Hey everyone. Just wanted to let you know that I'm still here and we are all OK. Life is incredibly busy with all the usual, plus a burst pipe in our old house which we are renting out, upset tenents, car trouble, new childminding kids (a baby!) and trying to deal with alot of meetings about Giggles and Wiggles.
Life is good, just crazy! Also, I've been using what little blog time I have had this week over at the UK blog. There has been a major review into home education published this week. My view seems to be very unpopular! (nothing new there then! LOL!) The poor UK blog sits there for months without a single comment. Only the hit counter tells us that anyone comes to read it at all! Then I post a controversial view and bam! I get four comments in 24 hours! Wow! Now if only they could be polite instead of rude!
You can go here to read what all the ruckus is about. And for those of you stateside I will summarise that they are now recommending that we have to register our intent to home educate and show some plan of what we intend to do with a once annually check to see that we actually do it. For most of you this is what you do anyway, but for the UK who have never had to tell anyone anything - it is evidently a tragedy! My view is different but you can go and read that for yourselves. |
•
Comments (1)
• Post A Comment!
• Permanent Link
|
Jun. 8, 2009 Amazing song!
I don't often share songs on here and I don't too often talk about my babies that are living in Heaven's nursery instead of my home here on earth. But that doesn't mean they are ever far from my thoughts!
I found a link to this song on a friends blog this morning. That friend lost her precious little three year old last summer in a tragic accident. No warning. No time to say goodbye. She is amazing in her faith. Most of the time she is simply so gratefull for the time she had with him and for the hope of Heaven one day. But there are dark day and hard times.
My dark days were five years ago now, mostly. But there are still days when the holes in my heart ache so. There are still days when Heaven seems so far away and yet so close. I miss my babies. I also miss friends like Dee who went on ahead so suddenly.
I remember my grandparents saying to me when I was young that Heaven would seem much sweeter to me as time went on. When I was young I didn't really want the Lord to return too soon. I wanted a chance to live my life and to experience life for myself. But they were right. The more people I know and love who change their address to Heaven, the sweeter the thought of getting there one day becomes.
This song had me in tears this morning, so be warned and find some tissues before you click. I will also post the words at the end so you can read along. The words are so powerfully true. Be encouraged. We have a great home waiting for us. This is only a 'holiday home' for a short time! Nice though it is, we will eventually long to go HOME! And those who have made the trip before us will be there to welcome us with open arms and show us around.
All you saw was pain
All you saw was rain
But you should see me now
Moments filled with tears
Lasted all those years
Disappeared somehow
You never said goodbye
On your knees you cry
You're still asking why, but
Blue has never been bluer
True has never been truer
Honey never tasted so sweet
There's a song in the breeze
A million voices in praise
A rose has never smelled redder
The sun has never been brighter
If I could find the right words to say
If you could look at my face
If you could just see this place
You wouldn't cry for me today
What you think you see
Isn't really me
I'm already home
You've got to lay it down
'Cause Jesus holds me now
And I am not alone
Your faith is wearing thin
But I am watching Him
And He's holding you, too
CHORUS
What may seem like years will just be a moment
Oh, the day will come
When I'll show you where you're going
I can't wait to show you that
CHORUS
|
•
Comments (0)
• Post A Comment!
• Permanent Link
|
Jun. 8, 2009 Ode to the Spellchecker!
This was simply too funny! If you have read my blog for even a month you have probably picked up on the fact that spelling isn't my strong point! LOL! I have wished many a day that HSB had a spellchecker facility on it, but maybe it wouldn't really solve anything!
Ode to a Spellchecker
Eye halve a spelling check her;
It came with my pea sea.
It plane lee marks four my revue
Miss steaks aye kin knot sea.
Eye ran this poem threw it
Your sure reel glad two no.
Its vary polished in it's weigh,
My checker tolled me sew.
A check her is a bless sing;
It freeze yew lodes of thyme.
It helps me right awl stiles two reed,
And aides me when aye rime.
Each frays come posed up on my screen
Eye trussed too bee a joule;
The checker pours o'er every word
To cheque sum spelling rule.
Bee fore wee rote with checkers
Hour spelling was inn deck line,
Butt now when wee dew have a laps,
Wee are knot maid too wine.
Butt now bee cause my spelling
Is checked with such grate flare,
Their are know faults with in my cite,
Of nun eye am a wear.
Now spelling does knot phase me,
It does knot bring a tier;
My pay purrs awl due glad den
With wrapped words fare as hear.
To rite with care is quite a feet
Of witch won should be proud;
And wee mussed dew da best wee can
Sew flaws are knot aloud.
That's why eye brake in two averse
Cuz eye dew want too please.
