Wiggly and Wonderfully Made

A Time for Everything

2011-09-28T17:32:00.000-04:00

I like to be in control of things. I like things to be nice and neat. I don't deal well with messes. I like things to be tied up in pretty packages. I hate conflict and unresolved issues. I want to fix things...and as quickly as possible. I don't like waiting... I slowly realizing now that God is teaching me to let go of control. God is teaching me reliance on him. God is teaching me patience. God is teaching me that this is part of His plan, not just the way to get to His plan...but a part of it.
Oh...the days are so long, and yet His mercy is new every morning.
As I cry out to God in this long, uncontrollable messy unresolved conflict of my life...I realize that this is part of my journey. The mess. God is not delivering me out of this season for a specific time so that I will grow to be more in His likeness. I have to wrestle with hopelessness and overwhelming sadness, but God is there through it all. There truly is a time for everything. This is my time to do the unpleasant things...and I need to be okay with that and stop rushing God to clean it all up now and move on to the next season.

A Time for Everything
For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven:
a time to be born, and a time to die;a time to plant, and a time to pluck up what is planted; a time to kill, and a time to heal;a time to break down, and a time to build up; a time to weep, and a time to laugh;a time to mourn, and a time to dance; a time to cast away stones, and a time to gather stones together;a time to embrace, and a time to refrain from embracing; a time to seek, and a time to lose;a time to keep, and a time to cast away; a time to tear, and a time to sew;a time to keep silence, and a time to speak; a time to love, and a time to hate;a time for war, and a time for peace.~Ecclesiastes 3

I need You

2011-09-28T01:21:00.001-04:00

This is a new song to me...and what a treasure I have found! It always amazes me how God can put words into someone's pen years earlier and yet that seems so very personal to me alone...for that matter to all His children. If I were to write out my thoughts tonight, this would be it. Oh, how I need you, Lord.

Sing it with me...Should I stay or should I go now?

2011-06-02T10:41:00.000-04:00

Well...I am feeling alot better since my last post. Thanks for all the prayers and emails and such!!! Nothing has changed...but I am feeling so much better, not to mention stable...hehe :) I am heading to California in 4 weeks to go visit my sister! That's so exciting, and I can't wait for that adventure!!! However, it brought on new "stresses" like...what do I do about finding a job, James' school, housing in the fall. When I get back from Ca, I will have a week of Workshop and then only one week left before the first day of school. And I don't want James to miss the first day of school...but I can't register him without a Bulloch Co. address ...which means I need a job to pay for an address! As I ran around Bulloch County yesterday trying to do as much as I could...visit a real estate agent and apply for more jobs, go by the Board of Education...and it just came over me that I need to stop stressing about it all...God's word is a lamp to my feet...not a spotlight that shows my entire path, right? So I just need to trust in Him that He will take care of it all. I realize that with my "head", but it hasn't really sunk in deep to my heart. It's hard for a control freak to let go of things!!! So as I am trying to live in that place...trust/hope in Him... I wake up this morning to see that my good friend, Joy has sent me the following email.

It's perfect and I thought I'd share it with y'all too. It's from

Should I Quit?
by Lysa TerKeurst

"Be at rest once more, O my soul, for the Lord has been good to you." Psalm 116:7 (NIV)

We all have those times in life where we wish the voice of God would audibly speak so loudly there's no way we could miss it, "THIS IS THE DIRECTION I WANT YOU TO GO." Then we'd know whether to stay the course or quit and head off in a new direction.

Have you ever wished for this kind of certainty?

I have.

We want to know what to do.

Sometimes we stay in a place too long. But I think the greater loss happens in those times we quit too soon. And we live with this nagging sense of "what if?" What if I'd persevered one more year, one more month, one more day?

What if David had been so put off by his dad's brush off, he refused to come in from the field and see Samuel? (1 Samuel 16)

What if David had assessed whether or not to face Goliath based on the shadow of his opponent rather than the shadow of the Almighty? (1 Samuel 17)

What if Abigail's pride or fear had stopped her a few steps shy of bowing low before David? (1 Samuel 25)

Knowing when to stop and when to keep on keeping on is a crucial life lesson. One I want to learn well.

In Matthew 11:28 Jesus encourages us, "Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest."

I used to get so frustrated when I heard this verse because I thought, I don't want rest. I want reassurance! I'm burdened by this decision I have to make. I don't want to mess up my life by missing a cue from You, God.

But the gift of the rest Jesus is offering here is not a spiritual Ambien. The Greek word for this kind of rest is anapauo which has as one of its definitions, "of calm and patient expectation."

In other words, Jesus is saying if you come to Me, I will take your exhaustion and uncertainty and turn it into a calm expectation.

But how?

My friend Jennifer Rothschild does this enlightening exercise at some of her conferences. She tells the audience to imagine her writing two different words on a large chalkboard. She then speaks the letters as she draws the first word into the air... R-E-S-T. She does the same for the second word...R-E-S-I-S-T. Then she asks what's the difference?

The difference is, of course, "I."

I don't know what to do. I can't figure this out. I'm worn out. I've tried everything I know to do. I've given all I have to give.

I'm familiar with these "I" statements because I've said them myself.

We can only find anapauo rest — fresh hope — as we stop running ragged and simply take on the next assignment Jesus gives.

In verse 29 of Matthew 11 Jesus gives us the assignment to take on His yoke and learn from Him. Ask Jesus to show you just the next step. Not ten steps. Not the whole path. Not the Google map with the highlighted route. Just the next step.

Complete that step with excellence and an open, humble heart. Listen and look for all Jesus wants to teach you in this next step.

This is your part of the equation.

But after the assignment, comes the reassurance in verse 30, "My yoke is easy and my burden is light." We don't have to have all the answers. We just have to stay connected to the One who does. Where our strength ends is the exact point where His will begin.

This is God's part of the equation.

I must do all I can do. Then trust God will do what only He can do.

Should I stay? Should I go? Maybe the better question is, "God, what is the next step I'm to take today? I'm going to do my part. And trust the rest with You."

Dear Lord, I am tired and I can't seem to figure some things out today. Please help me to see Your part in this equation. Where my strength ends is where Yours will begin. Help me, Lord, to look to You for my very next step. I will wait in calm expectation. In Jesus' Name, Amen.

Application Steps:

Listen and look for all Jesus wants to teach you in the very next step you will take. Determine what your part is and then look to God for His. Trust His faithfulness today.

Reflections:

Jesus says to me, 'I will take your exhaustion and uncertainty and turn it into a calm expectation'. What does this look like to me?

Power Verses:

Psalm 16:9, "Therefore my heart is glad and my tongue rejoices; my body also will rest secure." (NIV)

Psalm 51:12, "Restore to me the joy of your salvation and grant me a willing spirit, to sustain me." (NIV)

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Isn't that awesome!!!

Where does my help come from?

2011-05-29T02:43:00.001-04:00

I had a little meltdown today. Well, to be honest it was a big one. Normally, I would keep this to myself...maybe journal about it...but tonight, I am blogging. I get tired of reading about everyone's seemingly put together happy lives in bloggyworld. So here's my contribution to fight against that:

This is me being as real as it gets:

It all started building up when I found out that the job I applied for didn't even give me an interview. Plus I have been sick all week. Life was just plain stinky this week. I really thought that I was very qualified for this job, and would LOVE that job, and it would get me back in my hometown, and I would be able to afford a place, and things would all work out. I just saw my dream crumbling each day as I didn't get a phone call. Today, I called the job...yeah...no interview, not considering me. o.u.c.h.

Today, I just couldn't stop crying. I kept going over things in my head...over and over I would hear the same arguments..."I have a right to have my own house with my own things, I have a right to live back in my hometown, I have a right to a good marriage"...then the other side would come in and fight back that "I do not have any rights, I am a slave to God and that all things I do have are a gift, not a right. The only right I have is to death, and he graciously gave me the gift of life instead, praise God!!! " But then the other side comes back and says..."yeah, yeah, yeah...I know I know, but I still feel like I want those things, and Mark has ruined my hopes and dreams, he has crushed my spirit. He has robbed my of things I should be enjoying. Other Christians enjoy these things, even though they aren't rights...why can't I ask for them?" Then the other side... "Let go of your anger and bitterness, embrace forgiveness. just think of all you have! Even if you did have a wonderful life, house, etc...look at what happened to people in Joplin...practically a whole town destroyed by a natural disaster. They don't have their homes anymore. They don't even have their stuff. You can't just demand that having a house is something that you have a right to...it won't make you happier. God is in control, and he guarantees no happiness in houses...you shouldn't be seeking your joy in a house, or perfect life." Then the other side kicks in all guilty and conflicted, "I know, I know, but I just don't know what to do with these feelings. I want a home of my own for me and the kids. Is that so wrong? And what do I do with my life now? How can I support myself with no job nor proper education? Why has Mark put me in this predicament!" {insert sobbing here} God help me, Lord help me, show me the way Lord! Give me a peace and comfort me Lord!

All the while, in my mind I am recounting how Mark has wronged me again...hurt me and wounded me, offered no apology. However, I know I am yet again expected to deny myself, pick up my cross, and follow Jesus. He says to forgive, so I do. He says to pray for those who persecute me...so I do. I pray for God to bless Mark. And what do I get in return, more hurt from Mark. This road is getting harder and harder, not easier. {insert more tears} Lord, help me do this your way. Help me turn the other cheek. Teach me how I am to withstand this and persevere, show me how to be an example for my kids. Keep giving me Your hope Lord to make it through. Show me the way, Lord!

Meanwhile...I am just so lost, just trying to figure out what to do with my life now. So many questions, and the only two things I am certain of are: 1-I really thought I would be back into my life in my hometown by now with a job. 2-I don't want to be living with my parents having to support me and the kids! But honestly, I am not even sure I want to go back there either now. That may just be me trying to run away from problems. Who knows. It's just in my head, so I am being honest. I have fun doing My Bella Sweets, but is that what I really want to do with the rest of my life...not to mention will it even support me and the kids for life? (I am pretty sure the answer is no!) Do I really want to get through with my life, and stand before God who will ask what I did with what He gave me...and I will say...well, I made cupcakes and a few paintings! No! My heart yearns for more! I want to make a difference in people's lives!!! I have always had this desire. It began in youth ministry, when I started working with kids and teens. Teaching Bible studies or just hanging out with them. I enjoyed it sooo much! I have a passion to be in that ministry, I felt like I had found my calling when I was working as a youth director. I also want to foster parent, adopt, I wanted to devote my life to serving others. I was blown away this week to learn that my nieces have been taken away from their mother, and I can't do anything for them. I have no home, no money for them. It just made me mad! Again this little voice starts to creep in and whisper to me..."Mark has ruined things for you, look what you have given up for him"...but, alas...here I am today...

I need to take responsibility for me now. There is no going back, no changing things. Plus, I know deep down, even with the little crazy voices in my head, that what men mean for evil, God means for good. Nothing has happened to me that He has not ordained! I know this...so I tell myself to snap out of this pity party!!! My life could be much worse!!! No more blaming or excuses. but what do I do now? Where or even how do I start? If I am really honest with myself, I want to do ministry/missionary work...dedicate my life to very needy people...Children, Teens, Parents. This is my passion. Where? not sure. How? No clue. I would imagine having two children makes it even harder to accomplish this. I cried out to God today for help, just for Him to speak clearly to me...to answer me! I want to serve you!!! How can I do this, what is my calling? Open a door for me, give me courage to walk! Provide ways for me and the kids to go! Show me the way Lord!

And all that came were more tears. I was miserable.

I felt like I was sufficating and I just needed fresh air. Being sick all week was making me go crazy! So with no food in the fridge, and dinner time approaching, I hop in the car and drive into town. There are like 5 options in this small town...mostly unhealthy and I was sick of the lack of choices. More depression comes over me as I wish I were back in my hometown, and I just cry. I drive past each one, not wanting any of the choices. I turn around...drive through town again...nothing. I decide that since I am not really hungry anyway, I will just drive. At first I take a few turns and end up in the "projects" I immediately am thankful and greatful for what I do have. Thank you God for all the many gifts I have been given. I take a few other turns and back to main street I come. I pass by the pharmacy and the childcare place, and think that I should just apply there, just get a job here and save up my money. But then there is the problem of when I get more money, I will want to quit and move back to my hometown, and then I am jobless again...so I just get more frustrated at all the craziness and start crying again...by now I have taken a few strange turns, and have decided to go exploring. I ended up on a beautiful long road, who knows where, that led out to the country...it was lined with pecan trees and it began to have rises and dips in the road. I remembered how much I love driving and taking in the scenery. Then I started thinking about how it reminded me of Va.'s beauty, and how I love being in new places. I began to think of all my favorite things, that my absolute dream would be to have mountains with a beach, and that is in California, which led me to begin thinking that maybe I should just travel this summer. Take the kids, and my money saved up for moving and just travel the US and end up at my sisters's house in California. I could make a learning educational thing out of the trip. Yes...I think to myself, that would be great! That would make me happy! Who knows, maybe I will even decide to live there! But then I think, what about Mark? It wouldn't be fair, also he would be angry if I just disappear with the kids for 2 months not to mention possibly more! I also am reminded about Farmer's Market commitments for my business, upcoming visit by my sister's family and camp and music workshop. Then I become bummed again. Great. there goes another great plan....more crying. God, what am I suppose to do? I wish you would just tell me! Make the way clear for me!!!

By now I figure, if I don't turn around soon, I might end up in another state or get lost, so I turn around...head back the way I came...back to main street, decide to go to the grocery store. By now I have recomposed myself enough and I am calm again. Sad, but not crying. I walk the aisles and pick out some stuff. I get back home, and there are my parents home early from their trip, with...dinner. Whatever. It is that kinda week. I needed the drive anyway. I put my groceries away for another day and sit down emotionally exhausted and stare blankly at the TV, which wasn't fulfilling. I decide to head to my room and end up browsing the internet, and then I remember that Mark had downloaded tons of Little House on the Prairie episodes on the computer long ago, but I had never watched them. Yay! That will definitely make me happy, I LOVE LHotP, but... that link was messed up, and nothing was there to watch, which just added to the theme of the day. I felt like Debby Downer. Sheesh...maybe I should just go straight to bed! But something made my eyes wander to the right corner of my screen...and there it was, a Mark Driscoll Folder. I need Your word God, speak to me Lord, show me the way.
So I browse over the topics, and there it was .... "The Rebel's Guide to Joy" yes, that is what I need...a topic on joy. So I clicked on it, and God spoke to me the whole way thru! I recommend it highly! It's actually a whole series on Phillipians, but I have only listened to the first message tonight. It is exactly what I needed to hear. http://www.marshillchurch.org/media/rebels-guide-to-joy/the-rebels-guide-to-joy#play

So, I started the day off with a meltdown and end the night praising God for his help, his immediate answer to me. It is a pure refreshment to know He cares enough about me to lead me to this sermon tonight, and to guide me back to the Word. He has provided me a Rock to stand on in these quicksand times of mine...A shelter from the scorching sun. A rest for a weary soul. Thank you Lord for providing all I need! I love you more each day!

