Here in the Czech republic it is not very common to homeschool and any expat we meet has their child or children in one of the private schools here. Even Evan’s high up boss often likes to grill us a bit about why we are homeschooling, because obviously the kids should be in the great school that my husband teaches at where we could send them for free. I have no doubt that the kids would love the school here and that they would get a great education. Bad school options are not why we homeschool.

I went to public school for everything but 2 years and I enjoyed it. I often wonder, “Would the kids be better off learning things in a normal school environment and being with other kids their age?” What about that all important “S” word: socialization? The answer in our minds always comes back to no. We don’t want our kids around other 4 or 5 year olds who think and act like, well, 4 and 5 year olds for 8 hours a day. We want to be the main influencers in their lives. We want to know them, who they are, what they like. We want them to get to stay as innocent as possible for as long as possible. We homeschool to build a strong family unit where they are close to and enjoy being with us and their siblings. We have an opportunity to train them up in righteousness and it feels like that is a full time job, not just an after school activity.

Will we homeschool forever? We have no idea. Should everyone homeschool? Maybe not. All I know is that this is right for us right now and I am happy with that. I have been enjoying all the special moments we get each day because of our decision and don’t plan on letting them go any time soon.

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We’re midway through our fifth year as full-time, overseas, tent-making missionaries. Midway through our sixth year of marriage too. Four kids in tow. What if we adopt? Then there’s five (or maybe six). And Jess could get pregnant anytime, right? That’s seven. Her grandma was a twin. Eight.

You can imagine why my chest is in a constant state of constriction.

We left for the field – Christian-speak for an opportunity that God made available to minister and serve others to bring glory to His name – with a one-year-old and a very pregnant Jessica. Now we’re juggling four, all five-and-under, and wondering if we very well could be ending this teaching contract next year with six, seven, or even eight amazing blessings.

O Lord, bless me with an aspirin please.

And then what?

That’s a consistent question in our house. While The Lord has helped us tremendously to find greater contentment where we are, doing what we’re doing, with the people that we’re doing it with, that inevitable contract renewal is always there, looming, demanding a decision.

Home. Oregon, maybe Washington. Teaching at Corban. Well, that means I better get on that doctorate. Start building a home for when our parents need our care in a couple years. Be around family. That’d be new.

Stay. Maybe two, maybe ten years. Open-ended. The ministry here is good. Really good. The church is a blessing. We’re growing. The kids are happy. The work is satisfying. Stressful and at the brim of my hat often, but satisfying. I love my students. I can see the hand of The Lord operating heavily in their lives.

That’s it. We’ll stay. We’ll adopt. Then we’ll go home. Where’s home at this point?

I miss Indonesia. Pak John. Tom & Debi. Arif & Amy. Pak Harus. He was always a blessing. But all my students are gone by now.

Okay. We’ll go. No, we’ll stay. Maybe we’ll stay and then we’ll go.

Africa sounds nice.

Do we stay tentmakers? Do we go full-support? What about partial-support, partial-teaching?

Do we adopt? Now, later?

Do I get my doctorate? Now, later, never?

And that story that I’ve got in my mind, the one that could be a great novel one day. When do I write it? Do I write it?

So many decisions. This is where we are. Where our hearts are aching. Its not a measure of figuring out what the Lord’s good, perfect will is. He’s revealed that in His word.

Micah 6:8 ~ He has shown you, O man, what is good; And what does the Lord require of you But to do justly, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God?

Now the personal application of that, in the circumstances, opportunities, and challenges within which we exist – now that’s a question.

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With the births of our first three children, I always joked about Livestreaming or at least live blogging the birth.  Of course, that never happened.  Each were hospital births and they just weren’t properly equipped for it.

But not this time baby (pun intended).

This time we are in the Czech Republic and we’re having a homebirth.  That means between contractions I can run over here and update with simple updates.  Check back through the day as we labor together and hopefully welcome our new son Eliah Douglas Brammer to the world.

I’ll just update to the top of this post instead of posting new ones each time.

