All for His glory...definitely not mine

Apr. 30, 2007 -

Goodbye sweet girl (Lucy 4-15-07)

This is the last picture we have of our friend Lucy. You know the old joke about the only sure thing being death and taxes?....Well, Lucy died on April 15th- Tax Day- she gave new meaning to the old joke.

I tried not to like her....I really did. I had put another dog down two years before we brought Lucy home- a sheltie that I had loved on for fourteen years and I swore I would never get another dog. But kids make that difficult and so we ended up with this funny looking oversized border collie mix. She was one of the best dogs I've ever had. She was my daughter's dog for the most part- I made sure she did the bulk of the work and I kept my distance so that I would never endure the heartbreak of losing a pet again.

But in the end- she won! The little stinker broke my heart to bits when she died two Sundays ago now form apparent poisoning. We aren't sure if she was a victim of the pet food recall or if she ingested a poisoned rodent. We just figured it was a poisoning by the signs that she was exhibiting and we were thankful that once we found out what we might be dealing with that she didn't linger for very long. She died the next day in my hubby's arms.

The moral of the story for me is: just admit you love the dumb dog and quit living in denial. Those critters will getcha every single time!

Goodbye sweet girl- we will miss you like crazy!!

Feb. 5, 2007 -

I haven't forgotten about my blog. I have missed it tremendously and I had it in mind all day today to get on and update friends and family as to what we've been up to since we disappeared.

My last entry was the day after Christmas-- sheesh!

Well, since December we now have an official teen in the house. I can't say enough good things about her. She is a gem and I feel blessed where most folks shudder in fear of this stage. I know... it's only just begun but I truly believe because we homeschool there are traits that have been instilled and talents that have been directed and given opportunity to that have made the difference in her attitude vs. her peers. She's the lucky kid on the block- she's done with school around lunch and she has the rest of her day to read what she enjoys and develop other interests. That isn't the case with the PS kids on the block. They are chained to the homework chair after school until late at night.

We have been busy with extra curricular activities: gymnastics, tap, jazz, piano and church groups. We finished most of those classes right before Christmas and I took January off from all of the driving back and forth as well. We will be back in all of our various classes in a couple of weeks.

My oldest son is going to be starting track and field as of March 1st and will run (literally) through May. He is excited because up until now it has been difficult to find a running team that wasn't tied to a public school and homeschoolers really have to put up a fight to join into PS teams. We've never been willing to fight that battle.

My oldest daughter will be a Junior Laker with the YMCA from March to May. She is also excited because this is the first opportunity to play basketball on a team without having to be part of the general population at a public school.

This is the season for Physical Ed for us. I had the very real problem of not being able to find enough activities to exercise these guys the way they should be exercising at their ages and stages. They don't enjoy going outside to play because the other kids on the street are inside with homework during the week and weekends are filled with family activities- so I bought a membership at the YMCA and it has been awesome for them.

My daughter is old enough to go to classes on her own. She has been taking Kickboxing, Spinning and using all of the cardio machines. My son has to be accompanied by me- but he can attend group classes so we have been going to Step classes, Body Sculpting classes and swimming a lot. For the younger ones we swim once or twice a week so that they aren't always in KidCare. I want them active too. It's been really fun for everyone and I have managed to do pretty well despite the fact that I am almost half way through my pregnancy and I have been relatively sedentary for quite a while.

Lastly, I began some graduate writing courses as of January 15th. It has been a challenge to get accustomed to an online classroom, but I did all of my undergrad work in the classroom and I didn't enjoy leaving the kids every week. I enjoy being in school but with the available technology I knew I could figure out a way to stay in school and never leave home. It's been fun. I'll finish my first three classes in May and then I will probably take a year off to snuggle with the new baby (coming in July).

So- we are on the crazy train right now. We are loving it but we will be running a pretty fast pace until May. Everyone including Mommy. It keeps things alive and this very active family thrives on that.

Happy Homeschooling!