Psalm 121...Where does my help come from? My help comes from the LORD
HE made heaven and earth - The great Creator of the universe. He must, therefore, be able to protect me. The Creator of all can defend all.
He will not let you stumble; the one who watches over you will not slumber.
He will enable you to stand firm. You are safe in his protection. He will be ever watchful and wakeful. All creatures, as far as we know, sleep; God never sleeps. His eyes are upon us by day, and in the darkness of the night - the night literally; and also the night of calamity, woe, and sorrow.
Indeed, he who watches over Israel never slumbers or sleeps.
Never slumbers, never ceases to be watchful. Man sleeps; a sentinel may slumber on his post, by inattention, by long-continued wakefulness, or by weariness; a pilot may slumber at the helm; even a mother may fall asleep by the side of the sick child; but God is never exhausted, is never weary, is never inattentive. He never closes his eyes on the condition of his people, on the needs of the world.
The LORD himself watches over you! The LORD stands beside you as your protective shade. The sun will not harm you by day, nor the moon at night. The LORD keeps you from all harm and watches over your life. The Lord shall preserve thee from all evil - This is an advance of the thought. The psalmist had in the previous verses specified some particular evils from which he says God would keep those who put their trust in him. He now makes the remark general, and says that God would not only preserve from these particular evils, but would keep those who trusted in him from all evil: he would be their Protector in all the perils of life.
The LORD will keep your going out and your coming in from this time forth and forevermore.
Through this life and for ever. This is the gracious assurance which is made to all who put their trust in God. At home and abroad; in the house, in the field, and by the way; on the land and on the ocean; in their native country and in climes remote; on earth, in the grave, and in the eternal world, they are always safe. No evil that will endanger their salvation can befal them; nothing can happen to them here but what God shall see to be conducive to their ultimate good; and in the heavenly world they shall be safe forever from every kind of evil, for in that world there will be no sin, and consequently no need of discipline to prepare them for the future.

I know that God has a plan for me, and I fall asleep tonight assured and comforted knowing that I am in His care and that He never slumbers!

Reminiscing about My Happy Day!

2011-04-16T05:45:00.001-04:00

Last year, I turned 30 years old! It seems like just the other day. I had the most amazing day, and even have a photo book of that day to remember everything by that my friend Joy made for me as my bday present. I do hope to get my act together and do it again this year and every year, but it will just have to be on my unbirthday, as my time management skills are not so great this year...hehe! Here is the day and my post from last year...reblogged. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------

What an amazing day! One of the best days ever!

Yesterday, I celebrated my 30th birthday in a very different way than usual! After reading some inspiring blogposts here and here...I was motivated to spend my birthday doing things for OTHERS. This wasn't going to be a day all about me, but rather about others! And since I was turning 30, I decided I should do 30 random acts of kindness. Well, some were random, some not so random...but either way, it was for the benefit of someone else! I called it "Happy Day" I prepared alot before the day actually arrived, and made out a rough draft list of ideas (yes, I am a control freak) I just didn't want the day to get here and for me to have a brain fart and not be able to think of anything to do.

Here's what I did in preparation:

made a list of things I thought I could do...then narrowed it down and selected around 30 ish...
Cleaned out my closets, playroom,and pantry for donations to charities and food banks.
Put together a goody basket of gifts for the Ronald McDonald house.
wrote encouraging letters to three prisoners, via a ministry of Voice of the Martyrs
Created and made a letter for Emma
shopped for treats, cookies, flowers, popsicles, waters, etc
Baked cookies and packaged them up
Packed up the van with post-it notes, markers, batteries, my boxes, baskets and bags for the charities, change of clothes for the kids, diapers, wipes, stroller and all of the other regular stuff you need to pack with you when you're out all day with your kids.
hand wrote 30 individual "Happy Day" cards to hand out to random people

So, here's a look at the actual day! HAPPY DAY.

1) Left a treat for the mailman.

2) Mailed letters to prisoners.
3) Baked cookies for my family and let them have this special treat before breakfast!!! (usually I am baking something yummy, but have to tell my family that it's off limits for them, because it is a cake order for someone else, or a baked good for a party....but not this time!)

4) Gave my sister in law a ride to work. She doesn't have a car, she had a bike, but it got stolen. Normally she has to walk to work 30 minutes each way. (But recently someone has given her a bike!!!) Today, I got up extra early and packed up the kids to give her a ride.

(*) My mother in law keeps her kids while she works, and when I went to pick her up, she gave me a birthday gift of a huge chocolate bar. I shared most of it (I took one bite, of course) with my kids!
5) My sister in law works at Goodwill, so when we got to her work... I was already at my next destination! I donated bags of clothes to Goodwill. (James was my photographer!)

6) Purchased two gift cards from McDonald's. I drove around for a LONG time looking for someone who looked like they needed it! Finally found a woman walking down the road with bags of groceries. I pulled over and told her it was birthday and what I was doing, and offered her the gift card and a "Happy Day" card.

7) Got out some trashbags and gloves and the kids and I picked up trash off the side of the roads. This was actually James' idea! He was really great all day, opening doors for everyone, and really helping out!

8) Visited a laundromat and there were 3 women who had just arrived. I gave them "Happy Day" cards, and paid for their laundry. This was one of my favorite parts of the day. It was as if I had told them they had won the lottery!!! It made my day just as much as theirs!

( BTW, totally off topic, but this little boy being in this basket reminds me sooo much of the book, A Pocket for Cordoroy. I love that book!!!)

(*) Every Friday I go to a ladies bible study, and wasn't about to miss that just cause it was my Bday,so...
9) I brought 30 cookies as a surprise treat for them.

10) I also brought a huge bag of bubbles and bubble toys for the kids to play with, and then we gave them to the host family's kids to keep. (also James' idea! The bubbles are in the gift-bag in the pic below.)

11) Gave each of the ladies at the Bible Study a personal note of appreciation and love.
12) After Bible study was over, I met my mom for lunch at Ryan's. We gave the hostess a "Happy Day" card and hersey bar. (Again...James the photographer!!!)

(*) Two random things that happened... After we said the blessing for our meal, we opened our eyes, and there was an old man standing at our table. He reached into his pocket, and handed James and Bella each a one dollar bill!!! How funny is that? On "Happy Day" my kids get there own happy day random act of kindness from a stranger. Love it! Also, my mom paid for all of our meals, plus had the waitress sing my Happy Birthday...embarrassing!!! I didn't even know they did that!

13) We left a big tip for our waitress along with a "Happy Day" card and some herseys bars. Again, this was another favorite part of the day...her reaction was so wonderful. (we were walking away when she found it, but we could hear her from across the restaurant. Loudly laughing and showing all the other workers telling them about everything.
14) Dropped by some items at a local church's food bank.

15 -16) Next we traveled to Savannah and headed for downtown. At first we ended up at Forsyth Park. It was a HOT day, so we got out our 30 popsicles and 30+ bottled waters and walked through the park handing out randomly. Everyone was very grateful and surprised.

(My batteries in the camera died right before we went into the park, so no pics of that except this couple who walked by as we were getting out of the car. But there were tons of smiles and happy memories made!)

17) Gave a homeless (maybe?) man the other McDonald's gift card. (plus a water and popsicle)
(*) As we drove to our next destination, we would stop when we saw tired bikers, pedestrians...offered them water too.

18) Donated children's books and videos, and a little bit of candy too :) to the Greenbriar home for homeless children. This was sobering. That side of town was very poor, and everyone was extremely grateful.

19) On our way to next destination...gave out more waters to kids walking home from school. More smiles.
20) Went to the Ronald McDonald House for families and dropped off a gift basket filled with books for adults and children, photo albums, room decor to add a homey feel, toys/activities for the kids to do, and one of my handpainted canvases.

21) Also brought them some flowers
22) Went next door to the hospital parking garage and put "Happy Day" post it notes on the side view mirrors.

23) Went inside and found a break room filled with at least 15 vending machines!!! Wrote a Happy Day note and left 12 quarters
24) and 3 boxes/bags full of Mary Kay make up samples.

(*)Enjoyed a wonderful meal with family and friends at Musato's Japanese Restaurant. This has been an April birthday tradition that has been going on for at least 18 years straight. Maybe more...we have bad memories, and can't remember the exact year when we started. But it was wonderful to keep the tradition alive. Mom drove Grandad home to fill his medicines, but Mark the hubby and Joy the friend joined us in our Happy day quest!

25) Gave "just because" notes to my Grandma Fay, Granddad Eby, my mom, and friend Joy.
26) Went to the dollar tree and purchased 30 balloons...gave the cashier a "Happy Day card and candy"

27) Went to the mall and handed out balloons to kids...and a few adults who were young at heart! One of my favorite parts of the day. As we were getting out of the car to head into the mall, a woman stopped us and asked if she could have one for her son. After telling her our "Happy Day" mission, she told us that she was the manager of a store inside, and that she had two very deserving girls who worked there, so that was our first stop inside. The girls were so excited. It tickles me just how much a balloon can make your day.
I loved seeing all the smiles!

(*)One the way to the bookstore, James saw a donation center for Habitat for Humanity...and stopped everyone and asked if we could donate some money to them!!! I love it!!!

28) Went to the bookstore and let the kids just sit and read. and read. and read. We stayed there for an hour!

29) In addition to all the Happy Cards I handed out today, I also designed a card and sent it to Emma
30) Emailed encouraging letters to friends

I can't tell you how exhausted I was at the end of the day! I am so thankful Mark was with me to drive me home, or I would have had to get a hotel room! That's how tired I was!!!
HOWEVER,
it was soooo worth it! I have never had so much fun on my birthday before. All the focus was on others, and there were no pity parties for me!!!

I also encouraged others to do kind acts in honor of my birthday. I created a facebook group, and 49 people joined! Whoohoo!!! One of the members, my friend Joy, got her whole 2nd grade class involved.
They spend the day cleaning up around the school, cleaned offices, picked up fellow schoolmates lunch trays and trash for them. AREN'T THEY ARE AWESOME?! Thank you Joy for setting that up! She also joined me for the last leg of the day...the balloons!!!

Another person who blew me away was Ms. Kathy from Glennville. I met her at my parent's church Easter weekend at the Easter Egg Hunt. In my first post about how I was going to spend my birthday (here), she left a comment for me. Here is what she said...

Act # 1 Today, I am going to make a $15.00 dollar donation to the "Colby Anderson Fund" (at the bank), in honor of your birthday. Colby lives in Glennville, and was diagnosed with leukemia earlier this year. He is currently undergoing treatment in Savannah. So far, he's responding well, but there is a long road ahead of him.

Act #2 I am sending a small gift to Abby Riggs, who is 5 years old and also suffering with leukemia. Abby is the daughter of a semi-famous Christian blogger and author named Brent Riggs. The Riggs family lives in Oklahoma, and I met them over the internet.

I've followed Abby's story for about a year...she's fighting a hard fight, and it's not going well...Abby was adopted by the Riggs family from Guatamala, along with 2 other international children. Brent also has 4 grown children.

I send Abby cards, letters and occasional gifts in an effort to keep her spirits lifted. Sometimes my granddaughter and I color pictures for her and mail them. Abby's in the hospital a lot!

Anyway, Abby's gift will be in honor of your birthday. I will wrap it in birthday paper, and send a card explaining that it is in honor of your birthday. Abby loves Winnie the Pooh, and I'm sending a Winnie the Pooh activity book/crayons.

Thank you for coming up with this unique and kind way to let us help make "30" special. It is my pleasure to help you celebrate in this way. Blessings to you and yours, Kathy in Glennville
===========================
I also want to send a HUGE thank you out to my mom, who was with me for most of the day helping out. She helped me find the shelters, and took pictures for me. She helped me keeping up with two kids the entire day. I love her, and thank her!!! She does kind acts every day, without anyone noticing and makes a difference in so many people's lives (including mine)!!!

This was most definitely a HAPPY DAY for all! Thank you for sharing it with me!

the courage to be imperfect

2011-04-13T12:16:00.001-04:00

“We must be willing to let go of the life we have planned, so as to accept the life that is waiting for us.” – Joseph Campbell

I am about to turn 31 this week, and my life has turned upside down...this is certainly not where I thought I would be in this point of my life. For the past yearish I have been in kind of a denial of my life's problems. "This can't be my life, I really am not actually dealing with this!" Lots of anger and bitterness have been revealed, and God is showing me that walking through this hard time right now is indeed for my good...it will reveal all the slag in my life and will let Him purify me in this process. Pride is a big one. I have a picture of what my life should look like, and it doesn't match up to reality. Pride was hiding that reality in shame, but now as I pray for humility, I find myself at a crossroads of continuing to live in secret shame and hurt, or to embrace the vulnerability of it all and let go of the pride and start living real. Life is messy. But God doesn't make mistakes! So I need to let go of who I think I should be, what I think I should be doing, how my life should look...and run towards what it is that God has for me...whatever that looks like! I have to let go of control, and trust that God has a far better plan than I could ever have dreamed up. Fear of man is a big one too. Why do I care so much about what others may think? I have had to let that one go too. If people talk, then they talk. If this is God's plan for me...then I shall walk it no matter what!

I love this album of Mandisa's...It's my new theme lately in this new walk of mine.

What if I were real? What's the worst that could happen? The pain isn't going to last forever, and it's only gonna make me stronger!

One of the biggest eye openers to me is that I can't be of help to anyone else if I am not real. I can't comfort others who may be going through things, if I am hiding it all. God's comfort has been amazing and life saving to me, and I can't share that love with others if I don't myself embrace this pain and His comfort in the full. Who are the people who have helped me the most in this process? The ones who have been real with me, who have shared their stories with me...the ones who have given me a hope because of where they are today after walking in God's path for them...even if it was hard. It made them stronger!!! That is what I want for others too. That my story may be of help to someone else along the way.

Hope

2011-02-18T03:43:00.012-05:00

One thing I tend to do is focus on the negative. No matter how good things are going, I am sure to focus on the negative at some point. At times it overwhelms anything good, just because I am focusing so much on the bad. My pastor recently pointed out a great passage to me, and I have been meditating on it this week~ hoping to learn a few truths that Abraham knew.

