Joy n Pain

Classical Conversations

2011-04-08T01:10:00.004-05:00

www.classicalconversations.com

Memory Master 2011

2011-04-07T19:44:00.001-05:00

My 3rd grader accomplished a HUGE GOAL this week, which she set for herself a year ago (and I didn't even know she had set the goal). She scored 100% Mastery of the grammar curriculum in our home school program,@Classical Conversations Inc. In CC each year, students learn over 500 pieces of information including history, science, math, English, Latin, and geography. See more here. She woke up Monday morning and said, "Would you review the Memory Master information with me? All of it? I really want to be a Memory Master." :-) I'm so proud of her and all of the students in our CC community and what they've accomplished this year. Learning together with mommies and daddies is such fun! It's all for God's glory! Whatever goals they accomplish. Sol de Gloria! www.classicalconversations.com

With Arms Wide Open

2010-08-25T20:49:00.000-05:00

Life consists of mixed emotions and subtle ironies. We’re overwhelmed with emotion on the day we’re married, received that new job, or looked into the bright future of life filled with wonderful children, a great place to live, or our dream car. Then comes the day to day grind we must face; the disagreements, unmet expectations, disgruntled co-workers, car repair bills, or back-talking offspring. Where’s the joy then? Can we find it, or is it hidden too deeply?

Take a look at this excerpt from a book my husband brought home the other day by Stephen C. Lundin. The book is titled, Fish Tales – Bite-sized Stories – Unlimited Possibilities

“We recently read about a little boy with a rare digestive disorder. He spent much of his time in the hospital, with needles in his arms. When a doctor or nurse approached him, he knew it was because they were probably going to have to put another needle in his arm. But instead of crying, he smiled and held out his arms for them.

Life can sometimes be painful when you greet it with arms extended. But there is no other way to fully embrace life.”

When he first read this to me, I thought it was a cute story. I could even find a few examples of how I could apply the principle to circumstances I had recently experienced. We talked about how we want to teach our four young children this principle and be prepared to face not only the joys of life but the struggles and disappointments – starting with their every day dealings with one another. Teaching others is fairly easy to do because you don’t have to get too dirty.
Over the next few weeks, however, this thing was ever present before me.

As I faced my daily responsibilities, I would remind myself that I enjoy this family of mine. Each small source of irritation would present itself in much larger magnification that it was in reality and I’d have to slap myself and say “with arms wide open,” …. smile, …. embrace it.

Entering my 7th week of pregnancy, two and a half months after miscarrying I had an ultrasound. After being told my baby’s heartbeat was much lower than normal, and the measurement was below the presumed gestational age, I had to tell myself, “with arms wide open,” …. smile, …. embrace it.
Nearing summer’s end (ending way too soon), and staring at the books I’ve purchased, wondering how to put some type of plan into place to pull this all together and teach my children successfully, I’d sometimes think about how incredibly hard this job really is. My toddler poops again and it’s the kind that puts a grown person to shame and I want to scream. But the Lord reminds me, “with arms wide open,” …. smile, …. embrace it.

It’s now the beginning of my 8th week of pregnancy and every morning I wake up waiting for nausea, hoping for morning sickness, praying to feel the worst pregnancy symptoms ever because I know that’s a signal of hope. It’s a sign that something is being stirred up with in. It’s not being stirred up for futility, but it’s for a purpose. There’s life destined to be birthed. So any day I felt these symptoms, “with arms wide open,” ….I smiled, …. I embraced it. I actually hoped for that same struggle the next day.
Even today, after having confirmed that our 6th baby’s heartbeat had stopped, the principle has not changed. I’ve repeated to others many times before and I hate sometimes, when I have to take this advice myself — the Lord’s principles remain unchanged. I can’t apply it to one circumstance and not another. God’s says in his word that “weeping may endure for a night but joy comes in the morning” (Psalm 30:5). The Word also says, “for the joy that was set before Him, He endured the cross.” (Hebrews 12:2) So today, Lord, I set that same joy before me.
I will arise and eat bread. “I shall go to him, but he shall not return to me.” (II Samuel 12:18-23)

I love you, Lord. I know you planned and fashioned our family well before I met any of these people living in this house with me. Well before you placed me in my own mother’s womb. So again, I say that I love you. I thank you. I will “Be Still and Know That You Are God”.
And “with arms wide open,” ….I will smile, …. I will embrace it.

Apple Cider Chicken

2010-02-16T22:06:00.005-06:00

I love love love this one!! Thanks Sunny!

Apple Cider Chicken by Sunny Anderson

Ingredients

2 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons butter
4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (about 2 pounds)
salt and freshly ground black pepper
1/2 Vidalia onion, chopped
1 Granny Smith apple, cored and sliced into 1/4-inch wedges
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 teaspoons dried thyme
2 bay leaves
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 1/2 cups apple cider

Directions

Heat oil and 1 tablespoon butter in a skillet over medium-high heat. Season the chicken breasts with salt and pepper, add to pan and sear until golden, about 4 minutes each side. Remove chicken from pan, and set aside. Add remaining butter and onion, apple, garlic, thyme and bay leaves. Saute until apple begins to get color and onions soften, about 6 minutes. Add flour and stir 2 to 3 minutes. Nestle chicken back into pan, add cider, bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer and cover. Cook until chicken is cooked through, about 12 minutes.

How He Loves!!

2010-02-11T14:44:00.005-06:00

Thinking about the Father's Love for us, especially during this Valentine's Day season.

I love the lyrics to this song, by the David Crowder Band. Enjoy them below as well as the video at the bottom.

------

He is jealous for me,
Loves like a hurricane, I am a tree,

Bending beneath the weight of his wind and mercy.
When all of a sudden,
I am unaware of these afflictions eclipsed by glory,
And I realise just how beautiful You are,
And how great Your affections are for me.

And oh, how He loves us so,
Oh how He loves us,
How He loves us all

Yeah, He loves us,
Oh! how He loves us,
Oh! how He loves us,
Oh! how He loves.

We are His portion and He is our prize,
Drawn to redemption by the grace in His eyes,
If grace is an ocean, we’re all sinking.
And Heaven meets earth like an unforseen kiss,
And my heart turns violently inside of my chest,
I don’t have time to maintain these regrets,
When I think about, the way…

MomHeart Conference

2010-02-11T13:42:00.000-06:00

I went to this last this year and it was really refreshing. Mrs. Clarkson was very sweet, and an inspiration to me in this season.

My friend Andrea and I had such a good time that we said we needed to tell lots of other moms next year.

The conference dates are February 26-27 at the Las Colinas Marriott.

Here's where you can find more information
http://wholeheart.typepad.com/itakejoy/mom-heart-conferences-2010.html

What do Classical Conversations students learn in Cycle 2?

2010-02-05T15:39:00.006-06:00

In Classical Conversations' Foundations Cycle 2, students learn.......

160 events & people in a chronological timeline
24 history sentences to "put some flesh" on our timeline (including Charlemagne, Reformation, Renaissance, World Wars…)
44 U.S. presidents
100 locations and geographic features in Europe, Asia and select parts of the world
24 science facts (biomes, planets, laws of motion, laws of thermodynamics…)
Latin verbs – the first conjugation
English grammar facts (including pronouns, adverbs and adjectives…)
Multiplication tables up to 15x15, common squares and cubes, as well as basic geometry formulas and unit conversions

That's over 500 pieces of information!

Not to mention…

Exposure to drawing techniques
Music theory and tin whistle
Six great artists and related projects
Introduction to orchestra and three classical composers
Twelve science experiments and…
The practicing and refinement of oral presentation skills!

According to Proverbs 24:3-4, the stages of learning are knowledge, understanding, and wisdom.

www.ClassicalConversations.com

Catechism for Young Children

2010-01-31T11:17:00.001-06:00

An Introduction to the Shorter Catechism

Q. 1. Who made you?
A. God.

Q. 2. What else did God make?
A. God made all things.

Q. 3. Why did God make you and all things ?
A. For his own glory.

Q. 4. How can you glorify God?
A. By loving him and doing what he commands.

Q. 5. Why ought you to glorify God?
A. Because he made me and takes care of me.

Q. 6. Are there more gods than one?
A. There is only one God.

Q. 7. In how many persons does this one God exist?
A. In three persons.

Q. 8. What are they?
A. The Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost.

Q. 9. What is God?
A. God is a Spirit, and has not a body like men.

Q. 10. Where is God?
A. God is everywhere.

Q. 11. Can you see God?
A. No; I cannot see God, but he always sees me.

Q. 12. Does God know all things?
A. Yes; nothing can be hid from God.

Q. 13. Can God do all things?
A. Yes; God can do all his holy will.

Q. 14. Where do you learn how to love and obey God?
A. In the Bible alone.

Q. 15. Who wrote the Bible?
A. Holy men who were taught by the Holy Spirit.

Q. 16. Who were our first parents?
A. Adam and Eve.

Q. 17. Of what were our first parents made?
A. God made the body of Adam out of the ground, and formed Eve from the body of Adam.

Q. 18. What did God give Adam and Eve besides bodies?
A. He gave them souls that could never die.

Q. 19. Have you a soul as well as a body?
A. Yes; I have a soul that can never die.

Q. 20. How do you know that you have a soul?
A. Because the Bible tells me so.

Q. 21. In what condition did God make Adam and Eve?
A. He made them holy and happy.

Q. 22. What is a covenant?
A. An agreement between two or more persons.

Q. 23. What covenant did God make with Adam?
A. The covenant of works.

Q. 24. What was Adam bound to do by the covenant of works?
A. To obey God perfectly.

Q. 25. What did God promise in the covenant of works?
A. To reward Adam with life if he obeyed him.

Q. 26. What did God threaten in the covenant of works?
A. To punish Adam with death if he disobeyed.

Q. 27. Did Adam keep the covenant of works?
A. No; he sinned against God.

Q. 28. What is Sin?
A. Sin is any want of conformity unto, or transgression of the law of God.

Q. 29. What is meant by want of conformity?
A. Not being or doing what God requires.

Q. 30. What is meant by transgression?
A. Doing what God forbids.

Q. 31. What was the sin of our first parents?
A. Eating the forbidden fruit.

Q. 32. Who tempted them to this sin?
A. The devil tempted Eve, and she gave the fruit to Adam.

Q. 33. What befell our first parents when they had sinned?
A. Instead of being holy and happy, they became sinful and miserable.

