Clarification

I should have been a little clearer in the last post.
I posted a banner for my old school mate's myspace music page.
If you look to the right sidebar there is a banner for The Colorful Quiet. If you click on it you can hear some of his music.
Thanks Chattyhousewife for bringing that up. :)

Look To The Right

I posted a banner for a guy I went to school with. I met him my sophomore year of highschool. We had English together. One of the assignments the teacher gave us was to bring in something that told about who we were. He brought his guitar and sang a song he wrote about being a Christian. He's a wonderfully talented guy. I sort of lost track of him after highschool. I saw him last year sometime when he came to our church to fill in for the music leader who was out of town. He was still the same nice down to earth boy I remembered from highschool. He shared some of his story with me of life after school and I heard it in the songs I listened to on his myspace page.
Just take a listen and if you like it pass it along. Thanks.

Can I take a moment?

I just would like to take a moment and vent. *Sigh* Yes, I know that I have not been around for ages and now I post with a vent. Sorry. I will post again in the next few days to tell you about an amazing book Im reading.

God says children are a blessing, right? Psalm 127
So....why are good Christian people bragging about fixing the problem of having more children? Bragging? If you choose to stop the process by surgical methods or whatever...ok I wont argue with you. I will pity you but I wont argue with you... unless you ask for my opinion. :) But goodness should it be a joke? Should we laugh about it or brag about it? Lets see how it really sounds.
"Ha, Ha, yeah no more blessings from the Lord. We could not afford them so we just cut them off."
"Yeah, we snipped those blessings."
"I cant handle the 1.5 blessings I have now. I sure dont want any more blessings!"
"I have a boy and a girl blessing. Why would I want more?"

I get physically ill when Im in a room and this joke starts.

Um... no offense folks but I am going to ask God to pour out His blessings on me.

Further more I dont think that Christians should criticize other Christians for having too many blessings.
If I hear another Christian call the Duggar family irresponsible I go in swinging. Just which blessing should they have stopped at?
My wonderful friend -who never gets mad at me when I ignore her for weeks at a time- has three of the best boys. Her third just arrived and I have made it over to hold him and oogle him.....ONCE.... I do stink! Anyways, she is already hearing all the, "Are you done yet?!" rants. She actually had a few before and after her second baby. If she had stopped at two I would not have gotten to hold her snuggly baby boy a few weeks ago. Her second boy would not know the joy (and aggravation) of being an older brother. Her first boy would have missed out on an amazing playmate. I love that she is my kindred spirit and that she thinks motherhood is just as blessed as I do. She is a much better mommy than me (and she will leave a comment saying that she is not, but trust me she is! :) ). I love getting ideas from her. I love that she will spend as much time praying and researching what is best for her boys as I do. I love her, period. I love her boys. I even like (just kidding love) her old stinky husband. He's not really stinky, he's my friend and I love him. I love how he fathers his blessings. I love how my husband fathers our blessings.
Children are a blessing and we are blessed to have them.
Its not a topic I want to debate. Just as how many children I want and have is my business, how many you want and have is your business. Dont ask me my opinion. Dont get in my face and laugh and joke about it though. Dont be surprised at my look of pity.
Father God, I want more blessings. Pour them out on our home and make me the mother that they need. Help me to be a better mom. To pass on to others what a blessing and joy having children and being a mom can be. Amen.

Be Blessed!

Home Learning

I came to a startling realization the other day...school around here is fun for no one! Well Tamara and Adrian enjoy their little preschool hour, but the rest of school is pure drudgery. Now, as a momma with a vision of raising my children to homeschool their children I figure something has to change. The first thing changing...the name. We are now home learners. You see school has many negative conotations. Learning though, well learning can be one adventure after another! When we learn we can do almost anything. The second thing that needs to change is an overacheiving momma. Who could that be? Oh yeah, me.

I love The Well Trained Mind. I will continue to follow the outline, but we are going to change some things. Im keeping the stages. Im keeping the memorization. We are going to be memory fools next year. Dates, times, facts, poems, rules, verses.... we will sing them, we will act them out, we will reward for stuff memorized! Im keeping the narrations. I have a few fun creative ideas here to, but Im still pounding them out. Im keeping our Saxon math program. I love Saxon! Im switching our grammer up. I want to try either Learning Language Arts through Literature OR Literature based unit studies. I plan to take some time this Saturday maybe to check out both options at our local homeschool store. Im also changing our spelling program. I like Spelling Workout but its not meeting my kids needs. Kelsie does ok with it, but Karly is really struggling. Im considering Spell to Write and Read or Spelling Power. Im going to look at the selections at the homeschool store on Saturday as well.

Im reading through the Charlotte Mason companion. Checking out Ambleside online. Drooling over Sonlight. And having heart spasms from unit studies. The excitement is back.

I am making sure to add more reading for next year as well. I'm looking into the comprehension guides from Veritas Press, because thats a huge thing we need to work on around here.

We probably won't start back until the second week in January. It's been nice having time to research everything and get materials together.

Be Blessed!

Passionate Housewives Desperate for God

I received my copy of this book as a gift from Mrs. Chancey. (Click on the picture of the book to order) I help moderate a message board that she started and she sent all of the moderators complimentary copies. I was thrilled! I knew I wanted this book the moment I saw the advertisements for it. I also knew it would be awhile after Christmas before I could order anything for myself. So this was a true blessing!

This book truly has helped put me back in the place God called me to almost 4 years ago. Four years ago this month I quit my job to be a housewife. It was not until May of the next year that we were blessed with any children. In the five months I had to myself I began to really learn about being a wife and keeper at home. A lot of it I credit to Lady Lydia and the Ladies Against Feminism site. They pointed me to Bible passages that touched my heart and showed me what I was missing. They pointed me to practical application of these passages. While I am still, 4 years later, living in a home that is chaotic at best, my attitude is different. My heart is different. I know that what I'm doing is not the best for my family. I know that I am not being the example God called me to be. No, Im not comparing myself to others. I am comparing myself to where God wants me.

This book was a refresher to me. It opened my eyes to the dream and vision I had when I first started on this road. I had a vision of tackling each day with a purpose. Building up a family to love and serve God. Building up a home that would show God's glory. Helping my husband to complete the mission God has for him on this earth. Raising future godly wives and mothers and godly husbands and fathers. Men and women not afraid to turn against the tide and swim upstream.

Confession time. I was starting to swim with the others downstream. I would take it to heart when others told me I should let my kids do this or this, even though I knew it would not be the best for them. People telling me I could function outside of my role as wife and mother.

I know I still need peace and time to myself. But not to "get away" from my family, but to strengthen myself and serve them. When Jesus went away it was time of prayer and strengthening himself. Not time to "escape" his day to day responsibility. Sometimes that time will not be available. At those times we learn the true meaning of leaning on the Father.

We are having family reformation around here. As a keeper of the home I am responsible for the heart of the home. My husband is the head, but he has delegated to me the responsiblity of the heart. I am the real living example of Jesus Christ that my children will see. I am the bride that should reflect what my husband is doing for God's glory. I am the one who prepares my children for the future. Not just with knowledge but with life skills and skills that will take them into spiritual maturity.

My ministry is my family and home. If they are out of control or failing I need to reevaluate what I am putting ahead of them.

Thank you Jesus for opening my eyes again that I may see the truth. Amen.

Be Blessed!

I want to share...

I want to share with everyone about a book I read. Most of the people who read this blog have heard of it already and probably already read it, but I want to share my thoughts! :)

Checking in..

Not that I think anyone is reading anymore..LOL

I miss blogging and hope to come back soon. I cant waite to talk about the changes in our lives.

We are revamping our homeschool to be a little more fun. I'm keeping the classical education flavor while stepping out into some unit studies. I am also upping our memorization. We will spend time every morning memorizing all sorts of stuff.

I found an awesome history and science study from Christian Cottage that I love. We will be using it along with some other resources. I also want to do some studies on hymns and their writers.