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A black, teenage tomcat joined us for lunch today on the grounds of the Okoř castle ruins. He didn’t like any of the vegetables or fruit I offered him. I knew he wouldn’t, but the kureci (chicken) was for our sandwiches. I relented and gave him a couple of slices, which he munched on appreciatively next to me on the picnic bench while I prepared the rest of our food.

We brought our lunch kit with us; a heavy plastic, ripstop-style zippered case with a small cutting board, a full knife, wooden butter spreading tool, vegetable peeler, salt & pepper containers and a tea towel. It accompanies us on our day trips, facilitating a fresh made, inexpensive lunch.

We enjoyed chicken sandwiches quartered into little triangles, slices of cucumber and carrot, whole strawberries, an apple and some brownies given to us last night by friends we had over for pizza night. They gave us the idea to visit Hrad (Castle) Okoř as well.

Unfortunately the castle was not open. Since its New Year’s Eve, we weren’t surprised. Still, we enjoyed seeing the outside structure.

According to Wikipedia, it was first built in 1228, then modified a hundred years later to be more of a Gothic style. It was remodeled again in the 16th century and converted into a Renaissance-styled residency. During the Thirty Years’ War it was damaged and restored. From there it was owned by Jesuit priests and then finally abandoned in the late 1700′s.

Now it lies in ruins.

Still, getting out of town (thanks to our pastor lending us his car during the Christmas holiday) was good.  It was cold, but the fresh lunch and the tomcat friendliness made it worth it.

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We started having a once a week at home pizza night. We all really enjoy it each week. Silas spends all week asking for pizza night.

 The kids and I made Pomander balls as a craft. They are not the full on ones that have to sit in a drawer for two weeks, just small oranges with cloves stuck into them. The kids were surprisingly good at making them. Even Johanna wielded a toothpick fairly well. Afterwards we hung them up for a few weeks until they started getting yucky. I threw them away when the kids weren’t looking.

 We have been doing our daily homeschool time.  We do math, learning to read, Five in a Row, and other various reading. Sometimes we do crafts when they beg me to.

 Even Johanna is getting good at coloring.  She keeps her pen ON the white board now.

 Miah’s first true number writing had to be documented.

 Sometimes Evan and I let the kids help us prepare dinner when we have the patience. They ask to help and it is hard to say no to learning opportunities. The boys have been learning how to use butter knives to cut things so they constantly want to cut cucumbers up for dinner. They are becoming fairly good peelers as well.  I figured that Johanna couldn’t do too bad oiling the potatoes and she enjoyed it.

Evan let the kids help him make chicken enchiladas one night as well.

 We walk a lot. This picture is probably from the summer, since we are always bundled up now that it is fall. I thought it was representative of all our trekking about to the bus, tram, and metro then to wherever it is we want to go.

 We went to the pumpkin patch (the only one around Prague). It was a cold, cold day, but we got a ride in a van with some people from church. Miah was ready to go.

 At the pumpkin patch (more like a farm with crates of pumpkins, no patch) They had a sand area with toys to play with. The cold never stops kids from playing.

 Silas was very excited to pick out pumpkins and kept finding new ones he wanted. This was his favorite.

 He played with it all afternoon and this is how he fell asleep with it later that day.

October also consisted of a week break for Evan where we both had plans of things we wanted to accomplish and by the end only 1/8th of them had happened. In spite of not getting things done, we had a restful time, found and indoor play place for the kids, slept in a bit (until 7 AM) and we also finally went to a first doctor appointment for a check on baby number 4. I am about 20 weeks along and have taken no pregnancy pictures yet (sorry baby). The doctor did an ultrasound and it looks fairly likely that we are having a BOY (the umbilical cord was making it hard to tell for sure). This March Eliah Douglas Brammer should arrive on the scene, unless it’s a girl then the name will change.

So that was our October in a nutshell.

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Photo by: Jeremy Brooks

Here is my journal entry for today just pouring out my day in the midst of the chaos.

Hard day so far.

Got the kids ready and out the door by 7:45.

