My last entry was Feb., maybe blogging is a quarterly event for me, I dunno. I am spending my computer time on the Sonlight forums and facebook - but I felt like I was being neglectful of this little blog.

My server is down, which is why you can't see any of my pictures, my sweet husband has ordered me a new motherboard and will get it fixed soon.

Since I last updated:

Preston turned 17, we spent his birthday camping in Destin at Henderson Beach State Park, which was beautiful. We were there for a few days and the kids enjoyed skimboarding on the beach while I watched from my sandy lawnchair (they made me a lawnchair out of sand, oh so comfy!) Andre' and Preston rode a Waverunner, Preston drove and succeeded in throwing them both into the bay! They had a blast, male bonding and such! I am so thankful to our dear friends who allowed us to use their camper and gave us this great memory with our family.

Catherine, 12, is dancing again, in a limited way. She dances for our children's ministry worship team and is having a wonderful time. She is finishing 7th grade and spends her days reading, writing and dancing, and if she cannot engage in those activities she is talking about them! We just got our big box of books for next school year and she was helping me go through them to make sure everything was there (and to oooh and ahhh over the titles). Preston is taking British Lit and she was eyeing his books with envy, asking when she could read them! I told her she could read them her senior year and she was visibly bummed, so I caved, if you finish core 7 (we are taking 2 yrs to do it) this summer, you won't have anything to read next year so you can read them then! She is such a cool kid!

Cuyler will be 11 soon, is still a lover of numbers and is reading tons. I am so grateful that we did not push him, he really did catch up like I was told he would. And because we did not push, and did not make him feel like a failure, he loves to read. His favorite right now is "Good and Evil" by Michael Pearl. He is also fascinated with all aspects of Star Wars and has created elaborate storylines with his friends and brothers. Honestly, I enjoyed the movies, but I do not care who is a Sith Lord and who is a Jedi and whose Padawan learner is better than the other. I listen, I am really good at asking the right questions and making him feel like his world is important, because it is, but I do tire of the constant Star Wars news that is reported ad nauseum in our house. I also know that if I listen now, and he feels loved and valued, that when the issues are important, he will keep talking. So I keep listening, even with a smile on my face!

Cade is 9, hard to believe he is such a little guy. Gramps tells him "We are dimes among nickles." My sister, Michelle, took him to the vet where she used to work to show him around. He had a great time and got to see a "procedure" done on a cat. This kid is so into science and animals, I think I have a doctor on my hands with him! He is also very compassionate and tender to others, esp. if they are smaller and weaker unless of course the smaller one is Geoffrey, then all bets are off! He is also the child who makes it a point to ask for permission for most of the things he does, I did not realize that was unique until a friend said something. We were at a party and Cade came to me to ask if he could have a peice of cake, I said sure and thought nothing of it. My friend (our children's pastor) sat there shocked and pointed out that bc of the location of me and the cake, he could have easily taken a peice and I would have not even known. Nice to hear something good that I did not know about him!

Geoffrey is 7. Seven, my baby is seven. He is still 'the baby' even though he is not A baby! He is finishing first grade and loves school. I know because I asked him, his favorite is handwriting, which is really neat because at the beginning of the year he really struggled with penmanship. He is my leftie, but when he is coloring he uses both hands at the same time with 2 different colors. You see, he dislikes coloring and has figured out a way to finish faster! Math is pretty easy for him too, as is reading. He loves to be outside in the dirt, riding his scooter and jumping on the trampoline. A few weeks ago we were visiting friends and he was jumping on their tramp (with a net) - the trampoline has a net, not the kid. Anyhow, he and Cuyler were playing guess what - Starwars, that is ALL they seem to play - and Geoff lunged for Cuyler, Cuyler dodged him, the pole did not! I was inside fixing a hamburger prepared by my dear friends husband, and really looking forward to eating it cuz he can make a mean burger - alas, we were not meant to be, that burger and I - apparently I had an appointment with the ER! Geoffrey needed four stitches in his forehead. He is my most accident prone child, he has had the most medical issues - not illness, injury. There was a period of several years that we showed up at every family function with someone in stitches or with a broken bone - usually Geoffrey! Something to ponder, is it HIM or is it that he is the fifth so I am more relaxed? hmm

We are almost finished with school and we are all ready for a summer of fun. See you again in August for our next quarterly update, kidding -I think!

*Please excuse my "poetic liscence" otherwise known as lazy writing! Words in "quotes" are Geoffrey's my responses are not marked.*

It is nearly midnight. The house is quiet, all the kids are tucked in, prayed for and sleeping. Oh no, please not tonight... I hear the pitter patter of little feet and the little voice cry out, "Mommy, I am scared." Earlier today the kids were playing outside, we had some out of town friends over and my children were eager to show off the abandoned house in the woods next door. A few neighborhood 'darlings' joined in the fun and proceeded to tell the kids about the 'Haunted House' and the man who died in the house and has come back to haunt it. Little wonder that my six year old can't sleep tonight. Of course all this drama happened unbeknownst to us parents - remember being a kid and spending the day outside making up wild stories and adventures to fill the day?

"Mommy, I am scared, can I sleep in your room?" How do you turn that away - there he is standing in the doorway holding his pillow and blanket and three webkinz, he is sobbing and the tears are running down his chubby cheeks. I scooped him into my lap and began to question what he was afraid of. Apparently the house is not only haunted by the long dead owner, but the owner left her dog and puppies there. "Little Innocence" from down the street KNOWS because she was in the house and she heard a man say "Get out, get out, get out!" and saw a floating key.... we talked about things that float and things that do not float and determined either she was confused and wrong or she was lying. Geoffrey stated that if she was wrong then she is lying... totally not understanding the confused part, but moving on - he realized that a floating key is ridiculous. Tomorrow when it is daytime Daddy will take you to see the house and you can see for yourself that it is not haunted. "But she heard the man." he reminds me. That is true, but lets think about this, who in our house says "Get out, get out, get out!"? "ummm, you mommy?" thanks kid, really (do I? I don't think I do but...) Ok, whose ROOM is on that side of the house? Ya think maybe Preston had his window open when this girl was in the house and he shouted "Get out, get out, get out!" to one of his siblings who dared to enter his room? Could it be possible?

