Half a Dozen

Yipee!

Water Table (Well, somewhat)

Okay, I know....I didn't say to inspect how clean my bathroom sink was..that's right I said was...today the boys cleaned it!

A Good Week

This week has actually been a really good week! Ash started his training so we have been having to be on top of it as far as making sure his uniform and socks are washed, dinner being ready on time...you get the picture.  We got our tests in the mail last week and started on them on Monday with Cody and Luke.  So far, so good.  And as I mentioned earlier on  my other blog, the boys are attending a Sports Camp everyday from 2-5, so instead of dropping them off and using all the gas to come home, I've been staying in town until their done and that means dinner has to be prepared before we leave at 1:30.  This has been a huge accomplishment for me, to have dinner ready when we come home after a long day.  It's been wonderful! The house is clean, dinner is ready and everything is ready for Ash to come home to a well prepared home rather than the normal chaos.  Much needed for this season of life.  I am finding that Ash is not only in training , but I also am in training to be better prepared and plan my days and meals.  What a weight lifted off my shoulders.  It sure makes a difference to plan and prepare   The whole family is much happier!

Getting It Together

Ash (my husband) has been off for 1 week and the countdown has started now that he has 1 more week off until he starts his fire fighter training. Prior to getting into the Hawaii County Fire Department he was a courier at Fed Ex for ten years., but he has always wanted to get into the fire department.  He took the entry exam several years back and did not pass, but this time he did!  The training will consist of rigurous physical training and lots of schooling and studying in fire science and also an EMT course all put together to make a FULL year..  After the year he will have graduated from the recruit class and placed at a station where his schedule will be really nice.  So, it's just a time of sacrifice.

And as for me, his wife.....I'm kind of nervous to find out how busy and full his schedule will be for the next year.  Lots of studying, resting and more studying.  And me, no excuses...I just need to be an understanding and supportive, loving wife.  I don't know, I'm not really used to having my husband be so busy.  On the job at Fed Ex I was able to talk to him on the cell phone when in need like when I was having a tough day and well, he's soo good to calm me down and help me to put things into perspective, even on his route to delivering or picking up boxes.  You know how tiring it can be homeschooling 5 children.  Tiring, but rewarding :o)  So, I have one more week to prepare myself .......to get myself together....next years homeschool schedule, possibly a semi-organized house and whatever else I can think of.   Please pray for our family as we go through this new season.

I cast all my cares upon you Lord,

I lay all of my burdens down at Your feet

And anytime I don't know what to do...

I will cast all my cares upon You.

I Fianlly Did It!

I've been putting it off for quite awhile now, but today was the day that I actually did it.  I ordered those tests.  You know those end of the year tests that are required by your school district when you are home schooling.  I haven't even heard from our school.  They didn't even call or write a letter reminding me that the tests will need to be in. But hey, that 's okay...they must think I'm doing just fine!  I usually don't do the end of the year testing if it is not required for the particular grade level that my children are in.  I usually just submit a journal type progress report and they are happy with that.

Here in Hawaii, the third grade assesment test is required and now the fifth grade.  I have two boys that  are in both grades, so that means two tests.   I ordered the CAT (California Acheivement Test) for both since I can personally administer it to them. Where do I order my qualified tests from? I order them from a great company called Family Learning Organization located in Washington.  I've ordered from them once before and their service was super....I totally reccomend them.

So, now we'll be waiting to recieve them in the mail and testing we will do! 

Cody

Cody, my oldest son (11),  he's so much like me in so many ways..but let's not talk about that right now.  I love him to death.  He makes me soo proud of him, yet it seems like I'm on his case about something or other way too often.  I need to learn to bless him more rather than curse him.  Honest, I'm always saying what he could've done better or why didn't he do this or howcome he did that?  I know that if I keep doing this, eventually he won't want to be around me, well he has no choice now, but when he is of age he will have a choice. 

He's amzing though, soo very talented.  God has blessed him with this awesome ability to play an instrument without any formal lessons.  He's picked up the ukulele and soon after that it was the guitar and soon after that it was the drums.  And the neat thing,...he's on our church's worship team.  For a while he was on the drums, but now someone has taken his place and he is now playing his passion, which is the guitar.  It amazes me how well he picks up on the chords.  He'll sit on the computer searching for new chords and teaching himself for hours and at the end he'll have learned a whole new song and he sounds good too!

My husband is always telling him to make sure he plays from the heart and not to forget to use his talent for God's glory.  We just so want the best for our son.  He is not only talented when it comes to an instrument , but in so many other ways.  He is beyond helpful around the house.  If I left the house cleaning up to my son and he had to keep it clean, there is no doubt he would.  He's very thoughtful of others and he's a great friend.  He almost always has a project going.  Whether he is in the dirt digging and gardening or in the trees building a fort or making some sort of contraption.  The Lord has a great plan for this young man.

Thank you Lord, for this fine young man that you have given me to raise.  I pray that I'm not doing too bad of a job.  I'm sorry for my attitude towards him at times and I pray that I could be the best mom that I could be to him , the mom that You have created me to be.  Amen.

Yet Another Test ;O)

Does it Work?

Aloha Friday

Aloha Friday is what we call every Friday here in Hawaii.  It's the end of the work week and just around the corner from the weekend!  And today is not just any Aloha Friday, today is the last Friday that my husband will be working at Fed Ex.  He's been there for ten years and now he is thankfully entering a new career. 

In just about two weeks he will be starting his Fire Fighter training for the Hawaii Fire Department, something that he's always wanted to do.  We just thank the Lord for answering our prayers!  He has been soo faithful in providing for us through Fed Ex and now taking us through another season.  There are great opportunities ahead of us and I'm sure many new things that he will teach us.  God is so good!  And I'm so grateful for my hard working husband.  Thank you Lord!

And I return!

It's been a while since I've last written on homeschool blogger.  I started one when they first started this blog thing, but as I was put to the test, I could hardly keep up.  Whether I could think up anything to actually write about or whether I had enough time.  I have kept one up for a year now on blogger.com/ called Mother Culture so now I'm atempting to keep up with this one naturally because I liked blogging with homeschool blogger, it just took me awhile to get the hang of it.  So here I am again!  I'm still trying to figure out a theme for this blog...my life, that's it, this beautiful life God has given me and the many other gifts including the love of  my life, Ash and our half a dozen kids! No, not goat babies, yeah! those human babies... called children.