New Music Monday!!

Because I have very eclectic taste in music, I decided to start sharing some of the tunes we listen to with you all. You may find yourself dancin' along to something you may have never thought of listening to before. Enjoy!


This first band currently occupies a permanent slot in my CD Changer in the truck : ) I would have to say that they are probably one of my top 5 as far as bands go. They are usually a little harder than this song is, but I thought this one may get some of you to listen to the end : ) My Father-in-law told us that we shouldn't let the kids hear TFK unless we were mad at them, LOL!!! It is a matter of taste, I guess. The kids actually love listening to TFK also and "car-dance" right along with us.

Look them up yourself if you like and you can hear the new album they have coming out soon. Personally, I recommend their self-titled album as a first buy if you like what you hear.

THOUSAND FOOT KRUTCH (FYI- It is indeed spelled with a "K", contrary to the video maker)

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!

We are preparing to begin a new year of homeschooling here and I thought I would share a little about what we will be doing. My two homeschoolers (ages 5 & 6-birthdays in Jan for both) are going to both be going through 1st grade this year and I am beginning a little, light K work with my son (age 4-June birthday). I have full intention of going through K with him again, but I feel like, since I am doing it with the girls anyway, why not give him a little now. So this is what we will be doing here:

Bible: We are going to study the Bible together following an outline that our church is using in small groups, church-wide, starting in the Fall. We figure that since we will all be studying the same text on Sunday mornings in small group. It will be a great thing to expand those lessons during the week and dive deeper for them. From these lessons, we will also gather our verse(s) for the week and incorporate all of that in creating copywork and handwriting exercises for them as well.
Language Arts: Five In A Row and Before Five In A Row
Math: Horizons K and 1st grade (The girls really haven't had any math except for manipulatives that happened along last year. They have most of the K skills that are in the curriculum, but I want to go through it once at their own pace and just fill in gaps. Then we will move into 1st grade Math whenever they are ready.)
Handwriting: I opted out of a handwriting program and am instead going to be using StartWrite software to create our own exercises and worksheets based on the Bible text and FIAR books we are covering that week.
Spanish: PowerGlide Elementary Spanish (This year, Spanish will be more for acclamation than for expectations, KWIM?)
Social Studies and Science lessons will be taken out of our Bible and FIAR lessons as well.
Music: Pianimals (Self (or Mama)-guided piano lessons
Art: The girls will continue with their weekly art class they have been doing for the last year.
Dance: YEAH!! My oldest will start pre-ballet this year and my second oldest will begin Creative Movement this year; both once a week for less than an hour.


I know it sounds like a lot, but it really isn't when you see it all written out on the weekly schedule. We are still taking it pretty easy this year, but with a little more structure. Now, I am off to make my lists for the weekend!! I have been waiting to buy my curriculum and supplies until TAX FREE WEEKEND, so now I can let loose!!

Happy Planning!

Measuring the heart

I read a homeschooling book recently that questioned by what means success (in homeschooling or parenting in general) should be measured. The author gave the take that it shouldn't be measured by tests or by achievements, but in the glimpses of the heart that we are shown at random times. Not as a matter of pride, but as a gentle reminder that the Lord will bless the efforts of the faithful and obedient.

Last night, as MaryEvelyn and I got ready for our date, I shared with her that I was thinking we could go see the movie "Ratatouille". (All the kids have been talking about and looking forward to seeing it. ) To my surprise, MaryEvelyn immediately said, "I don't WANT to do that!" I was shocked at her answer and asked why. She said, "Because, I want to go see the movie with Graycen, Cooper, and Ella too; my WHOLE family. THAT would be so fun."

When a 5 yr old would rather miss out on seeing the latest kid-movie, so that she can wait & share that joy with her siblings, THAT is a glimpse at the measure of her heart and it makes me happy. Again, not as a matter of pride, but as a little note from God that I shouldn't get too weary in my well-doing, because (some of it at least ) is working :) .

