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Monday, September 29, 2008

A Milestone...

There comes a time in most every girl's life when she considers getting her ears pierced. Well, Lillie took that plunge Saturday and I was so proud.
The anxiety sets in a bit in the parking lot (noticed the brave, yet forced, smile)

With her buddy and inspiration Cousin Sophia (who was supposed to be there for moral support, but promptly ran off to play with the toys in the sitting area.) Again, notice the brave smile/pursing of lips. The super nice lady at the jewlery store. These folks did a great job!The finished product...One big five year-old girl with sparkly pink (what else did you expect from her?) earrings. I might just tear up...She was really brave. I have to admit after what happened the last time I took the kids to the doctor for shots, I was a bit apprehensive. But she just pursed her lips and cried a little bit after impact, even managed to give the ladies a little smile. What a classy kid!

Monday, September 22, 2008

What's Happening?


Well, today was supposed to be my cleaning and planning day. I emphasize supposed to be... I had such good intentions. Well, I was scrubbing the living room floor this morning when my husband called to tell me I needed to bring him his wallet at school. Then, my dad called and wanted to eat lunch at the park, which I jumped at, cause I like my dad pretty good . (Not to say I don't like my husband, I do or I wouldn't have fixed my hair to go give him his wallet :) So off I went (of course I realize that makes it seem like it's effortless with my crew to get out of the house. It is not, it takes either a miracle or an act of Congress, either way it's not easy.) Dropped lunch off for the hubster, then bought some cheeseburgers and drinks and met up with dad at a little park that has an arboretum and nice paved walking trail. Was a great day, walked a whole lot and some of it was in direct sunlight, which was killer on the kids cause they got tired and hot and CRANKY. Managed to make it with no meltdowns, though. No school today on account of cleaning that I didn't get done. I'll have to finish up tommorrow and just cover the basics in school. Friday, we started our Native American Unit and Lapbook, Here are pics of the first section of our lapbook that was all about the different houses the Native Americans lived in. We started reading the first three sections of Red Feather and discussed them, as well. Lillie has mastered the first two lists of Dolch Sight Words and did a 20 question Domino Math worksheet to practice her addition and give her a little break from her Math Mammoth.


Here's the pics from today's nature walk. Jack is not mad here contrary to his body language. He was baffled trying to find out where the airplane was that he was hearing.

Okay, I am convinced that I need to put a new feature on here called "BUSTED" cause I'm forever stumbling upon my children doing odd, sometime death defying, sometimes funny things. Like this...Yes folks, it's true. He's a ... DOUBLE DIPPER! That kid sure knows how to ruin a perfectly good jar of jelly!


Then there's little Miss Laundry...if I ever get her trained right, I'll be one hugely blessed mama!

And finally, due to circumstances Lillie will again have two birthday parties, one for Jody's side and one for my side. Lillie closely shares birthdays with Taylor, my sister's 4th little girl, so the last two years, we've combined parties so all the family can come. Well, here's the pics from this last Sunday at Jody's mom and dad's house. One of these days after my shame wears off, I'll have to post the "teachable moment" I experienced over the cake I made. Here's the picture of it before it melted in my hot car in the church parking lot...

And then here's Lillie Anna at her party...God bless her little heart, she didn't even notice or care that the cake looks completely pitiful. She was just as excited as she was that morning when she saw it in all it's glory. One thing I've learned, kids don't stress about stuff like we do. So that's your catch-up fix... Have a blessed day!

Saturday, September 20, 2008

My "New" Old Neglected Blog...

Some time ago, I had it upon my heart to create a blog in honor of the powerful preached Word of God called "Fire In The Churchouse". After only two , I stopped posting. Wanna hear my excuse? I couldn't figure out how to post MP3 messages I had personally recorded of some of my favorite local preachers. I wanted them to play directly from the site, but never could get it up and running. Still haven't figured out a way to do it, but I have heard some great sermons over the last 5 years since my salvation that I can post, so I'm gonna do it and stop neglecting my other brain child. So, if you like good, hard preaching... the kind that leaves you licking your wounds and praising the Lord at the same time, jump on over there and check it out. My heartfelt apologies to the Lord for draggin' my feet...