"But Mommy, the house is haunted." No baby, the house is not haunted, but it is dangerous. I don't want you guys playing there because it is falling down and someone could get hurt. "But what about the puppies, they were left locked up in the house." No, there are no doors - a mommy dog needed a safe, warm place to have her babies - remember the puppies (no he was only 2 at the time) daddy and I found homes for the puppies. "It is a haunted house" he insists. No, from here we began discussing what happens to someone when they die. The undertaker cleans them up and they are buried, like Uncle Robert - remember? "Yes, but I don't want to do that when I grow up." I understand, neither would I, but I am glad there are people who do take care of those things. What about a persons spirit? Where does it go? Beaming he says, "HEAVEN" Right "Mom is everything in Heaven golden?" The streets are. "Cool" And the gates are pearl and there is a crystal lake. He is grinning so big now.  

"And the twelve gates were twelve pearls: every several gate was of one pearl: and the street of the city was pure gold, as it were transparent glass." Rev 21:21

So when people die, they go to Heaven? "Well, some of them go to Hell." Ok - so if your soul is in Heaven, are you coming back to earth? "No way, who would want to leave Heaven?" Ummhmmm, what if someone is in Hell, do they get a break from the eternal burning to visit earth? "NO!" So you see, once someone is dead, they are either in Heaven or Hell - they are not making trips back to earth to scare kids! *he was recently very interested in learning what Hell was like - apparently he was considering a visit, but with the worms eating you forever and the fire constantly burning he changed his mind!*

There are no ghosts Geoff, but there are demons. His eyes get big and he looks concerned. But - for every demon that is serving Satan - there are 2 angels to whip his bottom! Ahh, there is that grin again! Bible scholars say that when Lucifer was cast out of heaven he decieved 1/3 of the angels who were cast out with him - leaving 2/3 of the angels serving God - thus 2:1 ratio. I am no Bible scholar but I do like those odds! "What is Satans weapon?" Being a 6yr old boy he is very interested in weapons. He is a little taken aback when I reply - LIES. "So what is God's weapon? Fireballs?" Nope, his weapon is the TRUTH! I can see the light go on in his mind. He understands.

Who lives in your heart Geoff? "Jesus" and who surrounds you? "Jesus" Right and his angels  - you are safe. He is feeling confident and secure. "So does the universe just go on forever and if you are in space how come you can't breathe?" Where is this coming from? Before I can formulate an answer he continues "Oh yeah, because there is no oxygen in space. Do you think if you brought a tree to space you could breathe?" Ok we are getting off track here... No, bc there is no carbon dioxide for the tree to breathe. "Oh yeah, why is there oxygen on earth? Oh... I know because God wanted us to be able to breathe!" Right! "When I am a teenager can I have my birthday party in space? Just me and you can go because I want to try to breathe without my space helmet" It will be expensive, about 10 million dollars, you better start saving! "Ok, but mom, can I still sleep in your room?" Sure. "And I don't want to go visit that house tomorrow, I would rather go another day when I am more brave." Sure, we can wait.

We prayed and he is sleeping sweetly in my spot! But, I am so thankful that I am here with him and that I took the time to share these conversations. Our babies grow up so fast and it is so easy to get caught up in the rules  - he was up past bedtime, he did need to go to sleep, I am tired, I do want my down time... but I am grateful for the opportunity to tie strings to his little heart, to minister to his hurt and to guide him to his Savior.

Our kids are all so unique. My pastor recently debunked the idea of "well rounded" individuals. No one is good at every thing, but all of us are good at something. My goal as a mom is to find that thing for each child and help them reach the sky with that particular talent.

Our daughter is a writer. She dreams of writing a novel that becomes part of Sonlight's curriculum. She often asks if she can go write (she is working on a novel and several stories -just for fun ya know!). Reading is her great love - she just read the "Sister's Grimm" series - took her about 2 weeks to devour the 6 book series in addition to keeping up with her school work. She is so much like me - give us a good book and we are lost till it is over! It was funny to hear her debate whether she wanted to finish the series or wait so "it would last... I don't want the book to end!".

Math though, not her thing! She read a this poem today...

Mathematics by Arthur Clement Hilton (1869?)

I've reallly done enough of sums,

I've done so very many,

That now instead of doing sum

I'd rather not do any.

I've toiled until my fingers are

With writing out of joint;

And even now of Decimals

I cannot see the point.

Subtraction to my weary mind

Brings nothing but distraction,

And vulgar and improper I

Consider every fraction.

Discount is counted troublesome

By my unlearned pate;

For cubic root I enter

A strongly rooted hate.

"Apply yourself," my master said,

When I my woes confided,

"And, when you multiply, bestow

Attention undivided."

She said she could totally relate to the author! We have used different curriculums through the years for her. This year, at her request, we got her Teaching Textbooks so she could do math on the computer like Preston. She started off the year loving it because it was new. Around November she began to dread it and take nearly THREE hours to complete a 10 minute lecture and 20 problems. She was getting frustrated and I was beyond frustration! So what does she suggest, she wants ME to teach her because supposedly she understands my explinations better. All I do is read the exact script that the guy on the computer reads! I have to remember to be flexible - now that I am "teaching" her math, she is done in less than an hour - lesson, interruptions from brothers and problems - all of it DONE, with a smile. It is truly amazing!

The lesson for me: one I have to constantly apply, be flexible - if it ain't working, fix it or change it!

Cade is coming along in his reading and this year is doing quite well. He is reading the Sonlight Core 1+2 Advanced Readers. This week he was to begin "A Question of Yams" and was not happy about it. Our rule is you have to give a book 3 chapters to decide if you don't want to read it.

He whined and complained then just decided to buckle down and read. He was laying on the couch eating a plum reading his book, a few minutes later he walked through the house, nose in the book, stepped over the cat and threw away the plum pit. Later that afternoon, I looked out the window to see him walking down the street (very small dead end no traffic street!), book in hand, absorbed in the story. That night he asked if he could read until he fell asleep. Sure, just no talking I answered - well, mom, can I laugh? Sure!

This boy is the first child to awake every morning, meeting me on the couch to snuggle about 8am or so. At about 9 I began to wonder why he was not up yet, I went into his room and there he was, sprawled on his bed, nose in his book!

I commented that he must really like that story, nah, he replied, I just want to finish it! Um hum Yeah right!

I am a frequent lurker and occasional poster on the Sonlight Forums, a great place to talk with other homeschool parents about, well, everything from academics to sleep patterns (zzzz's!) and anything in between. Most of *my* brilliant ideas are from great parents there (the dumb ideas are mine alone!).

