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Mar. 27, 2006 - Monday rambling

I wasn't sure if I would be able to go to CONVENTION this year.

Turns out I can go on the Saturday because my friend's husband offered to take us .

( We're a little afraid to drive, can you tell?)

I am making my list of what I need to buy.   One subject I'm not sure about is science for my soon to be 9th grader.  I could go with Bob Jones Physical Science ( we use HomeSat for some subjects) but their books and lab equipment are very expensive-- over $300.

 I am going to look into Apologia also. Their 9th grade is Biology but I'm thinking dd could do Exploring Creation with Physical Science ( technically 8th grade).

I don't believe I am planning for high school!  My other kids will be in 5th and 2nd.

   In other news, dd has called numerous times and is having a blast!  I'm sure time is flying by for her. 

  Does anyone here get Above Rubies magazine or Taste of Home?

I am excited because the new issues came in the mail today.  I love TOH -- I've subscribed since the beginning.  AR is like getting a mini retreat in the mail.  I did the happy dance today when I realized it came in.  I am really looking forward to the next TOS but we still have a while to go.

Blessings, Cheryl

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Mar. 23, 2006 - The time has arrived....

My oldest is leaving for vacation tomorrow!  WAAAAAAAAAA

My SIL and BIL are taking her to FL for more than a week.

We've known about this since Christmas but it is actually here now.

I still need to help her pack.  She's started to but I have put it off until the last day.  Well, I did type out a list of what she's bringing.

  Oh, it is so hard to let go.  I know she will be in good hands ( traveling with Marines) and I am trusting that God will protect them.

I struggle with my flesh though.  My stomach has really been acting up.

I pray that I use this day to give Him glory and encourage dd. 

I want to pack some scripture index cards for her so I need to get a move on. 

Wishing you a blessed day in HIM,

Cheryl

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Mar. 14, 2006 - Free Afternoon for me

    My husband and the kids visited my inlaws this afternoon.

He told me to stay home and relax.  Sad to say, I almost didn't know what

to do with myself.   

    What did I do?  No, I didn't have a disco ball come down from the ceiling and blast "Celebration" by Kool and the Gang.  ( Anyone old enough to  remember that song? )

  * I did clean the kitchen a bit and straighten up the living room.

  *I re-read Chapter 10 of Purpose Driven Life.  It's about surrendering to God-- what an awesome chapter.

 * I did blast some music-- You Shine by Hillsong

 *I made a get well card for a friend who picked up a parasite

while vacationing in the Dominican Republic last week. ( She spent most of her "vacation" in the hospital there until being released.  She is doing somewhat better thank God, but still unable to eat)

 * I downloaded a copy of the workshop schedule for our state homeschool convention in April.  I definitely want to go to Stacey McDonald's. It's called "Godly Young Womanhood: Growing a Homeschooling Heritage".

 * I made a batch of brownies.  I am bad.  I have fallen off the Sonoma wagon.  I think I need to just go back to doing Weight Watchers.  It worked for me ten years ago, I'm sure it'll work if I stick to it.

    The kids are home.  I'm happy to hear them running around like animals.

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Mar. 11, 2006 - Saturday-- Spring's almost here!

  It is a beautiful Saturday here in New England.

It's about 55 degrees and beautiful.  Sure makes up for the six inches of snow we got last week. 

   My yard is going to need a bit of work soon-- pulling weeds, deciding what to plant, etc.  We have two bleeding heart bushes in the back yard that I just love.  If I were clever I could figure out how to put a picture here so you could see what they looked like last year.

  Last May I planted Felicia daisies ( a periwinkle color), some Lantanas, and Alysum.  I did not have any flowers bloom on my Hydrangea bush,  but the peonies and rhododendrons were beautiful.  Before you think I have a green thumb,  the bushes have been there since before we bought this house, and my friend Julie has a green thumb.  She is the one who went with me to the nursery and helped me pick out flowers.

 I planned on working out this morning but my mom asked if I wanted to go out for breakfast.  We took my youngest kids ( ages 9 and 6) and went to the Jukebox Diner. 