Sow glad eye yam that aye did bye
This soft wear four pea seas.
|
I have a spelling checker;
It came with my PC.
It plainly marks for my review
Mistakes I cannot see.
I ran this poem through it
You're sure real glad to know.
It's very polished in its way,
My checker told me so.
A checker is a blessing;
It frees you loads of time.
It helps me write, all styles to read,
And aids me when I rhyme.
Each phrase composed upon my screen
I trust to be a jewel;
The checker pores o'er every word
To check some spelling rule.
Before we wrote with checkers
Our spelling was in decline,
But now when we do have a lapse,
We are not made to whine.
But now because my spelling
Is checked with such great flair,
There are no faults within my sight,
Of none I am aware.
Now spelling does not faze me,
It does not bring a tear;
My papers all do gladden
With wrapped words far as near.
To write with care is quite a feat
Of which one should be proud;
And we must do the best we can
So flaws are not allowed.
That's why I break into a verse
Cause I do want to please.
So glad I am that I did buy
This software for PC's.
|
|
|
•
Comments (0)
• Post A Comment!
• Permanent Link
|
Jun. 7, 2009 Badman Review in the news!
***The following post was actually written for the UK blog. However as I was a having a 'dizzy' moment, I forgot that I was signed into my own blog until after I had posted it! I have copied and pasted it over to the UK blog, however I realise that alot of people who read my blog read it in RSS readers and would find this post anyway. Also, I have many readers in other countries and thought you might be vaguely interested in what is going on with Home Education in the UK. So, I have left this post here as well, but this will explain some of my comments and references to 'my views on this blog' etc. ***
********************************************************
There was more than one article in the news this week about the upcoming publication of the 'Badman Review into Home education'. I thought I would put up the links to some of the articles here for your information. I will try and post more about it this week when it has been published and we know for sure what exactly it says!
Get tough on home tuition to weed out abuse, says review
(Home) school's out forever?
Home education case study – the Crawsham family
The Home Education Review - Possible Outcomes
Home education review sparks battle over lack of regulation
I have made no secret of my views on this issue over the past years. I would love to see mandatory registration so that they know where the children are and so we are all held accountable to do the job set before us.
I have personally met too many 'home educators' who hide behind the 'autonomous' or 'unschooling' titles to do absolutely nothing all day! I am all for younger children especially having plenty of time to learn through play and exploration, however there needs to be some sort of structure to the activities. There needs to be some sort of guidance and input from parents.
I feel that being registered would also give a validation! We would be considered a viable option for parents to consider when looking at where to send their child to school. Hooray!
However, I strongly oppose any move to impose the national curriculum on us, or force the use of any particular curriculum of the government's choosing. As long as we have children who can read, write, calculate and who know about history and the world around them - we should be allowed to choose just what books and materials we use to accomplish that.
To be perfectly honest, the material used in the schools is simply a joke anyway! We can do far better at home ourselves. We have a foster daughter who has improved her handwriting more in just 8 weeks of working through one of my home education handwriting books than she did all year in her classroom! Her teacher was scratching her head till I revealed what I had been doing with her at home. She couldn't figure out what had caused the improvement!
She is at the bottom of her class and the help available to her is non-exsistant! We are getting more accomplished at home with her after school and on weekends.
So in my opinion, forcing the national curriculum on us would be a case of lowering the standards of those home educators who take their children's education seriously! We are simply doing a better job at home.
Then again........maybe that is the problem here! Maybe they are simply afraid that we will put the schools to shame like the home schoolers in America do! They regularly win national educational competitions like spelling bees and outscore their counterparts in all standardized tests every single year. Maybe the problem here is that we are doing too good a job! We might make the schools look bad - and they can't have that can they?
I'll post up again when we find out what the final report says later this week. Thanks for putting up with an editorial this time if you have read this far! LOL! My fear is simply that if we fight everything we are in danger of loosing everything! If we are reasonable and agree to at least be registered (which is the minimum requirement in all 50 states of America) then we might win the right to do the job the way we feel is best!
I know there are those who claim that if we give them an inch they will take a mile. But there is also a case for meeting them somewhere in the middle. People like to think their children are invisible to the government if they aren't in a school or if they keep them from the medical professionals, however if your child has a birth certificate then they are known to exsist! So I dont' think we loose much by saying 'We are home educating this child'. They can tick their box that 'this' child is getting some sort of education and worry about the children who are really missing in our country!
I laugh to think what would happen if we all registered 'en masse' on particular Monday morning! LOL! Most LA's would take a year to just process the information - let alone have any time to hassle home educators! And there would be no budget for hiring the thousands of 'inspectors' that would be needed to do just one annual visit to each family!