I got a new idea - well, stole an new idea! Thought you might like to steal it too... We always seem to run out of time before we get to art, science, music, foreign language etc, this new schedule makes sure everything that is important to us gets done. It is called a "Loop Schedule". I wrote out all the daily must do's - Bible, Math, Reading etc and when those are done we begin the loop. In the loop we get to the neglected areas - sometimes one or two a day, sometimes more. Today the next loop item was art. I am a fan of art, I just do not like to 'deal' with the mess! But alas it was next, Cuyler took the initiave, he is such a planner and scheduler - he thrives on that stuff. He pulled out the paints and paper and supervised AND cleaned up while I was working with Catherine doing math.

Here is what our "loop" looks like:

Daily:

Bible

Math

Independant Reading

Workbooks

German

Loop:

History

Art

Read-Aloud

Music

Science

Spelling

PE

Flash-Master (math flashcard machine)

I keep the schedule posted on the wall in a page protector - the kids just use a dry erase marker to check off what they have finished. We are getting so much more done every day!

In the beginning of November, Geoffrey's top two front teeth began to wiggle. He was very excited to have a loose tooth again (check out his last escapade with  wiggly teeth here). I however, was not so excited, you see, I have a calander and happen to know that the beginning of November is cutting it close to Christmas pictures and I also know how fast big teeth can grow back in - fearful of a snaggle-toothed Christmas morning I advised him NOT to wiggle them. "Hang on to those teeth till after Christmas Buddy!"

Every day he would ask if they were ready to fall out and I would gently wiggle them and announce "nope, wait till Christmas!" and remind him not to wiggle 'em. About a week before Christmas, he was eating a Peppermint Patty and cried out, "Oh, NOOOO!" the little tooth had fallen out when he bit into the candy. I assured him all was well, Christmas was close and surely snaggle tooth could not emerge that quickly! The next day - the other tooth falls out and we have a grand time singing "All I want for Christmas is my two front teeth!". No kidding, the NEXT day he is on the trampoline and Cuyler accidentally kicks him and knocks a THIRD tooth loose (why do they have to have karate tournaments on the trampoline?). It was very bruised and painful, so we saw the dentist who said it had to go. We had to alter the song...

He looks so stinkin cute with his big ole gap... but it was kinda sad (and mildly funny) when he picked up an apple, looked at it longingly, sighed and put it back in the fruit bowl, shaking his head as he walked away!

Now he says everything with a slight lisp, it is so adorable! He was having trouble earlier tonight saying 'hospital', it kept coming out 'hops - spittle" and finally gave up and said, "You know, that medical place!". But I know this too shall pass, one of his big boy teeth is already starting to come in.... don't blink - they grow up too fast!

I have often read with curiousity about women who do OMAC, code for "Once A Month Cooking" or "Oh My Am i Crazy". I really wanted to (ok kinda sorta) start school last week, but I had promised the kids they could have off until Jan 5 - whatever could I do with all this free time? I decided to take the plunge - Andre' almost choked when he saw the grocery bill but I assured him it would carry us till February! We will have to restock fruit, milk and bread - but I should be safe if I stick to the edges of the store !

Cooking for the entire month has always been kinda scary - after all I do not *like* to cook. I cook because we like to eat, not because I enjoy being in the kitchen. My preferred place to be is on the couch with a great novel...but let's get back to the kitchen. I visited "Robbyn's Friendly Freezer", now I do not KNOW Robbyn, but her site intrigued me...cook like a crazy woman for a couple of days and defrost and reheat the rest of the month? Sweet!  I was hesitant because I have a small freezer (and no need or desire for a deep freezer - not to mention no room, though I guess if we let one of the kids sleep in the attic we could put a freezer where a bed is...) there is no way an entire month of dinners will fit in my freezer. At least that is what I thought until Robbyn introduced me to "flat freezing". Fill a freezer safe gallon zip bag with your meal and freeze it flat, when they are frozen they stack beautifully!

I printed out a calander for the month and filled it in with meals to make sure we are not eating the same thing day after day. We had A LOT of leftover turkey from Christmas and were quickly getting tired of turkey sandwiches! I began with a "mini" trial run. The turkey was boiled and deboned. The turkey was transformed into "Viva la Turkey", "Turkey Tetrazzini" and "Turkey Pot Pie" I had enough for 2-3 dinners of each! Yes, I can totally do this! AND I had the bonus of 4 small ziploc bags of rich turkey broth that will be delicious soup one day soon.

After I had my (ok, Robbyn's) recipes, I made my grocery list and headed to Wally World to get the goods and a stock pot (tis about time I get one!) Three hours and nearly $500 later we emerged. We were both dazed and wondering where in the world we would put all this food and Andre' kept asking "Honey are you SURE there is room in the freezer?" Maintaining my excitement and composure I confidently assured him there was plenty of room, while my insides were churning because I was wondering the same thing!

As soon as we got home I washed my wonderful new stock pot and put it to work boiling 10lbs of chicken leg quarters. The next morning I put 5 lbs of ground beef on to cook, put 2 roasts in the oven, 2lbs of redbeans in the crockpot and deboned the chicken. I spent the day chopping veggies and putting together meals. By dinnertime we had the following in the freezer...

20 stuffed bellpeppers, 3 packages of cooked ground beef, 3 packages of roast beef, 2 packages of cooked rice, 2 packages of redbeans, 2 packages of potato soup, lots of chicken stock and all the turkey dinners listed above.

That night for dinner we ate 10 of the stuffed bellpeppers and mashed potatoes (I pulled some of the potatoes from the soup - before it was soup) and coleslaw. Easy peasy - especially since it is Preston's month to clean the kitchen!  He was not happy with me (I did clean as I went, but most of the pots were dirty- and I even washed and reused them all at least once!)

A couple of days later I added 4 packages of chicken noodle soup to our stash. It has been so nice - no question of "What's for dinner?" For years I have made a menu of what I "planned" to cook, but sometimes we would choose to eat out or cook something different because I did not feel like cooking what was on the menu. Now I don't have to "cook" just defrost and reheat add a veggie and dinner is done!

The blessing has *far* outweighed the ordeal of cooking so much in such a few days. I don't think I will ever cook "just tonights dinner" again. After discovering how *easy* it is to double or triple dinner and freeze the rest - I am converted!

The Children and the new puppy - a raggle (beagle rat terrier) named Grace!

It has not snowed and stuck here in the Deep South since I was 12 (that was a couple of decades ago!) We had such a great time. I told the kids we were studying 'weather' and let em run. We are officially out of clean jeans and dry socks, they have used every coat in the house, but it was worth it! They made a snowman, of course he was only 2 foot tall and kinda grey... they smashed him before I could get a picture so you will just have to imagine his shiny pepperoni eyes and his stunning celery nose!

