Parenting From the Heart, written by Marilyn Boyer (BOOK REVIEW)

Good Tuesday Morning Everyone,

Hoping that each of you had a fabulous weekend, if your from Canada a Happy belated Canada Day to you all, and if your from the USA then an Early Happy Fourth of July!

I was honored and privileged to be selected to review a book from a wonderful author. A little background of how I came across this author, her family, her business/ministry.....

A year ago a dear dear friend of ours from our church that we love so very very much in Maple Ridge, BC (Fraser Valley Baptist) gave me a workbook on the book of Proverbs. I loved it so very much that I told my husband that the next years ordering for Homeschool I will have to research other workbooks like it. You see I had already pre ordered for this present year.

So this year before pulling out my list, I started researching and I was amazed at this family's dedication to the Lord, for their convictions and for their God gifted talent for writing amazing material that is so unique and so educational and specifically written with God first.

http://www.characterconcepts.com/store/

 

 

So now that I gave you my introduction to the how's lets see what this book is all about......

 

 

First of all, I am one that no matter what I believe that God uses so many different avenues to speak to each of us in different ways and when we need it the most. I also firmly believe that not one single person is a perfect parent or perfect person. We all are human beings, we all have flaws and we all will fall short at one point or another. I believe its what you do with that particular knowledge that will make you a better parent and a better. I believe in always always reading, reading material that is going to give you a real perspective and also lines up with your beliefs and your home.

Remember not everything is going to work, but you take what you can and you try. Your children will always see that you want to always learn and align your lives with your own convictions and beliefs!

 

Parenting from the Heart, is a real book, about a real family, with real struggles and with real hardships! A great loss within family, great joy, great faith and a great ability to have faith and learn and walk on!

 

I found that upon reading the pages, the words jump off and into my heart, as if God guided Marilyn's hand in writing just for me, just for my struggles, just for my situations! The chapters are wonderfully written and smoothly transition from one to the next with ease. As a woman, as a wife, as a mother  and as a homeschooling mama/teacher, I found this book soooo helpful and relieving. I laughed, I burst into tears, I felt sorrow, pain and the Lords love through each page. I felt renewed and that I really can do this. Sometimes us, mama's get tired or frustrated and God gives us a book like this to encourage, strengthen and showcase that He is there and He holds us dear!

 

I needed to read this book, I loved this book, and I have to say that it helped me so very much. I will say no more than that for I believe this book and this amazing Sister in Christ, speak volumes for themselves.

 

I pray that you are able to read this book, and that it is as uplifting and encouraging to you as it was to me.

 

 I would like to add, I have in no way been paid for this review. I received the book and a worksheet in exchange for my review. The opinions I have shared are 100% my own and how I personally feel!

 

Have an amazing and spaztastic week,

Stacey Homemaker~

 



Whats in a Language......Whats in my own.....Part 3

Good Afternoon, Photography courtesy of Shelly Boyd

 



 Good Afternoon,
Praying that today is filling your heart with joy and gratefulness that we are almost into the summer!

We left off with my failure of my first Nyselxcin class....and if you remember correctly I learned quite a bit from and it was the harder class to begin with! :)

In January, my eldest daughter and I began Nyselxcin Naqs which is the beginner course for our language. I loved this class. Now by no means was this class easier. LOL! This language has a lot of guttural sounds, clicking, even the way you breathe is a specific sound when that sound comes out.

I am telling you this was harder to learn than singing for me. The joy I received from learning our language is indescribable. I felt that I fit in, I was welcomed, I belonged and in time I could really be good at it.

At this point I am now feeling not the overwhelmed anxieties of who I was because a piece of my heritage was molding with in my heart. This class was being taught by a wonderful woman, whom believes that anyone wanting to learn should be encouraged and helped as much as you can. Both her and our elder teacher are the most amazing women. I have to say I have never met two woman work so hard for something, with such passion and strength and love. These two taught me so much about myself and about where I came from. The knowledge is priceless and I can never repay them for the price would be far to high. They are worth so much to me.

 

You see our language was going extinct and from the efforts of a few (but growing now) people they are growing, thriving and teaching. I am so proud of all of the hours or effort behind the scenes that go un noted, un documented. The Hours the amazing ppl put in writing proposals, record audio, writing booklets for our amazing children, songs, curriculum, stories......I know from personal experience how much they work. I have to say each one of them deserves a medal for how much they do!

