Seeking Contentment

Planning ... for the oldest!

2012-01-20T08:27:00.003-06:00

High school? That little (okay, in actuality not so little) baby that I was afraid I was going to break right after she was born (seriously - I was alone with her in the hospital after she was born, just before we came home. My job was to get her dressed. It took about an hour because I was so afraid that she would break. Turns out she's a lot sturdier than I imagined!) That child is going to be in high school? Oh sweet mercy.

Her schooling plans for next year are mostly pretty easy.

We love Teaching Textbooks, so we will continue with that into Algebra 1. That oughta be loads of fun. (Why has nobody created a sarcasm font?) *I* loved algebra. I suspect her, not so much.

We just started using Easy Grammar Ultimate Series this year, and it's a good fit, so we'll continue with that as well.

She is finishing IEW B this year, so we will continue with that, although I'm really not sure what level she will be going into. I believe I need to consult an outside opinion on that. She enjoys writing and does it well, so this has been a good fit for her also.

Then Heart of Dakota for history and science. This will be her third year of using HOD, and she will be going into the Revival to Revolution guide. This will cover American history and physical science.

I think one of the best things about all of this is that other than the Easy Grammar, it's non-consumable. I am trying to keep that in mind when I look at the cost of it. It's not $XXX. It's $XXX DIVIDED BY THREE because I can use it for all three! :D

I am trying now to write a tentative four year plan WITH A CHECKLIST! (!!) to make sure all of the blocks are filled in. I believe it's a little unnatural, how excited I am about that. (My life is a series of checklists. From fourth grade "Do you like Melanie? Please check the box for yes or no." To current "Does this option include chemistry?" To my grocery list, which is way too detailed. It works for me.)

It's funny how much I have enjoyed her Heart of Dakota curriculum. I started out having her do the history portion independently, but then she would talk about things she was reading and I realized that I had NO IDEA what she was talking about, so I started doing the history portion with her. I cannot believe how much I am enjoying it. (And I am wondering how on earth I made A's in school, as little as I currently know about history! Apparently I became quite adept at cramming for a test and then leaving it all there. Or maybe it's been 25 years since I was in high school. Yeah. Let's blame it on that.)

So ... there are the plans for the oldest, as of now, for 9th grade.

(Oh, and as an aside ... our homeschooling has never been a WE'RE! GOING! TO! DO! THIS! FOREVER!! type thing. She wants to remain at home, and I am happy with that. If she wanted to consider public school we would certainly evaluate that. She doesn't, so we haven't.)

Let the Planning Begin!

2012-01-19T10:15:00.000-06:00

Do you watch Iron Chef America? I feel like The Chairman. Instead of the battle it's the planning, but I feel like it needs a big kick-off like that.

(Read this in The Chairman's voice.)
LET THE PLANNING BEGIN!

(Allez ~~cuisine~~ homeschool!)

Wow. I cannot believe it is time to start planning for the 2012/2013 school year already. If you know me, you know that this is probably my favorite part. I feel like a big ole' nerd just saying that. Give me paper and lists and OH MY HEAVENS a checklist and I'm a happy girl.

This year is going to be even more fun and challenging to plan because I have a high-schooler. Did you catch that? I HAVE A HIGH SCHOOLER. (Or I will, in the 2012/2013 school year.) In the span of an hour, I go from very excited about this to completely terrified, and from "we can TOTALLY DO THIS" to "oh my heavens, have I made it too easy/hard/complicated/done too much/done too little/left her completely unprepared, what in the world was I thinking trying to homeschool my children?!?" (Add that to my post-hysterectomy ~~psychosis~~ mood swings, and you've got a total bundle of joy right here. You're jealous of my family, I know you are.)

As of now, I have plans for the little one and the middle one pretty much nailed down, other than math for the little one.

The middle one will be doing Heart of Dakota Creation to Christ. Been around for a while? You might be thinking that you've read that she has already done this. She has. She did it for fourth grade, combined with her sister. She did okay with it at the time, but I think it is so fabulous that we will enjoy repeating it. I really want her to grab every morsel out of it, and she and I are both excited about her doing it again. This time we will add the extensions for her, and as of now, the plan is for her to do this one and Resurrection to Reformation over three years. (It's going to take some math and juggling to figure out how to make that happen, but I'm up for the challenge!)

She will also be continuing with Bob Jones Reading 6 and English 6, and Teaching Textbooks 6. This will cover her needs for 6th grade. LOVING that I already have all of the Creation to Christ stuff and Teaching Textbooks stuff. I just need to get the student notebook from Heart of Dakota and the BJU worktexts and she's good. WOOHOO!

The little one will be moving into Beyond Little Hearts for His Glory, also from Heart of Dakota, which we will be spreading out over two years. He will also be doing the Bob Jones first grade Reading/Phonics/Composition/Handwriting class. We loved this class when the middle one did it, so I'm looking forward to doing it with him.

I am not sure yet what to do with him for math. Right now we are using Singapore math, and while it's okay, it doesn't feel like "it" for him. I feel like I'm marking time until third grade, when we can switch to Teaching Textbooks. (Second grade, Teaching Textbooks? Please?)

Okay, I'm mid-post and I have to run. Plans for the oldest coming up soon.

Gratitude Journal - 341 - 350

2012-01-16T14:57:00.001-06:00

341. Maybe I should be thankful that this blog still has readers, as inconsistently as I've been posting!

342. For chick fil a tortilla soup! I had some today for lunch and it was quite yummy!

343. HALFWAY THROUGH WITH SCHOOL!! WE ARE HALFWAY THROUGH WITH SCHOOL!! I am definitely thankful to be where we are with this school year. Each child is doing well and did I mention that we are HALFWAY THROUGH???

344. I made a meal last night that everybody in my family enjoyed. Will the wonders ever cease? It was chicken and dumplings, which I've made before several times. This was a new, super easy, recipe, in the crock pot, and they loved it. It will definitely be added to our regular menu! I love it when I make a meal that everybody likes.

345. We really did have a fabulous Christmas and New Year's. We were able to spend both with my family, so it was nice to be able to visit.

346. For a very smooth first day of co-op, and realizing that I missed it over the break. I also realized that I am really enjoying it this year, as are each of my children. This is an enormous blessing!

347. For filling out our calendar and plans for the remainder of the year, and realizing that we will be finishing right when I would like to.

348. For being gently pushed out of my comfort zone in some areas, and being shoved out of there in some other areas, and realizing that where He calls, He equips.

349. For the rain the last week. It is really odd to have a drought here, which we had last summer and fall. There has been quite a bit of rain over the last month or so though, which has been really nice.

350. For this. Adoption final for my nephews, now brother/nephews.

I will be linking up with A Holy Experience today. Hop on over and read some more gratitude journals!

Hi!

2012-01-05T08:24:00.001-06:00

I am still here. :)

I actually have several blog posts in progress. We are back in the swing of regular life around here, so maybe I'll be able to get back in the swing of regular blogging as well. Or maybe not. We'll see.

That's what I like best about me. I'm consistent. Haha~!!

I love getting back into a normal routine.
The house has been de-Christmas-fied.
The kids are back working on school things.
The New Years resolutions are written.
The leftovers are being eaten/planned for/frozen.

That is kind of the way I like it. I'm always anxious to get the Christmas stuff out and get all decorated, but I am equally anxious to get it all put back away and get the house back in order as soon as the last present is opened!

Ah ... schedules ... routines ... calendars ... menus ... BACK TO NORMAL!!

Blogging? We'll see ... :D

Merry Christmas!

2011-12-24T11:40:00.001-06:00

Home Again, and Giggling

2011-12-02T17:30:00.001-06:00

First, thank you all for the concern and prayers regarding my last post. I really am doing okay, it's just that some days are hard. I know you all know what I mean.

We got home safely, and I really just have a minute to post, but I am totally giggling and have to share.

Our Christmas ornaments have been through a lot. Some have been through several moves, and most were not top quality to begin with. I started a series of Disney ornaments about 19 years ago with the intention of saving them up and then giving them to my nephew when he was old enough to have his own tree.

Not gonna happen. Sorry, nephew.

These ornaments really were so cute to start out. Various Disney characters, brightly colored and cheery. Through the years though, well, they have shown some wear and tear.

My oldest commented that opening the Christmas decoration box is a combination of Christmas and Halloween all in one. Peter Pan is missing an arm. Scrooge McDuck is missing a leg. The number of intact dalmations is way less than 101. The worst off is poor Snow White. I am not sure what the dwarfs did to her, but she is missing a head. (The only dwarf that is still here is grumpy. 'Nuff said.)

Now I can't stop giggling at the Christmas/Halloween tree.

At least it looks really pretty when it's dark and the lights are on!

(And yes, pictures are to come. My memory card is full of pics from our trip and I've been afraid to get them off because I'm hoping that the perfect Christmas card pic is on there, and I don't want to be disappointed!)

Six Months.

2011-11-23T08:20:00.001-06:00

It has been six months since the tornadoes in Joplin, Missouri. That means it's been six months since my brother died. It seems like yesterday and also like such a long time.

I hadn't seen Troy since the summer of 2006, when my grandmother died.His health had been bad for the past eight-ish years, something like that.

In 2009, his health took a serious turn for the worse, and we expected that he would not survive. At that time, I had a ton of stuff going on at home. I was a single mother for all intents and purposes because Jim was in Afghanistan. I couldn't just take off and go. Then Troy got better, against the odds. He kind of did that several times.

Then the urgency of going to visit went away. He got better and the "last time" and the "say goodbye" didn't seem as pressing. We talked on the phone a few times, and I have an email from him which still makes me giggle. He knew Jim was gone and told me to let him know if I needed anything. :)

When Jim got back, life kind of took over again and we just didn't make plans to visit. I desperately wish now that we would have.

This last week, I have been remembering silly things. Games we used to play - our house in Nashville had a hall that was completely dark if we closed the doors. We did this silly charades in the dark type game. I remember the BRIGHT red carpet in his bedroom in that house. Last week I got a couple of boxes of old stuff out of my old bedroom at my parents' house and remembered him out there listening to Bill Cosby and Howie Mandel records. I remember him watching Spies Like Us over and over and laughing hysterically through the whole thing. And OH MY HEAVENS, his son Tommy? So many mannerisms of Troy. Things he says and does ... it's a little freaky. And very cool. I would have never remembered Troy singing and dancing (a little strangely) to some old Michael Jackson song until I saw Tommy do it just last weekend. And this is a blessing. :)

And now it's Thanksgiving. Really, I'm not feeling all that thankful. I have regrets for not doing things because the cost to me was perceived to be too high. And then ... to survive all that he did and be killed by a tornado? That doesn't make sense to me. So, I am partly a little angry.

Then again, I am SO thankful. We had a perfect childhood. I have great memories. I see my childhood family somewhat mirrored in my own. I have faith that one day this WILL make sense. So as I sit here in a dark house in the rain, far from home and far from my parents, I'm trying to let the thankful things outweigh the "want to pitch a fit and say this is unfair" things.

And right now? I think that's good enough.

Gratitude Journal - 331 - 340

2011-11-14T16:57:00.001-06:00

Woot! Two weeks in a row!!

331. For the oldest finishing her Texas History course! We are rejoicing much for this class to be done. She's getting much more out of the Texas history she is doing at our homeschool co-op, and all we were doing at home was basically doing just enough to check the box to say that we did it. It took up a lot of time, so we are very glad to have it done!

332. I've probably mentioned this before several times, but I am thankful for white chocolate raspberry creamer. I have been in coffee bliss. When the day starts with bliss, well ... everyone is just plain happy about that. When the day starts with bliss AND a clean sink ... well ... doesn't get much better than that!

333. For watching my oldest get involved in a service project. I'll post more about this later, because really it deserves a whole post to itself. I am just thankful to watch her really think about some needs and find a way to help fill those needs.

334. For a repair that could have either been a minor fix or financial destruction. You know how that goes? It might be something that needs to be cleaned, or it might be the whole darn system needs to be replaced. Thankfully our repair was of the minor sort, and if it should ever get cold here (ahem ... 4:30 pm on 11/14, and it's 81 degrees right now) we're all set.

335. For tweaking The Pioneer Woman's chili recipe to just where I want it, and on our cold day last week (giggle ... it's all relative. It was in the 60's okay? When you live here, that IS cold!) I made a double batch, so there is perfect chili in the freezer for another day. It's all in the chili powder/cumin ratio. Get that right and it's chili bliss. (So ... start off the day with vanilla coffee with white chocolate raspberry creamer, end it with chili ... the only appropriate word here is bliss.)

336. For really good dental insurance, as we start the braces process with the middle one tomorrow. And for the oldest one not needing them.

337. For how exciting it is to watch the middle one doing her math. She really *gets* what she is doing now and is doing her math well and quickly. And especially I am thankful that she is realizing that she is really doing well and is excited about it herself. (And while I'm praising her, I'm sitting here with a poem she wrote that she is wanting me to type for her. She did an excellent job! Her handwriting is neat, spelling is good, and you can tell she put some effort into it. Go middle one!)

338. For snaggle toothed smiles from a six year old who runs up to give me hugs when he sees me at church.

339. For getting plans together for high school and figuring out a plan there. It's overwhelming, a little, but both the future high school student and I are excited about it.

340. For plans for a relatively easy week this week, then time off next week for Thanksgiving! And for having much for which to be thankful.I will be linking up with A Holy Experience today. Hop on over and read some other gratitude journals.

Gratitude Journal - 321 - 330

2011-11-07T15:58:00.000-06:00

It's been a while since I've done one of these, and as this has been a *bit* of a challenging day, a little bit of gratitude will likely go a long way!

321. That co-op is over for the day. LOL Today was one of THOSE days; tired kids I think from the time change. Or something.

322. My junior high co-op class. How I love that class! They keep me on my toes and make me giggle. They are a precious group!

323. Coffee bliss. White chocolate raspberry creamer is in my fridge (thanks to friends!!) and it is SO nice to start my day off with a smile and yummy coffee.

324. For a completely fabulous weekend! We got to visit friends, do a little shopping, and visit with my family all within a couple of days.

325. The oldest will finish her Texas history class this week. This class has been okay, she has enjoyed it well enough, but it takes quite a while and we are all looking forward to her school day being a little bit shorter when she switches from Texas history to English grammar. (Plus she enjoys grammar and is looking forward to it herself.)

326. The fact that when, just now, I picked up the little one's milk rather than my tea, and realized it BEFORE putting it in my mouth. Sometimes it's the little things. ;) I have a serious milk aversion and it would not have been pretty had that gone into my mouth. (And yes, I can appreciate the irony of my happiness a second ago over cream. LOL)

327. For cooler weather and a promise of rain in the forecast.

328. For an easy week without a whole lot of extra stuff. One child has an appointment and I think that's it for extras. This makes mama happy. We've had a LOT of going and going lately so it will be nice to have a break.

329. I am delighted with where we are in our homeschool so far this year. The kids are right on track and it's going smoothly. I also found a scheduling method that works even better for me than what we were using. :)

330. I have an easy meal planned for tonight that the kids should enjoy, and it's convenient because we have Upwards basketball evaluations tonight. I didn't plan for the evaluations when I made the menu, so I was glad to see an easy meal on there.

I will be linking up with A Holy Experience today. Hop on over and read some other gratitude journals.

Oh my goodness. Do you know these babies?

2011-10-26T09:43:00.001-05:00

The GOOD thing about using the desktop again?

Pics like THESE scroll across my screen!

I can't keep up!

2011-10-26T09:30:00.000-05:00

Wow, my blog has been so neglected lately. I have great plans and think of blog posts I need to make and then get up in the morning and am pulled 17 different ways before eight o'clock, and that's the QUIET part of my day! LOL

I was talking with a friend about school this year. I'm not gonna lie - three kids, three different curriculums, three different Heart of Dakota programs going makes for a BUSY day. Add in the fact that these little darlings think they should eat at regular intervals and want to wear clean clothes and such, and something has to give a bit. Apparently that something is blogging.

I really do enjoy blogging though. I love to look back through old posts and seeing how the kids have grown and what we were doing a couple of years ago. I completely dropped off the Project 365 bandwagon. After Troy died and then having surgery a couple of weeks later, I just couldn't keep up. I will say - I did P365 for 2009 and 2010, and although it's nice having all of those pictures, it's been nice to take my camera when I want to rather than feeling obligated to come up with some sort of picture for the day.

I do have some fun pictures for a week in review post (um yeah ... I know ... MONTH in review at this point) that include a couple of field trips we've done recently. They are on my laptop - and that's another blogging hindrance. The girls use my laptop for a couple of their classes, which means my laptop time is reduced.

(Um. Retitling this post: in which Melanie makes a bunch of excuses.)

Hopefully I'll get some laptop time and will be able to do a couple of field trip posts! Plus we've had a few cute snack days and other fun stuff.

:)

Week in Review - Weeks 4, 5, 6, 7 ... the little one

2011-10-09T14:13:00.001-05:00

And finally a post for the little one!

He is doing so well with school! He has figured out his routine pretty well and knows what is expected of him, and most of the time does it. He's generally a pretty compliant child who is eager to please, so that makes things a little easier.

He finished his math program. The math program I expected to last all year. (Do I have a mathy child? Could it be? Please say yes.) After some searching and scrambling, we decided to go to Singapore Math 1B. Hopefully it will be here the first part of the week and we can run with it.

He is using Bob Jones Kindergarten Beginnings and now sings along with Hopscotch on the DVDs. He is doing amazingly well with his sight words and getting there with his word families and blends. Some days he can get them right away and then other days he looks at us like we're speaking a foreign language. Which, I guess if you're just learning, is pretty accurate. :)

We are still really enjoying Heart of Dakota Little Hearts for His Glory. His favorite part of the day is when it's time to read about Reddy Fox. Even though we finished the Reddy Fox book and are now on to Peter Rabbit, he still calls it Reddy Fox. I love snuggling up with him and reading to him.

In history, he has gone from Creation to Sampson so far. It is absolutely amazing to me how many of these stories he already knows - from either Mrs. Russell's class, Sunday school, AWANA, or Veggie Tales. LOL When I start to read a story and he finishes it for me and I ask him how he learned that story, I never know what the answer is going to be.

In science, we're talking about plants, and if I were a good mom, I would have had him plant something. ;) Maybe I'll get to that soon.

We are doing a mix of the Bible study recommended in the HOD guide and his AWANA verses for Bible, and he is doing very well with that. He gets SO EXCITED when he has a verse memorized and can't wait to go share it with his teachers. GO my little one!

