Posted in Every Day Blessings

Since my deep sea diver discovery, I started to take notice of how often this is starting to happen.  Here is how this mornings conversation got totally sidetracked, turning a 15 minute assignment into an hour:

          "Mama, did you know that I am the only person in the world that can travel to the future?"  This is said while 1ds11y is SUPPOSED to be writing and gluing in timeline pictures in his Book of Centuries.  1ds11y has just glued & written in Beijing Olympics for August 2008 in his BoC.  The kids like to play a silly (sidetracked) game with their BoC's where they touch a certain event and "magically" they are transported to that time and event.  Often times they have to go and save the world from catastrophe or each other LOL.  1ds11y is the only one this morning who (so far) has something written down for a future event. 

          Next question: "Mama, where is the winter Olympics going to be?"

          "I'm not sure son.  I'm not sure if they have picked a city yet – it is a long process that the city has to apply for, now finish your BoC" trying to avoid the discussion – if I give the empression that 'I don't know' then USUALLY the topic is dropped.

          "Well, they should have it in Albuquerque."

          "Albuquerque isn't big enough"

          "How come?''

          "We don't have enough hotels and facilities to house all the Olympians and the various support people, let alone the spectators and press."

          "How many people would come?"

          "Well, think about how many countries there are in the world.  There is a possibility of having one athlete for each event from each country and usually there are entire teams coming from just one country for each event."

          "So how many countries are there in the world"

          "Son, finish your BoC."

          "Okay, while I do this, go look it up K?  What country would you want to have the winter Olympics in?"

          Mom googles counties in the world slightly curious herself "195 give or take" trying to avoid the second question.

          "What is the give or take?"

          Mother goes into a discussion about who is recognized as an independent country and explains that other countries (not just the US) have territories that are not technically considered an individual country, so on and so forth.  "Now can we please get back to finishing your school work?"

          "okay, but would they ever have the Olympics in a territory?"  Mom gives the evil eye and doesn't answer. 

          A few minutes later 1ds11y asks "what is today's date?" runs to computer to check sees picture of un-contacted tribe in Brazil and decides that should go in BoC then asks "where exactly is this tribe?  How many other tribes do you think there are undiscovered?  What if you were walking along in the Amazon and you walked into this tribe?  Why are two red and one black?  What do they eat?

          "I DON'T KNOW!!!! -- they are UNCONTACTED!!!" 

          "Do you think they would eat you (WHAT? and WHERE? did he come up with THAT!!!) … and, on and on and on and I wonder why my head is spinning at the end of the day!!! LOL

          I know that I shouldn't give in to EVERY question that he has, but part of me thinks that this is an important thought process and I need to listen and answer his questions especially since I know that one day he won't ask the questions (at least to me).  Never mind that this particular time it is only the ONE son asking the questions, when I have all three going it is just plain crazy off the wall 'how did we get here?' conversations with absolutely NO school getting done or off on some crazy bunny trail that is good and bad.  And I wonder why my terms school work isn't finished?

NOTE:  We have since discovered,like the rest of he world that this existence of this tribe has been known since 1910 and that the news story was basically leaked as truth, to disclose the danger the logging industry has to these peoples.  Shhh!  Please don't tell my children this or we will have another 2hr dissertation on the effects of logging in the rainforrest and the global effects it has on penguins!!!!

© Copyright 2008 Jacque Ward http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/wacque/

Posted in Every Day Blessings

Aside from the title, this video is so FUN!  it makes me wish I was still flying and that we could travel more.  Someday ... enjoy!

P.S.  If the video keeps jumping then just view it directly at the site

Posted in Every Day Blessings

Well you just knew I would have a melt down eventually with the schedule of events that I have had going on LOL.  I stayed sick with the bronchitis/flu thing for 6 weeks and I am still coughing off and on.  Dh is utterly exhausted and trying hard not to get what I had.  Kids have been sick off and on – cough, stomach and just being completely irrational and unreasonable.  Thankfully another commitment – well actually two – have fallen off the list and hopefully we can get back to schooling and catching up with ourselves. 

