Have you ever looked at your life and thought “I never guessed this is how I would be!”  I do that – I am amazed at where God has brought me.

When I was in my mid 20’s I went to Bible College for one year.  It was a year for personal growth in God rather than giving me any credentials. At the end of this time the students put together a little magazine and we all wrote where we would be in 5-10 years time.  Well, that time has come and gone – and how different my life has worked out to be!

Back then I wanted to be a wife, a mother, and a homemaker.  My goals in those areas would have been to follow in the footsteps of Proverbs 31 woman, be like my mother, and glean from Emilie Barnes.

Back then – I wasn’t even married though I had my eyes on my man! –married life, even with kids, looked so simple.  In reality it is so multi faceted it is hard to capture every part of your life on paper.

The one area that totally blows me away when I look at my life as it is now is the amount that I read, study, and write about.  In my childhood I was a “couldn’t be bothered” type of student.  I did everything I had to in order to get what I wanted (and I did it well)  but no more.  No extra effort was really ever spent.  I actually had cold feet a few weeks before my wedding because I was sure my brain was just not the equal of Peter’s and we would have nothing to talk about!  My father laughed me out of this one!

When I look at my children and see how well they read, and how much they write, I have had to look at the model they receive.   Peter and I both read and write – on a personal level, on business levels, and in order to give to others. 

When I realised this I decided to bring my children in on the model.  Not to just let it be there as an atmosphere but to have them aware of the life applications that were happening in our home.

Most of my writings are on the computer these days and though the children see me typing for hours with books piled up either side they don’t always see any finished product. 

This is where I have seen Notebooking stepping in for me.  Not only have I become a Notebook Queen for my children but for myself as well (See Cindy Rushton’s Book – Yes! You can be a Binder Queen).    I am in the process of printing off my notes and thoughts on books I’ve read, on studies I’ve worked on and putting them in a notebook for all to see. 

I believe as the children see me writing on a blank page, and see my Notebooks coming together,  they will see that learning happens for life.  As they see my pages containing my thoughts, diagrammes, cross references, quotes, pictures etc they will see a variety of ways to learn and expand the recording their own thoughts.