Another focus area will be reading and reading comprehension. I need to get them all reading better and Im going to use the VP guides for comprehension.

I have lots of ideas and will share them all in a later post.

Right now I need to go pick up hubby from work.

Be Blessed!

He's Still Working On Me

I know I have been rather scarce around here lately. Life sometimes gets in the way. This time though it's more of a reshaping. God is definitely working on me. I remember when I first started this blog. I was hyped up on Ladies Against Feminism and all that they had to offer. I remember those times being the most productive for my family. I just read Passionate Housewives Desperate For God and I realized how far I have strayed from the path God had set me on. Not necessarily in a bad way, but enough that my whole life is affected and the lives of my family. I see some of the ladies that I was bloggy friends with back then and how far they are now and realize I could be a lot further along. I am re prioritizing around here. My blogging will be sporadic at best in the next few months. I am determined to set my feet back on the path that God showed me to begin with.
Fifteen years ago God called my husband to a career he did not want yet. Now, he is struggling as he tries to catch up to where God wanted him fifteen years ago. While I am sure he will be blessed in his obedience now, we talk sometimes about where he could be had he heeded the Lord's calling back then. Don't get me wrong. He is happy, successful and the most godly man I know. I am just saying that to say that I don't want a crisis of belief fifteen years from now. I want to stick to the path now.
I will blog about this journey as I want to be able to look back and track my "progress".
I will be weeding out things in the coming weeks that are not pointing me towards God's will for my life.
Today in my quiet time I specifically asked the Lord to change me. To mold me. To break me if he had to, so that I could be re transformed in His loving hands.
Enjoy the ride.

Be Blessed.

Thanksgiving

The Present

I know most of my thoughts lately have been on the future. The bigger picture so to speak. I was convicted yesterday of not thinking enough of the present. What am I doing right now to make the future possible?
My priority right now has to be my family. I am, it seems, easily swayed from some things. I have to put on God's armor. I might have to disassociate myself from some influences. I might even have to step back from commitments I have made. I plan on using this holiday weekend with my family to reconnect with them. I plan on seeking my husband's input on every area of my life. I am going to turn to him for direction from here on out.
There is a lot more going on that I am not ready to blog about.
I am still going to think about the future and have ideas. Where there is no vision the people perish. Hubby and I believe that so strongly. We have visions for our future. But we need to look at the present and see what needs to be done here to carry us into the future.
Ok thats enough babbling. :)

Be Blessed.
Dont forget to read the post about memories and respond.
Thanks!

Your Memories.....

I am really trying to write a post and Im hitting a road block.
For now..
Could you share your memories of youth camp and youth group?
I want good and bad.
If you were not involved in youth group can I ask why?
To what extent do you or will you allow your children to be involved in youth group? Why?

If anyone blasts anyone elses opinion I will delete that post. I'm not here for that.
Now I know I have been absent a lot lately so my 10 readers might not be reading anymore. :)
I hope anyone who visits will answer... even if you want to remain anonymous.

Thanks so much!!

Be Blessed!

Dont Give Up On Me

I promise I have not been ignoring all 10 of my readers. Things have been crazy around here lately.
Things are going well. We finished up our Homeschool Co Op today until January. We had a big Thanksgiving party and all the kids had fun. As soon as I find my cord to download pictures I will show you what three of my children made. Too cute.
I think tonight is the last night for dance for this year. We dance on Sunday. I might have a Saturday practice, but will have to wait until tonight to find out. They also may dance in December but I think she said if they do it will be only one practice. My oldest dances in our kids program every week now though, so she will probably continue to have practice.
Im thinking of stopping piano lessons until after the first of the year. That way I could have some free time in the coming weeks. I really really need it. :)
I took my ladies group at church to Women of Faith in Tampa this past weekend. It was so much fun. It will be in my hometown next year so we are already making plans to attend.
I have not gotten to really start Nourishing Traditions yet. Im thinking it might have to wait until after the first of the year as well. We are eating great but there are some other changes I need to make.
Well, I guess I better go get ready for dance practice.

Be Blessed!

What a week!

I cant even begin to describe this past week.
On Wednesday I twisted and something popped in my back. I was pretty much bedridden the rest of Wed and all day Thursday. I did manage to go to a few houses with the kids Wed night after many pain killers. It just reiterated my dislike of Halloween. I really do not enjoy it at all and my kids did not seem to as much this year either. I hope we are getting closer to letting the whole holiday go from our home. There were like four houses in a row that were so scary my kids wanted nothing at all to do with them.
I am preparing to go out of town with my women's group this weekend. It really snuck up on me. Now I am scrambling around trying to get all the transportation worked out. I'm already worn out. LOL.
Hubby and I are still talking and praying over our vision so I will definitely write more about it soon.
Let me end with a verse that is heavy on my heart this week due to some news I have been following.
John 8:7-11

⁷So when they continued asking him, he lifted up himself, and said unto them, He that is without sin among you, let him first cast a stone at her.

⁸And again he stooped down, and wrote on the ground.

⁹And they which heard it, being convicted by their own conscience, went out one by one, beginning at the eldest, even unto the last: and Jesus was left alone, and the woman standing in the midst.

¹⁰When Jesus had lifted up himself, and saw none but the woman, he said unto her, Woman, where are those thine accusers? hath no man condemned thee?

¹¹She said, No man, Lord. And Jesus said unto her, Neither do I condemn thee: go, and sin no more.

While I don't for a minute condone sin in any way, I do think when someone offers an apology, a sincere apology, and asks for help to overcome the problem, they should not be flamed by so called, reverends (or anyone else!)..... Even if the "reverend" has never uttered anything in anger that should never have been said.
Just my thoughts.

Not flowing right...

I had plans to put up more on God has called us.. but, as I type its not flowing right. I am going off to bed and will pray about how to relate my heart to you all tomorrow.
Its such a huge step for my family.
Good night and be blessed!

God has called us...

Last October the good Lord revealed to my husband and I a new calling. I was praying for direction for our family. I was praying for direction for my husband. I was praying for direction for myself. We'd just adopted the children and started homeschooling. We had visions of more children. We had visions of our children growing up strong and biblically ready to serve God. In all of this praying God revealed a place for this city family in a rural setting. A place where we could learn to live off of the land. A place where life through full of daily work was ended with satisfaction. A life of simplicity and hard work.
I know there is a movement among a lot of conservative Christians right now to "get out of dodge" so to speak. We are pulling our children out of public school in alarming rates. We are learning to treat ourselves instead of relying on modern drugs and monthly doctor's visits. We are searching the scriptures for concrete foundations of life. There is controversy among Christians on a lot of this. Christians calling Christians extreme and legalistic.
Legalism as a term has really started to bother me lately. Any time someone does not agree with how you read the scriptures you are considered legalistic. I am a black and white person. I read the Bible as literally as possible. I know Jesus. I know grace and mercy. I know that we are not "under" old testament law. I don't think that we have "liberty" to live however we want as long as no one gets hurt. I believe Christians, sons and daughters of the KING, should live their lives differently. At a different standard even then those who are unbelievers. If I live just like the lost person next door with maybe fewer bad words what will he see in my life worth surrendering his life to Christ for?
I have heard Christian parents admonish other Christian parents for homeschooling. Apparently we should send our children to public school to be salt and light... I don't buy that. My kids can be salt and light to their homeschcool group, at the park, at church, anywhere they are and still be under my watchful eye and prayerful heart. Plus, my kids are not ready to stand firm in their beliefs. They are still trying to understand their beliefs. They know the love Jesus and He loves them. They don't know what it means to not believe in God at all. They don't know what it means when Billy has two mommies. They don't need to know it. We tell our children God wants boys to marry girls and have lots of babies. God wants girls to marry boys and have lots of babies. That's what they understand. Our job is to tell them the truth. Our job is to write God's word on their hearts. When they are older and someone has two daddies they can just know that its not right. They can defend their stance when called to question. They are not ready for that now. I will not send them out to be soldiers on a battlefield I am still trying to understand at 28. I will not send them ill prepared to be taken in by a devil who is charming, conniving, manipulative, and so deceitful.
I will write more on this hopefully later today. I have a huge burden on my heart and I just want to share it. Eventually this post will turn into our what our vision is. A vision God gave both of us.. gradually and then confirmed it and is still confirming.