Teach Me, O Lord!


I'm always hearing about "teachable moments". Those opportunities that come along this path of life to teach and instill something needful and worthwhile into our children. So, being that I have a Heavenly Father, does he use "teachable moments" with his kids as well? I think the answer is most certainly "yes". He's like the King of teachable moments! ! There have been so many times that I've just been going about life, minding my own business when something very simple or mundane will occur, but God speaks in that small still voice, revealing some bit of truth to me.


Yesterday, Jack and I were listening to some peppy gospel quartet music and I was snapping my fingers. I glanced over and he was just staring at me. (He's bad to do that...it can be a bit creepy at times) "Uhhh, why are you looking at me like that?" No answer, just that stare. Then it hits me...he's staring at my fingers. He's a bit baffled at the neat sound coming from them. He has discovered...snapping, which he couldn't do , much to his frustration. I told him it was something that came with age and practice and he was simply amazed. I was THE coolest mom on the planet. He had a sense of wonder about him. Enter, THE TEACHABLE MOMENT..........


In the Book of Job, one of Job's friends instructs him to "stand still and consider the wondrous works of God." God is the author and creator of wonderous things. The fact that this world exists at all, the complexity of the human body, the beauty of nature are just a few of the biggies everyone can "wonder" at. But what about those individual things, those simple works he does in the lives and hearts of people that go unnoticed by the masses? Because they are "small" to others, does that warrant any less awe and wonderment? No way! In my opinion those are the things I ought to remember and meditate on... those works he's done in my life. His constant provision, how His Word shows me new things everyday and instructs me, his mercy and grace given freely on a daily basis, my salvation, my health, how he answers prayer and knows my every thought (wonderous, but sobering at the same time.) But how many times do I just sit in awe at His goodness? His holiness? His power and might? From Jackson's amazement over something so small as me snapping my fingers, I got such pleasure out of his wonder and amazement of what I was doing. Similarly, I need to be amazed and excited at what my Heavenly Father is doing in my life. My prayer needs to be as David prayed, "Open thou mine eyes, that I may behold wonderous things out of thy law." I challenge myself and you to live a more wonderous life. The psalmist wrote "That I may publish with the voice of thanksgiving, and tell of all thy wonderous works." Consider it published, Lord, with bountiful thanksgiving.

Thursday, September 18, 2008

Birthday on a Blanket...

Being that Lillie has hit a milestone and has become quite the young lady, I decided to do something special for her birthday yesterday. We took a picnic out to the lake complete with sandwiches, pink (of course) punch, and pink (Is their any other color according to Lillie?) princess truffles. Yesterday, Jackson picked out some things for Lillie at the Dollar Tree. A princess journal, notepad, a pack of sparkly lipgloss, some Cinderella stickers, play jewelery and a new purse to carry it in. He did very well. It got him high scores with Lillie...






This is the view from our picnic spot...Lillie had a great time and was so appreciative for her little gift bag from Jackson. She just kept saying "thank-you for coming to my picnic".

Wednesday, September 17, 2008

Happy Big 5 Lillie Anna!





I've heard that time flies all my life, but not until I had children did I realize how true that is. If you're a parent, you'll relate to what I'm saying. There are times when I get a "breather moment" and I look at my kids and think "Gosh, they are getting so big and grown up." Been there? It's really bittersweet. Part of you is curious to see what sort of adults they will become, it's a mixture of anxiousness and excitement. But the big part of you wants them to stay little, the way they "used to be". I once read a quote that said, "To have children is to forever have your heart walk around outside your body." How true that is...


So in honor of my first baby's birthday, here are some pictures dug from the archives.I love this pose... I call it "Bored Stiff Baby"... I dont' know why portrait studios don't utilize it more?????


Hey! Every culture has it's rites of passage...in our family the first chicken leg is one of the biggie's. We are baptist after all...Look at the crooked bangs...those spaced out baby teeth, and that scruffy hair...what's not to love?Happy Birthday to my little girl whose not so little anymore!

