over sheltered child of God

This blog entry is kind of a 2 in 1. 1)I am "pro" sheltering the heck out of kids, and 2)finding the Lord in being at home.
Am I sheltering my children? Do you shelter your children?
In several places I think "shelter" has become a bad, bad word. What does the word shelter mean? Protect. Defend. Guard. Preserve. Watch over. Shield. Safeguard.
So far, so good. Until pop psychology comes in and tells us that we should allow our children to taste a little of the world in order to understand it or pray for it. One of the worst arguments I have ever heard(but not from anyone I know personally) for sending a kid to school is so that they can get used to the harsh "real" world. Seriously.
For thou hast been a shelter for me, and a strong tower from the enemy. ~Psalm 61:3

For a year now I have been looking for acceptance and love in Christ. I have looked for it in others, in books, or in beholding Him. And then as I listened to my littlest thing, Thing 3, tell me he loved me this morning I knew it was from God. For a year I was so concerned with not placing my children before Christ, that I ended up placing a few things before my children.
I am going to keep sheltering them. I am going to walk in obedience to the Lord.
I prayed to the Lord for child a long time ago. I was a party girl and I was drunk. I had just come home from a fun night out with friends. As I was getting ready for bed in the early morning, I told God I was ready for a change. I was ready to have a family and be a mom. Of course I went to bed and the next night went out for drinks after work again! But less than a month later I became pregnant in a very unexpected circumstance.
I was not a mom type person, and I still might not be, but I love my kids much more than my own life.
Right now they come first. The Lord lives within me and to say that He comes first would be ridiculous because then I would also need to say things like "my lungs come first, and my brain comes first" since I also need those things to live. So, my kids come first. And it occurred to me last night as I talked with a friend that maybe this is why the Lord has me in such a lonely place... so I can spend the time on my husband, children, and home.
My Lord dwells in them and I have been searching for Him and not finding Him because I was not satisfied with pouring myself into my family at home. And by Him taking away most body life I have been overlooking the obvious... He wants me looking for Him right where I'm at. The Lord is sheltering me at home right now as I shelter my kids at home.
I like being given the time and the guidance to over-shelter my 3,5, and 7 year old. I like homeschooling and being able to spend all the time we need on what they need help with most. I like making education enjoyable for them. I know that they would hate school! They are too social to be able to sit in a desk surrounded by kids all day and not play or hang out with them. I like that I get to choose their friends. I like that I am able to provide each child the individual diet that helps their bodies work best. I like that we follow a Charlotte Mason philosophy in our daily life and in all we do.
I thank the Lord for sheltering me. Thank you Lord for over-defending me, for over-guarding me, and for keeping me safe at your side.
Thanks for reading,
Love,
Jackie