Be Blessed!

Health Challenge

I am participating in a challenge at Lori's blog. She came up with the idea to challenge ourselves to change 6 things about our health habits for the next 6 weeks.
Here are my six:

1. Take my medicine everyday. I am so bad about this. For right now I am on medication to regulate my blood sugar. Even though I am working to get off of it, I need to be diligent about taking it. I also need to take my supplements daily.

2. Read with my babies everyday. This is for my calming, emotional health. I always feel so guilty that we don't read together enough.

3. Raw foods (fruits and veggies with yogurt) at lunch time. I will post more on the why of this later.

4. Soup or salad with dinner. Getting in more of those raw veggies (salad) or mixture of veggies (soup). I am hoping to make the soup with homemade stock and the salad's homemade dressing.
5. Get back to making our bread 2-3x a week.

6. In bed by 11pm.

These are the things I hope to accomplish in the coming weeks.
I finished the introduction and mastering the basics section of Nourishing Traditions and I am preparing to start implementing. We wont do everything, but there is enough we can change to make a difference. Babysteps!!


Be Blessed!

New Strategy

As I have mentioned before my oldest is having a hard time keeping up with her work. It has been a constant struggle the past few weeks. Her attitude has improved 100 percent though and for that we are grateful.
Karly is about two weeks behind right now. I will use this week to catch her up one week and then the dates will all change and she will be caught up. With this she will be ungrounded..or off of grounding..not sure. :) She will be allowed to resume dance lessons and start piano.
There will be an understanding that she will complete all of her work everyday in a timely manner. I am working out a way that she can proceed without waiting for me. With four other children there have been times she has had to stop and wait for me on occasion. I will blog about this new idea later. She will be expected to keep up with her work though. I don't think it is too much. I mentioned in an earlier post how much work she has. Working it out on paper she should complete in two hours. I have three alloted.
I will let you know in a few weeks how it all worked out!

Be Blessed!

Slacker...

I have not read my Bible all week. There I said it. I have been pretty much grumbling, complaining and unhappy all week. Hmm...see the connection?

Slacker...

I have not read my Bible all week. There I said it. I have been pretty much grumbling, complaining and unhappy all week. Hmm...see the connection?
Just thought I would point out how my behavior is directly related to the amount of time I spend in God's word every day.

Give us this day..

Once again searching for just the right title and it would not come to me. No wonder I never win any of the Pioneer Woman's contests.
I was talking with hubby about ways I have strayed these past few months from our healthy living goals. It also brought up ways we have continued making wise choices in that area. So here is a list of what we kept doing through the slump.
Brown Rice
Whole Wheat/Grain bread or no bread at all
Real butter
Extra Virgin olive oil (though the quality left a lot to be desired)
Oatmeal instead of cereal
Whole grain pancakes (only on Saturdays!)
Publix Organic milk (though I cant wait to get back to Raw milk)
Limited snacks of processed junk (though I am working my way back to none)
No Hormones/No Antibiotics Omega 3 eggs (not organic or free range, but its what we can afford right now)
Still avoided cooking with processed foods.
Lots of fruits and veggies

Now, what bad habits did we go back to?
Sodas, sodas, sodas! We went from having an occasional soda on a night out to buying them everytime we stopped at the store. We had bottled water in the house, but really who wants to drink water when you have yummy soda? Now that we dont have soda in the house as much the water is going back to being pretty yummy!
Eating out a lot. When I failed to plan healthy, delicious meals it was easy to justify stopping to grab something while we were out. Our budget felt this as well.
Some processed snack food that would be gone within a couple of days.
I put away my NT cookbook and stopped learning from welltellme. I thought maybe all of that stuff was not really necessary. While for some it might not be, but God has given me a vision for my family in the coming years.

I'm so glad that God has restored my vision of a more healthy lifestyle for our family. He has called us to a grand undertaking in the coming years and we have to be prepared. Everyday something has happened in our lives to confirm it just a little more. I will expound on some of those things in another blog post.
As for now I am studying my NT book, prayerfully. I want the Lord's leading on the changes in our lives. He wants us to change of that I have no doubt.

Be Blessed!

Sunday...

Sunday will be a big day for my family.

I am doing the storyteller part of our kid's program. We have a program called Kid City that we do before the worship service. It's aimed at families. Basically we take one virtue a month and there are songs, skits, and stories for the whole month. This month is respect. We are working around umbrellas, because parents and others in authority over you are placed there by God, like an umbrella, for your protection. I like that analogy. Of course my umbrella is really messed up and has holes in it. I get to talk about David and Saul. Basically, as you all know, Saul had some issues with David. One minute he liked him the next he wanted to kill him. But while David protected himself, he still respected Saul. He had a few opportunities to kill Saul (one in a cave where David cut off a piece of Saul's robe...thats my story) but instead waited until Saul left and then went out, fell to the ground, and begged Saul to reconsider killing him. Saul repented and agreed that David should not be killed. The moral of our story is we have to respect people in authority over us even if we don't agree with them. Thats my short version of the story. You can read the whole story in 1 Samuel 18-24. I think this is a great lesson. I just hope I don't forget my lines. LOL
The second thing is my husband is going to be ordained as an Elder in our church. He and two other men are the first ordained Elders for our church so its monumental on many levels. I am so impressed with how much he has grown just in the past year. He was so strong and godly just last year when he called our former pastor to repentance, I can't believe he is now an Elder. He is perfect for the job though. Humble and willing to serve God wherever he can. He also is an awesome leader of his home. Our pastor did tell the men that they had to be in God's word daily to be an elder. He called them everyday for two weeks straight at an appointed time to see what they had read that day. Its done wonders for my guy and I'm so happy and thankful. My man gets a little better everyday and I love him a little more everyday. :)
I'm really looking forward to Sunday.

Be Blessed!

Where is the line?

I'm having a serious crisis of belief. I want homeschooling to be a good experience for my kids. I want us to have fun learning new things together. I want them to be able to explore their own interests. I want to make learning come alive for them. On the other hand I want my children to learn self control and self discipline. I want them to understand that sometimes we have to do the hard things before the fun things.
My oldest tends to make everything take longer and look harder. I don't really understand this, but I do know its hindering her experience. She will take all day to complete her work and then have at least one hour of corrections. Here is a sample of what we do:



Math: Lesson, timed fact sheet, worksheet (usually only one side)
Grammer: Lesson, about 10-20 questions to cover material learned and review
Spelling: Pretest, discuss and copy rule, first worksheet. The next day we finish the worksheet and take the test.
Handwriting: Day one: book worksheet, Day two practice sheet and final copy

I don't think this should take all day long. I teach the math and grammer lesson and go over the spelling lesson and then she takes off on her own. We sometimes do Latin together in the morning. I am trying to establish a Bible lesson a little better as well.
I guess what I really need to do is get to a place where I can show her what she is missing. Make sure there is "free" time in the afternoon where the kids who finish their work can explore their own interests.
Right now we have taken away her extra curricular activities like dance and piano. We want her to understand that sometimes we have to do stuff we dont like to do in order to do things we want to do.
We need to work more on "life" skills as well. I'm going to order a couple of home economics books. Maybe I will just start these with the younger girls while she does school work.
It's just hard to know what to do. Some would say I need to meet her where she is at, but its not that she cant do the work she has flat told me she just does not want to. Some would say I am traumatizing her by not letting her do the extra stuff. My instincts tell me that this is a battle with my strong willed child.
I could tell you horror stories of the attitude problems we have had lately. She is slowly coming out of those only by prayer and sheer force of will on our part. I think school is just one more battle we have to fight with (and for) her.
I want her educational experience to be fun and rewarding and I think one day it will be. She has to be willing to work with us though. We have to prepare her to be able to function in the world one day. We have to prepare her to be able to hear the call of God and be obedient to Him. (Another blog post on what we are all learning in that area soon.)
Well those are just some thoughts roaming around in my head as I look at my oldest still stubbornly sitting at the table doing only the minimum. Dinner will be ready soon, then it's Bible and bed and start the next day. I wonder how many days she will have to sit at the table all day long.