At the same time we would show them just how strong of a community we can be. Hhhhmmmmm......maybe something to think about. Then we would be the ones pulling the strings if we registered when we wanted to - all in one day! (I just want to be a fly on the wall in the local LA office that day! LOL!) - Deedee |
•
Comments (0)
• Post A Comment!
• Permanent Link
|
Jun. 1, 2009 What's up Doc?
That seems to be the question of the week as I have one medical appointment for Miss Giggles and three for Mr Wiggles before the week is out! Yikes! The kids are actually healthy right now. These are regular health checks for 'looked after' kids (the politically correct term for foster children). Also, Mr Wiggles has some speach issues and some need of physio due to delayed development and those appointments are coming up now.
We had Miss Giggles off for the last week on half term break. It is strange to have a homeschooling schedule and a school one running simultaniously. We did some fun outings all together last week and had some quiet days at home too. It was nice to have some time with her to concentrate on behaviour training and to have some fun together!
We are also trying to book up a time to go to Bristol and visit Dh's Dad as he is not very well and we haven't been down since November! Life has just been too crazy around here. Anyway, we think we have pinned down a time and a place to stay (he is too ill for us to stay there with the kids - too noisy for him) so hopefully we can get that all booked this week too, for a visit over the summer.
We are also praising the Lord for His protection of my brother Jewelry Guy last week. I got a call from my Mom that started with 'Jewelry Guy is OK but.......' That is never a good way for a conversation to start, is it?
He works in NYC everyday and had just that morning got hit by a yellow taxi cab on his way to work!!! They had the paramedics out and everything. The driver had run his foot over and his his leg - throwing him to the ground. He was examined and there was no obvious injury but he went home early that night to get some rest. The real miracle and answer to our prayers was the next day when he woke up with NO PAIN OR SWELLING OR BRUISES WHATSOEVER!!!! How amazing is that, huh? Like I said we are praising the Lord!
We have a busy week ahead so I guess I better get a wiggle on! If I get a few minutes between appointments I'll try to stop in. Have a great week everyone! |
•
Comments (3)
• Post A Comment!
• Permanent Link
|
May. 29, 2009 Unbelievable! May. 22, 2009 Truth Fabrics.
There is a cool new company that has opened here in the UK called 'Truth Fabrics'. I had the priviledge of meeting the precious family who started this company up a few months ago.
They wanted to provide an alternative for kids bedding and clothing that included Bible 'Heroes' for their kids to have in their rooms and thier lives!
We are about to purchase the 'The Lord is my Shield' bedding for our boys room since they wanted a knights and castle theme. We actually couldn't find a 'castle' theme duvet set anywhere and then I remembered something I had seen in the Truth Fabric brochure.
I pulled up the (old) website and the boys looked over my shoulder. They spotted this gorgeous duvet set before I could say a word and asked (begged, pleaded, jumped up and down shouting) if they could have those!
I have seen these duvets and T-shirts first hand and they are the finest cotton I have ever seen on a duvet. It feels like silk!! So although the price may be a 'little' higher than some kids duvets on the high street, I found the quality to be far superior.
They have just launched a new website this week and you can find it here at www.truthfabrics.com They have also produced a short vido/commercial about their products and their vision. So, I'll end by posting their video clip so you can see them for yourself and hear from the creator Paul Vivian in his own words!
Truthfabric promo for UCB TV from TruthFabric on Vimeo. |
•
Comments (2)
• Post A Comment!
• Permanent Link
|
May. 20, 2009 A Great outing!
We had a fabulous outing this Monday. We went to the D H Lawrence Heritage center and his Birthplace museum in Derbyshire near Nottingham.
Due to many circumstance all of our usual group cancelled out on this one so we were the only ones going! We would have cancelled the whole thing, except that we were due to meet up with a home educating family who were on holiday in the area, so we went anyway. They are hoping to move nearby soon and wanted to meet up with home edders in the area.
I must say that this was one of the best outings that we have had in the six years I have been organising them!!!! If you get a chance to go to this museum - TAKE IT!!! We learned all about Victorian life in the time period when Lawrence grew up.
The tour guide was FAB with the kids and let them ask tons of questions and handle things, try things, and told us so many wonderful stories about Victorian life! The kids got to do actual 'washing day' and wash a sheet together, learned about the life of a miner and all about taking a bath back then.
The funniest moment was when she was showing the kids Lawrence's Dad's lunch tin. She was making them guess what this tin was used for. They were guessing all weird and wonderful things and she decided to give them a 'clue'. So she said 'What do you take you sandwiches in to school?' Then she wondered why they all looked at her so blankly! I piped up and reminded her that we were the 'Home Education group' and that these particular kids had never crossed the doorstep of a school! She laughed and blushed and rephrased the question! LOL!
