Apr. 28, 2007
Woman World mag.
|
had an a couple of issues about health. I was drawn to buy this one because it seems to affect me and my children. One was about thyroid. I am getting test done finally. Do you know how hard it is to get a doctor to test for this?. The second was about gluten alergies. Gluten is some thing our body can't break down. Here are some web sites to read more info on. www.glutenfreeforum.com & www.celiaccentral.org or do a search on avoid gluten. If you are having trouble loosing weith this might be for you. |
Apr. 28, 2007
Good Sat. Morning everyone.
|
I hope everones week went great. No not perfect but great. I am reading a wonderful book that KTNies borrowed me Battlefield of the Mind by Joyce Meyer. A must read! You will have a renewed life with God. Things aren't going to be perfect but how you handle them is another story. Read it.
We had a good week. My bedroom makeover in completer now I need to get the bed and dresser. It is the one of the best Christmas presents ever. I have the most talented hubby that God could have given me.
School went well. We did very little book work but a lot of hands on learning. KTNies and I are going to co-op English and History. She found a new program that we like and makes sense. We even feel left out. We will continue to do Mystries of History the only diff is that KTNies children won't be flying through it. I love history so this is fun for me. We will do this on Tuesdays & Thursdays through the summer if our trail run works out in the next 3 weeks.
Did alot of spring cleaning and lawn maintance this week. So things are looking fresh. It is so beautiful here.
Well everyone have a blessed day and week. |
Apr. 6, 2007
Good Friday.
|
As we all know Jesus took up the cross for us and died. Today at the Mass service I cried. Well maybe more of tear up. It was when we go up to the cross and have the moment of touching, kissing or bowing at the cross. When I sat down I couldn't help but cry. I couldn't even sing not that I'm good at that but I use what the good Lord gave me. I really don't remember if I cried at the other Good Friday services. I know there are some sermons that the dear father has brought me to tears, touching close to home. But tears that I cried for Jesus?. I never wrote them down. I have also started a pray journal and this will be one of the entries. But I had to share this time of sorrow with you. I just kept thinking how could people be so cruel? And for what purpose? Jesus never harmed any one. Because he preached to followers? For talking? It amazes me how the freedom of speech has been blown out of portion. Turning on the t.v. now a days is frightening. They have no problem using foul language. What was Jesus talking to them about? The Commandments and loving thy neighbor. Helping those in need. Respecting others and their property. Be careful of what you say as not to offended someone or their reputation. And if all those things are out of your control pray for them. I know I am guilty of some of these sins but I try to improve on them daily. With in my own family it can be difficult at times. If we stop to really think of this, is it really a big deal? Or is it? To God it is. He wants us to follow simple rules to keep us healthy, safe and happy. I cried today for him. Not the wailing that the women did when Jesus to up the cross but a quite cry of I am sorry Lord. I'm not sure if anyone noticed me and I wasn't looking for attention but if they seen me did they feel the same? The sins we make now are no different then the sins the people of Jesus time made. If there was no God is what he asking us that hard to do? |
Apr. 5, 2007
Putting the chidlren first.
|
Yesterday I had a hard time getting up. I said my Rosary at 6:30 and fell back to sleep. My body felt weigth down too. So by 9:00 I wasn't ready for the day. I have been letting the kids rest longer then usuall so I went with the flow. I did get up, made some coffee which was awful and got dressed. By then everyone was up. We watched a Trya Banks program about being in someone elses shoes. A racial program. Normally I don't watch her but we did yesterday. I thought the issues were important and we discussed the program. That could be another subject in it self though. Any way ds wanted to play a card game. DH was on the phone with mommy for his b-day and dishes needed to be done along with some paperwork. As we hugged and asked me to do this I explained to him what needed to be done the slump of his body was hard to resist. I put the chores behind me and had a mean game of golf with him. While grandparents were on the speaker phone we played cards. It was fun. We tied. The sun was shining through the windows and snow on the ground it will be a day to remember. |
Apr. 5, 2007
A couple of days of reflection.
