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Things have been so crazy here since the summer began.  Travis is being HSd part-time for the summer along with his brother.  Let me tell you, 13 yo boys HATE school in the summer! LOL!

Shortly after beginning summer HS camp came along, then a mini-much needed-vaction, the the 4th , yadda, yadda, yadda! Now we are dealing with pink eye!  We have no idea where it came from, but it came!

I began both the boys, on their age-appropriate levels, with Handwriting Without Tears.  Vincent SO needed to re-learn how to write in cursive and Travis expressed an interest.  Both are doing well!  It's actually been nice to have both of them here as Vincent was in PS and I have yet to make the bold decision of taking him out of PS.  Hubby tells me to do what I feel is best, but what is best?  How do I know?

Well, God knows what is best!  He always has our backs!  Our best interests are ALWAYS forefront with God!  What a calming thought.  The creator of the unviverse and beyond is concerned about our welfare.  It's sobering in this "me, me, me" world!

To know this is freeing!  Very seldom do I now get too anxious.  If I do, I feel the tug of the Holy Spirit nudging me to place it at the Lord's feet and wait for His answer.  How cool is that?!  Not only does He care so much about you that He will honor your requests (in His time and way), but He will also take away your anxiety about the whole situation!  Cool!!

I pray that the Lord touches your heart today about something you need to give to Him.  Do it!  It will be one of the most freeing experiences you will ever have!  Oh, and by the way, don't let "momy-instinct" take over!  He can handle it!  Trust Him!

Thought I would share our pics from Ocean City.....

Well, my handsome, God fearing, Jesus loving, Bible reading, Build-A-Bear fan little boy wanted a new haircut..........................................

The face fits the new mohawk well, don't you think? LOL!

What fun it was on the 1st day of summer! We had steamed crabs, pool time and crafts!  We made Sharpie Tye-Dye shirts...........

The supplies...

The work.....

The finished shirts (even mommy made one).....

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Well, I have been getting a lot of requests for the instructions.  So here you go:

Rubbing Alcohol (in a spray bottle), Rubber Bands, white t-shirt & sharpies & tennis balls

You can either twist the shirt and rubber band it OR lay shirt flat, put the tennis balls underneath, gather and rubber band.  then color away with the sharpies.  After you are done, lay on newspaper or the ground and spray with the alcohol.  Colors will start to "bleed" slightly.  Let dry.  Remove rubber bands and/or tennis balls.  Hang up to dry then wash in cold and dry.

That's it!  Have fun!

A while back Travis began collecting items to be placed in his time capsule.  Well, it's finally complete!  He is following in his big brother's footsteps as Vincent put together a time capsule when he was 7 as well. 

Travis has included such things as his "little-kid's" Bible since he has been baptized and presented with a "big-boy" Bible, a recent photo, a recent drawing and a few more bits of memorabilia.  He also included a "Favorites" list and a letter to himself.

Opening is not scheduled until after 6/2019 when he will be 18 years old!  UGH! Do I have to think that far ahead?  We then placed it in his keepsake box, where I have saved things here and there like his 1st jean jacket, 1st birthday cards and more.

Here he is with the completed, sealed time capsule:

Home-schoolers threaten our cultural comfort

SONNY SCOTT
6/8/2008 9:39:01 AM
Daily Journal

You see them at the grocery, or in a discount store.

It's a big family by today's standards - "just like stair steps," as the
old folks say. Freshly scrubbed boys with neatly trimmed hair and girls
with braids, in clean but unfashionable clothes follow mom through the
store as she fills her no-frills shopping list.

There's no begging for gimcracks, no fretting, and no threats from mom.
The older watch the younger, freeing mom to go peacefully about her task.

You are looking at some of the estimated 2 million children being home
schooled in the U.S. , and the number is growing. Their reputation for
academic achievement has caused colleges to begin aggressively
recruiting them. Savings to the taxpayers in instructional costs are
conservatively estimated at $4 billion, and some place the figure as
high as $9 billion. When you consider that these families pay taxes to
support public schools, but demand nothing from them, it seems quite a
deal for the public.