There are still so many things on the ToDo list:  reclaim my house, de-clutter the entire house, set up boys bedrooms and school area ~ again, clean up the yard, plant the garden, paint inside and out, clean the car inside and out, and do yearly school planning.  Somewhere in there I need to do some vacation brainstorming, financial planning and hopefully loose 15 pounds.  We still have a wedding to go to, soccer parent sign ups, Reading Rainbow taping and award luncheon, Mother’s day – oh that is THIS weekend, hmm and Memorial day weekend.  One can hope that twin mattresses go on sale somewhere that weekend because that would really help with the "setting up the bedrooms" situation.  Thankfully none of this will take place without His provision and praying that it will all get done and be done in His will.  Until then…

© Copyright 2008 Jacque Ward http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/wacque/

Posted in Every Day Blessings

The finally day of convention opened with me still in bed not feeling too great.  Had it not been for my 1ds11y enthusiastic plead to go, I’m not sure I would have made it out of bed (Dh took other boys off to soccer games).  Besides being rather tired, my cold has moved into my chest so I am hacking & coughing so much that my poor diaphragm is so sore it is hard to breath.  But in order to keep the fires ignited I managed to pry myself out of bed and only miss the worship portion of the closing ceremonies.  Chris Klicka’s topic “The Heart of Home Schooling:  Living What Really Matters” was not only encouraging, it reminded me that having relationships is the reason why we homeschool.  Really that is the only thing that matters:  our relationship with the L-rd, and each other. 

The next session was Get Real by Todd Wilson and this was probably my favorite workshop of the entire convention.  Not only is the man funny, he is Biblical, encouraging, inspiring, and he gave easy to remember practical put into action right now advice that I don’t have to read a book first to understand.  He is so REAL himself it was like a sigh of relief!

The last session was Fiery Furnace Schooling which I was hoping would give me practical advice on homeschooling with my dh’s “all over the clock, never two days off in a row, barely making ends” meet job.  While I was humbled that the women in this workshop had bigger, much bigger, furnaces – single parents, dh’s having affairs, runaway kids, dying mothers, dying fathers, suicide homeschoolers, depressed homeschool kids and more  –  it still didn’t solve my own fiery furnace.  I walked out of this workshop hearing G-d say put together that workshop... the workshop that I needed that tells moms how to live with dh’s who work split shifts, swing shifts, night shift and how to make it all work with homeschooling.    I could hear myself crying out to the L-rd saying, “okay but L-rd you have to tell me how to live with my own situation first” and then the words of this workshop hit me. 

Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego were in the fiery furnace but they were not alone.  The fourth man in the fire, protecting them, being with them, saving them, “never leaving them, nor forsaking them” was Jesus and He is always there for you and me.  G-d is always in the furnace with us and we just need to stay where G-d is until He releases us.  We need to stay in the fiery furnace until the work is complete, until “the gold is made pure” and we need to look for the 4^th man in the fire.  For that lesson, I am so grateful for this workshop.

And that ended convention!  I managed to stay away from spending money on yet another book or more curriculum that will sit on my shelf until I have time to read it or use it, which might just be when my ds graduates LOL   My 1ds11yr did spend some of his birthday money on some fun science things from R & D Education Center: a gel ant farm, and Torso Joe (a model of the human body) – things that he has been wanting for a long time.  There were oh! so many things I wanted to get but G-d just convicted me that I am turning into a curriculum junkie and I need to just use what I have, finish the books I’ve got and stop collecting so much S.T.U.F.F (not to mention that it helps the pocket book too)

What I love best about this weekend is that it puts dh & I back on the same page and reminds dh how to support our Homeschool.  Overall it was a terrific convention and I got waaay more out of than I expected and my 1ds11y can’t wait for next year’s convention so I guess he enjoyed it too. 

Posted in Every Day Blessings

Well today was jam packed full of fun, encouragement and seeing convention through the eyes of my 11 year old very excited son.  The funny thing was that NONE of today was about the nuts and bolts of actually homeschooling LOL.  I received encouragement on how to be a good wife, on having a great marriage, how to be a more focused mother (HA!) and how to take better care of my body --- all which will help with homeschooling but not the nitty gritty of schooling which I thought was a bit interesting.

I struggled a bit with this cough/cold that I can’t seem to shake but over all it was a fulfilling day.  Todd Wilson opened with an encouraging message about our roles as husbands, wives, experienced and inexperienced homeschoolers.  I walked away realizing that even though I am still learning “HOW” to make MY homeschool work that I am considered a veteran and need to also encourage homeschoolers just starting out – not that I don’t but I never saw myself as eventually being an “veteran”.  LOL

The next workshop, also by Todd, was probably the most important workshop I attended in that it reminded me that putting my dh first is vital not only to my marriage, to my homeschool but it is a mandate by G-d Himself.  Being teachers all day long, we tend to sometimes forget that our husbands come first and that this is the greatest danger to our school when we don’t put them first because without them then we don’t have a marriage, a home, a family or a school, again, not that I don’t do this, but it was a good reminder of what really matters in our homeschool and where my priorities should always lie.

