I hope that all of my friends will come and visit me at
htttp://livinginhislight.blogspot.com
See you there!!
Blessings,
Mom23munchkins (Vicki)
It saddens me to end my blogging here at HSB, but the time has come. At first, I was not having troube logging in after the changes, but, if I may be blunt, I don't LIKE the changes at all. Then, for quite some time, I was unable to log in at all.
Many of the folks in my 'real life' homeschooling group who blogged here have moved elsewhere. I will continue to check back here to visit the blogs of those on my friends list when I am able to log in.
I have begun a new blog on another site, and I am very excited about it. Please come and visit me anytime at http://www.xanga.com/Mom23munchkins
Blessings to all of you,
Mom23munchkins
There are several things happening in our home and family that have caused me to contemplate the last year even more than I normally would with a New Year approaching.
First, my family and I spent last weekend in Pigeon Forge, TN. This is something we have done for years now, but this year found me contemplating how this treasured traditon in our family has changed over the years. The first year we went, the travel party included my parents, myself and my dh, my 2 sisters, and their children. That year, we were celebrating my Mom's birthday and mine and dh's first anniversary. My sisters had one child each~my nephew Jake was 4, and my neice, Tori, was 3. We had a few nice dinners that weekend, and did some Christmas shopping, with a stop in the toy store to get something to amuse the kids while we did our 'grown up' shopping. Later, we took the kids to the hotel pool~my sisters and my Dad got into the pool with the 2 little ones, while the rest of us sat beside the pool talking, laughing, and taking pictures of the little ones.
Fast forward to December 8-10, 2006. We are STILL keeping our tradition of spending a weekend in Pigeon Forge as a family, but now, the travel party includes my parents, me, dh, my 2 sisters, and 6 kids~ages 4, 6, 6, 8, 14, and 15. We did lots of shopping, but we spent a bit longer in the toy store this time. My 'grown up' shopping required first making sure that all 3 of my munchkins were each 'assigned' to either their Daddy or one of the other adults. We stuck to Cracker Barrel's and IHOP's this trip, with the exception of one 'fancier' dinner. This time at the hotel's indoor pool, me, dh, and all 6 kids were in the pool, with my 2 sisters sitting in the lounge chairs beside the pool, with Holly instrucing now 14yo Tori to keep an eye on 6yo Jacey. 15yo Jake had a ball swimming and playing with all the kids, and our 3 delighted in using thier Daddy as a float.
Things were different on this trip , but both trips were SO much fun, and both trips, and all the trips in between, are now treasured memories. God is so very good to us to bless us with the time, finances, and health to create memories like this.
This trip was a celebration of my Mom's birthday, and of mine and Roger's 12th wedding anniversary on Dec 10. Wow, talk about changes!! I could talk about how the world has changed in those 12 years, and how Roger and I have changed personally. We've been through a lot in 12 years. But, the thing that stands out to me this morning is how blessed we are with the bond that the Lord has forged between the two of us. To be so deeply and fully connected to another human being is truly a wondrous and precious gift from God, and one for which I can never thank Him enough.
Blessings,
Mom23munchkins
My children watched The Polar Express a few days ago, and it made me realize that we are about to reach another anniversary of sorts.
Dh and the kids and I were watching the Polar Express last year when my Dad called to tell us that he had decided to retire, and that our church would soon be closing it's doors.
Cornerstone Baptist Church held it's last service on a Wednesday night, December 21, 2005.
In some ways, it seems like it was just a few weeks ago, and in other ways, it seems like another lifetime.
Cornerstone's closing was hard for all of us. While it was the ending of a wonderful thing in our lives, I can see now, a year later, that it was also the beginning of something else. I know that for me and my husband, it was the beginning of a spiritual journey.
For us, being without a 'home church' was like wandering in the wilderness. Not having a 'church family' to lean on, we had no choice but to lean on Him and Him alone. This served to draw both me and Roger much closer to the Lord in our personal walks with Him. Each of us treasures our private times in prayer and Bible reading much more now, because we have truly learned that we CANNOT survive spiritually if we have spiritual 'food' only on Sundays and Wednesdays. We must feed off God's Word, and be in close touch with Him EVERY day.
The first Sunday after Cornerstone's doors were closed was Christmas day, so we didn't go to churh at all. It didn't feel right to visit a brand new church on Christmas day, especially when we were still 'reeling' from the loss our church. So, we stayed home and read the Christmas Story from Luke 2 and had prayer in our living room. The following Sunday, New Year's Day, we visited Anchor of Hope Baptist Church. It sounds funny to say this now, but we really didn't like it at all! LOL! Honestly though, that was our first time visiting another church, and I don't think we would have really liked ANY church that morning.
After that, we visited many other churches. Some were teaching things that were not Scriptural. Some seem to base their teaching/preaching more on the latest Christian book than on the Word of God. Some were just plain 'dead'. Some resembled self help seminars much more than they resembled a worship service.
We became discouraged, and I know that my parents, my sister and her son, my aunt, and some friends from Cornerstone who were visiting with us were feeling discouraged as well.
We wanted to be open to whatever God led us to do, but at the same time, our prayer was that He would lead me and dh and our family, my parents, my sister, and my aunt to worship at the same church so that we could continue to worship as a family.
Finally, we visited one church that we liked very much. They seemed to be Scripturally sound, they had a variety of types of music so that there was something we all liked, they had a Beth Moore Bible study for me to attend, and the kids visited and enjoyed their AWANA program. Dh and I also had some friends there. We really liked this church, and we WANTED it to be where the Lord led us to worship. We visited there several times~a couple of Sunday morning services, one or two Sunday night services, and even a Wednesday evening. My Dad thought that dh and I had pretty much decided to join this church, and he said that he had despaired of ever finding a church that fulfilled his 'wish list' so he was willing to maybe 'settle' at this particular church.
But, no matter how good everything looked on the surface, this church just didn't feel right to me and dh. We thought it was just us at first~that we were too picky or something, because there was nothing obvious wrong with this church, but still, we just didn't feel peace about joining there.