Romans 4:18-21

Even when there was no reason for hope, Abraham kept hoping—believing that he would become the father of many nations. For God had said to him, “That’s how many descendants you will have!” And Abraham’s faith did not weaken, even though, at about 100 years of age, he figured his body was as good as dead—and so was Sarah’s womb. Abraham never wavered in believing God’s promise. In fact, his faith grew stronger, and in this he brought glory to God. He was fully convinced that God is able to do whatever he promises.

It is so interesting to me the word choice here..."even when there was no reason for hope". If I were in his situation...I would be tempted to focus on the negatives...the reasons pointing to no hope...not to mention the amount of time that passed before the promise came true...Abraham had to be faithful and believe and hope for years and years between the time that he left his homeland...received a promise, and the time Isaac came along. It is so encouraging to know that even though there was no (earthly) reason to hope...Abraham kept hoping and believing in God's promise! Never wavering...wow! His faith even grew stronger?!? This also relates to my James bible study as well...it helps me to remember how our faith is tried and tested. This is in order to mature us and to display our faith as genuine. A faith that is incapable of enduring trial is no faith at all.

Oh Lord, may I bring glory to you in my own situations where there seems to be no reason for hope! Where my flesh wants to focus on negatives, grow my faith so that may see the positives. Help me to seek You alone for wisdom. Help me to never waver in weak faith in trials, but to believe in You and Your power and strength always!!! May I be fully convinced that You are able to do whatever You promise!!!

Parenting is a ministry

2011-02-15T04:04:00.003-05:00

Some of my favorite books that have greatly changed the way I parent are Homeschooling with a Meek and Quiet Spirit by Terry Maxwell, Shepherding a Child's Heart by Tedd Tripp, and the many books from James Dobson. Amazing truths that have helped me see how I was parenting using anger and punishment, not really using the bible and using Love to train...and I was definitely not peaceful, meek or quiet, all things I longed for and knew that I should have. I recommend these books/authors to EVERYONE, homeschooling or not.

I have been following a great blog series on how homeschooling is a ministry and the last two posts have been teaching using 1 Corinthians 13. It has been excellent teaching, and she points out that most of her points comes from this ministry that reminds me so much of the truths that these books have taught me. It is packed with biblical wisdom and it's all FREE on the web.

I have definitely needed a refresher course lately in how to show love to my kids and what NOT to do...thank the Lord that He gives us a fresh new beginning every new day to start over and try again! Hope you enjoy:

Here is a little taste:

Parenting is a Ministry….Loving Communication
Excerpt from Chapter 3

1. Love can only be described by observing it in action. That is why terms describing love are verbs, and not adjectives. Love is not something you just define. It is something that you do.
2. This love is not a feeling or an attitude. It is an action – start doing it and the feelings will come after.
3. This love is always related to someone else, never to self.

Loving Communication
I Corinthians 13:4-8
“Love suffers long and is kind; love does not envy; love does not parade itself, is not puffed up; does not behave rudely, does not seek its own, is not provoked, thinks no evil; does not rejoice in iniquity, but rejoices in the truth; bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never fails….”

What Love Is Not

1. Love is not impatient.
Impatience is putting selfish or unrealistic expectations on our children or hurrying them beyond their capabilities.
Galatians 5:22 “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness,

2. Love is not unkind.
Unkindness is getting angry, yelling, judging or comparing, and not accepting your children’s failures or mistakes.
Romans 12:10 “Be kindly affectionate to one another with brotherly love, in honor giving preference to one another;”

3. Love does not envy.
Parental jealousy or envy can result when parents have had a painful childhood and their children have it easier or when a child’s accomplishments have surpassed those of their parents.
James 3:17-18 “But the wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, willing to yield, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality and without hypocrisy. Now the fruit of righteousness is sown in peace by those who make peace.”

4. Love does not parade itself or brag.
It is never appropriate to try to impress our children with how great or wise we are, or to belittle them in order to show them how important we are, saying things such as, “I had it a lot harder when I was your age.”
Proverbs 27:2 “Let another man praise you, and not your own mouth; a stranger, and not your own lips.”
2 Corinthians 10:18 For not he who commends himself is approved, but whom the Lord commends.

5. Love is not puffed up or arrogant.
We are a team pulling together, not dictators ruling or lording over our children with brutality or fear.
1 Peter 5:3 You should not aim at being dictators but examples of Christian living in the eyes of the flock committed to your charge.
Proverbs 28:25 An arrogant man stirs up strife, but he who trusts in the LORD will prosper.”

6. Love does not behave rudely or act unbecoming.
Purposefully embarrassing and demeaning your children by discussing their failures or shortcomings in the presence of others.
Ephesians 4:29 Let no corrupt word proceed out of your mouth, but what is good for necessary edification, that it may impart grace to the hearers.”

7. Love does not seek to have its own way.
Insisting that your children and family do only what you want to do.
1 Corinthians 10:24
Let no one seek his own, but each one the other's well-being.
Galatians 5:13 “…through love serve one another.”

8. Love does not think evil.
Love does not keep score of our children’s failures or mistakes, and then beat them over the head with them when an opportunity arises.
1 Corinthians 13:5 “…keeps no records of wrongs.”
1 Corinthians 13:5 “…thinks no evil”
1 Corinthians 13:5 “… is not irritable or touchy. It does not hold grudges and will hardly even notice when others do it wrong.”
Ephesians 4:32 “And be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, just as God in Christ forgave you.”

9. Love does not rejoice in unrighteousness.
Telling our children “I told you so, you deserve what you got,” when they fall in sin or experience consequences from their sin.
Proverbs 14:9 “Fools mock at sin, but among the upright there is favor.”

10. Not rejoicing in the truth
Failing to praise our children for their good deeds.
Romans 12:9 “Let love be without hypocrisy. Abhor what is evil. Cling to what is good.”
3 John 4 “I have no greater joy than to hear that my children walk in truth

11. Not bearing all things
Avoiding, criticizing, or neglecting your child because he/she failed to meet your expectations.
Galatians 6:2 Bear one another's burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ.

12. Not believing or hoping all things
Consistently doubting what your child says before you know all the facts.
Romans 5:5 “Now hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit who was given to us.”
Jeremiah 29:11 “For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the LORD, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope.”

13. Not enduring all things
To endure means to last or tolerate. Parenting is hard work.
Matthew 20:28 "just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many."
1 Corinthians 13:8 “Love never fails.”

CONCLUSION
Colossians 3:21 “Fathers, do not provoke your children, lest they become discouraged.”
Proverbs 15:1 “A soft answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger.”
Ephesians 4:29-31 Let no corrupt communication proceed out of your mouth, but what is good for necessary edification, that it may impart grace to the hearers. And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. Let all bitterness, wrath, anger, clamor, and evil speaking be put away from you, with all malice. And be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, just as God in Christ also forgave you.”

If you believe that you have not been demonstrating loving communication to your children (or a particular child), I strongly recommend that you follow the steps below to reconciliation.
1) Confess this to the Lord and ask Him to forgive you for not communicating love to His child/children.
1 John 1:9 “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”
2) Ask God to fill your heart with renewed love for your child/children.
Romans 5:5 “Now hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit who was given to us.”
3) Go to your child/children and make an age-appropriate confession. For example, “I love you, but I know that I have not been showing you that love with my words. I have been very impatient (unkind, etc.) and I need to apologize. Please forgive me. I love you and I am so glad to be your mom/dad.”
4) Pray with your child. Write out a prayer of commitment to seek the Lord to empower you to change in these areas and to become the parent to your child that God desires you to be.

Insert Name Here_________

2011-02-15T00:39:00.001-05:00

Have y'all ever done the exercise where you insert your own name into a scripture? One of the most meaningful times I have done it is with the "love chapter" passage from 1 Corinthians 13:4-8. Try it yourself. Just write it out (or say aloud) with your name, replacing the word LOVE.

Kathryn is patient, Kathryn is kind. Kathryn does not envy, Kathryn does not boast, Kathryn is not proud. Kathryn does not dishonor others, Kathryn is not self-seeking, Kathryn is not easily angered, Kathryn keeps no record of wrongs. Kathryn does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. Kathryn always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Kathryn's love never fails.

Wow (ouch!)...it really calls me out, makes me feel like a hypocrite! How about you? Did you do it? You know what else this exercise does? It really makes me in awe of God's love towards me, even though I do not return the love to Him as I ought! Kathryn loves Him, because He first loved Kathryn. Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends. So true. It motivates me to be more aware of my actions, to make it more true of me!

In my James Bible Study...today's passage reads:
What good is it, dear brothers and sisters, if you say you have faith but don't show it by your actions? Can that kind of faith save anyone? Suppose you see a brother or sister who has no food or clothing, and you say, "Good-bye and have a good day; stay warm and eat well"-but then you don't give that person any food or clothing. What good does that do? James 2:14-16

The truth of really living out your love and faith...with my actions are ringing so true to me today!

Paul gives us some good advice on how to really live out your love and faith in Romans 12:9-18

Love must be sincere.
Cling to what is good.
Be devoted to one another.
Honor one another above yourself.
Never be lacking in zeal.
Be joyful in hope.
Be patient in affliction.
Be faithful in prayer.
Share with God's people who are in need.
Practice hospitality.
Bless those who persecute you.
Rejoice with those who rejoice.
Mourn with those who mourn.
Live in harmony with one another.
Do not be proud.
Do not be conceited.
Do not repay anyone evil for evil.
Be careful to do what is right in the eyes of everybody.
If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone.

Go ahead and try it...insert your name here______. God wants our actions, not more knowledge. If our name doesn't fit there...we still have work to do...actions to do. Faith without action is dead. May our love and faith be very much alive today!!!

Valentine's Day Fun

2011-02-14T16:49:00.000-05:00

Here is my Tumblr Valentine's Day page that I helped me keep track of the ideas I liked on the internet. It has helped out tremendously in planning! I really love tumblr!

Tried to snap a few shots along the way this week! I am so bad about remembering my camera as we play, learn, whatever! Just get caught up in the fun and forget to get my camera. Here is what we caught:

Customize a digital slideshow

Tonight we will be doing this devotional from 2 Teaching Mommies: Show me that you love me! It is so simple and cute!!!

Happy Valentine's Day!

Women Living Well Blog: Thriving In A Spiritually Mismatched Marriage

2011-02-07T10:05:00.003-05:00

Wow. Thought I would share an excellent blog post with y'all from Women Living Well Blog: Thriving In A Spiritually Mismatched Marriage (Click over to read it!!!)
While I do not have an unbelieving husband, I do feel that every one of these points is for me to learn!!! God has been teaching me much from His perspective... Learning to show my husband RESPECT and SUBMISSION.

Ephesians 5:33 "However, each one of you also must love his wife as he loves himself, and the wife must respect her husband."

1 Cor 11:3 "Now I want you to realize that the head of every man is Christ, and the head of the woman is man, and the head of Christ is God."

1Peter 3: 1-4 says, "Wives, in the same way be submissive to your husbands so that, if any of them do not believe the word, they may be won over without words, by the behavior of their wives, when they see the purity and reverence of your lives. Your beauty should not come from outward adornment, such as braided hair and the wearing of gold jewelry and fine clothes. Instead, it should be that of your inner self, the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is of great worth in God's sight."

Phil 2:3-4 "Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves. Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interest of others."

Create A Signature!

2011-02-05T16:35:00.001-05:00

Yay! I have wanted a signature at the end of posts for awhile...but I need E.A.S.Y. step by step directions. Well, I found some! Over at Sassy Sites there is a great tutorial that even I could follow. I got to browse through over 100 different fonts, tons of sizes/slants...you could even download your own handwriting.

Click here to create one of your own :)

Online but not blogging

2011-02-01T11:39:00.000-05:00

Life has gotten crazy to say the least and be very vague.
I have been online...just not blogging. I think I might take a break for awhile.
I tend to not want to talk and I need to sort things out in my head rather than talk about things aloud with a computer screen...here's a post from Candace at His Mercy is New that really resonated with how I would put it if I had a talent with words.

I have been studying the book of James following along with www.goodmorninggirls.org. I have started to use the SOAP method for study times and have a facebook accountability group. It is simple, yet very effective. God has been teaching me sooo much. I am also reading thru the bible in a year. I decided to do it with the one year chronological reading plan. It contains the entire text of the bible arranged in the order the events actually occurred. This unique viewpoint allows you to read the whole Bible as a single story and to see the unfolding of God's plan in history. This has been very interesting so far. For instance, I learned that Job was one of the (if not the first) books written in the Bible. It shocked me that I was to read Job after Genesis... He lived in the patriarcal times...Abraham, Isaac, Jacob...news to me! It is filled with so much info about who God is, His character...a great treasure of knowledge. If you haven't read it lately...I encourage you to go back and read it. And last but not least, Mark and I have begun a study of the book Love and Respect. Our church is studying this together in our midweek bible study groups and it is awesome.

Also, to change the subject to more trivial things... I have fallen in love with Tumblr.
I have the world's worst memory, so this virtual visual system is perfect for me. This is the place where I store a few of my favorite things I would like to remember...and possibly get around to one of these days! (ha!) I will be keeping track of all that I love, want to do one day, or just plain want to remember.

Here is a great post from Carissa at 1+1+1=1 for info on what Tumblr is. Hope to see you there :)

And the winner is...

2011-01-06T13:44:00.003-05:00

Using RANDOM.ORG's true random number generator...

Comment #3 is the winner!

Mami2jcn said...

My favorite family night memory was when we taught our 7 year old how to play Uno and how proud he was when he won his first game against mommy and daddy.

December 18, 2010 5:28 PM

Congratulations! Please email me your mailing address to receive the prize package!

I enjoyed doing this so much, and I loved reading the family night memories! Plus I can't wait to try out all your favorite recipes for our monthly taco nights.

We have had an interesting time around here lately! Bella came down with the flu last week, and now James and I have it! So, we had a slight change of plans for our family night and fun plans for a fiesta...it has been postponed til we are all better. That's how life goes sometimes...

Read and Give

2010-12-22T00:00:00.133-05:00

One thing I haven't been able to do lately is go to the library to check out some great Christmas and Winter books. We love the library and usually take a trip once a week or every other week. So, I was thrilled to stumble upon this website, We Give Books. The kids could read books, and we could give at the same time!

For each book you read online, they donate a book to a leading literacy group on your behalf. The more you read, the more they give.

We Give Books is a free website that enables anyone with access to the Internet to put books in the hands of children who don't have them, simply by reading online. It was created by the Penguin Group and the Pearson Foundation. They combine the joy of reading with the power of helping others, inspiring children to become lifelong readers and lifelong givers.

All of the books available for online reading are children’s picture books appropriate for children through age ten. There is a mix of fiction and nonfiction, a range of authors, and an equal balance between read-alouds and books for independent readers.