• 3 Comments • Post A Comment! • Permanent Link

Dec. 26, 2006 -

The 26th

Well, we have survived Christmas. The question now is...can I accomplish all of the tasks that I had in mind for this little two week break we are taking? I don't know. But my goals are 1) review and revise daily school schedule for the kids; 2) go through kids bedrooms and bag up old/small clothing to go out for donation and 3) general clean and declutter.

Normally this wouldn't be a problem but the last couple of weeks of pregnancy have left me pretty useless. You would think that by the sixth pregnancy we would remember this and not make such big plans and frustrate self but I really thought I could do it. There are five or six more days to try!

I've got to snap out of this fatigue soon because the "season" has just begun for this family. As of Dec 1st we have a December birthday, Christmas, New Years, a January birthday, a February birthday, March, April and one month off before a June birthday. The year just kind of rolls by after Christmas and only starts to slow down in the summer. So what about the next holiday....?

Our plans for New Years Eve are as follows: wear flannel pajamas, fuzzy slippers, drink hot cocoa and go to bed at the regular time. Uneventful yes but it's a tradition.

Nov. 22, 2006 - Ready for a break...feeling like a little cotton headed ninny muggins!

Must blog! Must blog!

I had this neat little goal of submitting an entry each day and being able to look back at the end of the school year and bathe in the afterglow. Well...I think I'm averaging about once a week -- okay once every two weeks?

Today is our last day of school before Thanksgiving off. I think I need it more than my kids do. I have put so much work into organizing the school year in order to give them a sense of direction and to keep them moving forward that the administration end of things is wearing me out. But, the kids are happy with it because they don't feel at a loss for what to do each day. So I guess we have success.

We have a quiet dinner planned tomorrow. No company- just us. We had a gathering over the weekend with a couple of families and we had so much fun that my entire family was down and napping all over the place on Monday from being so tired from the whole affair. So, tomorrow we will have ANOTHER turkey and a leg of lamb (baaaaa) for those of us (mainly me) who don't feel like having another round of turkey.

Hubby will be home four days straight- very unusual (must be the holidays)- and we will probably just hang around in our slippers and eat leftovers and maybe watch some favorites like "White Christmas"- "A Christmas Story"- "It's a Wonderful Life" and "Miracle on 34th Street". You can't get enough of those!!

Oh! New favorite to add to the list of Christmas movies-- "Elf!!"

Here are some of my favorite quotes: (courtesy of IMDb):

in a conversation with Jovi- a worker at Gimbels who is wearing an elf uniform...

"I'm not messing with you, It's just nice to meet another human that shares my affinity for elf culture."

answering the phone

"Buddy the Elf! What's your favorite color?"

upon seeing the mailroom for the first time...

"It's just like Santa's workshop! Except it smells like mushrooms... and everyone looks like they wanna hurt me... "

when asked about his sweet tooth (as he applies maple syrup and crushed pop tarts to pasta...)

'We elves try to stick to the four main food groups: candy, candy canes, candy corns and syrup."

exposing fake Santa at Gimbles...
Gimbel's Santa: Now what can I get you for Christmas?
Buddy: Don't tell him what you want, he's a liar.
Gimbel's Santa: Let the kid talk.
Buddy: You disgust me! How can you live with yourself?
Gimbel's Santa: Just cool it, Zippy.
Buddy: You sit on a throne of lies.
Gimbel's Santa: Look, I'm not kiddin'.
Buddy: You're a fake.
Gimbel's Santa: I'm a fake?
Buddy: Yes!
Gimbel's Santa: How'd you like to be dead, huh? Ho, ho, just kidding.
Buddy: You stink.
Gimbel's Santa: I think you're gonna have a good Christmas, all right.
Buddy: You smell like beef and cheese, you don't smell like Santa.

And my personal favorite--

"Ooooooh, he's an angry elf. He must be a South Pole elf!"

Okay- enough of that! Let's just say that I absolutely adore Elf and we can't get enough of it at Christmas.

Here's wishing everyone a beautiful Thanksgiving with your family large or small!! And may the weeks leading up to Christmas be filled with cooking, crafting and avoiding the malls and credit card debt!!

Blessings!

• 3 Comments • Post A Comment! • Permanent Link

Nov. 13, 2006 - Girls only today

I get an easy day today. My boys are away overnight with grandma. She's going to give them a half day of school (math, language arts and reading). That leaves me more focus time with my girls (1st grade and 7th grade).