Then, one Sunday afternoon in early March, Daddy called to say that he wanted to give Anchor of Hope another try, and that he was going to attend their evening service if we'd like to go with him. We didn't go, but I did call him later to ask him how it went. He said that at first, he was disappointed because the pastor didn't preach that night, the assistant pastor did. But, Daddy also said that somehow, the Holy Spirit made him feel welcome there that night. He asked if we would come with him and my Mom to visit there again the following Sunday morning. Inwardly, I thought 'ugh', but we decided to go.
I will never in a million years be able to explain this, but when we walked into that church on that Sunday morning, I knew that this church was going to be home. There was nothing specific that made me feel that way, but I felt it just the same.
We truly feel like we're 'home' now. Our pastor is a straightforward preacher and teacher who stands on the Word of God solidly, and refuses to water it down. He truly cares about his church members, and has become a good friend to us.
We were welcomed into this family of believers, and given opportunities to serve. My Dad and our pastor had a nice long visit before we joined the church, and the pastor visited us in our home as well. I do believe that our pastor and my Dad are 'kindred spirits'! LOL They have similar personalities, and even mispronounce some of the same words, in the same way! LOL! I'm not making fun of either of them, I'm just VERY glad that the two of them have formed a friendship. My Dad has gone from feeling like a shepherd without a flock, and a man without a ministry, to having a sure place to serve. He is currently teaching a Sunday School class, and he preaches or leads a Bible study for our pastor when the pastor goes out of town or just needs a break.
My Mom is able to worship now, and choose areas in which to serve without the pressures of being the pastor's wife, or feeling like she has to do everything.
My sister and my aunt are enjoying the worship and fellowship, and opportnities for service. My aunt serves as secretary for my Dad's Sunday School class, and my sister has taught in VBS, and is right now working on a 'Breakfast With Santa' for underprivelged children in conjunction with our church and it's youth ministry. My nephew was very reluctant to participate in church activities at first, and he still is not as active as we'd like him to be, but he has participated some with the drama team, and he does more now with the Youth group than he used to. He really likes our new Youth Pastor, so that helps a lot.
One of the things I prayed for as we searched for a new church was that my husband would have the opportunity to build friendships with good Christian men. Cornerstone was so small that all the men there were relatives of ours, except for one, and all of Roger's friends from work are either unsaved, or just not living for the Lord.
God answered my prayer for Roger. He played softball in the spring and fall with our church team, and he has formed bonds with many of the other guys on the team. He has also been working with the Youth group, which has allowed him to build a relationship with our pastor, youth pastor, youth workers, and the parents of some of the teens. We've also been attending a Couples Sunday school class, which has been good for both of us.
As for me, I enjoyed a period of 'rest' at first, really doing nothing except going to church to worship and be spiritually fed. Then, I decided to join the choir, and I was SO touched by the welcome I received from the other choir members and the director! My Mom and husband have since joined the choir with me, and it's something we all enjoy. Mom, dh, my sister, my aunt, and I all participated in this past summer's VBS, and it was SUCH a blessing! Our little Alex (6yo) was saved during that VBS, so it's something that is very close to my heart.
My kids have absolutely blossomed at this church. They are each in seperate Sunday School classes, which they love. They love, love, love AWANA, and our youngest thoroughly enjoys children's church. All 3 of them, along with my nephew Jake, will be participating in this year's Christmas play, and they are very excited about it.
We've a good place to worship and to learn, we all have places to serve in the church without feeling burdened, and our kids are flourishing. In short, we're home!
It's been a long, sometimes exhausting journey, but I can honestly say I wouldn't trade it for anything.
Blessings
Mom23munchkins
On Sunday, December 10, 2006, Roger and I celebrated our 12th wedding anniversary.
Do you know what I've discovered in the 12 years of our marriage? God is a homeschooler!! LOL! He IS! He has been teaching me here in my home for 12 years now, and He continues to teach me every day!
He is teaching me to be unselfish, but at the same time to take better care of myself so that I can care for the husband and children He has entrusted to me.
He is teaching me that NO relationship is more important than my relationship with Him, and that none of my earthly relationships will be right unless my relationship to Him is where it should be.
He is teaching me that obedience to His Word is ALWAYS best, and will ALWAYS be for my good, though at times it may be temporarily uncomfortable.
He is teaching me that biblical submission to my husband is a protection for me, not a curse. He is teaching me that biblical submission means supporting my husband in his God given role as the head of our household, NOT being a mindless, mousy doormat.
Most of all, He is teaching me that my faith and trust MUST be in Him, and Him alone. He is Jehovah Rapha, Jehovah Shauma, and Jehovah Jireh~my healer, my peace, my provider.
AND, He has given me a "learning partner". He has given me a wonderful, loving, caring, unselfish husband who is my friend, companion, sounding board, gentle corrector when necessary, and my biggest fan. My elderly friend Marjorie, who had been married for 43 years at the time, once told me something. She told me that God shows His love for her through her husband. After 12 years of marriage, I am finally beginning to truly understand what she meant when she said that. I heartily agree with her.
Blessings,
Mom23munchkins
Sorry, I couldn't think of a better title for this post! UGH! Just seems to perfectly describe how I feel today! But, even as I type this, I'm thinking that I shouldn't feel that way. We've been very blessed recently.
I last posted an entry here on December 6. Roger had a physical scheduled for that day. His appointment was early, and he had the whole day off, so it was a good day. Roger came home with a good report from the doctor. Then, he spent some time letting the munchkins play outside while he put up some more outdoor Christmas lights. Later, we all watched A Charlie Brown Christmas together, and he beat me at Scrabble AGAIN!
Then, Roger made us a wonderful pot of his homemade chili, and we had a nice dinner and headed out to AWANA/Bible study. It was a really nice day!
Thursday was spent doing laundry and packing for our weekend trip to Pigeon Forge, TN. We spent Friday, Saturday, and Sunday there with my family, and everyone had a nice time. The trip itself was GREAT. The only 'downer' was that Alex (6yo) got sick. She started running a fever, woudn't eat, and was just 'a lump', if you know what I mean. By the time we got home, she had developed a nasty sounding cough~sounded very much like croup.
I expected a long night on Sunday, but through much prayer, Alex slept VERY well Sunday night. But, on Monday morning, she still had the nasty cough and slight fever, and was hoarse, so off we went to the pediatricians office.
The wait was a NIGHTMARE! The waiting room was PACKED with red cheeked, feverish, coughing, whiny children, and their equally whiny, grumpy parents!! UGH!