|
Celebrating a couple of birthdays this month. The 4th dh & 5th ds. We started a family tradition when we got married in 1992. Dh wanted to do something special for my 2 older children and being a new family he came up with the Pizza Hut dinners. So on everyones b-day we go to Pizza Hut w/a cake if possible and have pizza. Usually dh & ds have their dinner on the same day. They don't mind sharing either. They enjoy the fact that they can do this. Especial when ds almost came on dh b-day to begin with. Dh mom had a calendar that she recorded things on of that year. Nothing special but days off, babysitting, b-days, ect. just daily happenings. Not that this would be unusal we all have a schedule to keep and with 8 children under foot she needed it. These children were a handful, believe me I heard the stories. But the fact she kept the calendar and anything else that went with the birth of her children is. I take pics. There easy to store and fun to look at. DMother Pickle kept things. Hospital bills, hair, tooth, report cards which by the way are nice to prove someone wrong, & anything else they might have done. Like I said I take pics. of the childrens projects, special events, ect. Not her. Then she wounders why she has a storage problem. Then guess who gets the stuff when the kids get married. Yep. Me. What do you do with it? Our house is small enough. Any ideas from the blogger world. What do you do with memories that pile up? |
Apr. 4, 2007
I got creative today.
|
This was very hard for me to do. I had a hard time waking up so I'm surprised my brain was working. I have this desk w/hutch to go with it. In between the shelves and desk top there is a space of wood. I think it was meant for strength. Well to me this is wasted space. Goodness knows if I can't leave anything bare. Any how I was planning on getting corkboard to glue onto it. Sticky notes only stay up for so long. Well at $10. a roll I waited. But I had this bullinet board that was leaning against the wall. So I recycled. I took a corner of the frame apart which can be reused for dd poster w/cardboard to add, and cut the corkboard to size. Very little waste and it did the job. I didn't even have to spend money on something new. Snowy days are just for craftness.
May your creativity spruce up your home. |
Apr. 4, 2007
Want to share this with you.
|
Devotional
Have you ever said something and immediately wished you could take it back? This usually results in hurt feelings or a conflict of some sort. If we look at the Proverbs 31 woman as our example, we can be ever so aware of our words and guard the things that leave our mouths. In this way, we too can speak with wisdom.
I would like to share a portion regarding our speech from the book, A Woman of Noble Character.
Words can tear people down or build them up. As women striving to please God, we should purpose to build up not only our families, but the people around us as well. This is one of the most difficult areas for people to master. The Bible talks about being able to control large animals and ships, but not being able to control our tongues.
We should always try to keep a tight rein on our tongues. The Bible has many verses addressing this aspect of our character. Watching what we say includes the tone that we use when speaking to others, spreading things that we hear, griping or complaining, and the actual content of what we say. All of these areas should reflect the character of Christ.
One more area concerning words that we need to be aware of is our self-conversations. We normally do not consider the things we think to ourselves as conversations; however that is exactly what they are. You can talk yourself into being offended or mad at someone just by dwelling on an incident or thinking negative things about that person. Just because your words are not audible doesnt mean they wont have an ill effect on people.
Several years ago, someone gave me a checklist to use to examine my words. Ask yourself these questions BEFORE you say anything or as you find yourself thinking:
1. Is it kind?
2. Is it true?
3. Is it necessary?
4. Does it reflect Christs Character?
If the answer to any of these questions is No, refrain from saying them and purpose to redirect your thoughts. By thinking before we speak and using these questions to guide our words, maybe we will have less words to try and take back.
|
Apr. 3, 2007
Found this quit meanful and wanted to share.
|
Special Guest Devotional
This devotional comes from a guest writer in Canada, Rachel Thomson. I hope you enjoy her writing as much as I do.
A Spirit of Meekness
by Rachel Starr Thomson
Whose adorning... let it be the hidden man of the heart, in that which is not corruptible, even the ornament of a meek and quiet spirit, which is in the sight of God of great price. I Peter 3:3-4
The ideal woman of the modern world looks something like Lara Croft of the video game Tomb Raider: bold, immodest, and ready to kill. Gods ideal woman, on the other hand, has adorned herself with a meek and quiet spirit.
Meek is one of the most misunderstood words in the Bible. Eric Liddell, the runner and missionary whose life was pictured in Chariots of Fire, wrote Meekness and weakness [are] often associated together. What is the difference? He summed it up this way: Weak kind and gentle and led by fear. Meek kind and gentle and fearless.
A good friend of mine defines meek this way: Meekness is strength under control. Jesus demonstrated meekness when He died on the cross, using neither His own power nor the hosts of angels that waited to rescue Him.