First grader is giving me a run for my money. I'm not sure how she has progressed so far- given the fact that she is usually given the shortest amount of time and being the one who is usually ready to do anything else but school. But I must say- if she keeps up the pace she is going to make my job pretty easy (academically- not in other areas- she's hard to keep up with).

My 7th grader is a workaholic. I find myself telling her to stop stressing and to relax the pace a bit. But she is one of those natural type A personalities. If she sees a little box where a check mark needs to go- then she will not rest until she can call it DONE. A blessing and a curse all at once I suppose.

She's doing some interesting extra curricular work right now. I have signed her up with a friend who has been trained by the Los Angeles Opera Company to teach a course in.....opera (surprised?).

They are doing a study of "Hansel and Gretel" - they are looking at the various versions of the story, setting, plot, character...all of the literary elements as well as all of the musical elements. They will study soprano, tenor, alto, conducting, sprechensang (I know I'm not spelling that one right-) and they are doing a lot of perspective writing from various points of view and even creating an opera theme of their own.

There are two class which contain five pre lessons at home and then they are rewarded with a trip to the Dorothy Chandler Pavillion for the performance of Hansel and Gretel. The kids actually have to go in formal attire and act like adults for three hours of wailing in German!! I love it!!

These are the opportunities that we would NEVER have in traditional school and for this we are ever so thankful!!

EVERYTHING for HIS glory!!

Have a blessed day in the Lord

Nov. 11, 2006 - Falling off the schedule wagon!

I'm glad the holiday's are coming up. We have had a very structured schedule this school year and it has been rigorous to say the least- especially if you ask my 7th grader. Even chores are stricter- the load is heavier and the accountability is higher (although I would have to give myself a lower grade this week with all of the new excitement in the house over the new baby announcement).

But the thing that I like about the holidays is that we usually tire of the schedule and start doing more off-the-cuff type activities and more crafts and cooking.

Yesterday we officially took the day off for Veterans Day and we wound up printing out all kinds of Thanksgiving activities off of the internet and coloring and cutting and gluing some really easy, silly things. But it was fun.

Lately, we took a break from our Bob Jones HomeSat programs and decided to watch "Frontier House", "Colonial House" and "Liberty!"- all of them by PBS. Frontier House and Colonial House are worth the rental fee- both are 21st century families pulled out of the "real world" for five months to attempt living and surviving in the 1880's and in the 1620's. Emotions run high, turmoil reigns and even brotherly love is in serious question as these people tough it out for the projects.

The REALLY nice thing about these programs that are affiliated with PBS is that there are teacher resources and lesson plans specifically designed to go with the programs that reinforce learning. We completed one lesson titled "Why dost thou speak in such addled tones?" where the kids examined slang through the centuries and wrote in the slang of a chosen era. The choices were Old West, Civil War, Colonial 17th Century, 30's, 50's, 60's, 70's and 80's. There was a timeline activity and the kids were asked to reflect on the progression of language and the similarities that reach back in time. We had fun with that and we are still chipping away at the lesson plans.

Check out Frontier House activities HERE

Check out Colonial House activities HERE

So, I guess you could say we are in "fun mode" right now. It's hard to stay serious during the holidays...but I would say that's a good thing.

And speaking of the holidays- what's on the menu for your family? Does anyone have anything out of the ordinary for Thanksgiving? Something other than the Turkey, mashed potato, stuffing....dinner? I would love some ideas!

Blessings!

Nov. 10, 2006 - ...and one more makes six

We have big plans this summer....

We are going to welcome a new family member sometime in July.

We are truly feeling blessed- but I must say that our children jumped and hollered and turned more cartwheels than we could muster up on our best days!

While we silently rejoice- our kids raise the banner and parade around in their excitement. It's such a blessing to see how each family member brings so much happiness to our house.

Thank you Lord!

Nov. 2, 2006 - I'm a lucky Mom!!

Just wanted to make you mommies jealous!! I don't have to cook for a whole week!!

