Homeschooling mom in Texas. 5th grade son, Erik. http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/cwhulin/ en-us Homeschool Blogger Mon, 22 Jan 2007 12:04:00 -0600 Mon, 22 Jan 2007 12:04:00 -0600 Well we did it! We sent my daughter to Pensacola Florida to attend PCC! She just turned 18 and has never lived away from us so it was a melancholy feeling for sure. She has called me several times since we dropped her off, so I have a feeling I'll be hearing from her more than I ever did before! I've been journaling every night so blogging just seems redundant, but this was such a milestone I just had to post! I did receive my new Thomas Kincade calendar for Christmas but it doesn't have any quotes on it which is a bummer, what am I going to be inspired by every day? I have started the chronological bible in one year that I read every night, so that will do! We are excited about the homeschooling cruise we're taking this weekend out of Galveston. We're touring the Mayan ruins for 5 days! I pray it is sunny and nice weather! My husband is going with me and my 11 year old son, his first cruise! What a crazy month January has turned out to be! http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/cwhulin/273161/ Mon, 22 Jan 2007 12:04:00 -0600 http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/cwhulin/273161/ That is another quote from my Thomas Kincade calendar. I just love it and will be dropping hints to my family to get me a 2007 one for Christmas! I think the quotes are great conversation starters that inspire me and make me ponder life which we need to do occasionally, right? I was reading a comic the other day, one of my favorite ones called, "Sally Forth," you know that one? <p>Anyway, the daughter is talking to a friend about what she wants for Christmas. They are reading a catalog of expensive gadgets and the one girl says to the other, "What are you gonna ask for?" She answered, "Money's kinda tight at home, so my mom and I usually make each other gifts. That's how I got into painting and writing songs in the first place." Her response was, "Wow...You just sucked all the joy out of the holiday for me." It is a reality check, isn't it? I believe we become creative when we're at our humblist (is that a word??!!). So just like another Kincade calendar quote says, "Every time you attempt to solve a problem, you're being creative."<p>I certainly believe the quote that creativity isn't optional for any human being. Once we forget about creativity, we've become spoiled and lose our connection to our inner self so to speak. We push it away with selfishness. Because it takes time to be creative, and we're so selfish with our time. Proof for me is the last time I blogged, it was last summer! That's too long. If I am going to stay connected with my inner self (which is being a writer) then I need to write! <p> What do you have in your inner self that you haven't practiced lately? Remember, all our time is free time. How we utilize our time to make the most of it is key. I never schedule time for creativity but I do think about how I can be creative in everything I do so it is a mindset. It's probably easy for me because I am a people pleaser. I love it when people tell me, "You're so creative!" because I can give the glory to God since after all, He created everything in the first place!<p>We are all called to "be" or "do" something. I think we all know what that is too. I challenge you to take some time this weekend to do some of what it is you were called to do. The laundry can wait! Is it photography? Go to the botanical gardens and take some pictures and put them on a slideshow as your screensaver and you'll smile every time you see them. It will remind you of your creativity, and hopefully God's beautiful creation too. <p>Are you an excellent thinker, therefore a great chessplayer? Dust off the old board and teach someone how to play the game. Hand down that wisdom to the next generation and you'll have made your mark on this world. Do it NOW, you'll feel better for it. It will make next Monday easier to tackle. Let me know how it goes for you! http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/cwhulin/238186/ Tue, 14 Nov 2006 09:42:00 -0600 http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/cwhulin/238186/ I realized I haven't blogged since I volunteered to be the editor of the CHEACT newsletter! (Christian Home Educators of Central Texas) www.cheact.org I've since put out three editions this year and we're working on the fourth which is a conference wrap-up. The 19th annual Home Educators Conference and book fair was recently held in Austin this past June and we're looking forward to celebrating 20 years of conferences by putting memories in upcoming editions of the CHEACT newsletter.