Be Blessed!

Monday...

I could not come up with a clever title.
We got a late start on today. The children are just now finishing up their morning glass of kefir. I really need to get serious about finding some grains. Right now I use the Lifeway brand from Publix, but we go through about two bottles of that in two to three days. They also had oatmeal for breakfast. One of the changes I hope to make in the coming weeks is to begin soaking our oatmeal overnight. I'm still reading up on the whys of it and I will blog about it the more I understand it.
I am also going to talk to hubby about taking the kids off of tap water. It will mean our grocery bill goes up slightly because all we drink is water so that would mean at least one maybe two more cases of bottled water every two weeks. Once again still working through most of the whys of this change and will blog about it when I understand it better.
For lunch today we will have plain yogurt with honey and cinnamon. I will slice some apples up as well. The kids love that.
For dinner we are having the Perfect Pot Roast, with steamed broccoli and salad. I have been using the book Saving Dinner by Leanne Ely for the past month and we have loved it. She has a low carb addition I am thinking about exploring.
We have some extra homeschooling to get done today so I'm going to skip Latin again this week. I skipped it last week also. Its ok, we just take Latin at our own pace. The kids enjoy it and I try not to make it a tedious, have to do thing.
I want to get into the girls' closet and start decluttering and organizing. Today is wash day for all of our bedding. I start with the girls' quilts because they have to hang dry. I do my comforter second because it takes two turns in the dryer. Then I do the boys' comforters and lastly the sheets and pillowcases. It takes all day. LOL. I have to scrub the floor around our toilet. We have a leak or something so it is going to take some extra cleaning. I also need to make some bread today.
I am going to stick to my way of making bread for the time being. I am reading up on soaking grains and sour dough and other stuff in NT, but its not a change I'm going to make right now.
Well, I better get going. Its time to start our morning chores...at 12pm. Yes, we are way off this morning. LOL.

Be Blessed!

Nourishing Traditions and My Health

I'm not at church right now. My family is, but I'm at home. I could tell you why.... but that might be way too much information. I'm always trying to be transparent on this blog, but trust me, transparency should have limits. Let's just say my stomach is really hurting and leave it at that. Oh and I can assure everyone that I am not pregnant this month! LOL
I figured while the house was quiet I would focus on reading through the Nourishing Traditions thread on the welltellme site. I am very intrigued with the experiences of cooking NT. They range from "Yuck" to "Yum". But most people have said that even if they never made another recipe from NT they would never part with the book, because of all the other benefits and information. I will admit my eyes glaze over when I'm reading the information part of the book. I have to take that in small doses. But I am noticing that it is easier to understand and comprehend as I read a little bit at a time. I have been reading through some of the recipes. I'm still debating on where to start in the implementation process. I have not been able to buy raw milk for a few months now because it's $5 for a half gallon and money has been tight. I miss it though. We are finally getting back on budget and I'm looking forward to picking up my milk again next month. I think I will spend the rest of this month coming up with a plan for next month. I will note some of the things I would like to start out with in the book and work from there. Its definatly not a book you can just open and start making stuff. It takes planning. I'm also going to use the rest of this month to get my kitchen ready to roll. I have some cleaning and organizing and decluttering to do in there. I can't function in a cluttered kitchen. Thats why we have not had any bread for about 2 months now. My kitchen is out of control. I have some ideas for ways to improve it, but thats another blog post.
My blood sugar has been pretty good the past few weeks. Though I have been taking the Glucophage. I really need to focus on diet, excercise and natural supplements to get off of this drug. My Dr. wants to put me on another drug in addition to the Glucophage, but I am holding off on that for the time being. I have to go get some lab work done and I did not see my Dr. last month. I did not make the appt on the way out of the office and then never thought about it again until the end of the month. I have to call and set up an appt for this month...soon I guess. I decided to drop my diabetes class I was supposed to go to every month. For starters it was going to cost me $150.00 for every class and then the first meeting the lady was very skeptical of my goal to get off of the medicine with diet, excercise and natural supplements. She actually laughed when I told her I use Stevia and not Splenda and that I take Cinnamon to help regulate my blood sugar. She said that she could not approve of either of those things. I figured I was not going to waste $150 every month for 6 months to be lied to, did not seem worth it.
The good news is, they think I am still in the early stages, so I do not have a lot of damage. My goal is to keep it that way.
Well, I have written a lot and now I'm going to lie down. I think we are going to take a hike this afternoon at one of the state parks if my stomach calms down, which it will in the afternoon. It always does. The excercise and fresh air will be good as well. I want to rest for awhile. I'm going to post more on changes in our diet in the next few days.

Be Blessed!

Around the House

I have been busy with fall cleaning. My bedroom is done and I'm working on the bathroom. That is a disaster. I organized the boys' closet. I made a list of how many clothes we need. Well, I allowed for extras so its more than they need but not so many the closet is over flowing. I took pictures. I will post them with a list as soon as I can get my camera to download. I plan to get to the girls' closet this weekend.
We also have a new chore list set up for the kids. I think my Adrian needs more work though. He is a bit lazy and I think more work is just the thing. LOL.
I have been busy transferring my links from IE to Mozilla. DH says they are supposed to transfer automatically. I think he is tricking me. :)
I have been spending a lot of time browsing through my Nourishing Traditions book and also reading through the Well Tell Me boards. We have been doing well with the changes we have already made that I'm ready to make some more. I have jumped back on the diet soda wagon, so I really need to get off of that again. All that fake sugar is sure to kill me. :)
I miss blogging so I want to get back in the groove this week. Its just been the least on my list lately.
Ok thats all for now. Off to make some pancakes with real maple syrup. YumO.

Be Blessed.

Bye Bye IE and other news

I am through with Internet Explorer. I faithfully held out til the end. No more. I just discovered last Friday that all the blogs I thought were not updating.... well it was just IE's cruel trick. Yes, the blogs were updating, but IE was hiding it or something. LOL. So now I am with Firefox as my husband has begged me to be forever.
I don't know if I mentioned this, but my DH's dad was hit by a car about two weeks ago. The EMT did not think my 75 year old father in law who fell and hurt his leg and hit his head should go to the hospital. My FIL said, "OK." Three days later he was in the ER finally being diagnosed with two fractures that required surgery and pins. He is in rehab now. Dh went down last weekend by himself to check on his mom and visit his dad. This weekend I and the two older girls went with him. It was a last minute decision. Thats why I did not update Friday evening. Also, I was busy transferring my blog roll to Firefox.
Anyways, that was my weekend. I hope to have some time this afternoon for an Inspirational blog post and maybe another post.

Be Blessed!

Im alive!

Hi all, Im here. I have a ton of stuff I want to write about, but not a lot of time right now. I had to chuckle as I checked in with some other blogs this morning and noticed we all seem to be on a slight hiatus. For us its been one family issue after another, school, and church activities. I have more peace in my life right now, praise the Lord. I really felt for awhile I was spiraling out of control, but God is working it out.
Im going to try to post an inspirational blogs post later on today.

Be blessed!

Best Resource...EVER!!!

You will want to send me chocolates or sweet poetry when I share what I just found.

Go here and see it quickly. I'm in LOVE!

Hat Tip: Mrs. Clarice at Storybook Woods

P.S. If you already know about this awesome resource you can still send me chocolate and poetry. :)

I posted this, November 11, 2005. We adopted our little boy, his brother and the three sisters in April of 2006. To date this is my absolute favorite post about being a foster parent. Its real. I can still feel these emotions every time I read the post. Recently I found out every child in my care that went back to their "loving" homes is now back in the system. Four little children, all with brothers and sisters in other homes, back in the system. Four children the Lord chose to send me, but not let me keep. Believe me I would have kept ever last one of them. For the time they were with me, they were my babies and I guess in a way they always will be.