Here are the books we enjoyed online today:

No Room at the Inn

For Ages: 4-7
This easy-reader is a close account
of the biblical story from Luke 2
of the first Christmas.

12 Days of Christmas
For Ages: 4-7

Set in Africa, this beautiful rendition of the classic Christmas carol has a unique twist: colorful icons illustrate the various gifts repeated in each verse, creating a rebus-style text that gives young children a fun way to follow along.
The Three Snow Bears
For Ages: 4-7
This stunningly illustrated interpretation of Goldilocks and the Three Bears transports the well-loved story to the Arctic north. There, the raven-haired Inuit girl, Aloo-ki, comes upon an igloo that turns out to be the home of a polar bear family.
The Snowy Day
For Ages: 0-3
No book has captured the magic and sense of possibility of the first snowfall better than this universally beloved Caldecott Award winner. It reveals a child’s wonder at a new world, and the hope of capturing and keeping that wonder forever.

It's Christ's birthday, not ours!

2010-12-21T18:05:00.000-05:00

I have been watching Little House on the Prairie during my surgery recovery this past week. Mark got me the whole series, so I started from the beginning. In the pilot, the family is going through some hard times and Christmas is coming up.

Charles is expressing his concerns with Carolyn about having no money to get anything for the girls or for each other. She replies to him, that isn't what it is all about...

"It's Christ's birthday, not ours!"

How true, and yet how often we act differently.

Earlier this month, I read a post by Ann Voscamp at A Holy Experience...it rocked me to the core. If you have the time, it is definitely worth reading! It sparked a very deep conversation with my hubbie.

It made us consider... We have SAID with WORDS that it is all about Christ's birth...but have we really proved that is what we believe by our ACTIONS? Do our kids really understand the meaning of Christmas?

I can't answer for my kids...but I know I miss the mark so often. My daily FOCUS is about making family memories, about trees and decorations, fun crafts, baking, lights, caroling, etc....
Sure, I read the bible, and we do our family devotions, and teach my kids from the Bible and have a Bible based school curriculum, we teach the meanings of Christmas...but what am I doing?
My ACTIONS...

MY ACTIONS ARE ALWAYS LOUDER THAN MY WORDS,

Good, better, best. Have y'all ever heard about that principle? I think it was in Elizabeth George's book, A Woman After God's Own Heart, that taught me this principle:

"Good, better, best,

never let it rest,

until your good is better,

and your better best."

There are so many good things out there. Is Christ's birthday forgotten in all that good and fun stuff? Are we getting so distracted by all the good stuff that we sacrifice the better and best? I know I have.

For instance, spending time with your family and friends. I see it all the time on TV and movies...they drill it in that Christmas is all about family, and Christmas Spirit. Decorating homes inside and out, doing christmas crafts, and making christmas goodies together. Making memories. Sharing the Christmas Spirit to all around. Caroling, and Church Plays... Those are good things. Anyone who doesn't celebrate these things is a scrooge and needs some Christmas Spirit.

But...maybe there is a better thing, really focusing in on the true meaning of Christmas in the midst of all the holiday shopping and cooking and crafts and such. Get rid of the commercialism. Right? Make gifts from your heart. Don't go into debt. Spend time with family reading the Bible, focus on Christ's birth, do Jesse Tree devotions, etc....that's better. These are better things. This is kind of where we have been for a while as a family...trying not to get caught up in the good stuff, when there is a better way...

Then, I get to thinking, is that my best option? Is this our best? Maybe the best thing is to forgo the presents all together. Make it about giving to Christ for his birthday and not at all about us. It gets confusing when you SAY it's all about Christ, but then with our actions, put the FOCUS on getting presents on Christmas day. Really confusing. We get all the stuff, but what does Christ get?

But how do we give to Christ? Gold, frankincense and myrrh? I would have to google to even remember what those are...not to mention who knows where to find those things! And how do we give to a baby who is all grown up and in heaven now? No... God tells us we are doing (giving) things to HIM when we do for others. And likewise, we are NOT doing things for Him, when we don't help others. We can celebrate Christmas by giving gifts to Christ, by serving others.

But then there is a little voice in my head...well it's a big voice really...that says, but what about the children? They will suffer for not getting all the fun Christmas gifts and stuff. I will be depriving my children! I don't know who's voice it is. Is it my worldly voice, or maybe the voice I imagine others will have for me... "don't take away their fun and magical memories of Santa and gift giving!!! Don't take away their Christmas!!! What about all the fun memories you have from childhood? What about Elf on the Shelf, and the House Fairy who is Santa's sister? My kids know and believe in all these fictional people. They get excited when they think about them. Who am I kidding? I get excited when I see them! What do I do about all that?

OR Is it my voice of reason that I hear? "I am taking this a little too far. We can do both. Give, and get" Focus on Christ and Santa." I often think of the movie Steel Magnolias (yeah, I know...really deep and spiritual, right?) That character that Daryl Hannah plays? you know the one who goes from heathen, to saved, to super self righteous and praying for all the others who are heathens, and then back to regular average joe christian by the end of the movie. I wonder if maybe I am turning into a "Crazy" christian by considering taking "Christmas" away from the kids.

Then~ I think of the books I have been reading this year. God has used these books to make a huge difference in the way that I think and act. Crazy, Radical...umm...

And I also think, isn't it Christ's birthday, not ours? I mean...what does it mean to "take away Christmas, anyway"?

If Christmas is really all about Christ...then I wouldn't be taking Christmas away from them at all.

I would be taking something that is NOT Christmas away from them. The voice in my head says, "I think that would be best."

Over the years we have asked what is good, better, and best for our family. Each year, we find ourselves discovering a better way, hopefully each year understanding and grasping what God has for us as best. This applies in all areas of our lives, not just Christmas. Our work, our schooling, our service, our worship, our friendships, our activities... Each year our Christmas celebration looks a little different. God, what is Your best way for us to celebrate Your birth, your coming to earth for us? We try to ask these good, better, best questions every day.

So, as we continue to ask what is good, better, best...this Christmas is going to be RADICALLY different for our family. CRAZY, some may say. This week we are going to spend Christmas at two different Soup Kitchens serving others in need. We are going to donate to those in need across the ocean we will never meet. We are going to give away treats we have made that we would usually gobble up ourselves. We are going out of our way to look for ways to serve. I haven't even gone Christmas shopping for one gift. It is Tuesday, December 21st.

We still have Santa, and all the fictional stuff. I can't lie and say I don't love that stuff! But I get carried away and lose my focus time and time again. So, it just won't be celebrated or focused on Christmas morning. To be honest...we are still trying to figure all that out. Trying to determine which voice we are listening to: ours, others, or God's. Hear me when I say this: I don't think it's wrong to have fun and to celebrate. I just think the way my family has been doing it -is mixing two very separate things...and that isn't the best way for our family.

What I do know, is that on Christmas Eve and Christmas morning, our family will be focusing on Christ and how we can give to Him. Serving Him. Not ourselves.

As Carolyn Ingalls said, "It's Christ's birthday, not ours."

Here's another post by Ann at Holy Experience that is helpful:

So what can you do, if you don't exchange gifts on Christmas?

You can visi t Christmas Change for ideas on charity recommendations, and practical steps to grow in Christmas Giving. There are also lots of inspirational stories from families, suggested curriculum for your kids, and a blog. I love the focus of the site:

ChristmasChange is about restoring the magic and wonder to the birth story of Jesus. It's about living the reason for his birth. Live ChristmasChange in a way that restores wonder, not in a way that brings guilt, disappointment, or condemnation to your family or faith community.

Christmas Change from Kujilana on Vimeo.

Christmas Lights!

2010-12-20T17:33:00.001-05:00

One of my favorite things about this season is looking at all the beautiful Christmas lights around town. I think I get just as excited as the kids do. When Bella sees a display as we are out driving, she exclaims, "Look, it's Christmas!" Ahh, the wonder of a 3 year old.

Last year, we went to Metter to Guido Gardens, The Nights of Lights celebration.

This year we really started searching for them on the way down to our Florida trip on the week of Thankgiving. We stopped in St. Augustine, boy is that a beautiful sight. The entire downtown area is covered in twinkling white lights and decorations. You have to visit there if you have a chance!

Tonight we are taking the family out for a drive around town to see all the bright wonders. I can't believe all the work some people do every year to create such a wonderful display. Here are some wonderful ideas to do with your family if you like to go out and look at the lights too!

Check out this great idea for the MINIVAN EXPRESS over at Shell in your Pocket. Dress your kids in their Christmas PJs and follow your normal bedtime routine, send them off to bed, only for them to find a surprise GOLDEN TICKET (awesome printable from Confessions of a Homeschooler) on their pillows to board the minivan express!

Angela's Analysis had a neat twist on the ticket. You can read about it here.

Pack them into the van, with popped popcorn waiting for them in their seats, and hot cocoa with marshmellows (MMMM...our favorite!). Don't forget to punch their ticket (in a fun way of course!) and go driving through the town looking at the Christmas Lights. When you get back home, you could pop in the movie, The Polar Express...or cuddle back in bed and read the book snuggled together.

While your out and about...why don't you give away some Christmas cheer? The Happy Home Fairy has a great idea to give away a certificate for the BEST DECORATED HOUSE FOR CHRISTMAS! The joy she spread to one family for their hard work just brought tears to my eyes this morning!

Simple Sweets

2010-12-18T19:26:00.002-05:00

Oh my! Oh my! Oh my!

Since I had my surgery on Wednesday, I have had wayyyyyy too much time online to search for goodies. I have found more crafts, school projects, and awesome inspiration than I know what to do with...the wheels in my head were spinning so fast...oh the things I had planned!

One of the things that I have been doing is making a mental note of some Christmas goodies I want to make with the kiddos once I can get up and cook for a while. Which hopefully, Lord willing, will be in a day or two. {*BTW, I am doing great...thanks for asking:)}

But then I remembered I have a problem with taking on BIG and DETAILED projects, then getting frustrated cause its not the fun and perfection that I pictured in my head! Most of the time, I don't want the kids "messing it up"...so lots of arguements and tears ensue...

all because of my big plans. Besides...its a week away from Christmas. And I am healing from surgery. Yup...now is not the time to begin CRAZY DETAILED projects.

So this week I am aiming for EASY and FUN...simply making memories with the kids.

no stress, no frustration. none of this:

{the martha wannabe in me just sighed :( oh well}

I love the idea of making treats with the family to give away to others!!! There are so many people out there that I want to say thank you to and what better way to say thanks than to give them sweets made with love?

Take a look at a few of my favorites I found out there in bloggy land.

Just the easy stuff of course.

Okay first of all... this video is the CUTEST little girl and needs her own baking show! I plan on letting James and Bella watch her video and then get to work unwrapping some kisses! Lots and lots of unwrapping kisses :)

Below is the same exact treat, but using different kinds of kisses...peppermint flavor.
I think it looks awesome.

And it comes with a cute printable about the M&M Nativity legend.
Have y'all heard of this legend? This is new to me this year...its cute and simple.

Click here for the recipe and free printable from My Computer is My Canvas.

Okay here is another treat using the same method, but with Rolos and Pecans... Yummy Turtles the easy way! I love Janelle's site, Comfy in the Kitchen...she explains everything sooo well and with step by step pictures...I love that since I am such a visual person! And she uses her talent of cooking as a ministry to the Lord by serving others. Check it out!

The next yummy treat I would love to make is Peppermint Bark. (also Janelle's recipe, but she guest hosts over at Women Living Well once a week) Here is the great recipe. This looks like it would be difficult and time consuming, but is actually very simple!

Last but not least...I want to make a gingerbread "something" with the kids. Not sure what yet... Look at this nativity set...oh wait, I said "easy" this year. Thats right. Well... it won't hurt to just look at it! It's just too cute! But I suppose it would be weird to eat the baby Jesus.

ya know...come to think of it...no one in our house really likes the gingerbread taste very much. Maybe I should just stick to a simple gingerbread craft instead. :)

Go enjoy your kids! Slow down and focus on Christ this season!

Family taco night and giveaway!

2010-12-18T15:16:00.001-05:00

In the midst of this busy holiday season,

it is easy to put quality family time on the back burner.

How about scheduling in some time for your family to have a family taco night!?

It is fast and easy for us moms to plan, and who doesn't love tacos?

Keep reading to enter a giveaway and also for some links to great recipes and coupons!

We try to have a family taco night at least once a month...

'cause we like tacos, we like family, and we like to spend time together!

Well, last month, Old El Paso and MyBlogspark sent me this awesome prize package to add some SPICE to our family night. The kids LOVED the chili pepper plates and the cactus chip and salsa platter. Want this too? Keep reading...

We tried out a delicious new recipe ... It was so good!

Double Layer Tacos

Old El Paso Favorite Recipe!

Layered taco shells and tortillas create the "double" in beef- and bean-stuffed tacos.

Of course as always, the seasoning packet was easy-peasy and awesome. Click here for more great recipe ideas for your family taco night.

Well, next month I am going to pair up our usual family taco night with our Christmas Around the World studies we have been doing this month... Mexico.

Christmas in Mexico- Los Posados

Los Posados is one of the cherished traditions of Christmas in Mexico. It commemorates the journey of Mary and Joseph to Bethlehem and their search for lodging.

Here is how the celebration works:

Children gather at homes. Each child is given a lit candle. The children form a line and then begin walking down the street. The first two children in line carry small figures of Mary and Joseph (or they dress up as the Holy Family.)

As they approach each house they are turned away until they arrive at a replica of the stable in Bethlehem or the "creche". Once the children arrive at the stable, they arrange the figures of the Holy Family.

Then they say prayers. After prayers there is a party. There is usually a piñata and fireworks.
Traditionally, Christmas gifts are not exchanged on December 25th. Gift are exchanged on January 6th on a day called “Day of the Wise Men.” Instead of hanging up stockings, Mexican children put their shoes out for the wise men (not Santa Claus) to fill with toys.

Check out this awesome video my dad made showing scenes of the celebrations while he plays one of James' favorite Christmas songs!

So, to end our study on how children in Mexico celebrate Christmas, we have planned a fun fiesta for January 6th. combining our regular family taco night with a BANG! We will make a pinata, have fireworks, and of course...the menu includes TACOS! There is also a fun game that I plan on printing out as part of the fun from Old El Paso that really gets the family talking! I love that it is totally free and goes with the taco night theme!

So...ready for the giveaway!?!

MyBlogSpark and Old El Paso have provided me with a prize pack to give away to one of you!!! It includes a packet of original Old El Paso Taco Seasoning, a Cactus Chip & Dip Serving dish, a set of 3 Fiesta Chili Pepper serving dishes and a $10 gift card to purchase some awesome taco fixings.