After three wonderful hours in this Birthplace museum we went to have lunch in a nearby park and the kids played for an hour while we visited. The rain came back just as we went into the next building and enjoyed the Victorian life exhibition. There was a kitchen, a shop and market stall (the kids got to weigh and measure things and handle the exhibits), a fun fair, a Victorian schoolroom and a display about mining including a mine shaft for them to crawl through! All of this was complete with games to play, costumes to wear and slates to write on - very child friendly and hands on.
There was a worksheet of a trail to do as they went through, answering questions about all they saw. Both Monkey and McGee did a great job with the trail and answered all the questions. There were also tons of coloring sheets to bring home and do later as well as a word search!
There was a small display about his 'works' but we easily walked past that part. The lady doing the tour in the morning only said that 'He is so famous because he wrote alot of books. Books that only grown ups read.' and then moved on. Very sensitive and well handled!
Then there was a small art gallery that the kids enjoyed looking at (and laughing at some of the so called 'art')! All in all it was a fabulous day and I was just sorry that more didn't get to take part. The best part of all of this? The entire day was FREE!!!!!! (boy I love that word!) We will definintly take others back here for a visit as a family because it was a wonderful day out! |
•
Comments (2)
• Post A Comment!
• Permanent Link
|
I just realised that I never told you guys what happened with my leg!!!! On Monday night a pastor/friend of ours came over for a meeting with Dh and I. At the end he asked to pray for us and our ministry. We readily accepted!
During his prayer he prayed for healing for my leg. I have NEVER had this happen before, but I felt like an ice cold tidal wave was washing up and down my body!!! It was so startling that my eyes flew open in the middle of his prayer! He went on to pray about some other issues and the cold wash stopped.
When he finished I told him what had happened and then limped to the door to say goodbye - no change there.
Well, then Tuesday morning I bounded out of bed and was half way through making breakfast when I suddenly gasped! I was walking and hadn't given it another thought!!!!! I nearly turned a cartwheel right there in the kitchen when I realised it!!!
It is odd. I still have an almighty bruise on the leg that is absolutely rainbow colored and if that spot gets bumped it hurts - ALOT!!! But there is no pain w-h-a-t-s-o-e-v-e-r when I walk, drive, run, etc.
So I have been praising the Lord for His healing touch this week in such a powerful way! Thanks for praying ladies and be encouraged - God is in the business of miracles still today! |
•
Comments (2)
• Post A Comment!
• Permanent Link
|
My friend Jen is having a great contest for a Latin program from Rosetta Stone! Here are the details so pop on over and have a go!
Rosetta Stone is the fastest way to learn a language and has been the #1 foreign language curriculum among homeschoolers for a while — and you can WIN the *all new* version 3 Rosetta Stone Homeschool LATIN program… FOR FREE! This is the first year you can get Latin in the brand new Version III update.
This is a $259 program (and believe me it’s worth every penny!)
This is a computer based curriculum and Rosetta Stone will also include a headset with microphone, and a supplementary “Audio Companion” CD so you can practice lessons in the car, on the go, or where-ever! Students participate in life-like conversations and actually produce language to advance through the program. Rosetta Stone incorporates listening, reading, grammar, vocabulary and writing along with speaking and pronunciation lessons. For parents, the new Parent Administrative Tools are integrated into the program to allow parents to easily enroll up to ten students in any of 12 predetermined lesson plans, monitor student progress, grade completed work (the program grades the work automatically as the students progress- I love that!), and you can view and print reports for transcripts. Homeschooling a lot of kids at your house? This program is designed to enroll and track up to ten students (five users on two computers) and will work for nearly all ages — from beginning readers up to college students.
To win this most excellent Latin program copy these paragraphs and post them in (or as) your next blog post, and/OR link to the contest from your facebook page and/OR email the information to your homeschool support group – Then go to the original page http://Jeneralities.com and leave a comment saying that you’ve posted about, or have linked to, the contest. Please make sure the link works to get back to the original contest page when you post. And good luck! |
•
Comments (1)
• Post A Comment!
• Permanent Link
|
May. 10, 2009 Happy Mother's Day!
I decided to check out our local hospital now that we have moved. I figured it was easier to check it out for the first time with adults rather than sick kiddos, so last night I was at the A+E in a wheelchair!
Yesterday afternoon I fell over in a friends garden and tripped over a piece of concrete edging and then landed with the side of my leg on the edge of it with my full body weight falling on top of my leg. Like I said - OUCH!!!
