I got to spend some quality time with just my girls today.  We didn't have an agenda other than to grab a few items at Wal-mart.   It was nice to get to eat lunch and have some good girl talk with them.  After we ate we decided to run into Good Will to look for Morgan some blue jeans.  We found her blue jeans and decided to linger a little longer and look through the houseware section.  I don't know how long we were there, but we had a great time.  We found a few Christmas decorations, a twig basket, ten cloth napkins from Pier 1, a drinking jar w/ a matching canister all for twelve dollars.  It was so nice to go treasure hunting with Lauren and Morgan and see the things they picked out -- definitely different tastes.  It also brought up fond memories of my Granny as we would see things that she used to have.  The girls are definitely growing up, but it's a nice change.  I don't just consider them my children anymore, they're also my friends.  I love that they actually want to spend time with me.  Thank you Lord for blessing me with such wonderful, caring, thoughtful daughters!

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Morgan has her own blog now.  To check it out go to www.homeschoolblogger.com/Jesusmyfriend or click on SweetP under my friends column.

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 Our first born, Lauren, turned 18 years old on Monday, October 26th.  I've been looking through her baby pictures and thinking how fast she has grown up.  It seems like only yesterday Jeff and I were bringing her home.  Take a short trip down memory lane with me as I can't resist posting some baby pictures of her.

Our bouncing baby girl, Lauren Anastasia, was born on a Saturday evening, weighing in at 8 lbs. 13 oz. and 20 1/2 in. long. 

The belle of the ball --- everyone was so excited when she came.  She was the first grandbaby for both of these adoring grandmothers.  Left to Right:  Carol, aka Mammie (Jeff's mom);  proud Daddy -- Jeff;  baby Lauren in my arms;  Barbara, aka MawMaw (my mom).

Miss Piggy!  She grew fast and was a chunk to carry around.  At 10 weeks old she was weighing in at 13 pounds.  She was such a good baby, sleeping through the night since she was 6 weeks old.

At 9 months old she was sitting up and taking her first unattended steps.  She decided she wanted to walk first and still wasn't crawling.  She had to do something to work off those ever growing thighs.

Such a happy girl, sitting in her rocking chair and smiling for the camera at 10 1/2 months old. 

Smiling at her daddy on Christmas morning. (13 1/2 months old) 