Meek and Submissive
Meekness is uniquely tied to another Biblical value: submission. Women, especially wives, are called to submission in many areas of life. The world has maligned and tossed this out as worse than worthless, but the world has missed Gods perspective. A truly meek woman submits fearlessly, because her trust not in people or circumstances, but in God. She knows that God values her meekness and has promised to take care of her. Peter tells husbands to give honour to their wives, lest their prayers be hindered (I Peter 3:7). That is the extent to which God honours His submissive women.
Meek and Gentle
Gentleness, like meekness, is often seen as weak. Nothing could be farther from the truth. A meek woman can be truly gentle because there is strength behind her gentleness. She is not gentle out of timidity or fear. Her gentleness, like her meekness, is a matter of strength under the control of Gods Spirit. She is gentle the way Jesus was: a lamb with a lions heart. Gentle woman reflect God in a powerful way.
Meek and Quiet
Quietness is another facet of strength under control. A meek woman has wisdom, but does not always need to express it. She has great ideas and understanding, but no need to grab control. Paul told Timothy that women were to be quiet in the church. This was not because women had no valuable input, but because they were upholding the leadership of others. Meek and quiet women stand behind their leaders, building them up instead of usurping or taking control from them. As women, many of us have a tendency to panic and try to head our leaders off at the pass if we think theyre doing something wrong. Meekness puts that panic to rest. We are able to be quiet and let God lead us in when to speak and when to be silent.
True Godly meekness is rooted in trustnot in man, but in God. It stems from the same root as Jesus meekness and has the same power. As women, our meekness has a unique power to build others up, to encourage them, and to bless our God. A meek and quiet spirit is in His sight of great price. May He form it in each of us.
Rachel Starr Thomson is the author of Heart to Heart: Meeting With God in the Lords Prayer, and of the devotional essay collection Letters to a Samuel Generation. She is a homeschool graduate and the oldest of twelve children. More of Rachels writings can be found on her Web site, www.LittleDozen.com, |
Apr. 3, 2007
Good morning to all
|
it you are my neck of the woods we have snow. That is MN. It still is snowing too. Its about 7:40 here and everyone is still sleeping. DH is recovering from a tooth infection and isn't getting much sleep. The children stayed up late because we have school break. They are being lazy. So am I. I'm still in bed too. I have managed to say my Rosary, gone to the bathroom and turn on the computer. Sometimes I find I'm trying to keep up with someone and don't know who. I like to keep up with household duties but we have things around the house so we can finishing remodeling the bedroom. DH is already getting the ichy bug to start on the laundry room. I want Science and physical activies seem to just fall into place when summer comes. This year dh suggested we call the dnr and find out what we can do for the wildlife in the back. We have 40 acreas that are mostly wooded. The kids love exploring back there. Well dd not so much since she seen a skunck. But there is the thrill of seeing wild geese in the water hole. It should be interesting. I think the kids are planning at raising tadpoles again. They die last year. DD annouce that woodticks are out. She found one on the cat. There might be snow on the ground but summer is at the back porch. You all have a blessed day. |
Apr. 2, 2007
School off this week.
|
With Easter coming I decided to have a break. I had to take dh to the dentist. He has infection so he will be taking meds. Then ds had a job interview at Target. After that I took a nap. I can't believe I slept for 2 hours. I had a hard time getting up to being with. I'll be going to bed soon. It was funny. I told the kids then needed to watch some movies that we needed to get back to the library. But when I woke up they were reading. Well ds was listening to a book on tape. Its good to know they will do things on their own. |
Apr. 1, 2007
Our homeschool journey.