When I finally stood, I seemed to be able to weight bear so I carefully drove home. I iced it and put it up and called a friend to come over and help with the kids. This wonderful girly is a student at hubby's college and one of our approved babysitters for the foster kids. She is also moving in with us over the summer for her final year of college!
Kay came over and took over with the kids while hubby took Monkey to Beavers. Suddenly I needed the bathroom and found that I couldn't stand any weight on my leg. So we decided to take to me A+E when hubby got home to get it checked!
That room was full of people who needed nothing more than a bandaid, an asprin or some Gaviscon!!!! It was sooooo annoying! And the time wasters were complaining VERY loudly that they were waiting so long! Ggrrrrrrrr!
After two hours the nurse saw me and sent me for an x-ray after poking my leg and saying 'Does this hurt?' I nearly jumped out of the wheelchair!!!!! Yikes!
The x-ray showed no broken bones thankfully, so they classed it as a 'soft tissue injury'. If it was my ankle it would be a sprain, but they have no word for an injury like this to the middle of your leg. They sent me home saying to stay off of it for 2-3 days, ice it and elevate it.
Ha! Did they know I have four kiddos in the house????? Anyway, Kay had no lectures today so she slept over and is here with me today while Dh is at work. Then he will be home for the weekend, so we will manage. But I think I'll be doing the groceries online this week! LOL!
Anyway, my drugs are kicking in and it is getting hard to type so I better get going. I'll be back when I'm too bored of sitting on the sofa!! LOL! |
•
Comments (3)
• Post A Comment!
• Permanent Link
|
May. 6, 2009 Oh well........
So much for 'I'll post those pictures tomorrow' huh? Why is it that 'tomorrow' never quite goes to plan? Or is it just me? LOL!
Last week got rather busy with getting things ready for Dee's memorial service which was this past Saturday. Dh asked me to do a power point, slide show of pictures of her set to a particular song. First of all - I have NEVER done this before! Secondly it took me a whole day to get it right! Then he asked me to do a reading, which I agreed to. However, we couldn't find a reading for a memorial service which was even remotely appropriate to the circumstances. So he asked if I would give a tribute on behalf of our church instead. For some strange reason I agreed! Yikes!
Then we had an issue with the catering manager only wanting to serve vending machine coffee and tea to everyone without any refreshments to go with it! (yes! Really!) So we ran to Costco the night before and bought a big sheet cake and disposable plates, forks, etc and I served it myself to save causing anyone on staff any extra work.
The memorial service went well and everyone played their parts perfectly. Her whole family were there, who aren't saved apart from her husband. Some of us simply shared with them what Dee had said to us about her heart for her children and grandchildren to come to know the Lord. And how she longed to know they would be with her one day in Heaven. Nothing high pressured - just sharing her words and her heart for them. It was a tender and amazing morning.
Afterwards I wasnt' feeling very well, and thought we should get the kids quickly and go home. Dh insisted on taking me out for a bite of lunch and I begrudgingly went thinking that it wasn't fair on our friend who had the kids. As usual, he was right! As soon as I had a piece of roast vegetable quiche in my stomache I felt much better. I was just too hungry and had swallowed alot of air while crying that morning - bad combination! And when we did get the kids, my friend said that she almost rang to say 'Go get a bite to eat first' so I didn't feel guilty anymore for taking the time to do it!
It was actually quite nice to have an hour out with hubby on our own - quite a novelty! It wasn't like a date since we werent' in a 'date' mood after the service, but it was nice to have some time alone just the same.
All of this was on top of 'regular' life and some 'issues' that have come up with the kids. Somehow in all of that my poor blog got simply ignored.
Mr. Wiggles is starting to make some real progress. He actually 'marked paper' when we were coloring with some kids last week!!! This is the first time that he didn't simply tear the paper and eat the crayons. Of course after ten minutes of doing great he got bored and popped the crayon in his mouth - but at least we accomplished something first!
Miss Giggles seems to have got over her 'honeymoon' period now. We have gone from 'Everything is wonderful, fun, delicious and the best ever' to 'I hate this! This is disgusting! and picking everything to bits.' She has started to challenge us big time!
Last night though, we had a heartbreaking moment. She had been naughty and I told her that she wouldn't be having any desserts or sweets for a few days. She was stubborn, grumpy, and had a really angry look on her face. She was getting ready for bed with a very stone cold attitude and was very angry with me. (That made two of us actually!)
After she was ready for bed I took her on my lap and reminded her of her punishment. Then I gave her a huge hug and told her that I still loved her and that she had to learn how to behave as part of a real family. That was my job and I was doing this to help her learn because I loved her.