I hope that I won't ever let my life get so chaotic that I miss those little notes from God. The load seems so heavy right now at the start of another homeschooling year, but I find myself resolved to be obedient and even joyFUL(L) about it. Graycen came to me this afternoon out of nowhere and said, "Mama, I don't ever want to go to school anywhere but at home. Well, until I get to college ...I guess if I HAVE too". How can I argue with that?

"Summer Lovin', Had Me A Bla-ast"

You know the rest, "Summer Lovin' Happened So Fa-ast!". Ok, so the rest of the song doesn't apply, but what a great and FAST Summer we have had. I know that it isn't quite over yet, but with August just a few days away and school starting right around the corner, it seems already gone. I realized just how busy our Summer has been when I started downloading the memory card from my camera today following our VACATION to the beach last week. Here is a recap of some of the highlights of our great Summer : )

AWANAs Graduation and End of Year Awards Ceremony. Despite the photo, Cooper was happy to be there-just not in the photo.

Growing our "Easter" Sunflowers that the kids recv'd in their baskets this year at Easter. Up until this last week when nobody was around to water them, they looked beautiful on my front porch.

First Smiles

Sleeping through the night in our OWN beds : )

The start of weekly,one-on-one, date nights with the children.

Learned to can fresh fruits and veggies. the kids shucked 65 ears of corn with my Mom and squealed with delight whenever a caterpillar was found in their corn!!

Had some great downtime on the couch with either a movie or a good book.

MORE PHOTOS TO COME...

A Nameless LIttle Girl that BROKE MY HEART.

I was busy running around yesterday completing errands before my Mom and Grandmother arrived last night. In all the hustle on the way home, I spotted a girl on the sidewalk of a very busy and main road of our town. She struck me for some reason. She was dressed VERY provocatively, in a short and tight miniskirt and tube top, and her hair was done up in a very older way. However, she couldn't have been older than 16-18. Her eyes were too, too young. She was in tall heals that she had obviously not worn long enough to completely master with any grace and my heart just broke for her. Her body language was as if she was listening at every sound she passed, as if every sound was a cat-call directed to her that she was compelled to respond to.

At the point of which I passed her, she had apparently gotten confirmation that someone was speaking to her in the parking lot she was passing and she was trying to make her way through a hedge to meet the person. I couldn't help but to think that she was pr*stituting herself :sad: :unsure: :sad: Even though it wasn't a place that one would think they would come across this, I couldn't shake the thought that she was.

I pulled over and prayed for the Lord to give me wisdom, because My Mama's heart wanted to drive over and yank her out of the car and take her home with me. I immediately knew that, with my five babies in the car, I could not put them in the sort of danger that may come from that act at that moment, so I prayed and prayed for the Lord to protect her with a hedge of thorns that no amount of evil could break through. She is still heavy on my heart this morning and I thought about her all night long.

Please lift up this nameless little girl with me. I don't know her or where she comes from, but if she was doing what I feel so strongly in my heart she was, I know her heart must have been broken somewhere deep inside. Please pray that she find her way to our Daddy in Heaven to fill the hole in her heart and that she will not stay victim to whatever aspect of her life (be it situation or person) that makes her do this. Please pray that she will find love & peace in the arms of our Abba Father.

Conviction vs. Desire

I am reading a book now called, When You Rise Up: A Covenental Approach to Homeschooling by R.C. Sproul, Jr. It is a good book that is challenging me to realize my motives for homeschooling. In it, it talks about deciding on your family's goal for education and it puts forth some key ideas in deciding what that is.

Sproul is very dedicated and convicted in his choices for his family and he is an advocate to the extent that he feels homeschooling is the ONLY choice there is for any Christian family.

Personally, this is where I struggle. Is homeschooling my children the ONLY choice out there in order to achieve the goals that we seek to attain for our children? Is this a desire I feel to homeschool or a true conviction? Is it possible for me to selfishly keep them home when they would prosper at a good Christian school?