|
I have been writing little tibits about how we got started w/school. Dealing with the public school was the hardest part. Once that was taking care of things go smoothly. Not. It isn't as bad as we all make out to be. We went throught the learning styles. My oldest, the one who is a mommy at a very young age, did rather well picking her own cir. She was 16 at the time so she knew what was interesting to her. She got very involved with girlscouts, goverment laws, raising her daughter and took a course in nurses aided program. She never took the test for it because after doing the hands on stuff she couldn't stomach the job. That was o.k. She needed to find herself. As of Dec of 2006 she graduated from Ras. Business College in management. She is married for 3 years and is expecting her 3rd baby. She is working in a nursery and loves it. Gardening is her thing. But they are doing well. Some of the cir issues were a bit changellaging. The homeschool conferences helped alot. There is a big age gap between the 2 older kids from the 2 younger ones. DS 18 is going for his GED like is big sis. But he is a very well adjust gentlemen. The older he got he realized it gets a little harder to play football w/girls. Some times I think he is a little out of it. He is a good worker and considerate. I can tell you a list of the bad things about him then good and the bad list isn't long either. God has bless my son well. The work force will shape him to be even better. The younger two I took my time with. I could see the difference of delaying core studies. We did alot of reading & hands on activies. DD (12) is wanting to do things on her own. I wanted to do somethings as unit studies. But no she wants to do it on her own. We are going to sit down and pick things out that she wants to do. DS(11) is a late reader. He is good in math and science. He likes to do the group activies. He is very handy with tools. Textbooks aren't his thing but we use them for math & english. So it does get easier with time. The only time the public school bugs me is when they want the report cards or the begining of the year paperwork. God has blessed our family well. We make a modest living and money can be tight but we work it out just fine. |
Mar. 30, 2007
Good Friday to all!
|
It's rainy here in MN again and we were expecting it. We need it. But today is my office day. I have paper work to keep me there all day too. I do take breaks so that I am not burned out. It is so bad if it is just house matters that I need to take care of but we are self employed and I handle that paperwork also. It should go rather smoothly.
I am already thinking of next years school cir. just like everyone else. The only eception is dd is growing up faster then I want. She is 12 and wants to be more indepent from group study. I enjoy these times with the children and she wants to be on her own. She got real mood with me yesterday. The problem was that. So we sat down and went over what she is to finish off for this year. It was mainly history & lit. So we came to agreement. Now I am pondering what to do with ds. This will have to be something God & I have to discuss. I'll have to let everyone know what we descided on. There is a confernce for MN coming up in May so I can't wait. |
Mar. 28, 2007
Good Wed. Morning!!!
|
It is a rainy day here in MN. The good Lord is blessing us with and we could use some after last years dry spell. Hopefully God will provide a blessed growing season. Have a full day planned. I'm going to give ktneis a call and see if she needs any help. Poor gal is suffering with some muscle pain in the neck. I have laundry to do & seasonal clothes to switch. School will be done this a.m. as always. Plan on some cleaning too. Hubby and I had a nice delivery date yesterday. 4 hours of driving time. This is a day when hubby has to deliver trim or cabinets and I go with. We made up the day to make it fun for us. We have quite time, good discussions and laughter. We figured it was a time it is just us. I can't believe how bumpy the roads are and they are suppose to be the main ones. Dd had a hard time w/easy grammar. We took some time and went through it. Breaking it down I think helped her. She is normally pretty good at it as long has not too much is repeated otherwise she gets bored. She also did another cracoal drawing. It was pretty good. She loves drawing. Ds is making a town. He took thick pink foam and is constructing a train track on it. He is going to take some plaster & make a mountain out of it with other things to add. We are going to set this up in his room. Older ds is going to go job hunting tomorrow. I wish the best for him.
Well I here hubby so I better see if he wants brkfst. I plan on cooking up a bunch of frh tst., sausage & bacon for the freeze.
God bless. |
Mar. 23, 2007
You all may laugh at me
|
but it is 6:55 a.m. and I couldn't sleep so a came down in my clean office. Had to admire it once again. Its so organized. It feels gooood! I hate messys. I am planning to move a big armchair in here now. It will fit in the corner perfectly. I have been wanting to get a computer desk for the kids but I hate the idea the only room it is in ds. I put it in the corner where the chair was. I even figured out where to put our hs. supplies. There is a linen closet in the hall way downstairs that will work great. |
Mar. 22, 2007
A clean office.
|
I finally got it done. With all the redecrating going on around here things aren't in there place. I have had to just put it somewhere the office. Well I was determined to get it done. I got a new filing cabinet last week, which helped, so I was able to organize some paperwork. Cleared up space in a tall cabinet for supplies. Hung up some pretty pics. of a flower patch, which is nice because my office in the basement with no windows. Cleaned some shelves. Got rid of some books that I hope to sell. Dusted, vaccumed and over all organized. Friday I will be going grocery shopping. Sat I will finish the paperwork. Praying does help. |
Mar. 22, 2007
Part 2 Homeschool journey.
|
It wasn't easy. Ds#2 had alot of trouble. I didn't worry about the younger 2 children because they weren't ready. We did read alot and did crafts. At the time I also did daycare so it was easy to include activies with them. DD#1 who was having a baby at 15 did fine on her own. She was a big textbook person. She picked her own cir. and was big on girlscouts. So she worked on her awards. Considering the emotional rollercoaster that we were on she did fine.
