About
Guess what?! We’re moving to Nairobi!
Hi, I’m TulipGirl — I’ve been blogging at tulipgirl.com for over six years. My very own url was a Christmas gift from Hubby. *mush, mush*
Hubby and I met right after highschool, thanks his loving and meddlesome aunt. We had a four year long-distance relationship, and have now been married almost 16 years. We have four fabulous boys. They are ages 15, 13, 12, and 10. They are so different from one another, and yet ALL BOY and very energetic. (And now baby #5 is expected in Spring 2012!)
My parents encouraged me to finish college before I got married, but I wanted to have babies more than I wanted a bachelor’s! However, now that the boys are getting older and with our family in the rhythm of school, I started back to school a few years ago. I will be completing my Master of Nonprofit Management in December 2011, equipping me to better serve others both in the US and overseas.
I was homeschooled in high school and homeschooled the boys in their early years. When we returned to the States from Ukraine, Hubby and I took turns being the boys’ primary homeschool teacher. And let me tell you — he is fabulous! We found an interesting mix of both of us teaching the boys and helping them become autodidacts. Some of the boys are now in a local Christian school in Nairobi, with some still homeschooling. Each child, each year — we evaluate what is needed for the children and the family as a whole.
I’ve been involved with online communities since my oldest was 6 weeks old and I found a guestbook style comment forum for a stay-at-home-moms website. That website is now gone, but the community of mothers is still together — some of them for 14 years! With the many moves we’ve made over the years, I’m thankful that the Lord has given me relationships online which don’t alter much when we have a location change. Right now I’m part of the ad/mod team at Mothering By Grace, a community that has blessed me tremendously and challenged me in my walk with the Lord as well as my relationship with my family.
I believe that Reformed theology reflects what the Lord reveals to us in the Bible. My personal growth in the Lord and my study of Reformed theology has been very key in me becoming more grace-conscious in my parenting. I’ve found that God has done so much through this growing and changing, both in my relationship with Him and also my relationships in my family. I am thankful for the grace He shows me, and how He has helped me see that I need Him and His grace day by day, moment by moment. God has brought healing in my relationships with my children and in my heart.
For nearly four years we lived Kyiv, Ukraine, working with a church-planting team, in support of a Ukrainian pastor and Reformed denomination. After seventy years of communistic atheism, it is truly amazing to see God bring about the return to faith of so many people. We then spent about 5 years back in the US, first in Florida and then in DC.
Since returning to the States, Hubby finished his graduate work in U.S. history and transnational migration, and until recently taught as an adjunct professor at a local college. He’s now working as a striped-pants-cookie-pusher, and we’re living in Nairobi, Kenya.
When I’m not active with my boys, I enjoy voluntarism, blogging, going to museums with the boys, watching shows on hulu with Hubby (not overseas), puttering around in the kitchen, going on trips with the family, studying theology and psychology, community activism, and reading.
Insert standard disclaimer here. The views and writings on this blog do not represent any governmental entity, ecclesiastical body, family member or other formal or informal group. Ideas shared, beliefs explained, observations made, and causes promoted are my own.