Well, at that the flood gates burst and she sobbed and sobbed! She was clinging to me and it broke my heart!!! She was used to be punished and told off, but people were mean to her when they did and didn't 'like' her anymore. She couldn't comprehend that her behaviour hadn't changed the way I felt about her!
I'm sure it is a message that will take alot of reinforcing but it was a start. I guess it is no wonder that I'm feeling exhausted right now, huh? |
•
Comments (1)
• Post A Comment!
• Permanent Link
|
Apr. 23, 2009 Updating the blog.
Not really updating y'all. Really just updating the blog itself. I added Giggles and Wiggles to our character list on the right there and noticed that I had Monkey still down as being FIVE! He is seven now!!
Then a quick glance showed that everyone who had an age in the list had the wrong age! So a little quick tidy up and I think we have everyone aged correctly now and all the new characters in place.
Oh and why is it that if I'm running late to get home Giggles taxi comes to drop her off at 4:15 and they are sitting outside waiting for me but when I book a dentist appointment for all of us at 4:45 in the town 20 minutes away, they don't get her here till 4:30??? It is like some sort of conspiracy!!!
So we missed the appointment (there was dreadful traffic and took almost 30 minutes to get there!). I had hoped since we had 45 minutes of appointments booked to at least get Giggles seen to, so we didn't have another after school dash on another day, but it seems that when we were 15 minutes late the dentist decided to head home early! Nice! Totally wasted journey at rush hour - just what I always wanted. NOT!
We waited and quizzed Monkey about the presentation on Beavers that he was making tonight to his Beaver Scout troupe. And then drove him straight to Beavers, but more about that tomorrow with pictures.  Goodnight! |
•
Comments (4)
• Post A Comment!
• Permanent Link
|
Apr. 22, 2009 God is soooo good!
God is soooo good and He has a great sense of humour too! Here am I worried silly about getting an inspector who has a problem with our Christian curriculum and Christian approach to education and He sends me a CHRISTIAN INSPECTOR!!!    ( this is where I really miss the little smiley that used to turn cartwheels!)
He was a lovely Christian gentleman who used to be a head teacher and has now done this job for the past six years. He thought our curriculum was complete, balanced and very full. He discribed our home as a 'literacy rich environment'.
He was very supportive of the fact that we go slowly on reading and phonics until the boys are ready to read and mature enough to handle the work. He had no problem at all with the fact that McGee is only just ready to start on cursive writing while Monkey is ready now too and they are doing it at the same time. (there is a 2 1/2 year age difference) He thought it was great that we did things when the boys were ready to do them rather than by some 'prescribed timetable'.
Both boys read beautifully to him - I was soooo proud of my boys!! They also showed off all thier badge work from Beavers and Cubs. He was really interested in McGee's special badges from the centenary celebrations as he had taken part in the 50 year celebrations 50 years ago! That wowed the boys!!! 
It was a delightful visit and I feel a bit foolish for my fretting! We knew God moved us to this house and this area so I should have trusted that ,as usual, He would have every detail taken care of - even our new inspector!
The only bad news this morning is that the delightful gentleman is retiring in 8 days!  But he has assured me that the lady who is most likely taking his place is the assistant who he trained and is equally delightful (though he didn't mention her being a Christian or not) and that we would have no trouble with her whatsoever. So we will look forward to meeting her in a years time. They have signed us off for annual visits now.
I'll let you all know when the report arrives and share some tidbits from that with y'all! I can't wait to read it now!! It is like getting our report card for the year. I always loved showing a glowing report card to my parents each year! Hehehe!
Thanks for the flood of comments! You are all so sweet with your comments and still reading my blog even when it is quiet and boring! I appreciate the support and prayers from my cyber and real life friends on here! Thanks everyone. |
•
Comments (5)
• Post A Comment!
• Permanent Link
|
Apr. 20, 2009 Anyone still there?
To be honest, I wouldn't blame you all if you never came back to this poor, neglected blog ever again! I have been a very bad blogger lately. It is just that actual life has taken over blogging about life. (Imagine that! How dare it!)
We had a great time away. Oh! BTW, I have come up with names for our two new arrivals. 'Little Miss Giggles' and 'Mr Wiggle' but we will call them Giggles and Wiggles for short! That pretty much sums them up. She is in fits of giggles every time we turn around and he simply can't keep still AT ALL!
Anyway, Giggles and Wiggles had a great time at Disneyland - as you would imagine. Giggles spent the first half of the first day simply staring with her jaw on the ground and saying things like 'But he is REAL!?!?!' (Yes, dear Mickey is real here) Wiggles didn't like any of the 'real' characters and preferred to watch them from a distance safely strapped into his pushchair. Many of the rides he was too small for anyway, but he loved 'It's a small world', the Carousel and the Dumbo flying elephants ride.