Ok first of all I love being a foster parent. I love having a house full of children.

The system stinks and I know that...believe me... I KNOW that. Sometimes they take children who should not be taken. Sometimes they leave children when they should be taken. Sometimes they give parents too many chances. Sometimes they don't give parents enough chances.

The children who have come into our home have come because or abuse, neglect, unsafe home conditions, and one because mom would not get rid of the boyfriend.

I have had one little guy in my care for 1.5 years. He has been in care for two years. He came in at 6 months old. Do the math and you know I'm his mommy, hubby is his daddy. End of story. We are supposed to start termination of parental rights with him next week. It could take one day for the judge to sign the order and then a 30 day appeal process. It could take one month to years! His mom has done nothing to try to get him back this year. It should not take this long.

I have three little girls that we will soon be adopting.They have been in care for 3 years. Their mother took off about a year ago and never came back. It still took 6 months to get her rights terminated.

I had two little girls with me for awhile. Sweet as could be. When they came into care with their two month old baby brother they were severely neglected. When CPS picked the children up there was no food in the house and the baby had tea in his bottle. The children were in our care for one month, the baby was at another foster home we did not have room. They were sent to live with grandparents even though CPS said that the grandparents were at the house and knew the state the children lived in and did not recommended the relative placement. Six months later the baby now 9 months old had not gained any weight and the girls were also showing failure to thrive. They are back in the system and probably going up for adoption. Oh, how I long for a fifteen passenger van. That's the only thing stopping me from making the call. They will probably be separated for adoption. Not many people will take three children. All this transpired over a year.

I had a little boy for awhile who was one of four. His older brother was five and could not talk, ate everything in sight, and could not sleep in a bed. He had to sleep on the floor. His older sister was three. She'd been run over by a truck at 18 months of age and had none of the surgeries she needed that could have saved her sight, allowed her to have a normal mouth full of teethe, or straightened bones that would help her grow. CPS put all of the children back with the mother ( they were taken from her ex husband) even though she left them in a dangerous environment and obviously medically neglected her daughter. They left the three year old in care in a medical foster home so she could continue medical treatments.

"How do you do it?" I'm always asked this question. I do it because... well because somebody has to. I do it with a sense of humor. Do any of the stories above make you laugh? NOPE. But there are things in the day to day life of dealing with the system that you learn to laugh at.

Its not funny when a child hordes food, but you laugh when you see the imaginative places they have hidden it.

Its not funny when the biological mother of a child complains to you about the baby snatchers coming to her house and how she did nothing wrong even though the child came into your home covered in bruises or other emotional scars that you cant just kiss away, but you have to laugh the way she is whining to you. She obviously thinks you are going to believe she is the victim!

Is it funny when a bio misses her third court appearance because she is "sick". No, but you learn to laugh when the General Magistrate looks around the room and says, "Well that's convenient. Make sure we send her a get well card!"

So you learn to laugh. Unfortunately, you learn to make some new friends. Other foster parents who will laugh with you because otherwise people are going to think you are strange. :) We laugh, we pray and we hope. That's our secret.

I have done a lot of posts on being a foster parent. I want other people to be foster parents. Especially Christians. I want people to love these children unconditionally. I don't want to think I have to save them all. I want to think that there are others out there like me who just want to win the lottery so they can buy a couple of buses and a big house with a lot of land.

I decided to give you guys reality here. I wanted you to know that sometimes they will call you at 10:30pm to take a child for a day or two, leave him with you for a month, and then one day out of the blue call and say you have half an hour to get him ready because he is going home. Your husband and your children in school wont even be able to tell him goodbye. You wont be able to understand why, despite the horror stories you have heard from his worker, his Guardian Ad Litem, and his assessment worker, he is going back to the hell he came from.

I want you to know that sometimes they will come and take the sweetest little blond curly headed girl home only to put her back in care six months later with a haunted look in her eyes, that was not there when she left your house.

I want you to know that you will have some workers who care more about getting their papers signed than about listening to your concerns or answering questions about the children.

I want you to know that it is worth every hassle you go through. Every scream of frustration that leaves your mouth. Every tear you cry! There is nothing in life quiet as fulfilling as to know that you could be the love and support and encouragement that a child might never have had. That you can be a child's safe harbor even if only for a little while.

To teach a child the Jesus loves him and will never leave him is a gift in and of itself. To teach that to a child that will find himself alone and hurting again and again..is a miracle. Thank you God for giving me this privilege!

Fosterparents.com is the best place for resources on how you can become a foster parent that I have found. I will add some more foster parent links after I go through my files to see what I have.

History and Science

Why oh why can't I seem to get History and Science down???
I received Biblioplan in the mail and I think I will like it but we can't start it until we get the spine book. For us it will either be Usborne Internet Linked Encyclopedia of World History and/or Story of The World Volume 1. Want to hear something hilarious (not really) I thought I would not need SOTW and gave it and my activity book away to a friend. Her daughter loves it so there is no way I can ask for it back.
*Banging Head Ferociously* I might not buy the textbook just the CD this time. I do think I will look into getting the activity book again though. I thought I'd already ordered the Usborne book, but I have not. I have to wait until Thursday or Friday to get it.
As for science I still have not purchased anything to use there. I know (I think) what I want, but I have to buy a little at a time. I'm going to start with the DVDs I mentioned in this post. Then I will start purchasing the books.
I really should have been in our second year history and science cycle.
Should I even discuss Latin????? We are on Chapter 2 in Prima Latina. We technically "started" it 4 or 5 months ago.
Same with Bible. I have not even started it.
I know why. I'm starved for time right now. I plan on blogging about it soon, but there are raw spots I'm not ready to pick at right now.
I'm sorry if I have seemed whiny and depressed lately. Its my season for it I guess. I think it helps sometimes to see the grungier side of homeschool life. I know something I struggle with is keeping up with the "Ubers", you know the uber homeschool family. LOL.
Oh well the baby is ready to go night night whether he thinks so or not. :)

Fosterparent Q and A

This post is from August 27, 2005. Someone left me a comment with the following questions and I answered them to the best of my ability.

Enjoy!

I have tried to make this pretty, but for some reason blogger does not want to cooperate. Im sorry for the way it looks.

How many kids of your own do you have and how many foster kids?

All the children I have right now (5) are foster children. We should begin the adoption process on our three girls sometime next month and then it could take MONTHS to finish it. As far as children of our own we pray everyday that God would open my womb. We have faith that He one day will... kinda funny story. The state of Florida says you can only have five children in your home as a foster parent. (Sometimes they make exceptions as you saw) Hubby and I were discussing it one day and wondering maybe if we were not supposed to adopt our five children from the state and then God would give us our own biological children. We know we would love to have a big family so we are kinda wondering if that is God's plan because like I said before we both firmly believe that the day will come when I have my own baby.

How do you give the foster kids the sense of stability/permenancy that they deserve and need even though they and you know they will be moving on again?

PRAYER! The minute the child comes through our door we pray pray pray over them. Claim them as our own and cover them with protection. One thing you dont know is what kind of evil these children have attached to them. We just start at the beginning and pray it all off of them. No we dont wail and scream and shake the child. We simply hold him and claim him as our own. My husband claims fatherhood over the child which puts him in the spiritual leader seat. We believe that as long as that child is with us God recognizes us as his parents. We also have a policy that we will keep the child until they go back to thier parents. NO matter how difficult. Now of course we would have to reevaluate this policy if a child entered our home who was a threat to any other children already in our care. We also accept each child as our own for however long he is here. We take them on trips, to family outings, out to eat... whatever we are doing. Now this might sound like common sense but believe it or not some foster children spend more time away from thier foster family then they do with them.

How long do you typically have foster kids?