Thankfully, Alex's flu and strep tests both came back negative. The doctor also said that while her cough did sound 'croupy', she did NOT have the tell tale sound in her lungs that signals croup. She does have the cough though, and her voice sounds hoarse, or 'froggy' as she calls it. So, we left with a diagnosis of an upper respiratory virus, and a prescription cough medicine. Praise be to God that it wasn't any worse.
She was feeling much better, but still was not 100%~still coughing, and not very much energy, so she missed her AHG Christmas party yesterday. I felt badly for her, but she just didn't seem well enough to go out anywhere last night.
So, I had to deal with making the decision about whether or not to let her go, then I had to make arrangements to get Rachel there, THEN I had to let Roger know that I needed him to go to the store for me because Alex wasn't well enough for us all to go, THEN I found out that there was an error in our checking account and I had to deal with all of that, THEN I found out that one of my nephew's 3 dogs had been hit by a car and had not survived. THEN, Roger calls me (again) from work to ask me if I think we can get a sitter for THAT night so we can go Christmas shopping for our kids!! My reply was "TONIGHT? You're kidding me, right?!
By the time Roger got home yesterday, neither of us was in the best of moods. Then, later in the evening, just when it seemed that everyone in the house was finally starting to 'mellow out' and cheer up a bit, Roger got annoyed with one of the children, snapped at her, and made her cry. At that very moment, Noah did something he shouldn't have, and Roger yelled at him, making him cry too!! Then I realized that Rachel had fallen asleep on the couch. This was NOT good. If she falls asleep, even for just a few minutes, and then wakes up again, she doesn't sleep well all night. UGH! again!!
She was up and down ALL night, and every time she woke up, she woke ME up. Roger appeared to sleep through it all, if his snoring was any indication!
Rachel seems fine this morning. I, on the other hand, feel as if I've been run over by a truck!! I desperately need to step back, settle down, relax, and regroup. I SO want this to be a peaceful, joyous holiday season for me and my family, and up until yesterday, it was. Here's hoping that today will get us back on track.
Blessings,
Mom23muchkins
Proverbs 12:4(KJV) says this: A virtuous woman is a crown to her husband: but she that maketh ashamed is as rottenness in his bones.
Wow! Rottenness in his bones~that's a pretty strong term! Throughout Scripture, there are many passages that show the tremendous power that a wife has. The verse cited about is just one of them.
We, as wives, DO have tremendous power. Our power to influence our husbands is almost immeasurable, and so is the responsibility that goes along with that power.
We can be two things to our husbands. We can be his crown to wear, or his cross to bear.
One HUGE way that we become a crown instead of a cross is to submit to our husband's leadership. ( Oh, my, I said the S word, didn't I?~Sorry, but it IS Scriptural). Many people fear that S word, and I did too, until I came to understand that Scriptural submission does not mean being a doormat, or a mindless robot who obeys commands without thought. It DOES mean using your talents, abilities and intellect to truly be your husband's help mate.
Many things have happened in the last year that brought this lesson 'home' to me, but the biggest thing has been in the area of finances, particularly tithing.
I was raised in a home where tithing was practiced faithfully, and without question. My husband was raised in a home where the 'principle' of tithing was given lip service, but if money got tight, the tithe was the first thing to go, with the excuse that 'God understands that we can't afford to tithe right now'.
For a long time, I made the mistake of nagging my husband about our 'sporadic' tithing. He continued to tell me that he WANTED to tithe, but 'we just can't right now'. This was SO frustrating to me!! Finally, I came to realize that GOD alone could change my husband's heart on this issue. So, I started to pray about it. I finally understood that I had stated my case to my husband, and that I needed to leave it at that and let God handle it. I prayed specifically about this for weeks. Then, our pastor began to preach often on the principle of tithing. I prayed more earnestly, hoping these messages would touch my husband's heart. Then, one night on the way home from the evening church service, I asked dh what he thought of the message that night. He told me that he enjoyed the message very much, and that he had been going to the bank once a week, taking out our tithe in cash and tithing for 4 weeks!! I wanted to shout HALLELUJAH!!
Not only had he been tithing, he chose to do it in cash so as to let our giving be in secret as Jesus speak about in the book of Matthew. And, since he was using cash and not checks, I never missed the money at all.
We have been tithing faithfully for a couple of months now, maybe a little longer than that. I can all ready see a difference in our finances. It's odd, in a way. We don't have MORE income coming in, and none of our bills have disappeared, but somehow, they are all being taken care of!! God has been so good and so gracious and merciful to us that not only are our needs being met, but we are going to be able to use Roger's Christmas bonus this year to take our traditional family trip to Pigeon Forge, TN, and to use the rest for Christmas gifts. We don't know yet how much Roger's bonus will be, but I have no doubt that it will be enough. I am just amazed at what God has done for us!!
I am also humbled by the fact that all of this came about AFTER I finally shut up and let my husband make the decision to tithe! I realize now that I would not have wanted him to tithe anyway if he was only doing it so that I would stop nagging him about it. I want him to do it because it is in his heart to do it, and now I KNOW that it IS coming from his heart.
In the New Year, I hope to come much closer to being a crown for Roger to wear, and less a cross for him to bear.
Blessings,
Mom23munchkins
Most of the time, once the holidays are over (please note, I don't use the term 'holidays' to avoid saying Christmas, I say holidays because I mean ALL of them~Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year's Day)~anyway, usually, when the holidays are done, especially in that week between Christmas and the New Year, I tend to spend a lot of time reflecting on what has happened in the past year, and what we would like to accomplish, and what we hope for, in the coming year.
This year, that mood has struck me a bit early. I've been marvelling this morning at all the changes that have taken place in the last year. I'm happy to be able to say that most of the changes have been for the better. Some were immediately better. Others were hard at first, but have turned out for the better.
Some of the most striking changes I see are in my children. I know that all children change tremendously in a years time. I think the reason I am more 'struck' by the changes this year is because of the ages of my kids.