My twelve year old daughter has taken it upon herself to propose a menu for the next seven days (including dessert) and make sure that it is ready each night by dinner time.

I am sooooooooo blessed. She completed her first full meal yesterday. We had a lovely mastaccoli casserole (very cheesy), with sauteed broccoli (loads of garlic- good girl after mommies own heart)- fresh home made garlic bread (no frozen stuff) and for dessert we had fruit salad (my recipe- fresh fruit tossed with plain yogurt and cinnamon).

Tonight we are having teriyaki chicken. She will be using my recipe for the sauce. Try this:

1 cup soy sauce

1 cup sugar

garlic to taste (fresh and grated)

ginger root to taste (fresh and grated)

...simmer all four ingredients until sugar dissolves and pour over chicken or whatever choice of meat you prefer. Bake in the oven for forty five minutes or so and watch out!! Your neighbors will be knocking at your door when they catch a whiff of heavenly scents coming from your house!!

Have a blessed day in the Lord

Oct. 28, 2006 - I can breathe again

What a relief! Saturday....

This has been one of those whirlwind weeks that just knocks your socks off from sunrise to bedtime! Everything from the regular amount of carpooling to and fro to various extracurricular activities- to giving a speech at a formal dinner (wow! it went well but it was really wierd- I'll elaborate later...)- fall bashes to attend, science class and today my husband and I got to enjoy a little fruit for the labor.

Our two boys and first grade daughter participated in an event at the facility where they take gymnastics. It was strictly for enjoyment- but they got to perform what skills that have learned and their instructors performed as well. It was a blast!

They actually had the equivalent of a three ring circus going for their circus them so that all of the various groups and levels could perform all at once and thereby get the whole event down to about two and half hours. They did a fantastic job!

All of the kids recieved a medal and certificate for participating and everyone left happy.

So.... as far as the speaking engagement was concerned it is important to keep in mind that never before has anyone asked me to speak on a formal occassion before. The extent of my experience behind a microphone was being a guitarist/vocalist in a heavy metal band before I was saved in the eighties. You might think that this would be helpful in a speaking situation but once you get used to having a guitar around your neck it's hard to know what to do with your hands when you don't have one.

The wierd part for me was standing before a cluster of my professors that I completed my degree program with and seventy new students all staring at me as though they were waiting for some "expert" advice. Thankfully I had much prayer behind me in the weeks that I spent preparing and I trusted fully in that. I somewhat followed the notes I prepared but my husband said it went much better when I neglected the notes and just poured out my heart- which I did a lot because I am very passionate about the university I attended and I wanted to share that with new students. It's a great school.

The ultimate reward in the whole deal was watching my professors laugh. I have a hard time being straight face, soft spoken and formal. I'm a city girl from Los Angeles and I have relied on a sense of humor for survival since day one. This not only got me through the speech but seeing people I admire laugh genuinely cheered my heart tremendously. It was great.

Thank you to any of you sisters of mine who put this to prayer for me. It worked and I was blessed by the whole experience. They have asked me to come back in February for the next incoming class of students.

• 3 Comments • Post A Comment! • Permanent Link

Oct. 24, 2006 - Join us today for the 3rd Day of Silent Solidarity

Today our family will participate in a day of silence for the unborn. We would like to challege any other homeschool families to join us by visiting the following website and printing up flyers to hand out and most of all in prayer for millions of innocent lives. Today is a day when everyone who is aware of this is participating together-- but this can be done any day on your own and it sends a powerful message.

Pray for us to have the courage that this takes, the perseverance that this takes and the ablility to withstand any persecution from pro choicers who may fire away at us.

For more information on how to participate CLICK HERE

Oct. 18, 2006 - Book Recommendation

I thought I would make a book recommendation today. Every once in a while you run into or revisit a book that completely blesses your socks off and this is one of them for me (and my family- we have been using this during our time of devotion).

The book is called "The Valley of Vision: A Collection of Puritan Prayers & Devotions". The collection of Puritan prayers touches on topics like the Trinity, Redemption and Reconciliation, Needs and Devotions, Gifts of Grace, Service and Ministry and others. Each one is a beautiful model for teaching ourselves and our children how to pray just as Jesus models for us in the Lord's prayer in the scriptures.

