This is a crosspost from my main blog:

First of all, I'm thankful right this minute for an email I received earlier. It was another e-mail from the same nice lady that sent me the one about my grammar. I likely sounded rather flippant about the whole thing when I mentioned it prior, but I assure you I was not being flippant about it. I was and am, quite grateful for someone willing to come to me and tell me what she did. I haven't had an opportunity today to really read the second email in depth, so I'll be doing that later on.

Today was very busy, just like it always is on family birthdays or holidays. Everyone was here by about 2pm, and the ham was carved & on the table by 3. All the little kids were well behaved (even us bigger kids minded our manners!), and it was just a very good day.

Every year on Thanksgiving, people gather 'round all over the US and talk about what they're thankful for. It's a good thing to do I suppose, but it seems somehow misplaced to be mindful of your blessings but one day a year. When I was growing up, my mom had a saying that rings in my ears to this very day. "Be thankful for what you do have, and don't worry about what you don't have." Mom was a single parent working full time, raising 3 kids in the 60's and 70's. It wasn't easy for her to give her kids all the "wants" but we always had all the "needs". I'm so grateful for mom teaching me that attitude.

Rebecca made a wise move this month and chose to make her theme for November, a month of being thankful. She's been encouraging readers all month long, to share what they are thankful for on their own blogs, or by leaving a comment on hers. If you haven't been reading the comments or the updates, you really should be. They will bless you. Rebecca's blog will bless you. I'm thankful for her, and even wrote once in one of my very first entries on this blog, that when I grow up and become a real blogger, I want to be Rebecca.

As I watched my family today, I had an overwhelming grateful feeling that they were all here. All of them healthy, all of them beautiful people in their own right, and all of them healthy. Not everyone can make that claim about their family at a holiday gathering, and I realize just how blessed I am.

I have struggled almost my entire life, with "not having". When I was a kid, we had the necessities and once in a while, something a little extra. After I grew up, the "not haves" just followed me into adulthood and it's been a struggle financially almost my entire adult life. It would be VERY easy to wallow in self-pity but it would be a complete waste of time. I know, I've done it more than a few times and it never accomplishes much of anything, except to make me feel like an ungrateful brat.

I'm quite thankful I have fellow believers in my life that encourage me (sometimes daily) to remain in the proper attitude and remain thankful, grateful, and keep praising God no matter what comes. There are no words to describe the blessing of a changed attitude, when you simply sit in awe of Him, knowing that "in Him we live, and move, and have our being" (Acts 17:28). He provides the very air we breathe. He alone keeps our hearts beating. It's very difficult to dwell in self-pity when you can't provide something "extra" for your kids, knowing full well that all we have comes from Him anyway.

Every night when I go to bed, I reflect back over my day and make an effort to recall things that I can be thankful for. It's usually not much of an effort to do that, considering I'm thankful for even the smallest things. Not having a headache that day, Jordan getting 9 out of 20 spelling words correct, Kevin getting home from work safely or Jessica cleaning the upstairs bathroom. It's something different each day, but our days in this house are filled with things we can be thankful for. I strongly believe in thanking Him each day, for every one of them. I even thank Him for the gift of sleep. A much needed asset, for a mom with 5 kids at home.

As I looked over the pictures I took of Kev's birthday today, I can't help but simply be thankful for each of these kids. Some days they drive me flat out nutty. Other days (like Friday) they all do super in school, and are just so well behaved I almost can't contain my joy that "these are MY kids!". That's the same feeling I have tonight, as I reflect back over today.

I could sit here and list so many more things I am thankful for. It's easy for me to focus on the "haves" and not dwell on the "have nots" because of the way my mom raised me. I'm thankful for that, and only hope I can pass the same wisdom on to my own kids.

SDG,
Carla

Please ignore this, it's just a test to see if blogger's backlinks code actually works, or if hitting send will cause something to crash.

The only part of this post that is worth your while to actually read, is the post here on memorizing the word.

Well it seems like it's been forever since I updated the blog here.  Life, as life does, took a turn for the hyper-busy, and updating here took a backseat.

Everyone seems to be settling in to being back at the books, and I'm beginning to easily see where each of them are doing their best, and doing their worst, in each subject.

Jordan (8) really struggles with mathematical concepts, so I've taken to setting her up at the Listening Station, once a day.  Simple concept really, pop the headphones on and listen to side A and side B of the addition math facts sing along tape.  They're such catchy little songs, even Kev and I have been singing along with them.  We've just started this, this past week, so I don't have any kind of a feel on whether or not it's working for her.  I can only hope it does.