<p> At the same time, I started freelance writing for the local newspaper the Pflugerville Pflag and was assigned the Religion beat (yippee!). I've since written four stories that made the front page! But my favorite interview by far is with Dr. R.C. Sproul, Jr. for the third issue of the CHEACT newsletter. The interview was about his life of course, and his passion for homeschooling. If I can figure out how to add a link to that story, I'll add it on my home page somewhere. RC (who is the son of the famous Christian speaker by the same name) is battling cancer right now and needs our prayers. The prognosis is good, but the treatments are hard on a father of seven!<p>My other job this year is being the information officer for our local homeschool group. I get to play around with our website (we're a closed group, so no advertising needed, word of mouth works just fine!), and organize service projects for our 10 year old and up group. We've been volunteering at the Storehouse which is an awesome Christian organization (www.the-storehouse.org). <p>So that's about it! Since I'm writing so much, I haven't had time to work on my novel. As a matter of fact, right now I should be on ebay selling some stamp sets that I promised to help a friend out with! But this summer (especially since we're hosting a Brazilian exchange student) I haven't found much time for any work (aw, my dh would say, must be nice!!) but I'm up to date on my scrapbooking! But now that my daughter isn't leaving for college until the spring, I want to spend as much time as possible with her. Then it's just me and the boy! Please pray for Steph as she prepares her heart for Pensacola Christian College (a place that my pastor said he wouldn't even go to because they have so many strict rules!).<p>Speaking of my pastor, I'm interviewing him for a story since he just got back from Israel (he's on sabbatical). He saw the bombings and has some interesting stories to tell that I am going to submit to the newspaper. Alright, this post is long enough already! Ta ta until next time. http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/cwhulin/172841/ Tue, 25 Jul 2006 19:42:00 -0500 http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/cwhulin/172841/ When Jesus returns   The Thomas Kincaid calendar for Easter said, “We can choose to trust that things will work out.” How true. It’s our choice. Easter has come and gone, and our hearts were either stirred by the possibility of His returning soon, or we were like the stubborn Israelites in the wilderness either ignoring it or just not seeing the hope before us.   If it’s the latter for you, maybe a picture painted from the Bible will be encouraging. Close your eyes and see before you a beautiful garden. The vibrant colors of God’s creation are breathtaking; like nothing we’ve ever seen before with our fallen eyes. Even the cosmos are aligned with perfection. The stars are twinkling with full power, and there is no need for the sun or the moon, because Jesus is the light of the world.   Work in the garden is all for the glory of God. Life is consumed with taking care of the animals, eating the right food, hand tilling the crag-free soil with gladness and joy in our hearts. There is no smog, no stressful commuting or labor, nor complaining. There isn’t any death. God walks and talks with His people and pours out his love on them for all eternity.   That is what it was like when Adam and Eve were created in the Garden of Eden. God’s intended perfection for mankind. That is what He is going to restore at His return. That is why He sent His Son. Are you ready for His power and glory to be manifest in your life? Believe on these things and renew the hope in your heart in order to be prepared for His return.   Even so Lord, come quickly! http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/cwhulin/154605/ Wed, 21 Jun 2006 14:05:00 -0500 http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/cwhulin/154605/ I was reading a 6 year old journal entry this weekend that brought back some memories. I used to meet with a church group of stay-at-home moms that got together to eat and fellowship along with some praise and worship, then prayer afterwards that was very encouraging I remembered at the time. But as we moms got busy, our membership dwindled down to hardly any at all. Then we just stopped meeting. I wondered why? Did our priorities change? Did we get fulfilled so quickly then moved onto bigger and better things? Of course, now that I homeschool and belong to several co-ops, we utilize them for fellowship, and I've made new friends. But so far they only relate to homeschooling-which makes me sad to think that if I ever decided to put my child in a private school that I would lose those friendships because we wouldn't have that to relate to any more. There are so many support groups out there now, like MOPS, WOF, and MITI that have almost replaced the need for fellowship in the church. One family in our homeschool group never had a church home the whole time they lived here! I think it's because we don't strengthen our ties with members because we get so specific