This class we  as an entire class were able to get to lesson 10 before the time was up. And this class I passed!

By this time I was so blessed with many friends and family. I was blessed with my children learning this gorgeous language that comes from our heritage.

 

 

We learned greetings, numbers, food, family tree, and so much more. It made me want to become bilingual and teach my other children as well. So all that summer we practiced until even my 3 and 1 year old understood the words from the lessons 1-10 at least to hear and understand.

 

 

At this time I was trying to obtain my status.....because my parents were so young when I was born there were a lot of misunderstandings yuppers some arguments and what have you, so when I was little I did not receive my status.

 

When I was in high school because alot of stressful situations and fighting occurred again I was unable to get my status.

 

 

When I was born my father was never added to my birth certificate. Which poses a problem when I am older and trying to get my status.

 

As it stands INAC requires that your birth certificate says who the father is. This is just to apply for your status.

 

Because of difficult situations with my mother this was a stressful, hurtful, and extrememly emotional painful process to go through.

Also, I live in the city in which my parents were when they got pregnant with me and where a lot of their growing  up was!

 

So you can imagine stories and rumours and so much else! It was very scary and even some things from my mother made me question whether my dad was my dad.....

 

 

It was an extremely traumatic situation with a fair amount of stress. My beautiful, thoughtful, caring loving husband, God and good friends and family really saw me through it!

 

We got the paternity test and it came back 99.999% my dad was mine!!!!!!!!!!!:) :) 

The relief was indescribable. It was wonderous! Unfortunatley,INAC said they needed my birth certificate changed...and wouldn't you know it! In order for my bc. to be changed my birth mother had to sign the live birth registration for it to be changed......

A door closed, slammed shut frustration, agony, anger my resolve was now slowly falling. Seeking God for strength, endurance and perseverance.

God sent me my husbands love, my husbands grace for my emotions, my husbands arms to hold me through the tears, my husbands ears to listen to the crying, the anger, the disappointment the fear and my husbands amazing faith in God our Creator to hold me steadfast and on the path!

God gave me my amazing Husband!

Well, for today I feel that will be enough. I have talked your eyes off lots probably.
Until next post,
may you be blessed today and may today you equally be a blessing to others.
Stacey Homemaker~

Photography by Shelly Boyd,
www.salishschoolofspokane.org
www.interiorsalish.com

Whats in a Language....Whats in My own......Part 2

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f2FIXyvfD_c

Way', (hello)!

I am praying that today is a day that you have been gifted the ability to enjoy our beautiful creation. That when you woke up this morning you could count at least one item to be thankful for!

The above link, is to a song that people in the Nyselxcin Language have for a Greeting song. I love this song. I am currently putting it into my preschool program for my two youngest children in the Fall.

So, yesterday we left off on my family and I moving to a gorgeous Valley and starting to come into knowledge of our Heritage!

Through some stressful, thankful, tearful and frightening events we as a family needed to switch up our roles. My husband was unable to find work here in the Valley. The work here is so different than what he has ever seen. For you see my gorgeous 6 foot 3 inches Blonde haired hubby is a city man! Through and Through....(he used to iron his jeans lol).

It was a tough go. We were blessed with my Dad giving my family a place to stay, while we found our feet. So, I found a job. I was terrified. You see I went to college when I was 18 I graduated with a 3.99 GPA in Legal Office Administration Assistant, doubling with a Accelerated program for Office Administration Assistant, but.....that was 6 years before this time. And I had gotten pregnant before I was able to get a job in the workforce.

I found myself sitting at a Desk in a First Nations Immersion Band School. I saw the culture, the language, the people, the children and fell in Love. This new journey had just begun......now don't get me wrong. Working in any job full time for me is not what or how I want our lives to be. My prayer is that we are blessed with myself at home raising and training and educating our beautiful miracles and doing the best we can. For this season in our life I went to work. And we feel nothing wrong with that.

We also were blessed with our third pregnancy during this time. So while I was on Mat. Leave our eldest daughter and I were able to attend a language class.