I have to say though - his favorite part of all of his schoolwork is snack time. About once or twice a week, it's Snack Day with Hopscotch. They are cute and clever snacks that he makes himself. This means there is usually peanut butter all over his desk. Here's one snack day treat:

Can you tell it's a mouth? Apple slices with peanut butter and marshmallows for teeth.

Usually the sisters get in on the snack day action:

These are traffic lights. (Did I already post this picture? I went to find the mouth picture and this one was next to it. The bed was still in the family room though, so this may have been from one of the other weeks I blogged!)

And I think that's it for our weekly (or monthly!) review! We have several field trips coming up in the next couple of weeks. We are very happy to get out of the house a little!

Week in Review - Weeks 4, 5, 6, 7 ... the Middle One

2011-10-08T10:23:00.000-05:00

Because I'm combining four weeks on my Week In Review post, I decided to separate it by child so I'm not ending up with humongous long blog posts. :)

The middle one!
Can I just say that I really like fifth grade? It seems like some kind of groove kicks in at about that time, and school just kind of rocks along. I love it!

She is moving right along with Bob Jones Reading 5 and English 5, and with Teaching Textbooks math 5. I have to brag on her a little - we talked about neatness when doing math problems, and from that moment on, her notebook where she works out math problems has been perfectly neat and easy to follow. She has also done a lot better on her big multiplication problems. Wonder if these things could be related ... ;)

She really enjoyed the unit in Reading about puppets and made several rather interesting puppets that her brother destroyed before I pictured. :( I need to get her to make another one, especially the one with the grocery bags! It was darling!

She is writing a business letter in English, and her letter is going to be written to Dairy Queen requesting that they add a nutella blizzard to their menu. Awesome!

In her Heart of Dakota, I have to say that we are LOVING the book Tirzah!

It is offering a perspective about the Israelites fleeing Egypt that I hadn't thought of before. I love it when authors really draw the readers into a story. We are both anxious to see what happens next!

Also, she is really enjoying Usborne Internet Linked Ancient World, and looks forward to pulling it out and telling me all about it.

In history, she in in the middle of the desert. ha! She has fled Pharoah and Egypt but not made it to the Promised Land yet.

When I take pics of the oldest's notebook, I will take pics of the middle one's history notebook. Both girls have projects from various Draw and Write through History guides, and let me tell you - these are TREASURES! The middle one did frogs this week (from one of the plagues in Egypt). Fabulous!

In Science, she has gone from the Arctic Tundra to the Cactus Desert. She is enjoying the One Small Square books and the science she is learning.

For Bible, she is mainly doing her AWANA guide. There is Bible entwined with both her history and science, and we are pleased with that.

Okay, I think that's it for the middle one these past few weeks. I'll write up a post for the little one in a bit. :)

Week in Review - Weeks 4, 5, 6, 7 ... the Oldest

2011-10-08T10:00:00.001-05:00

Seriously? I haven't done a weekly wrap-up since week 3? Oh my.

(I realized this is likely to be a long post if I put all three kids in it, so I'll do each kid in a separate post. LOL ... nothing like no blog posts for a month, and then ten in a day, right?)

We are continuing to love, love, love Heart of Dakota for all three kids. (Oldest is doing Resurrection to Reformation, Middle is doing Preparing Hearts for His Glory, Little is doing Little Hearts for His Glory.) We have figured out a basic schedule so each child has me with them when they need me, and the other two are staying (mostly) out of each other's hair when I'm busy. I think this has been the hardest part of the year. We seem to have finally settled into a schedule routine that is working though. That schedule I posted a couple of months ago? ha. Nice idea, but most of it has gone by the wayside. I will try to update it and post that soon.

The Oldest:
She is getting close to finishing Texas History, and we are all happy about that. I knew she wasn't going to love doing it in the format I had chosen, but she is also getting it at co-op, and with the time constraints of schooling three, and my personal ... ahem ... notsomuch enjoyment of history, we're making the best of what we have. Since the middle one is also getting it at co-op, I plan to add this book to our read-aloud list:

In Math, I am happy to report that she has about 20 lessons left to finish 7th grade Teaching Textbooks math. Maybe a few less than that. She will be done right around Thanksgiving. We will go directly into 8th grade at that point. I'll probably just let her take the quizzes for the first couple of review chapters and see if we can get her on track for finishing by May. That may or may not happen, but it's okay. She is doing well in math and working hard, so I'm pleased.

We are both enjoying IEW for writing, and she is moving right along with it. Nothing to really add about that.

Everything else she does is from Heart of Dakota. (She will be starting English/Grammar when she finishes Texas History since both are one semester classes.)

We finished Mystery of the Silver Coins as a read aloud.

This was an enjoyable read! We're actually wanting other books in the series because it left us with a bit of a cliffhanger.

In History, she has gone through Attila the Hun, to Theordoric, to Clovis, to St. Patrick, to Benedict and Gregory the Great, then to Boniface, Justinian, Mohammed, Charles Martel and the Moors, to Charlemagne, and Julius Caesar was just introduced. As she's reading and learning about these people, she is doing geography that goes along with it. She has read From Bondage to Freedom: A Tale of the Times of Mohammed, and has started Black Horses for the King.

She is still quite enjoying the Shakespeare study, finishing up A Midsummer Night's Dream, doing Winter's Tale, and then starting Much Ado About Nothing. (She is reading overviews of these plays, not the actual plays.)

In science, she is still doing Astronomy. This is going to bridge into physical science pretty quickly, and I think she is quite happy about that. :)

She is also studying through the book of Philippians this year, and the book Beautiful Girlhood.

I think that's it for her overview. I will get motivated to take some pictures of some of the things she has done soon.

I will write up posts for the middle one and little one shortly. :)

Inconsistent Blogging!

2011-10-08T09:13:00.002-05:00

Wow, am I ever rocking the inconsistency lately! I feel like I am behind on everything except school, which is taking up most of my time. I am going to do a weekly wrap-up post today. (I am. I am. I really really am.) I think we had a couple of birthdays I neglected to post about, and some other fun things we have done lately. I am planning to do these in separate posts, so I may end up posting a bunch today. Or not. Because I seem to be all about inconsistency regarding the blog lately.

In the meantime, a couple of really sweet pics of my oldest and my niece. These two girls are a year and three days apart. From the time I heard about my niece being on the way, I pictured giggling and sleepovers. Since we don't live in the same city, that hasn't happened as much as I pictured. Well, at least the sleepovers haven't happened as much as I thought. The giggling has.

You can totally see the family resemblance, right? haha ;)

And one more:

This one was from the camp they went to this summer.

Okay, working on a weekly wrap-up post now. Or maybe I should call it a monthly wrap-up at this point.

Gratitude Journal - 311 - 320

2011-09-12T21:16:00.000-05:00

311. For starting our fourth week of school with everyone working together well.

312. For a successful and happy first day of co-op.

313. For walking approximately 735 miles during the first day of co-op. Woohoo for exercise!

314. For getting out of co-op, coming home, and getting our work finished for the day.

315. For a new CD that I am SO enjoying listening to! (And later this week, I want to share it with you and will be having a giveaway for it!)

316. For melatonin, which is helping me to sleep much better.

317. For old memories with friends. And the fact that EVERY SINGLE TIME I make anything with broccoli that requires chopping, I am suddenly 20 years old again, watching Dana Carvey sing about Chopping Broccoli on Saturday Night Live. It's awesome to be all alone in the kitchen getting supper together and having an attack of the giggles that prompts a YouTube search.

318. For the hilarity of a six year old singing "Dream On." Over and over. And over.

319. For spending long hours cleaning this weekend and having a clean family room. It was clean for all of about four hours.

320. For it being nearly bedtime after a long day.

Week In Review - Weeks 2 and 3

2011-09-11T21:03:00.002-05:00

So now we are three weeks in and have some of the kinks worked out!

I am giggling. As I planned school for the oldest, there was one part of her curriculum that I felt iffy about. I had decided we'd give it a try for a couple of weeks, then re-evaluate to see if we needed to skip that portion.

Would anyone care to guess what she told me her favorite part of her curriculum is? LOL Never fails, right? Glad I ordered it. Who would have guessed I would have a child who loves ... SHAKESPEARE of all things. I think she only has a Shakespeare overview once or twice a week, but she really loves it.

In week 2, she studied The Tempest.
In week 3, she studied Midsummer Night's Dream. (She is only halfway through this.)

This just fascinates me. Those of you who I talked to through the years about my child who could read well but hated to read? Never mind. LOL Sometime in the last couple of years, she decided that she really enjoyed reading. Apparently even Shakespeare. I loved reading, but I can't think of a single time I EVER said "hey! I'd like to read some more Shakespeare!" LOL

She has gone from Rome to Alexandria to Constantinople as she is studying history and geography. Her curriculum has her do a bit of research on these cities every week and then write a postcard to a friend telling them about the city. This is fabulous to me and I am really enjoying what she is learning and writing about.

She makes a timeline every week, starting where her curriculum from last year left off. So far she has gone through Polycarp, to Constantine, to Theodosius, to Alaric the Visigoth. I have no idea who most of those people are. Maybe I should do some of her history with her! She's in about 400 AD now.

She is enjoying some art as well. This was her first time to use chalk, and we really liked the way this came out.

In science ... well, in all honesty, science is our weak area. She's starting off in astronomy, and is learning about atmosphere, craters, and has been focused on Mercury. I imagine most of the science learning she will do will come from co-op. I am trying to make more of an effort with her in science. We'll see how that goes!

The middle one has found her groove and is doing well with school. She is writing her first paper in English, and I am finding it hysterical. Bob Jones English has one grammar chapter and then one writing chapter. This writing chapter was a compare and contrast essay. I suggested cats and dogs, oranges and apples, tennis shoes and sandals, etc. She chose to compare and contrast herself and her friend. Um. Okay. She has really done well on her paper though, and I can't wait until she is finished with it so I can make a copy to give to her friend's mom.

In history, she is studying creation. She is really enjoying Draw and Write Through History and has drawn some dinosaurs, early people, Noah's Ark, and her latest, cave drawing style wooly mammoths.

This topic is carried over into her science class, where she is studying the Ice Age. I'm doing some of this along with her and we are finding it very interesting! We are particularly enjoying this book:

We read it together and honestly are both finding it fascinating. These are topics I have never thought about too deeply, so it's been fun learning it along with her.

She is also doing a timeline, and since her curriculum starts with creation, her timeline currently includes creation, Noah's Ark, and the tower of Babel.

She enjoyed painting using watercolors. She was supposed to make a rainbow, and she did. I like the smiling sun.

The little one is getting used to school too. His kindergarten class is still reviewing things he already knows, which he enjoys telling me frequently. ("Mama! Ms. Russell already teached me this!") He has learned a few sight words and is sounding out some new words, and he is having fun doing it.

He is enjoying his Heart of Dakota curriculum as well, and especially looks forward to reading about Reddy Fox every day.

The best part of his week, and the girls agree, is the snack time he gets every week. The first week, he decorated cupcakes with his letter. Let me tell you, it's tough to make a B out of sprinkles on the top of a cupcake! The second week, he made a firetruck out of graham crackers, frosting, pretzels and gumdrops. Week three was a traffic light out of graham crackers, frosting, and m&m's. It's amazing how the girls' ears perk up from all over the house when the DVD says "Snack Time!"

It was firetruck day; see his fire hat?

Sister wants in on the firetruck action!

Now both sisters are making traffic lights.

(btw ... I am DELIGHTED to report that there is no longer a mattress set in the family room! DELIGHTED. House is back in order!)

This past week was rather hectic getting everything done with a bunch of extra activities thrown in, but somehow we managed. I still can't say enough good things about the Heart of Dakota curricula we are using. It has been such a blessing to us!

Co-op starts tomorrow, so next week's review will include co-op, day 1.

If it's Monday, it's hamburger.

2011-09-07T07:10:00.000-05:00

This whole summer I have felt out of control. Those of you who know me well probably know that this isn't a very good state for me. I don't have to be in control of everything and don't stress about (a lot of) things that simply are not in my control, but I really am much happier if the things that ARE in my control are well-controlled.

I had a major wake-up call a couple of weeks ago, when just for grins, I pulled up our Quicken spreadsheet and clicked on itemize by category. I glanced at the "Dining" category and just about fell over. Seriously, there was no more grinning, and quite a bit of shock at the total. Unbelievable how much money we had been spending on dining out. We went from a family who went out once every couple of weeks to a whole bunch of "I didn't plan anything tonight, so let's just go out."

Bad idea.The thing is - we are on the run a lot, especially during the school year. I was trying to make plans with a friend for a couple of her kids to come over and realized that we are running a LOT.

Mondays - co-op. Tuesdays - piano. Wednesday - church. Thursday - choir. Nothing Friday or Saturday, but usually we either have an extra child or one less child those nights. Sundays - church. With all of the busyness and running, there HAS to be a plan or it's the "we're already out in the car, let's just go to Jason's Deli." (I'm sure I have spoken of my deep deep love for Jason and his deli, right?)So, we're making changes. I want to have the meal situation under control, but still allow for some flexibility too.

Here's what we're trying out.

Breakfast - this has the most flexibility. Kids can choose from whatever we have. I do a big grocery trip every two weeks and buy two boxes of cereal, eggs, and oatmeal. Generally the cereal is gone first and then onto the other stuff.

Lunch - Jim is with us for lunch two or three days a week. On those days, we have hamburgers or chicken nuggets, and usually on Fridays, he makes a pizza or calzone. Other days are sandwiches, soup or ravioli, leftovers, or quesadillas. I think I would love to get an organization system for lunch but other than these options, I don't have it more scheduled. I'm not sure how well it would work, maybe I'll try to implement that soon.

Supper - this is where I have the most planning done. Every two weeks, I plan a menu out and make the grocery list and shop from that menu.

On Mondays that we have co-op, we need a crock pot meal for supper. It needs to be something that Jim can toss in while we're at co-op, before he goes to work. We get home from co-op and have half a day of school, and Jim works late, so Mondays are chaotic, I am worn out, and I need as little meal prep time as possible.On Mondays that we don't have co-op, it's some meal with hamburger. Spaghetti, tacos, lasagna, sloppy joes ... something along those lines.

Tuesdays, Jim also works late. Chick Fil A has their family night with two free kids' meals with every adult meal, so we do that once every two weeks. The next Tuesday is breakfast for supper. Everybody likes that, and it's pretty easy.

Wednesdays, we go to church. (Well - Jim and the kids go regularly. A lot of the time, I stay home. I feel bad doing that sometimes, but I get so little alone and quiet time, and I can have about 2 1/2 hours on Wednesdays if I stay home.) We do plan to eat at church, which I do realize is officially dining out. ;)

Thursdays, the girls have choir. This is a casserole, crock pot, or Jim cook night. Generally it's going to be something quick, and probably chicken. If I ever do the freezer restocking (AFTER hurricane season!) then we'll plan one of those meals for Thursday nights.

Fridays are "try a new recipe" night. I actually enjoy cooking and trying new things. :)

Saturdays are the nights that someone other than me chooses what we're having. This is usually a meat, potato or rice, and vegetable type meal. About half the time, Jim makes it.

Sunday nights the kids have church. Usually this is a crock pot night. I don't work in a church program any longer, but I do attend a Bible study when there is one offered, or do lesson plans if I'm at home. It is very convenient to throw something in the crock pot when we get home from church Sunday morning and then it's ready when the kids get home from church. Usually either Jim or I is at home, so we aren't exactly chained to the crock pot if there is something else that sounds good.

We got serious about this a few weeks ago. The last two week period went very well. No dining out! Then this past weekend came and well ... let's just not talk about that, mmkay? (In our defense - the oldest had a birthday. I took her out for lunch thinking we were making supper for her at home. Then Jim said he thought we were taking her out for supper, and well, who could turn that down? Apparently not me. LOL) In the ... ahem ... two days since then we've done very well. The menu is on the wall and we're following it. :)

So ... if anyone is interested, there are our meal plans. I'm happy to feel like we're taking control over the dining situation, and it's nice to have one less thing to think about.

Gratitude Journal - 301 - 310

2011-09-05T08:13:00.000-05:00

301. For rain, and lots of it ... and the ability to pray for rain for our neighbors to the north and west who so desperately need it.

302. For a successful second week of school. (Yep, I forgot to write up a weekly wrap-up post. I actually took pics and everything. I'll try to remember to combine weeks two and three and do that this week!)

303. For a "still needs bedding but otherwise complete" little boys room. And for the bunk beds that the little one and middle one think are ultra-cool and the easy bedtimes we've had since they have been installed. I am fully expecting the "new" to wear off pretty quickly, but in the meantime, I'm enjoying it!

304. For the world's easiest dog. She likes to be inside, in sight of her mat at all times. She does not want to be anywhere in the house where she can't see her mat. Sometimes I wonder about her a little, but for the most part, I'm just thankful that she is so easy.

305. For a nice, unexpected, visit with a friend yesterday morning. It was so nice to catch up with her!

306. For all three of my kids having birthday parties to attend this weekend. So great to share the birthday party love! (And so nice to not have one or two upset because SHE/HE got to go to a party and *I* didn't!)

307. For a fabulous first day as the mom of a teenager. :) Wow. How is that even possible? More on that later this week.

308. For the high temp of 74 degrees on Saturday. I know it will be back up to sauna level later this week, but it sure was nice to have a reminder that fall is indeed on the way. It probably won't get here until late November, but it IS coming!

309. For successfully taking control over one area of the finances and spending. Let's hope for that motivation to continue! It was just a baby step, but baby steps count, right?

310. For what feels like some renewed motivation in a couple of other areas, and that the Lord is faithful to provide motivation when we need it and ask for it. :) More on that later. Maybe. ;)

I will probably, if I remember, be linking up with www.aholyexperience.com today. Hop on over and read some other gratitude journals, and consider starting your own! It really is a blessing!

Wordless Wednesday

2011-08-31T07:10:00.001-05:00

Somebody please tell me.

How did this ...

become this ...

so quickly?

Happy sixth birthday to my sweet baby!

Gratitude Journal - 291 - 300

2011-08-29T07:10:00.000-05:00

Wow ... up to 300 on the list!

291. For a good first week back to school. And for me not flipping out too much when I realized that changes needed to be made. Okay, to be honest, there WAS a little stress (um, have you met me?) but there was not outright panic. I'm calling that a success.

292. For this week of birthdays at my house. The little one turned six (yesterday) and the oldest turns 13 (next Sunday). My children are such blessings!

293. For watching the middle and little ones play together so sweetly for several hours. These two aren't the closest of my kids, so it's an extra special blessing to see them playing together so nicely.

