THE AIR for a dance party!!!

Yes, sometimes he gets them all fired up before bedtime and then I have to unwind all the silliness, but, you know what? It is so totally worth it to have happy children who know beyond a doubt that they are loved.

It is worth it to let his silliness and fun fly and watch my kids giggle and enjoy each other as a family.

But he’s not just all silliness. He does know how to get down to discipline, too. And our kids understand and respect that.

Also, when I might lose my cool, he can often see it coming (sometimes even before I do) and diffuse the situation with a suggestion for me to go take a bath or nap. (And, most of the time, I gladly do.)

Plus he asks the kids tough questions about their school work and about life, and inspires them to really think through their answers. He encourages them to pray.

Sure, there are times when I do get frustrated with him and there are things about him that might not be ideal, but, all in all, he is a great dad and a fantastic teammate.

I think that “fantastic teammate” part is absolutely the best part… and not something that happens by accident. I love knowing we are in this marriage together, working side by side.

God designed Eve to be a helpmate to Adam, and my husband and I see that as a team relationship that we take seriously.

We work together on our marriage and our children’s upbringing. And we trust each other in both.

And because of that, we get to have a lot of fun together, too.

This month Tommy Nelson is featuring Thank You God, for Daddy. It’s a sweet book about a daddy who seems to do those things my husband does– piggy back rides and silly fun stuff, but through all of that, his cub knows he loves him. (Just like I’m sure my kids know.) Check it out for a sweet reminder of the special role your children’s father plays in their lives. And then step back and marvel at that gift you’ve been given, too.

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Amy is the Mom behind both Mom’s Toolbox and Mom’s Travel Tales. She is a world traveler — in heart, body, and prayer and enjoys sharing her experiences with others. She regularly hosts the Bible in 90 Days read-along. A mother of three young children, Amy writes to equip moms with tools for success whether at home, abroad or in between.

What is your family doing this summer?

Do you have plans to launch or complete a project? Will you go on a trip or two near or far away from your home? Will you stay up later, sleep in longer and relax? Is there a mission trip on the horizon? Or maybe a lemonade stand? Or early morning hours of swim practice and meets? Or are you children still tiny and summer hasn’t taken on a new meaning of relaxation for you, yet?

As my children have grown out of the baby stages and into the school ages, I have enjoyed summers with them more and more. I love taking them roller skating, ice skating and hearing them have fun with their friends into the wee hours during sleepovers.

And I really love traveling with them. We are definitely a traveling family, and the summer months bring more trips and more fun… without cramming in the school work.

Often I find summer to be filled with gorgeous ways to explore the wonders of God’s creation together.

This summer I challenge you to create and keep a Wonders of God’s Creation journal.

As you and your children come across God’s fingerprints, whether in a beautiful sunset, a ladybug crawling across the sidewalk or a majestic canyon or coral reef, take a picture and/ or write a few words about what you saw and why you think God chose to share it with you.

You might see wonder in the joy of staying up late, sharing stories with your son, or you might see it in the giggles of your daughter as she tries to tickle you. You might even see it in the most breathtaking scene you can imagine on vacation.

Stop. Take advantage of the lazy days of summer. And record His wonder. I bet you’ll start seeing it more and more each day.

Want to share your journal entries and experiences? Join me on MomsToolbox this summer for a brand new original Bible study: Exploring the Wonders of God’s Creation. We launch in June.

In the meantime, tell us about some of the wonders you have experienced lately right here in the comments…

Want to try out a fun devotional journal for your little girl? Check out My Faith Journal from Tommy!

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Amy is the Mom behind both Mom’s Toolbox and Mom’s Travel Tales. She is a world traveler — in heart, body, and prayer and enjoys sharing her experiences with others. She regularly hosts the Bible in 90 Days read-along. A mother of three young children, Amy writes to equip moms with tools for success whether at home, abroad or in between.

Easter Sunday may be long gone this year, but before we turn the calendar and launch into May… and also throw away what might be left of the candy from the Easter baskets, let’s stop for a minute and remember just what Easter is all about.

If you are anything like me, you might have put in a lot of thought to make Easter mean more than just bunnies and chocolate as the days got closer to Good Friday and Easter Sunday. You probably talked to your kids about the gift Jesus gave us in offering himself for our sins. And hopefully you were just as inspired as I was by my fellow Tommy Mommies great ideas for celebrating with your family.

But once Easter passed, did you carry on that teaching? Did you continue to remind your kids just how BIG a deal Easter really is?

For those of you with kids in school , try to stop for a few minutes this week, before you start going into overdrive in wrapping up the school year and all the activities that entails. And for those without kids in school, take a moment to share, too.

Stop and just talk to your kiddos about Easter one more time.

Ask them what they liked about your family Easter celebration this year.

Ask them if they want to celebrate the same way next year.

And then ask them if they thought your family’s celebration helped them learn anything new about Jesus… or if it helped them to really think about the excitement of His resurrection.

The Resurrection absolutely amazes me and thrills me. I cannot imagine what it must have been like to be one of the few IN THAT TOMB that first Easter morning and be astonished that Jesus’ body was NOT in that tomb. I can’t imagine the astonishment and excitement that must have covered his followers as they put the pieces together and realized that yes, what Jesus had said all along made perfect sense. And he HAD in fact, overcome death. Woah.

Take a few minutes this week, maybe pull out one of your Easter storybooks or the Bible and talk about the Easter story with your children one more time.
Because what happened on that first Easter Sunday is much more than a one-day affair. It changed life, and death, forever.

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Amy is the Mom behind both Mom’s Toolbox and Mom’s Travel Tales. She is a world traveler — in heart, body, and prayer and enjoys sharing her experiences with others. She regularly hosts the Bible in 90 Days read-along. A mother of three young children, Amy writes to equip moms with tools for success whether at home, abroad or in between.