Q. 34. Did Adam act for himself alone in the covenant of works?
A. No; he represented all his posterity.

Q. 35. What effect had the sin of Adam on all mankind?
A. All mankind are born in a state of sin and misery.

Q. 36. What is that sinful nature which we inherit from Adam called?
A. Original sin.

Q. 37. What does every sin deserve?
A. The wrath and curse of God.

Q. 38. Can any one go to heaven with this sinful nature?
A. No; our hearts must be changed before we can be fit for heaven.

Q. 39. What is a change of heart called?
A. Regeneration.

Q. 40. Who can change a sinner's heart?
A. The Holy Spirit alone.

Q. 41. Can any one be saved through the covenant of works?
A. None can be saved through the covenant of works.

Q. 42. Why can none be saved through the covenant of works?
A. Because all have broken it, and are condemned by it

Q. 43. With whom did God the Father make the covenant of grace?
A. With Christ, his eternal Son.

Q. 44. Whom did Christ represent in the covenant of grace?
A. His elect people.

Q. 45. What did Christ undertake in the covenant of grace?
A. To keep the whole law for his people, and to suffer the punishment due to their sins.

Q. 46. Did our Lord Jesus Christ ever commit the least sin?
A. No; he was holy, harmless, and undefiled.

Q. 47. How could the Son of God suffer?
A. Christ, the Son of God, became man that he might obey and suffer in our nature.

Q. 48. What is meant by the Atonement?
A. Christ's satisfying divine justice, by his sufferings and death, in the place of sinners.

Q. 49. What did God the Father undertake in the covenant of grace?
A. To justify and sanctify those for whom Christ should die.

Q. 50. What justification?
A. It is God's forgiving sinners, and treating them as if they had never sinned.

Q. 51. What is sanctification?
A. It is God's making sinners holy in heart and conduct.

Q. 52. For whom did Christ obey and suffer?
A. For those whom the Father had given him.

Q. 53. What kind of life did Christ live on earth?
A. A life of poverty and suffering.

Q. 54. What kind of death did Christ die?
A. The painful and shameful death of the cross.

Q. 55. Who will be saved?
A. Only those who repent of sin, believe in Christ, and lead holy lives.

Q. 56. What is it to repent?
A. To be sorry for sin, and to hate and forsake it because it is displeasing to God.

Q. 57. What is it to believe or have faith in Christ?
A. To trust in Christ alone for salvation.

Q. 58. Can you repent and believe in Christ by your own power?
A. No; I can do nothing good without the help of God's Holy Spirit.

Q. 59. How can you get the help of the Holy Spirit?
A. God has told us that we must pray to him for the Holy Spirit.

Q. 60. How long ago is it since Christ died?
A. More than two thousand years.

Q. 61. How were pious persons saved before the coming of Christ?
A. By believing in a Savior to come.

Q. 62. How did they show their faith?
A. By offering sacrifices on God's altar.

Q. 63. What did these sacrifices represent?
A. Christ, the Lamb of God, who was to die for sinners.

Q. 64. What offices has Christ?
A. Christ has three offices.

Q. 65. What are they?
A. The offices of a prophet, of a priest, and of a king.

Q. 66. How is Christ a prophet?
A. Because he teaches us the will of God.

Q. 67. How is Christ a priest?
A. Because he died for our sins and pleads with God for us.

Q. 68. How is Christ a king?
A. Because he rules over us and defends us.

Q. 69. Why do you need Christ as a prophet?
A. Because I am ignorant.

Q. 70. Why do you need Christ as a priest?
A. Because I am guilty.

Q. 71. Why do you need Christ as a king?
A. Because I am weak and helpless.

Q. 72. How many commandments did God give on Mount Sinai?
A. Ten commandments.

Q. 73. What are the ten commandments sometimes called?
A. The Decalogue.

Q. 74. What do the first four commandments teach?
A. Our duty to God.

Q. 75. What do the last six commandments teach?
A. Our duty to our fellow men.

Q. 76. What is the sum of the ten commandments?
A. To love God with all my heart, and my neighbor as myself.

Q. 77. Who is your neighbor?A. All my fellow men are my neighbors.

Q. 78. Is God pleased with those who love and obey him?
A. Yes; he says, "I love them that love me."

Q. 79. Is God displeased with those who do not love and obey him?
A. Yes; "God is angry with the wicked every day."

Q. 80. What is the first commandment?
A. The first commandment is, Thou shalt have no other gods before me.

Q. 81. What does the first commandment teach us?
A. To worship God alone.

Q. 82. What is the second commandment?
A. The second commandment is, Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image, or any likeness of any things that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth; thou shalt not bow down thyself to them, nor serve them: for I, the Lord thy God, am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation of them that hate me; and showing mercy unto thousands of them that love me, and keep my commandments.

Q. 83. What does the second commandment teach us?
A. To worship God in a proper manner, and to avoid idolatry.

Q. 84. What is the third commandment?
A. The third commandment is, Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord thy God in vain: for the Lord will not hold him guiltless that taketh his name in vain.

Q. 85. What does the third commandment teach me?
A. To reverence God's name, word, and works.

Q. 86. What is the fourth commandment?
A. The fourth commandment is, Remember the Sabbath day to keep it holy. Six days shalt thou labor, and do all thy work, but the seventh day is the Sabbath of the Lord thy God; in it thou shalt not do any work, thou, nor thy son, nor thy daughter, nor thy manservant, nor thy maidservant, nor thy cattle, nor thy stranger that is within thy gates: for in six days the Lord made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that in them is, and rested the seventh day; wherefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath Day, and hallowed it.

Q. 87. What does the fourth commandment teach us?
A. To keep the Sabbath holy.

Q. 88. What day of the week is the Christian Sabbath?
A. The first day of the week, called the Lord's day.

Q. 89. Why is it called the Lord's day?
A. Because on that day Christ rose from the dead.

Q. 90. How should the Sabbath be spent?
A. In prayer and praise, in hearing and reading God's Word, and in doing good to our fellow men.

Q. 91. What is the fifth commandment?
A. The fifth commandment is, Honor thy father and thy mother, that thy days may be long upon the land which the Lord thy God giveth thee.

Q. 92. What does the fifth commandment teach me?
A. To love and obey our parents and teachers.

Q. 93. What is the sixth commandment?
A. The sixth commandment is, Thou shalt not kill.

Q. 94. What does the sixth commandment teach us?
A. To avoid angry passions.

Q. 95. What is the seventh commandment?
A. The seventh commandment is, Thou shalt not commit adultery.

Q. 96. What does the seventh commandment teach us?
A. To be pure in heart, language, and conduct.

Q. 97. What is the eighth commandment?
A. The eighth commandment is, Thou shalt not steal.

Q. 98. What does the eighth commandment teach us?
A. To be honest and industrious.

Q. 99. What is the ninth commandment?
A. The ninth commandment is, Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbor.

Q. 100. What does the ninth commandment teach us?
A. To tell the truth.

Q. 101. What is the tenth commandment?
A. The tenth commandment is, Thou shalt not covet thy neighbor's house, thou shalt not covet thy neighbor's wife, nor his manservant, nor his maidservant, nor his ox, nor his ass, nor any thing that is thy neighbor's.

Q. 102. What does the tenth commandment teach us?
A. To be content with our lot.

Q. 103. Can any man keep these ten commandments perfectly?
A. No mere man, since the fall of Adam, ever did or can keep the ten commandments perfectly.

Q. 104. Of what use are the ten commandments to us?
A. They teach us our duty, and show our need of a Savior.

Q. 105. What is prayer?
A. Prayer is asking God for things which he has promised to give.

Q. 106. In whose name should we pray?
A. Only in the name of Christ.

Q. 107. What has Christ given us to teach us how to pray?
A. The Lord's Prayer.

Q. 108. Repeat the Lord's Prayer.
A. Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil: For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever. Amen.

Q. 109. How many petitions are there in The Lord's Prayer?
A. Six.

Q. 110. What is the first petition?
A. "Hallowed be thy name."

Q. 111. What do we pray for in the first petition?
A. That God's name may be honored by us and all men.

Q. 112. What is the second petition?
A. "Thy kingdom come."

Q. 113. What do we pray for in the second petition?
A. That the gospel may be preached in all the world, and believed and obeyed by us and all men.

Q. 114. What is the third petition?
A. "Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven."

Q. 115. What do we pray for in the third petition?
A. That men on earth may serve God as the angels do in heaven.

Q. 116. What is the fourth petition?
A. "Give us this day our daily bread."

Q. 117. What do we pray for in the fourth petition?
A. That God would give us all things needful for our bodies and souls.

Q. 118. What is the fifth petition?
A. "And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors."

Q. 119. What do we pray for in the fifth petition?
A. That God would pardon our sins for Christ's sake, and enable us to forgive those who have injured us.

Q. 120. What is the sixth petition?
A. "And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil."

Q. 121. What do we pray for in the sixth petition?
A. That God would keep us from sin.

Q. 122. How many sacraments are there?
A. Two.

Q. 123. What are they?
A. Baptism and the Lord's Supper.

Q. 124. Who appointed these sacraments?
A. The Lord Jesus Christ.

Q. 125. Why did Christ appoint these sacraments?
A. To distinguish his disciples from the world, and to comfort and strengthen them.

Q. 126. What sign is used in baptism?
A. The washing with water.

Q. 127. What does this signify?
A. That we are cleansed from sin by the blood of Christ.

Q. 128. In whose name are we baptized?
A. In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost.

Q. 129. Who are to be baptized?
A. Believers and their children.

Q. 130. Why should infants be baptized?
A. Because they have a sinful nature and need a Savior.

Q. 131. Does Christ care for little children?
A. Yes; for he says, "Suffer the little children to come unto me, and forbid them not: for of such is the kingdom of God."

Q. 132. To what does your baptism bind you?
A. To be a true follower of Christ.

Q. 133. What is the Lord's Supper?
A. The eating of bread and drinking of wine in remembrance of the sufferings and death of Christ.

Q. 134. What does the bread represent?
A. The body of Christ, broken for our sins.

Q. 135. What does the wine represent?
A. The blood of Christ, shed for our salvation.

Q. 136. Who should partake of the Lord's Supper?
A. Only those who repent of their sins, believe in Christ for salvation, and love their fellow men.

Q. 137. Did Christ remain in the tomb after his crucifixion?
A. No; he rose from the tomb on the third day after his death.