Take a look at our kids playing in the snow.

Note especially the socks on their hands (no gloves here in LA!) and Geoffrey's hat...he always wears a hat, this is his new favorite!

And remember....comments make me smile!

I love Thanksgiving; it is such a great time of year. There are so many things I am thankful for...

1. My Savior, I am thankful that Jesus chose to die on the cross that I may live, His suffering was because He chose to pay the price for my sin - I am humbled by His love for me.

2. My Husband, I am thankful that he chooses to love me everyday and put my needs and desires above his own. Thankful that he leads our family and provides for us so well.

3. My Children, I am thankful that we have been blessed with five caring, healthy, intelligent children who are blossoming into lovely young people. They are each so precious and amazing in their own special way.

4. My Parents and In-Laws, I am thankful that Andre' and I both have great parents who support us in our parenting and convictions. They may not always understand why we do things the way we do, but they do not question or undermine our authority as parents. At the same time, they willingly give advice when it is sought. They have allowed us to 'grow up' and come alongside them as adults and friends.

5. My Friends, I am thankful that God has allowed my path to cross and run alongside so many of His wonderful children. My friends have been a breath of fresh air, a comfort in times of trial, they laugh with me (though rarely at me) and are always ready to spend time with me - even if we have to have a cup of coffee over the phone lines from hundreds of miles apart!

6. My Pastors and Mentors, I am thankful that I belong to a congregation that is about reaching out to others. Thankful for the leadership my family receives as part of this body and thankful for the love and guidance my mentors have given us. I am thankful for our Youth Pastor and his team and appreciate all the care they have shown for Preston. I am thankful for our Children's Pastor and the love he showers on our younger kids and the friendship his family shares with ours. I am thankful to be part of something bigger than me, and thankful my children are growing up in an environment of giving.

7. My Country, I am thankful to live in America, land of the free. I know we are facing some difficult decisions and things seem to be changing. BUT - this is still the greatest nation on the face of this planet and I LOVE the USA! I am proud to be an American!

I was tagged by Jagsfan - I am to share 6 quirky things about myself. It will be difficult to narrow it down to six, or it may be difficult to think of six - I am totally normal and everyone thinks like *I* do right? That is another post.... - am I the only one who thinks that my thoughts are completely rational and that any thinking person must think like me?

My Minor Quirks

1. I detest drinking out of a plastic cup. Glass is what grown ups drink from, but the glass must be straight and have no designs or 'bumps'. My favorite glass is completely smooth. And filled with sweet lemon tea!

2. I still wear long socks. I HATE those shorty things, I KNOW my kids think I look like a dork, but that is one of the perks of  being a grown up - I do not have to be cool anymore!

3. I refuse to leave my house without make up - actually I do not even like to leave my bedroom in the morning without having my make up done.

4. I have a tattoo - *gasp* It was NOT a teenage prank - at the ripe old age of ummm over 30, I surprised my husband by getting inked. It is a tiny flower with five petals, four blue and one pink representing our children. It is very inconspicous and cute and I do not regret it. I smile when I see it because it reminds me of my dear children and what a precious gift they are.

5. I love Kids Camp - no not just the sending my kids off for a week - actually being a counselor. In the past I have been nominated to drink grape juice - freshly made by one of the campers using her feet to smash the grapes (dirty feet I might add) I chugged the stuff and won our team 1000 points! And I would volunteer in a second to do it again. Not that I particularly liked drinking toe jam grape juice, but I do love camp!

6. I like to paint my toenails bright green in the summer time, or orange, or purple. But I will not wear polish on my fingernails. It throws me off to be lifting my hands in praise Sunday morning and catch a glimpse of bright fingers! Not to mention that my toes STAY painted as opposed to my fingers that begin to flake almost before they are dry.

The rules were to post six quirks about myself and tag six friends. Take a look at Jagsfan's quirks, her numbers 1-5 could have been written by me - which made it really hard to think of six different quirky things that would not duplicate the quirks we share - which makes them not so quirky right? If you are reading this, and would like to play, please consider yourself tagged and post six quirky things about yourself on your blog and a link back to my blog. If you are one of my IRL (in real life!) friends and do not have a blog, you can post your quirks in a comment - just be sure to sign your name! Can't wait to learn how quirky YOU are!

Ever have a week escape you? I mean I HAD good intentions and plans and nothing seemed to work out the way I wanted. So, we had a week of 'Creative Homeschooling'.

Monday: "School day" - went as planned, we got all of our co-op homework done the week before and were able to focus on what *I* scheduled for them to do. It felt wonderful.

Tuesday: "Co-op Day" - we had a late start, had to get to co-op early for a presentation (well worth rescheduling my morning to see - Communicators For Christ did a skit for us) Andre' had to drop us off because his van was broken, we stayed to help clean up and rushed around town picking up Preston's band mates for band practice. Out of the house from 11am till 6pm. Then we had band practice - I love the boys coming here, I get to know his friends - but the same LOUD song for three hours over and over can be headache inducing! Thankfully it is just once a week. And having it elsewhere is not an option, because remember, I WANT to know these guys! Everyone was gone by 9pm and Preston and I spent the next hour or so looking at the PSAT sample questions.

Wednesday: "PSAT and Nature Day" - 8am we loaded up, dropped Andre' off at work (van still out), dropped Preston off to take the PSAT, dropped Lake off at Mom's Day Out. Rushed home to get some school work done. Just as they were getting in the flow, mostly done with their work and I had a minute to make lunch, Preston calls to say he is done. I throw together the rest of the sandwiches and go pick him up. Decide that it is useless to go home bc I will just have to turn back around to get Lake from MDO, so I accept an invitation to meet a friend at the park. Playing at the park and feeding the turtles counts for nature studies right? Leave the park and pick up Andre' from work, bring Lake home and drop off Preston at Youth Group. Arrive home only to freshen up and rush out to dear father-in-laws house to watch the debate and eat dinner. Home at last at 10pm.

Thursday: "Compassion and Science Day" - We spent the morning getting in our church clothes to attend the funeral of an uncle. He was a brain cancer survivor and lost a final battle with meningitis last week. We did not know him very well. The kids were very well behaved at the funeral and afterward we treated them to an afternoon at the Aquarium. Totally counts for science. We got finished at 4pm and rushed home (though with traffic you could hardly call it rushed, we did not get home till after 6) I freshened up again and left to lead our new homeschool moms small group. I was to teach on organization -ha - this week was a lesson on how your organization and plans fly out the window sometimes!