Well in the year and 3 months we have been doing this we have had our 2 year old for one year and 3 months. We had two little girls from Labor day til the middle of October. We have had our two girls since the middle of October. We got a little boy the Friday before Mother's day and he is still here probably will be til after the first of the year. We got another two year old right before the fourth of July and he went home this week. We got our other little girl in the middle of July and will be adopting her. So out of 8 children so far we have only had three leave us and they were only here for about a month.

Do they get along well with your own kids?

We dont have children of our own but I will tell you I am amazed at how well all the different children get along. They basically behave like siblings. Fighting one minute defending to the death the next. They are all rather bossy but seem to handle each other well.

How do you assure that your own kids' needs are met while meeting the special challenges associated with many foster kids?

Honestly, we have not had hardly any special challenges. I believe that prayer has kept us from some of the tragic stories you hear about these foster children. Believe me when I say all of these children in my home right now have every right to be bitter, resentful, distrustful.. but they are not. They are happy well adjusted little people. Just like anyone else's children. They get into trouble like other's children as well. They are by no means perfect but I have not seen any behavior that is not typical for another child thier age. I have had someone at almost every agency we have worked with remark that my children do not resembe typical foster children. All I can tell you is that God is the authority over our children. We establish that day one by giving the child to God. We also use consistantcy. Consistant love, consistant discipline, consistant expectations. The children THRIVE on consistency. Its like I tell most people about my eight year old who is my biggest challange to date behavior wise... she has had eight year of inconsistant harsh discipline. With one month of consistant loving discipline I alread see changes in her. Such as true repentance when she does wrong and a heart seeking after God.I love being a mommy no matter whose children they are. All of my children but one call me mommy and the one who doesnt came from a very loving home where his mom made some mistakes.

God gives us strength patience and perserverance when we think we cant take one more step. We are so blessed to be the parents to these children and if we had our way we would NEVER stop fostering. I hope I answered all of your questions. I hope others would feel free to ask questions about fostering. There is a lot of stuff not understood. One thing is sure though we need good solid Christian homes to foster. Too many times these children are put in a godless home where they are given the basics but do not get hugs and I love yous. One goal I have for each child in my care is that they leave my home knowing the words to Jesus Loves Me. If they can sing that song then they can understand that they are never alone and that Jesus always loves them.

A Snippet.

A snippet of a post from August 5, 2005 answering a question about fostercare.

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I would love to know how you and your husband got involved in adopting foster kids.

Anna, when we first started the foster care process we had to take foster/adopt classes. The classes were the same for everyone. We did not go into this to just adopt because you can get a wider range of kids if you start out fostering. Of course adoptive foster parents have more of a chance of actually getting children placed with them that are either already at the stage of TPR (Termination of Parental Rights) or very close to it. With being foster parents first we generally have to wait for TPR and even deal with the children going back to their Biological parents. We went in knowing this and deciding that if God would grant us any of these children we would take them. My mom gets a little perturbed when we tell her that another child in our home will be going up for adoption. She has told me many times that I cant adopt them all... not sure why though! :) The three girls we will be adopting came to us in the middle of trying to get TPRd. They'd been in states care for a year and a half and mom had left the state. I have one little guy right now who was taken at 6 months of age. The next 6 months of his life were spent in two-three different foster homes. Then at one year of age he came to me and has been with me ever since. He will be 2.5 in October and will have been in care for 2 years (with me for 1.5 years). Supposedly if a child has been in care for 18 months out of 22 months he is to be placed for permanancy (basically TPR or send him back) this is almost never the case as the state bends over backwards to give children back to thier bios. Understandable Im sure but if a mom cant do what the state has asked her to do after two years... well.. that should be the end of it. She obviously does not really care about getting her child back. Its a hard road but we love the children and really feel as if we are doing what God has called us to do. As far as birth order.. the classes suggest you take no children older than your oldest biological child. A lot of people only take children younger than their youngest. We did not have this problem as we had no children of our own but now we have to be a little more careful taking placements. So far the only birth order problem we have found is when we got our other two year old a few weeks ago our two year old A had many problems adjusting! He just flat did not like E and made sure he knew it by hitting, snatching, biting, pushing and yelling at him.I hope this answers your question. If I can be of any more help please let me know! That goes for anyone who has any questions about foster care. We need good Christian homes to raise up these children and at least give them a foundation.

I Am A Wife and Mother

Here is a post from Feb 2005. I had just started blogging. This details some of the beginning of our foster care journey.

I am a wife to a wonderful godly man. We met on the internet at ChristianMatchmaker.com about 6 years ago next month. We have been married for four years. He is my Mr. Steady and I love him for it. About two and a half years ago I decided I wanted to be a foster parent. He grinned and agreed. My Mr. Steady. We worked on paperwork and classes and homestudies for about 4 months and we were ready to go. Unfortunatly due to high turnover at the agency, lost paperwork, privitization, and just plain incompetance it took us a year and a half to get licensed. The day after we got licensed we got a little boy. He was 13 months old when we got him, he is now 22 months old. He has blond hair and blue eyes and because of confidentiality I will have to call him A on the blog. He is so smart and happy and friendly. We could not have asked for a better child. We almost got to adopt him but things happen and now his parents are working on their case plan. They still have about 6 months - a year to go so you never know what will happen. We might still get to adopt him. Its all in God's hands. In September of 2004 we got two little girls. They were sisters, 1 and 2. The one year old had little blond curls and was always smiling and wanting to be held. She was an angel. The 2 year old had brown hair and the most amazing blue eyes. She was so very very smart it was amazing. They went to live with their grandparents in October. The day they left I called placement and said I needed them to fill the two beds that were just vacated. Sure enough I got a phone call for three little girls. I could only take two so they brought me the younger two. K is 4 almost 5 and has blond hair (almost frosted looking the kind people pay good money for) she is so incredibly beautiful. T is 3 years old and has light brown hair and blue eyes and a smile that would knock you down. She is so cute! Their sister K is 7 almost 8 and has brown hair and dark brown eyes. She is so pretty. She lives in a different foster home right now because we dont have room in our car for her. We are praying daily for a minivan. The girls will probably go up for adoption sometime this year we so would like to adopt them but have not even mentioned it because we have not been able to move the older girl over yet. They will have to be adopted together. I would not have it any other way. I tell you all that because I want you to know how happy I am. Since I was 4 years old I always knew I wanted a lot of children. I think when I was 11 I decided 10 would be a good number. I always knew I wanted to marry my prince charming and on December 15, 2000 I did. I desperately want a baby of my own to hold but God has not blessed us there yet. He has however given me many children and I believe the promise of many more. I love being a wife and mommy but I always have to remember that first I am a child of God. You see my God is a jealous God (Exodus 20:5) He wants me to put NOTHING ahead of Him. I have to remember that as I rush around in the morning forgetting prayer and Bible reading. My husband can not come before God and neither can my precious precious children. Another thing I need to remember, and I learned this before I even got married, my husband is number 2! Not my children. Not my friends. Not my church. Not my family. And most assuredly not myself. I heeded the teaching of older wiser women in the Lord who chastened me to always put my husband before my children. You see one day your children will be grown and gone and you will still be looking across the dinner table at the man you married. Don't let that man be a stranger. The Bible tells us that woman was made for her husband (1 Corinthians 11:9). Not for her children. Please dont neglect your children. God does not want that either. Titus 2:4 tells us we are to love our children. But neither should you neglect your husband for your children. Im trying to think of an example and I asked Prince Charming, "What is something I do to make you feel like you are a higher priority than the children?" His response, "Everything you do." Any doubt why I love this man?? :) Ok here is a small one. Say your child asks to have spaghetti for dinner and hubby asks for meatloaf, mashed potatoes, corn on the cob, and fresh baked bread. You would rather cook one pot spaghetti! Come on admit it...... ;) But you should cook the BIG meal hubby wants. Its just the right thing to do. But do have spaghetti one night soon for your child. My third priority is my children. Those three little angels who sometimes try every bit of patience I have. Last week in particular seemed to be a trying week. Because we are foster parents we have people in and out of our house all the time to see the children. The house was a wreck, the baby was sick, and I was on the phone with the girl's Guardians Ad Litem ( two of the sweetest people in the world) who wanted to come out and visit. So K and I ran around like chickens with our heads cut off trying to get at least the living room and the foyer looking decent. We did and I even had time to sit down and breathe before they came. Everything went great. The baby and I had many issues this past week though. He was sick and very whiny and wanted to be held. Now here is something about me that a lot of people might not know, when we take those spiritual gifts tests I always come in lowest on M-E-R-C-Y. My little guy obviously did not know that. For his safety and my sanity he spent a lot of time sleeping while he was sick... :) Im not a completly awful mommy I did hold him a lot but when I just could not take it anymore he ended up in bed where he promptly went to sleep. So it was all good. I believe that being a mommy is a special calling. I always feel like I am somehow missing something and striving to be a better mother. I know that I know that I know that I want my little ones to have a spiritual foundation and I strive every day to bring that about. They are fascinated with God and Jesus and enjoy just sitting down and flipping through their Bibles. The girls enjoy looking at the Bible so much they each got their very own for Christmas. We have nightly Bible reading and prayer as a family and the girls are in the Cubbies program with AWANA and we go over the Bible stories in thier Cubby books every morning. I have also found a Protestant catechism that I want to start the 4 year old girl and possible my three year old girl on. I also do the majority of the discipline since I am home all day with them. Prince Charming has delegated this duty to me and I strive to do a good job so that he can always trust in me. (Proverbs 31:11) I have a verse printed on my heart and when I look at my children I whisper this verse to myself. 3 John 1:4 I have no greater joy than to hear that my children walk in truth. This is what I desire for my children. That they walk in truth. Well that is a little about me and my family. I hope that you will tell me about your families and what you are doing. I am always looking for wisdom for my role as a wife and a mother