Catch bus to Zelena.

Walk.

Catch bus to Early Years School for baby music class.

There a bit early. Sit awkwardly in the room with the  kids while Miah watches his would-be classmates having fun across the hall.

Moms come in and greet each other. Everyone knows someone else.

Music time good, but not worth the 150 kc (about 8 dollars).

Leave to questions from Miah about why he can’t go to school there.

Catch bus to Albert grocery store. Eat lunch outside.

Grocery shop with two disobedient kids (Johanna was good). Threaten punishment multiple times. Want to scream and leave kids for someone else. Leave store and pack stroller.

Catch bus back to Zelena, always rushing kids on and off bus so as not to lose them.

Walk.

Send Miah into Potraviny (small store) to pay for corn and raspberries – he does a good job.

Catch bus to Suchdol.

Arrive back and get front tires of stroller stuck between bus and curb.

Finally get stroller free.

Arrive downstairs and unload stroller. Can’t figure out how to break it down and have to call Evan for help. Silas is crying on my leg over something.

Put stroller in Storage. Take multiple trips down the hall taking groceries to the elevator. Get all groceries in elevator and it almost closes on Johanna’s hand.

Take groceries out of elevator and get them and kids all into apartment.

Give the kids some fruit and hustle them off to rest time.

Try to lay down with Johanna, but she took a nap in the stroller and isn’t tired. Boys come in twice.

Miah strongly disobeys when I ask for his toys. I take away toys, give spankings, and yell.

I put Johanna in my room and hope she’ll sleep. I make myself lunch, feel overwhelmed and like a bad parent.

Evan calls and I cry to him.

Johanna is still awake so I go to get her. I open the door and see her holding a pen with blue pen all over her legs and the wall. It makes me frustrated to see it, but I have to laugh at the timing as well.

Sitting in a messy house with 1000 things to be done and  while trying to get a few minutes of peace have received two phone calls and have Johanna making a mess.

That brings us up to 3pm.

How is your day going?

*I write this not to make you feel bad for me or judge me, it’s just a glimpse into a day that was hard for me. Not every day is like this.

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He’s been tackling this set of cut-boulders near our apartment complex.  There is no playground, so this has become one for the kids.  Here are just a couple of videos of him owning the rocks, recorded on my phone.  Enjoy!

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Photo by: das kine

On the day of our flight we arrived at the Portland Airport with 10 boxes/bags, three strollers and more carry-ons than we could actually carry. We packed the boxes as close to 48 lbs each, since the maximum was 50, taped the boxes up well, put a plastic bag over them, taped that and put rope around it to secure it all. Needless to say our boxes couldn’t afford to be over in weight. We were allowed 1 box/bag each then a second at $50 and a third at $200. We were also trying to get them to ship two large strollers for free. We were a bit worried as we went up to the ticket counter to get all off these thing processed, but the Lord started his provision right from the beginning. A few of the boxes were over but the woman at the desk let is slide. Over all we had to take out one bag that was covering a box of books (making it easier to carry), one baking pan that probably wouldn’t have fit in the oven anyway, a baseball, and a pile of unused recordable dvds (this bag that was over was full of the last random things we wanted to bring).

Our first flight was from Portland to Chicago. While we were waiting for the flight the airport personnel for that gate announced that some of the storage on the plane was already full and they wouldn’t be able to fit all the carry ons in the overheard compartments so if anyone wanted to check their luggage then they would do it for free. We jumped on that deal and checked two bags. We had a stroller piled high with as many carry-ons as we were allowed which was fine while we had the stroller, but leaving the stroller at the entrance of the plane we had to get three kids and all these carry-ons on. The Lord really provided for us because we had a togh time with all the carry-ons after we checked these two bags and would have had an impossible time with them.

The flight took about four hours and was fairly easy even with Joey being a lap child. Halfway through she slept in Silas’ carseat and he sat on my lap. For this flight we had three seats together and one a few rows up by itself which was mine and Joey’s. This one was near a window and a woman in the seat in front of Evan offered to switch me. So we moved to right in front of Evan which turned out perfect.