294. For an awesome haircut and color. Sometimes it's the little things that can be such a boost!

295. For watching the confidence of one of my kids just blossom. I have a couple who have my personality and tend to be a little shy, so it's great watching them come out of their shell a little.

296. For the completion of the construction in the house. Both bedrooms look so nice! They're both pretty bare bones right now, but pictures will be coming soon, I promise.

297. For a very nice, but too short, visit with my parents this weekend, and enjoying the three "T" boys as well.

298. For birthday cake.

299. That the birthday cake is nearly gone.

300. For a big six year old who knows he is not too big to snuggle his mama. :-}

I will be linking up with www.aholyexperience.com today. Feel free to hop on over and read other gratitude journals, or start your own!

Weekly Wrap Up -- Week 1

2011-08-27T21:00:00.001-05:00

Woohoo, week #1 is done! It's been an interesting week ...

The oldest:
Her Heart of Dakota curriculum is PERFECT for her. I was worried that it was going to take her way too long to complete a day because there is a lot of reading and journaling. It is actually just perfect! She started off learning about the times right after Christ, and about some martyrs. She's also reading Beautiful Girlhood and started a Shakespeare overview. In science, she is starting with astronomy.

We decided to change from Bob Jones English to Easy Grammar. We don't actually have the Easy Grammar curriculum in yet, but I am looking forward to it for several reasons. One - DVD time is a hot commodity around here, and Easy Grammar doesn't require a DVD player. Two - I think it will take considerably less time, even doing it for a whole year rather than a one semester course (which BJU is.) Three - we're already using IEW for writing, and she already has an excellent grammar foundation (thank you BJU!) so some skill maintaining is really all that is required at this point.

Math is rocking along, as is Texas History. (Oh yeah - we were going to hold that off until next semester, but while we were holding for English/grammar, decided there was no time like the present, and let's just go ahead and get Texas History done.)

Writing is rocking along as well. We got a great start with this last year and then decided to just start over rather than picking up where we left off, so this is all review to her right now.

I think this is really going to be a great year for her!

The Middle:
We discovered very quickly that we needed to revise the Heart of Dakota plans for the middle one. (Remember that the girls both did Creation to Christ last year. It was a struggle for the middle one, so we dropped her down a level for this year.) We were originally planning to stretch Preparing Hearts for His Glory over two years. I did not realize that there is quite a skill jump between the Preparing level and the Creation to Christ level. She breezed through day 1 and I realized that we needed to not do it half speed, plus we needed to add the extension package.

(NOTE TO SELF. When you plan lessons six weeks in advance, DO THEM IN PENCIL.)

I think she really is going to love this curriculum this year, and I am excited about it for her. I think once we have the kinks worked out with the schedule and figuring out exactly what she needs to do every day, she is going to love it.

She is doing well with her Bob Jones English and reading, and with her Teaching Textbooks math.

The little one:
Woohoo for no changes necessary!

His Heart of Dakota curriculum has been fun this week. He's a squirmy little boy, so it's great that the readings are short. We do school with him about 15 minutes at a time in several intervals throughout the day, and this week it has worked well. He is very clearly still adjusting to school and figuring out what is expected from him.

His phonics/reading BJU class is going well. Again, it's taking some adjustment to get him to focus well. (Funny - he can sit and watch Phineas and Ferb and not move, but I put in the kindergarten dvd and he turns into a squirmy worm!) He's figuring out how it all works though, and I'm proud of him.

We're still a bit at a loss for math. I bought him a Singapore math book then realized that he was a little past where it started. We're going to finish it up in the next couple of weeks and then go to ... something. Maybe just the next Singapore book. I really don't know yet.

All in all, it's been a very good first week. Yay for getting back into a routine! The kids have complained about getting up earlier, but in all honesty, I think everyone is happier when we have a schedule and normal daily plan. (Or maybe it's just that *I* am happier when we have a routine ... and when mama is happy ... you know the rest.)

I will be linking up with Weird Unsocialized Homeschoolers today. :) Hop on over and see how other first weeks went!

Just some random stuff.

2011-08-25T10:44:00.000-05:00

1. The little one said something funny the other night. "Mama! That is LOADED!! You shoot the WALL, not the SISTER!" This was after I picked up his Buzz Lightyear shooter thingie, aimed at the middle one, and shot her. OOPS. Who even knew he had a clue where the little disks were? Things I never thought I'd hear my kids say ...

2. The oldest and I watched American Ninja Warrior the other night. Oh my heavens. We loved it and were amazed (and a bit horrified, to be honest) through the whole thing. I cannot believe we invested two hours into that show and NOT A ONE of them made it through the third course. I don't usually get into shows like that but I hollered out "NOOOOO!" just like the oldest did when the last guy was SO close and didn't make it. I can't imagine the strength it takes to do that. Can't imagine.

3. The house is back in order, mostly. I still need to put the little one's books back on his shelf, although I was actually planning to just randomly scatter them through the house, because no matter how much effort we take to put them neatly on the shelf, within minutes they will be scattered randomly through the house. Why not just save some effort.

4. Because I evidently have expensive taste, the kids don't have bedding to match their new pretty rooms yet. In time ... Their rooms look FABULOUS though! I keep seeing the red wall in the little one's room out of the corner of my eye as I'm in the living room and it is continually taking me by surprise. I love it though. I had a huge "WHAT WAS I THINKING?!?" moment while the paint was going up, but after it was all dried, I love it.

5. There will be a school report tomorrow. Remember my last post said I was trying to be flexible? Yeah, that. For a preview of things to come, we're also changing some things up for the middle one. Thankfully the little one seems to not need any changes at the moment.

6. Is this the most boring post ever?

7. We are all very excited today because the little one's lesson involves cupcakes. We are all wishing we were still in kindergarten and thankful for a little boy who loves to share. :)

First day report

2011-08-23T07:10:00.001-05:00

Flexibility. A skill I'm working on. A skill I currently do not possess.

I believe I'm going to need to change a class for the oldest. I know, this is not really a crisis, but I've had everything laid out - either physically laid out or laid out in my mind - for months now. Realizing on day 1 that a change will very likely be necessary has me a little stressed. It will be fine though. It's a class at which she excels, so it will be fine to change everything up at the last minute. Right? RIGHT??

Other than that, day one went smoothly. The middle one had the easiest day. She finished early and enjoyed everything she did. WOOT! The oldest one had a long day. I guess that's to be expected. (At least the change mentioned above will cut a bit of work out of her day. I think.)

The little one cracked me up. A fair portion of his curriculum consists of me reading to him. He was flipping all over here and there. I asked him what he did last year when Mrs. Russell read to him and he said he sat on his mat like he was supposed to. Um. Not sure if I should go get the boy a mat or what. hehe ;)

First day of school pics:


MY BABY!! How could he be in kindergarten already?

My sweet 5th grader. I hope today was a preview of a great year for her!

The oldest, saying "I cannot believe my mom is making me take a pic with this dorky sign."

One more thing ... it's not only public school moms who cry on their baby's first day of kindergarten. :-} I just can't figure out how that happened so quickly. It really does not seem possible.

And so it begins ...

2011-08-22T07:10:00.034-05:00

The 2011/2012 school year that is! The home construction is finished just in the nick of time. There is still work to be done, but at least all of the furniture is (mostly) where it belongs. We have discovered that I have very expensive taste so the decoration of both bedrooms will likely take a while. I'm okay with that. Mostly. We are cash only and intend to stay that way, and let me tell you, that is sometimes TOUGH with two who enjoy instant gratification! Pics of the redo will come eventually, but I want to wait until it's done. Right now both rooms look like big ole' messes with really pretty walls, trim, and doors.

Oh wait. This post was supposed to be about school, wasn't it?

I am so glad to be getting started. I think every one of us will be happier with a normal routine and schedule. Or at least I will. And if *I'm* happier, everyone else will be too. :-P

I know I posted our curriculum choices already, and I really want to commit to a weekly wrap-up, both for my benefit for future reference, and to connect with others doing the same things. I don't think I've posted our schedule for the year though. I'm sure there will be some tweaking required because I don't know exactly how long our Heart of Dakota curriculum(s) will take. I know how long it took last year, but I'm not sure I can use that as a basis for this year because that was two kids together and a third one not in the mix. I had to have a plan to start with though, and here it is.

8:30 -- oldest does English with DVD
9:15 -- oldest moves to computer to do math
middle starts Reading on DVD
little one starts Heart of Dakota with mama
10:00 -- oldest starts Heart of Dakota independently
middle one goes to English on DVD, then to Heart of Dakota reading
little one does math with mama, then playtime
11:00 -- oldest works on writing (Institute for Excellence in Writing) with mama and does dictation for spelling
middle one moves to the computer to do math
little one moves to the DVD player to do his phonics

12:00 -- hopefully all of the above stuff is done and we have lunch

1:00 -- everybody goes to Heart of Dakota. The little one might be done now, I really don't know yet. We might do our read alouds all together at this time, or just see what works. Looking at this, it looks like the two younger ones will need me at this time if the little one isn't already finished, so we'll see how this works. The middle one will be doing her history and/or science projects at this time, and when those are finished, so is she.

2:00 -- everybody should be finished by this time except the oldest, who hopefully will just have some independent reading left.

So, this is clearly very much a work in progress. That's okay, we have a plan to start with and can adjust as we need to.

I went through and looked at the school room posts all around the blogosphere. To be honest, I was so envious of all the gorgeous dedicated school spaces I saw! We don't have a dedicated school space. We have the family room, the kitchen, a bedroom, and the living room. I remodeled my house (AGAIN) in my mind to carve out a space. It was gorgeous. It had a DVD player, a school computer, maps on the wall, a humongous bookshelf, and comfy chairs. It was so fabulous.

Then I remembered my children. Have you met them? Miss "please leave me alone because I prefer complete silence while I learn." Miss "I am so easily distracted I need a room with nothing moving around." And of course Mr. "I am a loud noise covered in dirt and my favorite thing in the world is annoying the snot out of the middle one."

Our school space is perfect for our needs.

They all move around from one room to the next, they all have their space, and distractions are at a minimum. As much as I would love the school room I daydreamed about, it would likely be an exercise in frustration for all of us.

Giggle ... I realize I have barely blogged all summer long and then made it up all in one blog post!

YAY for the first day of school!

Homeschool Mother's Journal 8/5

2011-08-05T14:14:00.000-05:00

I've seen this link up here and there and haven't ever participated before.  But now, I'm sitting here avoiding the laundry and sink full of dishes, and proud that I accomplished something homeschool related, so I want to shout it out!  LOL

In my life this week…
There has been much chaos. LOL Redoing a bedroom, a spastic refrigerator, and nothing in its usual place. This is not good for for my mind, which operates so much better when there is not clutter!

In our homeschool this week…
We are getting there! I came back from the conference, as always, all inspired but with the realization that some of the inspiration was a little idealistic. It's good to be aware of that now! I have gotten our schedule put together and the first six weeks planned out. I'm DELIGHTED with this!

Helpful homeschooling tips or advice to share…
This is a very practical tip, but it has helped me. Take your worktexts that have tear out pages to an office supply store. For about $3 per book, they can spiral bind them and VOILA no more loose pages covering every flat surface in the house. At the end of the year, you've got a nice completed book to file away.

I am inspired by…

Remember I just got home from a homeschool conference. Right now I am inspired by Sally Clarkson. I bought a few of her workshops on CD at the conference. She just encourages me so much!

Places we’re going and people we’re seeing…
The main place we are going these days is Lowe's. I think I have used an entire tank of gas going to Lowe's and back. It will be awesome (and oh yes, there will be pictures) when it's done!

My favorite thing this week was…
Last night. I looked at my planner and saw plans written through all of September. Makes me so happy! And I'm also going to have to throw in that the meal I had last night for my birthday might have been my other favorite thing. YUMMY~!!

What’s working/not working for us…
I am loving Heart of Dakota curriculum and it worked so well for us last year.

Questions/thoughts I have…
How on earth am I going to take the curriculum that I loved so much last year for two children and split it into three children doing their own? We'll see ...

And the mail just got here and it's time to pick up my daughter and I suppose I shouldn't avoid the laundry any longer because I think it's giving me the evil eye, so I'll close for now!

"Not" Back to School Blog Hop: Curriculum Week

2011-08-03T08:37:00.001-05:00

I thought maybe I'd ease into blogging again by joining this blog hop. We loved all of our curriculum choices last year, so we're continuing on with them this year.

The oldest: 8th grade
She will be doing Bob Jones Writing and Grammar 8 this year. She is actually just going to be doing the grammar portion of it this year.
She will be completing IEW, which we started last year, for writing.
She will be doing Teaching Textbooks for math.
She will be doing the Resurrection to Reformation study from Heart of Dakota for history, science, and Bible, with a lot of extras thrown in (like poetry, art, and spelling). She did Creation to Christ last year, and OH, how we loved it! I am very excited to see what this year is going to hold!
She will be doing Switched on Schoolhouse Texas History in the spring as well.

The middle one: 5th grade
(Let me just take a moment to GASP. Eighth and fifth grade? Wow.)
Her plan is pretty easy this year, and I am anticipating a good year for her.
She will again be using Bob Jones for English 5 and Reading 5. She is well familiar with these, having used them since first grade. We are former homesat customers, and have DVD's for classes from K4 - 8th grade.
She will again be using Teaching Textbooks for math.
She will be doing Preparing Hearts for His Glory from Heart of Dakota this year. She actually did Creation to Christ with her sister last year, and I know it's weird to go down a level, but she is not ready to go up a level, and I would actually like her to repeat the Creation to Christ curriculum when she is in 7th grade, so I think it's going to work well to have her do Preparing spread over two years. This will cover her history, science, poetry, art, Bible, and spelling.

And, the little one: Kindergarten (also unbelievable.)
His plan is very simple this year. He is ready to learn and asks me two things just about every day. 1. Can one of his friends come over, and 2. Is it time to do some school. I'm anticipating a fun year with him!
He will be also doing a Heart of Dakota curriculum. His is Little Hearts for His Glory. (Yes, I am a bit nervous about running three HOD programs at the same time.)
He will be doing Bob Jones K5 Beginnings for phonics, reading, and handwriting.
He will be doing a Singapore Math workbook. I'm really not sure where we will land for math. I'm really not sure exactly where he is now, so this is the one area that might change quickly. We may end up starting Math U See Alpha pretty quickly, or sticking with this workbook, or really I don't even know.

Okay, so that's it for our curriculum choices. It looks so overwhelming to see it all written out here! (No, it REALLY looks overwhelming now that it's all sitting on our bookshelf!) I am very excited to see what this year holds for us though. :)

I will be linking up with Heart of the Matter today and plan to join in with all of their August blog hops as we get ready for NOT back to school!

**NOTE -- I would love a "buddy" who is going through the same HOD curriculum that we are, so please be sure to leave me a message if you are! Especially the RtoR. I'm a big fan of comparing notes and sharing ideas along the way!

Gratitude Journal - 281 - 290

2011-07-25T11:04:00.000-05:00

Still on something of a blogging break ... but gearing up for back to school soon and will likely be posting regularly again. In the meantime, I remain thankful ...

281. RAIN!! We've had a lot of rain recently and the grass is green, the burn ban is lifted, and it feels back to normal around here. I'm sure we're still way under the amount of rain we need, but it's nice to not be walking on crunchy grass and worrying so much about a stray cigarette thrown out of a car taking out a whole neighborhood.

282. For days like today with nothing on the calendar. Friends are going to come over for lunch and playtime and we have just an easy day today.

283. The smell of cookies in the oven.

284. That the oldest and her cousin had a fabulous time at camp. I was a little worried because the cousin didn't know anybody other than the oldest and sometimes they're the best of friends and sometimes notsomuch, but it could not have gone better! The cousin made some new life-long friends, and the oldest also had a fabulous time! :)

285. The National Guard "two weeks in the summer" is over. We only had one bad day here with Daddy gone, so I'm calling it a success.

286. For a fun family day on Saturday. (And for being reminded that I am officially old now. We went to an army "welcome back" type party ... and OH MY at the young army families there. I really did leave feeling old ... but thankful because I'm not sure I would really want to be in my early or mid twenties again!)

287. For the fun the girls and I are having planning their new bedroom! Walls are coming out very soon and new walls coming in ... and then the fun begins! I'm very excited to give them a pretty bedroom!

288. For a great time the two little ones had at VBS at my friend's church last week. (Although I think I have heard enough of the "b-b-b-b-b big apple adventure" song! Ha! No seriously - I'm glad they learned the songs and go around the house singing them.)

289. For a great weekend visit to my parents last weekend. The oldest sang in their church and we just had a great visit.

290. And for a huge big enormous praise ... which I already mentioned in another post ... but have to shout out again: my mom is DONE with cancer treatment. AWESOME!!

I will be linking up with www.aholyexperience.com today. Feel free to hop on over and read other gratitude journals, or start your own!

I really am still here.

2011-07-19T13:55:00.000-05:00

I didn't leave the country or anything. We have just been so busy! So much for lazy summer days. (Although - there have been some of those ... and on those days, I've even been too lazy to do any blogging!)

I did have to come on today though, and post for those of you who aren't on my facebook.

My mom FINISHES her cancer treatments today! Like within the next hour she will be ringing the bell and will be D.O.N.E.

I know many of y'all have prayed for and with us and I certainly would love for you to share in the praising now that it's done!

Thank you all for your kind words, prayers, and encouragement through this! :)

Gratitude Journal - 271-280

2011-07-04T11:18:00.000-05:00

271. For my sweet little one, who greets me every morning with hugs and snuggles and gives me kisses and hugs before he goes to bed each night.

272. For lazy days ... when, even if I wake up early, I can be lazy and lay around in bed and snuggle with small children.

273. For cold sweet watermelon on hot summer days.

274. That the surgery recovery, which started out at record pace seems to have slowed down. This is a good thing because it's forcing ME to slow down and enjoy some quieter moments with the family.

275. For a family who hasn't grown completely tired of doing just about everything for me.

276. For a sweet memory of being a little girl hanging out with my grandmother as I made purple hull peas the other day. Oh my, yumminess. Next time I will by them unshelled so that I can have the kids help shell them and tell them about my Mema teaching me how to shell peas!

277. For a fabulous VBS program, complete with a family night at the pool, which my son declared "the most fun EVER." (and MAYBE this week I will finally upload the pics from my camera. I have REALLY slacked off on the pictures lately.)

278. For having our 2011/2012 homeschool stuff all organized and ready to go. Everything is on its proper shelf and looks nice. It will look this nice until the moment school actually begins. haha

279. For finally having a "book club" buddy. The oldest is reading some books I have enjoyed and it's been really fun getting her take on them.