Home schooling parents are usually better educated than the norm, and
are more likely to attend worship services. Their motives are many and
varied. Some fear contagion from the anti-clericalism, coarse speech,
suggestive behavior and hedonistic values that characterize secular
schools. Others are concerned for their children's safety. Some want
their children to be challenged beyond the minimal competencies of the
public schools. Concern for a theistic world view largely permeates the
movement.

Indications are that home schooling is working well for the kids, and
the parents are pleased with their choice, but the practice is coming
under increasing suspicion, and even official attack, as in California .

Why do we hate (or at least distrust) these people so much?

Methinks American middle-class people are uncomfortable around the home
schooled for the same reason the alcoholic is uneasy around the teetotaler.

Their very existence represents a rejection of our values, and an
indictment of our lifestyles. Those families are willing to render unto
Caesar the things that Caesar's be, but they draw the line at their
children. Those of us who have put our trust in the secular state (and
effectively surrendered our children to it) recognize this act of
defiance as a rejection of our values, and we reject them in return.

Just as the jealous Chaldeans schemed to bring the wrath of the king
upon the Hebrew eunuchs, we are happy to sic the state's bureaucrats on
these "trouble makers." Their implicit rejection of America 's most
venerated idol, Materialism, (a.k.a. "Individualism") spurs us to heat
the furnace and feed the lions.

Young families must make the decision: Will junior go to day care and
day school, or will mom stay home and raise him? The rationalizations
begin. "A family just can't make it on one income." (Our parents did.)
"It just costs so much to raise a child nowadays." (Yeah, if you buy
brand-name clothing, pre-prepared food, join every club and activity,
and spend half the cost of a house on the daughter's wedding, it does.)
And so, the decision is made. We give up the bulk of our waking hours
with our children, as well as the formation of their minds,
philosophies, and attitudes, to strangers. We compensate by getting a
boat to take them to the river, a van to carry them to Little League, a
2,800-square-foot house, an ATV, a zero-turn Cub Cadet, and a fund to
finance a brand-name college education. And most significantly, we claim
"our right" to pursue a career for our own
"self-fulfillment."

Deep down, however, we know that our generation has eaten its seed corn.
We lack the discipline and the vision to deny ourselves in the hope of
something enduring and worthy for our posterity. We are tired from
working extra jobs, and the looming depression threatens our 401k's.
Credit cards are nearly maxed, and it costs a $100 to fuel the Suburban.
Now the kid is raising hell again, demanding the latest Play Station as
his price for doing his school work ... and there goes that modest young
woman in the home-made dress with her four bright-eyed, well-behaved
home-schooled children in tow. Wouldn't you just love to wipe that
serene look right off her smug face?

Is it any wonder we hate her so?

Sonny Scott a community columnist, lives on Sparta Road in Chickasaw County and his e-mail address is sonnyscott@yahoo.com.
******************************************************

I responed to Mr. Scott:

Dear Mr. Scott,

A fellow homeschooling mom shared your article, "Home-schoolers threaten our cultural comfort" from the Daily Journal, on 6/8/08.  A few of the other moms were offended, but I took it as an eye-opener for the family who lives "of the world" instead of FOR their family.

I appreciate your view and have been saying the same thing since I began to homeschool.  I get the oddest looks in Wal*Mart at 10am when I have my 2 sons with me.  We have even had to go to the extreme of getting photo ID's to prove that we homeschool!

I see my generation as being in the forefront of getting back to family values!  I see us returning to a simpler time in America when God, family & country were important, not a 72" flat screen TV!

My family lives on 1 income.  My husband has been at the same job since he graduated in 1986, and 22 years at the same company is nothing to sneeze at! I am very proud of him and honored to be his wife, best friend and mother to his sons.  In turn, he is proud of me and  the work I do in my home with the boys.

 We are not perfect, but we are happy and content with the life God has given to us.  We are financially richer than many people across the world, including America! We have a home, food, clothing, transportation and are blessed to have each other.  So I can see why non-homeschoolers hate us.  We truly are happy and content with what we have or don't have, while they can't understand how they are not happy with the $1.2 million house, Hummer, golf club membership, timeshare, full social calendar and more!