Q. 138. Where is Christ now?
A. In heaven, interceding for sinners.

Q. 139. Will he come again?
A. Yes; at the last day Christ will come to judge the world.

Q. 140. What becomes of men at death?
A. The body returns to dust, and the soul goes into the world of spirits.

Q. 141. Will the bodies of the dead be raised to life again?
A. Yes; "The trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised."

Q. 142. What will become of the wicked in the day of judgment?
A. They shall he cast into hell.

Q. 143. What is hell?
A. A place of dreadful and endless torment.

Q. 144. What will become of the righteous?
A. They shall be taken to heaven.

Q. 145. What is heaven?
A. A glorious and happy place, where the righteous shall be forever with the Lord.

Just a Mom?

2010-01-18T15:05:00.005-06:00

My mom forwarded this to me today. Very cute!!

A woman, renewing her driver's license at the Coun ty Clerk 's office,

Was asked by the woman recorder to state her occupation.

She hesitated, uncertain how to classify herself.

"What I mean is, " explained the recorder,

"do you have a job or are you just a ....?"

"Of course I have a job," snapped the woman.

"I'm a Mom."

"We don't list 'Mom' as an occupation,

'housewife' covers it,"

Said the recorder emphatically.

I forgot all about her story until one day I found myself

In the same situation, this time at our own Town Hall.

The Clerk was obviously a career woman, poised,

Efficient, and possessed of a high sounding title like,

"Official Interrogator" or "Town Registrar."

"What is your occupation?" she probed.

What made me say it? I do not know.

The words simply popped out.

"I'm a Research Associate in the field of

Child Development and Human Relations."

The clerk paused, ball-point pen frozen in midair and

Looked up as though she had not heard right.

I repeated the title slowly emphasizing the most significant words.

Then I stared with wonder as my pronouncement was written,

In bold, black ink on the official questionnaire.

"Might I ask," said the clerk with new interest,

"just what you do in your field?"

Coolly, without any trace of fluster in my voice,

I heard myself reply,

"I have a continuing program of research,

(what mother doesn't)

In the laboratory and in the field,

(normally I would have said indoors and out).

I'm working for my Masters, (first the Lord and then the whole family)

And already have four credits (all daughters).

Of course, the job is one of the most demanding in the humanities,

(any mother care to disagree?)

And I often work 14 hours a day, (24 is more like it).

But the job is more challenging than most run-of-the-mill careers

And the rewards are more of a satisfaction rather than just money."

There was an increasing note of respect in the clerk's voice as she

Completed the form, stood up, and personally ushered me to the door.

As I drove into our driveway, buoyed up by my glamorous new career,

I was greeted by my lab assistants -- ages 13, 7, and 3.

Upstairs I could hear our new experimental model,

(a 6 month old baby) in the child development p rogram,

Testing out a new vocal pattern.

I felt I had scored a beat on bureaucracy!

And I had gone on the official records as someone more

Distinguished and indispensable to mankind than "just another Mom."

Motherhood!

What a glorious career!

Especially when there's a title on the door.

------

Does this make grandmothers

"Senior Research associates in the field of Child Development and Human Relations"

And great grandmothers

"Executive Senior Research Associates?"

I think so!!!

I also think it makes Aunts"Associate Research Assistants."

-----

Please send this to another Mom,

Grandmother,

Aunt,

And other friends you know.

May your troubles be less,

Your blessing be more,

And nothing but happiness come through your door!

I love my fam!

2010-01-06T13:32:00.007-06:00

I really do! There are tons and tons and memories we have, of growing up and hanging out with our parents and cousins and other extended family members.

If there is any place I can laugh, be myself, dance, make funny faces, it's with these folks. I'm the youngest of four girls, so you can probably imagine the depths of my silliness.

My husband teases me because, (almost) no matter how tense and upset I am, if I get a phone call from one of my sisters who has funny story or joke, that frown is instantly turned upside down!

It's funny that my husband is also the youngest of four (of four boys) and his immediate family is not much different from mine. That makes life so much brighter than the alternative. And I don't take that for granted.

Speaking of the fun I had growing up, we can already see (well, we hope) our children, nieces and nephews will have memories much like ours. The madness began with my nephew who's now twenty years old and a sophomore in college and that madness has continued, down to our youngest son.

I love it and wouldn't trade it for the world!

When I Accepted Me by Sonja Samuel

2010-01-06T00:00:00.001-06:00

Today, I'm very excited to have my friend, Sonja Samuel, joining me in an interview about her new book, When I Accepted Me. You may have seen the previous post I shared about her last week. She's truly a wonderful person to know and I've been encouraged by her inspiring, power-packed words, many many times.

After the interview today, I will be giving away a copy of her wonderful book. In order to be included in the drawing for the book, enter a comment on this post. If you'd like to have an additional entry in the drawing, you may do one of the following: a) mention this post on your Facebook page, b) mention this post on your blog, c) send an email to 10 friends, mentioning this post, or d) add a comment on another post, here on the Joy n Pain blog. When you've done one of the above, add a comment here so I can get your entry. Your name can be entered up to 5 times (one for each method). Be sure to give me your email address so I know how to contact you.

Comments must be entered by midnight CST on January 6th.

Thanks for reading the interview about Sonja's exciting new book, and I pray many people are blessed by this life-giving message.

Sonja, thank you for joining me today for this interview. Let's get started.

1. Why self-esteem and what is it exactly?

Self esteem is the extent to which we like, respect and accept ourselves. It reflects our overall evaluation or appraisal of our self worth. It encompasses our beliefs, emotions and behavior. However, many people operate from the perspective of what others think of them and it fuels a cycle of dissatisfaction and discontentment. Instead of finding peace within themselves and being the unique and distinct person God created them to be, they live a life based on who they think others want them to be. As a result then of achieving high self esteem they find their self esteem constantly under attack.

It has been said that 2 out of 3 people at any given time suffers from low self esteem, and low self esteem can negatively affect every part of our lives. If the negativity goes unaddressed, it can completely ruin our lives. If at the core of it all is low self esteem, we must address this issue if we want to live joyous, productive, and purposeful lives as God intended. From my experience it all starts with changing the way we think. The way we think is essential to winning over negativity and boosting self esteem.

2. Why is self-esteem important to you?

Self esteem is important to me because after dealing with a difficult separation and divorce, I found myself struggling to rebuild my self esteem. That whole experience had taken me down a road of despair and depression like I had never experienced before. High self esteem had never been a problem for me so when life became difficult and it challenged me to question myself, I was completely thrown for a loop. It caused me to question my self- worth and value, and in the end I really struggled with accepting myself. I started thinking something must be wrong with me.

Now, based on the Word of God I knew this wasn’t true but I still struggled. Once I was able to regain my confidence and repair the damage to my self esteem, I begin to see that I had gotten lost in my emotions when it really was about what was going on in my head. High self esteem starts with what we think! Of course, sometimes we suffer from ‘thinking stinking’ and that can present a different set of issues; overall, I learned that to develop high self esteem we must examine what we think because that is what shapes our perspective and allows us to accept ourselves along with the challenges of life from a more positive perspective than negative one. That’s why I focused my book on positive affirmations for accepting me.

3. What can a person do to build high self-esteem?

I would recommend starting with what I call my ACCEPT Principles:

A – Learn to accept your strengths and weaknesses. As humans we are a work in progress. Everyone has an up side to who they are and a down side. It is our down side that continues to remind us of our humanity and keeps us seeking to be better and do better. Often our weaknesses are just unguarded strengths that we must continue to manage them if it is something we can’t change but our weaknesses DO NOT make us a bad person.

C – Concentrate on the positives. It is real easy to focus on the negative and our world is full of them. However, to focus on the positives it starts with making a choice to do so. From there you make a commitment to release any and all negativity; negative thoughts, negative emotions and negative relations. The Bible says ‘think on these things ...whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, and whatever is of good report.’

C - Connect to your passion and you’ll connect to your purpose. Find the things in life that you are really passionate about and involve yourself in them. That will do more to help you have the confidence that you need to succeed and win over any adversity life presents. Also you will notice how much happier your life will be because of it.

P – Persevere. It has been said when the going gets tough the tough gets going. In this life we will have trouble, as the Bible tells us so we must hold fast to the faithfulness of God and His promises to never leave us alone. When tough times now come my way, I often affirm and encourage myself with the scripture that says ‘this too shall pass.’

T – Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not to your understanding. We may not see the hand of God at work but we must trust that He is at work on our behalf. That is called the providence of God.

4. If the ACCEPT Principles helps us build high self-esteem, what helps us maintain it?

Here are seven simple steps that we all can do every day. Building or rebuilding self esteem is the most difficult. Maintaining high self esteem is a lot easier if we implement these steps.

1. Smile often to yourself and to others. Greet others when you see them and ask how they are and how their day is going. This helps build positive relationships with others.

2. Eliminate the negative. When a negative thought enters your mind, stop and immediately counter it with a positive thought about the same subject.

3. Be nice to others and be nice to yourself. Conversely, don't degrade others and don't degrade yourself.

4. Face your fears and forget your failures (after learning from them). Focus on your achievements and successes. Reward yourself when you succeed.

5. Quit thinking about trying to be perfect. No one is, so just accept that as it is. Don't be too competitive and don't compare yourself with others.

6. Don't worry about what others think of you. Just be the best you that you can be.

7. Hang out with positive and optimistic people who also have high self esteem and self confidence. But when you are around negative people, try to direct your positive and optimistic thoughts in their direction. Don't let them pull down your level of self confidence or self esteem.

5. Can you be a good person, a successful person, and still struggle with maintaining good self esteem?

Absolutely! Life happens to us all. Having high self esteem or good self esteem doesn’t exempt us from the trails and challenges of life. It does, however, puts us in a better situation to deal with them when they come.

Maintaining our esteem is easy but it is work. Sometimes our struggle comes because we are not putting in the work of being true to ourselves and what brings us satisfaction, joy and contentment. Remember, self esteem is not about our successes or failures but how we feel, see and accept ourselves. Living in a such a competitive and negative world that is constantly trying to get us to be something other than want we are can present be exhausting.

6. Does the focus on building and maintaining high esteem cause people to develop a false sense of security based on feelings that may not match reality?

I don’t think so. Self-esteem is a very powerful thing to have. When you have healthy self-esteem you are a more confident person, you are better at dealing with life disappointments, you build friendship with others more easily, you perform better in school and overall experience a more fulfilling life. It is an individual’s perspective on how they see themselves. No one can take that away or define that for the individual.