Rachel will be nine in just over a month. She has changed a lot physically, having grown several inches and thinned out quite a bit. She is also moving away from 'little girl' status into 'young lady' territory. Now, I know she's only 9, and I'm definitely NOT rushing her to grow up, but I can see changes in her personality. I see changes in the toys she wants to play with, the games she wants to play, and how she wants to spend her time. I see her taking on a bit more of a teaching or guiding role with her younger sister and brother. She always has been, and probably always will be, very much a 'Daddy's girl', but lately I can see her identifying more with me~asking me about some of my hobbies and interests, asking to help cook and clean, even watching crafting shows on HGTV with me! :) Oh, and yesterday, she did something that just tickled me! Rachel has been a proficient reader for a while now, but she doesn't read for pleasure. She reads when she wants to know about something, wants to know how to do something, or when she chooses to read to her brother and sister, and she reads the necessary things for school. But, yesterday, ALL on her own, she picked up a chapter book and began reading it, just for fun! ALL day long, in between school projects and playing with her sister and brother, she read her book. After she went to bed last night, I saw that she left it laying on the table in the living room, with her place marked in it. I have always hoped she would grow into a love of reading, and I hope that this is the beginning of that!
My 'middle' child, Alex, has also changed a lot. She has gotten quite a bit taller too, but the physical change in her is not as pronounced as it is in Rachel. Alex will turn 7 in March. She is passing INTO the stage that Rachel is outgrowing. I think the biggest change in Alex is that she has 'come out of her shell' a great deal. She is still somewhat shy, and I think she probably always will be shy to an extent, but she has become much more outgoing in the last year. She doesn't cling to me like she used too, and she REALLY enjoys participating in group activities now. Once she gets comfortable, she really dives right into things, so it's fun now to watch her as she participates with her sunday school class, her AWANA group, AHG, and the Christmas play at church. She really loves these things, and it blesses me to no end to see her having such a good time.
Noah is maturing too. He will turn 5 on Valentines Day. He's never been a shy child, at least not in the same way that Alex is shy. He's a busy, noisy, exuberant boy, but it takes him a while to warm up to people. In the last year, he seems to be getting to know people a little more quickly, and seems less fearful of meeting new folks. This past year, he experienced for the first time, going to Sunday School without either of his sisters in the same class. He also became an AWANA Cubbie, and discovered the church nursery! :)
At home, we have had to work with Noah on obeying us immediately, not being defiant, and keeping his temper in check~BUT, at church, the nursery workers, Sunday School teachers, and AWANA leaders ALL say that he behaves wonderfully, and that he does exactly as they ask him to do, and does not disturb the classes. I am blessed and thrilled to hear this!!!
I am so blessed to be given the gift of my children. Each one is a gift from God. Sometimes, I feel incapable of being the mother to them that need and deserve, but thank goodness, God does not call the equipped~He equips the called! For that, I am more grateful than I can express.
Blessings,
Mom23munchkins
God keeps blessin' me again and again!! Over and over, over and over, over and over, AMEN!!
Some of you might recognize this (including the title of my post) as a little chorus that we sing at church.
I have often marvelled at the NUMBER of God's blessings in my life, but just now I'm contemplating the many and varied WAYS in which He so richly blesses us.
In recent days, my husband and I have experienced financial blessings. No great windfall, but God's sufficient provision, and for that, we are SO very thankful!
We have also experienced laughter, peaceful time together as a family, encouragement, and most of all, God's peace. God has allowed me, over the last few days, to enjoy some experiences that I wasn't particularly looking forward too~not just tolerate them, but really ENJOY them. He didn't change the experiences, He changed my heart in regard to them. That is something that ONLY God can do!!
God has also filled me with his peace. Generally speaking, I am not a 'worrier', but if I do fall into worry, it is most likely to be in the area of my children's health. For a long time, I worried over my 'midle' child, my daughter Alex. She was the smallest of my 3 children at birth, and she has always seemed 'little' to me. She is also a very emotional child, which can sometimes make her seem more 'fragile'. For a period of time, I was in a state of worrying about every little complaint that she had, concerned that it was actually something serious. And all the while, a part of me knew that she was fine. So, I began to pray~I prayed for Alex's health, but also for satan to no longer have a 'hold' on me where her health is concerned. The Lord led me to some portions of His Word, and gave me encouragement in other ways, so that I was finally able to feel complete peace about Alex's health.
Then, just a few weeks after that, other people began to notice the 'growth spurt' that my oldest daughter, Rachel, has recently experienced. Rachel has always been a 'chubby' child, slightly overweight for her age. But, she began to grow taller, she slimmed down. SO many friends and relatives made so many comments about it that I began to worry that perhaps there really WAS something wrong with her.
So, I started praying again. Again, God led me in my daily Bible reading to passages of Scripture that reassured me. He also sent other encouragement through friends. I have checked, and I DO know that Rachel is near the middle of the healthy weight range for her age, so I am no longer worried that she has gone from overweight to underweight. I finally realized that she has, either consciously or subconsciously, picked up on her younger sister's eating habits. Alex is a 'grazer', eating small amounts of food several times a day, and every so often having 'hungry' days on which she eats quite a bit. Rachel has picked up this pattern too, and really, it's much better for her than the way she used to eat. Just as if to reassure me that this IS the case with Rachel, the Lord let her have one of her 'hungry' days today, so I was assured that she had eaten well! :)
I just feel like the Lord has been very PRESENT in my life lately, in so many ways, I just wanted to share some of it, and give Him the praise, honor, and glory for all that HE has done for us.
Blessings,
Mom23munchkins
I sat here yesterday and typed out a really long post, then clicked in the wrong spot on my screen and lost it in cyberspace! UGH!
I know that many of us have been thinking this weekend about all the things we have to be thankful for. For most of us, we cannot really count ALL our blessings, because it would take days on end to list them all.
My Heavenly Father is immeasurably good to me each and every day of my life. He has blessed me with a wonderful husband, a husband that He chose just for me. He has blessed us with 3 wonderful, beautiful, healthy children, and He daily meets our every need. Most of all, He sent His Son to be our Savior, that we might one day live in Heaven with Him.
In addition to all these rich blessings, every once in a while, the Lord just seems to "let a little extra fall off on purpose", as Boaz did for Ruth as she gleaned in his field.
My family has a tradition of taking a weekend trip to Pigeon Forge, TN every December. This tradition started 12 years ago, wtih my parents, myself and dh, and my 2 sisters. Their husbands have never made the trip because of work schedules. Over the years, this band of merry travelers has grown as children have been born into the family~my nephew, my neice, 2 of my 3 munchkins, then another neice, then my son. Through all of this, none of us has ever missed the trip.