All you need to do is leave a comment below about your favorite family night memory. You will earn am extra entry if you comment about a favorite Old El Paso Recipe :) The give away entry deadline will be January 5th...I will announce the winner on the Mexican Day of the Wise Men!

In addition, you can visit http://www.myblogspark.com/uc/main/b069/ to download a printable coupon for $0.60 off any two Old El Paso products today!

So...to sum up...

don't forget to spend time with family,

don't forget to enter the giveaway, and

don't forget to print out these coupons for some awesome savings now.

Check back soon for info on all the fun stuff we are learning for our Christmas Around the World Studies and how we will celebrate on January 6th!

Gold, Frankenstein, and something with an M...

2010-12-12T00:00:00.057-05:00

Here are some quick clips of various Christmas stories for or by children.

Enjoy!

This one is absolutely beautiful!

Narrated by children and explains WHY Jesus came to earth as a baby
as well as a 3 year old telling the Christmas story reading from the Bible.

This one is silly. Have you ever heard children's versions of the Christmas story? Too funny!

The next two videos are from one of my favorite Children's Bibles....

The Jesus Storybook Bible

"He's Here"

*Here is the new video for this year:*

"The Light of the Whole World"

Celebrating

2010-12-11T18:21:00.003-05:00

Customize your own digital scrapbook

Blessed

2010-12-11T03:32:00.004-05:00

Words on my mind tonight...

Blessed to be a blessing

Mark and I have been blessed in so many ways this year.

What is amazing is that the blessings are so much more evident in the contrast of the circumstances that could get one down if you focus on the wrong things. Oh, Lord help me to see Your perspective and not my circumstances!

Isaiah 55:9

For just as the heavens are higher than the earth,
so my ways are higher than your ways
and my thoughts higher than your thoughts.

In the midst of a terrible economy, Mark's business has been s.l.o.w. - at times coming to a complete stop. He lost his 2nd job that provided us a steady income and insurance. Mark's granddad who was as close as a dad to him died. While trying to balance paying bills and affording food...I started having terrible debilitating pain and finally after a very long process discovered I have endometriosis and will be having surgery soon. Taking care of the children and household has been difficult these last few months. Our relationship has been strained through all the financial troubles, grief, and pain we are both experiencing. Meanwhile, my sister in law's family has become a wreck. Her husband left her last year with four young girls, and she lost her house. Moved to our town and has gotten into the wrong crowd and her children are being neglected in so many ways. Dfcs is now involved, and we are involved heavily trying to help care for the girls. It is heartbreaking. It is overwhelming at times when I don't remember Who is in charge. When I lose my focus and turn my eyes on anything else but Him.

However, not once have we gone hungry or had a bill go unpaid. Our relatives have been AMAZING in helping out and giving to us in our time of need. Overwhelmingly so. Our church family has really helped out by bringing by meals, offering to take care of the kids, etc. God has provided a doctor willing to give a huge discount for the surgery costs. Mark was offered a job with someone we go to church with and it has helped to make ends meet. Our pastor has helped tremendously walk Mark through the difficult process of helping his sister, and is ready to help out with the family. The leaders and friends of the church have been there. family has been there. God has provided, time and time again and again.

Lamentations 3:22-23

²² The faithful love of the Lord never ends!
His mercies never cease.
²³ Great is his faithfulness;
his mercies begin afresh each morning.

When I would get concerned about the possibility of taking on my nieces...God would provide the extra clothing and food...like...that day! When I would lose sight of His purposes in pain and trials, God would send a friend to encourage and remind me of His word. When I would be concerned about anything, there God was...patiently guiding, teaching, providing.

(this random lone patch of flowers was on the beach in Florida during ourThanksgiving vacation)

Matthew 6:28-33

²⁸ “And why worry about your clothing? Look at the lilies of the field and how they grow. They don’t work or make their clothing, ²⁹ yet Solomon in all his glory was not dressed as beautifully as they are. ³⁰ And if God cares so wonderfully for wildflowers that are here today and thrown into the fire tomorrow, he will certainly care for you. Why do you have so little faith?

³¹ “So don’t worry about these things, saying, ‘What will we eat? What will we drink? What will we wear?’³² These things dominate the thoughts of unbelievers, but your heavenly Father already knows all your needs.³³ Seek the Kingdom of God^[a] above all else, and live righteously, and he will give you everything you need.

What an amazing God we serve.

And how has He provided for us?

Through people.

People.

It is ironic that even in this season of our lives where we seem to be the "needy"...compared to the rest of the world we are still considered wealthy! We have cars, gas, nice house with comfortable furniture, electricity, air and heat, clean running water, plenty of clothes, warm clothes for the harsh winter, doctors to go to, freedom to worship, grocery stores with an abundance of food to choose from, a government there to help out when families are in need, we have a loving family also very blessed and willing to help, friends in the same boat, I could go on f.o.r.e.v.e.r with the many blessings God has given us...SUCH WEALTH.

Not only has God provided by giving endless material blessings

but He has provided us with love and friendships. An amazing family. An amazing church family.

People who give their time to pray for us. Really pray...not just say it, but do it.

People who not only give, but ask us how we are...stay and care for us spiritually and emotionally. They give of their lives, their time, their energy.

James 2:14-20

¹⁴ What good is it, dear brothers and sisters, if you say you have faith but don’t show it by your actions? Can that kind of faith save anyone? ¹⁵ Suppose you see a brother or sister who has no food or clothing, ¹⁶ and you say, “Good-bye and have a good day; stay warm and eat well”—but then you don’t give that person any food or clothing. What good does that do? ¹⁷ So you see, faith by itself isn’t enough. Unless it produces good deeds, it is dead and useless.
¹⁸ Now someone may argue, “Some people have faith; others have good deeds.” But I say, “How can you show me your faith if you don’t have good deeds? I will show you my faith by my good deeds.”
¹⁹ You say you have faith, for you believe that there is one God.^[a] Good for you! Even the demons believe this, and they tremble in terror. ²⁰ How foolish! Can’t you see that faith without good deeds is useless?

What a blessing it is to see people give.

It is hard to be on this end of so much receiving.

Humbling. Pride-killing.
I feel like Peter in John 13...Jesus washing MY feet?! No, let me wash yours!!!

I didn't expect this as I prayed for God to help me get rid of my pride.

Thank You God for lessons in humility.

John 13:12-15
¹² After washing their feet, he put on his robe again and sat down and asked, “Do you understand what I was doing? ¹³ You call me ‘Teacher’ and ‘Lord,’ and you are right, because that’s what I am. ¹⁴ And since I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you ought to wash each other’s feet. ¹⁵ I have given you an example to follow. Do as I have done to you.

On my mind tonight...
To follow Jesus' example and die to myself, to become a servant of others.

Lord, let me return this blessing to others. Let me serve You by serving others.

How can I serve You today?

Blessed to be a blessing

Matthew 25: 35-46

³⁵ For I was hungry, and you fed me. I was thirsty, and you gave me a drink. I was a stranger, and you invited me into your home. ³⁶ I was naked, and you gave me clothing. I was sick, and you cared for me. I was in prison, and you visited me.’
³⁷ “Then these righteous ones will reply, ‘Lord, when did we ever see you hungry and feed you? Or thirsty and give you something to drink? ³⁸ Or a stranger and show you hospitality? Or naked and give you clothing?³⁹ When did we ever see you sick or in prison and visit you?’

⁴⁰ “And the King will say, ‘I tell you the truth, when you did it to one of the least of these my brothers and sisters,^[f] you were doing it to me!’

⁴¹ “Then the King will turn to those on the left and say, ‘Away with you, you cursed ones, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his demons.^[g] ⁴² For I was hungry, and you didn’t feed me. I was thirsty, and you didn’t give me a drink. ⁴³ I was a stranger, and you didn’t invite me into your home. I was naked, and you didn’t give me clothing. I was sick and in prison, and you didn’t visit me.’

⁴⁴ “Then they will reply, ‘Lord, when did we ever see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and not help you?’

⁴⁵ “And he will answer, ‘I tell you the truth, when you refused to help the least of these my brothers and sisters, you were refusing to help me.’

⁴⁶ “And they will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous will go into eternal life.”

How to...

2010-12-10T05:03:00.003-05:00

Here is James demonstrating the art of hammering nails into pumpkins.

He wanted to make a how to video...so I got the camera and started shooting.

This is an awesome activity to do with kiddos after the Halloween/Thanksgiving holidays. It's a great activity to let them practice fine motor skills and it uses up those old pumpkins you are about to throw out. My kids did this for more than an hour!!! Tons of fun for moms and kids. I got the idea from reading one of my new favorite blogs. {I have quite a few...listed at the bottom of the blog if you want to browse :)}

Preschool Wrap Up- Letter Aa

2010-10-25T01:48:00.001-04:00

Bella loves to sing and dance. Here she is on our front lawn giving a performance of a lifetime.

Preschool Weekly Wrap up

Letter Aa

Having fun with a friend in our sandbox with kitchen supplies from the Dollar Tree.

Making an apple tree with fingerprints. She loves the inkpad.

Played a game outside that matched up apple numbers on circle cutouts to sidewalk chalk numbers.

"Baking" apple pie with our apple pie playdough.

We brought out our apple cookie cutters and mini silicone cake pan for a place to put the pie. :)

Inspired by Counting Coconuts to do a monthly or seasonal playdough.

Here's a great recipe/directions..

Just add apple pie spices to your basic playdough recipe.

I also used whole wheat flour to get the apple pie crust color.

Sorting Aa's

I got the apples from Hubbard's Cupboard curriculum,

and the cool Aa letters from Mrs. Meachams Webpage.

Another find from Hubbard's Cupboard. Counting apples on the apple tree.

We used green marbles (the kind that is flat on one side) for our apple manipulatives.

This tied in with our bible theme of "fruit of the Spirit"...

The placemat is filled with "big" pictures of fruit.

In the baggie are cards with the teeny tiny versions of the same pictures.

The child uses the magnifying glass to identify and then match the fruit.

James actually like this one too and they worked on this together!
I can't remember where I found this...sorry!

Apple prints. I love the stars...horizontal cuts.

Fingerprint Tree

This is our Hubbard's Cupboard song craft page.

I cut out the pieces, and Bella glued them together.

We had so many small pieces that I decided to make an Aa lapbook for her.

We put the letter crafts on the front. Again, here I cut out the pieces,

and she assembled and glued them together.

This is inside the folder.

Silly alligator poem found at Homeschool Share

Aa apple shape book

Coloring Shape of Apple

Apple Pie Opposite Cards Game

Aa Songs for Saplings Flashcard

Aa Art Book

Apple Tree Counting Book

She counted and glued the correct number of apples onto the page.

We found this at Childcareland

We covered the Aa art book letters with apple stickers.

Linking up to these great memes.

Check them out for great ideas for your children!

Pumpkin Fun

2010-10-21T19:35:00.000-04:00

Matching Shapes of Jack-o-lanterns

Ordering Pumpkins from Small to Big

Pumpkin Symmetry

Bellaisms

2010-10-21T19:14:00.000-04:00

I love the way my daughter talks...but sometimes things get lost in translation when she is talking with others. Here's a cheat sheet to get you started in understanding her "Bellaisms"

"Lalas"-Music
"Macareens"-Mac-n-Cheese
"Lasterday"-Yesterday (or any point in the past)
"I don't have any words"-when she doesn't want to talk anymore or doesn't know the answer
"fork"- fort
"light-light"-nightlight
"formers"-Transformers
"Kids Milk"- Kidmo (our church's preschool program)
"Soon"- Spoon
"What's your number?"-How old are you?
"Ober"- Over

He started a fire!

2010-10-17T00:10:00.001-04:00

Mark took the kids camping last night. He is so patient as he teaches James some manly skills.

Fall Workbox Fun

2010-10-16T17:04:00.000-04:00

James loves looking for Hidden Pictures. This is from the magazine Highlights that I saved from 2006!

I threw this in one of his workboxes this week for a fun break in the schoolwork.

Fall Activity Table

2010-10-16T16:55:00.003-04:00

We have a table in the center of our school room where we have started to feature seasonal activities that stay there all month/season. We took a trip to the dollar tree and came out with $4.00 worth of fun.

We mixed together a bag of fabric leaves, acorns, pumpkins, gold curly ribbon [our dollar tree finds] with stuff we already had at home: noodles, Pumpkin Cookie Cutters, Fall Ribbon, Red Yarn, and fall colored felt scraps. I covered the table with some white newsprint off a roll added our box of crayons, and voila!

Our Fall Themed Activity Table.

They can lace the noodles.

Or have fun sorting.

We can make practice patterns too. And with the cookie cutters we can draw all over the papered table. Bella also uses these for our playdoh fun times.

Mommy Date Night

2010-10-16T16:29:00.000-04:00

What is more wonderful than date night with your children?

(and not having to cook/serve!)

Dancing shamelessly at the table along with the lively Mexican music?

Yup!

I love my Wiggle Worms!

Afterschool Special...

2010-10-16T16:15:00.000-04:00

Boys...

Nighttime Frog Hunting with the neighbors.

Mom, can we keep them?

Ummm...

NO!

How 'bout I just take a picture...

Now free the frogs.

Don't worry...the dog didn't get them.

Living Waters Academy

2010-10-16T15:50:00.000-04:00

History Lessons are fun and interactive with Heart of Dakota. We have been following the lives of several (fictional) children as their families experience hardship in Europe trying to worship in freedom...future pilgrims. Here he was mapping out the route one character took in our lesson that day. It combined history, with listening comprehension and art. Bella, who wants to do everything big brother does, is doing her own sticker version.

I was worried about whether the math program included with the Heart of Dakota curriculum would keep James' short attention span...but the teachers manual has a hands on activity to go with the math workbook pages practically everyday. I really am impressed with the fun/learning ratio. This one was particularly fun...Roll the dice. Take the highest number and subtract the lower number...write the number sentence down on paper. We found these jumbo foam dice at the Dollar Tree.

We are still using the My Father's World Reading Lessons as they match up exactly to the Emerging Reader's lessons in Heart of Dakota in the first 9 units!

Bella usually joins us for his Bible Reader workbox. Here, he is using the Bible Reader from My Father's World, however we do alternate using the Beginner's Bible (Heart of Dakota's Reader) which is at a more difficult reading level. Once the MFW Reading lessons end, we will switch over to the HOD Reader exclusively. This will probably happen around the time that we get to the New Testament.

We also use the MFW Bible Notebook, illustrating and writing a summary sentence about the Bible Lesson he just read.

Taking a quick break to enjoy one of Bella's workboxes.

This is one of my favorite parts of homeschooling! The cuddle time that comes with read alouds. This book is a biography, Benjamin West and his cat Grimilkin. James loves this book! He asks to read it at night too.

RECESS!