I guess any one of us could have a warped sense of ourselves but that would be an indication of low self esteem.

7. Tell us about the creative process of writing this book?

Initially, I started writing a book on leadership but as I started the process, I kept coming back to this issue of self esteem. How can we lead others if we are struggling to lead ourselves? The more I reflected on that I started to reflect on my own personal experiences not only in the area of leadership but self esteem in general. That lead me to start writing down what had helped me get to the path I’m on today. What things did I have to do to overcome my fears, deal with the challenges life had presented to me and manage my emotions. These are all essential elements of being a good leader as well as having good self esteem.

In the end, I ended up writing over hundred affirmations that has been broken down into two volumes under the title of “When I Accepted Me.” We’ve just release volume 1 and volume 2 will be released in 2010. I divided them up into two volumes because I wanted to give people an opportunity to really reflect and internalize each affirmation to boost their self esteem. I’ve suggested to people to just take one a week (that’s why there are 52 of them) and internalize that one. Pray on it, see how it reflects in your life; maybe use it as a guide to write your own for that week.

I’ve encouraged some people to take on the 52 day challenge of reading one every day for 52 days straight and see if their perspective isn’t changed for the good at the end of it. Again, it is all about what is going on in our heads and when we receive positive information inwardly, we respond with positive behavior outwardly that leads to success in life …however, you may define success.

8. How can people get the book and what is some of the feedback you’ve received so far?

My book can be ordered from my website at www.sonjasamuel.com. It would be a great way to start the year and to recharge for the coming year. We are extending it at our special introduction offer of $14.95 because we want to get the book out into as many hands as possible. For me it is a tool for empowering others which is my personal mission in life.

It makes a great gift book for your friends, family and coworkers. I just gave them out as stocking stuffers and will be sending many out for Valentine’s Day as a way of saying I love and affirm you.

I have really enjoyed the feedback from people on how it has been such a pick me up for them when their emotions started to get the best of them and send them into a downward spiral.

One lady said she carries it around in her purse and when her day starts going south and she is ready to stick it to someone, she whips out her book, reads a few affirmation and it gets her back on track.

A lady told me about her husband that lost his mother this year and has been struggling emotionally. She said about once or twice a week she sees him reading through each page. She said she knows he’s gone through the whole book at least four or five times and she can see the difference it has made in his emotional health in dealing with the lost of his mother.

Parmesan Fish Sticks

2010-01-05T15:34:00.006-06:00

Ingredients for Fish Sticks

1 (18-ounce) center-cut salmon fillet, about 9 by 4 inches, skinned
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
3 egg whites
1 cup grated Parmesan
1 cup seasoned bread crumbs
Olive oil, for drizzling

Ingredients for Dipping Sauce

1/3 cup reduced fat mayonnaise
1/3 cup lowfat plain yogurt
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley or chives

Directions For the Fish Sticks:

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F.

Rinse the salmon fillet and pat dry with paper towels. Cut the fish in half to make 2 fillets each about 4 by 4 1/2-inches in size. Starting on the longest edge, slice the fillets into 1/2-inch pieces. Lay the widest pieces, from the center, cut side down, and slice in half lengthways so all the pieces are equally about 1/2 by 1/2 by 4 1/2-inches in size.

Place the flour in a medium bowl and season with the salt and pepper. Place the egg whites in another bowl and beat until frothy, about 30 seconds. Combine the Parmesan and bread crumbs in a third bowl.

Coat the salmon pieces in the seasoned flour and pat to remove any excess flour. Dip the floured salmon in the egg whites and then into the Parmesan mixture, gently pressing the mixture into the fish. Place the breaded salmon pieces on a liberally oiled baking sheet. Drizzle lightly with the olive oil. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes until golden brown.

Directions For the Dipping Sauce:

Mix the mayonnaise, yogurt, Dijon mustard, and parsley (or chives, if using) in a small dipping bowl.

Arrange the fish sticks on a serving platter and serve with the dipping sauce.

Cook's Note: The fish sticks can also be dipped in ketchup, marinara sauce, pesto, ranch dressing or vinaigrette.

Best Kid Kuotes of 2009!!

2009-12-30T22:45:00.008-06:00

When I hear my kids say funny things, or if I learn a lesson through them, I post them on FB. Since it's the end of year, I was going to post a top 10 list of quotes from the entire year.

But, .....I couldn't come up with a top ten list so I just posted all of them, from now back to about June. (That's as far as I could go. I was clicking "older posts", "older posts", "older posts", "older posts", ......you get the picture) lol

Read and tell me your favorites! (I inserted their blog / cyber names, in lieu of their real names) hee-hee

1. "Mommy, I'm foot-cuffed! Help!" -- 5 yr old son (Pupster)

2. "Is Maxwell the one who made Hermie & Wormie?" ~ 7 yr old daughter (Kitty)

"No, that would be Max Lucado."~ Mommy

3. "Why don't I don't get to get a cheeseburger Mommy?"

C'mon now, J, I've taught you better than that right?

4. "Mama, did Adam and Eve have belly buttons?"

Wow. Very good question!

5. "I'm glad I'm not a girl because it hurts when women have a baby!" ~ Pupster

6. "I know why Michael Jackson died, he was singing too much."

"No, that's not why (Pupster)!"

"It is, (Kitty), my friend told me... for real!!"

7. "Mommy, can I have a bun? Mommy, can I have a bun? MOMMMMYYYY can I have a bun?" ..... his sister says "(Pupster) if you like them so much you should put a ring on them!" bawaaaahhhaaa haa haaaa

8. "and I pray that (she) will stop being mean" :)

(quote during the wee hours of a slumber party)

9. Pupster says "Can my name be changed to Monty, like the boy in the Monty See, Monty Do book?" Kitty says, "You're just being like the boy in the book. You want to be like someone else."

10. Pupster goes, "Oh brother!". Lamby (3 yr old) goes, "Ohhhh sister!" LOL

11. "And you just got told by a aligator!" ~says Lamby

12. Kitty's latest joke for the day... "What did the toilet say when he was crying?" -- What? -- "Boo boo hoo!" -- Oh my goodness!.... Wow...

13. "When I'm 8, she'll be 10, when I'm 9, she'll be 11, when I'm 10, she'll be 12, when I'm 11, she'll be 13, when I'm 12, she'll be 14", and so on and so on. Aaaarrrhhh (Lamby) you messed me up!... "when I'm 6 she'll be 8, ...."

14. "(Kitty), I cracked my tongue bone!" ~ Pupster

15. "Mommy, why does Grandma's birthday party have to be at a restaurant? Why can't we have it at a skating rink" ~ Pupster

16. (12:48am) Wait! Why did my daughter (Kitty) just wake up and walk around and tell me "I'm bored"

17. Why is it that I often hear a cry from a little one in the other room, followed by "oops.. shhhhhh"?

18. "Soulja boy oh wih me-oh crack-it-like a sumptin-oh something somethin somethin oh....watch me youuuu" my kids trying to sing the words to this song. LOL

19. I can't believe (well actually I can believe it but it's funny that) my kids are screaming and dancing because I said we're having lemonade with dinner. They know we only have sweet drinks once, maybe twice a day. And it's usually well before dinner. :-)

20. My 3 yr old says "Ok here's the deal. I do like carrots.... Actually I don't like carrots. Iiiiiii LOVE carrots!!!!"

21. Why did my daughter finish the entire book #27 in the Magic Treehouse Series (and we just bought it at B&N tonight)!?

22. 9pm - Son (Pupster).... what ARE you chewing??? He answers "dust," then spits a black ball of dust out and into his hand (from the big rug in the living room, I presume.

23. "You were like DUDE! and we were like DUDE! and you were like DUDE". ~ Pupster

24. "Mommy come!! There's a rat-cat in the family room. Come on!!" ~Lamby

25. "How can a cow jump over the moon? That would take hours!". ~Lamby

26. (Lamby), what are you thinking about?

She follows with, "Macaroni."

27. "I had water and flowers for ages, when I was a grown up" ~Lamby

28. Wow, I dreamt I was at a party and had a long brown wire stuck between two of my side teeth. Crazy!!!!!! I was just walking around, trying to pull it out and people were looking at me like ummm why don't you get somebody to help you get that out of your teeth (that wasn't the kids, that was me; it was so weird, I had to include it.)

29. "(Kitty), what's his name? Kirk what?" "Kirk Brown." "No. Kirk Franklin. Oh, Chris Brown." "Oh yeah Chris Brown. No wait, no it's not what's his name?" "Anthony Evans." "No! Chris Bryant?" "I don't know." "Oh yeah I know, Kobe Bryant! The basketball player." "Yes that's right. Chris Brown is a singer."

30. Kitty: "Can I have an apple?" (goes to the room, comes back a minute later) "it tastes awful!" brother tastes and says, "I don't see the problem." (30 seconds later) he says, "It tastes horrible! Disgusting!"

31. Pupster says, "Mommy, God's love for you will end if you become a mean person right?"

Me - "Actually son, no it won't."

32. My 18 month old decided to have an ink pen as a before-dinner-snack.

33. I'm listening to my kids reminisce about how Bill Cosby, Theo, Elvin, and Martin gave birth to things they wanted (Car, Boat, 2 Liter Soda, and Hoagie Sandwich)!!

34. I'm listening to my husband play "Love is you!" (on the piano) Okay I threw that one in, because I wanted to say something about my boyfriend (my husband). :-)

35. I was singing "Every time you go.... away.... you take a piece of me with you!" (remember that?) Then (Kitty) goes, "Really, Daddy does that, wow!" Then later after I talked to her about it she said "that must hurt" LOL

36. Lamby says "I like herbivores, but not carnivores.".

I say, why?

"Because I'm meat!"

37. 7 year old boasts, "I can read a whole chapter book in one day!" 5 year old follows with "I can eat a whole pack of Graham crackers in one day!"

38. Wow moment for today, right in the middle of a frustrating morning.....

Kitty: "Mommy, you're being nice to God"

Me: "How?"

Kitty: "By doing what He wants you to do with your children"

Me: "Wow."

Kitty: "I didn't think of that, it just came into my mind to tell you that."

Okay that didn't just make my day, I think that made my season!!

39. Why did 3 people have to follow me INTO the bathroom??? "Listen to my song..." "Look at my pretty belt...." "Look at my wet pamper..."

40. "Mommy, why do babies have to from from "bottoms"? Why can't they come from noses or something like that?"