280. Did I ever even post about the middle one's birthday party? That is definitely a thankful list item. Great group of girls, fun girly stuff, no sleep ... and the middle one loving her party and feeling like a princess. :)

Not Me!!

2011-06-21T08:03:00.002-05:00

May I just request that SOMEONE take it upon themselves as a MINISTRY to take the phone away from someone who has just had surgery and is hopped up on pain meds?

It was not me at all who had "female surgery" last week and then apparently a lot of inhibition-reducing drugs and decided in a bout of 3 am wakefulness to post on facebook and COMPLETELY overshare. I certainly did not discuss a catheter (and spell it wrong half the time) and internal plumbing and all manners of things that are just entirely inappropriate for me to discuss on facebook. Nor did about half of these posts make absolutely no sense at all

And if I had, I certainly would well remember the conversation and would not, almost a week later, read through it and be completely horrified that I posted such details.

And then I wouldn't laugh at myself and instantly write this blog post in my mind.

So yeah ... someone take it upon themselves as a ministry to people having surgery to just quietly slip in to their hospital rooms and remove their phones for their own good. I promise you, the patient will thank you later. So will all of the people who really don't want conversations about catheters all over their facebook walls!

(And I can see from my call history that I had a couple of conversations with people ... conversations that I can't remember AT ALL. If you happen to be one of those people, and I completely overshared with you ... please either erase it from your mind or NEVER EVER SPEAK OF IT, and since I can't remember at all, we'll just call it good and move on.)

Gratitude Journal - 261-270

2011-06-20T06:48:00.000-05:00

Oh. Hm. I have a blog? I seem to have forgotten. I will ease back in to the blogging with a thankful list.

261. For quiet mornings when it looks really pretty out, even though at 6:30, the temperature gauge already says 86 degrees, so looks are probably a bit deceiving. It really does look pretty though because the wind is gently blowing, the sun isn't scorching (yet) and it's quiet and pleasant in my house.

262. For our local Chick Fil A, which is doing another "bring them home" fundraiser tonight for this family. How completely awesome!

263. For skilled surgeons. I had some surgery last week. I am especially loving that my new laparoscopic scars are at the edges of my c-section scars, and are at an angle, so now I have a smiley face. Awesome.

264. For the hope that the surgery will be successful and the pain will be gone. :) I am very hopeful because other than the first day or two, the pain of the surgery was actually less than the pain the surgery was supposed to treat.

265. For awesome friends who have taken such excellent care of me and my family over the last week. I am so incredibly blessed! :)

266. (I can't believe I haven't posted this one before now!) For the COMPLETION of our 2010/2011 school year! We actually finished over a week ago, and will be starting our (very abbreviated) summer schedule this week. Summer schedule is about an hour a day; mainly to keep up skills and give the kids something to do when it's tooooo hot to be outside.

267. For the 2011/2012 plans and curriculum all being in place. Everything is here for the next school year except math for the oldest, which hasn't actually been released yet. When I can lift things again, the new stuff will come out of the bins, onto the shelves, and the stuff currently there will be put away for future use. :D :D

268. For all of the mindless and entertaining things with which I've been occupying myself for the past week - Words with Friends, Psych DVDs, books on my nook, etc. And for the various children who have enjoyed the mindlessness with me. :)

269. For my sweet husband, who has kept up with all of the stuff around the house and put up with me requesting a specific smoothie that required more than one stop to find and for keeping the kids entertained.

270. For the pictures my dad has sent ... which have made me laugh and made me cry.

Wordless Wednesday - Preschool Graduation

2011-06-08T09:28:00.000-05:00

I am way behind on the Wordless Wednesday posts. I still have recital ... and I don't remember what else ... to post. At least it will be some filler from the lazy days of summer. :)

So ... my baby graduated from PreK. It was the sweetest ceremony.

Before the ceremony.

Getting his diploma.

This was their prayer at the end. Forgive the picture quality; it was taken from my phone through teary eyes. It's just the sweetest thing though!

They had all of the kids list something they enjoyed this year and something they are looking forward to next year. This was my son's. Let's all say "awww!!" :) (and hm ... his favorite thing was going on stage? Really? I have another performer? LOL)

We thoroughly LOVED Learning Hands Preschool this year! I am so glad we chose to have him there this year! It was such a blessing to him and to all of us! :)

Gratitude Journal - 251 - 260

2011-06-06T18:04:00.000-05:00

This is a reach. I honestly don't know if I'm coming or going these days. One day I'll be thinking about Troy and can just laugh at all the typical growing up siblings stuff and the next minute we'll be out of the dressing that I like and I will cry and want to scream. I guess that's how grief goes.

I do believe that God is good and God is sovereign, even though I don't understand, so I really am trying to keep my gratitude journal going. I usually write these posts in advance and I didn't last night, so I guess this is an "on the fly" gratitude journal. Just forgive me if I recycle a bunch of things.

251. It is raining as I type. Like a serious soaking rain. A desperately needed rain. Usually I am complaining about all the rain we get down here, but it's been over a month since there has been any kind of rain! I was in the mood for a good storm, and that's what's happening.

252. I have downloaded a bunch of free books for my Nook and I am really enjoying reading! Most of the free books I have are from authors with whom I'm not familiar, so it's been a surprise when I've started reading them. Most of them I have thoroughly enjoyed.

253. For a fabulous day with friends on Friday. Last Thursday was a bad day. From being attacked by the radio to running out of my favorite dressing to dealing with some regrets to just stuff ... bad day. Bad to the point where I almost canceled going shopping with friends on Friday. I am so glad I didn't. It was nice to just get away, to get the last of our curriculum for next year purchased, to eat some yummy Mexican food, and just relax.

254. For Pandora and a radio receiver in my car, so I can create my own radio station on my phone, play it on my stereo, skip songs I either don't like or am not emotionally stable enough to hear, and listen to what I want to listen to. ~~We've~~ I've enjoyed some 80's stations and let the girls make their own stations too. Super convenient little app and gadget!

255. hehe ... the aforementioned storm just knocked the power out and the little one kind of freaked. While I'm in here still typing, I'm listening to the oldest comforting him. Very sweet. (Don't worry about my parenting abilities - a) he is being a BIT dramatic and b) she is good to him and loves this sort of thing. If my assistance were required I'd be in there.)

256. For the smell of rain, which I was rather enjoying before every candle we own has been lit. In a few minutes, I will actually be enjoying the smell of candles. Apparently we take power outages very seriously around here.

257. For the fact that I had already planned to have sandwiches for supper, so I'm not needing to change any plans at all if the power stays out for a while.

258. For about six hours of school and the 2010/2011 school year will be officially wrapped up for us. This has been a good year, but now I'm done and ready for our (light but still existent) summer schedule.

259. For puzzles and games, which are being pulled out as I type to entertain small children. I'd love to send them out to play in the rain, but not so much with the thunder and lightening!

260. For reassurance, as I am haunted by the memory of a 10 year old sobbing at a funeral, that the Lord has a plan for that child, and that He loves him. (And his brothers, of course ... I just looked at my sweet 10 year old nephew and his similarity to my 10 year old daughter, and my heart has been tied up in knots ever since.)

Y'all please keep praying for my family. My mom starts her radiation treatments today and needs all the prayer support she can get. I'd love to ask y'all to pray for NO side effects of the radiation. Pray for my dad as well, as he is taking care of her and my nephews, and just for an extra measure of comfort. This grieving thing is hard for me, so I know it has to be so much harder for them.

I will be linking up with Ann's blog, A Holy Experience today, so feel free to go visit and see some more gratitude journals.

The Flash / Muffin Story

2011-05-31T09:05:00.000-05:00

To develop the proper appreciation for the story, you need a picture of the dog in your head. This is not the actual dog.

Troy fell in love with English bulldogs. He was in high school at the time, which means I had to be in college. I'm not sure if it was the Baylor days or the Sam Houston State days ... probably both?? Oh wait ... it had to have been a little later than that now that I think about it. So yeah, definitely SHSU days (for me) which means he was out of high school. Well ... 20-ish years ago, anyway.

So ... the parents got him an English bulldog.

(pause for a moment ... did *I* ever get an English bulldog?? Nooooo ....

.... not that I actually wanted one. Just had to take this sisterly opportunity to complain.)

She really was a cute dog. Tongue hanging out, ran kind of at an angle, like her back legs ran faster than her front legs, did the head tilt ...

In typical short round dog fashion, she did not move very quickly unless there was a lawnmower around, in which case that dog could BOLT. TO the lawnmower. So evidently not the sharpest knife in the drawer ... but I digress.

So ... Troy named the dog Flash. We're all great fans of the sarcasm, so that was probably a really good name for her.

BUT ... I was a big sister. Getting along peacefully? Um, no. Needling and annoying? Yes, please.

So ... *I* named the dog Muffin. Which annoyed the SNOT out of Troy. Which meant I had to RUN. WITH. IT. Which meant, not only did I call the dog Muffin, so did all of my friends. I made a collar for the dog with Muffin on it. I bought him a stuffed dog and put Muffin on the collar. I was generally as much of a pain in the butt as you can ever picture any sister being. Ever. And, bless his heart, I think he got really mad every single time I referred to the dog as Muffin. Which is exactly why I kept doing it.

You want to know the really funny thing though? I remember Troy coming here for a visit several years ago and we were talking about the dog. Generally now I refer to that dog as Flash/Muffin. HE ACTUALLY REFERRED TO HER AS MUFFIN. Then he gave me that smart-aleky face that brothers always reserve for sisters.

This is the actual Flash/Muffin with Troy.

So that's the Flash/Muffin story. And the story of how I was a rather obnoxious sister.

Gratitude Journal - 241 - 250

2011-05-30T07:10:00.001-05:00

I'll be honest. I'm not feeling a whole lot of gratitude right now. I'm feeling a lot more like wallowing. Maybe that's the very time I need to make this list the most, right? And there ARE things for which I am very grateful.

241. For faith - the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things unseen. I am filled with a lot of things unseen right now, and a lot of "BUT WHY" and yet, through all of that, there is still faith, somehow, whether I ever see it or not ...

242. For a pastor that I love dearly ... and his ability to say "I don't know why things happen like they do, and it's okay to wonder and to ask."

243. For friends willing to drive five hours to attend the funeral of someone they had never met simply because they love me.

244. For friends who meet us at home with exactly what we need exactly when we need it.

245. For reconnection with old friends ... and promises to keep in touch better.

246. For fried squash, which has been the main staple of my diet over the last week. And for fresh squash, which I bought yesterday.

247. For a fabulous first year of t-ball for the little one, complete with fabulous coaches who taught a lot about baseball, and a lot about sportsmanship.

248. For the completion of all of our school year activities. Except school. Sigh. We'll get that finished this week. Probably.

249. For an "extended" church family who welcomed us in and took care of us, making us feel very loved in the process.

250. For memories, which honestly are just making me cry right now, but there have been a few giggles through the tears, which is nice. :}

I will be linking up with A Holy Experience today. You can feel free to hop over and read other gratitude journals, or start your own. (And if you do start your own, be sure to leave a comment and I'll happily visit your blog.)

L.E.N.S. Challenge - Comfort

2011-05-29T20:13:00.001-05:00

Today's challenge is comfort. I saw it and immediately thought of this picture, taken almost ten years ago. Actually just seeing this pic of my grandmother and my middle one is comforting to me. :)

eta -- looks like the graphic is trying to decide to not show up! This is linked up with Home Is Where You Start From, so hop on over there to see other comfort entries.

Just a bunch of stuff.

2011-05-27T19:04:00.000-05:00

My mind is still reeling. Just wanted you to know that in advance in case this entire post makes no sense or something.

The funeral was today and we just got home a little while ago. I am exhausted, seriously. We stayed in a hotel last night, and apparently I missed the part where the hotel said it had double beds and not queen beds. Wanna guess how much sleep happened in a double bed with me, Jim, and the little one? Ding ding ding if you said little to none.

I was remembering being a kid and sitting in the back of the car and playing this game with Troy where we sat with our backs on the doors and put our feet together in the middle and kicked back and forth. I remember mom or dad telling us not to do that and thinking that they just didn't ever let us have ANY fun. I can't imagine why in the world they didn't love that game! Giggling now thinking that that particular game is a kick in the face just waiting to happen and wondering why *we* didn't realize that at the time. Probably because *MY* legs were longer. :-P

Since I pick on my kids here at the ole' blog all the time, now it's time that I can pick on my oldest nephew a little. Last night at the visitation at the funeral home, I kept seeing people that I really KNEW I should know but couldn't remember exactly who they were. For a while I could solve it by slipping up to peek at the guest book but then there got to be too many people there so that didn't work anymore. I asked my 18 year old nephew who somebody was, and his exact words to me were "I don't know, they all look alike after 45." Awesome. (Really - I have giggled about that ever since he said it.) I'll be 42 this year, so sometime over the next three years, I guess I'll morph into indistinguishable features as well. Again, awesome.

I REALLY hope that there are pets in heaven. The very thought of Troy running around with Muffin/Flash is making me smile. I wonder if her name is Muffin or Flash in heaven? Probably Flash. I hope that she will still let me call her Muffin.

Okay, I suppose that's it for my rambling for now. I do reserve the right to ramble more later ... ;)

My Brother Troy

2011-05-25T06:28:00.003-05:00

January 17, 1972 - May 24, 2011
Love you, brother.

Want to help a child? (And my daughter at the same time?)

2011-05-24T08:21:00.001-05:00

This Saturday, the oldest and I will be participating in a 5K WALK (nope, there will be no running on either of our parts at this event!) to help bring Kirk home.

Who is Kirk? Kirk is the son of a friend of a friend. Not only that, but he just happens to be a close friend to a new little friend. Got all that straight? LOL Let me see if I can do a better job explaining it ... or at least linking to people who CAN explain it.

Kirk is the son of the Hazeltons. They are currently raising the funds required to bring him home.

I know most of you who read my blog know Jessica personally, but some of you do not. Jessica just got home with her three little ones a few weeks ago. One of her little ones is a good friend to Kirk.

Just read this post of Jessica's. Kirk and Jessica's son Alik are good buddies who have likely been together from birth. Then they both are adopted to families halfway around the world ... and end up five minutes apart from each other!

So now we need to get Kirk home. And we ALL need to tell Jessica and Shannon that when those boys see each other again for the first time, there must be video and it must be shared. I seriously cannot even let my mind go there without getting teary!!

The oldest and I have dusted off our ~~running~~ walking shoes and will be getting out in the sticky heat Saturday morning to help raise money to bring this little guy home. We would love if you would consider sponsoring us! If this sounds like something you would be interested in, please email me at itsmelanie@gmail.com. I promise you - no amount is too small! If you want to help out in other ways, I know the Hazeltons would love some prayer support!

You can go here to find out more about the 5K!

Gratitude Journal - 231 - 240

2011-05-23T07:54:00.000-05:00

Woot! I think I'm back~!! Now on to the grateful list ...

231. For the winding down. All we have left is one week of t-ball and one week of preschool for our outside activities.

232. For something that I complained about that turned into a humongous blessing. More on that to follow ... probably in an overly wordy Wordless Wednesday post.

233. For yet another reminder that when I sit and focus on me me me, I miss out on so much! And yes, I am very thankful for this, because eventually I'm going to be reminded of this enough times that it will sink in.

234. For a very sweet lady who may have only had a short season in the life of my girls, but whose impact will stay with them through the years, I know.

235. For a fun, fabulous, close to the AWANA program for the year, and forever for the oldest. They all worked incredibly hard this year and I am so proud of them. (Again ... pics to follow ... maybe another overly wordy Wordless Wednesday ... which I think I'll just call that from now on.)

236. For being able to watch the oldest work really hard for something that she wants, and for her recognizing that it will take a lot of work and watching her being willing to put in that work. And for the encouragement of others, when her own mother would have looked at what she wants to do and said it was too hard and she should try again in a few years.

237. For seeing the absolute delight that the middle on has in performing. That child loves to be on stage and spotlights? Awesome.

238. For remembering an AWANA musical when the middle one was 4 or 5 ... the one where she performed her ENTIRE dance recital. All of the other kids were standing and singing, just like they were supposed to be doing, and the middle one was dancing with abandon. I am pretty sure at the time I tried to stop her, to make her sit down and do what she was supposed to be doing, which of course did not work. Today I'm going to find that video and laugh.

239. For my baby, who fell asleep in my arms last night. I know at 5 1/2, there aren't too many more nights for that, and I absolutely cherish it every time it happens.

240. (sorry, have to yell this one ...) SCHOOL IS DONE EXCEPT FOR THE FINAL TWO WEEKS OF HEART OF DAKOTA CURRICULUM, which I might combine into one week and be D.O.N.E. (Can I get a big WOOHOO?!?)

I will be linking up with A Holy Experience today. Feel free to hop on over and read some other Gratitude Journals! Oh - and that background song on her site? That is #236 on my list. :)

The Oldest Cracks Me Up

2011-05-16T12:27:00.000-05:00

We're still in the midst of the busiest couple of weeks of the year, so there will likely not be a whole lot of blogging going on, but I had to write this down before I forget.

Saturday we worked all day at a garage sale fundraiser. My niece was here and I dragged the girls out of the house at 6:30 by luring them with Starbucks and they seriously did WORK at the garage sale.

We finally got home and there was a dog beside our house. They were all convinced that it was the neighbor's dog, and the neighbor's dog is never loose! I told the oldest to see if she could catch the dog and take it over there. She did, and then went next door and came back saying the neighbors weren't home. I told her that if she was CERTAIN it was their dog, to put her in our dog's crate and go put a note on their door to let them know that we had the dog.

Here's her note:

Hi! We have your dog. Either that or we have stolen somebody's dog that happens to look like yours.
~ The Neighbor Children

The neighbor had been out looking for her dog, so she saw the note pretty quickly and came to get it. (It actually seems to be a sweet little dog, and I take back most of the bad things I've said about it. I guess it can't help it if it has the yapper gene.)

Anyway ... the note just cracked me up ... my child the dog thief.

Giggles ...

I Read Something Fabulous

2011-05-12T09:52:00.000-05:00

I read a BUNCH of blogs. Seriously a bunch. Some people read news, or magazines, or such ... I read blogs. I figure if something is going on in the news that I need to know, somebody will blog about it. That's worked pretty well so far. ;)

Yesterday, I was flipping through blogs in my reader and came across this:

"I'm Never Inviting You to MY House!"