When I was a junior in highschool, for part of my course requirement, I tutored kids at the elementary school across the street for one hour a day.  One of the things I helped the kids with, was math flashcards each day, and setting them up at the Listening Station.  While the math facts tape played, they could color or draw.  It made a big difference with those kids, (it was a mixed class of first and second graders) so I'm really hoping it will help with Jordan.

Spelling is another area both Jordan and Rachel struggle with.  I've taken to adding our spelling words as flashcards also, before each daily spelling lesson.  Spell the word outloud, then say the word.  We've only done that for a week now, so we'll see how that works out.

In phonics and reading, they're both doing great - no issues there at all!  And Samuel... well my word, he doesn't struggle with anything, and just last Friday he got 20/20 on his spelling test!  Go Sam!!

Jessica is doing well so far - still struggling horrible with English, and still loving History and Science.

The real struggle is having Ruth in the schoolroom while we do our lessons.  Oh boy howdy, she is a handful and a half.  She has the attention span of a shoelace, and when Ruth doesn't get her way, people in Zimbabwe hear about it, she fusses so loud.

So, it's going to be a challenging year, and by His grace, a wonderful year.

I've been busy myself - doing a lot of writing, and working on new graphics for my store.

I finally got my faerie garden book published, and I'm currently editing the manuscript for a second book - unrelated to faeries. :-)  This book is a collection of stories, studies, devotionals and inspirations, written by Kev and myself, over the last few years.  I hope to have this book ready for the publishers in the couple of weeks.

As you can see by the new header pic, it's FALL!  I love this time of year, and wish it would stay longer. I took that pic yesterday afternoon from the deck. 

Tomorrow is Thanksgiving here in Canada, but our family meal is today - with our own family and 5 extra guests coming.  We're staying home from church today (like many others) to prepare the meal and welcome guests - to give thanks to our Heavenly Father for such wonderful blessings.

SOLI DEO GLORIA!

Carla

Yesterday, for some reason, was "let's challenge mom at every turn" day, with all 4 of the youngest kids, during school.

During Bible, they all did well, and it was a good lesson. After that, it was me repeating myself numerous times, with each direction, with each kid, in math, spelling & phonics. During science and reading, it did go well, however.

By the time lessons were over at 12:15, I was more than ready for lessons to be over. It was just one of "those" days.

We have a chalkboard in the schoolroom, and each night after the kids go to bed I erase the date, and write in tomorrow's date. Each morning I have one of the kids read the board outloud to me. For example, today it says:

Today is Tuesday, September 13, 2005. It sounds so... so... not that big of a deal, but it sure is. I did this all through the summer, and just by doing this 1 little thing each night, Samuel has begun to get a grasp of yesterday/tomorrow. By reading the board every morning, the kids have all really made progress on getting a better perspective of time. So it's helped quite a bit.

When Kev came home last night, he asked how the day went. I told him. He looked sort of bummed out, and had a talk with the kids about staying focused during school and listening to directions the first time.

When I got up this morning, I found this message on the chalkboard.

"Papa says: kids, pay attention to your teacher!"

Kev's at work today, so this was nice of him to leave for the kids, and also an encouragment for me.

I just cannot stress enough how important it is, if you're going to make the decision to homeschool your children, that it ought to be a joint decision between both parents. Both supporting each other, teaching, encouraging, and presenting a united front, for the children. It's been my own personal experience, and also in observation, that even though it's generally the mother who does the bulk of the teaching (and planning), that the father in the home that supports homeschooling - sure makes it alot easier on days like yesterday.

Kev's work schedule, combined with us only having 1 vehicle, makes for a situation that allows me only twice a week to get out and run errands. On those days, I go over the lesson plan for the day with him, then I'm outta here, and he's Mr. Teacher. He has his own teaching style - and his own strong suits in certain subjects, just as I have mine. I've privately told him, if he were my substitute teacher when I was a kid, he'd be the guy getting paper airplanes thrown at his back when he was at the chalkboard. :-) (we dont allow paper airplanes in our class though)

I know there are alot of homeschooling moms that don't have this kind of support. I also know there are alot of dads that wish their wives would be open to it - but they're not, and this creates a tension in families that just should not be there. With 5 kids still at home, and Ruth (2) being in the classroom this year, we have plenty of tension around here, I'm just grateful that this kind of conflict about homeschooling is not one of those things that cause it.

SDG,
me