When we arrived in Chicago we had a two hour layover that really didn’t happen. As soon as we got off the plane we went in search of our next gate. After asking around and following signs we found out that our gate in the international part of the airport was a tram ride away. We finally arrived at our gate just minutes before boarding. evan went up to the desk to talk to them about getting on early/checking the stroller and they realized Johanna didn’t have a seat and gave her one for FREE! We were so grateful, because 9 hours of her squirming on my lap was what I was dreading. They even bumped up up to the section right in front of first class which was smaller and quieter. we sat down in our seats in the second row only to have someone tell us we were in their seat. We looked around and we were actually supposed to be one row up in the first row that has all the leg room! The Lord provided wonderfully for us, better than we could have. we sat across the aisle from a girl a little younger than us who was paralyzed from the waist down and Evan had a really great conversation with her about God. The kids slept a lot and were very good and over all the flight wen’t really well.

We arrived in Poland, waited around for our last flight, took that hour flight, and made it to Prague safe and sound. All of our things made it as well and a teacher, Evan’s Principal and Head master all met us to help with our belongings. They even booked us a hotel next to our apartment for those first two nights (the hotel room was bigger than our apartment) to give us beds since our apartment was unfurnished. We saw God provide over and over above and beyond what we could have hoped

At the time of our trip I was about 8 weeks pregnant and I was in the midst of worse morning sickness than I have ever had with any of my pregnancies (I still am). Before we left for our trip I prayed that the Lord would keep my sickness away while we travelled. He answered my prayer and there was only one time I felt a tinge of quesiness.  The Lord has a sense of humor because I only prayed for it to be gone while we travelled and as soon as we as soon as we got settled in our hotel room, it all came rushing back.

So the lesson is: if you want to see God’s provision in your life, go on an international flight with your three kids, pregnant and with a lot of stuff and He will show His blessing in mighty ways.

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Photo by: shutupyourface

As you may or may not know we are indeed back on American soil and have been for over a week now.

Saying goodbye to Indonesia was hard and emotional, especially since all of Evan’s students sent him off with tears, letters, videos and many kind words of love.

Our flight back to America (three flights actually) was so amazingly blessed by God there is just no way to not see his hand in it. Here we were, two parents, three children, 1 car seat, 1 booster seat, a double stroller and a few bags and we must have looked harried because at every stop we had some kind airport worker come up to us and give us special privileges or get us through the lines faster. We hardly ever had to wait…anywhere. On the planes themselves Johanna and the boys did a good amount of sleeping. When they were awake there was very minimal fussing, fighting or fidgeting. We had NO meltdowns from the kids or us and we made it safely here in one piece (or 5 pieces to be exact). The credit can only be given to God for that.

Our plane trip turned out better than a shopping trip to the nearby store. We are praying it can be repeated on our trip to Prague.

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Photo by: Angela Rutherford

We have been busy here preparing for our leave of Indonesia. In 27 days we will fly back to America for a two month break where we will spend time with family and friends. In August we will get back on a plane to fly to our new home in Prague, Czech Republic.

Moving always takes so much work and it has never been more true than with this move. Even though we have only been here for three years we have accumulated so many things that need to be sifted and sorted through. I am a natural pack-rat, wanting to save everything “just in case” we might need it someday. At the same time I desire less physical stuff in our lives which drives me a little crazy as my desires are conflicting.

Over the past couple of years I have really been feeling burdened by all that we own. The more possessions we have, the more time they take away from my life. I feel like I am constantly cleaning up and that the house gets so messy so easily, especially with other people living here as well.

I really want to do things different in Prague and not bring too much or buy too much when we get there (at IKEA!), but it’s hard sometimes to know what you might need later on. I tend to sway toward a “better safe than sorry” attitide, which is helpful, but a house clutterer.

Does anyone have any tips for purging your life of unnecessary items, especially while trying to move overseas? What do you do with special cards and papers you want to save?  How do you keep clothes to a minimum? Any thoughts?

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