41. Me: "What was that??" Lamby: "I dont' know. Was it a pooting monster?"

42. Mommm....mm.yyyyyyy, it's taking YEARS for my soup to cool off!" ~ Lamby

43. "(Kitty), remember when Rhino said " 'I will survive!!' " ~ Pupster

44. Kids, waking up and playing, instead of waking up working, doesn't work out very well. It makes for a lazy mindset for the rest of the day. Let's work!

45. How do kids auto-wake-up when you pull up in your drive way?

46. "Christmas is December whaty-fifth, Mommy?" lol

47. I was about to say, "man, the things I do for these kids!" But I stopped when I thought of what the Lord could say of us.

48. 5 year old, telling 3 year old (since she was crying about not being able to get into mommy's room, because the door was locked). "(Lamby) it's okay, grown ups have to do that some times because they have to have privacy, they have to be deserted. Deserted means alone, but dessert means you can eat it."

49. "Mommy you need to stop being afraid of ticklish"

"Why?"

"Because it's so fun!" ..... "You need to laugh"

50. "Mommy, why do they claim that it's invisible tape? It's not. It's see through tape but it's not invisible." ~Kitty

51. One kid says, "Today is Jesus' birthday! He is 1 million years old!" Other (Lamby) says, "Yay yay yay, is He gonna eat cake with us?"

52. Son says, "What if Martha (our labrador) has puppies?", Daughter answers, "She won't, she's not even married."

Author, Sonja Samuel

2009-12-29T15:26:00.006-06:00

Who is this lovely lady, you ask? This is my friend, and my former dance team leader (yes, I was part of a dance team in my early 30s :-) ).

You may have seen her on the sidelines cheering for one of the most winningest football teams in the NFL, on a commercial or in a magazine. A former print model, TV spokesperson, internet radio and talk show host, Dallas Cowboys Cheerleader and NFL Players Cheerleader. Sonja Samuel currently travels the world as an international speaker, leadership consultant, and life empowerment strategist to Fortune 500 companies and their workforce; as well as traveling the globe as a performing arts director and short-term missionary.

Next Wednesday (January 6), Sonja will join me here, for an interview. She'll be talking about her new book, "When I Accepted Me." On that day, I will also be giving away a copy of her book to those who submit an entry (simply post a comment).

Sonja's inspiring and empowering influence as been experienced throughout North America, South and Central America, Europe, Africa, Asia, and Australia.

With her work in High Schools across the country, and with youth and young adult women around the world through her performing arts company, Sonja noticed a trend that most of the young women are more focused on finding a man instead of fulfilling their mission in life. Therefore, to assist them in their quest, Sonja will soon release a new book on "How to Know He is NOT the One."

Sonja has received numerous honors including being named as an Outstanding Women of America and Personalities of the South. Her mission in life is to "EmPower people to impact their world, fulfill their destiny, and make a divine difference.

CHRISTmas Conflict

2009-12-25T14:56:00.006-06:00

Conflict during the Christmas holidays (yesterday), I hate when that happens!! During this time, everyone is supposed to be happy, loving, smiling, cuddling, giggling, singing and giving right?

Christmas scenes in our minds, are often picture perfect. We expect our homes and cars to continually resemble the cheer and glee matching the cards and commercials of the season.

The reality is, however, that although most of us are generally happier during this time of year, we are not exempt from conflicts and arguments, even sadness and depression. Jeoff and I had our conflict yesterday. (wah! wah! wah!).

But you know what gave me hope and assurance of a good ending?

Remembering the ultimate conflict.

Mankind - FULL of sin, clashed with God almighty - FULL of holiness, grace and truth.

The result was...... redeemed man, loved, forgiven, and FULL of peace!!

Without Christ there's no way we could have this peace. Even in stressful times, when it's very difficult to see a positive end, we must know beyond the shadow of a doubt, that Christ our savior is standing in the gap for us. Reconciling us back to God and restoring peace in our relationships.

Merry CHRISTmas!!!!

Classical Conversations

2009-12-21T11:04:00.004-06:00

This is our first year with the program and I absolutely love it.

My husband and I made the decision in 2007 to begin home schooling. In August of that year, I resigned from my career in Information Technology, and came home to begin this wonderful journey with my children.

In our research of home school curriculum and methods, we came across the Trivium Pursuit website and were extremely inspired. After reading that website, listening to their audio seminars, and much prayer, we committed to the classical model of education.

For two years, I tried applying this model, but I found it difficult to stay on track and complete all the memory work I planned.

Memory work and "training the brain to retain" is at the heart of the classical method of education, so if I wasn't able to fully take advantage of that aspect, I didn't feel like I was truly educating them classically.

When I heard of Classical Conversations, I liked it but wasn't sold right away. We also did not have a CC community near us. In early 2008, the the nearest campus was almost an hour away from our home!

When my husband and I attended an Information Meeting for a CC community near us, the following year, HE was sold. He told me it is exactly what I needed to give me support and accountability to help us succeed.

The 2009-2010 school year has been our first year with the program, and I can't express my appreciation and satisfaction enough!!

Classical Myth Busters

2009-12-20T11:05:00.002-06:00

The following article was posted by Leigh Bortins, founder of Classical Conversations.

______________________________

There are many misconceptions about education that you were probably brought up believing. If you buy into the myths, you may keep your child from reaching their potential. The classical method of memorize, sort, and apply (grammar, logic, rhetoric) busts these myths.

Myth #1: Schoolwork should be fun, experiential, amusing, and applicable.
Truth: Schoolwork is hard, requires discipline, and becomes fun once the basics are mastered.

Myth #2: You can use a calculator or the Internet to look things up.
Truth: You need a place to begin to look things up, and you can't trust that your calculator is correct if you don't have a reference number in your brain.

Myth #3: Students don't need to know English grammar.
Truth: English will soon be one of many languages spoken in America. God may call your student to work for Him among those who don't speak English. Knowing your mother tongue well gives you a firm foundation on which to learn other languages.

Myth #4: My child will enjoy learning if they are taught using their learning style.
Truth: Children should be taught how to use their learning style to study difficult ideas.

Myth #5: My child can't do that.
Truth: To be human means to rise above our nature. Our giftedness can be used to strengthen our weaknesses instead of neglecting them.

Myth #6: My student is going to be a ________(fill in the blank), so they don't need to study this.
Truth: The average person will have multiple careers and will raise children with different interests. Education is for life: for the generations and for God's kingdom.

Myth #7: My child has already studied that.
Truth: Any subject can be studied over many years if mastering skills is your goal. The more years the same material is studied, the better chance students have at passing AP tests and saving you $1000s in college tuition.

Myth #8: My child won't listen to me, so he needs a different teacher.
Truth: My child won't listen to me, so we both have some serious character development to work on.

Myth #9: Each subject should be taught separately by someone who studies only that subject.
Truth: Every subject relates to all other subjects, and a student will learn best when guided by a mentor who sees the relationships between subjects and how they all point to Christ.

Butterflied Cornish Hens with Sage Butter

2009-12-18T15:42:00.003-06:00

Compliments of Sunny Anderson, from The Food Network

Ingredients

4 (1 3/4-pound) Cornish game hens, butterflied
1 stick butter, softened
5 to 7 sage leaves, finely chopped
1 lemon, zested
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Olive oil, for sauteing
4 strips bacon, chopped

Directions

Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.

Place hens on a sheet tray fitted with a cooling rack in the refrigerator to dry skin out for 1 hour. Meanwhile, in a small pan over medium heat, melt butter with sage, zest, salt and pepper. Remove hens from refrigerator. Preheat 2 large saute pans over medium heat, lightly coat with oil. Season hens with salt and pepper and sear, skin side down, in the pans. Sear until skin caramelizes and turns golden brown and crispy, about 7 to 10 minutes. Flip birds over, and baste with sage butter. Sprinkle tops with chopped bacon and place in preheated oven to finish cooking, 25 to 30 minutes, basting occasionally. Let rest 10 minutes before serving.

Carole Marsh Chapter Books - Fantasy Field Trip Series

2009-12-18T12:42:00.010-06:00

Join Ms. Bogus and her diverse class of students on fantastic field trips to extraordinary places! Together they discover facts, visit incredible places, and learn about the world.

As the students learn about the places they visit, they begin to discover who they are on the inside and build confidence in themselves.

They learn to embrace the things that make them different, not judge people based on physical characteristics, and tackle difficulties head-on.

Adventure to the Eight Wonders of the World

Adventure to the Planet Mars

Adventure to the Pioneer Prairie

Carole Marsh Chapter Books - Science

2009-12-18T11:23:00.007-06:00

The Masters of Disasters Series

Learn about disasters through these exciting chapter books for children! I can't wait to order them.

Join a brother and sister team as they accompany their scientist dad on hair raising adventures. Children ages 7-14 will be thrilled as the characters try to save the day while learning about science along the way.

What child can resist learning about the power of mother-nature and the tools to stay safe as these interested kids confront nature head-on!

The Ferocious Forest Fire Mystery

Voracious Volcano Mystery

Behemoth Blizzard Mystery

Horrendous Hurricane Mystery

Treacherous Tornado Mystery

Earthshaking Earthquake Mystery

Using Tapestry of Grace with Classical Conversations

2009-12-12T21:20:00.006-06:00

I always like peeking at the book lists and other resources with great curriculum companies like My Father's World, Sonlight, and Tapestry of Grace (TOG).

Here is a link (which leads to a few other links) on the TOG website which I will find helpful as additional materials for our study of history.

Tapestry of Grace, Year 2, History Links

More books on my wish list!

2009-12-10T17:35:00.004-06:00

Unlocking the Mysteries of Creation

The Kingfisher History Encyclopedia

Daily Life and Times of Jesus

Eyewitness Medieval Life

Eyewitness Abraham

Eyewitness Light

Eyewitness Energy

A Family Guide to Biblical Holidays

God's Lamp, Man's Light

Listening to the Language of the Bible

Large Ziploc Storage Bags

2009-12-07T18:50:00.007-06:00

Ramblings for today......

Just posting some things I'm thankful for today....

1. I'm glad to have implemented my new laundry system for the last 7 days!! (that means 1) there are NO dirty clothes in my bathroom or the kids' rooms or bathrooms, 2) there are only two bins of dirty laundry in the laundry room, which is only towels and a load of "reds", and 3) the two baskets which need to be put away, will be put away TONIGHT, with kid-help!) .