     We also cleaned and now we have the afternoon free.  We'll be heading outside and enjoying this beautiful weather God has blessed us with.  My oldest is going to see The Phantom of the Opera this afternoon.  She's going with her friend and her mom.  She's been looking forward to this for months!

   Blessings, Cheryl ( who's feeling extra chatty- it must have been the diner coffee

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Mar. 8, 2006 - What do you do for exercise?

Just wondering what you other homeschool moms do for exercise.

It can be hard to find the time, but it is worth it.

I try to work out 4 times a week for about 45 minutes.  1 hour is  the most I will ever get in.  The DVDs that I have are anywhere from 48 minutes to 78 minutes.  Who in the world wants to exercise for  78 minutes?  Who has that amount of time?  Needless to say, I stop after 1 hour if I feel inspired to do that one.

I alternate between doing The Slim in 6 series ( I think I bought them all) and The Firm DVDs. 

Blessings, Cheryl

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Mar. 7, 2006 - Tuesday night

  Our Ancient Egypt books came in today.  My husband saw the pile of goodies on the loveseat and asked where they are going.  This gives me the push to clean out my exploding pie safe.  It is not meant to hold all the books that are in there, but it's holding up fine.  I love that I can close the doors ( most of the time) until the next time I need to straighten up our books.

  We are starting notebooking/ lapbooking too.  My son (9) has a science notebook and now we'll be doing one for our Heart of Wisdom unit.  My daughter (13)  is not too sure she wants to notebook.  She just wants to write down what she's learning in a notebook.  I'm sure she'll come around though.

  On another note, my son is way too hyper because he had Minute Maid lemonade after karate. 

 Blessings, Cheryl

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Mar. 6, 2006 - Monday Happenings

  I haven't felt like blogging lately.  I enjoy reading my favorites, and finding new ones but I just don't feel very inspired.  I feel so bad for Missey's family.  I didn't know her personally, but so many of you did.  What a legacy she's left behind. My prayers are definitely with them.

  I'm trying to focus on the Lord and trying to train up my kids for Him.  I fall so short of where I'd like to be, and how I sometimes react to my kids' behavior. I know things are much better than they were, and I give God the glory.

  One thing God has put on my heart is to pray before considering outside activities. Do they really need this activity right now?  One of my kids is signed up for 7 weeks of bowling.  Fun, yes. I wish I'd said no though because of the cost of participating and taking away time from home.

Pottery class is also this week.  That's a short term commitment and I know the kids will learn and enjoy.  My son has been taking swimming lessons once a week since the fall.  We are going to take this upcoming session off.  He has progressed a lot  but it is too stressful right now to be rushing out the door to get to the Y for 10:30 a.m.

  I'm not sure why I'm rambling. I know moms who have their kids involved in many activities and seem to do fine with it. I just need to find a balance.

Blessings, Cheryl

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Mar. 3, 2006 - I've been so blessed

    I have been praying for guidance in our homeschooling.  It is so easy for me to get overwhelmed when thinking about curriculum.   There are so many wonderful choices we have available, it boggles my mind at times. 

    I've been really praying for God to lead me-- to show me what HE wants me to do- in everything-- having a close abiding relationship with Him,  being the wife and mom He wants me to be,  making our homeschool what He wants it to be.     How can I bring glory to Him?  Can school actually be a little fun too?

   Well,  yesterday I ordered one unit from Heart of Wisdom ( Ancient Egypt) to get our feet wet.   It is a little scary to venture out and try a different method from what we've been doing.   I printed out my ebook and it looks great.  I still don't know how long I should take on each lesson but I'll figure it out.  I know God is leading us .   The resources I ordered should be coming in next week. 

  This morning I checked my blog and there was a comment from Cindy Rushton.

I won a contest I didn't even know she was having!   I am teary eyed right now and I know this will be such a blessing to me -  and to my family.  I'm really  grateful and so surprised!  THANK YOU SO MUCH, CINDY!