Anyway, thank you for shedding light on why non-homeschoolers hate us.  I truly appreciate well written articles on homeschooling.  I can see that you really did your research.

Good luck!

Sincerely,

Mrs. Marianne Handlir

**********************************************************

Mr. Scott's response:

What an encouraging letter! Families like yours are the salt that has not lost its savor.

I never intend to offend anyone, but I've found that virtually everything I write gets under someone's skin.

Keep up the good work.

Cordially,

Sonny

Today, the HCPL hosted the MD Zoo's "Going, Going, Gone" program.  It was really cool!  The kids learned about endangered species and got to meet a few critters that could be, one day, in danger of being extinct.

The ladies from the zoo brought a blue poison dart frog, a porcupine, bog turtle and a beautiful macaw!

Travis was ready with questions.......

and we got to see the macaw up close......

God sure was generous with His beauty!  These creatures were all interesting and wonderful!

Thanks to HAHSA & my mom, I finally got a Mom's Night Out!  Not only was it great fellowship with other HS mom's, but I learned to decorate cakes!  Our wonderful hostess Kym opened her home and let us get messy as we learned from Cathy!  Thanks ladies!!

Here are some of my practice strokes:

Here is how I put it together on a cake for hubby:

Who knew you could do this, with duct tape?.................................................

My friend, Tracie's son has made it as a finalist in Duck Tape Brand duct tape's Stuck at the Prom Scholarship contest. He can win a $6,000.00 scholarship!  If you'd like to help, click HERE.

Here's what Tracie said: You can then click to vote on my son who is # 4180.  It will then open up a box that will say register.  Click on that and fill out the info. It will ask you some silly questions as well.   It is to make sure that only one person votes per email address per day.  You can vote daily.  (it will only ask you to register each email address one time.)  Thanks again!  I really appreciate it!

Tracie

To cut & paste use: http://www.stuckatprom.com/contests/prom/entries_finalist.asp

Since Travis did so well this year, as well as mommy, LOL, we are going to continue HSing throughout the summer to include big brother Vincent who currently attends PS.

I am very excited with this venture!  I use to look forward to the summer as a "break", but now have already created lesson plans through the end of August!  Now, I am not talking about 6 hours of hard studying each day, but I am going to review hard areas for Vincent such as Math and organization and Travis has expressed an interest in learning Spanish and cursive writing!

So by the end of the summer Vincent should be doing Algebra with his eyes closed and Travis should be able to write Spanish in cursive! HaHa!  Well, I can dream, can't I?

We all have high hopes for our children. My parents did for me and their parents did for them.  My mom always said she wanted better for her kids and in many ways we are doing better, some ways not.  But in the important, spiritual ways I am further along then my mother ever was when I was a child.  My boys are being raised in a Christian home.  My husband has a wife who is home and taking care of everything else, so he doesn't have to.  I am happy with my life and joyful knowing that I am doing this for the Lord and I am his chosen one!

He has high hopes for us as well.  God wants us all to be happy. Not in a worldy sense, but in a spiritual sense.  Are you?  Are you content with your daily life? Have you told God that?  Are you resigned to the fact that this may be "it" for the next 5, 10, 15 or 20 years?  I am!  Cool!  I can't wait to see what is waiting for me from the Father.

Alpha & Omega's Daily Devotionals never cease to enlighten, amuse or touch me deep in my soul.  Today's was no different so I HAD to share this! You can visit www.aop.com to subscribe for free.

The Lord is my shepherd,
I shall not want.
He maketh me to live on less sleep:
He leadeth me through the noise of many voices.

He restoreth my soul: He leadeth me to teach
The right lessons each day, for His name's sake.

Yea, though I walk through the valley of undone
Laundry and kitchen messes, I will fear no evil:
For thou art with me, my teacher's guides and
Answer keys, they comfort me.

Thou preparest a table before me in the presence
Of threatening school officials and critical family members:
Thou anointest my head with heavenly wisdom, my cup runneth over.

Surely educated and godly children shall follow after me
All the days of my life: and I will dwell again one day
In a clean house with the Lord forevermore.