Friday: "Life Skills" - Otherwise known as running errands! Again we left home before 9am and did not get back till 4pm, hurridely began dinner, rushed out to get Andre' from work and just as we got home to eat, my precious brother called. He was ready to fix our van, all we had to do was buy the belt. What a great guy! We waited for them to finish with the repair and make sure everything was working properly then hopped back on the road to take Preston to a friends house 30 minutes away to spend the night, he wanted to help at the Shout Fest Concert and needed to be there at 7am Sat. Our friends generously invited him to sleep over and ride with them so we did not have to get up so early Saturday. After dropping him off we stopped for hot chocolate and benigets (french donuts) at Cafe du Monde and made it home shortly before 1am.

Saturday: "Reality Check" - I have been out of the house every day, and my house could tell! Laundry was piled as high as my waist and every room needed some attention. The kids were doing their chores - kind of noisly, but doing them! I began to rush and feel a bit overwhelmed at everything I needed to do. Especially since all I WANTED to do was to curl up on the couch with a good book! I sat down among the chaos with a glass of Pepsi and my bible, after reading a chapter or so, I realized I had NO idea what I had just read. Pushing the bible away, I began to call out to the Lord. I want to read your word today, I just have no idea where to go, what would YOU have me read. Our conversation looked like this:

"Proverbs"

me"Yeah, I like Proverbs, but where, oh what is today??"

"16"

"no today is not the 16th, what is today though?"

"16"

"but today is not..."

"16"

"ok I will read 16" Funny how I expect first time obedience from my kids yet do not practice it when the Lord is speaking to me.... not funny, sad.

Just what does Proverbs 16 say you wonder...among other wonderful things Proverbs 16:3 says "Commit your works to the LORD, And your thoughts will be established." Really Jesus, I can give You this day and all I have set before me and You will establish my thoughts. These scatterbrained overwhelmed thoughts? Really. And He did. It is almost 9pm and since I "committed my works to Him" at 11am I have: almost caught up with the laundry; fed the kids lunch; dropped off my kids to play at the park with friends; brought Catherine to dance at church; went to Wal-Mart with Andre' and got the weekly groceries; picked up the kids; put away groceries; with Andre's help fixed sloppyjoes, potato soup, roast and browned ground meat- now I do not have to cook dinners this week - just heat n eat! The kids have been fed dinner, the kitchen is clean and we are working on the bath rotation as I type! Thank you Jesus for multiplying my time. I can go to bed peacefully knowing I have a clean home to wake up to in the morning.

I wrote out my week not only to help me understand where it went, but also to encourage you as you homeeducate your childre. We all have weeks like this one, thankfully not every week is this crazy, but through the busyness and schedule being chucked our children still learn - time management and flexibility come to mind as lessons studied this week. Remember to daily 'Commit your work to the Lord and He will establish your thoughts."

Have a blessed week.

I seem to hear that question a few times a week. The honest answer - I don't! I think 'doing it all' is actually impossible. There is a notion in homeschooling circles that you can have a picture perfect home, manicured yard and gardens, grow your own veggies, sew beautiful clothing, grind your wheat and make healthy meals from scratch, give your children a 'well rounded' education, take great vacations and field trips to exotic places, speak a foreign language fluently, volunteer at church, shuttle your children to sports and music classes, be an eager submissive wife and the list goes on. Priorities are critical and some things must go! There are many things that scream for a mothers attention throughout the day. The key is to figure out which of these 'screamers' needs attention and which needs to learn patience! Our family prays daily to be able to "accomplish all of the tasks the LORD has set before us to accomplish today."

My priorities are the following...

1. Spend time with the Lord - "But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you." Matthew 6:33

I got saved at 18 and already had a husband and child. I hear so many women talk about the hours they used to spend with the Lord - time in their prayer closet and actually studying the Word before having children. I never had that luxury - for many years I would beat myself up because I just am not one of those ladies who wake up at 5am to have 'quiet time'. I actually do not like to be up without my family! But I thought to be spiritual I had to make this qutie time happen in my life. A few years ago I was thinking of my childhood and fondly remembered watching my mom rock my brother, she had her well worn bible on her bed and read as she fed the baby. This mental picture sparked a revolution in how I approached my time in the Word - no longer would I feel condemnation for my inability (unwillingness?) to wake early. I have since begun to find time in my day to read my bible - either while the kids eat breakfast or as they settle down to read from their own bibles. I realized that as powerful as quiet time alone with the Lord is, that having my quiet time at a time my children SEE me is a great witness to them. The season of having children in the house is short and I will have many years to seek the Lord in peace and quiet -until then I will seek Him in the company of my children and show them how to do the same.

2. Serve my husband - "Wives, submit yourselves unto your own husbands, as unto the Lord." Ephesians 5:22

My job as Andre's wife comes before my job as mother. To learn how to better serve my husband I have read LOTS of great books. My new favorites are "Love and Respect" and "Created to be his helpmeet". I make sure he knows I like him and value his input and his presence. He likes me to look like a lady - so I wear skirts more and make an effort to freshen up before he comes home. When he calls during the day and when he comes home I smile at him and joyfully welcome him into our life - his calls during school are not viewed as an interruption. If I am in the middle of reading or a spelling test, after greeting him cheerfully and finding out if I can do anything for him I let him know what I was doing, he wants me to get back to educating his kids quickly - but I want to make sure he knows he is my priority first.

3. Parenting our children - "The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge: but fools despise wisdom and instruction." Proverbs 1:7

School is a big part of our lives, but the character of our children and them knowing Jesus is FAR more important in our view than academics. Obviously we do not neglect their academics, however, WHO our children are is more important than what they know. We are seeking to raise our children to be Godly adults who are full of wisdom and understanding. When they understand who they are in Christ and that they were created for a purpose, they will be eager willing students who do not despise instruction. 

"I know the plans that I have for you, declares the LORD. They are plans for peace and not disaster, plans to give you a future filled with hope." Jeremiah 29:11

4. Ministry to others - "But as for you, teach what accords with sound doctrine....Older women likewise are to be reverent in behavior, not slanderers or slaves to much wine. They are to teach what is good,  and so train the young women to love their husbands and children,  to be self-controlled, pure, working at home, kind, and submissive to their own husbands, that the word of God may not be reviled." Titus 2:1,3-5

I do not claim to be a Titus 2 woman or Proverbs 31 woman either! In fact, I used to read Titus 2 thinking I was the "older" woman until about a year ago - God revealed to me that I am in fact still a younger woman  which is nice! I am to be the younger woman - I am still in the time of life where I am learning to love my husband and childrean, be self-controlled and pure, work at HOME, be kind and submissive to MY husband. There was a time in the not too distant past that I was kind and submissive to OTHER people, but not my own husband. I am thankful for the trials in my life that have brought me to where I am today and truly honor and revere my husband (I like him too!). I have learned a lot being a Christian, a wife and a mom for the past 16 years and love sharing what I have learned with others.