  Our God is so great and so full of surprises, isn't He?

Blessings, Cheryl

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Feb. 24, 2006 - Slow Start Today

  Ah... the best laid plans.  I woke up feeling refreshed and hoping to have a productive house cleaning and school day.  My oldest dd woke up feeling very queasy  and asked for "the bucket".  So far she has not need it .

My youngest dd is doing better as far as her cough and cold is concerned. 

My son is the only one who's "up and at-em" and is working on English.

  I definitely thought of Proverbs 16:9  We can make our plans, but the Lord determines our steps.

  This morning we read two chapters of Joel: Boy of Galilee ( one of those wonderful Lamplighter books).  It holds everyone's attention and I know we'll be sad when we get to the end. I'll definitely be buying a couple more Lamplighters at the homeschool convention in April.

  I'm also looking forward to getting Keeping Our Children's Hearts by Steve and Teri Maxwell.  I also bought the audio CD because my husband is more likely to listen to it than read the book.  Thank you to HsKubes for mentioning this book on her blog.  Sorry I don't know how to do the link to her page.  I'm not very computer savvy.  I can't even figure out how to do any cute things with my blog yet.

   Hoping to do the basics this morning and have a  science fiesta this afternoon.

We've recently started Flying Creatures of the Fifth Day by Jeannie Fulbright.

We'll be working on starting our notebooks and talking about what we've learned so far.

  Wishing you a blessed day in the Lord.

Cheryl

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Feb. 23, 2006 - Everyone needs an Ellie!

I am so blessed to have my friend Ellie in my life. She is such a prayer warrior.  She's been my mentor and Titus 2 woman for almost 2 years.

We met several years ago through her "Apples of Gold" group.  Almost 2 years ago I went through a terrible period of depression and anxiety attacks.  When she found out what was going on she would call me and pray with me every single day.

I will be forever grateful for the life line she threw out to me.

We still talk on the phone a few times a week and share how the Lord is working in our lives and we always share the Word and pray.  I go to her house for a women's Bible study and also to the Purpose Driven Life group that she leads.

She is just such a blessing and a joy to be around-- and so full of the Lord.  She says that I am a joy to her-- can you believe that? 

I hope that someday I can be an "Ellie" and be a blessing to someone.

Do any of you ladies have a mentor/Titus 2 woman you'd like to thank?

Blessings, Cheryl

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Feb. 21, 2006 - Friendship Bread and yummy chocolate cake

I finally got to bake my two loaves of Amish Friendship bread yesterday.

Wow- did the kitchen smell heavenly!  Kayla and Mark said it's the best dessert I've ever made.  That is saying a lot because I love to bake and my kids love to eat.

Here is the website in case you'd like to check out the recipe:

 http://www.armchair.com/recipe/bake002.html

Now, here is a recipe for a delicious chocolate bundt cake.  It is very, very hard to make.  I suggest you shoo everyone out of the kitchen so you can slave away in peace.  You need:

*1 box of chocolate cake mix ( the pudding in the mix kind)

*1 can of solid pack pumpkin ( shhh-- don't tell my kids)

*throw in some chocolate chips

Mix everything together and put into a greased bundt pan.  Bake at 350 degrees for about 40 minutes or until done.  It comes out so moist and fudgy.  I can't believe how easy it is.  Everyone loves it!  Thanks to my friend Julie who told me about this.  I was doubtful at first ( pumpkin?) but you can't tell-  now I make this once a week.

Wishing you a blessed day, Cheryl

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Feb. 16, 2006 - Rise and Shine

  It's 7:25 a.m. here and I've already separated my 9 yr old and 6 yr old.

They manage to bicker about almost anything!

 I wish I had set the alarm clock for me to get up at 6.  Then I would have had my time with the Lord without having to put a blanket over my head or hiding out in my closet. ( don't feel bad-- it's a walk-in)

    I was just thinking about my kids' bedrooms-- or should I say what's on their walls.  Hope (6) has her girly room with a Disney Princess poster and pasted on fairies throughout the room.