in our clubs and groups with membership. But is that just as or maybe even more important than going to church? What scripture do you know that would help me to find out?  http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/cwhulin/45168/ Wed, 16 Nov 2005 11:25:00 -0600 http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/cwhulin/45168/ I just returned from a ladies retreat and I found out there that I had some regret from my past to deal with. It has been 10 years since my husband died in a plane crash when I was 3 months along with our son (who is a beautiful 9 yo boy that I am now homeschooling!). His family has all but forgotten us and it saddens me to no end that my children have no aunts, uncles, or grandparents to look up to (mine are deceased). I remarried 5 years ago and my wonderful husband is supportive and encouraging, raising my children like they were his own. He is older, so his family is older, and they live far away. So still, no close family for my children. But two weeks ago my husbands sister, her husband, their daughter and grandson (plus two dogs and a cat!) all came to stay with us as they escaped Hurricane Rita (they are from Port Neches). We welcomed them with open arms. I let them use the master bedroom, and the pets got to stay inside. They even went to church with us! But they bickered a lot and didn't trust God as much as I hoped they would. The animals gave my dog fleas and there was hair everywhere! I became discouraged. Then, the most wonderful thing happened. My son began to get close to my sister-in-law! It was right before they went back home, but they bonded none-the-less. Then the Lord reminded me about his servant Job. That he was completely restored for his faith. He didn't get back what he had lost exactly everything the same. But he did receive a family and was restored after going thru major tragedy. It encouraged me to know that because I had always pined away for the way things were (can't you just hear Barbara Streisand singing "The Way We Were?"). But that's how the world suffers. I'm not questioning God any more! I'm accepting healing for our family (and our new family!) and trusting Christ no matter what! http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/cwhulin/32054/ Sat, 8 Oct 2005 10:28:00 -0500 http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/cwhulin/32054/ The quote on my Kinkade calendar today says, "The truth is that by definition all our time is free time, ours to spend or invest as we choose." That puts it into perspective, doesn't it? Personally, I don't chart out my time hour by hour. Not being in corporate America any more, my daytimer is past history. When I tossed it out I lost 5 lbs of stress just like that! I tend to do what I like, that's why my dishes are sitting in the sink still dirty and I'm sitting on the computer! My husband would disagree, he would say that he has to work and that he'd rather be golfing. But deep down he knows how fulfilling his work is and how important it is for him to be responsibe and set an example for the children. I, on the other hand, don't have a job, but I don't feel guilty either. Homeschooling is a big part of my life, but it doesn't consume all my time. I feel writing is important, so I blog and that takes a lot of time. I cut coupons and shop for bargains in order to be a good steward and my husband definitly appreciates that! The things that I say I don't have the time for, like going to the gym, or the dentist, or reading my bible every day, are just excuses because I'd rather be doing something else for sure! I just know how to keep myself busy. If my husband stayed at home instead of working, he'd be bored within 2 hours! But like the quote states, it's all about choices. I believe the Holy Spirit convicts us when we aren't using our time wisely. And if we ignore that still small voice long enough, it will go away and we can have stress and worry lines to prove it. Ask for that voice to return today and get back on track. It's not too late to make better use of your time. http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/cwhulin/31499/ Thu, 6 Oct 2005 10:36:00 -0500 http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/cwhulin/31499/ "A focal point is broader than a goal, more compelling than a priority, more fundamental than either." Kinkade's painting is a mans back standing along the side of a river fishing. He's alone, facing the beautiful waterfalls and wearing a bright red shirt which seems to be the focal point of the picture, and in a way, the focal point of the quote. The red shirts seems to scream out, look at me! I'm having fun, I'm adventuresome! When I think of focal points, I picture the clock that I stared at (my focal point for lamaze class) for over 17 hours when I was in labor with my daughter! Now the man's goal was probably to catch some fish, and whatever his priority was, it was surely lacking because some would say, maybe he