Jesus instructs us this way in Matthew 5:7:

"And when you are praying, do not use meaningless repetition as the Gentiles do, for they suppose that they will be heard for their many words. So do not be like them; for your Father knows what you need before you ask Him. Pray, then, in this way:

'Our Father who is in heaven,

Hallowed be Your name (acknowledge and praise the Lord)

Your kingdom com.

Your will be done

On earth as it is in heaven (submit to His authority and will over all- and pray for His will to be done in our lives)

Give us this day our daily bread. (pray for His provision- what He knows to be best for each one of us)

And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors (we will be forgiven to the measure that we forgive others- how are you doing with forgiveness of others in your own life?)

And do not lead us into temptation, but deliver us from evil. [For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.]' (serve the Lord and not the world- turn away from worldly temptations and do what is right by biblical standards-- not what the world adheres to).

The Puritans were faithful to follow this example left by the Lord. Here is an example. We read this this morning:

Most High God

The universe with all its myriad creatures is thine,

made by thy word, upheld by thy power, governed by thy will.

But thou art also the Father of mercies,

the God of all grace,

the bestower of all comfort,

the protector of the saved.

Thou hast been mindful of us,

hast visited us, preserved us,

given us a goodly heritage--

the Holy Scriptures,

the joyful gospel,

the saviour of souls,

We come to thee in Jesus' name,

make mention of his righteousness only,

plead his obedience and sufferings

who magnified the law both in its precepts and penalty,

and made it honourable.

May we be justified by his blood,

saved by his life,

joined to his Spirit.

Let us take up his cross and follow him.

May the agency of thy grace prepare us for thy dispensations.

make us willing that thou shouldest choose our inheritance and

determine what we shall retain or lose, suffer or enjoy;

If blessed with prosperity may we be free from its snares,

and use, not abuse, its advantages;

May we patiently and cheerfully submit to those afflictions

which are necessary.

When we are tempted to wander, hedge up our way,

excite in us abhorrence of sin,

wean us from the present evil world,

Assure us that we shall at last enter Immanuel's land

where none is ever sick, and the sun will always shine.

I hope this beautiful prayer blesses you today and if you would like to read more here is a link to Amazon for the book: (click here)

And here is an additional resource-- you can also get it on cd (click here) Narrated by Max McLean

Have an awesome day in the Lord

All for His glory-- definitely not mine!

Oct. 15, 2006 - Busy week...need much prayer

There is a lot to do this week and much to ask for prayer for.

First, there is the most obvious, which is our schooling and keeping things in order at home--(mental note: re-read Proverbs 31).

Next, there is a doctors appointment for one my children (too much information to go into right now)- suffice it to say that this is a long story and hopefully the results of this appointment (which will be revealed in December) will be of some help. This appointment involves an EEG.

Lastly, I have been asked to speak to the incoming class at the college from which I graduated in May (click here). There are two incoming classes each year who are welcomed at a convocation dinner where they gather to meet professors, other faculty member and hear former graduates talk about their experiences in the program. That's where I come in.

Based on the faculty's choice for the other speaker who will represent the Christian Ministries program (I wll represent Liberal Arts)- I have to laugh because I think they may have picked both of us based on commitment to our studies despite our crazy schedules and lifestyles. The CM speaker not only completed his B.A. at the college but simultaneously finished a Masters of Divinity at Seminary at the same time. He did it this way so that his seminary work would be at Masters level rather than a B.A.- He is now a senior pastor of his own church in Anaheim.

My story is this: I came into the program with four children- homeschooled of course- and my initial reasoning was that I would secure my degree and look for work at a private school which would hopefully eliminate tuition. Yes, I had actually thought of hanging up my homeschooling hat to work and put my kids in a classroom setting. The Lord knew me better than I did, of course.

I graduated with five children (last dd born half way through my program), I still homeschool and have come away from this program with a stronger conviction to continue homeschooling. As it turned out, only two professors had children who went to public or private. The rest were homeschool moms and dad- does the Lord have a sense of humor or what?