To answer that last question, I don't think that I am damaging them by keeping them home at all, but maybe they aren't getting everything the could be getting (academically speaking) from me. I am a busy mama. I have lots going on during the day and I don't know HOW IN THE WORLD I am going to maintain education here at home when Annagail starts walking. It is hard enough to just try and plan! Add on top of that a house that need to be cleaned, laundry that must be washed, meals that must be prepared and a nursing schedule to feed that baby adequately and I my plate is overflowing.

I am starting to think of it like I do bfeeding. (stay with me here) I totally, totally, totally believe that the benefits of bfeeding far outweigh the alternatives. I wish that everyone would give it an honest attempt for the sake of their child. However, I do believe that there are times when it doesn't work for whatever reason; be it physical, emotional, situational, whatever. It just doesn't. I have been blessed beyond measure to have had it work for all five of my little ones so far, but some of my children were only bfed through lots of work and concentration on my part. For my oldest, I had to a sort of hybrid form of feeding. Some women I know, tried and tried and couldn't get it to all come together. For them they chose an alternative. It was best choice for them to maintain health and sanity for themselves AND their child and I don't blame them a bit or find any fault with their choice. The good Lord provided a suitable alternative. The children thrived and developed as normal and all is well in their world.

Now to relate it to homeschooling: I do feel it is the ideal situation for a child. To be at home with a parent and to be learning alongside siblings is something that I think is definitely better than the school environment as we know it. But is it something that everyone should have this inherent ability to do as a parent? Is it something that I should be able to muster up inside me and be able to do in a way that sustains my children at the level they need to excel spiritually and academically? Or at some point do I need to investigate alternative forms to do this that still meet the moral standard by which we live? This is where I am. I am trying to sort this out.

Obviously, if Nathan and I feel called, convicted, to homeschool then the choice is made. I must obey and I am certain that my desire and the ability will come. I just don't know if it is conviction or desire at this point. it isn't as easy as it sounds. I have researched private Christian schools and would probably jump right into one or two of them that I have looked into if it weren't for the exorbitant cost. We are talking 13K for three of our children to attend!!! Per Year!!!!

I guess that where there is a will there is a way. I am just searching for God's will and where it lies for our family. If it lies in homeschooling, then I must find my way through this in obedience and I am certain the desire will follow. If God's will is for them to be taught in a private christian school, then there is a way to find there too.

So for now I will be praying and searching for these answers while I plan for our next year. This is one of those areas in Christian parenting that baffles me. I wish there was a verse that said, "Homeschooling is the only approved method." or "Thou shall not lose any sleep over sending your child to school." It would certainly make things easier wouldn't it?

I spy with my little eye....

...something......GREEN!

Tonight after dinner, we decided to play "I spy". It started out as something to do while the table was being cleared, but turned into a full-out "I spy" tournament between our four oldest and us; complete with specific rules and all! After an hour or so of playing, we were all howling with laughter and having such a great time around the table together. Even Ella, who I really need to do some work with where her colors are concerned : ), had a great time. She is my class clown and kept us all laughing when it came time for her to guess the object each round. She is a hoot.

As a matter of fact, this whole weekend was pretty great. Not the spectacular event-type of great, but more the it-is-SO-good-to-have-sweet-children-who-are-so-laid-back-and-fun-to-be-around-type of great.


Today was ...just family time. After we ate a nice home-cooked, Sunday lunch and the kids were tucked in for naps with full bellies, I sat on the porch and read my book while Nathan worked in the yard. I didn't want to do yard work (this time), but I just wanted to be with him while he did it : ) Then tonight it was so much fun to hear the kids giggle so much and to see them get tickled at Nathan's silly jokes. It made my heart warm. Even Annagail got on board during our no-fuss leftover dinner (yes, I ate leftovers!!!!). She was squealing and cooing up a storm.

This week was long for us, so this nice weekend was a much-welcomed blessing. No muss, no fuss, just good `ole us! Hey! I think that may make it to a t-shirt someday soon : )