We had an amazing time, being taught by one of the Elder's and an amazing teacher. We learned, and loved so much this language. Now do not get me wrong this language is one of the hardest, confusing, and at times down right nerve wracking I have ever attempted to learn. But in my heart I found peace. I found a new meaning to the word language. Falling in love with words and teaching my children became an everyday at thing a passion that started deep with in.

Now believe me, this language and culture is a beautiful and most unique entity. I have had so many welcoming, joyful and heartfelt moments over learning this language that words cannot even describe.

Now I took one of the harder courses first. Now....boy although I had so much fun I don't recommend doing the harder course on anything before you do the beginner course. Although, it was so much fun, and I learned so much. The road was difficult and a wee stressful at times.

This also the first time in my life that I had completely failed at something. I went strong into our final exam at a 73% I studied hard. I thought I had this in the bag.....then the final came and oh boy my brain turned upside down and eeeeeeek.

I read the questions wrong. I translated from Nyselxcin into English instead of reading the Nyselxcin and then answering in Nyselxcin....Oh Nelly I tell ya. It was not the easier thing.

When I got that test back.....I wept and I smiled. For I may have failed the course but in the lessons that I gleaned while learning.....This journey was just beginning. :)

When I was growing up. I really didn't learn what parenting was..
I honestly thought it was something to survive and not something that continues through to thrive.

While in this first course...my teacher was (and is) such an amazing role model. The lessons I gleaned from our conversations really helped me grow as a mother, and as a woman. Our Elder teacher gave me the gift of imperfection. You see I am somewhat of a perfectionist. Specially in academics(for reasons that will have to wait for another post). For this beautiful, patient, wonderment of a woman gave me the time, strength and encouragement to practice and that time is what counts and not perfections.

For anyone that knows me, knows that I am my own hardest critic, my own worst grader, and also my own best optimist...for everyone else that is....
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FQzKJkHJz_U
The above link is one of the stories that we learned in this first class.

It was so much fun, and so amazing to learn the words. It is here that I knew God wanted me to learn a piece that He knew I needed to find.....

For today, I believe that will be enough of writing for me.

I pray that my journey of self discovery and my language will encourage you to go out and learn something new today!
May you be blessed and May you equally be a blessing to those around you. Remember it doesn't have to be much, for most have not enough. But when you look hard enough all of us have something we can bless others with!

Stacey Homemaker~

www.interiorsalish.com
For all of your Nyselxcin Needs this is your most wonderful and amazing site! And the youtube links above gives you a wealth of amazing language videos.

The Why’s The How’s…..Really how Can I get through this?

Ever wonder why your life is the way it is? Have you ever thought, “wow, is this really my life?” I am sitting here and realize how amazing and wonderful my life truly is.

Not that I am wealthy in money. Not that I own a big fancy house or that I have a brand new car. Not that I have nails done and perfect hair…..

 

I am thinking about all of the lessons that I have been shown, the lessons that happen upon me by accident, and the lessons that I had to be drug through kicking and screaming.

I am a proud mama of three amazing children, and pregnant with our fourth child. I almost died with both of our first two children and by all medical means I should not have made it through either one.

Our third child was God’s gift to me. It was His amazing love, strength and encouragement and gift for trusting in Him even when I was so scared to have another child after the first two.

This lesson is one of my greatest of all to learn. I will not be given more that I can bare. I will not be tested without the teacher knowingly testing my true abilities and not just my thought abilities.

You know those abilities that we ourselves limit our own selves. We somehow get stuck in rut, believing that our strength only comes from us ourselves, pushing, running, working, forging on and somehow we wonder why we are so tired. We wonder why we are so stressed. We wonder why it seems that no matter what we can never get ahead.  Key words: Why and I’s.

It is in all of my achievements that I look back on now….I was leaning on how much I could accomplish. I was banking on how much I could handle. I was swimming in a sea of why’s and how’s and oh no’s…

In a single moment, for the first time an un medicated labour, a healthy labour……oh my word the pain that I hadn’t the pleasure of being introduced the first two times around. The single moment where the rubber met the road….where I in my own strength, in my own body, in my own mind knew I couldn’t do it. I wanted those drugs. I wasn’t strong enough. I was not able. I was not willing anymore…and in that instant it was like God himself holding me and urging me and took over and said, “It is then in which I carried you!” “You got this” I gave birth to our third child, a daughter. No drugs and absolutely gorgeous! In the moments I knew that God gave me the gift of endurance, strength and perseverance and never ever left me for a moment.