 A few times during the our homeschool time I noticed that my younest son was struggling with words that he knew.  Sometimes, we thought he was just being lazy and other times we thought it was vision connected.

Well, the latter was true.  Monday we visited our trusted opthamologist, Dr. Eugene Protzko in Havre de Grace, MD (if you are in the Harford, Cecil, Baltimore region we HIGHLY recommend him!!).  Dr. Protzko was there for us when 8 years ago my oldest son was diagnosed with a ton a eye conditions including a "lazy eye" and the good doctor was just that, good!

Travis has astigmatism, plainly.  A few other things are going on and these things will only get worse over the years, not better  So, eyeglasses were prescribed.

On top of that, at Travis' last dental check up, a week ago, we were told he was going to need over$1,000.00 worth of dental work.....to his baby teeth! Can you imagine what we said?!  Well, i have seen children whose parents did not take care of their baby teeth and I didn't want that for my children, even if that meant we would have to eat Oodles of Noodles for 6 months!

Luckily, we do have dental insurance, so we "only" have to pay a bit over 50%.  Not that that makes it any better.  50%, 100%.  When you are a 1 income family aything outside the budget is a stretch if all by the grace of God!  Praise God, He came through!

So, we went to order Travis' glasses.  He got 2 pair for the price of 1!!  After 3 LONG hours at the dentist this morning for the first of 3 visits over the next few months we picked up his new peeps.  He is so thrilled!  Feel free to leave him a comment.  He'd love to hear from you!

Here is his 1st choice, the wire frames.....

Here is the 2nd choice.......

Here are the proud brothers. As soon as Vincent got home today he said "Look, a little me!"......

Came across these free samples of a Christian-based curriculum, from Rod & Staff.

Visit: http://www.rodandstaffbooks.com/list/Free_Stuff/ to download samples through grade 6, including how to teach Bible verse memorization!

Travis decided to give his life to the Lord!! What a glorious day this was!

"Be glad in the Lord & rejoice, you righteous; & shout for joy, all you upright in heart!" Psalm 32:11

Travis was anxious to get into the baptistry...

Although this photo is blurry, I thought it was quite fitting. I know the Spirit was moving right there in that moment and the "old" Travis was being left behind!

We presented Travis with his 1st "grown up" Bible.  Inside we inscribed "But as for me, i trust in You, O Lord; I say, 'You are my God'." Psalm 31:14

Well, my little boy is now 7!  When asked what he wanted for his birthday he said "All I want is to go to Build-A-Bear and have lunch at Rainforest". Can't get much easier than that!  Lucky for us daddy got the day off from work.  We missed out on having Vincent with us as his class was having a class social the same day; and when you are a teenager, socials are mre important than spending the day with your little brother :O(

The day was filled with smiles, fun and surprises.  My son has such a good heart I almost felt bad playing a little surprise on him.  When we got to Rainforest, I whispered to the waitress about him wanting the volcano cake and told her I was going to tell him they were out of it, but to bring it out after that. She agreed.  When we finished our lunch I told him that they were out of the volcano cakes, but asked if he would settled for chocolate ice cream. He agreed with a smile on his face.

When the waitress came back, she asked if anyone wanted dessert, we said chocolate ice cream she said sorry we only have vanilla and mt son said "Sure, maybe next time on my 8th birthday I can get what I really want".  Can you believe that?  He was not only kind about it but patient as well, because it took about 15 minutes for them to bring the volcano cake out!

When the cake came out, the waitress went towards another table to gather other wait staff to sing. travis said "Wow, that must be the last cake for someone else's bithday. That's nice!" I am not joking!  When about a dozen waiters & waitresses headed our way singing his face was priceless! 

As I write this blog tears fill my eyes and joy fills my heart to know that this, my son was given to me by God almighty to enjoy!  This child was put here to teach me many lessons. Patience is certainly one of them, many, many, many, many, many, times!!! LOL! But quite often in times like these.