The next workshop was Box Free Living by Diana Waring and unfortunately this is where the sinus medicine kicked in and I started to waver although I did enjoy her workshop that had nothing to do with boxed curriculum that I thought it would be about but rather the “boxes” or preconceived ideas that we stuff our children into.  It was more about Biblical parenting than it was about homeschooling and allowing our children (within reason) to be who G-d intended them to be.  I liked that she said, “Love is messy” but that is okay if we do not allow it to live in a box – boxes of rules, behavior modifications, legalism and judgment – but rather allow love to flourish with obedience, compassion and humility. 

Next was LUNCH!! and not only did I get to meet Mr. Wilson’s wife, they actually sat at our table and it really was a wonderful experience considering the crazy actions of my dh.  My ds11y also seemed to be excited and enjoying this “older” world of thought and ideas.  I’m sure he liked the extra attention away from his brothers too. 

After lunch came the most convicting of workshops by Renee Ellison called The Power of a Focused Mom.  Being home all day long with our kids, homeschooling, disciplining them, but doing it all around my agenda as homemaker I have seen that I have started to turn my focus away from the relationship and that I am missing windows of opportunities as a mother.  This is why I love convention.  I was probably on the way down the road of wishing my motherhood away but convention stops me in my tracks and marches me right back to the reasons why we picked this road to begin with.  It is so easy to turn the wrong way or let the littlest things distract us and then there we are wondering what happened.  Renee also gave some very practical tips that I can’t wait to start using on ME to focus better.

In her workshop, Beyond Survival, again poor Diana had me nodding off but this time is was from our big lunch.  I’m grateful that her book by the same title is on its way to my house via PaperBackSwap so hopefully I can put more than just survival into our homeschool and maybe fill in the missing blanks of this workshop. LOL

The last workshop of the day was the most fascinating in that it was looking at Health and Wellness from a Biblical Perspective.  It was jam packed with not only reasons why nutrition, water and exercise are good for you but what G-d’s word says about it.  Truly amazing and I hope to possibly have a personal consultation with the speaker sometime in the future since he was also a nutritionist, doctor and sport therapist. 

I think the highlight of the day was attending graduation that evening.  NINTY graduates this year and it was tear-jerking to see kids that we grew up with get their diplomas.  I could only think that the 1ds11y sitting next to me would be doing the same in less than 7 years.  I can’t even imagine the young man that will be walking up to receive his diploma from his dad and ME!  Boy did I feel humbled and yet so proud for the mom’s whose sons and daughters that were graduating NOW.  I couldn’t help but feel that I was looking at our future.  These kids were the leaders we NEED for tomorrow for a better world and for a country that seeks G-d again.  It made me proud to say I am a homeschooling mom.

Posted in Every Day Blessings

Posted in Every Day Blessings

Okay maybe someone can enlighten me.  My silly husband gets the newletter/emails from "Your'Da Dad - Todd Wilson" who is speaking this year at homeschool convention.  Somehow my dh figures that "Mr. Dad" will be in his RV, at a Walmart, somewhere in Albuquerque, before convention actually officially starts and my dh goes looking for him!!!!  I am soooo NOT joking -- further more he FINDS the man. 

Honestly I just don't even know what to think -- either my dh is off his rocker or he truly needs more sleep.  Any way my dh and my boys meet Mr. Dad and his 8 kids (in the Walmart parking lot!) and I guess they hit it off or something.  But what baffles me about all this is that my dh left me in bed -- sleeping off this stupid cough/cold/flu that has been hanging around for the last 4 weeks making me miserable -- totally unaware that anybody is gone, on my 1ds BIRTHDAY!!!!!!  Now tell me -- is this how 11year olds like to spend their birthdays?  I say NOT!!!  I was so trying to be nice about it but golly what posseses my dh?  I wouldn't be surprised if Mr. Dad puts a restraining order out on my dh -- I WOULD!!! lol  

OH!  and this is why mom's should NEVER EVER in their lifetime get sick.  Here is the birthday cake that my dh makes for my poor son's birthday because I am too sick to do it:

I just pray that the L-rd heals me soon because somebody needs to "BE the MOM" around here LOL

UPDATE:  Mr. Dad has since blogged about this "experience" here and you can even see all my boys together INSIDE his RV - still shaking head in disbelief LOL

Posted in Every Day Blessings

My family does not watch American Idol - frankly we aren't really big fans of any TV show; hardly watch the thing.  So it was news to me that American Idol last year had a counterpart show called The Next Great American Band (also not watched by my family and apparently not by the millions either because it aired on Friday nights but you can see all their performances at the link). 