This year, it looked like me, dh, and our munchkins might not be able to go due to finances. Roger gets a Christmas bonus every year, but we had 2 bills that HAD to be paid. If we couldn't get them paid off before the bonus came, the bonus would have to go to those bills instead of the trip.
Friday morning as I sat reading my Bible and praying, I felt a 'pull' to pray specifically about this situation. I was praying, asking God to bless us, if it be His will, with sufficient finances to make the trip. While I was in the middle of praying, my husband called to tell me that one of the 2 bills was completely taken care of, and that we should be able to pay the 2nd one with his next paycheck!!
PRAISE GOD!!
I knew that somehow God would take care of this situation. I knew that if He saw fit to keep us from going on the trip, He would give me peace about it, so I knew it was going to be fine one way or another, but I have to say that having God send such a clear, direct answer to a prayer right in the middle of praying about it is a pretty awesome experience.
I realize too, that there are MANY, not just in the world, but right here in the homeschoolblogger community, such as Lorrie's family and Sue Becker and her family, that are dealing with deep, serious, and heart rending issues, and in light of that, whether or not my family gets to spend a weekend in Pigeon Forge means less than nothing.
And still, I cannot help but praise Him. Even in matter that are very small, He cares, and He works things out for us. He is worthy of our praise no matter the situation, be it big or small. His love pours in to every area of our lives, and for that, I am truly and eternally thankful.
May the love of God overflow in each of you.
Mom23munchkins
We are looking forward to some fun this weekend, and I am SO ready for it!!
Tomorrow, we're going to do some house cleaning and get ready for Thanksgiving. The only thing I have to cook this year is a ham, which I will just put in my crockpot. Myself, my 2 sisters, and my aunt all cook some of the holiday dinners so that my Mom doesn't have to do all the cooking. This year, I got the 'easy' part!
Friday, my sister, who lives a couple of hours away, is coming to visit, and bringing her 2 girls. We will all have some cookies and hot chocolate and put up the Christmas tree and other decorations. Friday night, we will either all go together to see my nephew Jake in "The Life and Adventures of Santa Claus" OR Roger and I will send the kids to the play with my sisters and spend the evening alone. We haven't decided for sure yet.
Roger will be off Thursday through Monday. We are SO looking forward to having him home for 4 days!!
I hope that EVERYONE has a wonderful Thanksgiving holiday!!
Blessings,
Mom23munchkins
I'm finally learning something that many of you probably all ready know. What can I say, sometimes it takes me a while!!
There are a lot of 'little' things in my life that the Lord has been speaking to me about. I've spent quite some time now thinking "Yeah, I know I really need to_________. I"ve really got to try to take care of that~or make that change~or whatever the case may be.
I keep telling my self I shouldn't put things off, etc. What God is showing me is that this is not JUST laziness, or JUST procrastination, or JUST a 'to do list' that's too long. What it is, is disobedience, pure and simple.
God has been dealing with me about cutting back even more on the time our kids spend watching tv, about allowing them to do other things before their chores and school work, etc.
Well, late last night, as I sat alone in the quiet reading my Bible and praying, I finally came to the realization that a lot of the battles I fight every day are battles of my own making. There are issues that I struggle with my children over because I"ve not trained them properly up to this point. I realized something else too~disobeying God is JUST NOT WORTH IT!!!
So, I gathered all the kids around me on the couch today. I told them that I felt that the way we all (including me) had been slack in our chores and school work was not pleasing to the Lord, and that we were all( again, me included) allowing the tv to eat up too much of our time.
To my (happy) surprise, I didn't get any argument from the kids about any of this! They all agreed with me that we all want to do what is most pleasing to the Lord. So, after we talked, everyone went without complaint, got dressed, and did their "to do" lists. These include chores like making the beds, helping me dust, vacuum, etc.
Then, we were ready to start our academics for the day. We went over everyone's AWANA material, did Alex's reading Lesson and reviewed the additon tables 1-5 with her, then went over the multiplication tables 1-5 with Rachel, had her do some reading aloud, then I fixed them lunch, and I read a chapter from "Constance" while they ate. The book brought up some great discussion of the Pilgrims and how they lived.
Each child is allowed to pick one 30 minute show each day. Anything I 'assign' them to watch for school does not count toward this time. For example, Sunday night, we will be watching "Desperate Crossing", a special about the Mayflower on the History Channel. This doesn't count as their 'pick'. Oh, and we decided that when he's home on Saturdays and Sundays, DADDY gets to do all the tv choosing! :)
I see a difference in my kids all ready. They are playing more physically active games, and their attitudes toward each other are MUCH improved!!
This is nothing that I have done. This is the grace of God in evidence, and for that, I am so very, very thankful.
Blessings,
Mom23munchkins
My kids are playing hide and seek at this vey moment. The interesting thing is that my children don't play hide and seek in the "usual" way. Their game goes like this~one person hides, and the other two look for him/her. But, those that are doing the seeking do not count, and then shout "Ready or not, here I come". Instead, the "seekers" hide their faces until the "hider" is in his or her chosen spot, then the "hider" shouts out "GO!" and the 2 seekers then tear through the house, looking for the hider.
The homeschooling Mom in me couldn't resist pointing out that the hider shouting "GO!" was giving the seekers an important clue to his or her whereabouts. We then had a lively and interesting discussion about the fact that sound travels to our ears, just as light travels to our eyes.
Ya just gotta love those impromptu science lessons!!
Blessings,
Mom23munchkins
I've been in a bit of a "mood" for four or five days now, and I really need ( and want) to snap out of it, but I just don't seem to be able to do that yet.
I have mentioned before that I am unable to drive due to vision problems. I can see just fine to do things like read and use a computer, but I have a couple of different things wrong with my eyes that have left me almost NO distance judgement or depth perception. This makes driving unsafe, so I don't drive.
I am blessed to have a lot of family near me. My parents live right around the corner from me, and my sister is right next door to them. I also have an understanding husband.
All of this IS a good thing! I do my grocery shopping in the evenings when dh can drive me, and he doesn't mind doing it. My Mom or Dad always make a way to be available to us if I, or one of the children needs to go to the doctor while dh is at work. My Mom is almost always available to either go with us, or at least drop us off at homeschool group activities and such. So, I AM blessed, and I know that, but I lose sight of it sometimes.