Now…married for almost five years, we own and operate our own business, I homeschool our children and love our life. But there are still those moments of utter chaos, trials and tribulations….and His love remains. In the business, in the stress, in the OMW moments, in the disrepair, in the moments of pure joy, in the amazing moments of kisses, hugs and I love you’s….and all the mess, all the chaos….I know not ever will He leave me and not ever will I be given more that I can bare.

My husband and I were watching one of Pastor Danny Castle’s sermons and he read out this amazing poem. In so many times this poem showcases how I feel and how I want to parent. I want to share it with you.

 

 

The Race.

Whenever I start to hang my head in front of failures face,

My downward fall is broken by the memory of a race.

A children’s race, young boys, young men; how I remember well,

Excitement sure, but also fear, it wasn’t hard to tell.

They all lined up so full of hope, each thought to win that race,

Or tie for first, or if not that, at least take second place.

Their parents watched from off the side, each cheering for their son,

And each boy hope to show his folks that he would be the one.

The whistle blew and off they flew, like chariots of fire,

To win, to be the hero there, was each young boy’s desire.

One boy in particular, whose dad was in the crowd, was running in the lead

And though, “My dad will be so proud.” But as he speeded down the field and

Crossed a shallow dip, the little boy thought he’d win, lost his step and slipped.

Trying hard to catch himself, his arms flew everyplace, and midst the laughter

Of the crowd he fell flat on his face. As he fell, his hope fell too; he couldn’t win

It now. Humiliated, he just wished to disappear somehow.

But as he fell his dad stood up and showed his anxious face, which to the boy so

Clearly said, “Get up and win that race!” He quickly rose, no damage done, behind a

Bit that’s all, and ran with all his mind and might to make up for his fall.

So anxious to restore himself, to catch up and to win,

His mind went faster than his legs. He slipped and fell again. He wished that he had quit

Before with only one disgrace. “I’m hopeless as a runner now, I shouldn’t try to race.”

But through the laughing crowd he searched and found his father’s face with a steady look

That said again, “Get up and win that race!” So he jumped up to try again, ten yards behind

The last. “If I’m to gain those yards,” he thought, “I’ve to run real fast!”

Exceeding everything he had, he regained eight, then ten….

But trying hard to catch the lead, he slipped and fell again. Defeat! He lay there silently. A tear

Dropped from his eye. “There’s no sense running anymore! Three strikes I’m out! Why try? I’ve lost, so what’s the use?” he thought. “I’ll live with my disgrace.”

But then he thought about his dad, who soon he’d have to face. “Get up,” an echo sounded low,

“You haven’t lost at all, for all you have to do to win is rise each time you fall. Get up!” the echo urged him on, “Get up and take your place! You were not meant for failure here!

Get up and win that race!” So, up he rose to run once more, refusing to forfeit, and he resolved that win or lose, at least he wouldn’t quit. So far behind the others now, the most he’d ever been, still he gave it his all he had and ran like he could win.

 Three times he’d fallen stumbling, three times he rose again.

Too far behind to hope to win, he still ran to the end. They cheered another boy who crossed the line and won first place, head high and proud and happy—no falling, no disgrace.

But, when the fallen youngster crossed the line, in the last place, the crowd gave him a greater cheer for finishing the race. And even though he came in last with head bowed low, unproud, you would have though he’d won the race, to listen to the crowd. And to his dad he sadly said, “I didn’t do so well.” “To me, you won,” his father said. “You rose each time you fell.”

 

And now when things seem dark and bleak and difficult to face, the memory of that little boy helps me in my own race. For all of life is like that race, with ups and downs and all. And all you have to do to win is rise each time you fall.

And when depression and despair shout loudly in my face, another voice within me says, “Get up and win that race!”

~attributed to Dr. D.H. “Dee” Groberg

 

My prayer is that you are encouraged today. Not one of us is perfect. We do not need to win the race in the manner we think. You are amazing and you need to rise each time you fall. That is the greatest accomplishment through it all. Praying you have an amazing day.

Stacey Homemaker.

www.holyjoe.org