Friday, September 12, 2008

Help! My Baby Is a ... CHOCAHOLIC!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Ask anyone and they'll tell you, I'd rather eat chocolate than anything else most of the time. They also say, the apple doesn't fall far from the tree...


HMMMMM? Chloe's been awful quiet, I wonder what she's doing? I think I'll take a peek... Gosh, it's kinda dark in there...What's this?

She's fiddling with something that looks an awful lot like an 8 pack of Reese's cups. I better go in for a closer look...
SURPRISE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

YOU ARE SO BUSTED!!!!!!!!!!!!!

ANYONE KNOW ANY SUPPORT GROUPS?????

Thursday, September 11, 2008

Just Me and My Home Girls!


Jack is at his cousin Tanner's house playing for a couple of days, so this morning I took the girls on a nature hunt. We walked around the local park picking up things to make a nature collage. It was a nice breezy overcast day. Days like these don't come often enough, weather wise. I had a good time with the girls, but did miss Jackson. It was so...calm...and...quiet. Kinda a system shock.
I love this picture! She looks like a little Bohemian nomad...if there ever was such a thing.



So, how did our collage turn out?Lillie found hickory nuts, acorns, clam shells, sandstone, ferns, and lichens among some things. We hotglued them to this piece of wood and I wrote facts about each item on index cards and stuck them to the back.Hot off the presses! These are Lillie and Jack's new school shirts. I like to have one for when we go on field trips and such. People have asked me why I gave our homeschool a name. I answer "Why Not?" We school under the name Promise Academy and our motto is "Standing on the Promises of God." God has given me many wonderful promises in His Word. He has also given me alot of mandates to follow. But if I stand on His Word and His promises, I can do all he has set out for me to do... as a wife, a mother and a teacher.

Have a great day!

Wednesday, September 10, 2008

As American as Cherry Cheescake Tarts...

Okay, so this is another one of those mundane posts revealing all the sorted details of our school week thus far.Well, had been tossing around the notion of calling off school on Mondays to allow for necessary "serious cleaning" and school planning for the week. (Making the choice to school year round really frees our family up as things are always cropping up that cause us to miss a full day here and there) That way, the rest of the week is easier, cause I'll only have to do the few daily cleaning tasks necessary to maintain the appearance of the house until the next cleaning day. Not to mention I won't have to fight tooth and nail for computer time at night to do my planning all week. I had thought of this idea before, but always used Saturdays as my cleaning days, but Jody is home then and I never seem to be able to get much accomplished. Probably lack of motivation. I feel like I have been drowning in my duties for awhile now, not sure what to do when and how often and what priorities should be where and how much. Ever been there? Overwhelmed...that's the appropriate word I think. I have been too neglectful for too long about things because it's really stressful over the course of the day if you don't get it all done. Maybe it will be better when the kids get a little older. Lillie is a HUGE help in the kitchen to me, but even she is really too young to bear a load of housework like I'd need to put on her shoulders. So, Monday, I cleaned and cleaned...snacked...and cleaned...nagged...and cleaned (you get the picture). Then I planned and planned...checked my email and planned. By that night I was totally worn out, but the house not only looked clean...it was clean. Tuesday morning I got up and after breakfast and Bible time, I did up the dishes, put in laundry, made the beds, and surfaced cleaned the bathrooms, swept and then did school. I acutally found myself sitting down for about 30 minutes and didn't feel one lick of guilt! Praise the Lord for answered prayer, as one of the biggest things I've hassled HIM with is this subject of getting it all done and maintaining a cheerful heart while doing it. During our unit on George Washington we've been into, I read a quote by Martha Washington where she described herself as "Busy as a bee, Cheerful as a Cricket." That's the way I want to be. Time and time again, the Lord has led me to scriptures about work and idleness. I feel as if the Monday Cleaning Bash is the way to go.

Okay, so here's what's been up in the school department. We've been into George Washington this week. Actually, last Friday we read "George Washington's Teeth" and made 3 corner hats. Chloe would not keep hers on which was a shame.