Sometimes, I struggle with the fact that even though I am 35 years old, when I want to take my kids to one of our hs group activities, or just to the park or the mall, I have to ask my Mom first to see if she can drive us! I get frustrated because I have to wait for my husband to be with me so that I can take care of simple errands like doing the grocery shopping and going to the bank. I almost never do anything alone.
I guess I'm really struggling with the fact that I can't go anywhere to do anything without getting someone else's okay first, be it my parents or my husband. Maybe I shouldn't feel this way, but some times it just makes me want to SCREAM!!
Maybe this is just "hitting" me today because I'm tired, but I've had several "transportation issues" since last Saturday, and it's getting hard to deal with.
For instance, yesterday, my Mom came and picked up me and all 3 kids to drive us to the girls AHG meeting. Mom has to drop us off there a little early so that she can make it back to work on time. If we wait for Roger to drive us to the meeting, we are at least 15 minutes late.
When the meeting was over, Roger was there to pick us up. We had to make a mad dash to the polling place so I could vote~Roger had all ready voted. Then, we had to head to Wal Mart for groceries because last night was the only night that Roger would be free to drive me to the store and stay with the kids while I shop. It was either go last night, or wait until Saturday, and we would have been out of food by then. So, we went to AHG, I went and voted, and we bought our groceries, and we didn't get home until about 9pm!! UGH! AND, the we hadn't eaten any dinner, because we'd been gone since 3:30 in the afternoon!! So, my kids got Kid Cuisines at 9pm for their dinner last night. UGH again! It was late by the time they all went to sleep, and I was exhausted, and I couldn't stop myself from thinking that it would have been a very pleasant evening if I had been able to get up yesterday morning, put the kids in the van, drive to the polling office to vote, then go get the groceries. We could have gone to the AHG meeting, come home at a reasonable time, and had a decent dinner!!!
I'm not always like this, I promise! LOL! I really DO usually have a better attitude than this about these things! Just a little frustrated, I guess. So, pardon my whining, and thank you for praying for me. I could really use it right now!! :)
Blessings,
Mom23munchkins
By reason of the late softball game that we attended last night, all 3 of my munchkins slept later than usual today.
Dh slept in too because he was headed to the doctor's office this morning instead of to work. His blood pressure has been up recently, so we decided to have it checked. Turns out, it is most likely due to otc sinus meds, but it will be checked again in 4 weeks when he goes back for a complete physical. I am praising God on BOTH counts~that his bp does not appear to be a serious problem, and that he is going to have a complete physical in 4 weeks!!
So, I was able to spend a few minutes with him, then have some time to read my Bible and pray before the kids got up.
They had some breakfast, reviewed their AWANA work, then discovered somehow that "Race For Your Life, Charlie Brown" was coming on tv. They pleaded their case very politely and without whining, so I did some laundry and cleaned the bathroom while they watched, and I still had time to play online a bit!
Then, dh called to say that he'd just left the doctor's office and was picking up a prescription for a sinus infection. It was too late to go to work, so he would be home early! YAY!!
On a whim, I mentioned that a movie the children wanted to see was opening today, and that since he was coming home early, we could go to a matinee. To my surprise, he told me to get the kids ready, and we'd go!
So, off we went to see "The Santa Clause 3". Very cute~goes right along with the first 2 in the trilogy, and uses all the same actors/actresses. I hate it when they make a part 2 or 3 of a movie and use a different actor to play an all ready established character!! :)
Another surprise~when we got home, dh announced that he was making dinner~we enjoyed bakes spaghetti and breadsticks. YUM!
AND~tomorrow is Saturday, Roger doesn't have to work, and we have NO plans! Can you tell I'm a happy camper?! :)
Blessings,
Mom23munchkins
I have come to love Wednesdays! We don't usually have any "outside" stuff to do on Wednesdays until the evening service at church, so we are able to spend the day focusing on our school work, have something good for dinner, then head off to church.
Yesterday in Alex's AWANA group, they gave bonus "bucks" ( AWANA money to spend in the Awana store) to the child who could say the most verses, and Alex won!! I knew that she knew lots of verses, but I was surprised that she was bold enough to say them in the group! Alex is usually my "shy" child, or at least she used to be! She was VERY proud of her accomplishment, and so am I!! Rachel is in a different group in AWANA, and she tells me that her group is having "see who can say the most verses" next week. I LOVE what AWANA is doing for all 3 of my kids! Not only are they learning to hide the word of God in their hearts, but Alex, much to her own surprise, has made GREAT strides in reading since she started the AWANA program! How's that for a cool "side" benefit?!
So, each Wednesday evening, we leave the kids in the gym for AWANA, then Roger, who works with the teens at our church, goes to the Youth service, and I go to the adult Bible study. Since AWANA starts at 6:30 and the Bible Study doesn't start until 7, I usually have a chance to fellowship with others who come to the study, including my parents, sister, and aunt, and some good friends. It's just always so peaceful!
In our former church, the most popular 'feature" of the church was our Wednesday night Bible Study. Last night, my Dad led the Bible study at our current church because our pastor is on a mission trip in Nicaragua. It was like old times! And, EVERYONE seemed to enjoy it, not just the "Cornerstone alumni". :) The pastor has asked that Dad lead the study again next week, so I am looking forward to that.
And now, you know why I love Wednesdays! LOL
Oh, just one more thing, then I promise to hush, but I have to brag on Roger and his softball team~they won their final game tonight by a score of 15 to 2, thus securing themselves first place in the church softball league, and a very large trophy to present to our pastor when he returns from Nicaragua!! Way to go "Anchormen"!!
Blessings,
Mom23munchkins
I"ll warn you right from the start, this is one of those times that I am using this blog to sort out my own thoughts, so read on at your own risk! :)
Tithing is something my husband and I have struggled with in the past. I grew up in a home where tithing was automatic, and had nothing to do with the family's financial situation at any given moment. It was simply done, no matter what. My husband grew up with parents who were "occasional" tithers. They would tithe a bonus, or a monetary gift, something like that, but they did not tithe on a regular basis. Even if they planned to tithe a bonus or some such thing, if a bill "popped up" unexpectedly, the tithe was forgotten. My husband had this mentality for a while too. It is something that I have prayed about a LOT. Recently, we have been in another time of not tithing because my husband felt we "couldn't afford" to tithe. Now, my thinking is that we can't afford NOT to tithe, but I know that tithing needed to be my husband's decision, not something he did because I nagged about it. So, I chose to just pray. I've been praying especially for the last week or so. I don't know exactly why I felt the "urge' to pray so specifically about it, but I have.