 Mark (9) has his Red Sox and Patriots theme going on. 

Kayla (13) has a mish-mash of "stuff". Sometimes I have to bite my tongue when I go in there.  It's usually a mess and I know there really is a desk underneath all that stuff.  She has pictures of her favorite celebrities "du jour".  She has an American Idol poster and a Johnny Depp ( Pirates of the Caribbean) poster.  

 I know, I know. Shame on me for allowing "the world" into our home.  I don't allow her to watch half of the movies she would like to.  We are selective with TV.  Music is an ongoing battle, I admit.  

 I remember being in middle school and thinking Rick Springfield  and Loverboy were so cool.   In high school,  I loved Bon Jovi, Def Leppard, and Duran Duran.  Man, do I feel old. 

  My IRL friends can't relate with having a teenager in the house.

Any sage advice for loving your teen/ enjoying the teen years?

BTW, I recently picked up The Power of a Praying Parent by Stormie Omartian .  What an awesome book!

Wishing you a blessed day!  Cheryl

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Feb. 15, 2006 - Thank God his mercies are new EVERY morning

     Because of the Lord's great love we are not consumed., for his compassions never fail.  They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.  Lamentations 3: 22-23

  I admit I have been feeling really down lately-- anxious, overwhelmed, totally exhausted.   Can anyone relate?  When I allow myself to get into this frame of mind I just want to stay under the covers.  I can't see beyond my current problems and I just want to quit everything.

  I realize I need to spend more time focusing on the Lord, and soaking up His Word.

I thank God that I have a study Bible and many books that help me get the focus back on Him- where it belongs.

  I thank God for my family- my husband and 3 kids.  There are things about them that I do not understand, and I find it difficult to get along with them sometimes.

Well, NEWSFLASH--  I can be difficult, crabby, and can grumble with the best of the Israelites.  I cannot change  my circumstances but I can choose to pray, to praise God for who He is, to thank Jesus for loving me and giving His life for me. 

  Every day is an opportunity to trust Him, to grow closer to Him,  to ask what He wants us to do for Him.  I thank God that He is always faithful.

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Feb. 12, 2006 - Snowy Sunday

  We are having a major snowstorm today and church was cancelled.  There must be about 12 inches so far.

   I baked chocolate oatmeal cookies

this afternoon.  Thought the kids would like to help, but

they just wanted to eat them.  We're having beef stew for

supper- it's smells really good.  I think dh will enjoy it-  he worked

today and is now using the snow blower to clean out the driveway.

  On another note, this is the time of year when homeschoolers talk about the "winter blues" and "burnout".  Our homeschool support group had a guest speaker last month-  it was really good.

We all need " a shot in the arm" so to speak.  It is hard to keep going after Christmas break. Personally, I find it really difficult to get my bearings during the months of September and October.

 Two of my all time favorite books that I read again and again for encouragement are: The Heart of Homeschooling by Christopher Klicka and Teach me Lord that I May Teach  by Barbara & Douglas Smith. 

  I am really enjoying reading other homeschool blogs. It's nice to get a peek into other homeschool  moms' lives.  Thank you for sharing your thoughts.  

  Cheryl 

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Feb. 11, 2006 - Friday ramblings

 Friday is food shopping day for me.  It was apparently food shopping day for many others as we are supposed to get hit with quite a snowstorm this weekend.   

  We could get up to a foot of snow where we live.  We haven't had any snow to speak of, so I'm sure we're due for a good one. 

  I had a migraine yesterday, after the market.  Obviously, it was not a productive day for me other than taking my prescription and holding a cold cloth over my eye. 

  I feel much better today though. My hair looks scary and I have dark circles under my eyes, but I'm up and thinking about how I should start vacuuming.

  BTW, I now have my husband's cell phone-- he has the newer one.  I will be very, very careful with this one.

  Wishing you a blessed Saturday. I've been re-reading Galatians, chapters 5 and 6.  Praying for the fruit of the Spirit!

  Cheryl

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