Im an adoptive mom.

I have been thinking about something off and on lately. I will gladly tell anyone that Im an adoptive mom. I think its even mentioned in my profile. I was wondering the other day if it sounds like bragging. I dont want it to. You see, I share that Im an adoptive mom because I want to encourage others. Our road was long and hard. I like to say I was in labor for 3 long years. However, it was worth ever miserable step. It was worth every delay. It was worth every time someone said to me, "wait". I want desperatly to do it all again. I willingly and openly tell people our adoption story because I want them to see God's hand in everything. My children and I talk about it at times and I tell them what a great testimony they have to share. I want them to be excited about adoption. My three girls talk all the time about the kids they want to adopt when they grow up. They know their momma hopes to add to our family again through adoption. I wish more Christians would take up the task.
I dont claim the title of adoptive mom proudly. I claim it humbly. I know that God was the author of the whole thing. I know I had nothing to do but be His willing servant. But I do claim the title. I claim it boldly. I claim it loudly. I claim it for all to hear and to be willing to come forth with questions.
In the next few days I will be reposting some of the blogs I put up about our adoption/fostcare experience. I hope to spark an interest in some that will lead to good homes for these lost children.

Be Blessed.

Domestic Engineer

Mrs. Kate wrote a great post about our "job" as wife and mother and homemaker. Take a few minutes to slide over and read it for yourself. She has a great list of things we should be looking out for on our "job"!

God Does Exist

I just got this in an email from a friend of mine. It was really great and I had to share.

This is one of the best explanations of why God allows pain and suffering that I have seen. It's an explanation other people will understand: A man went to a barbershop to have his hair cut and his beard trimmed. As the barber began to work, they began to have a good conversation. They talked about so many things and various subjects. When they eventually touched on the subject of God, the barber said: "I don't believe that God exists." "Why do you say that?" asked the customer. "Well, you just have to go out in the street to realize that God doesn't exist. Tell me, if God exists, would there be so many sick people? Would there be abandoned children? If God existed, there would be neither suffering nor pain. I can't imagine a loving God who would allow all of these things." The customer thought for a moment, but didn't respond because he didn't want to start an argument. The barber finished his job and the customer left the shop. Just after he left the barbershop, he saw a man in the street with long, stringy, dirty hair and an untrimmed beard. He looked dirty and unkept. The customer turned back and entered the barber shop again and he said to the barber: "You know what? Barbers do not exist." "How can you say that?" asked the surprised barber. "I am here, and I am a barber, and I just worked on you!" "No," the customer exclaimed, "barbers don't exist because if they did, there would be no people with dirty long hair and untrimmed beards, like that man outside!" "Ah, but barbers DO exist! What happens is, people do not come to me," the barber replied. "Exactly," affirmed the customer, "that's the point! God, too, DOES exist! What happens is people don't go to Him and do not look for Him. That's why there's so much pain and suffering in the world."

One Long Season

Prepare for a rather... whiny post.....

It seems like things have just happened lately. I dont know. First the whole thing with my mom and the runaway. Then I had strep throat. Then my cousin had her accident. Then we ran out of money, literally. Now, my cousin's accident has made a huge dent in our extended family. Accusations, lies, deception, and... the list goes on. I guess you dont really know people until crisis hits.
Also I just cant seem to get it together. I seem to always be running around like a chicken with my head cut off. Last week for instance something told me our co-op started at 11. I showed up at 11 with plans to meet my mom and pick up something while the kids were there and be back in time for second hour. Co-op starts at 10. Yeah that was embarassing, but that has just been my life lately.
Im so disorganized and forgetful. I know I just need to get back into a routine of some sort. We have added a few extra activities to our menu this past month and I know thats part of the problem. I just have to work it all out. I cut back on some extra activities as well. I am gone from the house for the most part two whole days a week. Some might think thats excessive, but we are investing in activities that are important to our family. I really need to get to a place where Tuesdays and Wednesdays have minimal housework and schoolwork. That would mean I need to really be on the ball Monday, Thursday and Friday.
Anyways, just wanted to document this chaos so in a few months when God has calmed me down some , I can see it and laugh.
I try to keep my joy and smile. Some days its hard. Im not trying to be fake when I smile and laugh about life in general. I just believe in fake it til you make it. Believe me if I let this past month really be a barometer for my emotions I would be one sick puppy. LOL. Probably curled up in the fetal position, sucking my thumb. But I believe that if I "pretend" to be joyful and try to find the funny, I will find the joy.
I hope that makes some sort of sense. Im not faking it as much as trying to get through it. :)

Inspirational Blogs VI

I have been very remiss in my blogging duties. With good reason I promise. I have been busy with school and homemaking and just life in general. So without further ado here are some more blogs that just INSPIRE me!

A Second Generation of Homeschooling: I love, love, love this blog. Not only is Mrs. Lisa a homeschooler she is an adoptive mommy. (Special place in my heart) She always finds the best homeschooling/family articles and posts them. I don't think I have ever stopped by there and not learned something of value. Chocked full of great information be sure to check it out.


Fish In My Hair: Laugh. Out. Loud. funny. I go here every day just to laugh. She is not preachy, but she has a beautiful spirit. She loves her children and they all sound like they have a great time as a family. Mrs. T.C is quiet popular in the blog world, known for her great posts and sense of humor.


Clothesline Alley: This trip to the clothesline is always fun. Mrs. Brigham brings insightful posts and great advice into her writing. She is a young wife and mother and has a beautiful baby girl. I like to see what she is up to every few days or so, because I am always sure to walk away with something new.

Clark Chatter: Another homeschooling, adoptive mommy blog. I like to read about her struggles with some of her adopted children, because I can nod my head. There is just something about having someone to agree with who has been there and done that. LOL. Mrs. Ginger takes her job as wife and mother seriously and I'm thankful for it as I learn so much. She also has great pictures of her kids on the blog so swing on over and check it out.

Musings of the Dings: One of my new all time favorite blogs. I know, I know I'm starting to sound repetitive, but Mr. and Mrs. Ding really do have the greatest information. They are homeschooling parents and I get really excited when I get to head over to their blog. I'm always printing something to read later or reading it out loud to hubby. I got some of my "free" preschool ideas from them. I also learned how to be a bit more patient while asking the children questions. Set your timer if you head over there because this is one of those blogs you could get lost in.