The school was giving me a hard time. So trying to deal with the school and figuring out what to do w/ds I was very sick. I landed up w/bronchis for months. I got workbooks from Sams Club to start with. You would think this would have worked not. DS was struggling. He didn't finish his work & what he did do was wrong. I really wasn't sure what he knew so this was a starting point for us. So after working with him for a couple of months and many tears my son who was repeating 5th grade work didn't know the stuff. The school adm. would call me and ask what cir. are we using blah blah blah. Well I printed off the text of the work and names of all the books that we used for her. When ds & I decided to rethink our cir. we agreed to start over. I mean from scratch. I had him redo add & subtraction. He didn't know how. I made list for him follow for chores to improve his memory & following directions. I got him on a routine. This took awhile. Things just don't happen over night. At bed time I would sit in the middle of the bedrooms and read out loud. We started with Little House. After each chapter I would ask ? for all the kids to answer. I didn't want to make him feel he was the target for anything. By doing this his comphension improved also. Now the school would bug. They wanted report cards. Now this is how the school would work with me. I would ask for dates of the school wanted them. They didn't send me anything. So she basicly called me up to bug me. Once again she would ask what our cir. was. I informed her that I had to switch because ds couldn't do the 5th grade work. He was doing 1st grade work. She wanted to blame me for his learning diffuclty. Oh did I forget to mention that he was suppose to have adhd. Any how she was trying to tell me that he should be multiplying & dividing in the 4th grade already. I said "yes when he was in the public school 2 years ago. This is our 1st year hs. I have to teach him over again." This woman just couldn't get it. This is the stuff the school just pushed him through. He wasn't learning. I even talked to the leagal dept. for hs and this said there is no age apporate cir. You need to go by the childs learning ability. Try explaining that to her. She even turned me into for truncy, is that how you spell it. I call hsld and they wrote her a letter explaining that there is no such thing a age apportate cir. The sherffi of our county even called to set up a time to vist us. HSLD said go ahead & show them what you have/doing if I was comfortable in doing so. I was. He checked everything out books, chalkboard, materials anything. We talked for a few mins about the sitution & he agreed with me. If the child doesn't know the material why push him. The house was clean, things were in order no reason to think that we were not doing school. So after talking with the district att. to solve the matter he suggest I call her. So I did. She refused to talk to me. The district att. said not to worry about it bceause the advice proved that we are doing school and there is no age apporate cir. Once I got past that first year I was fine. I did find out that school admin. was no longer working there the following year. My world went smoother. |
Mar. 16, 2007
I ordered the Julie Anderson
|
full year notebook system. I think that is what it is called. Has anyone used this? I want to have a better record keeping system for school & this looked promising. I can't wait to get it. I would like to start using it this summer. Dh gave the kids a really good idea for this summer & I want to make sure it is a counted for. Here in MN we need to make sure things are recorded. Or something like that. We have 40 acreas of wooded land w/a seasonal stream going through it. So wildlife animals are our neighbors. He suggested calling the DNR for info to set up some homes for the birds. I was thinking what a great science project. I guess you could say we do school all year round but not all at once. So this will be interesting. Ever since we moved here 2 1/2 years ago the kids know the woods better then their rooms, well maybe not that well but the same amount. I remember the 1st year we were here they kids got so excited when 2 or 3 deer ran in front of them. They were out of breath just running home to tell us. They enjoy so much time out there. This year I would like to include some outdoor rooms. I can't wait myself. |
Mar. 15, 2007
Part 1 Why we homeschool?