The pattern for these, oh-so-simple hats is here. Well, so since Monday was an off day, we picked back up with old George Tuesday. I found a very well made three part film on the Life of George Washington at Archiving Early America. I found out alot I didn't know, like Washington was almost poisoned by one of closest associates. One time as a young man,while trying to ride a horse that did not like him he hung on till the horse fell over dead from a busted blood vessel. Man, that George Washington was rough on his pets! He loved to hunt and ride horses and really didn't want to be president either time, but did it more out of duty to this country than anything. When he was 14 , he wanted to join the British navy, but at the last second, his mother withheld her consent. Good thing too, cause we might have lost the revolution and history would have been much different! Yesterday we read the short and sweet story George Washinton's Hatchet, the famed account of his chopping down his father's beloved cherry tree and his honesty. I just love a good story that can lay the guilt down on your kids at the same time! So, in honor of little George and all honest children everywhere, Lillie made cherry cheescake tarts. And when I say made, I mean made...by herself. She mixed up the Jello cheescake pudding, she filled the mini graham cracker crusts, she scooped the cherry pie filling...she.... licked the bowlShe licked the scooper in the bowl...

My children are expert batter bowl lickers...I am so proud. Under my steady tutillage, there is never a batter bowl left standing around that isn't licked plum clean. Children learn by example, you know... Any how, this is the finished product. You'll have to forgive the less than professional photo. I am no food photographer, I prefer taking pictures of things that won't wind up in my tummy.Sadly, I really liked them. Lillie didn't. She ate the pudding earlier, but because the cherries resembled something healthy and balanced ,she shrunk away. Jody said he could've done without the pudding. Sigh. Sometimes I wonder about him...


Alright, so we also read about iguanas Tuesday and found out that they live in the desert as well as there being some marine iguanas as well. So, I thought we'd do some activities with sand. I went to pull up my bag of play sand from under the house, and alas , it was too wet to use for the lesson. Well, necessity being the mother of invention and all, I decided sugar would do the trick. So, we learned about different land forms you'll find in deserts and how the wind shapes the sand. I poured some sugar into a shallow pie pan , gave Lillie a straw and let her blow the sand around. Poof! That girl pumped out hurricane strength wind and sugar went everywhere. How fun! So, I immediately transferred the "sand" into a VERY deep dish. She really liked making a mess and I enjoyed the fact that I just bought a new broom with those magnetic thingies on the ends of the bristles.


I drew her a desert scene and gave her a full moon and some common desert animals to glue onto the scene. She traced around the scene with glue and then sprinkle (or was it dumped?) sugar over the picture, shook it off, and PRESTO! A wonderful desert scene where the sugar lumped up and turned a wierd shade of greenish gray( some reaction with the school glue I didn't see coming.) Note to self, next time use sand to experiment with sand.

Played Roll Say Keep with our List 1 Phrases from this nifty dolch kit. Did our Math Mammoth and practiced our basic strokes in writing. For Bible, we read about Ishmael and did another activity from the Family Blueprint site. The object lesson for this story was that God's way is the way that brings about happiness, joy and peace. When we buck God and do things our way, we often cause confusion. So, I took three index cards and wrote the first two steps of brushing your teeth. Then I asked Lillie to tell me one of the things she does while she's washing dishes. I added that to the third card. Then I told her she was going to brush her teeth using the steps I tell her. Pick up toothbrush. Check. Pick up Toothpaste and squirt some on toothbrush. Check. Now, go put away the dishes. She stopped and looked at me with that same nutty look she did last week, like she's trying to figure out if she should have me certified or not. "Uh, you told me to brush my teeth." "Yeah, I know. The last step of brushing your teeth is to go put away the dishes." There's that look again. "Are you confused?"I ask. "Yes" she answers. I then explained to her that God has a way laid out. He promised Sarah and Abraham a son, but they got impatient and bucked the line and took matters into their own hands. This caused confusion and alot of hurt and pain to their family. Ishmael and Hagar had to suffer because of the lack of faith Sarah and Abraham had in God. Really suggest you check out the Family Blueprint Website. It really does have some good stuff on it. Well, the sun is up and daylight's a burnin'. Have a blessed day!