How awesome is that? I have been kind of thinking of that lately as I was talking with a friend about dropping our masks and being REAL with each other, and remembering a fabulous Sunday school teacher from a few years ago trying to get us to realize the same thing. What can I say? I'm apparently a slow learner who needs the same message delivered in many different forms before it sinks in.

My kids have asked me before when I've gone on a mad cleaning spree "Who's coming over, Mom?" Yikes.

Think maybe I'll give myself permission to just accept myself and my house as they are? Probably not. Maybe I WILL relax a bit though. :)

I can tell you with reasonable certainty that I will likely NOT vacuum though. I hate vacuuming and don't do it. (Thank you Jim.)

So local friends? Come on over and see my lived in house. Not so local friends? You come too. :) But let's all give Jim time to vacuum first.

(See ... slow learner.) ;)

Wordless Wednesday

2011-05-11T10:40:00.000-05:00

What I did for Mother's Day!

I just love this picture! We got together with some friends and did a "let's play at the park and have a picnic" evening. It was AWESOME! Living in Texas, in May, usually we would expect hot, sticky weather. Not this night! It was breezy and amazingly pleasant. Perfect weather! I handed my oldest the camera and she got some great pics of the kids and a few of the adults too. This was my absolute favorite shot. What a fabulous, fun night!

Plan B, Anyone?

2011-05-10T10:10:00.001-05:00

Homeschooling 2011/2012.

Adding to my list of things I've learned: As they get older, it gets more expensive. LOTS more expensive. That's just a tip that has really nothing to do with this blog post.

Another tip: it's a lot easier to combine a 4th grader and a 7th grader than it is to combine a 5th grader and an 8th grader. At least that's how it's appearing.

The combining thing was good while it lasted, but after trying to figure out how to make it work for next year, I have basically given up. The girls will use two separate curricula next year. We love Heart of Dakota and will still be using it - actually using it for all three kids. I was planning to still combine the oldest and middle one and just kind of drag the middle one along with the expectation that it was okay if she was dragged along because she would be repeating it when she was in junior high.

That is/was a great plan, but when I think about adding in the little one next year and what that's going to require of me, do I really want the battle of dragging a child through a curriculum that is too old for her? Really? Exactly who will benefit from that? None of the options I came up with really worked - like, having the student notebook half filled out would bother me (yeah, I know ... it is what it is) although it would be better for her to do less writing, etc.

Then again though, I wanted her to do (redo) the Creation to Christ curriculum in 7th grade, and she'll be in 5th next year. So, a year off if we went down a level (which I suspect will be perfect for her).

FINALLY ... in hashing it out with a friend, I came to a solution. She will drop down a level, but we're going to half-pace it to spread it over two years. She'll still be doing Bob Jones reading, English, and something I haven't decided yet for spelling, so she'll still get a full day's worth of schoolwork and, I think, a complete school year. There is a lot of reading in the Heart of Dakota (Preparing) curriculum, and she loves to read, so that will work well too.

WHEW for solutions. Now if I can find a math plan for the little one and a spelling plan for the middle one, I'll have it all figured out. At least until I change it again. ;)

Gratitude Journal - 221 - 230

2011-05-09T07:37:00.000-05:00

221. For a really nice Mother's Day hanging out with family and friends at the park.

222. For this, which would be our co-op end of the year Open House.

(Every year the Jr. High science class does an egg drop. They make a structure out of toothpicks and hot glue, drop it from the 2nd floor, and whoever's egg doesn't break wins. I think my daughter went for symmetry and a cool looking structure and kind of gave up on the "try to keep your egg from breaking" part. Haha~!! She even said "Well, it LOOKS good!")

223. And for this, also from Open House.

Pardon the blurry photography. The middle one's class did various projects from different countries, and this is her Faberge egg. (And she was in a skit later; that's the reason for the vest.)

224. For this, my nephew's high school graduation.

I cannot BELIEVE he is old enough to graduate! He was in a high school/college concurrent program for the last two years so he already had a lot of college behind him and will be going to Houston Baptist University in the fall.

225. For this, also from Nephew's graduation.

My mom was well enough to be there. :) (And that would be my sister too.)

226. For another class being scratched off the list this week - the middle one's English. WOOT~!!!

227. For a compliant child, who, when I realized we had missed a class that she needs, agreed easily to do it over the summer to make the fall easier for me. I *really* appreciate that, oldest child!

228. For a fun family day at the local botanical gardens. Especially for a FREE fun family day at the local botanical gardens!

229. For the upcoming week, which I KNOW is going to be crazy because the calendar on my phone is full of dots every single day - dots being things that must be done; activities, appointments, etc - but which should also prove to be lots of fun.

230. And for the laundry which must be done today. Having a humongous pile of laundry means that we have sufficient clothing to wear. Also for kids who are old enough (mostly!) to fold and put away their own laundry. :)

I will be linking up with A Holy Experience today. Hop on over and read some more gratitude journals, or start one yourself. :)

Busy Busy Terribly Busy

2011-05-06T08:00:00.000-05:00

I was going to look for the Busy Song from Veggie Tales and post it as a video here and decided that y'all probably didn't want that song in your head all day long, so I didn't. You're welcome. :)

(Although I DO realize that most of you saw the title and the song started going through your head anyway. hehe.)

I have lots to blog about. End of the year co-op open houses, field trips, more t-ball, graduations, recitals, and concerts, but unfortunately, because of the above-mentioned list, I haven't had time to do a bit of it.

I'll be back to regularly scheduled blogging soon. In the meantime, we're going on a field trip! And then going to graduation, possibly TWO graduations if I can fit it in!

Wordless Wednesday

2011-05-04T07:10:00.002-05:00

The little one had his first t-ball game!


Woot! A hit from a coach pitch!

Enough with the pics, Mom!

He had so much fun, but probably less fun than I had watching him. Their second practice was rained out, so they only had one practice before their first game. This was hilarious. He picked some grass, he didn't have the first clue where to go when he hit the ball, he tried to hold the bat with his glove on, he moved the base, he said his favorite part was the snack afterwards. LOL I. LOVED. IT. (And so did he.)

Gratitude Journal 211 - 220

2011-05-02T07:10:00.002-05:00

211. For lazy Sunday afternoons.

212. For a sweet little boy who zips out of bed long after he has been sent to bed, just in case he forgot to kiss his mama goodnight.

213. For lunch with old friends and for being able to catch up, just as if years had not passed since we'd last been able to visit with each other.

214. For exciting things going on in said friends' lives.

215. For the little one's excitement about playing t-ball this year, and for his first game Tuesday night. He can't wait ... and neither can I!

216. For completed classes -- the oldest one's English, the middle one's reading and math! WOOHOO!

217. For surviving another year of co-op, and knowing that I will look back and say it was a good year. It really was. Always after spring break, I'm ready to be DONE with co-op, because I'm usually ready to be DONE with school in general by then. We do still have a few more weeks of school, but we're checking things off our list right and left.

218. For my kids' friends. :)

219. For sitting in Sunday school this morning, and *hearing* a verse for the first time. It's a verse I've come across many times, but this time ... well -- I made this face: :-O when I heard it because it was a perfect answer to a question that I hadn't even fully formed yet. Need met before the need was even realized. I love it when that happens!

220. For my mom's good report from her doctor visits on Sunday. :) (And for my sweet praying friends who I know prayed for us!)

I will be linking up with A Holy Experience today. Feel free to hop over and read the gratitude journals of tons more people!

Double Digits Tomorrow

2011-04-29T07:57:00.001-05:00

Wow. Today is the middle one's last day of nine. That absolutely does not seem possible. Was I really *enormous* pregnant with her this day ten years ago? (And make no mistake - she was 9 lb 11 oz, and I'm 5'4". Enormous is the right word.)

Oh, my sweet middle one. My unhappy baby, whose early days divided everyone into two categories - the mama, and not the mama. If you were with the mama, you were somewhat happy. If you were with not the mama, you were not happy and not afraid to let everyone know it.

You entered this world at nearly 10 pounds and at a year were a tiny 15 lbs, still quite ~~high maintenance~~ spirited.

I have referred to your sister as the music in our home. Yes, she is the music, but you, sweet girl, are the color. You are sunshine and happiness, and JOY!

As much as you were mama's girl as a baby, you are very much your father's child now. And I guess I'll allow that, although I secretly miss the days when you only smiled for me.

You rarely leave us with any doubt as to how you feel about what's going on in your life and very much wear your heart on your sleeve.

You can go from hot to cold, happy to sad, angry to happy in about a minute flat, and I wish you would pass that quality along to me!

You are still the sassiest little thing I think I have every known, and I don't think I would have it any other way.

I love that you are not in a huge rush to grow up, and I love your shiny, gorgeous hair and sparkly eyes.

Happy last day of nine, sweet girl! I love you and I miss you! I can't wait to see you tomorrow!

New Clothes!

2011-04-28T14:21:00.000-05:00

Did you notice? I was ready for a bit of a change on my blog. I'm still tweaking here and there, so you might still see a few changes, but mostly it's ready to share!

One of my sweet online friends did this for me, and she did a FABULOUS job! Seriously - I told her that I loved what I had now and wanted something different but similar. (I may be working on contentment, but deep down inside I'm still a high maintenance girl!) Seriously - that is about all of the guidance I gave her and she came up with exactly what I wanted!

Y'all need to go visit her blog! She's new at this, very creative, and SUPER FAST!

Oh, and did you see? She made me a button for my blog! You can feel free to take it and put it on your blog if you like. :)

Thank you so much, Michelle! I love it!

Wordless Wednesday

2011-04-27T07:10:00.004-05:00

Sweet kiddos Easter morning.

The Easter Not Me

2011-04-26T07:10:00.001-05:00

There is NOT EVER any craziness at our house! I just thought I would share with y'all the story of what didn't happen on Easter morning.

First of all, because I never wait until the last minute for things, we weren't about to get out the door to go to Sunday school when I decided that I needed to take pictures of the kids in their Easter outfits.

We didn't all walk outside - me with the camera and without the car keys, kids with their stuff, and get ready for pics and hear the door shut. The words "I sure hope you checked to make sure the door was unlocked!" did not come from my mouth with a giggle.

The oldest did not rush over and confirm that the door was indeed locked.

We didn't then snap a bunch of pics as if nothing had happened. Priorities, people!

We didn't then call a friend who lives nearby and who keeps a key to the house.

We didn't wait for the friend to arrive with the voice in the back of my head saying "Her key is to the FRONT door, which will not be of any help because of my OCD locking of the screen door."

My friend did not arrive and bring us the key to the front door.
The screen door was not locked.

So, we were not all sitting outside of the house in some pretty serious wind unable to go anywhere, and I certainly did not contemplate us all sitting in the driveway and having our own church.

We didn't call Jim at work and have to leave a message. The words "It's an emergency ... but not a medical emergency, a stupidity emergency" certainly didn't come out of my mouth in said message.

We didn't check windows and realize that not a one of us is an experienced thief, so that wasn't going to happen.

We did not then start looking at the fence and speculating. Our fence is not in a REALLY bad way due to hurricanes from the past few years. I did not quickly decide that it wasn't going to be me scaling the fence because a) there is no way our flimsy fence is going to hold me up, b) I am not nearly coordinated enough to get over it, and c) I was wearing a dress. The oldest did not immediately jump on my bandwagon for the same reason. The middle one did not attempt it and then give up stating that she wasn't strong enough to go over.

We certainly did not basically toss the little one over the fence. He wasn't saying "I DO NOT WANT TO DO THIS!!" while we were doing it. The oldest and I would never have pushed his little legs over anyway.

He (really) did not fall, which is really good because I KNOW if he had, he would have somehow hit that exact same spot on his head.

The girls and I did not watch through the cracks in the fence, wondering if the back door would be unlocked or not. Really, it all depends on who opened it last. If it was me, no question, it would be locked.

We did not all cheer to realize that I did not open the back door last, as evidenced by the little one being able to open it.

So, we all made it to church looking just a little bit windblown. No women or girls had to scale a fence in a dress, and no little boys fell and hit their heads. :)

And, we all loved the Easter service at church. :)

Was YOUR Easter morning eventful?

Gratitude Journal - 201 - 210

2011-04-25T07:10:00.003-05:00

201. For the big shout out that will happen this week when another class is completed! WOOT!! On Wednesday, the middle one will finish fourth grade reading!

202. For the other big shout out that will happen this week as we complete our last class day of co-op. Co-op is a blessing, but always by about the time spring break rolls around, I am ready to be done!

203. For Reese's peanut butter eggs.

204. For the fact that Reese's peanut butter eggs are only available for a short time, and for the fact that I won't have time to go searching the stores for 50% off Easter candy.

205. For a fabulous Easter service, and for the surprise of running into the church and seeing my husband there. He's a ~~slacker~~ Chaplain (giggle), and as such doesn't usually get to attend church with us. Occupational hazard. I had no idea he was going to be there today, and we were quite surprised.

206. For what is apparently the best sick leave program in the world. Jim took off Thursday for Mom's surgery and will be off this week to take care of the kids while I run off to take care of Mom. All using sick leave! How awesome is that!

207. For the ability to write up lesson plans for the week and to put them in someone else's hands. Y'all might want to pray for Jim. The girls try to take advantage of him from time to time. I am writing down their assignments in detail, and they do know full well what is expected of them. (Stay strong, Jim. Don't fall for them batting their big brown eyes at you!)

208. For an entirely comical start to our Easter celebration, which will be shared later this week.

209. For MD Anderson Cancer Center.

210. For the fact that mom's surgery went well and that she is recovering at home. She will be going back on Friday to find out what comes next.

For what are you thankful this week? Feel free to jump right in - A Holy Experience.

The Gospel According to the Five Year Old

2011-04-24T07:00:00.001-05:00

The little one has been talking about Easter a lot. Between Sunday school, church, AWANAs, preschool, and home, he is pretty familiar with the story of Jesus on the cross and the resurrection. Last Wednesday, he drew us a picture during church.

I asked him to tell me about the picture. This is Jesus on the cross, when His Father turned His face away. The people in the crowd wanted Jesus dead, so they were happy. (Excuse my dirty shoe. My scanner hates me and it was windy outside.)

This picture is from after Jesus arose from the dead. Apparently there were balloons. He did say it was a party and all of the people were very happy.

I just love these pictures!!

I pray that you have a very blessed Resurrection Sunday. I pray that you are able to spend time with those you love and spend the day in celebration.

Most of all though, I pray that you know who Jesus is. I pray that you have gotten a glimpse of how much He loves you and wants to walk with you through life.

Mom Update

2011-04-22T17:20:00.000-05:00

She is doing really well!

The surgery that we thought was at 10:30 ended up starting at about 2:30, but the surgeon said it all went as expected and that she was doing well.

She got out of surgery at about 5:15, dad saw her at about 6:15 and me at 6:30.

Something I learned: I did not inherit my low pain tolerance from my mother. I remember waking up from general anesthesia repeating the word HURTS over and over. Not so with mom. When I saw her, she was carrying on a conversation. I wrote down the actual conversation for future blackmail material. No, no, I'm just kidding. Kind of. :-P

She was released at 8:30 this morning. Yes, seriously. :-O Drains and all. I watched the "how to care for your drain" video twice, so I'm all, you know ... trained. Thankfully Dad saw the video as well, so not only does she have me (being the expert who saw it twice) she has Dad, who actually will possess the ability to do it.

I'm going to call and check on her in a bit, but I'm assuming that since I haven't heard from them since then, she's doing well.

Thank you so much for your prayers, my sweet friends! Please continue to pray for good pain control (perhaps prayers that she will actually TAKE her pain meds!!) and for a swift recovery.

For My Praying Friends

2011-04-21T06:40:00.000-05:00

My mom is having a mastectomy this morning. I would so appreciate your prayers for her. I will update as I have a chance, but it will likely be this evening as my blog seems to hate my phone.

Facebook friends, I will definitely update there.

Thank you friends ... both those I've met and those I haven't. :)

Wordless Wednesday

2011-04-20T15:41:00.000-05:00

This is going to be pretty close to wordless because I need to run out the door. Here are a couple of pics from the Easter hat parade yesterday. I needed to have taken a close-up pic of him so you could actually SEE his hat. Oh well.

HERE is the pattern we kind of loosely followed. It did turn out cute. :)

Random Observations from the Middle One

2011-04-19T07:10:00.001-05:00

I'm starting this off giggling just thinking that it's redundant to use the words RANDOM and MIDDLE ONE in the same sentence!

Anyway ...

We went to the store tonight, just the two of us, because the oldest one guilted me into going and the little one was already in bed. Seems I forgot that the little one has an Easter hat parade tomorrow and is supposed to wear his hat for this parade. This would be the handmade hat that he doesn't actually have. Oops. Probably would have been nice to have thought of that BEFORE 8:30 pm the night before, but hey, I'm really just happy dancing that I remembered it at all.

So, he's half asleep and the oldest is making his hat. We started with what I can only call a dunce cap, then moved on to an aluminum casserole dish. We found this really cute craft online that was made out of a paper plate. Well, we don't have any paper plates so I was *trying* to go with what was available. Apparently, in the eyes of my oldest, not going to the store was akin to child abuse. Then I tried a bucket. Then I realized that he really did look kind of ridiculous, and agreed to go to the store.

Because some of my kids don't always mix well without much supervision, I took the middle one with me.

The middle one? She can talk incessantly. (And see how I've gone on and on and haven't even gotten close to the point yet? I can't imagine where she got that talking incessantly thing. The point is coming, I promise.) The middle one has no secrets because every thought that goes into her head comes out her mouth. (The oldest would probably do well to learn this ... I'm just sayin' ... ) Want an update of life in our house? Just ask the middle one, but get ready because not only will you hear about what we've got going on, you'll hear about everything else in her life. And I do mean everything.

So we're in the car going to the store and she's telling me about who she's going to marry. Apparently there are several people in the running, and she likes it that way. And apparently she has given this a lot of thought. I asked her how on earth she was going to choose between all of these fine young men and she said "well, whichever one proposes first is the one I will choose." And I said "um ... okay ... we should probably talk about that" (not to mention the fact that she's actually devoting thoughts to this topic at all!) She replied that there might be several of them that propose, so maybe they should offer kittens with their proposal, and she could choose the one who offered the cutest kitten. Then she wanted to know if it would be wrong to keep all of the kittens.

So. Kittens. There ya go. I love that child.

(Oh and pics of the hat might be a Wordless Wednesday post.) :D

Gratitude Journal -- 191 - 200

2011-04-18T15:59:00.000-05:00

191. The gorgeous weather we are having these days! It's making me want to just sit outside and read a book and enjoy the pleasant breeze.