Now that my priorities are in order I am able to accomplish those things set before me. Practically it looks like this - in no particular order.

Housework - Mostly delegated to the children. As Lisa Bevere so wisely said "You are to serve your husband and train your children." The kids have been trained to take care of our home. (Their spouses will thank me!) First, I created a written list of what each area needs done to be "ready for inspection" and taped the lists in each area on rotation. The children are on a monthly rotation,

October looks like this: Bathroom and Pets - Preston, Living Room - Catherine and Geoffrey, Floors - Cade, Kitchen - Cuyler.

They are also responsible for keeping their rooms clean. Catherine's room is the neatest, Preston's room is the messiest (but he lives in there alone and willingly cleans when told to, he just has LOTS of music stuff and wires everywhere and a tiny space... I mostly just close his door honestly!) The little boys share a room. Three guys in a 10x12 space with a bunk bed, a toddler bed, desk and shelf, and a dresser in the closet. Their room is very small and has lots in it (even though we declutter regularly). They have a list on the wall and each boy has 4 things to do in the room each day.

Cuyler: Make Bed, Clean desk, Sweep floor, Hang all clean clothes

Cade: Make Bed, Put away toys, Pick up trash, Clean under bed

Geoffrey: Make Bed, Put away shoes, Put dirty laundry away, Close all drawers

They know I DO NOT CARE whose toy is on the floor - it is Cade's job to pick up, likewise Geoffrey has to get all clothes etc.

I wake up the kids between 7:30 and 7:45 (most days!) and they must get dressed, clean room and do chore before breakfast which is at 8am(ish). I set the timer and they can complete their items in 20 mins - if they are not done, they do not eat until lunch, move faster! Before dad gets home and again before bed (and as needed during the day) we have 'room rescues' where everyone goes to their area and makes sure it is ready for inspection -this keeps the house from becoming overwhelmingly messy! There are 7 people in this house around the clock!

Schoolwork - During breakfast I read my bible while they eat. After we eat the 3 olders have their quiet time and I have Cade, Geoffrey and Lake (neice) meet me on the couch where Cade reads to us from a children's bible. We talk about the story then Cade begins his handwriting and phonics workbooks while Geoffrey reads his story book to me. About this time the bigs are done with Bible so we all brush teeth while I dress Lake and get ready to bring her to Mom's Day Out (M,W,F).

After dropping Lake off to MDO, we spend 2 hours doing school. I set the timer for 1 hour and we work straight through. Usually the little ones are done at the end of hour one and are free to play. I set the timer again and we work another hour and break for lunch. Lunch is SIMPLE - either leftovers or sandwiches and an older kid can prepare if they are at a stopping point and I am not. After lunch we do read aloud and/or history together (the 2 little guys can listen if they are quiet - or I send them outside or to their room to play computer). Typically the little guys are done before lunch, Cuyler and Catherine finish by 3ish and Preston usually has some things to do in the evening because of his work schedule.

I tweaked my Sonlight curriculum this year. Preston is doing a full core, which will be his last history course for highschool. Catherine and Cuyler are studying World History and I am taking 2 years to complete it which gives us time in our week to participate in co-op and PE. Tuesday's we have co-op for four hours and Thursday we are at PE for 3 hours - those days are especially hard to do school on so we use Tuesday morning to do housework and Thursday is a lighter day of school (Bible, math and phonics or independant reading). We are not doing science at home this year, at co-op Catherine is taking Safe Sitter (CPR etc), Cuyler is taking Human Anatomy and the 2 little guys are taking God's Creation. Woo hoo science is done! Preston needs one more science credit for high school (Chemistry) and will get that next year while he is taking Alg II.

I read the greatest quote the other day "We are a family who happens to homeschool" as opposed to "We are a homeschool family." Family comes first, that has helped my perspective. I have also realized how much of LIFE is education - my children are not just learning from books (though we do love books) they are learning through LIFE, how to comparison shop, how to keep a home, about politics, how to read and use a recipe, how to use the stove, how to safely use a weapon, how to pray and too many more things to list - but you get the idea! I started worrying less about checking every box and completing every assignment and more about making sure they understand a concept before moving on. I do not make them do every problem on every page - if they get it and show excellent understanding it is time to move on. The beauty of homeschooling is creating an environment where each child can move at their pace, whether it is slower or faster than another child.

Meals - Confession - we eat out, too much. Sometimes as much as 3-4 times a week. Sometimes not so much. But we do, especially on crazy days. It does help if I make my menu plan. And I do like playing the pantry game. (What can I create with a box of pasta, a can of chicken and a packet of alfredo sauce...) We have a small freezer and pantry, so I usually shop weekly, we do not have storage space for a months worth of groceries.

Menu Plan: Before I go to grocery, I look in pantry and fridge and plan meals around what we have. I write a planned meal for each mealtime and each day (even if we are having cereal every morning - I just write it in and then I do not have to think!) If we have an event that will have us out at mealtime I jot it in the proper space. I make my shopping list from my meal plan, that way everything I buy is planned to be eaten that week! I also give myself grace, for instance, I have chicken legs in the fridge that were supposed to be dinner tonight - but we went to Olive Garden (yumm) with some friends, so tomorrow we will eat the chicken, no biggie! When my meals are planned I can pull out meat at breakfast time and it is ready to cook when we finish school. I also use my crockpot a lot  - especially on days we are out of the house. It literally takes 5 minutes to toss together a meal in the crock pot and turn it on and oh the joy to come home and have a hot delicious meal waiting on us!

Laundry - Because the bulk of the housework is done by the children I have time to keep up with the laundry. I begin a load in the morning and change it over as soon as I get the kids settled with schoolwork. Tuesday morning is a big laundry folding day because I do not do laundry on the weekends, The rest of the week I wash, dry and fold at least 1 load a day - I fold it at the kitchen table which forces us to get it put away before the next meal and keeps my couch and bed places of comfort!