The college (click here ) is a private Christian college- the spiritual growth was tremendous and it was an inspiration to submit to that higher calling and continue to be content at home and to educate my babies at home. The material that I studied there will be an invaluable blessing to our homeschooling til we stop homeschooling. I am so glad that I was given the opportunity to attend and complete the program.

So, my sisters...please pray that I may be an encouragement to those who are just beginning the journey and especially pray for these new students- that they would be as blessed as I was by the program; that they may come away with a greater knowledge of Christ; a deeper relationship with Christ and a stronger commitment to the Lord and Savior over all.

Oct. 13, 2006 - As we toddle along in our homeschool schedule

I did it! I got more than a whole hour to myself!! I had to get up at 4:30am to do it and my eyes are bloodshot but it was worth it. I read some sections of Hebrews and Isaiah, I prayed, I had a whole cup of coffee without being interrupted and having to reheat it and now I am actually blogging in peace!!

Since this is supposed to be a "homeschool" website, I thought I would give some updates on how the kiddos are doing so far this year. I have to remind myself to do this for the benefit of our friends and family who check and and want to see what they are doing. Too often, this site ends up as a dumping ground for the things that ruffle my feathers and I have to get back on track.

So here's how it's going:

Eldest child is doing great. She is diligent with her schedule and she is a hard worker. Her favorite part of schooling this year is the tapdance class that she has been enjoying since mid way through last school year. Of course, as mothers of tappers know it is not a quiet endeavor and usually takes place in the kitchen because there is nowhere else to hear the shoes....but I guess it beats a drum kit??

Eldest boy child is coming along very well. He excells in math, loves reading and spelling and has taken tremendous leaps and bounds in the right direction academically (thank you Bob Jones Homesat) and in gymnastics since the beginning of the year. I am praying that he will desire to go back to piano lessons because he has a natural talent to hear and imitate and he got a little apathetic when more reading and rigor was implemented last year with a new (more meticulous to detail type) teacher. I'm working on him and trying to inspire him to go back.

Youngest boy child--- whew! I'm exhausted just thinking about him. This is one of the WIRED ones in the house. He's a smart lil' bugger and does well with his work if he can do it while running!! He's very hands on and very curious and into everything. Right now he is into optical illusions- coin tricks, card tricks and the sort. He's been spending time reading and researching over the internet for new ideas and performing for us as he figures things out. Very entertaining. He is also in gymnastics with big brother and loving it. Both boys graduated to a new level in gym this semester.

First grade girlie-- sigh. What to do with the one who only needs about 1 to 2 hours per day to cover all the bases? I can't rightly keep her sitting and doing pages for the sake of "schooling"- she truly is done after a couple of hours- so I usually put her on some math, music or other software program, or I have her playing outside with baby sister (which is actually a huge blessing while I am trying to school the others). I just feel bad sometimes because I want to spend more personal time with her and I'm in several directions at all times. But that's what bedtime books and little trips to the store without the others are for. That's our special time.

Baby- she's being a baby. She's at a very cute stage- talking up a storm. She imitates everything and she walks around pointing at things and saying their names. Books, table, sandbox....etc. Her schooling right now consists of Barney videos and her personal favorite: "Once upon a Potty". Yay Prudence!! Teach her how to go!!

Oh...she has been learning how to play the mandolin!! You can never be too young to learn how to sing and praise Him!! That's Da-da's girl!!

Oct. 12, 2006 - Walk for Life-- there wasn't much life at the walk

This is a few days late in coming- but I have been bothered since this past weekend after we participated in a "Walk for Life" in our community last Saturday. I need to preface my expression of disappointment with a little bit of demographic info. We live in a fairly affluent section- (don't ask how we got here-we couldn't keep up with the Hummers, acrylic nails or quarterly vacations to tropical places on our best day....we have a twelve passenger van and we go camping when we vacate)...

...but I digress. Suffice it to say that there is a lot of money in this community. And even that is not the point. Even more than that we seem to live in a city that has a church on every third block. We apparently have a lot of Christians, and hopefully with a lot of Christians..... a lot of pro lifers? Hopefully.