2. I'm pleased that my K and 2nd grader are doing a much better job of staying on task with their school work, since they work in separate rooms now!!

3. I'm thankful that I am using a more structured approach to school. My kids need the structure!! When they're not structured for long periods of time, it shows when we're out in public and when they're in class!

Oh why this title? On 9/15/09 I wrote: I haven't taken much time to blog lately and among many other reasons, one is that I am not sure what to write about. Lots of ideas come to me throughout the day but I rarely sit down to develop further them.

So I decided to add an entry from time to time titled based on the thing that I just noticed we're out of and need very soon....

.... laundry detergent
.... lunch meat

Classical Conversations Memory Work

2009-12-05T15:06:00.002-06:00

Memorization Topics Covered in Three Cycles Over Three Years

 Classical Conversations structures its learning cycles into three years.

Each cycle is 24 weeks – 12 weeks in the fall emester, and 12 weeks in the winter-spring semester.

Cycle 1: Ancient Through Modern World History, Biology, Earth Science, Art (Masters & Drawing), English (Verbs & Prepositions), Latin (Noun Endings/Declensions), Bible Memory (Exodus 20)

Cycle 2: Pre-Reformation World History Through Today, Ecology, Astronomy, Physical Science, Art (Impressionists, Drawing), English (Pronouns, Adverbs, Conjunctions), Latin (Verb Endings/Conjugations), Bible Memory (Ephesians 6)

Cycle 3: U.S. History (Columbus to Current Events), Anatomy, Chemistry, Art (American Masters, Drawing), English (Participles, Irregular Verb Tenses, and Clauses), Latin (Translating John 1), Bible Memory (John 1:1-7)

All Cycles: Creation to Modern America Timeline, Music (Composers, Music Theory), Math (Multiplication Tables, Conversions, Geometric Formulas)

What church do you go to now?

2009-12-02T14:36:00.007-06:00

This is the short version of how we came to church family where we are now.

We attended school of ministry and as we studied and discussed some of the content in the Church History and Apologetics classes, my husband started wanting to study more about origins of church and what church practices were after Christ died (....rose, ...and ascended) and as the apostles spread established churches and shared the gospel with new believers. He wanted to experience and serve in a church body where we could be as close as possible to the original practice of the church.

He studied a lot about it and read a book or two where others had gone on a similar quest. We were pleased to find many other families who are doing the same, all over the country and in many other countries (where missionaries go, from America) this is how they dwell together in the body and serve person-to-person, family-to-family, ministering to each other as they see needs.

So that's the basis of what we do. We meet with other believers, almost always in the home, but other times at the park, or at a chapel (one Resurrection Sunday). There is usually a facilitator and everyone participates throughout, sharing a Bible passage, testimony, song, prayer, etc. The children also share stories, either read or acted out. This is usually twice a month "formally" and we leave the other weeks / weekends open for the families to gather in each other's homes, attend a party, visit someone who's sick, meet someone's practical need, etc. A lot of it is still developing as we learn together with the other families, but we're excited that this is the direction in which we're headed. The number one goal is to grow together in Christ, and minister according to his example, ultimately bringing Glory to him.

I'm so glad my friend asked. I love the topic and I love how the Lord works through the Body of Christ, in many forms. Here are the other blog posts I wrote about it over the past year. We're still on the journey.

1. Church

2. Going to Church

3. Every Member Functioning

4. Today I'm Reading (A book entitled, "So You Don't Want to Go to Church Anymore?")

Home School Talk - Interview with Cesar Ruiz

2009-11-30T14:28:00.000-06:00

Teaching our children, winning their hearts........ listen to Part I of my interview with Cesar Ruiz of WinTheirHeart.com

Listen to internet radio with mbtr on Blog Talk Radio

New books ordered this week!

2009-11-25T11:34:00.006-06:00

I like ordering books throughout the school year instead of ordering them all at once before school starts. This gives the kids (and me) an opportunity to get excited about opening something new, right in the middle of the school year.

These are books from the My Father's World Lists: Creation to Greeks and Rome to Reformation. I don't order their entire packet, but I do appreciate it so I refer to it and look for the used books on Amazon or elsewhere!

Here are the book we ordered:

1. Streams of Civilization: Earliest Times to the Discovery of the New World

A hardcover world history text which provides a comprehensive overview of ancient history from Creation through the 1620s from a Christian perspective. Extensive vocabulary questions and suggested projects are listed throughout the text. This text contains numerous illustrations, sidebars, and maps.

2. How the Bible Came to Us: The Story of the Book that Changed the World

Read the stories of the people who made it possible for us to have the Bible in our own language. Learn how to crack a code. Make your own secret scroll. Find out for yourself the exciting adventure story of the book that changed the world - and still changes people's lives today.

3. What the Bible is All About for Young Explorers: Based on the Best-Selling Classic by Henrietta Mears

This children's resource is especially designed to give young explorers an overview of the Bible. Based on the best-selling classic by Henrietta Mears, it's a colorful handbook with information about each book of the Bible--background, main characters, a map, archaeology, and more! Important sections detail how each book reveals God's plan to send a Savior and how we fit into that plan. Written in a fresh, contemporary style and featuring new articles, maps, charts and illustrations, this book will help reinforce the Bible study skills that kids need to grow in Christ.

4. The Trojan Horse: How the Greeks Won the War (Step-Into-Reading, Step 5)

Trouble is brewing between Greece and Troy. The Trojans control a waterway important to the Greeks, and demand a toll every time the Greeks use it. When a Trojan king kidnaps the Greek queen Helen to be his son Paris's wife, this means war! After ten years of fighting, the Greeks play the greatest trick in military history - using the Trojan Horse. This fascinating tale, full of heroes, is based on truth and forever immortalized in Homer's Iliad.

Good Hair (and Update on My Natural Hair Journey)

2009-11-15T20:19:00.008-06:00

I'm adding these piks today, in response to Priscilla's Post about Good Hair. She has been wearing her hear natural for 10 years!!! I stopped getting (chemical) relaxers about 3 and a half years ago but until about 6 months ago, I always wore it pressed. I didn't try experimenting with curls until my stylist moved away. I wish I had some before pictures but since I don't my natural hair journey documentation starts this year.

Here are three piks: curls vs. straight.

This is called a "Wash n Go"

This is a "flat-twist-out"

Straightened with the Chi flat iron

Mom Heart Conference coming to DFW 2010

2009-11-05T12:28:00.003-06:00

I went to this earlier this year and it was really refreshing. Mrs. Clarkson was very sweet, and an inspiration to me in this season.

Andrea (my friend) and I had such a good time that we said we needed to tell lots of other moms next year. We even thought about staying an additional night and make it more of a conference / relaxing retreat.

The conference dates are February 26-27 at the Las Colinas Marriott.

Here's where you can find more information
http://wholeheart.typepad.com/itakejoy/mom-heart-conferences-2010.html

My Husband Rocks

2009-10-20T15:48:00.002-05:00

I do these "My Husband Rocks" posts because I saw the idea on Katy Lin's site and I thought it was a good idea to do, as it helps me to focus in on the good of my hubby especially when things are tough! Hopefully I'll be able to go back to these and read them during any tough times that come. And they do come.......

This is something I pasted from my Facebook account :-). My hubs was helping out tonight, managing kids, having them do some cleaning, he decided to also cook a meal for tomorrow night. he was moving and grooving.

Things started to fall a part a bit and he said (under pressure). "Hey, I'm only one person!! This is too much." It was one of those, step into my shoes type moments. LOL. I love him so much for what he did tonight though!!!!!!

Super heart! Super man!

The Latest Children's Book Series

2009-09-24T10:09:00.005-05:00

The current book series Kitty is reading is Around the World in 80 Mysteries from the Carole Marsh Mysteries Collection.

Through these books, children can travel along with the kids in the series, to places all over the world - England, France, Rome, Egypt, China, Australia, Japan, Romania, Greece, South America, Germany, Africa, and Antarctica!

Each book has at least five SAT words, which are highlighted within the chapter and further defined in the glossary. There's lots of neat activities and challenges on the publisher's website, which adds even more fun for readers!

#1 The Mystery of Big Ben - Completed Summer 2009

#2 The Mystery at the Eiffel Tower - Completed Summer 2009

#3 The Mystery at the Roman Colosseum - Completed Summer 2009

#4 The Mystery at the Ancient Pyramid - Completed Summer 2009

#5 The Mystery on the Great Wall of China - placed an order at our local Barnes and Noble (they only have one of the CMMs in the store) - Completed Fall 2009

#6 Great Barrier Reef - Completed Fall 2009

#7 Mount Fuji - Completed Fall 2009

#8 Amazon Forest - Completed Fall 2009

#9 Dracula’s Castle - Completed Fall 2009

#10 Ancient Acropolis - ordered

#11 Crystal Castle - ordered

#12 Icy Antarctica - ordered

#13 The Rip Roaring Mystery on the African Safari - ordered

#14 The Breathtaking Mystery on Mt. Everest - ordered

Redesign Satisfied

2009-09-22T14:57:00.006-05:00

I was talking to my husband today about eating healthy, cooking healthy, snacking healthy etc. and one interesting thing we discussed is the tendency to drop healthy eating goals when we become stressed.

Something occurred to me during the discussion and I said, the solution is that we need to redefine satisfied.

Many of us are so used to expecting not only a full stomach after a meal, but also a feeling of mmmm that was so tasty! It's almost like a lust, and in many ways it is a lust. I'm sure you can relate. There are some meals that can just pop into our minds and all of a sudden we have to have it, no matter the cost. The danger is when we move into do this daily and even planning our weekly meals based on the need to satisfy the mmm-mmm-good feeling.

The concept is actually quite powerful and can be applied to many aspects of life.

With our meals, as we redefine satisfied, we will begin to plan based on the desire to eat good, healthy foods, to feed our body's need to grow, sustain strength, and maintain stamina. Our body's desire to live longer and enjoy life.

In our marriages, as we redefine satisfied, we will begin to give (and PLAN) to give based on our spouse's need. We will begin to appreciate a loving healthy relationship based on commitment, through Christ, unconditional love and fulfilling God's desire for us to be together longer, enjoying marriage for life!

Redefine what you call SATISFIED in your eating and in your relationships!
(more to come, just had to jot down the thoughts I had initially)

Yogurt, Granola, Paper Towels, Bleach

2009-09-17T13:53:00.007-05:00

I hate being sick, I hate feeling blah, bad, blue, ..... blah blah blah!!!!!