Preschool Weekly Wrap Up

2010-10-16T14:58:00.002-04:00

Here is a look into our Preschool Week continuing to focus on

Creation, Numbers 1-7, Nature/Animals. We even had the privilege of taking school to CeCe's (my parents house) when our cousins were in town before they moved far far away to California. It was quite a challenge to do school with four kids all at different levels, but we managed and had fun!

Our main Bible we used this week was Pray and Play Bible for Young Children. She also enjoyed looking at James' big boy Bible Reader that we use for his 1st grade curriculum. They both have wonderful colorful illustrations to make the story come alive.

School with Cousins at my parents.

Fun with Homemade PomPom Magnets

Punching holes to practice number recognition.

Nature Walk to find color of the day...Green and Brown

Collecting items for Creation Collage

All you need is contact paper and paper bag. Cut contact paper and paper bag to rough size that you desire. Peel off paper and place contact paper sticky side up onto work surface.

Place your treasures onto the sticky side of contact paper, then lay paper on top to seal.

You could also seal it with another layer of contact paper [instead of the paper bag] and hang it in the window as a cool suncatcher.

We are working on number recognition, and focus on a new number each creation day. We went outside and used our sidewalk chalk to write the three numbers we had reviewed so far. I would call out a number and she would hop to it. Later we took a walk around the yard, and collected 1, 2, and 3 items of nature. Then we laid them down in the appropriate box. Ex. One stick, Two blades of grass, Three acorns.

She LOVES the counting bears, at first we were reviewing numbers...but then we went to color matching and sorting...this kept her busy for quite some time.

Break time....RECESS!!!

We created a craft page to represent what God created each day. Day 3 was probably the most messy! Glue a strip of brown construction paper to the bottom of page for dirt, paint the arm brown for tree trunk, hand/s green for branches. and paint green for grass and plants.

Day 4 He created the lights in the sky!

Here is a simple game to create: Creation Shoebox Match up~ Using Clothespins.

Role play with a friend. Wearing their babies!

Science: Sorting Whether the Animals Swim or Fly

Using stickers to create Day 5 Craft Page.

Tracing: We have torn out several pages from a workbook from Walmart and slipped them into sheet protectors. Bella loves her binder and pulls it out as James works on his "big boy" school work. These sheet protectors are in order 1-10, in a special number section for her to trace with dry erase markers. She can trace and erase as many times as she would like.

More numeral practice with 1-5 Sorting.

Color of the Day: Purple~

Craft: Flying purple bird...

Of course, all purple birds need a touch of green, mom~

Practicing cutting with scissors. Neat book purchased from Walmart called I Can Cut!

Playdoh Fun...Creating Numbers

That was our weekly wrap-up. Check out these great sites for more ideas!!!

Field Trip

2010-08-27T02:08:00.001-04:00

Well, I didn't want to leave James out! He was there for the museum too, of course!

In fact we went with my sister and her family. The kids pretended they were archeologists digging for undiscovered treasures. They have a neat set up in the museum. They provide the brushes, magnifying glasses, rulers, pencils, clipboards, and field guides for the children to identify and record what they find in the gravel boxes throughout the exhibit area.

There is a new "games" exhibit at the museum now. There are many great games displayed and they are all available to play. Each area explains the history of the game, as well as the directions and they provide all they necessary supplies. Here's our favorite. It is called Plum Stones. If I have the time, I would love to make a homemade version for us to play at home. It was a favorite of the kids.

Well, that...and the Wii. Can you imagine...a Wii in the history museum? Crazy...does this mean I am an old fogey???

Everyone's absolute favorite was the bubble exhibit.

Even Uncle Brian participated! HEHE

Our First Official Day in Pr3school

2010-08-27T01:26:00.002-04:00

~Bella is 37 months old~

Here is a look at what we did in our first day at Pr3school!

Bible Focus:

In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth.

Genesis 1:1

We read the whole creation story using the Pray and Play Bible...and then focused on Day 1

Craft Page from Hubbard's Cubbard Bible Curriculum

Music and Movement:

We love to dance and make up motions to the songs!

Twinkle Twinkle Little Star

He's Got the Whole World

God Made Me

This is the Day

Math/Art:

Our Focus for the next two weeks will be all the basic colors.

Each morning in our group time we do a color of the day and a mystery box.

Today was a stuffed animal zebra...I gave a few hints and then they had to guess. Then we put up the color of the day on our board, and went on a black and white scavenger hunt all around the house. This is a new and fun addition to our group morning routine.

Day One was focused around Black and White to tie in with Creation Day 1 Day and Night, so we explored by making a black and white collage.

Bella LOVES cutting paper...I think we did this for 45 minutes before she declared that she was finished!

We are also beginning to work on numeral recognition, and what better number to start with...Number One!

We got out the shaving cream and traced the number one...

over and over again.

I let her play around too, of course!

Science:

For science we talked about Day and Night.

Hubbard's Cubbard has an awesome printable with different activities that you do in the daytime or nighttime. So we worked on sorting those out. I just wrote out the words "Day or Night" and taped it over the writing on the page in our Bible Book we read out of earlier in the day. She did really well in sorting out the different activities.

Phonics:

For the next two weeks, we will introduce all the ABC's.

We read Chicka Chicka Boom Boom and then while she colored a coloring sheet,

I colored our very own coconut tree for our fridge.

Then we got some our our ABC magnets (found at the dollar tree) and placed them up. We played with them, and re-read the book and placed the appropriate letters on the fridge as we got to them on each page.

Tons of Fun! No time for action pics though :(

We also watched some videos with Chicka Chicka Boom Boom featured. One was a DVD from Nickelodeon we have with Blues Clues Room. A cute little boy reads with Blue, and the story is animated.

Another was from you tube. It's a song. Too cute!

Want to find a TON of ideas for Chicka Chicka Boom Boom?

Visit here:

http://www.squidoo.com/ChickaChickaBoomBoom

Totally Tots Intro to ABCs page

Another fun thing we did was cover our table in the school room with some butcher paper on a roll. Then I laid out all my ABC cookie cutters and showed her how to trace them with crayons.

Wiggly Fun:

We took a trip to the Georgia Southern University museum

featuring exhibits of dinosaurs, bubbles and games!

This last one is my favorite of the day! Sure, its blurry...but it's Bella!

I am linking up to these awesome Blogs.

Click to visit and find out what more moms and kids have been up to lately.

2010-2011 School Year

2010-08-09T03:50:00.004-04:00

Our curriculum came in from Heart of Dakota! I get so giddy when I get new books to look through! Everything looks so great...I am so excited to begin.

2010-2011 School Plans for James:

Workbox System

Morning Routine/Circle Time

Binder

Heart of Dakota: Beyond Hearts for His Glory

Complete Curriculum including:

HISTORY:

American Pioneers and Patriots

Stories of the Pilgrims

Boys and Girls of Colonial Days

MATH:

Singapore Math 1A and 1B

SCIENCE:

God's Wonderful Works

I don't want to wait the six weeks we have left in our My Father's first grade curriculum...but patience is a virtue, right? Right? Aghhh! I really am impressed with the HOD teacher's manual because everything is simple and clearly planned out ahead of time. I really can just pick up the TM and start teaching without any prep work beforehand. So much less planning for me! I can just fill one workbox with each of the 9 prepared "boxes" from the TM on the 2 page spread for each day. HOD has already done all the work for me. Yeah! Which is great, because I have needed all that extra planning time for a new phase in our school lives...Bella's now 3 years old and ready to begin preschool!

I have been busy piecing together many different and equally wonderful FREE resources from the web to make her a great combination program tailored just for her. I really am impressed with what you can find for free online. And we are making Bella her own spot in the school room just for her. Getting excited just thinking about it. At first I was dreading just thinking about how I was going to do school this year with two children, but I am now very optimistic and ready to begin!

2010-2011 School Plans for Bella:

Hubbard's Cubbard 3's Curriculum "Bible and Rhyme"
Confessions of a Homeschooler-Letter of the Week
Totally Tots Now I Know My ABC's Series
Totally Tots In my heart Series
No Time for Flashcards
Tot School Tools

I plan to blog about Bella's school day separately from James. My goal is to share one post per week for each child and what we learned. I have even created these cute logo's/headers for the post series. I am hoping that will motivate me! hehe...

So, let me see...

Registered for school at the Board of Education.....check

Sent in July's Attendance Form....check

Recieved James' school books for the year....check

Planned out and preparing Bella's preschool....check

Spent way too much time online now...CHECK

Yup...ready for a new school week!

Having Fun

2010-08-07T20:14:00.002-04:00

We have been having tons of fun at my parents house this weekend. Hanging out with the cousins and playing with new toys. James' favorite toy has been the Leapster Explorer. Hannalee and Lauren have these here at my parents house and have graciously let James play too. He LOVES it. Bella's favorite seems to be the Mellissa and Doug Jumbo Coloring Pads and Ink Stamp Sets. James and Bella both have "buddied up" with thier cousins...James and Hannalee together and Bella and Lauren together. Their personalities are so well matched. Here's my new buddy...

James is SOOOOO good with her. It's adorable. It always amazes me how sweet and gentle he is around babies. Bella on the other hand...great with baby dolls...but not to be trusted around real babies! :)

Guess who we finally got to meet?

2010-08-06T08:34:00.001-04:00

Cousin Katelyn!!! She is sooo precious! We fell in love instantly. More pictures to come later. The whole family is here for 3 weeks before moving far far away to California !

Our Morning Routine

2010-08-06T08:15:00.008-04:00

Here's a look how we start out the school day.

James gets down workbox #1 which has a binder and dry erase marker and various materials we need for the binder and calendar activities.

Morning Routine and Chores

The first two pages in his binder are actually not part of our calendar routine, but I put them in the binder because it helps us remember our morning routines and stick to them...

The first page is his daily morning routine, and the second page shows his weekly chores. {we are still working on making the weekly chores a normal routine as this is a new addition to our binder. :) They correspond to my weekly chores too so I can help in each room as he learns the task.} Each chart is in a sheet protector so they can be used over and over. He uses the dry erase marker to check off the item as he finishes. (each morning he erases the sheet and starts over again)

When we have finished cleaning up after breakfast...we officially start school with our calendar time. (he still has binder out/workbox #1) This is what I call "Circle Time". Which really doesn't make any logical sense...but...whatever. The kids come sit on the floor in front of the board.

Everything is attached to a triboard and is sitting on the ledge of a big whiteboard (which for now is resting on the floor :) We start out at the top left corner of the board and work our way down... All of our printables come from one of these awesome sites:

PLEDGES:

We stand up and say the pledge to the American flag (just found a new great printable for the pledge...will be printing that out soon!!! Next we say the pledge to the Bible. The kids take turns each day holding a Bible up high standing up front each day. (James picked this "standing/holding Bible up high" from VBS one year...and it stuck :)

GOD'S STANDARDS:

Then we review God's Standards for our school day-James points to each heart as I read them.

ABC AND BIBLE VERSE SONGS:

Then we sing our ABC's. (This is a new element I added for Bella this year. For the beginning of the year, we just have the ABC's right now. I plan on making a flip chart of songs as we add one song a week from Songs for Saplings program from Totally Tots, singing through ABC bible verses as we get to this spot on the board.)

CALENDAR:

Then we go to the top right side of the board and sing the months of the year song, and review what month it is.

Days of the Month Song:

(It is sung to the tune of O My Darling Clementine)

There are 12 months, there are 12 months,

There are 12 months in a year

January, February,

March and April,

May and June,

July and August,

then September,

next comes fun October too,

then November and December,

That's all 12 months now we're through.

Then we review the season and month. It is always being moved by Bella...so we actually get a chance to move it to the correct spot each day. We find today's date on the calendar, point to it, then sing the following songs...

Under the calendar is our Days of the Week sheet.

We spread out the day cards as we sing and place them in order, and select the correct day. Then we review Today, Yesterday, and Tomorrow concept.

Days of the Week Song

There are seven days, there are seven days,

There are seven days in the week.

There are seven days, there are seven days,

There are seven days in the week.

Sunday, Monday, Tuesday Wednesday,

Thursday, Friday, Saturday.

Sunday, Monday, Tuesday Wednesday,

Thursday, Friday, Saturday.

Today, Yesterday, Tomorrow Song

(To the tune of "Frere Jacques")

Today is _______. Today is _______.
All day long, all day long.
Yesterday was ______. Tomorrow will be _______.
Oh what fun! Oh what fun!

We point again to the date on the calendar and sing:

The date is...Song

(To the tune of "Frere Jacques)

Today is Thursday (Today is Thursday)

August 5th (August 5th)

2010 (2010)

That's the date (That's the date).

Next, I write the day, date, and code date on the white board. We also add a tally mark for the day and count the total by fives.

NUMBER OF THE DAY / 100 CHART:

Then we move on to the number of the day. I write it on the board and review place value, addition and subtraction, greater and less than, and other math problems with the number of the day. Then we color in the number on the 100 chart.

SHAPES AND COLORS:

Above to the 100's Chart are the pockets for the shape of the day and the color. I let Bella pick one out, and we review what it is, and think of something that is that color or shape. Like a brown teddy bear, or square window.

We also have a mystery box for our Hubbards Cupboard Bible Curriculum Color of the Day. I will give a few hints until they guess what is in there...EX. it's brown, furry, and makes a sound like this: "Roar!"

Once they guess what is in the mystery box, they get to go on a scavenger hunt for the color of the day and collect things from around the house. I set a timer, so they only have about 1 minute to do this.

MONEY:

To the left of the 100's chart is our money review...we recite a money chant to help us remember the values of the coins, and then we make the date with the cards. On days like today (5th) I ask that he find more than one solution. (5 pennies OR 1 nickel)

BINDER:

And last but not least, we pull out the binder! Ideally, I would like for him to work on the binder on his own, as we go over it as a "group", he could be filling out the information that we went over together on his own sheets...but for now he does it with my guidance. The only thing not on our calendar wall that is in his binder is a weather graph, and skip counting sheets.

Oh yeah, and remember yesterday how I mentioned Bella getting her "binder" too? Here she is in action working side by side with James.

That's our morning routine. I am linking up to these great blogs.

Check them out to see what other moms and kids are doing lately.

It's that time again!

2010-08-05T04:16:00.002-04:00

I love the start of the new school year.
It makes me smile- planning and organizing for the year ahead and getting new school supplies and setting up the school room. I love it!
I am so proud of James. He will be finishing up MFW 1st grade in a few weeks and will begin with Heart of Dakota's Beyond Little Heart's for His Glory by October. I can't wait for the books to come in!!! It is geared for 6-8 year olds and isn't ordered by grade...so we will continue on as a 1st grader for the sake of ease :)
Last week we started school, picking back up where we left off in the spring. We have 6 weeks left in the rest of MFW 1st grade. He is awesome in his reading and math skills. So much happened this year and I feel so privileged to have been able to be there and see his eyes light up when he "gets" a new concept, or masters another area. He is such a cutie. And a great big brother helper for Bella.