The winners of this show were The Clark Brothers - three boys of 11 children whose father was a traveling tent evangelist/revival preacher.  They started out in public school but ended up being homeschooled because they were on the road as a family ministry (learned this from a podcast interview).  For this reason alone, it made me wish my family DID watch American Idol because on their “Idol gives back” week they has a guest performance where they sang a gospel song which is just amazing and totally brought Glory to G-d.  Dolly Parton was on the same show and sang her new song "Jesus and Gravity".  Maybe some day the TV producers will wake up and see that America wants and needs fewer idols and more of HIM.  Hope this blesses you as it has me:

Posted in Every Day Blessings

Okay trying so hard not to complain but this day, well the past week just has not been going too well so I am going to try to see the PTL's in all this:

PTL for my bil who is loaning us his truck since my dh's car has died and it looks like it is going to the junk yard because it will cost more than we bought the car for ($300) to replace the timing something or other that is wrong with it now ($700).

PTL that we didn't have to spend the $500 on my dogs eye (that the vet said we needed - personally think the vet thought he needed my $500 but that's a whole nother story) because it HEALED by G-d's grace.  Now to continue praying that the dog's silly eyelashes will grow out instead of in, so she doesn't do it again.

PTL that AngelFood has come to our city and that it will help with the budget that my dh has now put us on in the food department -- praying that I can feed us for $50 a week.  It is all by G-d's grace.

PTL that the washing machine that completely overflowed into the hall and all over the place doesn't need replacing and that it was just a child (who I am very grateful for) overstuffing the washer.

PTL that under the washer, behind the washer, under the dryer and behind the dryer are now all clean (even though my morning WHB for today hasn't started).

PTL that my oldest ds (who isn't the best of cooks) didn't burn too many of the rice pancakes this morning, trying a new recipe that he found and that we actually liked this concoction.

PTL that I know cherry eyes can go away especially since the dog now has another one because she scratched it out again this morning.

PTL that dh got to spend the morning with us and he was here to assess the washing machine when it flooded (even though my WHB nor school is done)

I'm STARTING my AFTERNOON WHB now and praying that we also get some school in today AND that this week goes better than last week.

Praise God, from Whom all blessings flow;
Praise Him, all creatures here below;
Praise Him above, ye heavenly host;
Praise Father, Son, and Holy Ghost.

Posted in Every Day Blessings

Am I the only one TOTALLY outraged by this?  Okay we (my family) obviously do not watch enough TV that I should be upset about this especially since I JUST found out, but I am still totally bugged.  I was just informed by my TV watching mother that all my TV's aren't going to work in a year's time.  Yes, it was that smug, "oh, haven't you heard that those old rabbit ears are going to be obsolete?  Well, they have been talking all about it for months now"  Humph!  Well, obviously NOT!  I have gone to the DTV FCC website and read the whole FAQ page and I understand that this is for the common good and yes, I heard that the government is even going to give me a $40 voucher so I can upgrade my existing TV sets ("how nice" she said sarcastically).

BUT THIS STILL JUST TOTALLY BUGS ME!!! 

It seems like such a waste of money, of resources, of my time to figure out if my over-the-ancient-hill TV sets can be converted to the "new" system (which I will almost guarantee they will NOT!!!).  Yes, I understand that I will still be able to watch VHS (yes, we are in the dark ages and still have those) and DVDS and someday my dear poor peasant family will be able to watch regular TV again when we sell our first born to buy a new DTV to replace our perfectly fine but obsolete analog TV's.  And don't tell me that in this culture and in the world we live in today that people aren't going to just toss their old TV out with the baby's bathwater thus making more trash and waste while the poor people in Africa wish they had some drinking water.  It just makes me sick but this just shouldn't bother me since we rarely watch anything on TV including the news and this shouldn't bother me since most of anything that you want to watch you can find somewhere on the net and this shouldn't bother me because there is nothing but junk on TV anyhow and this shouldn't bother me because haven't I been saying for awhile now that we should just get rid of the stupid box? 