Well, that's what I've been dealing with the past couple of days, especially when I go to bed and when I wake up. Part of it is physical (headache, allergies) and part is emotional/spiritual, I know.

And I also know what I need to do for the emotional/spiritual part but it's so hard sometimes to push through all the junk and trust God. It's definitely a stronghold. I am determined to conquer it though. Oh did I say "I am"? Big mistake! Okay... I am determined to trust God to conquer it and inject me with his strength.

----

What else is going on today?

The two oldest are working on math, which will be followed by spelling, then independent reading. Three year old is working with her shapes poster and building things upon it, one year old is playing with everything he can find, pulling papers off the wall, which I had posted there for CC class this week, eating crackers, etc. I promised them they could watch Dinosaur Train at 1:30, if they finish all their work and have good behavior. After that, we'll review our CC memory work from Week 3.

I hope to at least feel up to stepping out of the house this afternoon and maybe attend a class at 24 Hour Fitness. That may be pushing it today. If not today, then tomorrow. I planned to take a hip-hop class last night but I didn't know that class fed from the previous class and when I walked in a couple of minutes before the posted class time, they were already about four 8-counts into the routine. I said "oh no, I can't keep jump in here." Maybe next time.

Why this title? On 9/15/09, I decided to add an entry from time to time titled based on the thing that I just noticed we're out of and need very soon....

.... laundry detergent
.... lunch meat

Laundry Detergent and Lunch Meat

2009-09-15T14:34:00.004-05:00

I haven't taken much time to blog lately and among many other reasons, one is that I am not sure what to write about. Lots of ideas come to me throughout the day but I rarely sit down to develop further them.

So I decided to add an entry from time to time titled based on the thing that I just noticed we're out of and need very soon....

.... laundry detergent
.... lunch meat

I'm home for a couple of hours while the kids are away and I'm preparing for tomorrow's class. Hit the store, bought several things, some of which I really need, about the same amount that I didn't (necessarily) have to have today. Neither was laundry detergent or lunch meat. LOL.

Took the puppy outside to potty and run around a bit, gave her a new chew bone, fought to get her leash off her neck without her running all over the house (she's getting really big), before getting her back into the kennel.

Now back to work. I only have about 30 minutes left, yikes!!

Homeschool Update: This week we're one week 3 of Classical Conversations and I absolutely love it. In addition to CC, we're doing AVKO Sequential Spelling, Saxon Math 5/4, Story of the World (History) and literature from the Robinson Curriculum.

Church Fellowship Update: This past week our discussion was life-changing (as most of God's word is). The topic was the Fruit of the Spirit. Jeoff facilitated, the children participate and we had several family members share testimonies and encouragement from the word and real life as well. Rich rich rich!

When you're in space.... (conversation with my 5 year old)

2009-08-24T21:54:00.004-05:00

"When you're in space and come back, do you land inside the earth? "

"No"

"Nooo, I don't mean inside the earth, I mean on top of the earth, do you just stay on it and don't go in?"

"Right"

"Okay, so we'll stay in space forever if you go out of space?"

"No."

"So we don't go on top of the earth and just stay on it, we go inside it right?"

Man this is a hard conversation. LOL. It was very cute though.

I told him tomorrow we'll talk more about this and look at some videos.

On Teaching Reading

2009-07-12T23:04:00.006-05:00

A friend asked me how it went .....

My answer:

Honestly, I started with letter recognition in the bath tub with foam letters, then the letter sounds using the Talking Letter Factory DVD from Leap Frog, kids pick up on those in about a week sometimes. Then we started with simple words on flash cards and books you get from Walmart, etc. then when she was 4 or 5 I ordered TATRAS (Teach America to Read and Spell).

I loved TATRAS. From there she just took off. We listened to some audio books that we got with kids meals from ChickFilA (or maybe it was Wendy's) and as she became interested in the story, I bought the real books for that story and since she knew the characters (it was The Magic Treehouse Series) she was eager to read the words from the story she had already listened to over and over and over.

One of the biggest keys is reading lots of stories to the children aloud (pointing to the words) from time to time. Reading will do an EXCELLENT job of building her vocabulary which is one of the number one indicators of intelligence anyway (not math, science, etc.) I could go on and on you know!

Patience to home school. Of course you would not have it LOL. I don't either, it's all through the strength of the Lord! I have to apologize to them for losing it. On the flip side they could be with someone else who loses it and does not apologize and ask for forgiveness. My mistakes i front of them, I believe, are lessons in godliness and humility, .... and dependence on the Lord to do anything that we do in life.

I stopped working 2 years ago (almost exactly 2 years ago). When we finally made the decision after going back and forth and waiting until we were financially ready, we just jumped in and did it. We still weren't ready (financially) but the Lord made up the slack and increased my husband's income! I don't think we would have ever been "ready" by our own standards.

Don't get me started.......

New Additions to our school year: Classical Conversations

2009-07-12T18:22:00.009-05:00

There are new exciting additions to our home school this year. The Robinson Curriculum (self-teaching program) and Classical Conversations (a leader in training parents to educate their children with tools to learn and master any subject)!

Classical Conversations is an exciting program which is not new but new to our family. I am incredibly eager about starting this year because this is going to be such a support and source of education for me, as well as the children.

I first learned of Classical Conversations (CC) over a year ago and the program was not offered in my area. At that time, I also had a newborn and it was just not the right time for us to participate. Since then, I have been continually researching the program, and it goes right along with our original schooling method which I've spoken of here on this blog before. A few months ago, as I pondered the coming school year, I resumed my research of CC and I became more and more convinced that it was time for us to take the plunge into it. At that time, the Lord also began speaking to me about becoming a Director with the program and inspiring other parents in their educational journey.

This Fall, the new Classical Conversations Community will be opening and I will have the opportunity to partner with other mothers in educating our children.

In the program, we will be leading and training the students, and parents, in science experiments, art projects, oral presentations, and hundreds of facts (math tables and formulas, English grammar, Latin, history time line events, history sentences, and science).

To learn more about Classical Conversations and our particular community here in Texas, visit the CC Waxahachie Blog.

Find more information about what other home schoolers are doing, check out Tami's Carnival of Homeschooling, here:

How Long Do We Continue "Going on" About a Person After They've Died?

2009-07-07T13:34:00.007-05:00

Some people are thinking, "enough with this MJ stuff, let it rest"... Do we need to say that when you die? And a week has passed? Shall we say, okay enough talk about him/her, they're gone. Let's move on with our lives? Quit talking about him? Stop showing me her pictures? ...(I'm just saying)

(I copied this from FB so the home page of my friends is not inundated with my (our) musings and also because I'm going back to FB status hiatus soon.)

Comments from FB:

Comment 1: If there was a love button I would have cicked it instead of "like"... wonderfully said!

Comment 2: Les...I think you are grieving (smile)...WELL. SAID!!!

Comment 3: I think people are often rushed to get over their grieving. As we support people in grief, we should allow them as much times as it takes for them to grieve.

Comment 4: People are cruel! I have a friend talking that mess on FB two days after-- He said am I insensitive- bout seven ppl responded saying no. I told him yes he was- let the man be grieved and remembered!!! I am NOT convinced he was a pedophile! The media lies!!! I am a living testimonybto that- I have experienced it first hand. They are into what sales, and unfortunately people don't want to buy the truth!

From me: lol, you know I hadn't been postin' in a while so words have been trapped inside me waiting to get out!

Comment 5: it is a fallen society that God has rejected that elevates a sinful, self centered person and holds them up for praise and adulation. Living or Dead. Why do we have ANYTHING good to say about a person (living or dead) who rejects the Lord who created him or her, who practices self centered, narcissistic greed, who encouraged a whole generation of people to fill their minds with useless, unGodly, irrelevant, Twaddle (at best)? Morning my friend or loved one and wanting to talk about them is different than standing by and listing to people praise someone that most of us didn't know personally who demonstrated hate for my very best friend. Sorry Leslie. This is my only post to this thread!

Comment 6: I guess it would be different if you actually knew me. Most people have no clue who Michael is.

From me: i'm going to with hold further comment for now :)

Comment 7: I am just saying, if you go laid off, your spouse died, your kids were sick, you couldn't pay your bills, you were sick, you just got promoted, found out you were pregnant, or something else that is to be mourned or celebrated Michael would care less. Not to mentioned if you died he wouldn't be doing a memorial for you. So there is a huge difference when there is a relationship. Whats your thoughts?

--------------

I'm responding to comments here that were somewhat different than my understanding. I'm saying these things because I like to be rhetorical. I like to share, and don't mind being challenged.

My response to Comment 5:

1. Sinful?

Who is sinful? What makes one no longer sinful? It is the cleansing blood of Jesus Christ, not anything human other than accepting him and allowing him to change us as we continually surrender.

2. Anything good to say? I'd rather say something good, than bad. What about choosing to think on and share about things that are praise worthy, of good report, noble, and good?

3. Someoe who "rejects the Lord who created him?" Who did that? Do we know that MJ or any other person did that?

4. Self-centered? My initial post was not just about MJ but speaking of MJ, if I could share some observations, I saw many self-less acts that he did. From calling and visiting people who were sick and grieving (those whom he knew and many he did not know at all, and many who have thanked him for taking the time out to do for them and give money to them, so much so that he ended up giving more than he spent on himself.

I must reiterate that my comments here are not justifying anything the man did wrong but saying it's okay to be thankful and acknowledge acts that one has done in their life.

5. "Praise someone that most of us didn't know personally" Bringing it down to scale, with our much smaller sphere of influence, we don't only touch the lives of people we meet personally. If you touched someone's life and they never met you personally, should they not share what your words or deeds meant to them, how you may have inspired you because they heard you on a radio program or read a article you wrote? We should think about things we say about societal issues and bring them home to our own lives and see if we apply the same rules.

6. "Demonstrated hate for my very best friend" Do we know this? If it's true was it not possible for him to have repented. If he did repent does Jesus love him less than he loves you because you had your act together during your life here on earth?

----------

Response to Comment 7 (way above):

"If (something happened to me) that is to be mourned or celebrated Michael would care less."

May be true regarding me, but that doesn't mean I don't appreciate what he did for others whom he didn't know. What have you done for someone you didn't know? Would it be wrong for that to be mentioned after you die? If I read a story of some misfortune you have experienced and I chose to reach out and do something nice, would you not be thankful? I think your parents, children, etc. would love to know nice things you've done for others, since it is the Lord who demonstrated to us that we are to be good Samaritans, give to others, find opportunities to give to those who are hurting or have other needs.