192. Wherever my oldest child is, there is music. She is either playing the piano or singing along with the radio, or just singing. I love it. It sounds much quieter around the house when she's not here, and she's a pretty quiet child. It's just that when she's not here, the music isn't here. I am thankful for her gift of music.

193. As I am typing this, I'm watching the little one play in the backyard with one of his friends. They're playing in the mud, but having a great time. (My poor friends. They send their kids over here clean and I do not send them back in the same condition.) I'm just thankful for my kids' friends. They all three have a lot of friends, and every single one of them is a blessing to my kids, and to me. :) Several years ago, I prayed that the Lord would help me to love my kids' friends. He has answered that prayer with a resounding YES!

194. I am thankful that Mondays are typically "breakfast for dinner" nights. Everyone likes that, it's easy, and relatively quick with easy cleanup. Doesn't get much better than that!

195. I am thankful that our school year is winding down. The middle one has seven reading lessons left and that class will be done. She has about the same number of math lessons too. We only have one co-op class day left, and then our open house.

196. Both girls have finished their AWANA books for the year. Usually at about the start of May, we end up stalking AWANA leaders and catching them mid-bite on Wednesday nights so the girls can say verses to them. I told them back in September that we weren't going to be doing that this year. :)

197. I am thankful for a mild-mannered dog. After watching a neighbor's dog yap and bounce around INCESSANTLY, I am just thankful for ours, who comes in and wants to be in, or at least in very close proximity to, her crate at all times. She doesn't bark a whole lot, and is getting better about jumping up on the kids (which is a good thing, since she outweighs two of them and is dangerously close to the weight of the other one!) We really did not put a lot of effort into training her at all, it's just her personality, and I really do like it. Even though I'm not a dog person. haha

198. I am thankful for a fun day on Saturday. I went to a ladies' luncheon which was really nice and then with a friend to take some pictures of her daughter's preparation for prom. I enjoyed conversation with my friend and her daughter was simply beautiful. It was a great day!

199. I am thankful to report that so far, the girls' room is still clean. Shocker.

200. With this week being Easter, I am so thankful and humbled at the sacrifice that was made for me. And for you. It is just overwhelming to think about. I am planning to spend some time this week just pondering the cross. That on the days that I feel useless and helpless and hopeless, with no redeeming qualities, He loved me. The very one who made me and KNOWS me finds worth in me.

I know most of my thankful lists are light-hearted things. This one is a big deal though. :) I urge you to spend a few minutes listening to this song and just think about it.

I will be linking up with A Holy Experience today. Feel free to hop over and read the gratitude journals of others.

L.E.N.S. Challenge - This Moment

2011-04-17T07:39:00.001-05:00

I love the L.E.N.S. Challenges. About once a month, there is a "This Moment" challenge. Yesterday I opened my (clean! Woot!) refrigerator in an attempt to wake up all the kids on a Saturday morning by cooking breakfast. My baby boy is five and a half now. Boys are different than girls. He leaves us subtle reminders around the house in case we should ever forget that a boy lives here.

Let me just say. I am not certain what the orange juice did, or the soy milk (besides the fact that it even exists. Not a fan of soy milk.) I am very glad to know that the powers that be wanted to protect us from such evil though, and put a guard in there to protect the rest of the contents of the fridge from the evil that is orange juice and soy milk.

Thank you, kind soldier, for your service. Staying in the fridge all night long, without a jacket. At least I think he's without a jacket. I feel so much safer knowing that you and the boy are on the job!

I'll be linking up with Home Is Where You Start From today! Hop on over to see the other entries!

2011/2012 Plans Made!

2011-04-14T11:19:00.000-05:00

Woot! The big ole' "this is what worked for us and this is what didn't" and "this is what I loved about this year and this is what I hated" has been hashed out in my mind and we have a plan for our schooling next year!

Starting with the oldest ... wow, 8th grade!
It is official, we're going to go ahead and move her up a grade in church. I left her with her current group when we moved her from 2nd to 3rd grade at school several years ago because I didn't want her to miss out on a year of AWANA and I didn't want to move her in Sunday school in the middle of the year. I figured we'd move her, or not, when she got to youth, and I've kind of been agonizing a little over that decision. The group of girls in her current class are fabulous. They're pretty close knit and I love every one of them. Ultimately though, I think she needs to be with the group she will graduate with. At least that's what I think for now. It's subject to change ... LOL

For school next year, we will continue using Heart of Dakota for her mainly. She'll be using the Resurrection to Reformation curriculum, with the extensions, which is a continuation of what she's doing now. She will continue with Bob Jones English, but I think we're mainly going to focus on grammar with that. We've started Institute for Excellence in Writing, and I think she and I like that better for writing, so we're going to continue with that. Add in Teaching Textbooks pre-Algebra, and she'll be good for next year.

Then the middle one ...
She will be in fifth grade next year. FIFTH GRADE. I can't believe that! We are for sure going to be using Bob Jones Reading 5, and Bob Jones English 5 with her, along with Teaching Textbooks 5 in math. She will be joining in with her sister again for Heart of Dakota, Resurrection to Reformation. This is a bit of a stretch for her, as was this year, but I think she still got enough out of it to make it worth it. We will adapt it to fit her needs; she won't do the extensions and we'll ease up some of the other work for her as well. My long range plan is for her to repeat both Creation to Christ (which we did this year) and Resurrection to Reformation when she is in 7th and 8th grade. This is mainly for my benefit because it's so much easier to combine the two girls, and really, this is my last year to be able to do that.

Then the little one ... yikes. It's going to be interesting having him at home for school next year! He will be doing kindergarten, which I'm thinking at least educationally, should be somewhat easy because he has gotten such a great head start from preschool this year. He will be doing Bob Jones K5 Beginnings for phonics and handwriting. We're going to jump on the Heart of Dakota train with him too, using Little Hearts for His Glory. I was planning to just use the BJU Beginnings and add some math, but then I got my hands on the HOD curriculum and think he will really love it. We may stretch it over two years; I'm not entirely sure yet. Since all three kids will have some DVD driven classes, DVD time will be at a premium around here, and we'll just have to see how the scheduling works out.

The one thing I have not yet decided regarding the little one is math yet. I'm leaning towards using the math that was recommended in the HOD guide. I love Math U See for little ones, but I don't love the Primer. He has a pretty strong grasp on numbers, so I might just jump in with Alpha and take it slowly. I really am just not sure yet.

So ... everything (except math for the little one) is nailed down, and a lot of the stuff I already have, so I'm calling this a good head start on school for next year. This is actually the easy part though; I've known for a while what I was going to do with the girls because of how much we have enjoyed school this year. The hard part will be working out a schedule ... and of course, implementing it.

It feels good to have plans in place, anyway! :)

Wordless Wednesday

2011-04-13T12:49:00.010-05:00

Where my mind is dwelling these days ...

Not Me!

2011-04-12T07:10:00.000-05:00

Anyone up for some "Not Me"-ing? (Yes, I did just totally make that into a verb. Because I'm cool like that.)

Speaking of cool ... it is not me who has been repeatedly told by my oldest child how very uncool I am. Bah on her. What does she know anyway? I probably didn't roll my eyes and stamp my feet at her. :-P Seriously, sweet child. I am in my 40's. I have experienced significantly more of life than you have and have tons of coolness. AND, I even know how to properly spell the word cool, and it does NOT have a K, an E, or a W in it. (Which probably makes me decidedly UNcool.) Whatever. I'm in my 40's. I am who I am, and I don't even care. Which, actually, makes me incredibly cool.

(Nope, we never have conversations like that around our house. And these conversations never end with her rolling her eyes and stamping her feet at me.)

It is not me who got insanely sunburned on our trip. Seriously, I was outside all of about an hour. And there are places on my leg that are requiring antibiotic due to the burns. What in the heck? I did not joke that I could get sunburned in the rain. At night. And I suspect that I really could. I did not give THE LOOK to the middle one when she looked at her gorgeous golden brown skin and remarked that she had never had a sunburn. (Really I'm glad of that!) The oldest got a teeny bit pink and is now brown, the middle one just turned brown, and the little one, bless his little heart, has his mother's skin, so he wears body armor in the sun. He did pick up some new freckles though, which I think are totally adorable.

I did not go on a rampage last week that involved cleaning the girls' bedroom. Nope, not me. And I would never throw away or threaten to throw away a ton of stuff to accomplish this goal. And I certainly would not ever threaten their very lives if their room ever got that messy again. I am raising proper, neat, young ladies here, not slobs, so their room would never get very messy in the first place. Glad that didn't happen. Nor did the seven bags of trash that came out of there.

And I certainly would never type a paragraph like that last one while sitting in my own messy room. Nope, not me. No hypocrisy here.

(And it's also not me who is happy dancing that apparently I spelled hypocrisy correctly on the first try because there isn't a red squiggly line under it. Woot!)

So that's it for now ... What haven't you done lately?

Gratitude Journal -- 181-190

2011-04-11T07:10:00.002-05:00

Ah ... so much for which to be thankful this week!

181. For family vacations, even if they only last for two and a half days. We had a fabulous time!

182. For this relationship. I just love how much she loves him.

183. For something Beth Moore said that was amazingly eye opening to me. I know you're going to read this and think "um, okay, Melanie ... whatever speaks to YOU" and probably scratch your head. LOL She was talking about a book signing she did for A Parable About the King. It was for children, and the kids were encouraged to come dressed in costumes suitable for the era. She said that all of the girls were dressed as princesses, yet the boys as a whole did not dress as princes. They were dressed as knights. :-O I GET IT. :-O The valiant, protector thing ... I GET IT. First time ever that has made any sense to me. I personally would much prefer to just be the princess by birthright. That is how God made me, and honestly? I love it. It's nice to have a perfect word picture to understand those of the other sex who wish to be the valiant protectors, because that's how God made them!

Like I said ... may not make sense to anyone else ... but it spoke to me, and I am very thankful.

184. We had a letter from the insurance company waiting for us when we got back from vacation. It very nicely said "HEY! We're breaking up with you!" Well, kind of. It actually said that they weren't writing windstorm policies anymore, and since we live where we do, windstorms are actually likely to happen so we definitely need a windstorm policy. Ours ends ... ironically ... on the first day of hurricane season. Thanks for that, oh kind insurance company.

BUT ... yes, this is my GRATITUDE journal.

We met with our agent the next day, expecting to leave with a new policy written and financial destruction looming. This in the shadow of a possible government shutdown, and Jim is a government employee.

What we actually found out is that we had been overpaying and were due a refund. Not only that, but because we had been overpaying, our rates dropped. WOOHOO for that! Thank You, Lord.

185. The little one has made me say "aww!" so many times. As I previously posted, his preschool class is raising money to help furnish a school in Haiti. He has offered to do some work around here in order to raise money. He's earned about $3.50, which is a lot when you're 5. He tells us all about the earthquake and how he wants to help. What a sweetheart! (I'm still not going to pay him $1 for making up his bed though, no matter how sweetly he asks.)

186. I am really thankful right now for Voddie Baucham. A couple of years ago, I read Family Driven Faith and it was so eye-opening. Someone suggested another book of his and I picked it up and couldn't hardly put it down! It has given me so much of a direction in some areas where I feel like I was kind of floundering. You know how sometimes you have a general idea of what your thoughts are, but don't really know what that looks like? What I love so much about his books is that he doesn't just throw out these fabulous ideals that sound great but HOW DO YOU GET THERE, he actually tells you what it looks like in life, and how to implement it. I'm deliberately leaving out the title of the book for a specific reason, but if you email me (itsmelanie@gmail.com) I'll tell you what it is. :)

187. Progresso Tomato Basil Soup. I love love love La Madeleine tomato basil soup, but since that really is basically a bowl of heavy cream and butter with tomato in it ... heavenly tasting but like 300 calories per spoonful, the Progresso version is a pretty good alternative. :)

188. For giggly girls. There are five of them in the room right next to me right now (I'm typing this Saturday afternoon). Not gonna lie, it sounds a lot like a room full of loud chipmunks, but they're all having fun and well, giggling. Very cute.

189. For French vanilla coffee with cinnamon vanilla cream. That right there is a little bit of heaven in a cup!

190. For my mom, whose chemo is done, and is starting to recover from the effects of it. I know it will take a while, and she still has more steps in her journey, but this part is done!

I will be linking up with A Holy Experience today. Hop on over and read some other gratitude journals, or start your own!

L.E.N.S. Challenge - Corner

2011-04-10T19:03:00.000-05:00

Loving this challenge because it's allowing me to post one of my favorite pictures ever. Do you all have pictures that no matter what has happened that day, put a smile on your face? This is one of mine. It's a couple of years old of my girls and two of their cousins. And an unhappy little man in the corner.

Apparently he was not delighted that this was to be a pic of just the girls. I intended to crop him out and then saw the pic when I uploaded it and his FIT just makes the pic!

I'll be linking up with Home is Where You Start From today, so feel free to hop on over and see other "corner" pics!

Weekly Wrap-Up

2011-04-09T08:52:00.002-05:00

I see I'm back to the every couple of weeks weekly wrap-up. Awesome. Oh well, it is what it is!

First of all, the little one's preschool class is raising money for a project in Haiti. One of the girls in his class got the idea to do this; how awesome!!

That is the little one's class in the video. :)
They did a bake sale to kick off their fundraising:

Then we had a geography fair at our homeschool co-op.

We, of course, did Japan. Again. I think next time we are going to have to branch out. ;) It was very neat though - the girls focused their report on the earthquake and tsunami. The little one, because of what he has learned about Haiti knew what that was and was interested to learn more about it.

After co-op, we took off! We decided to spend a couple of days in Galveston and call it our family vacation. We're planning a big vacation next year and want to try to save up money for that, so it's a mini vacation this year.

What's gonna work? Teamwork!

Woot, dolphin! I can call this science, right?


Watching a B-25 take off! (And WOOT, I believe this is called HISTORY!)

Then we came home and went to a concert. Learned something here. The oldest? She loves concerts. I'm sure that is no surprise to those of you who know her. The middle one enjoyed it as well. The little one pretty much hated it. I think the noise, lights, and still recovering from a head injury worked together to just make him miserable. He cried that his head hurt, then went to sleep during the first song and slept through the entire thing. Here are a few pictures:

First, Natalie Grant:

Then, Brandon Heath:

Then, Mercy Me! I'm supposed to point out that the oldest took this pic. :)

So, all in all, it was a fabulous week! Back to the old grind next week though; final push to finish out the school year! Eight weeks left!

I will be linking up with Weird Unsocialized Homeschoolers today.

Vacation Preview!

2011-04-07T10:13:00.000-05:00

I have way too many pictures to go through and we are way too low on groceries around here for a real post, but this was one of the first pictures I took, and I love it, so here's a vacation preview!

More to come ... after grocery shopping. And all the other stuff we have to do today.

The Prize

2011-04-05T07:10:00.003-05:00

We've had some interesting discussions at our house over the past couple of weeks, mainly revolving around marriage and what our plans are for our children as one of them is growing up so quickly. It's been interesting talking with her and seeing where her heart is in this.

I would love for my kids to just bypass all of that dating garbage. I would love for them to dream of marriage and to be able to enter into that relationship with no regrets and no baggage from previous relationships. I would love for them to build friendships and see where the Lord may lead those friendships. I would love for them to seek the Lord in all of their steps.

I'm still trying to cement my thoughts here, but as my mind has been dwelling on this topic, and on how to direct my children as they're getting older, I remembered (with the help of my mom) a discussion with the middle one a few years ago.

Mom had taken the girls shopping and let them pick out something. The middle one wanted a bridal gown. She was so cute, and of course mom bought her what she wanted. We were talking with her about it and she was telling us all about her wedding. I asked her what music she would choose.

She said that her song would be ...

Here comes the prize.

Mom and I just about died. So absolutely precious and absolutely hysterical, and if you know my middle one, so very her.

But you know what? She IS a prize. Right now, she is my prize. One day, I'm sure, some young man is going to take her away from me, but for now, she's all mine.

Here comes the prize!

1000 Gifts - 171 - 180

2011-04-04T07:10:00.008-05:00

I am feeling so thankful right now. So many blessings!

171. For a great visit with my parents and nephews last weekend. It was really nice to visit with all of them!

172. For Long John Silver's. Also on this list should be the fact that there is no Long John Silver's around here. It isn't so fabulous for the diet. It sure is great when there is one around and I can go get a piece of battered and fried to death piece of fish!

173. For children who really are obedient. Messy but obedient. haha We ~~shoveled~~ cleaned the girls' room this weekend. I don't think anybody was really happy about it, but when it got down to it, they were obedient to get in there and get it done. This has made me dwell a little on how obedient they really are, and how I would take that over spotless clean. :) (Although I'm not going to lie - I'd love to put here in a couple of weeks that their room is still clean!)

174. For a little boy who usually does keep his room pretty clean. Even if clean to him means that everything he loves resides on the bed. And he loves everything. Sometimes it's hard to find the boy in the bed.

175. For mini-vacations. :)

176. For some fabulous grown up conversations with the oldest, and just the realization that she really does have a good head on her shoulders and a sweet heart. And realizing that she picked up a couple of bad habits and thoughts directly from me, and for grace from her when I noticed it and talked to her about it.

177. For Sertino's sugar free mochas ... and for breakfast with the oldest (which would be when the above referenced conversation took place.) :)

178. For confirmation that a decision I've made is the correct decision.

179. Cadbury cream eggs. 'Nuff said.

180. This. And for the awesome privilege of being a small part of it.

I will be linking up with A Holy Experience today.

L.E.N.S. Challenge - Read

2011-04-03T20:31:00.000-05:00

My son is a big fan of maps. I had a hard time choosing a picture for this! This one is from almost exactly a year ago, as we were planning our trip to Disney World. I was all about getting the kids as excited as possible, so of course we ordered the maps and let each child participate in the planning. The little one STUDIED these maps. I mean seriously studied them! I should not have been surprised. I have a sweet picture from the year before of him studying the Sea World map.

I'm linking up with Home Is Where You Start From today, with their weekly LENS challenge! Feel free to hop on over and see the other entries. This week's theme is READ.

Ultimate Blog Party 2011 - 5 Minutes for Moms

2011-04-01T09:21:00.000-05:00

I decided to jump into this blog party this year! Looks like fun, and I LOVE reading blogs so I'm sure I'll find some more to add to my list this year! :)

About me ... I'm Melanie, married to Jim for nearly 15 years now. (WOW.) I'm a homeschooling mom of two and a half - one goes to preschool for another couple of months, and then he will be at home too. I have a seventh grader and a fourth grader. We enjoy homeschooling most of the time, and it seems that my blog revolves around that a lot of the time.