But I AM STILL BUGGED 

Posted in Every Day Blessings

A dear friend of mine says it best,  "we are becoming Charlotte Mason unschoolers" LOL!  Can there be such a thing because I think that is what my family is becoming?  I am struggling with my schedule again (part of the Ugha Mugha rut that we are experiencing).  Not what is in the schedule; that's all good -- it isn't getting done but it is good when we do the school schedule.  No, I am talking about the day to day schedule.  The eat breakfast, comb hair, make bed at at any reasonable time before afternoon -- that schedule.  I tend to blame dh's work for our craziness but honestly isn't it G-d who gave dh this job?  So G-d knew that this was going to be difficult for me and for our homeschool so I just wonder if there is something bigger that I am missing?  Another friend suggested that I look at our homeschool schedule by dh's shift since I was having such difficulty with following a Monday thru Friday sort of schedule.  The thought had me pondering completely about our schedule and what we do.  After the Ugha Mugha day I thought I would take a look at that day a little closer.  In reality it was a day off for us because it was my dh's day off but this is what a day without any momentum looked like:

·      middle ds read 9 books to youngest ds out loud - good for both

·      youngest son didn't get enough reading from middle son so he went off to read to himself – also very good since this is my reluctant reader

·      oldest son finished and practiced his speech on ancient pharaohs of Egypt that he gives this week at Toastmasters without ANY urging on my part

·      all worked on and finished the leather moccasins we are making with a bit of help from dad

·      middle ds finished reading his library book that was a bit advanced for him

·      all watched a movie about Nefertiti - left over passion from last term about Egypt & not even related to this term

·      oldest son discovered how tetrachords work and played the piano non stop (now that he knows what key to play in), to the point that he was grounded from the piano because he was driving everyone crazy

·      youngest son decided to write his own song on the piano and he is putting notes to paper and has decided that his song will have words but he hasn't written them yet- he is still writing the music ("I can't write the words until I know what the music sounds like MOM!!")

·      we all watched a Blue jay throwing rocks -- not sure why the bird was throwing rocks but it was

·      oldest walked the dog of his own incentive -- counting this as exercise LOL I beg him to do this every other day

·      youngest drew "tornado's across Kansas" in chalk on the back porch -- we are learning about Kansas so at least this tells me he is listening

·      youngest pulls out the pirate ship and decides to act out a scene from the Tempest - we are also reading this from Shakespeare and despite the fact that his Tempest is rather violent, ds does have most of the story straight, so again confirmation that learning is taking place on the days we in fact do it 

·         all played games of chess

So despite my lack of momentum (did I mention that I am in my PJ's and it is 3pm?) my kids are having a day of school -- lol just not the day that is in the planner

Posted in Every Day Blessings

Arrgh!  We're in a rut -- a school rut, a "I don't want to do anything" rut, a "I'm sick of winter" rut, a "I don't want to do this job" rut (speaking mostly for dh here but I'm not too keen on my "I need to clean this closet out" job), a "I'm sick of water and don't want to exercise" rut, a "we need a vacation" rut --- a just a plain "you name it" RUT lol!

I don't know if it is Spring fever or if we are just suffering from the seven year itch of my dh's "awful hours" job.  I just can't seem to shake the blahs.  I have read that even public school teachers go through this so maybe it is just the natural course of things that happen this time of year.  I've been told that a fieldtrip might help to change it up and get out for a bit.  It didn't.  The boys (dh and my older two) went up to the capitol for TeenPact last weekend.  Had a great time; got to see the governor and smoozed with all the political folks on capitol hill and promptly came home to sit in our RUT!  While they were smoozing I took the littlest one to the zoo.  We walked around and looked at all the animals.  They seemed so sad and they all looked like they were in awful RUTS. 

I just want to DO something exciting!  Something different, crazy and foolish that doesn't cost me an arm and a leg, but the practical side of me keeps everything in check.  I just want to run away from the four walls that seem to be caving in on me.  Yet I haven't a clue what to do, what we can afford to do or what kind of energy it is going to take to climb out of this rut (and just to clarify - this isn't a depression which I have experienced -although it could turn to one so I need to keep it in check.  This is just a lackadaisy feeling of being bored and not wanting to do anything about it.  LOL I never really looked at that word: lackadaisy -- that describes it best --- I lack a Daisy! LOL).