If only we could all be like Travis everyday.  Each moment in our lives we want things; whether we need them or not.  God knows what we need and when we need them.  I knew that cake would be the topper to his day.  I knew that woul put a smile on his face.  What I did not know was that he was going to be so accepting of the possibility of not getting what he wanted.  And he was like this al day long!

If only we all accepted what we had in front of us then what comes to us unexpectedly would be so much more enjoyable!

Daddy & Travis at the Cafe

Volcano Cake!

First, I hope everyone stopped and took a few moments to remember those who gave their lives so that we can pray to the Lord Almighty!

Second, I hope you each got to enjoy your families and had a safe weekend!

We had a quiet one as my husband is lucky to get Christmas let alone Memorial Day!  So we visited with my mom and grandparents.  We had hot dogs, crabs and the boys collected bugs and played football!

Travis created a wonderful Memorial Day salute for our service personnel:

He also got the chance to handle a live MD blue crab for the first time:

What a lesson that was!  And what do you think he wanted to do with the crabs? Watch the fight!  No pictures of that though!

With only 6 days left for us to finish up our lessons we found ourselves outside after the passing rain showers yesterday.  Travis wanted to fill his lungs with fresh air and I needed a break.  What we saw was a blessing!

God provided the last lesson of the day; His rainbow! We saw the entire arch!  It stretched out right in front of our front door as if God was saying "Here you go".

What a blessing it was when Travis said "Look mom, God's promise is back!"  It brought me to tears.  I pray that you ALL have one of those moments, at least once!  Just standing there, looking at this promise from God was empowering, inspiring and I have to say it freakin' COOL!

The emotions inside me were welling up until I couldn't contain them anymore!  The tears flowed and I knew God was there with us.  I know God is always with us, but this was different.  You know when you "realize" God is there?  If not, then you need to find something, some quiet time to seek Him, because this is an awesome moment.

I have had a number of these moments and if this is ANYTHING like what happens when we go home, then bring it on!  There are no words to describe when my consciousness "recognizess" God's presence.

May you know that the Lord favors you and loves you to the point of sending His only Son to die on a cross for you.  He provides lessons for you and your children everyday, use them!

Did someone say ICE CREAM?!

Today was field trip day to the local dairy.  We've been to Broom's Bloom Dairy MANY, MANY times for their fabulous ice cream, but never knew their story.  Well, Mrs. Kate,

introduced us to the cows....

We got to see how the were milked and even how the ice cream was made.  If you are interested in their history please visit their website at BROOM'S BLOOM.  Also, if you are within a day's drive you will thank yourself for stopping in for some ice cream and atmosphere.  BB's also sells local honey, meats, cheeses and more!

And here was the pay off for walking in the mud....

THANKS MRS. KATE!

Well, since my last entry our family has been away in Chincoteague, VA and enjoying this beautiful weather God has blessed us with!

Chincoteague was beautiful.  Although, my kids are too over-stimulated by this worls to relax in a spot like that.  It was quiet, slow, beautiful, lovely and awesome!  I am sure that it's busier in-season!  The boys learned to fish and crab....................

We also learned about the island of Assateague, it's lighthouse..............

ALL 198 steps to the top!

and it's wildlife.................

We enjoyed a day on the beach. It was beautiful! We collected seashells, walked in the sand and the boys went in the water!....................

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After our adventure in VA homeschool was not so easy to get back into the swing of.  So I tried everything I could think of, like nature walks, writing outdoors and more!  Our goal is to be completed by The end of May which will be Travis' birthday.  With a little perseverence and A LOT of prayer we can do it!

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Travis took this photo of me while I was chilling out in VA on the steps of our little, blue cottage.  It sums up exactly how I feel lately...J-O-Y-F-U-L!

Now, I am not saying my life is perfect, no one can say this. If they are, give them a mirror and tell them to "check" themselves!  I am saying that I am learning to live in the Father's love and trying through the strength of Jesus to accept  His daily will for my life.  We have to make the best of things! Don't we?  If not, we will end up being the miserable people satan wants us to be. We are called to be more than that. We are called to love each other, lifet each other up and do it all in the name of the Lord!

What an awesome responsibility!  It starts as moms & dads, simply!