If this is the case, it clearly was not evident at the event that we attended. We drove up to this tucked away biomedical plaza (problem number one- no public attention). I expected to have a parking problem.... the only problem with the parking was that the lot was three quarters empty.

With an estimated (total guess of 20 or 30) churches in the area- the amount of people that showed up couldn't fill one of the larger ones. I would guesstimate that there were150-200 people present (including the children of those who showed up to walk).

So, we all gathered in prayer, launched balloons into the sky in honor of the unborn and walked around the plaza three times and went home.

In addition to the pathetic numbers there was the issue of pledging money. I spoke with several of the volunteers who were working this event and they were disheartened because some folks actually showed up, registered and said that they were "just going to walk" for the cause. They had no pledges. C'mon- give up ONE venti mocha java peppermint latte people!! Five bucks!! Anything!! The walking was NOT a magical, mystical time of progress for anti abortion causes. It takes moola to put ultrasound machines in these places to show these poor fearful girls that there is life in their wombs- not TISSUE. It takes cold hard cash to keep the crisis pregnancy center open to staff the volunteers that answer the phones and counsel these girls. Walking is great....for your health- but this event was for a cause. One that costs..... a lot!

Pray with me mommies!! The message was clear. There is little sanctity for life. If it's not worth getting up early for on a Saturday morning; if it's not worth sacrificing a little pleasure out of a paycheck then it is obvious that there is a real lack of concern here.

We couldn't contribute a lot- we have one paycheck and five kids. But we did what we could and best of all we took our kids and impressed upon them the message that their lives are precious and so are the ones we can't see in the womb- yet they are real and precious.

I am persuaded to give more of myself to this cause because of this and I would encourage anyone reading this to look into your local crisis pregnancy center and find out how you can help.

p.s.- some do not preach the gospel and they aren't quite as effective (even though some lives might still be saved)- but this one in my area shares Jesus with those who come to them and I believe that this is key. Without Him-- what's the point?

Sep. 28, 2006 - About the homework thing...

Heidi had some comments regarding my post about homework. I must have come across as one of those REBEL homeschoolers. I'm not... I realize that at any moment the Lord could change our circumstances and make public schooling our only option. For example, if anything ever happened to my husband and I had to provide on my own- it is likely that I would have to rely on the local public schools. I trust my God enough to be comfortable that if those were the circumstances that were handed to me, I could make the adjustment and they would too.

I SHOULD have said I disagree with the amount of homework that is given. I think it's too much. I think that children need their free time and playtime to move their bodies in order to process what they have learned. Even adults burn out if they spend too much time on any one thing. Imagine have a fraction of the capacity and being forced into the repetition and rerereinforcement!!

Now... as for the weaknesses and strengths and the bridge between home school and public school. I agree that there are strengths and weakenesses on both sides. There is no doubt about that. I'm just glad that there are more bridges available than the local public school. That is what I enjoy about homeschooling- there are mentors and private teachers for various subjects and getting out into the community with volunteer work. That is how I have been getting my kids accountable to others to complete quality work and follow through on commitments.

Have I ever seen the type of homeschoolers that you mention in your post? Lack of motivation? Incomplete, half hearted work? Poor work ethic and self sufficiency? Lacking in compassion toward others? Absolutely. I have met many of them. But to place the burden of those qualities on the homeschool community when they are just as prevalent in the public school community is unfair. Those same tendencies are also present with kids who aren't homeschooled. It would be foolish to think that if we homeschool our children we will be avoiding each and every issue that OTHER parents must contend with because they send their children to public school.

So to say that homeschoolers TEND toward a lack of motivation is a heavy generalization on a large population of children. It is unfortunate that a few families who haven't been diligent shed a bad light on the homeschool movement as a whole.

I'm also willing to bet that the kid who showed little compassion toward AIDS afflicted individuals wouldn't be any more or less compassionate if his school situation were different. Home life is the foundation where compassion is instilled-- public school or home school.

I'm right there with you when you say that we need to build hard working and caring attitudes into our kids. And I'm right there with you regarding exposure to the unchurched (how else and to whom would we witness to?)-- I'm just glad that the exposure can be supervised and limited when necessary or when the exposure to others becomes inappropriate.