|
This was not an easy descion for me. I had a dear neighborhood freind that was new. As usuall I like to go over and meet the new neighbors. Has the chidlren got together to play we became good friends. We talked over the issues of schooling. Especially when my concerns for ds#2 had problems. He was suppose to have adhd & put on ratiln. This wasn't helping. He was so antsy in the classroom. If he heard someone walking in the hall he wanted to know who it was. His school work was poor. He wasn't learning anything, even in the special ed class. Or he was getting picked on. How is a child to learn with that kind of pessure? Dn was telling me she has a nephew with the same issues. Since they started hs that wasn't a problem any more. Granted things didn't happen over night for him it was a lot better then in a classroom full of nosense. She gave me books to read and look up. I searched the internet & library for info. It took me a year to decide. This was also the same year dd#3 started k. This was a changlle every morning. She wasn't a morning person. I would send her off crying. She did well in school but there was a boy in school picking on her. Now when my children are not being kind to each other as a parent what do we do? Thats right we displine. That is why are children get along. Now hubby wasn't very supportive at all. He didn't even want to do it for a year. I made up my mind that I was going to homeschool our children the following year. What made me determined? 1. Ds#2 failed 5th grade. I had him tested at Sylvians learning center & his math level was a 1st gr. & gammar was 2nd to 3rd gr level. So what was all the special help for? 2. DD#1 at the age of 15 was pregant. This was my 2nd marriage so this stuff was happening at exs house. She was determind to keep her baby. So I told her this was her responsiblity. She needed to be there for her child which meant no daycare. She was to raise her child. 3. DD#3 could sleep later. I wasn't going to put up w/this.
My marriage was on the rocks because of all this. But I knew this was going to be the best thing for my family. So with Gods help I went against my husband and started homeschooling. |
Mar. 15, 2007
Womans World & SAHM
|
I like this mag and this week or was it last they had an article about SAHM. How we don't take time for ourselves. How true. These women didn't regret their choices and loved what they were doing but they needed time away. We have to remember that it is health for us mothers to get out of the house. We need to spend time w/our husbands to keep the love flowing ;) We need to get together w/other women for support & laughs. And most of all w/our creator. We need to spend some time with God. I just don't mean on Sundays. Our parish offers adoration through out the week. I like to go on Sat a.m. & 1st Fri. & Sat Masses. This is a peaceful time for me. And lately I feel that there is something missing when I don't make them. Winter is harder then summer. But this is a time when I don't worry about alot. Now granted I don't have a baby to think about, but if I did I probly would be bringing the wee one with. It would be a good habit to start. But usually dad is home. And if you are an organized person everything in it place dad should be able to handle a bowl of cereal. Or you could just put stuff out the night before. I have the habit of making extra pancakes & hiding them for times like this. It is worth the effort. Even if it once a month. God understands. He gave you the calling for marriage & everything that goes with it. But he doesn't want you to forget him. I have sat in that church and cried with people around me. This was my time to talk to God with my many burdens. I left that church refreshed. My shoulders weren't as heavy. My cross was lifted. And there was many times I was in that church with joy in my heart for all the blessing that was given to me. I just don't go to God with my troubles. I make sure that I thank him also. If your church doesn't have adoration talk to your priest about it. I'm not sure if it is just a Catholic thing but it shouldn't be. God's house is suppose to be open for us all the time. Even if you are going shopping w/the kids stop by church with them and say HI! 5 minutes is enough for God. He is over joyed that your family stop. Remember we need to think of God through out the week. This is showing the children. If your kids see you saying a prayer at home they will see a saint in the making. My children see me make the sign of the cross all the time. I pray when they are arguing, playing, doing the chores or for no reason at all. I am always telling them to pray "Make sure you ask your angel for help."
I gues I got off the subject a little. But when you make time for God he will help you make time also. God bless and don't work to hard. The mess won't go anywhere. |
Mar. 9, 2007
What time do your children get up?
|
I know ours don't have to get up to catch the bus but how late do you let them sleep? I am a.m. person & could be up at the break of dawn but I'm not on a farm anymore so there is no need but I love my mornings. Is it normal for children to sleep until 9:00 a.m.? I think it in the genes. DH can sleep that late. He also likes to stay up til midnight watching t.v. too. What is a normal wake/sleep time? We agrue about this once in awhile, if you call it agrueing. I just want a health balance in our day. I should do an experiment w/their sleeping patterns. Chart it and the activities during the day. Should I let nature take its course and see what happens. Maybe if they wake at their natural clock the thinking mode & attiude mode would be better. |