I also love to post about books I'm reading, what the Lord is doing in my life, how I'm being challenged, and there's an awful lot of just plain silliness around here too. I love to take pictures of my kids, and join some photo contests here and there. I am not a photographer, I am a mom with a camera, and I love that too.

I think that's me in a nutshell. I'm glad you're here! Be sure to leave a comment if you're a new visitor! There are a ton of blogs on the blog party list, and if you like my blog, I will probably like yours as well and wouldn't want to miss it!

Have a fabulous day!

Didn't Really Intend to Take a Break

2011-03-29T15:32:00.000-05:00

Well, I didn't PLAN to take a blogging break, but it appears that I have. I have a bunch of half-written blog posts that I need to finish and will ... eventually. Right now though, I'm personally feeling quite yucky and lazy. I was actually looking outside earlier and just hoping for a thunderstorm because it seems appropriate for my mood.

While I'm sitting around being all BLAH though, the Lord is doing great things. Great indeed.

Josh and Jessica's story ... Parker, Daniel, and Josslyn's Story ... The Story the Lord Wrote ...

Just go read. They'll be seeing their children for the first time VERY soon. How awesome to have been able to follow this from the very beginning. How awesome to see the effect that it has had on my children. (Um, that would be one of the half-written posts. More to come on that.) I can't wait to see the ways the Lord continues this, like the ripples on a pond when a rock is thrown in.

And so that's it. Nothing to see here, but tons of stuff to see over there.

I'll catch up again soon.

A Bunch of Stuff

2011-03-23T13:12:00.000-05:00

1. My mom should have her final chemo treatment today. Please pray that she is healthy enough to receive it and will make it through it with no complications. This round has been incredibly hard on her and we will all be happy when it is DONE.

2. Today is my husband's birthday. He is 49. I don't think I'm old enough to be married to someone who is 49. I was a child bride. Or not.

3. My friend Jessica is leaving in a few days to visit the children she will be adopting! It is so exciting to just see this all come together. I cannot wait to see those three little darlings! Pray for Jessica, and her husband and kids during the travel process. I think the three kids will be home in about a month!

4. I won a blog giveaway that I absolutely love and had to share it with y'all!

Pardon the weird angle photography. I didn't realize how weird it really was until I uploaded the pics. You can still see how gorgeous it is! It matches my kitchen perfectly and looks so great on our wall. I. LOVE. IT.
Oh? You'd like to know where it came from? I'll be GLAD to share!
It's from an Etsy shop - Fa Sew La Stitches! She has so many cute things in there! Click on over and see!

5. I've had a couple of giveaways of gift cards from CSN Stores over the past few months, but just recently ordered from them for the first time. It was time for a new car seat for the little one. I searched all over comparing prices, and they had the seat that we wanted for the best price. I ordered on a Tuesday, chose free standard shipping, and had it installed in my car by Friday! Awesome! I will be ordering from them again. (Oh - and by the way - if you ask a five year old his opinion regarding his new car seat, he will study them very closely and then choose the one that has TWO cup holders rather than just one. And if his friend's seat is red, red will be the only color that he will consider. So we had to search for a red car seat with two cup holders.)

Okay, I think that's it. Oh - neither Fa Sew La Stitches or CSN Stores requested that I tell you about their fabulous products. I just did because I thought you should know! :)

This HAD to be shared.

2011-03-22T13:21:00.000-05:00

I had a post written for today but after reading one on another blog yesterday, had to postpone mine so I could share this one.

Y'all know I how I love me some Ann Voskamp. I just love her perspective on life and am constantly challenged when reading her blog to look for the beauty in the ordinary.

This post from yesterday really spoke to me. Screamed at me, really.

I just can't even put into words. Looking at my own 12 year old who is just so grown up ...

The days are numbered.

I don't want to miss a one.

Now go read Ann's post if you haven't already. Then realize that the days are indeed numbered, and go enjoy every single one of them.

Gratitude Journal

2011-03-21T07:32:00.000-05:00

161. Just for spring. I love spring!

162. Blooming azaleas. I know they don't last very long, but they sure are pretty when they're all blooming.

163. For five year old little boys who are very much cuddle-bugs.

164. (Trying to make a positive here ...) For being given AMPLE opportunity to teach a child what it means to keep her behavior above reproach.

165. And for getting to see her heart and learn what is important to her, as we've had some pretty heavy discussions lately.

166. For a fun date night and for the super yummy food from Pappadeaux.

167. For seeing the light at the end of the tunnel for this school year and for the motivation that the light brings even when it's still a ways off. This is the most difficult time of the year for me and school because I am ready to be DONE after spring break. Usually we're doing the Christmas lessons at this time, so at least this year we're on track and I can actually see that light, no matter how far off it is!

168. For other mamas who share my desire to raise godly kids and are willing to do hard things to reach that goal.

169. For unexpected laughter from the mouths of babes. The little one greeted the mailman the other day with "Hi Mr. Mailman! My dog hates you!" Thankfully the mailman has a sense of humor!

170. For grace and forgiveness, both to give and to receive.

I will be linking up with A Holy Experience today. Hop on over to read the lists of other people.

Week In Review

2011-03-19T10:40:00.001-05:00

Ahh ... the Weekly Wrap Up, which at this point is more a monthly wrap up because I have been negligent! School has been kind of on the back burner lately. We're getting our work done, but there have been so many extra things going on that life hasn't felt like it's revolved around school the last few weeks. I have to say (or shout!) THIS HAS BEEN NICE!

We're back in the usual swing of things now I think, and on the final rush to get it all done to end by the end of May. We'll see if that actually happens or not, but as of now, we're on schedule. We've finished week 25 (WOOT, that means ten to go!) and lesson 125 in the numbered classes (WOOT, that means 35-ish to go! They average about 160 lessons.) We don't stop math for the summer, but English, reading, science, history get a nice break.

So ... this week? We're still in Rome. We are enjoying Rome. We learned all about Hannibal and about how Rome got so big and powerful. (And I would not be a good mom of multiple children if I didn't point out that Rome's strength lied in WORKING TOGETHER and not FIGHTING AMONGST THEMSELVES.)

We are talking about Galen in science and I think we're all enjoying learning about the beginning of medicine.

This is all relating to the oldest as she is reading The Mark of the Lion series by Francine Rivers. (These are my favorite fiction books E.V.E.R. - because there is super extra emphasis if I put a period behind every letter!) She is learning about the Roman culture and reading about it at the same time, and the second book follows a doctor so it's extra exposure for her. Don't tell her, okay?

Let's see ... for extra this week, and to enjoy St. Patrick's Day, we wrote a few limericks.

This one was a collaboration:
In our backyard we have a tree
Around it flies a big bee
One day I got stung
That bee, it got flung
And then I came in to pee.

This one was from the middle one:
I had a pet lizard named Scurry
I caught him one day in a hurry
I fed him bugs
He didn't like hugs
When he died, my eyes were quite blurry

And this one was from the oldest: (she was not having a happy day that day, can you tell?)
I'll always be behind the fence
It's true my life seems so dense
I used to be free
Happy as could be
But now I'm trapped and intense
(We don't lock her in, if you were wondering! She was referring to the neighbor's dog.)

And so that's it for our week! I'll be linking up with Weird Unsocialized Homeschoolers today. Hop on over to see some more weekly wrap-ups!

The Mom Heart Conference Part 2

2011-03-17T07:10:00.001-05:00

Do you ever have great plans to do one thing or another and then get distracted by 476 things that need to be done, or just plain ole' regular distractions (um ... facebook, anyone?) and then realize that ninety minutes have gone by? Um, yeah. Me too.

Another topic that was brought up at the conference was to be intentional in our lives. To me, this is saying "hey ... don't sit around and waste your time (on facebook or whatever) when it would be so much more preferable to set out with a plan and to do it.

If I am intentional with my time for myself - I get up early (which I usually do anyway, at least when I'm not tryign to recover from daylight savings time. HATE time changes!) and plan to do my devotion or Bible study, or even to just sit in the quiet and take a few minutes for myself, then I'm in a much better frame of mind to start my day.

If I am intentional about loving my children - I KNOW the middle one needs some specific encouragement from me, and I KNOW the little one needs lots of hugs and snuggles to get his day started, and I KNOW the oldest one needs me to tell her to put her phone away (okay, probably not the point ...) and I intentionally set out to do these things, then maybe they will be in a much better frame of mind to start their days too.

This part of the conference really spoke to me about my mornings. Mornings around here approximate chaos. This one wants to eat, this one also wants to eat, but something totally different, this one needs to be dragged out of bed but then hits the ground running, this one gets out of bed easily but needs to be cuddled for a while, this one will sneak in and turn the TV on given half a chance, and this one starts pleading to have the day off of schoolwork. Oh, and somebody usually needs to go somewhere and the dishes probably need to be done. This does not make for a pleasant morning experience for anyone.

The thing is - it's the same every morning, and every morning feels like putting out a bunch of fires. Why?? We all know what everyone needs and expects. Maybe if we all awake expecting to intentionally meet those needs and expectations, then we can start off our days better, which will follow through.

We're giving it a try, anyway. :)

The other thing, also revolving around being intentional, is for me to make every effort to notice the good character traits my children have. I want to notice good behavior of course, but they need to recognize that more than behaving well, they need to have good character traits. It's easy to notice this child's beautiful smile, and this child's very pretty shiny hair, and this child's cute freckles, and doesn't really take a whole lot of effort to compliment them on these things. Noticing compassion, or thankfulness, or ... ahem ... tenacity ... ;) takes a little bit more effort on my part. I want to intentionally notice these qualities and point out to my children that I notice them and appreciate them.

So ... those are my observations from the conference. I really want to go again next year. This year I was a little distracted missing my family and seeing my online friends IRL for the first time. I took a lot away from it still though, and I am SO glad I went!

Wordless Wednesday - the Hairy Vegetable

2011-03-16T10:43:00.000-05:00

Giggle ... Heritage Festival, Hairy Vegetable.

Put these kids into a bumper car and some serious aggression comes out!

Love the sizzler!

This was so funny. He wasn't big enough to spin it, she wasn't strong enough. Eventually they gave up and just threw their hands into the air and went along for the ride!

Music Express. I think the middle one would have just done this over and over.

He was so excited to be tall enough to ride it. Then he decided he didn't really enjoy it all that much.

The foot sticking out on the top left? That would be the oldest. You know, the one who didn't want a pass this year because she doesn't enjoy rides all that much. Riiiiight.

And a little retro. One of my favorite pics ever. This is from two years ago. :)

The Conference - Mom Heart by Sally Clarkson

2011-03-15T07:10:00.001-05:00

Finally! I'm going to blog about the Mom Heart conference!

I came home and people asked me to tell them about it and I found that I couldn't. There wasn't a whole lot of processing time during the conference, and then we got home and hit the ground running.

The theme of the conference was perfect for me though: My Mom Heart Matters. Sally Clarkson is a fabulous speaker, very engaging and very real. THOROUGHLY enjoyed her! I think I would have totally loved to sit down and enjoy a cup of tea with her!

One of the areas in which I struggle is feeling like I don't matter. I'm the maid, the nurse, the cook, the nanny, and the teacher. All of this is fine, but it's so easy to get bogged down in all of the STUFF and not take care of myself and then get all resentful. Not only that, but somehow I've bought into the lie that I MUST do all of this stuff, and taking care of myself is fine as long as it doesn't interfere with the important stuff that I have to do. Somewhere along the line I convinced myself that it is selfish to take a few minutes for myself. I totally get that it can become a selfish thing, but it's okay to get up in the morning and enjoy a cup of coffee and sit in a quiet house.

Someone just recently told me that our children are not going to grow up and say "hey! You know what? My mom was always on top of the laundry! That is what I appreciate about my mom!" (Although - I do have to say - my grandmother was a STELLAR dishwasher packer. I have inherited that fine skill. So maybe there will be some appreciation for my laundry ability to trickle down. Beside the point though!) I don't want to be so bogged down in the STUFF that I can't enjoy my life. The laundry will always be there - just today I got every bit of it sorted, washed, dried, folded, and put away, and guess what. The laundry basket is filled again. Such is life.

So ... my takeaway from the conference? I matter. My heart for my family matters. It's okay if I leave the laundry some days and just relax and laugh at the silly antics of the kids, or sit and read a book. Yeah, I know it still all has to be done, but maybe if I can relax a little, then when it has to be done, I'll be refreshed enough to enjoy it, or at least get through it with a happy heart.

(I will never be refreshed enough to enjoy vacuuming. Just saying. There is no refreshment in the world that would make vacuuming enjoyable. Unless my vacuum cleaner starts spouting out Vera Bradley bags and camera lenses, I will always detest vacuuming and will pass that task off to someone else in the family.)

Okay, there are two more points that she hit during the conference that I want to blog about. I think this is long enough for today though, so that will have to wait until tomorrow.

1000 Gifts - 151-160

2011-03-14T08:20:00.000-05:00

Wow, it's been a WILD few weeks. Between my mother-in-law visiting, my "date" with the middle child, going out of town myself for a few days, then spring break and our local Heritage Festival, there hasn't been a ton of time for blogging lately! Hopefully now I'm back in the swing of things. We're on the countdown until the end of the school year now, so we'll see how well the blogging keeps up!

In the meantime, I have some praises and gifts for which to be thankful!

151. Having a nice break from real life and being able to go meet and hang out with sweet friends.

152. Coming home from that break to a family that missed me and being able to put my hands on my sweet family again. The break was SO nice, but coming home was equally nice!

153. Small towns and their festivals. This past week was our festival and the kids all had so much fun. The weather was perfect most of the week too, added bonus!

154. That my friends I met last weekend - I've known them for years online, but had only met one in real life before - were exactly who I thought they would be.

155. For laughter and how much funnier things are at 1 am than they are at 8 pm. For just being able to relax with friends and giggle.

156. For grace applied exactly where it has been needed. I have needed it in lots of areas recently and have just been reminded again and again that His grace is sufficient for me.

157. For Words With Friends, my latest distraction.

158. For learning that my youngest two, who fight like cats and dogs, really love and enjoy each other. They hung out together most of the time at the carnival and really were sweet to each other.

159. For a day to sleep late and stay in jammies and eat leftovers and be lazy. I think we all need that from time to time.

160. For the assurance that even when the world is in turmoil, God is still there.

I will be linking up with A Holy Experience today. Hop on over to read more thankful lists!

Wordless Wednesday - the weekend

2011-03-09T14:54:00.000-06:00

Okay, so apparently since my last post was also a Wordless Wednesday post, I have taken a week off. Oh, and this is my 500th post. Seems like for post #500, I should have something worthy to say. I don't. I'm still recovering from my weekend vacation and overwhelmed with getting back into routine and stuff. I will post about the conference eventually, but in the meantime, just some pics will have to do.

First, Valerie and I visited with Paula Deen. My flight from Houston to Jacksonville ended up being delayed by three hours, so our time in Savannah was cut short. :( We did go to a yummy restaurant and walked around a bit, plus visited the Paula Deen store, so it was still good. :)

Friday night after the first session, we all loaded up and went to Chipotle. Yumminess! Of the girls in the pic (I'm in green) I had only met one before in real life. We've been on CMF together for years though. It's really interesting meeting people for the first time that you've known for years!

This was Saturday, again with the CMF girls. Thinking that I should put a big "I AM NOT PREGNANT" disclaimer and rethink that shirt. Or blame it on the wind.

Sunday driving home, we had to stop and take a picture of Harley in front of the sign for Harleyville. Awesomeness!

And that's it. I promise to post about the Mom Heart Conference soon. For a teeny preview - it was done by Sally Clarkson, and it was fabulous. I really really enjoyed it!

Wordless Wednesday - the middle child

2011-03-02T07:10:00.000-06:00

I know I've said over and over that the middle child and I had a mother-daughter date last weekend. We had such a good time! I just wanted to share a couple of pictures of her from the weekend.

How she spent a significant portion of the weekend.

One of the outfits she picked out for herself. She just looks so grown up in this picture! Almost can't believe that's my little girl!

Hey, I'm a Belieber Now!

2011-03-01T07:34:00.000-06:00

Oh yes I did go there on the title of this post. I kind of can't believe it myself! :-P

This past weekend, the middle one and I went on a mother/daughter date. I did this with my oldest when she was nine, and it was the middle one's turn. It was fun to get away with just her; she's the middle one, so it doesn't happen a whole lot that I get alone time with her. We went out of town overnight and had a great time. As I said yesterday, we did a lot of shopping, ate some fabulous food, went swimming, she dragged me into the exercise room, and did some talking. This child is SO cute. Now she knows what the vending machines in women's bathrooms are for. Apparently she always wanted to know that. So cute.

The mall had a movie theater, and we had a couple of hours to kill. I had decided that if the movie happened to be starting within a few minutes of us walking by the theater, we'd go see the Justin Bieber movie, Never Say Never. I knew she had been wanting to see it, and I knew how delighted she would be to be able to come home and tell the oldest all about it. That's the thing with middle ones - it's very rare for them to be able to do things first. Of course I didn't tell her that it was possible that we would see the movie. Well, we walked by the theater at 3:15. Movie started at 3:20. Alrighty then.

At 3:20 on a Friday, I figured we'd have the theater pretty much to ourselves, and we did. My plan was to break the rules and play "Words With Friends" on my phone for as long as a) people played me back and b) my battery held out. That didn't happen, and not only because my child kept saying "MOM!! Did you not SEE and HEAR the PLEASE TURN OFF YOUR CELL PHONE so that you don't disturb other people sign?"

But then it was okay, because I kind of got into the movie. It was sweet; home movies of a mom devoted to her really cute and sweet little boy. He kind of had me from the beginning, when an obviously very talented 4-5 year old was playing the drums and his mom asked him what he wanted to be when he grew up. Expected answer: rock star. Actual answer: "I want to be a crossing guard!" Very cute!

I am still surprised that I enjoyed it. From watching him interact with his family and friends, to seeing the behind the scenes concert stuff, to watching the people who promote him show that they really care about him, to just seeing him - from having a bit of a petulant tantrum to being (what appeared to be) genuinely caring about his fans, I left there with a new appreciation for him and his music.

I suspect that part of the intent of the movie was not so much to entertain kids who are already Justin Bieber fans, but the parents who are ~~forced~~ ... ~~guilted into~~ ... chosen ... to take their children to see it. It worked. Oh, and having a very excited movie date singing along next to me certainly didn't hurt!

1000 Gifts - 141 - 150

2011-02-28T07:10:00.001-06:00

Woot~!! Up to 150 gifts on my thankful list!