At 16 months old, staying warm inside her Mammie's house during the Blizzard of '93.  As you can see, she was still trying to work off those thighs. 

~~~ And now, with those thunder thighs long gone, she has grown into a beautiful, mature young lady.  I never could've imagined that God would bless us with such a wonderful daughter, but he did.  She truly is a gift from above.  Here she is celebrating her day.

Our "monkey girl" with her monkey wrapping paper.  We are always calling her a monkey and I was so thrilled to actually find wrapping paper with chimps on it for her.

Waiting to open gifts 

Morgan lighting the candles for her big sister

For more birthday pictures, visit Lauren's blog --- www.homeschoolblogger.com/borncountry.

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"So long as we insist upon defining our identities only in terms of our work, so long as we try to blind ourselves to the needs of our children and harden our hearts against them, we will continue to feel torn, dissatisfied, and exhausted.... The guilt we feel for neglecting our children is a byproduct of our love for them. It keeps us from straying too far from them, for too long. Their cry should be more compelling than the call from the office."

- Danielle Crittenden, What Our Mothers Didn't Tell Us

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For Today...

Outside my window... the sun is shining brightly, the leaves are a beautiful color, and the chickens are roaming around in search for food.

I am thinking... about Lauren reciting Julius Caesar this morning to the other kids and them laughing their heads off.  It was kind of funny!

From the learning room... busy, busy, busy -- Lauren and Andrew are reading their first play by Shakespeare, Julius Caesar;  For science --- Andrew is reading about Mammoth Cave, Lauren is learning about the skeletal muscle system in anatomy, Morgan and David are finishing up studying the human digestive system (gross!);  For history --- Lauren and Andrew are studying the central event in history:  Jesus, by studying the Gospel of Luke along with their history book, and then Morgan and David are learning about the last western frontier.  Whew!  It wears me out just thinking about it.  I love it though!

I am thankful for... new friends ... thank you Lord!

From the kitchen... country pork chops with corn on the cob (in the crock pot now -- it smells so good!), fried okra, roasted new potatoes, and Texas toast --- good ole Southern food.  Yum!

I am wearing... my pajamas, but I will change before Jeff gets home.

I am reading... The Killer Angels by Michael Shaara -- among other things.

I am hoping... for a pretty week, so the kids can get outside.

I am creating... my two week menu, so I can start on my next grocery list.

I am hearing... crunch, crunch, crunch --- as the kids eat their lunch.

Around the house... it's time to drag out the kids' winter clothes and see what will and won't fit, what needs to be kept or given away/passed down, and what might need to be added to their collection.

One of my favorite things... autumn -- the cool, crisp air and the colors of the leaves, it's my favorite season.

A few plans for the rest of the week... school lessons of course, CBS (Bible study),  haircuts for us girls, homeschool co-op, dinner with friends, and watching the Alabama game

Here is a picture thought I am sharing with you...

 Country Pork Chops with Corn on the Cob -- tonight's supper

To learn more about the Simple Woman's Daybook go to:  http://thesimplewomansdaybook.blogspot.com

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I've been up late tonight, actually it's early Thursday morning, trying to secretly shop online for Lauren's upcoming 18th birthday.  18 -- Wow, do I feel old!  What do you get an 18 year old that doesn't want anything?  She's not really into the things most kids her age are.  I told her the other day that she was born old.  I was finally able to pick her something out, but that's all I'm saying about it.  I just hope she likes it. 

So, now that I've already stayed up till after one in the morning I'm having a hard time winding down.  It's been a crazy week, I'm surprised I'm not sleep-typing.  Jeff took the van to the shop for work Monday, so that meant I had to pick him up when he finished (60 miles round trip).  The kids were so tired Monday from going to two church picnics on Sunday that I let them be lazy and take the day off from school work.  But, because I can't stand to get behind on certain subjects they've been catching back up since then.  Morgan has had a horrible swimmer's ear infection this week and after playing phone tag with the doctor's office for half the day Monday, I took her in Tuesday so she could get some ear drops -- which we had to wait and wait on.  She's better, but not well yet.  Then Wednesday, Troy and Rhonda called from the road.  They were about an hour from us and hadn't got a load out, so they thought they'd come stay the night.  We stopped school work and rushed to straighten up, vacuum, etc., but before we could even finish they called back to say they got a load and would have to leave.  (I hate we didn't get to visit with them though, it's been April since we've seen them.)  So, I figured while we were at it we'd go ahead and finish cleaning the house.  Then back to work trying to finish school lessons.   I feel like we should have just taken the week off from school.  Tomorrow (I mean today) I've got to ride in with Jeff  at 6:30 AM to get the van back.  Since I'll be in town I really need to do my grocery shopping for the next two weeks instead of making an extra trip back.  One plus side to that is I can get fresh donuts and coffee from Amazing Glaze while I'm waiting for the auto repair shop to open up.   We'll have to miss our Bible study (CBS) -- just not enough time to get the van, get back home, and get to the church.  But Friday we get to go to our homeschool co-op and see all our new friends.  Then on to dinner and fellowship at one of those new friend's house.  So, things are looking up this week.  If only I could just learn to go with the flow a little more when those interruptions come up that prevent us from getting every single bit of school work done that I had planned for the week.  Because in the middle of all those spelling, grammar, vocabulary, writing, literature, math, history, science, and Latin lessons -- life happens.

After 2:00 AM!  Bedtime!

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(taken from Daily Focus -- a devotional for homeschoolers by homeschoolers)

Totally Lost
Tuesday / October 06, 2009


Some days, even the best homeschool teacher has trouble communicating a lesson. Whether you're teaching equations in algebra or diagramming sentences in grammar, a change begins to occur in your child when he does not comprehend the information you are covering. You've seen the look — a blank stare, a squint, eyebrows up in the form of a question mark. The body begins to fidget and unintelligible utterances come from his mouth. He doesn't have a clue what you are talking about and is totally lost. What are you going to do?

When I was new to homeschooling, I walked away in frustration or assumed my child was not paying attention. I tried repeating the same information or using a louder voice. With infinite variations, the battle went on until I realized the problem was not with my child; it was with me. I was the teacher, and I had failed to teach. I needed to try again and approach the information from a different angle — a new learning style or additional visual aids.

Thankfully, God doesn't lose His temper or walk away from us when teaching life's lessons. When we begin our fussing routine or get that lost look, He gently wraps His arms around us and takes us back to where we last understood. Lovingly, He leads us to godly counsel from Christian friends or words of wisdom from the Scriptures. The Holy Spirit customizes each particular lesson until we grow "in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ" (2 Peter 3:18).

Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths" (Proverbs 3:5-6).

I received this timely devotional this afternoon.  It just so happens that this very thing happened to me today.  And although I'm not new to homeschooling, as we were trying to solve for an unknown with the attitive inverse in pre-algebra today, I assumed Morgan was not paying attention as I tried to repeat the information for her over and over again -- eventually in a louder and louder voice.  Finally I did walk away in frustration and ended pre-algebra for the day, deciding to just try again tomorrow.  Yes, I failed her today.   In the end I let my temper get the best of me, not seeing that I wasn't getting the information across to her in a way she could understand it.  I'm sorry, Morgan!  Tomorrow I will try it again, but this time I will remember to gently wrap my arms around her and take her back to where she last understood, just as the Lord has done with me many times in the past and continues to do so every day.  Even though I know it to be true, I am always in awe by the fact that God knows and gives us exactly what we need at the exact time we need it.  Thank you Lord!

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“You can teach a student a lesson for a day; but if you can teach him to learn by creating curiosity, he will continue the learning process as long as he lives.”  ~Clay P. Bedford 

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I came across this the other day and thought about how true it is for me.  I am so thankful that I can stay at home and teach my children.  When I was their age I could've cared less about what I was learning about in school.  At the time it just wasn't interesting to me -- maybe it was the way the material was presented or just the public school environment overall, I don't know.  But, all of my children love to learn and I love to learn right along with them. 

Homeschooling is for Parents--

How many of us went through school without learning anything in general, or remembering anything in particular? We were neither interested nor motivated. We were simply serving our 12 year sentence. We now have another opportunity to learn these things as we teach them to our children. We have the opportunity to learn:

• The math we never understood.
• The science from a Christian instead of from a naturalistic perspective.
• The history they never taught us.
• The classical language they never offered us.
• The logic they never allowed us to use.

We never learn anything so well as when we ourselves have to teach it. What a blessing it is to have children to teach. And there are many things only a parent can teach his child.

Homeschooling is saving two generations: first us, then our children. We all must go on to earn our Ph.D. — Doctor of Parenthood.

Taken from "Seven Undeniable Truths of Homeschooling" (Number Seven) --- by Harvey Bluedorn (www.triviumpursuit.com)

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I believe in Christianity as I believe that the sun has risen:  not only because I see it, but because by it I see everything else.

C.S. Lewis

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