Thanks for the comments- it's always good to examine our motivations, check our progess and above all to remain flexible and thankful for all of the options that we have in educating our children.

Sep. 25, 2006 - Summer Highlights...

fun at vacation bible school

at Disneyland (we thought the additions to Pirates of the Caribbean were overated....but still fun)

rootin' tootin' shootin' time at family camp with church friends

breathtaking view at camp

...and of course.....the beach!!!

there were some tough waves out there-- so tough that one of our friends busted up his elbow when a wave took him down and slammed him into the ocean floor....

ouch!!

Well, friends and family-- enjoy these few pictures and I will try to be more diligent to post more as we progress through the school year. We have some exciting plans for school this year.

Stay tuned for updates and photos.

Goodbye summer! Goodbye disgustingly high power bills due to overuse of air conditioning-- you will not be missed.

Sep. 13, 2006 - Need ginseng boost

Whew!

I'm tired! The summer really messed me up. I was so relaxed doing a lot of nothing and now....WHAMMO!! I am so emotionally spent from thinking in five directions (in addition to thinking for myself)-- but I figure if I am feeling this beat up then at least we can say we are working hard.

I am glad that my exhaustion stems from working with my kids all day instead of staying up late into the night with "homework kids". Every friend of mine who has government schooled kids is crying in the soup right now over the tremendous load that comes home with each child every night. Mine are done by 3pm on the average-- no homework.

I read an article last week that revealed that schoolchildren today do an average of 51% more homework and their scores are about two thirds lower than their parents in the same grade level a generation ago. Hmmmmmmm..... think it's working NEA?

How about this? The average kid in our hoity toity area of Southern California not only has three to four hours of homework each night but this is in addition to soccer practice (which they wouldn't sign up for given the choice)- ice skating, theatre and other trendy endeavors. I see anti-depressants on the horizon.

My favorite memories from childhood are those when I bolted out the door after 30 minutes of homework and played outside until it started to get dark and it was time to come in and eat. No parks and rec, no drive through happy meals on the way to soccer practice, no fancy dance lessons with stage mom looking on in disapproval. Just me and my friends on our roller skates waitin' for the ice cream man, gettin' grungy and scrapin' knees.

aaaaahh....those were the days.

Sep. 9, 2006 - Think before you speak....Christians

Wouldn't it be nice if home schooling were a guarantee that bullying would never occur? I'm not living in a cave. I know that this isn't the case. But I get irritated when I put my kids in a situation that I feel will be good for them and then something happens that makes it a bummer.

Such was the case in my boy's science class on Friday when some bully decided to name call at my son. And to top it off, the perpitrator was a "Christian". He came into the classroom donning a "Jesus Rocks" shirt and proceeded to drag the Lord's name through the mud by his slander.

Sad....but the Lord always has His way. The irony of the whole situation is this. Before we left for class in the morning our devotion time was about our conduct and behavior before others as lights for Jesus. We talked about how being around others who don't necessarily believe provides an opportunity to be a witness and that we always need to be aware of our words, actions and even our thoughts which we are to "take captive".

(2 Corinthians 10:5- {We are} destroying speculations and every lofty thing raised up against the knowledge of God, and {we are} taking every thought captive to the obedience of Christ,...)

As a result of this experience we were reminded how lucky we are to be at home ENJOYING school instead of drudging through mental battles with peers every day and we were also reminded that the words and actions that we choose can leave a lasting impression of Christ.

Gives new meaning to think before you speak when you're a Christian.

Aug. 29, 2006 - Smooth start to the year

I just wanted to say THANK YOU LORD out loud for the easy start to our "satellite" schooling this year. Last year was so difficult setting up and getting used to programming the HDD/DVD player to record the kids classes and then taking the time to record the classes to DVD's that they could each watch on their own players. I felt like the remote was part of my hand for a while. Not only that... I also missed the first three weeks of recording their classes.

So far, we haven't missed any programming and even despite a power outage we managed to stay on track because the hard drive on the recorder keeps the right time and the satellite reciever does too.

I can only hope and pray that the rest of the year goes as easy and we don't have any technical glitches.