141. For the enthusiasm with which my middle child greets life. Always.

142. For a fabulous weekend date with said middle child. We went to Katy, did some shopping at the Katy Mills Mall, ate some yummy food and just had a fabulous time.

143. For saunas. I did not want to get out.

144. For hotel exercise rooms, which revealed to me that an elliptical requires a touch more coordination than I actually have.

145. Again for the middle child, who became my conscience for the weekend. We trekked up the stairs to our fourth floor room just about every time, the aforementioned exercise room - y'all KNOW that idea did not come from me! - and I suppose I am thankful that she convinced me that I didn't need a Coach bag.

146. For Pappasitos. Oh my. Best Mexican food ever.

147. For needing to shop for myself. ;) (catch that word - NEEDING. LOVE that.)

148. For comfortable shoes. Very important because we walked the entire perimeter of that mall three times.

149. For being missed by the rest of my family, and sweet hugs especially from the little one after we came home.

150. For my "Living Beyond Yourself" Bible study which is really speaking to me right now in several ways. Last night it even gave me the exact words to speak a thought that I couldn't articulate. I love how the Lord uses studies like that to meet me exactly where I am and to speak to the various situations I have going on in my life.

Wordless ... um ... Thursday

2011-02-24T10:43:00.001-06:00

Okay, so yesterday was a little bit crazy around here and I didn't get anything posted. Today is going to be even crazier, but I have a free minute right now.

(giggle ... I typed that last sentence ten minutes ago. I talked on the phone, helped a child with English, and put a load of laundry in between typing it and now. Maybe I don't have as many free minutes as I though!)

So, the wordless Wednesday I was planning to post yesterday is a video of my daughter singing last Sunday. I had to plead with her to let me post this. She says she's flat in several places and sounds "pitchy."

The things I told her in order to get her to let me post this:
a) She's been watching too much American Idol.

b) She has a really good ear and hears things that the 40+ crowd cannot. ;)

c) This was recorded on a flip video thingie during a church service. Sound quality is not going to be equal to that of a recording studio!

d) My blog, I choose what gets posted. Kids are free. They get used for sermon illustrations by their father and blog fodder by their mother. Drawback of being the child of a Chaplain and a child of this decade. :-P

So all that said ...

I Love Shaun Groves.

2011-02-22T15:19:00.001-06:00

I love Shaun Groves. I do. From the first time I heard "Welcome Home" I've been a fan. I've followed his Compassion International blogging trips and I'm incredibly excited about his next CD, "Third World Symphony". His blogging is a constant challenge to me, and then sometimes just plain makes me laugh. I just love him.

This though.

I am DYING. Perhaps it's because I didn't get enough sleep ~~last night~~ every night last week. Or perhaps it's because my stress level is a wee bit high right now. Or perhaps it's just because I am in need of a giggle.

I laughed so hard over this that I cried. I'm STILL laughing. And I want you to have a giggle too, so I'm sharing it with you!

Click over to Shaun Groves's blog and read this entry: Love You Forever. Lock the Windows.

What I really want to know is how my daughter-in-law is going to react when I do that. I mean, um ...

1000 Gifts - 131 - 140

2011-02-21T07:10:00.001-06:00

Have you ever started a thankful list while in a bad mood? It's TOUGH to hold on to a bad mood when listing things for which you are thankful!

131. For a good week of school last week. We started out kind of weird - we knew that it was going to be a busy week and then co-op was canceled so we ended up with some extra time. It all worked out well, and all of our work got done, and mostly all got done with happy hearts. Woot for happy hearts!

132. For absolutely gorgeous weather! This is THE best time of the year in Texas. It's pleasant, nice and breeze with perfect temperatures. I love to open the windows and let the breeze blow through.

133. For an upcoming date with the middle one. We're going to head out Friday morning, just she and I, and go do a little shopping and go to a hotel and just have a great time together. I'm not sure which one of us is more excited!

134. That my mom is back home again after being hospitalized again over the weekend. I guess the best thing to be thankful for is that there are only two chemo treatments left.

135. The different personalities of my children. From the more serious older one, to the natural exuberance of the middle one, to the charming personality of the little one. They are all three SO different, and I love it.

136. For starfall.com, and how much fun it is to click on the stories with the little one.

137. For Words With Friends! I'm having a great time playing this on my phone. If you have this app and want an easy win, send me a game request. I'm REALLY not great at scrabble, but I've had fun playing over the last week.

138. For mothers in law who come to visit, and for children who are so delighted with this! The kids have had a great time with my mother in law, and I have enjoyed a nice break. haha!

139. For Chick-Fil-A. I know I've spoken of my deep love for Chick-Fil-A before, but this time they have taken it to a whole 'nother level. Monday night from 5-7 at our local CFA (yes, we frequent Chick-Fil-A visitors refer to it as CFA), they will be donating 20% of sales to the adoption fund of my friends, Josh and Jessica. How completely awesome is that?

140. For being able to see my children take the talents they have been given and use them. Maybe I'll upload a video for y'all of this later this week. :)

(And in case you're wondering ... yep, it worked. My bad mood is gone!) ;)

The CSN Winner!!

2011-02-20T15:20:00.000-06:00

Oh y'all! I am so sorry I neglected to post this earlier! You know how sometimes life just gets in the way?

Yeah, that.

Anyway ... back on track now.

And comment #19 is ...

Woohoo Maxime!!

Contacting you shortly with you gift card information!

Thanks for playing, y'all! And a huge thank you to CSN Stores for allowing me to do this giveaway!

Make a {TOTALLY RANDOM} List

2011-02-17T10:07:00.002-06:00

1. I probably do not want to know how toothpaste got on the ceiling in the kids' bathroom. And, if anyone knows where the lid to their toothpaste is, please fill me in.

2. The boy is now named Super Boy due to the half bottle of vitamins he ate the other night. Thankfully there is no iron in them, so it wasn't the medical emergency I feared when I saw the mostly empty bottle. The good news? It took care of the remnants of his leftover flu cough. And he can leap from couch to loveseat in a single bound. Oh wait, he could already do that.

3. Dental appointments are mostly scratched off of the to-do list until August. One child has some more work to do, but the appointments are scheduled and plans are made, so that counts for scratching it off the list, right?

4. This is the first time we've ever had dental insurance and it was NICE to see "total charges" of this awful amount and "your portion" as a much more reasonable number, as opposed to the usual pattern of those numbers being the same.

5. Grammy is coming tonight. I am really looking forward to seeing her, and I'm also excited about having everyone pitch in to get the house clean. Nothing quite like a houseguest to motivate some cleaning!

6. Not going to elaborate here, but I saw a number this morning that I haven't seen in over ten years.

7. I bought a group coupon purchase from eversave.com that saved me I think $30 at shoebuy.com. I used that plus another coupon code and got these shoes, which I think I may never take off. Favorite shoes ever. Need them in more colors!

8. I am limiting myself to three of my Candinas Chocolates per day. This means they will all be gone on Saturday. I am very sad about that.

9. For the first time ever, I have read the story of Cleopatra. Fascinating stuff! Who would ever have imagined that I would enjoy something like that?

10. In the time it took me to write this post, I could have gotten that toothpaste off the bathroom ceiling. Or folded some clothes or swept a floor or something. I should probably close this and get to those things.

**Don't forget to scroll down a post and enter my CSN Stores giveaway! $35 in FREE MONEY!**

Woot!! CSN Stores Giveaway!!

2011-02-16T07:10:00.003-06:00

Woohoo for CSN Stores! They're allowing me to give away another $35 gift certificate!

Not familiar with CSN Stores?

They have EVERYTHING!!

Seriously.

Home Office Furniture

Carseats. (Had to search this; we will be needing to buy a new one soon.)

Handbags.

Bedding.

And I could go on and on. TONS of stuff.

And they're offering a $35 gift certificate to one of my blog readers.

How do you win?

Just leave a comment on this post! Comments will be open from now until Friday, February 18 at midnight. I will let random.org choose the winner on Saturday morning and will post it at that time. Be sure that I have a way to contact you if you are the winner!

Sending a huge thank you to CSN Stores for allowing this giveaway!

1000 Gifts - 121 - 130

2011-02-14T12:19:00.001-06:00

This past week was such a weird week that I didn't keep my list as it went by. I'm winging it, writing it up today!

121. Today, on Valentine's Day, my daughter did a lesson in spelling that revolved around Valentine's Day. I expect that anyone who has homeschooled for a while will appreciate that. If you haven't homeschooled, well, typically the lessons we're doing right now revolve around Christmas. Amazing to be on schedule, for the first time ever.

122. The gorgeous blue jay right outside my window. Of course, he's out there eating the dog's food, but it's really nice to look out there and see a gorgeous bird.

123. 70 degrees. Blue sky. Fluffy clouds. Sunny. Perfection.

124. The excitement my kids have knowing that their Grammy is coming to visit this week.

125. That they are expressing that excitement by cleaning their rooms. Woot!

126. The encouragement of knowing that the various struggles I have are common to man (or woman as the case may be) and the reassurance that valleys don't last forever.

127. For broccoli cheese soup. Yum.

128. For Candinas chocolates.

129. For Valentine crafts.

130. And for chocolate covered strawberries, and sweet friends to help make them.

What gifts have you received this week? I'm linking up with A Holy Experience today, so click on over and read some more lists. :)

L.E.N.S. Challenge - February

2011-02-13T20:55:00.001-06:00

The LENS Challenge for the week is February.

The oldest with the crafting urge that I get about once a year. (Then I lose all interest in crafting and we rock along for another year. Actually - I lost interest before this was even finished. The girls finished it.) Giggle!!

I'm linking up with Home is Where You Start From, so hop on over and see what February looks like for others.

This is the Stuff

2011-02-10T17:11:00.001-06:00

What a crazy couple of days!

Three children had dental appointments this week. We went on Tuesday, signed in, and the sweet receptionist gave me "that look" like "um, why are you here? I do not have appointments for your children today." She was right. Oops. Appointments were not Tuesday, they were Wednesday. Alrighty.

We show up on again on Wednesday. We left the appointments with one child just fine, one with two minor cavities, and one with a referral to an oral surgeon. Faaaaabulous. If you know my kids, I'm sure you can guess which is which, because that seems to be always the way it works around here.

Is the oral surgeon in our network? Ha. Haha.

So I'm forseeing a child who is surprisingly not in pain yet, but soon will be. I'm also forseeing financial destruction. Okay, that's a *bit* of an exaggeration. Our insurance will cover some of it and there are sufficient funds to cover the rest without eating too many servings of beans and rice over the next few weeks.

So today I get out of bed really early feeling kind of yucky. There's not time for that though! Need to take the little one to preschool, need to meet with a friend for a little while, need to grab the girls and go to the little one's Valentine's party, and hello? SOME schoolwork needs to be done. Oh, and I guess we need to eat and then rush off to consult with the oral surgeon. My cost estimate was off. By a lot. And not in the good way. We get home just in time to get the girls to dance and oh yeah, they have choir tonight too and you CANNOT see my floor and the sink? It would probably be easier to just get water out of the bathroom sink if you're thirsty because there are too many dishes to fit a cup under the tap. And the laundry is piled up? Again? Didn't I just do that? AND WHY, OH HEAVENS WHY, IS THE BATHTUB NOT DRAINING??

May I just have a nap? Please?

And through it all? I found out that I won one of the giveaways on Gussy's blog, something pretty will be coming to my house soon! My friend said "let me just keep your son for an extra hour or two." Jim said "hey, let's go out to dinner tonight." Another friend just plain encouraged my socks off. The girls are sitting here finishing up schoolwork, and giggling. And, our tax refund will be here right when we need to pay for the dental work. I shopped Kohl's clearance sale and bought an $80 jacket for me for $6.99 and it got here today and I LOVE it.

As I was thinking over some of these things in the car this afternoon, this song came on. So very true.

Can't we all relate to this? This is the stuff that just drives us crazy and makes us forget how much we're blessed. It's all just *stuff*. Not earth shattering. Just stuff.

Let me not forget how much I'm blessed!

1000 Gifts Giveaway Winner!

2011-02-09T08:45:00.000-06:00

Woohoo Jennifer!! You are going to LOVE this book!

I suspect this will be one I want for my Nook, so I may soon have another copy to give away! :)

(And giggling ... my little one loves cherry limeade - or chewwy wimeade as he says, which I find so stinkin' adorable.)

My Kids Are So Weird.

2011-02-08T07:10:00.002-06:00

They have had me laughing lately.

The oldest - her sister walked off, leaving the refrigerator door open. Oldest says "Leaving the door open is the worst mistake anybody can make becaaaaaaaauuuuuse .....???" Silence. Then she says "HEY, someone is supposed to finish the quote!" More silence. Then she hollers out "It could let in a GIRAFFE!!"

Um, hon? That would be DRAFT. Not giraffe. So now I've been teasing her about letting giraffes in the house when she leaves the door open.

(And yes, I told her that was blog fodder and she's reasonably okay with that.)

The middle one - she and I are going on a mother-daughter date in a couple of weeks. I did this with the oldest and I'm looking forward to it with the middle one. I told her that it was a two hour drive from here to where we're going and she said she would bring her DSi in the car. Then she said "oh wait. I'll bet you want to talk to me about puberty in the car, so maybe I shouldn't bring it."

I nearly fell over from laughing.

(And yep, she knows I'm posting this too. She may be less delighted with me posting this story when we're actually on our trip and she finds out what puberty actually means! haha!)

And then there's the little one. All five year olds are a riot by nature of being five. Jim has this plaque thingie he's making to hold his coins that he has from military things. The little one thinks these are very cool. Sunday night he was looking at them wistfully and said to Jim, "Someday when you're dead, can I have one of those?" Completely innocent. I laughed so hard I cried.

It also cracks me up when he asks which foot his shoe goes on. I'll tell him, he'll put that shoe on, then will ask me which foot his other shoe goes on. Ummm ... thinking maybe you could figure that one out on your own, kiddo! :-P

* hey - don't forget to scroll down one post and enter my giveaway for Ann Voskamp's book! One Thousand Gifts! *

1000 Gifts - 111 - 120 PLUS! A giveaway!!

2011-02-07T07:10:00.002-06:00

Comments are now closed for the giveaway!

111. Living in a climate where we have just a couple "cold" days every year. The change of pace is nice, but it's pretty nice knowing that within a day or two, the temperatures will be back to normal.

112. For beautiful days like yesterday and today when the sun is shining, the temperature is exquisite (66 as I type this on Sunday afternoon) and the birds are singing.

113. For this song, which has been continually running through my head since I REALLY heard it for the first time last weekend. (As an aside - if you should ever get a chance to go to a Holy Homes conference with Clay and Renee Crosse, you should do it. Maybe I'll post about it sometime.)

114. I've probably been thankful for this before, but Sonic unsweet tea with raspberry is a definite gift!

115. As is sugar-free mocha latte from Sertino's.

116. For sunflower seeds.

117. For listening to my oldest explain the gospel to my youngest this morning in church. He asked her a question and she answered it perfectly, in terms he could understand.

118. For being able to go on a field trip this week to see and hear a performance geared towards children from our local symphony, and for getting a real appreciation for the love the oldest has of music.

119. For my middle one, who is very excited about having a date with me. We had to postpone it due to the weather this week, and when I told her about rescheduling it and made definite plans, she was so excited. I'm excited too!

120. For Ann Voskamp's book - One Thousand Gifts: A Dare To Live Fully Right Where You Are. I just started reading it ... and WOW. What a challenge ... and what a blessing.

And with that said -- GIVEAWAY ALERT!!! I want you to experience this book as well, so I bought a copy for you! Well, for one of you, anyway! Just leave a comment on this post to be entered, and make sure I have a way to contact you if you should win. I will close comments Tuesday night and will post the winner Wednesday morning.

L.E.N.S. Challenge - PE

2011-02-06T20:04:00.002-06:00

The LENS Challenge for the week is PE.

I know I have posted this picture before; not for a challenge but because it is one of my favorite pictures ever. I was a little excited to have an excuse to post it again.

This is PE for us. The girls both take dance, and that's pretty much it. This is from their recital this December. We do spend some time with Wii Just Dance and riding bikes, and of course the little one spends time jumping off the couch, but dance is the only more formal PE type activity we do.

I'm linking up with Home is Where You Start From, so hop on over and see what others do for PE.

Is it just me?

2011-02-04T07:10:00.001-06:00

Is it just me or does this happen at your homeschool also?

You finish school and find 35 pencils scattered around the house.

If you put shoes on, your children assume that you are going somewhere.

If you sweep early in the morning, the children ask who is coming over.

You find reading books in the most interesting places. Hanging on the towel rack, anyone?

If your children are working together on a project, one takes on the "project manager" role and the other just does whatever that one does. Even if it's wrong.

In the case above, if you point out that it's wrong, the copier will claim total innocence because she was just doing what her sister told her to do.

School is over for the day, there are the aforementioned 35 pencils scattered around the house, someone calls, and you have to pull up a word document to write down what they say because you can't find a pencil.

You will allow a child to go read in her room and hear much laughter coming from that room. Said child will try to convince you that it's her Alexander the Great book that is so funny. You will know better than that and should take the cell phone away.

You find that some things that bored you TO TEARS in school yourself are actually quite interesting, and you suspect that you may be learning more than the children are.

You tell yourself that that's okay because maybe they'll teach their children some day, and they'll learn it all then.

You look at what one child is doing in math and hope and pray that they don't need help with it.

Home Ec is your very favorite subject to teach. "Hey kids! Let's practice those home ec skills today by y'all making dinner! And cleaning up!"

Science experiments are done, or not, based on how messy they are and how many dishes they will dirty up. Unless they involve vinegar and baking soda. Those are always done, preferably over a sink or bathtub ... home ec AND science! Two birds with one stone!

So ... is it just me?

This Horrible Weather

2011-02-03T18:11:00.001-06:00

I know you northern people think y'all have it bad with your weather.

Just thought I'd share how awful it is here.

Isn't that hilarious? I saw it on another blog. It really does crack me up that the entire town shuts down here. I mean, I know ICE is a big deal. It's the preparation for potential ice that has me giggling.

(As I say that ... it's been raining and it's 31 degrees. I tackled a lady at the grocery store earlier for a loaf of bread and stocked up on firewood and hot chocolate. Of course I used this as an excuse to make chili. Again. I'm not immune to the craziness. Neither are my kids. They've been going from window to window just in case a flurry of snow should fall. They certainly wouldn't want to miss that! I'm also QUITE glad that there is no reason for me to leave the house tomorrow!)

Go ahead you northerners. Laugh at us. I don't blame you, and it's okay, we're laughing at ourselves too.