Deep Cleaning - I have found that keeping up with the daily tasks makes the deep cleaning easier. Because we are a 'family who homeschools' if I am feeling a particular room needs extra attention (or a complete overhaul) we may take off a day of school to tackle the task. Typically though, I do room overhaul in the summer (I redid my kitchen this summer and it is beautiful and so organized!)

Yard Work - Preston mows the grass, the boys pick up sticks and trash (on a not so regular basis!), my garden is a beautiful  collection of wild *ahem* weeds! Ok so it is not beautiful, it actually is quite horrid, but priorities ya know! One day I will have beautifully manicured flower beds - just not today! Today I am busy enjoying teaching my children and keeping my home in a state where I will not be embarrassed by the condition of my living room and bathroom if you drop in for a glass of iced tea - just don't spend too much time looking at my lack of flowers! (Because of our housework routines you actually CAN drop in - www.flylady.net modified to our needs has made sure I no longer live in C.H.A.O.S. - can't have anyone over syndrome!)

Ministry - I teach 2 classes at our co-op, Student Writing Intensive which is a DVD course and requires very little preparation (less than 2 hours a week) and Highschool Civics, a course my highschooler needed and I have thoroughly enjoyed teaching these students. This class does require about 3 hours of prep work, but I really love politics so it is fun to prep for this one! I am the email coordinator of our hs group which requires me to check my email to moderate emails twice a day (I check it in the early am and after kids go to bed). This takes less than 10 mins a day, at most. Andre' and I serve once a month at our church for a children's event which our kids attend. It is lots of fun for us too! A friend and I lead a small group for new homeschool moms twice a month, this group has me out of the house about 2 hours for one evening every other week.

Blog - I really enjoy writing and my typing skills have improved as a result of blogging. I usually "write" the blog entry mentally over a period of days or even weeks before I enter it here. The 'act' of posting a blog takes just a few minutes because it is created in my heart and mind before I even log on!

Andre' and I have looked at our schedule and removed things that were not in line with our priorities and kept (or added) those that are - I believe that is key in not 'doing it all' but 'doing all that the Lord has for me to do'.

As Christians we constantly hear "God is good" sometimes to the point of it becoming just a phrase. His goodness is so beyond our tiny comprehension. I wanted to share today exactly HOW He has been good in my life...

1. I am accepted - in my faults, my arrogance, my pride, my foolishness - He has accepted me and called me daughter. It is so good to be 'daughter', because of my messed up relationship with my earthly father, I was well into my twenties before I could welcome being someones 'daughter'. I have the greatest Father and I love Him dearly.

2. God ordered my steps even before I served Him. He caused my husband and I to cross paths as young people and I am so thankful that I have 'grown up' with Andre' - he is a great husband, caring father and faithful friend.

3. God planted us in a thriving church family where we are loved and challenged. We have such amazing friends - we really DO LIFE together. The church we came to Christ in was not proactive about members getting together between services. Sad really. We NEED others to walk along side us and encourage us and lift us up and also for us to encourage and lift them up. My friends, you know who you are, and I praise God for allowing our journeys to join one another.

4. God blessed us with five amazing, beautiful, talented, creative, rambunctious children. It has been a joy to be their mom. Of course we have our days - sometimes whole weeks- where I long for the yellow bus and noone seems to really like anyone else. But on the whole, we have wonderful children. I delight in spending my days with them, I miss them like crazy when we are apart and I still am allowed to kiss all of them on the face!

5. God has always met our needs. We have a lovely home that fits our family and our budget , which according to all I am hearing in the media, is not the case with lots of families across our nation. We have never gone without our basic needs being met. And most of the time life has been exceedingly, abundantly above all that we could ask.

6. God has allowed pain in my life and used that pain as a point of ministry to others who are broken and hurting. I never understood the pain as I was experiencing it - we never do. But each time my heart has been broken - He has been faithful to mend it - and I have become softer and more tender towards those suffering a similar wound.

7. God has provided mentors to me. As I have grown up in Christ, He has faithfully placed Godly women in my life to sharpen me. Some of these women know me well, and some of them have simply been obedient in writing a book or preaching a women's event, both have touched my life in a profound way and I am a more mature Christ follower, more honoring wife, more patient mother and more loving friend because of them.

8. God has allowed me to witness miracles. My dear friend was in a terrible accident with a drunk driver last week. Her family of four were all injured to various degrees. She is also expecting their third child. For a couple of days we were ever present in the Throne Room because the report was not good, but Praise God - the doctors were wrong, there is no danger and the baby and mom will be fine. When I was delivering my daughter I was suffering from preeclampsia and HELLP syndrome, they did not know if I would make it. I was told that if I had any more children I would be blind and on kidney dialisys - if I lived. We refused to recieve that report and God blessed our family with three healthy pregnancies giving us three more children. We have experienced miraculous financial blessings too numerous to recount. A 14 yo local girl went missing recently, the body of Christ mobolized in prayer and she was brought home safe, she had been with an 18 yo boy she met online. God is good, He is faithful and He is just.

How have you experienced the goodness of God in your life? (now for the shameless plea!) Please post a comment with your praises of God's goodness. If you are not a Homeschool Blogger Member - you can still leave me a comment. Simply press 'leave a comment' below and post as anonymous - just be sure to sign your name too!

Thanks - I look forward to hearing from you!

I had just finished using this...

When Geoffrey did this...

Which of course left me looking llike this...

My sweet husband surprised me with this... just because he likes me!

And now my floors are shiny and I feel like this...

Thank you so much sweetie - you win the Best Husband Award hands down!!!

Ok, I am not really one to do spring cleaning. I try to keep up through out the year, but there are times things just gotta go and a big overhaul is in order! I LOVE flylady's system during the summer, but during the school year it is too overwhelming. The kids all have chores that rotate monthly, but right now, there are lots of areas that need MY attention!

So today I began to take over my home and give some things a new home. First, I tackled the master closet - got rid of a big ole bag of clothes (mostly his - mine were purged just a few months ago!) Sheesh, the man still has more clothes than I do - how did this happen? There is something terribly wrong in the universe - me thinks I need some shopping money to bring our closet into proper balance . Not really, I don't even wear all the clothes I kept, though I am sure my friends would appreciate it if I did, they are surely getting tired of my "uniform" of comfy shorts or jeans and a tshirt!!

The quest continued into the bathroom, boy oh boy! We have four cats, one inside only (and he is not too partial to the litter box- even though it is clean ) and three in and out cats. We have open shelving in the bathroom and the litterbox is on the floor below the shelves. Until today the linens were on the last 2 shelves and occasionally the cats would knock a pillow case or blanket off the shelf and it would land in front of or *shudder* IN their box. NO MORE! I have divided up the sheets and given each bedroom the sheets needed for the beds in that room - which has freed up 2 shelves! Now all of our bathroom items are easy to access and organized neatly. Even the drawers! It feels sooo good!