In the past I think I just rearranged furniture but honestly I really want to dump the "not good enough for the Goodwill" furniture and start over but that ain't gonna happen so here I stay sitting in my lackadaisy rut LOL!

Ugha Mugha!

Posted in Every Day Blessings

Well I didn't really want to tell anybody but I started a New Year's resolution to drink more water.  This is a tough one for me because I realllllllly hate water.  I know!  I know, water is so good for you and it has so many healthy benefits blah! blah! blah! 

I only like drinking it when it is a realllllly hot day and I have been working very hard and I can drink it down really, really fast (probably so I don't taste it).  I didn't want to tell the whole world that I started this because then I would have to follow through with how I am doing, which usually means an update of how I am NOT doing and I just didn't want that disappointment from breaking yet again another New Year's resolution. 

Ha!  But because I haven't been around much I have to explain why LOL.  I really was on a steady pace.  I was up to about 6 glasses a day when low and behold -- broken glass of water all over my keyboard!  Fried the keyboard and I was hopping mad at that water LOL!  It took us awhile before we could replace the keyboard but I had discovered a few things in drinking all that water:

1) Auntie Flo is really quite tolerable with all that water.  As a matter of fact, I had no idea she was coming until she arrived.  My only indication that it was "that time" was that I had gained an extra pound which I was blaming on the water.  Aunt Flo didn't even want the can of Pringles that she usually kills for when she gets here so maybe there is something good to say about the water LOL. 

2)  My headaches came on pretty strong when I first started all this water (I suffer from migraines) but as soon as my body got used to all that water I think that they were getting better.  I honestly think that all that water was washing out so many toxins in my body that I was feeling worse at first (and in the bathroom so often LOL) but now I think it is starting to stabilize.  I just wish I could remember to drink it but I guess like any habit it just takes “keeping doing it”.

So in case you were wondering, that is the long story of why I have been missing. 

Blame it all on the blank blank water LOL

Posted in Every Day Blessings

We spent today making and writing Christmas cards.  Many of the gifts we get, come from people who we don't get to see, over the holidays or they live out-of-town, so I like the boys to write a little something so that they know that we got their presents and that we liked them.  I adapted this very cute Santa handpainting so I thought this would be a nice thank you card.  If you don't want to be that ambitious with your kiddos, then you can print off this Christmas Thank You stationary.  While the boys were doing their painting we listened to a few online Christmas stories from Story Nory.  Fun and easy -- just wish writing the thank you's for my boys was as fun and easy LOL!

Posted in Every Day Blessings

MERRY CHRISTmas!

Our Christmas was truly blessed this year but oooh so busy.  4 homes in a 12 hour time span is just too much.  I don't know maybe this is what everybody does but I just don't have the stamina.  I tell myself every year that it isn't going to be like this but I can't figure out how to change it and not hurt everyone's feelings (it is the same situation with the more than 50 gifts but that is a whole 'nother story). 

I did put my foot down this year though.  We open gifts at the inlaws house on Christmas Eve but they ALWAYS seem to plan dinner at the time our church has services and to be nice we usually miss going to church.  Well not this year.  We went late to the family gathering and went to church which was truly a blessing to attend services with my boys. 

The whole week before Christmas we drive through the neighborhood looking and voting on our favorite decorated house and then on Christmas Eve we ding'dong'ditch a small present (usually a tree ornament) on the doorstep of our favorite decorated house with a note explaining why we did it.  It is sooo fun and it brings so much excitement to our lives.  The boys had a tough time deciding this year & I thought I would run out of gas LOL 

Our Christmas Day was a HOOT!  The kiddos really got into the "Silly Gifts" (giving gifts from around the house and not buying anything new)!  It was a riot and it will be some of my favorite memories of this Christmas!  My youngest one was the best at this.  He wrapped up my purse, dh's polished work shoes, a kleenex box for my ds who still has a bit of a cold and cans of Garbanzo beans!  Man, I have never laughed so hard in all my life.  We all did! 

I didn't get to finish all my Christmas plans this year in that I got a touch of stomach flu and dh's work schedule is just GROSS.  From the Dec 14th until Dec 24th he had no evenings home and he ONLY had Christmas Day off (and no end insight until after New Years).  UCK!  Needless to say we didn't even finish our candle dinners.  He is soooo tired and I just can't wait for the New Year to come so he can relax a bit.  That's retail though and I am grateful that he has a job because I know it could be worse.