Giggles enjoyed dressing up in princess outfits we had brought from home, and loved trying to find other 'little princesses' who were dressed the same as her! She even managed to get a phone number from one that she played with!! (we returned the slip of paper to the princesses parents before we left!)
We also had a great time visiting a real life castle, seeing how baguettes are made and buying them in french, and swimming in the FAB indoor pools at the campsite. It was more tiring than usual, but it was a great bonding time with the kids and made us feel more like a family.
Last week was still school holidays and we had our hands full with Giggles home as well. (hence no blog time) She has a VERY low boredom threshold (read - nonexistent) so it was a very looooooong week!
She is back to school today and we are trying to get back to our schedule - such as it is! LOL!
The biggest craziness this week is that our new LEA inspector is coming to meet us on Wednesday morning (read 36 hours from now!) I have most of our records up to date now and just need to get everything tidied and gathered together ready to show.
I started a post just about the inspection over a month ago, but then we had the shocking news of Dee and that post never got posted somehow.
We have so far never heard of a positive experience with any home edders and the Doncaster LEA, but hey, there's always a first time - right? (please tell me that's right!) We have had such a brilliant relationship with our former LEA rep and we were sorry to leave her, however we moved over the county lines, so we had no choice.
We don't like to sit and hide or wait for them to find us - so we took the plunge and 'reported' ourselves back in Febuary. I think the lady on the other end of the phone nearly fell off her chair!! She thought I was 'reporting' someone else - I had to tell her three times that it was ourselves I was notifying her about. LOL! I guess she doesn't get that very often!
Our letter came, and it was for a date while we were in France! So I phoned up to tell them and had a nice conversation with our new inspector (a man this time) and he sounded very interested in the fact we were traveling to a foreign country. So hopefully he will be glad to hear all about it.
If you think of us please just pray that all goes well. We both feel that God moved us here partly to show the Doncaster LEA a positive situation of home education. We want to be a good wittness for the Lord in all we are doing.
I know we are meeting all the requirements by law and then some, but I really want this to go well, not just 'survive' it. And with all that has been going on lately I just feel like I'm not exactly in top form at the moment. I don't want to come across wrong or worn out (like I feel some days. Please tell me we all do?). I want to come across as confident and sure of what we are doing, with God's help!
I better get to bed now. It's past midnight and I've got another busy day tomorrow getting ready for Wednesday morning at 9:30AM when our doorbell with ring! I'll let you know how it goes. Promise! |
•
Comments (8)
• Post A Comment!
• Permanent Link
|
Apr. 3, 2009 On the road again...........
This is going to be a super quick update as we need to leave on holiday in four hours!!!! But I didn't want to leave without updating you about everything that is going on. Thank you so much for all the prayers and supportive comments/emails.
Dh and McGee are back! They arrived at about 2:30AM yesterday thanks to a traffic jam on the motorway at midnight (???). The trip went great and God really used them to bless people.
Dh's back is OK. Not wonderful, but OK. He is actually at the Chiropractor as I type this. He is also going to start some muscle building excersises to strengthen his back as well.
Dee's funeral is going to be on Monday so we are going to be away and miss it. We feel really badly about this but her husband said to go and enjoy ourselves. There will be a memorial service at the college after the Easter break so we will be able to be here for that and take part in it.
Dee's husband Steve sounded quite good on the phone considering. He wants the funeral to be a celebration of Dee's life! She was so full of life. He doesn't want people to remember her with sadness, but with happy memories.
We got the passports for our new arrivals and they are coming with us to France. We just told them last night that we are going to go to Disneyland Paris for a couple of days while we are there! I think Giggles nearly floated to the ceiling with excitment!!!
I'll tell you all about it when we get back. We have had some difficult situations this past couple of weeks. Some I have blogged, some I haven't. We need this time to talk alot of things through right now.
We are also praying that this will be a time of real blessing for ALL our kids both old and new! See ya'll later! |
•
Comments (6)
• Post A Comment!
• Permanent Link
|
Mar. 26, 2009 Shocking news!
|
I write in complete and utter shock tonight. The other lady with the blood clot who I mentioned for prayer on my blog post this morning died suddenly this evening.
Dee was my husbands assistant at work, a long time friend of ours, one of our former students, a babysitter for our boys, the pastoral carer for our female students at the college, and a member of our church and our worship team.
The whole of the Bible college faculty and students are currently scattered over the globe on mission trips. Please pray for them all as they are all reeling with the shock of this news tonight!