(only my kids....I say smile...and this is what I get!)

I added a few things to our "Circle Time" routine to include Bella this year.

Color of the Day and Shape of the Day

Since this is a new element, this week we took out all the cards and laid them out on the floor and reviewed each one. I let her pick out her favorite...no surprise she picked out purple things. :)

(The extra cards are stored in an envelope behind the sign)

Most everything we do (printables and how we do it) is found on these three sites:

James has a Binder that he does along with our Circle Time, and each time I ask him to get his binder, she asks for hers...then proceeds to get a random coloring book...then asks me every minute or so after that to write 001100 on her paper. That's her version of spelling for now.
Originally, my plan for Bella after circle time when James begins his workboxes,was to place about 5 interesting/educational things a day on the table to keep her occupied during the school day and to "loosely" focus on various early learning skills, like colors, counting, ABCs, shapes, colors and more.

But that isn't working out-

the loosely part, I mean.

Bella wants to do "real" school just like James...and keeps on interrupting to get attention. So...after much thought...(well, since last week anyway), I have decided to set up her own set of workboxes (not sure how many yet). The first two of James' workboxes will now be for the both of them. 1)Morning Circle Time 2) Music. She's been doing that with us anyway. No change there. Anyway...

I am officially going to transition Bella into purposeful and planned preschool this year.

Each week we will introduce:

Letter of the Week
Weekly A-Z Bible Verse
Arts & Crafts for each letter
Daily Calendar and Weather Activities
Read aloud books
Phonics practice
Capital/lowercase letter recognition
1-10 Numbers recognition
Counting practice
Colors
Shapes
Fine Motor skills: Lacing cards, cutting, coloring & pre-writing
Logic skills: Puzzles, size sorting, matching games
Large Muscle Movement: Large Floor Numbers/Letters Hopscotch
Singing: Leapfrog A-Z letter sound songs, Bible Verse Songs

Her workboxes will mainly be filled with things from the following programs (no need to reinvent the wheel):

Confessions of a Homeschooler-Letter of the Week

Totally Tots Now I Know My ABC's and Songs for Saplings /in my heart Series

Hubbard's Cubbard

3's Curriculum "Bible and Rhyme"

and Monthly Playdough Recipes and Sensory Tubs

No Time for Flashcards and Tot School Tools

We started today with having her own "work" to do, and she did great!

I still have to figure out how to successfully balance my time between them...but for the first day, I was really encouraged. Tomorrow we are heading over to my parents house to go visit with my sister's family who is town for a few weeks until they move to California :( But the kids are soooo excited to see their cousins and can't wait! So we will take Thursday and Friday off and hang out with them.

Wiggly AND Wonderfully Made

2010-06-13T03:50:00.006-04:00

It's been a while since I sat down to blog. It got kinda busy here...but the slower summer days have finally hit!

Tonight I visited a blog www.sizzlebop.com that listed

THIRTY FIVE GOOD THINGS ABOUT HAVING ADHD

I needed the reminder. I got sick yesterday and didn't feel well today, and had a short fuse with James' behavior today. But I needed to read this, cause James is awesome and I love him so much!!! If you have a child with ADHD, , this is an awesome site. The goal is to give you positive and practical ways to teach/reach your child and see them as a gift! We all need a reminder every now and then!!!
Here are just a few of the good things about my wonderful son, James: 1. Lots of energy 2. Willing to try things - take risks
3. Ready to talk, can talk a lot
4. Gets along well with adults
5. Can do several things at one time
6. Smart
7. Need less sleep
8. Good sense of humor
9. Very good at taking care of younger kids
10. Spontaneous
11. See details that other people miss
12. Understand what it's like to be teased or to be in trouble
so are understanding of other kids
13. Can think of different and new ways of doing things
14. Volunteer to help others
15. Happy and enthusiastic
16. Imaginative - creative
17. Articulate - can say things well
18. Sensitive - compassionate
19. Eager to make new friends
20. Great memory
21. Courageous
22. More fun to be with than most kids
23. Charming
24. Warm and loving
25. Care a lot about families
26. Inquisitive
27. Quick to forgive
28. Genuine
29. Never boring
30. Empathetic
31. Perceptive ways to do things
32. Playful
33. Honest
34. Optimistic
35. Interested in new things

(Taken from TADA... The Attentional Disorders Association of Edmonton)
James had a rough month of May as far as his behavior goes. ROUGH.
Rough for him, and rough on me and Mark.. When James has rough patches, it's hard to stay focused on the good things. And this was a big rough patch. We pretty much had taken away every privilege the boy had! There was nothing more to take away. We just kept on adding time to how long the privilege was to be taken away. Lots more spankings/time outs. He practically lived in his room most days at home! It was not a pleasant month...and I was contemplating that the everything we were doing as parents must be wrong. I even broke down one morning at the end of Bible study when the women were asking for prayers. It was the ugly cry. I had reached the end of my rope, and didn't know what else to do. They were all very encouraging, however everything they suggested, I was already doing, and have been for a while. Except medicine, and that was on the agenda if he didn't show a change soon...So, while I came away from it uplifted and encouraged...I really didn't have any practical advice to go about changing anything.

I prayed more for patience, knowing God had made him this way on purpose. I prayed to see him as a gift each and every day. I decided to stay off of the computer until after he went to bed, and give him my full attention. I mentioned to Mark to try and spend more one on one time with him, as he had been working extra lately. I also re-evaluated his eating habits, and decided to go on a drastic pure diet and cut back on more than the usual. So we went shopping and only had veggies, fruits, fish/shrimp, beans/nuts, vitamins and supplements. Drinks were either water or smoothies made with just fruit. (no sugars of course!)
But no behavior change. Two weeks of hyper, impulsive, disrespectful, disobedient behavior. He got into a fist fight with a friend at coop, lied to me about something he should not have done, on top of the usual ADHD stuff...

Finally one day it eased up. Don't know why, can't find the pattern. Wasn't the diet, 'cause we had quit the elimination diet, and had just had a "junk day" with pizza and milk, and donuts the day before. (although, I still wonder if he has a food allergy...but what is it???) Go figure! Whatever the reason, PRAISE GOD, cause I needed a break! I needed a reminder that what I was doing wasn't in vain. I needed to remember that my son was still kind and loving and obedient!

So when James is having a Jekyll/Hyde moment...I will get out this list and remember the positives, pray for more patience and persist in disciplining him in the ways of the Lord. Being in the Word has helped me so much!!!

I'd like to share three verses that have encouraged me lately.

The first is 1 Corinthians 15:58:

Therefore, my dear brothers, stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain.

In the long days/weeks/years of hard work as a mother, my labor in the Lord-my mothering-is not in vain. It may look sometimes as if it's in vain, but it's not. God promises that it's not. I cling to that when I'm exhausted or discouraged; when it seems like I've corrected the same misbehavior a thousand times, yet it still occurs; or when my prayers for the kids seem to be going unanswered. My labor not in vain.

The second is Matthew 25:40:

The King will reply, "I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me."

Jesus didn't say, "Whatever you did for one of the least of these, I appreciate it." He said, "Whatever you did for one of the least of these, you did it for Me." If everything I do as a mother is really done for Jesus Himself, then even changing a diaper takes on a vast, spiritual significance. Even the mundane, thankless tasks of motherhood become immensely significant. Why? Because I do them not primarily for my kids, but for Jesus. Jesus takes my service personally.

And last but definitely not least, the third passage is from Isaiah 40:27-31 ²⁷ O Jacob, how can you say the Lord does not see your troubles? O Israel, how can you say God ignores your rights? ²⁸ Have you never heard? Have you never understood? The Lord is the everlasting God, the Creator of all the earth. He never grows weak or weary. No one can measure the depths of his understanding. ²⁹ He gives power to the weak and strength to the powerless. ³⁰ Even youths will become weak and tired, and young men will fall in exhaustion. ³¹ But those who trust in the Lord will find new strength. They will soar high on wings like eagles. They will run and not grow weary. They will walk and not faint.

I serve an awesome God!!! Even when I fail and feel too exhausted to go on, He gives me strength to go on!!! It is only in His strength that I am able to accomplish what He has called me to do! I love this passage!

Girly Craftiness

2010-05-13T05:25:00.001-04:00

I love doing crafty things and learning new skills. HOWEVER, there is not that much time in my life to pursue messy and time consuming hobbies right now! That is why I have loved teaching my homeschool coop class this year. Its a group of 1st-5th grade girls (and Bella) who meet each week. This week we scrapbooked, last week we painted canvases. It's been fun to devote two hours to pure fun and girly craftiness each week!!! Here's the blog to check out what we've been up to this year!
www.oachekeepers.blogspot.com

The Gift of an Ordinary Day

2010-05-10T06:14:00.003-04:00

What a privilege

2010-05-01T00:10:00.003-04:00

Still memorizing scripture...
found a beautiful graphic for May's verse.

Check out www.extravagantgrace.net for more free scripture graphics. They are soooo pretty!

2010-11 School Year Plans

2010-04-30T00:00:00.022-04:00

As much as I love My Father's World, I have been considering switching over to Heart of Dakota for next year. I got a catalog in the mail last week and was browsing through it...I HAVE FALLEN IN LOVE WITH IT!!! It is sooo similar to My Father's World...and yet it seems to be stronger in some areas in which I feel are My Father's World weak points.

MFW K is wonderful in the Bible lessons and connecting it to the science projects, but James was more advanced in every other area of study it offered. (Don't get me wrong. I do love the program, and will more than likely do it with Bella for Preschool. I just think it is more of a PreK program than K...in my humble opinion) So we decided to start James with MFW 1st grade. So, why am I moving to a different curriculum for next year???

MFW 1st grade does not teach each of the subjects everyday, there is not a flow and consistency from day to day in the teacher's manual. Somedays are very short with a review of the memory verse in Proverbs, math and reading. One day every week there is an science exploration day and no other subjects are covered and you are encouraged to spend the day outdoors. Because of this, we don't follow the teacher's manual day by day. I look ahead in the days/weeks ahead, and cover the whole week in 2 or 3 of our schooldays most of the time. We are well ahead of schedule, and should finish up the first grade material by the end the summer IF we don't take a typical summer break. (I am considering this option so that we can begin a new curriculum at the same time as the typical new school season starts out. We would still have 4 weeks to take off with this plan)
Instead of listing the Math instructions for the day in the manual, you have to flip to a special section divided for math and find the assignment for that day/week. And they suggest living books as well, but that is also in another section in the back of the manual. True, this is not horrible, but it is a pain! I would rather it all be listed under what day/week it is to be done in the manual.
The science living books are listed the same way, in the back of the manual, instead of with the day/week it is applicable to. Plus, the science isn't really connected to the Bible lesson as it was in the Kindergarten level, and that is why I liked the program...everything the child studied was interwoven together.
Looking ahead in the manual...starting at Day 126 the student has completed the phonics lessons, and most of the math lessons, and the specified Bible lessons are not continued. The remaining SHORT lesson plans are not as structured and they encourage you to spend time outdoors and reading library books, etc. I am all for outdoor activity and reading, but in addition to regular learning. So I am very bummed about that aspect of the curriculum.
I was talking with another homeschool mom at Coop and she uses MFW for her older children (2nd/3rd grade). She also loves MFW, with the exception of the Language Arts. She felt it was lacking in instruction compared to schools in her same grade level, and she felt the need to supplement. The whole reason I got MFW was to have a complete program, so I wouldn't HAVE to supplement (even though I still do from time to time as I find fun things) Now, on the flip side...I have been extremely impressed with 1st grade phonics that it presents! James is doing amazing in reading and it is because of the curriculum.
And one last minor complaint before I move on to why I am considering Heart of Dakota. MFW relies heavily on library books. I love the library (It's free and I hate the idea of buying tons of books only to be used once) so I thought that this would not be an issue for our family, in fact it was a plus. However, it is really difficult to go to the library every week or two and look for 10 or 20 books with a toddler! Most of the time, I find that our library doesn't cover many of the suggested books, and it takes even longer to find other substitutes. So this has been a hassle.

Here's a peek at the teacher's manual for Heart of Dakota.... Simple daily plans are divided into 9 boxes, which can be spaced throughout the day as time allows. Quick and easy activities require little or no preparation and use only materials you're likely to have on hand. Each day of plans is divided into the following 2 parts: "Learning Through History" and "Learning the Basics". It is laid out on two pages, so each day is very easy to see what you will be doing. No flipping back and forth!!! And these areas are covered every day. That is music to my ears.

Christ-Centered

The "Learning Through History" part of the program gives a chronological overview of early American history from 1565 - 1860's. It emphasizes God's plan throughout history. A weekly Bible story wraps up each unit by focusing on an example of Godly character that corresponds with the history stories. The areas listed below are linked with the daily stories:

Bible Memory Work
Devotional Topics
Science Discovery
Art Projects
Geography Exploration
Timeline and History Activities
Poetry and Rhymes
Gross Motor Skills
Music

Complete

The "Learning The Basics" part of the program focuses on language arts and math. It includes the areas listed below:

Copywork

Spelling Practice

Basic Grammar Skills

Introduction to Capitalization and

Punctuation

Reading Choices

Narration

Storytime Genre Studies

Guided Literature Discussions

Story Element Lessons

Godly Character Lessons

Math Exploration

And, did I mention it's cheaper? No? Well, it is! YAY! And that includes the cost of all those extra books, so I don't have to visit the library every week!

After reading tons of homeschooling forums and reviews, I noticed that a lot of other Moms closely consider these two programs too. Here's a link to my favorite forum post comparing the similarities and differences of HOD and MFW. The comparison is clearly written and seasoned with grace and respect for both programs. It helped tremendously in my decision in discerning which of these two wonderful programs would best fit our goals, family, and teaching style.

Click here to read the review.

For me, it confirmed all of the reasons why we are going to choose HOD next year, but it may do the complete opposite for others. Isn't it wonderful to have many Christ centered programs to choose from? There are so many more out there too!

Our Camping Trip

2010-04-29T20:15:00.003-04:00

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This digital scrapbooking design customized with Smilebox

My Father's World Bible Reader

2010-04-29T13:43:00.003-04:00

James has been excited about reading!!! YAY!!!
Up until recently, he has showed NO interest whatsoever.

After this video, he kept on reading until page 32!

He is learning new phonics rules daily, and as he learns a new rule/words, he is to read a new story in the reader.
So far, he was only up to the first page...so his progress is awesome...picking up words he doesn't know the rules to yet.