Last Sunday, the Lord answered that prayer~or rather, He let me know that He had all ready asnwered that prayer.
In addition to tithing, my Dad, who was our pastor for a number of years, also taught that while it wasn't "required", he believed it was best to tithe in cash, so that your giving could be "in secret" as Christ tells His disciples to give in the book of Matthew. Last Sunday, my husband told me that for the last 3 weeks, he has been going to the bank and getting our tithe in cash, and dropping it in an offering plate on his way up to the choir loft~he and I both are usually in the choir when the offering is taken.
I had no idea that he had been doing this, and I am SO pleased, and have just been praising the Lord for this work He is doing in my husband's heart.
Now, today, Roger comes home and tells me that "the bottom has fallen out" for the company he works for. ALL overtime has been cut indefinitely, and a nearby plant owned by the same company permanently laid off an entire shift of workers~34 people lost their jobs.
We had really come to depend on Roger's over time. Now that it is gone, and we don't know for how long, he is considering taking a second job~something part time, in the evenings.
He had to do this once before, when Rachel was just a baby. I hated it! He was away from home a lot, adn I missed him terribly. Now, we have all 3 children, and I know it will be really hard for them if he has to be gone more.
We have talked about the possibility of my going to work part time, but Roger isn't thrilled about that. In the first place, we will NOT consider putting the kids in school and my working while they are there. We COULD do that~I have experience as a pre-school and Kindergarten teacher, and could easily get my para-pro certification. I also have relatives who work in the local public school system, so getting a para-pro job would be easy. But, it would mean putting all 3 kids, including Noah who is only 4, in school full time. Roger and I disucussed it, and the disucussion was very brief because it didn't take much for both of us to know that the whole para-pro thing is NOT what God wants for our family.
I AM willing though, to go to work in some way, shape, or form, but it would have to be part time, and it would have to be hours when Roger could be home with the children. The other obstacle in our way is that I am unable to drive myself due to eye problems, so Roger would have to load all the kids in the van to take me to work, then load them up again to come get me, so a night time job is probably not "do-able".
I don't know if God's will is for me to work, or for me to "hold down the fort" while Roger works a second job. I just know that I want for our family whatever God wants, and I'm willing to do His will as soon as He gives us peace about what His will is for us.
In the meantime, I just keep reciting my favorite poem, by Grace Livingston Hill~
Charge not thyself with the weight of a year,
Child of the Master, faithful and dear.
Choose not the cross for the coming week,
For that is more than He bids thee seek.
Bend not thine arm for tomorrow's load,
Thou mayest leave that to thy Gracious God.
For daily only, He says to thee,
Take up thy cross and follow Me.
Blessings,
Mom23munchkins
We've had to change a family tradition, and at first, I was a little sad about it, but I think it's going to be fine.
I know that many Christians don't celebrate or acknowledge Halloween in any way, and I can respect that, but that isn't our family's choice. We have explained to our kids that some folks do use this day to glorify satan, and to celebrate things like death, monsters, and fright, but we don't do that. We DO allow the kids to dress in fun costumes, NO scary stuff, and we celebrate imagination, and the fun of pretending to be someone else for an evening.
Our tradition has been to go trick or treating at the nursing home where my husband's grandmother is a resident. In years past, the management of the home has hosted a hot dog supper and carnival games in the dining room. The residents families would decorate their rooms or hallways, provide costumes, and candy for trick or treaters. The children loved it, and the residents at the nursing home loved it too. Sadly, we were told just yesterday that the nursing home is under new management and that the Halloween night festivities will no longer be held there.
So, we had to scramble to find something fun for our kids to do!! Our church had a wonderful fall festival, but it was held 2 weeks ago! We knew of several churches in our area that were hosting carnivals tonight, but we really wanted to stay close to home, so we decided to go by and visit both sets of grandparents, then see what the churches closest to us had going on. We visited my inlaws, and found my sil and her 3 kids there, not in costumes. I wondered why, then my 10yo neice announced to me that she AND her mom were sick!! Now WHY couldn't my mil have told us this before we came over there?! GRR!! Unfortunately, that is par for the course with her, and a subject for anoher blog entry.
Anyway, we left mil and trick or treated at the homes of a few of her neighbors, then went to my parent's house. My mom had a whole bag of candy, plus some small toys, for each of the kids!! We decided then to just go to the church that was closest to us. They were hosting a "trunk or treat" and serving hot chocolate and cookies. We ran into some old friends there, so it was nice. At the last moment, we decided to pop in to another church that is less than 5 minutes from our house. I'm so glad we did! The children had a blast! They had 2 of those inflatable jumping things, candy, popcorn, lemonade, and LOTS of games. All 3 kids had a great time! Rachel won a door prize, and both the girls got their faces painted. And, I saw the most adorable thing! A set of twins, newborns, dressed as 2 little pumpkins!! TOO CUTE!!
We were all a little disappointed to see our "old" tradition come to an end, but we were blessed with a nice evening together as a family, and for that, I am thankful.
Blessings,
Mom23munchkins
I have heard some recent IRL discussion, and also read some thoughts from friends online, about "seeker friendly" churches, and the concept of "watering down" the Word of God. This has caused my propensity for deep, introspective thinking to kick in over the last few days.
Last December, the church that we had attended for 12 years closed its doors. Not regularly attending church is NOT an option in our home, so we were off on a search.
Both my husband and I had grown up in mostlty Baptist churches, but my Dad is an evangelist who often preached in churches of other denominations, so I did have some frame of reference beyond the independant Baptist church. In our searching, we did NOT limit our options to churches with "Baptist" in the name.
We made many discoveries along the way, and were hit with many realizations. One thing we came to realize is that there are a LOT of "seeker friendly" churches out there today. Now, for purposes of experssiing my own thoughts, my definition of a seeker friendly chuch is one that focuses on NEW believers~those who have turned to the church looking for answers to their questions, or looking to fill a "void" in their life.