Please just pray for Dee's husband Steve and her children and grandchildren tonight. She was in her early fifties. This is just so sad and so sudden. Please pray that the Lord will use this situation to HIS glory and that the enemy will not be able to ruin the missions with this devestating news!
Please pray for Dh in particular as this has hit him especially hard. He is frantically wanting to fly straight home - though he knows there is little he can do right now. He was her supervisor, her mentor, he was assessing her with her pastoral training as she was soon to be 'qualified' as a pastor, and their offices were right next to each other. She was his 'right hand man' as it were and took alot of the load off of him.
In past years they have had an intern student as well working with them, but this year there was no money in the budget for one, so with Dee gone the whole job will fall on Dh's shoulders. He is worried about the students. They will miss her. She loved them and served them all faithfully!
He has asked me to go into college tomorrow and see if I can help with anything, so I will be changing my plans for the morning to go and spend a few hours at the college on his behalf. He has also said that the girls at college may need me when they get back since they won't have a female pastor to talk to for the rest of the year. So I may be slightly busier in the coming months. We will see what happens, but I am happy to be there and help if I can. (I used to be the female pastor before Dee did it).
Please just pray for me too. Dee was a friend and very dear to us both. I was also told in a very shocking way tonight as someone rang and asked if I would be speaking to Dh and could I give him a message. I said yes and asked what it was and they said 'Please tell him that Dee is dead' Which of course is NOT the way to tell someone news like that! I'm afraid that I simply screamed in his ear and then sobbed uncontrolably for a few minutes. I had to hang up and phone back later to even get the details of what had happened and when.
We still have other people to tell, but the time got too late to ring anyone else tonight, so it will have to wait till the morning. Speaking of which, I had better get to bed as there is alot to do in the morning. Thank you in advance for your prayers for this family and the college.
|
•
Comments (5)
• Post A Comment!
• Permanent Link
|
Mar. 25, 2009 Quick update and praise!!!!
Thanks so much to all who have been praying, commenting and emailing me! I've been rushed off my feet with Jack and Jill here Sunday and Monday nights on top of not feeling well and everything else!
The student who had the epilectic fit was back from hospital on Sunday teatime. Praise the Lord!
Dh was also on his feet by teatime though still in a considerable amount of pain. Then on Monday the pastor of the church they are working with at the moment phoned his own Chiropractor and arranged for Dh to have three sessions this week there!! Talk about God doing 'more than we can ask or imagine', huh? 
Dh rang last night and said that he is feeling much better and his back is much freer now! Praise the Lord! He has just asked that we keep praying that he doesn't slip and fall and undo all the good the Chiropractor has done. It is snowing and icy and slippery at the moment there, so please pray for safety.
McGee is doing well and coping like a trouper! He has been a blessing to the other team members and jumped in to help where he could. I'm so proud of him!
Later on Sunday morning we also discovered that Dh's assistant from work (who was heading up a team to Scotland) collapsed on Saturday evening here at home before heading off. She is in hospital still and they have discovered that she has a blood clot but don't know where it is!! Please pray that they can successfully treat it as it is very serious at the moment.
Better go! Got orders to pack and school work to do. Thanks again! |
•
Comments (1)
• Post A Comment!
• Permanent Link
|
Mar. 22, 2009 PLEASE PRAY!!!!
PLEASE be praying for Dh and for McGee and the rest of their missions team in the Czech Republic!!!
Dh rang at 6am this morning to say that his back had gone out and he couldn't even get off of the bed!!! Because of a technicallity this will not be covered by our travel insurance either! He was supposed to be preaching this morning in the church out there too.
Then he rang back at 7am to say that things had gotten even worse because one of the other team members had just had an epilectic fit in the shower and had to be taken to hospital by the paramedics!!!!
We really feel that they are simply under attack by the enemy at the moment. Dh's back has been sooooo much better since beginning treatment with the chiropractor a few weeks ago, that this problem with it makes no sense at all!!! He said it hasn't been this bad since the night he had to go to hospital last summer!
Please pray protection on all the team members and for those who are injured and unwell to be returned to full health - soon! Please pray for McGee as well because he is there with Dh in the middle of all of this.
I know it is Sunday, but for anyone who reads this before church, please ask your churches to pray for a mission team in the Czech Republic who is under attack today? Isn't prayer a wonderful thing? Crossing continents, time zones and cultures and binds us all together as we lift our voices to the Father on someone else's behalf.
I'll try and keep you all posted as we get any news. THANKS! |
•
Comments (3)
• Post A Comment!
• Permanent Link
|
Free Parental Control Software - Help Protect Children Online by Claiming YOUR Free Software @ www.TUKI.com
|