My next mission is to reorganize our school books, everything is so cluttered and we are only in week 5! We have too many books - is that possible? Let me rephrase, we have too many books to keep all of them available in our 1300sqft house! I am going to let the kids pick 5-6 of their favorites to keep on the open shelves and redo where we keep our school books. Would you like before and after pics? Of course you would, I am off to take my before pics and get to work....

While in Branson we visited the "Wild Woody", which is a go cart with an elevated wooden track. Follow this link to see Geoffrey having a blast as his daddy takes him for a ride... (you can also get glimpse of Cuyler and I waving from behind them) Definately the best go cart track we have ever driven on.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gq3ondKbbM0 *woozy warning* this is filmed from the driver seat of the go-cart so it is a bit wobbly - but Geoffrey's comment at the end is worth the ride he is screaming the whole ride and then.... ! (if you have a weak stomach, let it download and fast forward to the last 30 seconds to hear Geoffrey's comment)

And be sure to notice his beanie cap - Preston brought it to him from Ghana in June and he has worn it every day since - no matter that it is sweltering hot and his hair is soaked from sweat! He even takes it to bed , tis a very cool cap!

Hurricane Gustav gave us all a scare, esp Post Katrina. We did evacuate, all the way to Branson,MO. We picked Branson because we found a hotel there that (with a timeshare presentation) was $20 for 3 nights including breakfast and 2 tickets to IMAX. What a steal! My generous father in law (we love that guy, for so many reasons) let us use his company's cargo van instead of our van (which has nearly 300k miles!) we put a mattress in the back of the van, packed the suitcases and comuters and food around the kiddos and took off. Fourteen hours later we arrived in Branson and it is beautiful, we love the mountains and this was our first visit to the Ozarks. Breathtaking. And we discovered again just how amazing our God is. You see, about a month ago, my very best friend from Junior High found me online. We had not talked in over 10 years. It was nice to chat online with her and catch up on our lives. Turns out she lives very close to Branson (didn't know that when we booked - just excited about the 20 bucks!) We were able to spend some time with her family and catch up in person. It was such a blessing. This is the girl whose family took me to church as a young teen and really lived the Christian life, I was an unsaved kid from a messed up home, and they loved me anyhow and made me feel like family. It was wonderful to visit with them, Rae and Shawn - thanks again for dinner - next time we will play host to you!

While in Branson there is soo much to do, we will have to go back again. I really had no idea this town was such a great place. The first day we took the kids to see Table Rock Dam, they understood how a dam works from watching a special on the Hoover Dam a few months back, it was awesome to see one in real life! Under the dam, Missouri has a fish hatchery where they breed Rainbow and Brown Trout to stock the rivers and lakes. The kids did not even realize they were having 'school' the hatchery was very interesting, and they loved feeding the fish. Geoffrey was on the hunt for spiders (there were several webs outside by the fish), his awe struck face admiring the spider web just choked me up. He is so.darn.cute! We spent the afternoon at the Branson Mall - I had never seen a mall with Wal-Mart inside - what a strange thing! At the mall there is a free music show featuring local talent. We stayed and watched the cutest little girls sing. There was a most adorable redhead about 7 yrs old, she tapdanced to the 'Hampster Dance' ~ the highlight of the show!

The next morning we had to do the timeshare presentation. We arrived promptly at 9:30am (no small feat for our family of late sleepers!) After filling out some paperwork, we were told that we were in the wrong place and had to go back to the hotel. OOOKKK, so we did, and of course they had no clue... turns out the timeshare people saw us piling out of the refugee van and decided we were not a 'good prospect'. We did tell the lady selling us the deal we were not interested in buying a timeshare, we were honest with our situation, she knew we were fleeing the storm.... anyhow, the company we booked through ended up honoring their end with the room (not the tickets -big whoop - we just really wanted a safe place to sleep away from Gustav!) and we avoided sitting through the speel. However, at the mall, we booked another timeshare deal in exchange for tickets to the "Acrobats of China" show. The timeshare dude kept us there for THREE HOURS!!! Ugh, but the show was AMAZING! What those people can do with their bodies was incredible. It was very similar to the Circue de Soleil acrobats, but to see it live was wonderful. And we had great seats, right in the center, just a few rows back. There was also a really talented magician, we love to watch magic shows and always try to figure out the trick, but live is just so different. It was captivating.

After the show, we went back to the room and cleaned up - by then Gustav had made his way north and we were beginning to feel the rain and wind. We checked out at midnight and started toward home. We did take a detour through Keller, TX (near Dallas) to visit dear friends who moved away after Katrina. Andre' got some much needed rest and I got some much needed "Katie time!" They treated us to dinner and some laughs, almost convinced us to move in down the street from them! It was difficult to leave...our next evacuation vacation will be to their home! The kids loved being together again, and it was pure joy to hold Nathalie again! Thank you my friend - I am tearing up just remembering yesterday - I miss you already!

We pulled into our driveway at 7am Thursday. We are exausted, but filled with joy to see our home and city spared - except for spotty areas that are still without power. We do have power, and have no damage except a fence board down and a messy yard! Today we clean up and tomorrow it is back to reality! Thankfully, because we began school in July we did not lose much by taking this 'Evacuation Vacation' and we will get back to school in the morning. My local friends and family, who fled to areas near for saftey and those who stayed, I am glad to hear all is well, and challenge you - next time - go far enough away where you can enjoy your time and where the weather is nice!

In other news, we have a new school name. We began our homeschool adventures as "The L**** Institute for Advanced Learning" (guess who came up with that doozy  and Preston was only in first grade!) we changed our name along the way to "Joy Learning Center" we wanted our school filled with JOY and teach our kids to focus on J - Jesus, O - others then Y- yourself. so it was fitting. But now we are nearing graduation for our oldest and Joy Learning Center engraved on his class ring and his diploma just did not sound right! We held an election. The names nominated were "The Academy", "Things Go Better with God School", "Candy School", "M********* Street School", "Life Academy", "PCCCG Academy", "Academy of Joyful Learning", and "L.I.F.E."

Drum roll please.....

We are officially announcing the new name for our school: L.I.F.E. (L**** Institute For Education) it is a fitting acronym and encapsulates what we teach here... "LIFE".