Can you tell I am a proud mama?!?!?!

My Father's World 1st grade

2010-04-29T10:24:00.001-04:00

This past week has been hard. James has ADHD...sometimes it's hardly an issue...and other times he is very difficult to manage, and this past week was one of those difficult times. His hyperactivity, impulsiveness, lack of focus, and behavioral issues have been at an all time high. This happens sometimes. Just a really really really bad week for him out of the blue, and then he goes back to "normal". I really wish I could discover the pattern of why some days are fine and dandy, and others not. so. much.

Today, however...today has been good. We woke up early (for us) and met some friends to go walking in the park while our kids tagged along on bikes, scooters, and strollers. That was really nice, and hopefully the start of a new pattern of daily exercising. I stayed after our walk and let the kids play on the playground before we headed back home to start school.

With James' My Father's World 1st grade curriculum, he is learning Bible verses from Proverbs. We have been memorizing a proverb a week. This week is Proverbs 12:22.

Although MFW provides copywork sheets, we also have been using a cool resource from Mama Jenn (who also does MFW) found here. We have created a bible notebook that we keep all our memory pages in, so that we can look back and review.

We are also beginning a study of the Old Testament. He has drawn a bible times map with a cute little story to help him remember. We have looked at the Greek alphabet and Genesis 1:1 in Hebrew and discussed how the Bible was written in a different language than we speak today. This led into a wonderful discussion about Bible translators and how we have an awesome privilege to have the Bible in our own language.

Yesterday, he started reading Bible stories in a special beginning level Bible Reader that comes with the curriculum. He was so excited, as was I! Today, we started a timeline that we will continue to add on to as the year goes on in our studies.

As I was browsing the internet for a math supplement, I discovered this great idea from Confessions of a Homeschooler. James needed a refresher on color mixing, so this is what we did before (and after) nap time. It is really a mix of science and math together.

We started out by coloring 3 jars of water in the primary colors of Red, Yellow, and Blue.

Then we took the color mixing cards and followed the directions to make a new color.

For instance, on the purple color mixing card it shows 3 scoops of blue, and 1 scoop of red.

(just ignore the missing burners on the stove...we were cleaning up!)

After we mixed the color, we wrote the equation on the card. For purple we wrote

3 (blue scoops)+1(red scoops)= 4 (purple scoops)

With Bella, I just gave her a jar of orange we had already mixed, and an empty bowl with various size measuring scoops and let her scoop and play. She had a blast.

Bedtime

2010-04-20T02:32:00.003-04:00

James is so excited about the tooth fairy coming tonight, he refuses to go to bed!!! Seriously, its 2:30 am and he's still not asleep! I finally gave up, and let him watch this on youtube and sent him back to bed.

Maybe I need to break out some pink milk.

I am not sleepy and I will not go to bed! by Lauren Child

It finally happened

2010-04-20T01:32:00.007-04:00

James has been wiggling a tooth for over a week.
It's the very first one, and he's excited.

We thought it would never come out!

But on the way home from the grocery store today, he exclaimed,

"My tooth!!! It just fell out!"

No apples, no pliers, no string tied to the door. Just riding home doing nothing...whatever!

As I was taking a picture, I was asking James to show me his teeth...well, Bella was telling me she has teeth too...so, not to leave her out...here's a shot of her teeth too.

We have put that baby in a jar and it is now under his pillow waiting for the tooth fairy.
I have a feeling she is going to leave a nice little note and a dollar bill. I am thinking tomorrow after coop we can go by the dollar tree for a treat, and get a brand new toothbrush too.

...make that 2 new toothbrushes.

I figured since we were focusing so much on his tooth...we should add in a mini-unit study on teeth, in addition to our regular MFW studies this week.

Reading: We've already been reading books like these this week...

and we took a virtual fieldtrip to the dentist here. we explored what dentists and dental hygienists do, the importance of taking care of your teeth, and how good food choices and regular brushing and flossing help keep teeth healthy.

Found this info on the wonderful, marvelous, fabulous (and free!) www.homeschoolshare.com

Science and Health: Dental HygieneThe main function of teeth is to chew food. Ask your student to show you her teeth. Does she know where her gums are? Show her and tell her that the gums are covering the roots of her teeth. Humans develop two sets of teeth in their lifetimes; the first set which will consist of 20 teeth usually begins to appear at 6 months of age; the second set which will consist of 32 teeth usually begins to appear at 6 years of age.

The second set of teeth may last your student all of her life if taken care of properly. How does one take care of her teeth?
1. Brushing (at least twice a day and always before bed)
2. Flossing (followed by a rinse of water)
3. Going to the dentist for professional cleanings twice each year

Discuss tooth decay. Make a list of foods that are not good for your teeth (pop, fruit juice, candy, cake, cookies, honey, jelly, cough drops, popsicles, etc.) Tooth decay is caused when food gets trapped on the tooth surface (or between teeth). The sugars from the foods are converted into acids that eat away at our tooth enamel. It is best to eat foods high in starch and sugar at meal time (not for snacks) when there is more salvia (spit) in the mouth.

Some facts about foods and your teeth
1. Eating apples, carrots, and celery DO help remove plaque from your teeth
2. Brushing your teeth and rinsing your mouth immediately after you eat sweets will help prevent cavities from forming
3. Sweets are less harmful to your teeth if you eat them with a main meal rather than between meals

Science: Enamel Experiment

Discuss tooth enamel. Explain that enamel is the thin outer layer that protects the tooth pulp and never endings inside. It is important to keep the enamel healthy.
For this experiment you will need:

a raw egg
vinegar
a glass

Procedure:

Soak a raw egg in vinegar overnight. The acid will soften the shell just as acid in your mouth can cause a tooth to soften (to weaken and decay). In the morning, observe the egg. Discuss that this is similar to what happens to your teeth. The inside layers become vunderable (weaken and decay) when the enamel is eaten away by acid in the mouth. Once the enamel is gone, the pulp is exposed and a toothache occurs. It is important to keep teeth brushed so that the acids are kept under control and off the enamel.

Another similar experiment to conduct is Stains and Your Teeth.

You will need the following:

egg shells
six containers
rootbeer
cola
tea
coffee
grape juice
water

Procedure:

Place a small amount of liquid in each container-- one container for rootbeer, one for cola, one for tea, etc. Label each container. Add some egg shells to each container. Set the containers on a table overnight. The next day, pour off the liquids, but save the egg shells and place them back in their empty containers. Compare the color of the egg shells from the different beakers. What happened to the egg shells? Why is it important to brush your teeth?

Go-along books
How Many Teeth (A Let's Read and Find Out Science book)
I Am Not Sleepy and I Will Not Go to Bed by Lauren Child
My Wobbly Tooth Must Not Ever Never Fall Out (another Lola adventure!) by Lauren Child
Open Wide! by Tom Barber

Related Printables:

My Brushing and Flossing Journal

Teeth at Work - learn the different names of kinds of teeth and color the diagram

Dental Coloring Pages

Teeth Chant (from A to Z school)For youngers-
My front teeth are for biting.
My bottom teeth are for munching.
My pointed teeth are for tearing.
My back teeth are for crunching!

For olders-
My incisors are for biting.
My bottom teeth are for munching.
My canines are for tearing.

My molars are for crunching!

Rabbit Trail: History of the Toothbrush

One more day...

2010-04-15T16:40:00.002-04:00

Preparing for tomorrow's Happy Day...or as the Mad Hatter would have it...
Everyone else's very merry unbirthday! Enjoy some silliness today.
"Why, today's my unbirthday to me, too!" ~Alice

Grace!

2010-04-14T14:37:00.003-04:00

Ahh. A good night's rest is wonderful!

Woke up and was able to have a great quiet time with God. With young kids, it is a hit and miss...daily consistency is something I am still working on! We are using this book for my church's ladies Bible study and it is so wonderful.

This study will help you to understand what grace is all about. To be honest...at first, when they revealed the book we would be studying, I was kind of disappointed. (I kept it to myself of course!!!) I have always felt very secure in the knowledge that God is good and loves me. I totally get His Sovereign grace, and was hoping for another topic. But...God is amazing, and He knows what I need, and is able to teach me new things every day!!! The first lesson was on God's laws. The second...my quiet time reading today, was on hedging.(mans traditions are a hedge around God's laws)

Romans 7:12

The law is holy, and the commandment is holy and just and good.

We had a discussion at our first bible study meeting about how God uses the law to show us many things. We are sinners, we can't achieve the holiness he requires of us, which leads us to the Savior. It makes us realize and appreciate our need for His amazing grace! The law is also for our good and for our protection. To keep us a separate and holy people.

But some people have abused the law, and have made it the means to salvation. They built hedges around the law to protect it, and created more laws so that the original laws wouldn't be touched! Then more laws, and more...and they became the traditions of man. People lost the true reason for the law, to lead us to our need of the Savior. Instead the focus became keeping the law, the traditions of men.
Quotes from the Bible study book Ch.1-2:

"God's standard is perfection, and there's no getting around that! But, praise the Lord, we are not the ones who have to BE perfect. We are being MADE perfect!"
John 17:23, Philippians 3:12, 2 Corinthians 12:9, Hebrews 10:14

"There was the law, the God's commandments from scripture-and then there were the traditions- a way of life handed down for generations. One pointed the way to righteous living. The other insured the appearance of righteousness."

Wow....the appearance of righteousness. That struck a chord in me...a bad one!

God has been showing me how I have been too eager to appear like I am holy and righteous. Keeping the traditions of man, because I want to make sure I LOOK like I have it all together. I have been realizing that this most of the time my focus is on looking like I am righteous, instead of seeking the Savior-the only one who makes me righteous!

As a homeschooler, stay at home mom, who loves to follow blogs...it is really easy to get caught up in all the traditions out there. Different ways to follow God. Families that APPEAR to have it all together and are righteous, and it makes me feel guilty, and I want to add what they do to my life. Why? Mostly because I also want to APPEAR righteous. The more I try to add on, the more I fail at following these new traditions, the more guilt I feel. The more defeated I feel. But how often am I truly just seeking God? Every family, every individual will be different. Our callings will be different, our purposes on this earth will be different! I have to learn to let go of what people are doing, and what I look like I am doing. I need to run to Him and seek Him alone, and as I follow Him, my life will unfold to what He has in store for my family. It will not be following man made laws or traditions.

So, I thought I had a handle on His grace, and it turns out: I struggle with living in the law and not his grace! hmm...wow!

Yesterday when I was looking for Francis Chan's Crazy Love Ch. 3 resources...I found this...and I love how he sums it up! I will wear my jeans to church Sunday, and I don't care what it looks like to others! I am not under the law, I am under His grace!

Phew...I am exhausted!

2010-04-14T03:09:00.003-04:00

Here's a look into what a spring Tuesday looks like for me. Well, today anyway....

Get kids up and give them baths
Do minimal/basics in school

Pick up nieces and take them to coop
Teach Coop class...Soap Making! (More pics and details can be found on our class blog here)

Let kids play outside at break

time to leave and eat lunch, round kids up
talk to all the other moms so much that I am the last to leave...
and load the kids into van
and van won't start...
call hubby to come with jumper cables
send kids back to playground

hubby comes to save the day
hubby then informs me he has work that will keep him away til midnight. (Gulp! I am on my own!)
Decide to treat everyone to Ryan's-a full meal complete with ice cream-we all deserve it!
Get there and think to myself...what am I thinking? 4 kids and one mom with a buffet???
Too late to back out now, already paid.
After helping 3 kids get plates (Thank goodness for 9 year old's independence) and mine
We They enjoy the meal...but I mostly spend my time hearing myself sound like this, "Sit down, Don't talk with your mouth full!, Inside Voices!, Please don't eat off the floor!, well...you get the idea.
Load them all back up in the van, go visit their mom at work to say hi.
Lose the 4 year old in the clothing racks, Find the 4 year old in the toy section
Leave store, load kids back into van, drop off the nieces back to Grandma
Go back home,sit down and post on facebook I am ready for a nap
Pick up my book, Crazy Love, and review Ch. 3 before Bible Study tonight

Thank God for His amazing Fatherly love for me.
Back to reality, look at the clock and realize it's way past time to get ready for the game tonight...
look all over house for baseball uniform
Find dirty uniform, dress baseball star in dirty uniform. Look for glove and hat
Items found, get into van and rush to ballpark.
Arrive 5 min. late, but hey! we got there. Treat myself to a coke from concession stand.
Realize as his team goes out to field, I forgot to get his glove out of the van!
Run back 1/2 mile to the van, Run back 1/2 mile to the field...give him the glove.
Think to myself ... I am soo ready for a nap.
Sit in hot sun, no sunglasses. Sip coke, relax a little bit. Get my camera out. Realize I only have 3 shots left after taking so many pics at Coop.
Watch son play an amazing game. He was focused the whole game, hit every ball at bat-great distance too, and got the teams only 3 outs!

Smile at birds chirping, and thank God for the day. Slow down a little. Sip more coke. Cheer for James. This is the day that the Lord has made, I will rejoice and be glad in it!
Game over, give James a blue powerade and get joy from his big smile!

Get back to van, start it...ahh! almost didn't start. Call Mark to let him know, but oh...just realized the back door was ajar. Nevermind. It's okay.
Call Joy to see if we are still on for Bible Study and to let her know I have the kids with me!
She reminds me I was spose to bring the dessert ingredients.
Trip to Walmart. Yuck!
Get 3 items, wait 25 minutes in the express line. No exaggeration. curse walmart, again!
Back out in traffic, remember I forgot my Crazy Love book at the house. Can't do study without it, so I turn around and head home.
Run inside, get my book, and the kids' soap they made at coop which they insist on showing to Joy.
head the 30 minutes to Joys.
Stop and get gas.
Get to Joy's. Kids play with her adorable dog, Toby. Dinner was fabulous, thankful she cooked for us! I thank God everytime I think of her.
Turn on TV for James. Bella falls sound asleep. Catch up on silly talk before we begin Bible Study.
Realize it's almost 9, decide to do Bible Study next week. Both of us are refreshed though!
Watch LOST! woh! In great mood now.
More girly talk, realize it's 11:30...
pack up kids
head home, realize half way home I forgot the soap at Joy's (plus that 3rd item I bought at Walmart)
Get home, kiss my hubby. Think about describing my day, but sum everything up by telling him LOST was good. He fills me in on his day. Great business prospects and more jobs. Good news.
He goes and takes a shower, then bed. I sit down, sigh about my lack of communication skills.
Blog for homeschool Coop class
Blog here. Have pics to go with this post, but after 30 min. of trying to add them. I give up. will come back to it tomorrow.
Phew...I am exhausted...
Sleep...zzzzzzzzzz