should have been at work, or taking care of his family. I think his focal point was more compelling than that, more fundamental than either, the quote states. His focal point was surely to commune with nature. God's creation. Men need to be alone to commune with God. The man wouldn't have been sad if he came away without any fish. His resolve was surely to seek solace, refreshment and to reaquaint himself with tranquility, the peace that passes all understanding. The focal point of my day always revolves around whatever subject we're homeschooling, and which co-op we're going to attend, with the goal of training my son in the way he should go, and a priority to do so! But this quote showed me that my homeschooling is just the product of my convictions, therefore my priority. My focal point should be the Lord. Having his peace, being refreshed in His Word, brings me the patience that I need to be able to homeschool, and shows me the Love that  I need to transfer to my family every day. Make it a point to focus on the Lord as your focal point every day! http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/cwhulin/31161/ Wed, 5 Oct 2005 10:35:00 -0500 http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/cwhulin/31161/ I've always used coupons to grocery shop, my son helps me shop by looking at the pictures! But now I've taken it to a new level. Our church has a coupon club where we meet once a month for prayer, then swap coupons. We have an email group where we let each other know of sales and what website has good coupons to coincide with the sales for extra savings (the best help is thegrocerygame.com). Granted, it takes time to cut and organize all the coupons, but I saved 60% on my groceries last week! While my son is doing his bible reading, I can cut and organize my coupons, then we go to the store and take our calculator (to stick to our budget), and shop together for a great lesson in math!  http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/cwhulin/31148/ Wed, 5 Oct 2005 10:03:00 -0500 http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/cwhulin/31148/ "You will gradually be tuning your heart to play a different melody." It almost sounds like a fortune cookie or horoscope (or horrorscope I call it!). But I appreciate the message, that as the seasons of our lives change, our hearts gradually change. Not abruptly, because that could be a sign that there might be a problem; from simply being unprepared to incurring a trauma. Either way, if change is not gradual, it can be traumatizing. One example I can think of is my husband leaving the house on Saturday with our Ford Expedition to get it washed. He came home six hours later with a new car! New to us anyway. It is still an '03, but thankfully had less miles on it. It is a Ford Escape (or es-ca-pay, like Dory the fish says on Finding Nemo!). We had been talking all week about getting a smaller car to save gas, but our challenge was that we owed more on the car than what it was worth. But after finding out how much we would save in gas and mileage, it was worth it to trade it in. Not only do we get better mileage, but it costs less to fill up the tank. I am driving more now than ever with taking my son to several homeschool co-ops during the week, gymnastics, volunteering at the nursing home that my grandmother is a resident at (which is the furthest away, so we only go once a week), choir, piano lessons, and park day. So when my husband came home with the new car (after talking to me on the phone about it several times while he was at the dealership), I was prepared to see it and embrace the change, however, my 16 yo daughter hadn't been included in all our conversations so she was a little traumatized by the change. Not knowing the car we had for over the last 2 years was about to be gone forever, gave her a little shock. Being young, she bounced back quickly. I think it also helped that she saw how we embraced the change well. We miss the DVD player, and seating for 8. We won't be cramming our youth group into it any more! Now only 5 people fit, but our oldest has her own car now and takes herself places. At least I still have my 6 CD changer! We called our old car, "Big Red" and sang a song of good bye to it (to the tune of "Bye, bye Big Ben", the song Six Flags Arlington gave to their roller coaster that was about to be dismantled for a newer one). Our new car is called, "The Silver Bullet", or "bullet" for short. It's already become part of our family! As we just also happen to be coming into the fall season, this season of our lives has changed as we drive a different car, or play a different melody if you will! What different  melody  are you gearing up for?  Just be sure and make it a gradual one, as to incur less stress along the way! http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/cwhulin/23415/ Thu, 8 Sep 2005 10:29:00 -0500 http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/cwhulin/23415/