We are just kicking back this week enjoying the short vacation.  I've been a Scrooge keeping the boys in school until Christmas Eve because they are behind with a few things that have January deadlines (not things that I personally planned but classes they are going to).  I am doing some serious school planning for the next term hoping that having a better plan will make everything go smoother & maybe we won't get behind again. 

Other than that the rest of the week is planned for RELAXING!!  I can't even think about taking down our tree until at least Jan 1st - it is sort of my tradition to do that while the boys are watching football.  Most of the other decorations will come down between now and then but I'm in no hurry.  It is such a rush to get them up and do all that needs to be done that "I" personally don't get to truly enjoy it all until after.  I hope to maybe even get in a little fun for me like scrapping or crafting. 

I hope your Christmas was blessed too! 

Posted in Every Day Blessings

Haifa Technion Scientists Create World's Smallest Bible

“What is that?  A tick?”  DS6

“No, it is the world’s smallest Bible.”

“So does that now mean that ticks can become Christians too?”

Kids!  Where do they come up with this stuff?! LOL

Posted in Every Day Blessings

DS8:  “Mama, I wish I could give Jesus a (Christmas) present.”

Mama:  “Well, if you could give Jesus a present what would you give Him?” sort of nonchalant.

DS8:  “A box!!  A box you could never open!” with a twinkle in his eye.

Mama:  “What would be inside the box?” wondering what is in my ds’s head.

DS8:  “hmm…  Something I made --- MY LOVE!” with excitement.

Mama:  “You know what?  You already gave Him that present!” in a whisper.

DS8:  “I did?” in a whisper back.

Mama:  “Yes!  When you took Jesus into your heart you gave Him a box FULL of your love!” with a tear in her eye and feeling HIS love.

DS8:  “I did?!!”

Mama:  “YES!  And you know what?”

DS8:  “What?”

Mama:  “Jesus gave you a present too” & thanking G-d for this Holy moment.

DS8:  “He did?  What?  Like a book or something?” being a bit of a smart aleck and almost not believing mom.

Mama:  “Well, actually yes.  He wrote your name in the Book of Life that you may be with Him for forever” practically choking with tears running down her face.

DS8:  “REALLY!!?” in awestruck amazement that Jesus wrote him in a book and with arms around his mother.

Mama:  “YES!  Really!” hugging her DS right back.

Posted in Every Day Blessings

Here is my Evan Almighty bunch working with their dad to break up that huge stack of fence that we took down to build our block wall.  They got to help dad cut it and stack it, so we can use it for firewood this winter.  I thought I took a "before" picture of the stack which was taller than my husband but I guess I didn't.  It was a monster of a task but it is so much fun to do "manly" work with dad and I'm pretty sure dad enjoyed it too but he won't admit it

Posted in Every Day Blessings

Things are starting to slow down here and the final phase of the backyard is almost complete.  I have been truly blessed by this time away although He is still working on my family and I. 

One of the things that I realized is that I was on too many high volume yahoo groups and getting too many newsletters and while many of them were useful and informative - they were taking me away from His priorities.  I've since cutback and tried to really determine what and where my time was being spent on the computer & what He wants.  When I come back FT I will really need some boundaries as to when and how much time I can be on-line so I am in prayer about that.

Another realization is that I have too much S.T.U.F.F and maintaining it and moving it from place to place is taking up too much of my valuable time.  Some of my frustration was that I would get some "great idea" but never get around to implementing it so I would have so many started projects around here and then feel overwhelmed because it felt like nothing was getting done.  Going no mail allowed me the time to finally finish some things BUT it had been so long on some things that by the time I got around to some of the projects, I had totally forgotten what the plan was, so it was wasted time and money on a pile of S.T.U.F.F.  that just needed to go.  I am trying to follow-through more with my plans instead of making more plans (saying NO) and once the backyard is complete with this final phase, I will be weeding through another layer of the "stuffings" around here. 

I hope to have pictures of the backyard soon, but until then I hope that you are keeping your priorites straight.

But the plans of the LORD stand firm forever,
       the purposes of his heart through all generations.   Psalm 33:11 

Posted in Every Day Blessings

I am just coming in for a quick update

My husband's request to take some time away from the computer is making a HUGE difference in my life right now and God only knew what was going on & what would happen soooo I am soooooo grateful that He spoke to me through my dh.