Well ladies there you go! I hope you are enjoying some of these hidden treasures I have been sharing. Some probably wonder do I sit at my computer all day and read blogs. LOL.
No, I read as many as I can during my computer time and then the next day pick up where I left off. Of course I have a few that I HAVE to check every day.
I like to read about what others are doing. Most of time when I'm done reading I will feel refreshed and ready to pick up the rest of the day. Its nice to have a "visit" with these ladies through their blogs.

Coming Up

I have been trying to get my house and schooling caught up from last week's illness. It's been rough, but things are looking brighter.
My cousin had surgery today and it went really well. A lot will depend on her therapy now. Fortunately we were able to get her therapy over here where we live, so that will be a huge blessing. Her family in West Florida is unstable at best. Here she has aunts, grandparents, cousins, and our churches have all offered to help out and support her. My mom is due home on Saturday so I will know a lot more then.
Tomorrow I want to do another Inspiring Blogs post.
Hopefully this weekend I will have some more pictures of the kids to share.
I have some homeschooling updates, I would like to write about.
Plenty of stuff out there for me to journal, just not enough time.
Anyways, just wanted to check in and say hello and thanks for all your prayers.

Be Blessed!

I Remember

This is the post I posted last year. It pretty much sums it all up for me.

Remembering September 11.

Another Prayer Request

Is it me or is the drama in my life amped up all of a sudden???

Sunday I received a phone call that my cousin's 16 year old daughter had a diving accident. I dont know all the details but I know she could not feel her legs. We have heard three different stories. My uncle, her grandfather, says that she fractured her vertebrate, but has some mobility and feeling in her legs. My cousin, her mother, says she will never walk again and her father is in denial. My uncle's ex-wife, her grandmother, says the Drs. still dont know they are running test and pumping drugs into her body to try and stabilize her spine better. They will know more this afternoon. I should pause here to say none of the above are very reliable. My mom and her sister drove over to West Florida today where my cousin is. I will know more for sure once they get there.
Please remember her in prayer as well as her family.

Thanks!

She's the mom. The big, bad mom. The Bounty Hunter.

This is my mom..... .....the Bounty Hunter

This is an awful picture of her. She is cute and charming. The only other pictures I had of her were so unbelievably unflattering I could not bear to post them.
A lady from church got a phone call last Monday that our fugitive was in an extended stay hotel. My mom drove her little Ford right on out there and waited patiently. Finally she saw the girl round the corner. Mom followed her in her car around the corner and parked right in front of her room. She then called the police who came and arrested the girl.
Yay Mom!

But what makes her a true "Dog the Bounty Hunter" marvel.

She went by the jail yesterday to visit the girl and tell her she will still be there for her emotionally. She wont let her live with her or support her financially, but she will listen to her and pray for her.

I bet ya'll wish she was your mom!

The Worst

The worst part about this illness is having to stay away from the kids and not being able to hold my baby. I can smile at him and talk to him from across the room but I dont dare get near him. *Sigh* The kids all know Im sick and that its very contagious so thats why I cant cuddle with them, the baby has no idea why I have not held him in like 4 days. Thats a super duper long time to me!

Off for the rest of the week.

Remember that itchy throat from Monday. Now its strep throat. I went to the Dr. today. I will probably not blog again this week.
Please remember a friend of a friend in your prayers. His children were in an awful car accident in South Carolina over the weekend and his 16 year old daughter was killed. Her 14 year old brother has to have a spinal fusion which is a steel rod in his back which will limit his movements severly. The 17 year old son is doing pretty good and hopes to be released on Friday. Their mother and her boyfriend was burned badly when the truck they were in exploded.
Please just lift this family up to God in prayer.

Be Blessed!

Getting Creative

Ok, so because of an unexpected expense we have very, very little money for the next two weeks. Time to turn to the pantry for meal.
Saturday Dinner
I had some cooked lasagna noodles.
I had tomato sauce
I had seasonings to turn the tomato sauce into spaghetti sauce
I had cheddar cheese, but no mozzerella or parmesean.
I'd seen a recipe in a magazine that used cream cheese and sour cream.
I had cream cheese and plain yogurt (which we use in place of sour cream)
I did not have any meat thawed, but I did have some beans.
I cooked the beans and spaghetti sauce together.
I mixed two packages of cream chees with a couple of cups of plain yogurt and mixed in the cheddar.
I made it up like lasagna and my family loved it! It was very rich so everyone was full with one helping.
Sunday breakfast
We usually eat this at church. Our church has Panera rolls every Sunday morning so its a treat for the kids.
Sunday Lunch
We get to bring home leftover Parnera bread, so I grabbed a couple of loaves and we had egg salad sandwhiches.
I had eggs.
I had mayonaise.
I had dijon mustard.
I had seasonings.
The kids loved the sandwhices.
Sunday dinner
Had the leftover lasagna and bread.
Monday breakfast
I always have a good supply of oatmeal.

I will let you know what we had for lunch and dinner later. Im still not 100% sure what that will be.
I woke up feeling achy and with a sore throat. Im going to take some garlic and vitamin C and see how that works out. I will probably also drink some Thera Flu just to get me through today. Fortunatly, hubby is home today and will probably help out.
As for the other drama in my life some people from church got a lead on what hotel the girl is staying at, so they are there now staking it out.

Have a blessed Labor Day.

What a great idea!

I have nothing to say to this. The title of my post is HIGHLY SARCASTIC!

Kid Nation

Kid Nation

Personally, I think the state should remove these children from thier money seeking parents. Who would sell thier child??????????? Thats what I think this was. A get rich scheme for the parents. The first thing that would have stopped me is.... well the whole stupid thing! Not being able to contact your child for 40 days! What?! Signing a release that if your 8 year old contacted a STD you could not hold CBS liable! WHAT??? Signing another release that says if your child is injured or died you cant hold CBS liable! What?!?!?! Talk about throwing your children to the wolves!
DISGUSTING!

Inspirational Blogs V

Here is the latest edition of blogs that inspire me. :)

All Things Feminine: Another blog by my friend Mrs. Kate. She based this blog on Philipians 4:8 and it is lovely, true, just, pure, honest, of good report, and full of virtue. I love visiting here with a cold glass of tea.

Content To Wait: This blog is my friend Miss Leigh. A lovely, single, young woman who I just adore. She always leaves me encouraging comments here. I love that she is open and honest when she makes mistakes and is always willing to learn from them. She also has a great sense of humor. She talks candidly about the challenges of being single and godly.

Life in Slow Motion: Doesn't the name just want to make you slow down and relax. This blog belongs to a fairly new bride. A young lady named Mrs. Laura. She is someone I have enjoyed from my Beautiful Womanhood message board as well as her blog. She is also a musician and I love reading about her music. She keeps trying to pick it back up and I so hope she does. It sounds like it is a real passion for her.

Count It All Joy: I dont think I have talked about my dear friend Mrs. Barbara. She is such a great influence in my life. She has 7 beautiful children and often when I read her blog I am sure to say, "I want to be like Mrs. Barbara when I grow up!" LOL She is a serious prayer warrior. I know whenever I have something I need prayer for she will jump right in and pray. She has some really great pictures on her blog as well.

Im going to stop here and leave you with these blogs. I just noticed they were all ladies from my message board at Beautiful Womanhood. I have been a member of that message board since January 2004. WOW. I have met some really awesome people there. We have laughed and cried together. Shared joys and sorrows, triumphs and failures. Its a great community.

Some of the other ladies I have used in inspirational blogs are members as well.

Bethgem

Pearls

Pleasant View Schoolhouse

Michigan Momma

Kate's other blog Cottage on A Hill

Im sure there were some others as well. Read through these blogs though and see how blessed I really am! I have all these wonderful women that are willing to shower me with advice and love.

Enjoy!
Be Blessed!