The problem I have with this whole concept is that EVERY church SHOULD be seeker friendly!! By that I mean that any solidly Bible based church ought to be able to point the lost toward Christ, and nurture them along the way. The trouble with many of the churches we visited was that they focused on a lot of "gimmicks" to get folks into the church, and then pushed these folks to "make a decision for Christ", then, they seem to just leave people hanging!! They offer only the "milk" of the Word, and never seem to serve any "meat".
It IS important to offer the milk of the Word to a new believer, but it is equally important to offer the meat, and to foster growth in those that have been converted, rather than to concentrate ALL your efforts, energies, and resources on bringing in more new converts.
One of the many reasons why I love the church that the Lord finally led us to join is that we have elements that will attract the lost, thus allowing them to hear about Christ, to receive the milk of the Word. However, there are also wonderful times of dining on the meat of the Word of God~times that I couldn't live without.
I don't think there is ever a need to "water down" the Word of God. I think it all comes down to, as 2 Timothy 2:15 says, rightly dividing the Word of Truth. If we have the milk of the Word to give to new christians, there is no need to further "water it down". The Word of God is sufficient for everyone, containing both milk and meat. The important thing we must do is to learn to discern the milk from the meat, and share both appropriately with those who need it. There is no such thing as a perfect church, but a church that can rightly divide the Word in this way is certainly on the right path. I am SO thankful to Our Heavenly Father for allowing us to be part of such a church.
Blessings,
Mom23munchkins
I am still mulling over the idea of setting aside outside activities next year, with the exception of church activities. We've not made a firm decision yet, mostly because I haven't talked to Roger about whether or not he plans to play softball next year. That IS a church related activity, but it's been physically tough on him to play this year because of shoulder injuries, so he may not want to play next year.
My "dilema" is American Heritage Girls. It is a wonderful and fantastic organization, and my girls LOVE it. I enjoy it as well. But that isn't what makes it hard to give up. They really learn a lot at AHG, and a good bit of our curriculum for this year has been taken from the AHG Handbook. The AHG leaders, whether they realize it or not, are helping me teach my kids this year, and I'm not sure I want to give that up, or that I SHOULD give that up. I DO know though that I WON'T be serving as an Assistant Leader or Leader next year. Serving in that capacity means I HAVE to be present at the meetings. I often go to the meetings anyway, but sometimes Roger and I use that time to do errands, or to sit outside and just talk, or play with our son. We don't have that choice when I "HAVE" to be at the meetings.
So, we are praying for the Lord's guidance in what to do as far as activities for next year.
This is unrelated to the thoughts above, but if you are studying, or planning to study the Pilgrims and the Mayflower soon, my kids and I had a good time this morning exploring www.pilgrimhall.org There you can see some portraits of some of the pilgrims, read about their journey, and see photographs of some of their personal belongings.
We were delighted this morning to see a picture of a beaver hat that belonged to our ancestor, Constance Hopkins Snow!!
Another random thought: I have, for some time now, had this "plan" in my head~sort of an outline of what our days SHOULD look like. Nothing complicated, just basic stuff like the fact that I want EVERYONE in the house to be up, dressed, teeth and hair brushed, and beds made and breakfast eaten before any playing, tv, or computer time. We DO all these things every day, but sometimes tv, or toys, or the computer, or whatever, sneaks in and eats up time, and we don't get these things done until late in the day. People end up in their pajamas all day long, or start watching tv and don't want to stop when it's time for school, things like that. This is someting I've felt really convicted about. I know some would have no problem with this at all, but it bothers me.
All 3 children are also participating in AWANA, and we have fallen into the habit of spending a large "chunk" of time on Wednesdays learning the verses for that evening's AWANA meeting. This too has been bothering me for a while. I KNOW what I wanted us to do, I guess I just didn't want to deal with the resistance from the kids that I figured I'd get if I actually ENFORCED this routine.
I've been praying about this for a while now. Yesterday, a friend of mine said something that really stayed with me. He was referring to a different situation, but when he said these words, I just "felt" that the Lord meant for me to hear them. He said "If you do what you've always done, you'll get what you've always gotten." I *think* Dr Phil has made that quote popular, but as I don't watch Dr Phil, I"m not sure. Anyway, this statement really stuck with me. I want things to be different in our home. But if I DO what I"ve ALWAYS done, I'm going to GET what I"ve ALWAYS gotten!!
So, I got up this morning, and read my Bible and prayed FIRST, before ANYTHING else. I"ve long had the habit of reading and praying each day, but I usually 'squeeze it in" where I can during the day. I've felt convicted recently to give the Lord the FIRST part of my day.
Rachel got up while I was reading, and asked if she could play on the comptuer. She seemed surprised when I said no, but she didn't argue. She looked at a book while I finished reading, then I got the other 2 kids up and we all got dressed, made beds, brushed hair and teeth, and I started a load of laundry. Then, while I fixed waffles for breakfast, we took turns practicing everyone's AWANA verses. As they finished up eating, we did some oral additon drills, and we talked about the concept of multiplication. We have a tiled table in our kitchen, with five rows of five squares. We talked about how that was "5 squares, 5 times" or "5 groups of 5" and that it is a total of 25 squares. We are about to start memorizing the multiplication tables, and I thought it was important for them to understand what they are doing when they multiply.
After that , the children helped me put away some laundry, then took a short break to play while I started some more. Then, we read a little bit about Miles Standish from Abeka's history text book "Our American Heritage 3" This is Abeka's 3rd grade history book, the same history book I used in 3rd grade in christian school. It is in "story" form, and not very "textbookish" if you know what I mean. Then, we spent some time exploring the pilgrim hall website I mentioned above. By then, the kids decided to make their own sandwiches for lunch and watch Between the Lions while they ate. They have just finished eating and are now watching "The Big Comfy Couch".
In a few minutes, I think we will do a bit of reading aloud, probably from the book "Constance" by Patricia Clapp.
We may or may not be headed to the ball field tonight, depending on whether or not it rains, and whether or not Roger thinks it's too cold for us to come with him to the ball games tonight.
Right now, I"m just thankful that we've had a nice day, and it HASN'T been eaten up by the tv and computer!!
Blessings,
Mom23munchkins