So a quick run down with what He has been doing in me.........

We decided & FINALLY found someone who would put up a desperately needed block wall around our yard.  Our fence blew down (Spring of 2006!!!!) and the neighbor's weren't too happy.  I wasn't too crazy about their dogs in my yard either & the daily run to look for either my dog or their dog was starting to reeeeealllllly get on my nerves.  WELL -- block wall contracted for beginning of October - HA!  They called the day after I went no mail, to say they had a cancellation and could they start the next morning!!!!!  We have been moving railroad ties, 80 lb cinder blocks and at least 2 loads to the dump all in a 48hr span of time (and NO, this isn't the first we have worked on this yard -- it has been an on going project that feels like it will never be finished)

To say that I am gaining Wonder Women sized biceps and have lost some of my extra padding is an understatement (to keep the price reasonable we agreed to do some of the work ourselves and from past experience we have learned that some things you just have to take care of yourself if you want it done right).  I can't believe what chaos we have be going through with the mad dash to get ready for the wall, then helping move blocks, pour foundation and other various grunt work -- and it ain't over.  AND OH my my my!  The inside of my house is a wreck because we are working so hard on the outside and of course when it rains it pours --- bathtub sprang a leak, dog brought home ticks and stupid things are breaking all over the house.  It is tough living in a construction zone especially when everything seems to be going wrong but I am grateful that some of it is getting done and I know that this too shall pass. 

I laugh because God sooooo knew this would ALL happen: 

He knew that I reeeeealllllly badly needed to loose some weight so I would fit into my clothes (and not have to go buy new ones which was seriously -- I'm not joking -- becoming an issue).  Sitting at the computer wasn't doing it for me and with all the work we have been doing I have dropped enough to fit into the clothes I have (still a bit tight but at least I can button them to wear them and all this work isn't quite done yet LOL) --- I'm extremely sore & tired, but feeling good and I think that my weight was causing some of my depression. 

He sooooo knew that my kiddos "missed me" and have come up to me since going "computer lite" and told me that they "loved me" (even asked if my computer was broke because I wasn't on it any more --- how sad huh?) vs. the "I just wish daddy were here and NOT YOU!" sort of meanness.  That was causing me such grief and boy was the enemy using that against me, thus more depression. 

He soooooo knew that some of the things that would make my life easier (like a freezer just freely given to us out of the clear blue) would now appear in my life, I *feel* because I was obedient to Him and my dh.  Not having a freezer for me was like not having a stove -- ours died 9 months ago and I have been miserable without one!!  That was making Flying really tough.

He soooooo knew that my dh would just all of a sudden give me the attention that I sooooo thought I was lacking because I was "available" again.  Available to cook his favorite foods, listen to all his concerns and just sit and watch a show together.  Most other times I was sitting on the computer while he carried on without me -- well, duh?!  That was making me feel so unloved even though I knew that was the farthest thing from the truth. 

Then I read this from Biblical Woomanhood and it was the icing on the cake:

"Submission is more than obedience; it is resting, learning, trusting, abandoning yourself to another. Submission is more than action; it is an attitude of the will that bends, and willingly so, seeking ways to obey. It is devoid of stubbornness. It begins inside with the will but works outward with purpose. Submission is based upon the confidence that God's way is the best. It acknowledges how awesome and capable God is rather than dwelling on how burdensome your husband is. Submission should not be based on what kind of husband you have but on what kind of God you serve."   Dorothy Kelley Patterson

This time for me was soooo important to see that.  I have gone from being almost "angry" that my dh suggested a Time Out on the computer to seeing God's reasons behind the idea of "surrendering" and accepting the truth.  I'm grateful God is working out sooooo much in my life and fixing so many of the problems I was having just because I am being willing to submit.  It hasn't been easy, nor am I over this hump yet but it is getting there. 

The wall will be done *hopefully sometime next week and we are on a crunch to get the yard put together before it starts to get chilly so I will be "no computer" for a bit longer (I also haven't been given permission to come back either - wink wink).

My challenge for you is to really consider what area(s) that maybe you could be more submissive to your dh in and see if God just doesn't bless you.  I know He has me and it has so changed my outlook!

Wives, submit to your husbands as to the Lord.

                                                                                    Ephesians 5:22