"If you died he wouldn't be doing a memorial for you" Does that matter? I don't do unto others as they have done or would do unto me. When you're gone, I'd like to remember you for good the Lord has done through you. He can use anyone or anything to give to someone in need.

"There is a huge difference when there is relationship"

There definitely is a huge difference, but it doesn't mean that comments and remembrance should be non-existent just because someone didn't know you personally. I'm sure you have readers who have read what you've written and may share how it has blessed them, after you're long gone. I know it's not your purpose for doing it, but if people want to share what your life meant, there should be nothing wrong with that.

Regarding the extravagance and the way the media has mishandled things, the way fans have taken things out of hand, sure... they'll always do that, they're people.

Reminder: my initial subject was -
How Long Do We Continue "Going on" About a Person After They've Died?

Remember the sins or the life?

2009-07-07T13:29:00.016-05:00

I don't know all of Michael Jackson's sins, I don't know all of yours, you don't know all of mine.

People say how can we forget all the "bad Michael did?" and just look at his great career?

I ask them (you), do you want us to remember and focus on all the bad YOU did, after you're gone from this world?

I think I would love for you to celebrate my life, and allow the Lord to deal with my sins. He does that best.

(I copied this from FB so the home page of my friends is not inundated with my (our) musings and also because I'm going back to FB status hiatus soon)

Below are the Comments I received from FB:

Comment 1 "Deep. So true."

Comment 2 "Say it again!"

Comment 3 "yes, but calling Michael Jackson an "icon," and luading him as a great man (as the media does) is not just either. If we judge a man by his fruits (as we are to do), then we must mourn his passing for, unless he repented before he died, he most surely is suffering right now."

Comment 4 "You took the words right outta my mouth! ;)"

From me, re: Comment 3 "I wasn't going there at all, my statement was simple and clear. Please re-read it. It was my only point. I can "go there" and respond to what you're saying but that was clearly not the intent of this status. I hope that's not the discussion going on for you or any others of us when we leave this earth. We are not the judge. Our purpose as lovers of God, and followers of Christ is to share His love and help others come into the saving and cleansing relationship that he promises. Anything other than that, is surely not the ideal method for sharing the gospel with a lost or suffering soul."

Comment 5 "Hi Leslie, maybe this is part of an earlier discussion and I am jumping in the middle! It seems you are saying we shouldn't say anything negative about MJ because it's not Christian to do so. My contention is that it is not wrong to point to the sin in his life and remark that people who follow in MJ's footsteps must invariably suffer the consequences of sin just as he did and is perhaps now doing. The gospel is not "good news" unless people first understand the "bad news" that we are ALL sinners and the only thing that is different between me and MJ is that the Lord was gracious enough to show me my sin (in part) and convict me of my utter lostness. The bible is full of negative examples that we are called to learn from. Just like life is full of negative examples that we can draw on to exhort ourselves and others. I'm not saying that MJ was a wicked, evil person. But I can say that, according to scripture, he lived the life of a fool. I'm saddened by his passing."

Comment 6 "My point was about what we do at one's passing, regardless of who they are. If I believe, according to scripture, that from what I know of person A, person A has lived the life of a fool, should I not celebrate the good of person A's life at her passing? I've heard people say that people should not remember the man's fun nature, contributions, talent, positive personal relationships,etc. because of the weirdness and sin that also existed. I'm just saying that if I look at that in black and white and compare it to another's life after they're gone, .....are we wrong in posting memorial tributes to the great memories of their life, and let the Lord deal with their sin? Got sin? Yes I do! What fruit am I producing if I focus on the sin, other than to help the next person know the loving savior who can wash them from theirs? What glory does the Lord receive in all the other finger pointing? That's all I'm saying. Thank God for the life and the relationship and the gifts God gives."

Comment 7 "I agree to a point...but I don't like the way the world has made Michael Jackson an "Idol"....saying how he has made such an impact and left such a legacy. Yes, he has left a legacy of good music, and some other bad stuff....but not a lasting legacy for God's Kingdom. It is sad on this day. That all the worldly wealth, prestige, power, talent, is all ashes in the end without the hope of Jesus. Sad for his kids."

Comment 8 "My comment was in response to ur original post. Wow...this opened a big ole can of worms! I totally agree...not our job to judge!"

From me "Agreed. I do wish there were more glory given to the Lord, in his passing. We don't know, however, if he had the hope of Jesus. We can, however, bring God glory in how we respond to all of this."

2009-2010 Homeschool Planning

2009-07-07T02:44:00.005-05:00

Here's a quick summary of what our school year will look like, at least for starters.

2nd Grade (Kitty)

Classical Conversations (Once each week)

Math facts and formulas memorization
English grammar rules memorization
History timeline memorization
History stories (Old World) memorization
Geography map memorization
Science facts memorization
Latin nouns, verbs memorization
Art projects
Music projects, including composers and learning the tin whistle
Oral Presentations

Co-op (Drama, P.E., Story of the World, Storytime)

Robinson Curriculum: Starting with Heidi, Alice in Wonderland, Pinnochio, Bible

Saxon Math 5/4 (Self-Directed Math Studies)

Kindergarten (Pupster)

Classical Conversations (Once each week)

Math facts memorization
English grammar rules memorization
History timeline memorization
History stories (Old World) memorization
Geography maps memorization
Science facts memorization
Latin nouns, verbs memorization
Art projects
Music projects, including composers and learning the tin whistle
Oral Presentations

Co-op (P.E., Storytime)

Robinson Curriculum: Begin with McGuffy Books, continue reading Sing, Spell, Read and Write books

PreK3 (Lamby)

Co-op (Music Makers, P.E., Storytime)

Continue with phonics, T.A.T.R.A.S., Begin Bob Books

She will listen in on stories read aloud to the older kids and build vocabulary and proper grammar, naturally

Toddler

He will listen in on stories read aloud to the older kids and build vocabulary and proper grammar, naturally

K.I.S.S. - Keep it Simple Sweetheart

2009-07-01T20:09:00.006-05:00

For years I have had discussions with my husband regarding certain points of stress that come up such as, organizing laundry, finding shoes and clothes for the day, planning meals, the list goes on. I have times when I am on top of these things, and they're working like clockwork but other times they most certainly are not.

One thing he has told me during some of these times is "do less". I don't comprehend that well because I am a go-getter. I like to plan things, see them happen, and before it's done, see the next vision of what could be done and how the current thing can be done better next time.

Although I don't always listen quickly to my husband, especially when it's a sensitive topic and I so want to be right, I have been pondering these words of his.

I am seeing the value of doing less, during this summer break from school. Each week my calendar is full of potential play dates, free movies, library crafts and clowns, and each week lately I have been crossing half of it out.

As a surprise to myself, it has felt really good! The end of my day is much more peaceful and I am much more intimately acquainted with my kitchen! The closer I am in relationship with that place, the more I want to keep it clean. Consequently, that sink I thought could never shine each night has actually been shining because I am in there much longer after a meal. In the months immediately prior, we would eat a meal and be out the door speedier than Mr. Gonzalez. Upon returning home, everyone would be yelling for food so I didn't have time to clean from the last meal before everyone was piled in the kitchen and pantry begging for food and I frantically prepared it.

I've even saved lots of money, as I've kept it simple, because we haven't taken a trip in the car in 2 days!

Now that I'm seeing the beauty of this, I pray I can keep it up, or at least some very close resemblance of it. The school year is fast approaching, so as I make my schedule I pray I will stick with this success story and make it work to our advantage! Reminds me of this other good day.

2nd Grader's Summer Reading List

2009-06-18T10:44:00.005-05:00

We moved the TV out of the family room in preparation for starting The Robinson Curriculum this coming school year. So we're trying to fill as much time as possible with reading good books.

I'm so glad our 2nd grader is at the independent reading stage and she loves getting lost in these stories.

The Wizard of Oz - completed
The Merry Adventures of Robin Hood - completed
A Journey to the Center of the Earth - completed
The Secret Garden - completed
Adventures in Wonderland (unabridged)
True Friends by Stephanie Perry Moore
The Adventures of Pinocchio (unabridged) - completed
Cooper Kids Adventure Series by Frank Peretti
Sweet Honesty by Stephanie Perry Moore
Heidi (unabridged)
Golden Spirit by Stephanie Perry Moore
The Swiss Family Robinson (unabridged)
Chronicles of Narnia (unabridged)
The Great Brain
Winnie-the-Pooh
Five Little Peppers and How They Grew

Can Anyone Home School?

2009-06-02T18:29:00.004-05:00

I've been reading some of the information on the Robinson Curriculum Website and listening to the audio seminar. One of the interesting questions addressed in the seminar is Can anyone home school? I'd be interested to hear what others think of this. The link I referenced is only an audio snippet of the entire video workshop. Another part I especially like is the Vocabulary and the Value of Auditory Learning.

The information on the Robinson Curriculum Website is very intriguing and reading it, reminds me of the time I spent combing through the Teaching the Trivium website 2 years ago. The audio seminars on that site were what helped Jeoff and I make the final decision that we were going to make the big move and become a home schooling family.

These sites are both very challenging but make such valid points that it's almost impossible not to adopt some portion of what is shared. They're sites that actually will either make you lean very far in their favor, or make you come up with several cons against them!!!

Productive Day!

2009-05-15T13:39:00.003-05:00

I'm big on documenting things when they're going well so I can remember, when they get out of whack.

One example is today. I have felt really good since I woke up this morning. What are some of the things that have helped?

1. I went to bed on a positive note (the mindset I'm in when I go to bed, many times, directly affects the mood I'm in the next morning)

2. I got up when I heard the alarm (when I don't do that, and instead press snooze over and over, I begin to resent getting up and when I finally do it, I'm mad at the world and everyone in it!)

3. I was showered and dressed before the kids woke up (nuff said)

4. I made a helathy breakfast for the kids (instead of MAKING them fix cereal) and had a good attitude about it

5. I started with a written plan and reviewed it with the kids before we got going, then reminded them about it when they began to complain

6. Many times throughout the morning, I listened to myself talk before I opened my mouth (internally I asked myself - will this statement be a blessing to my children, will it motivate them, will it make them smile? or will it discourage them and make them sad and frustrated?)

Every time I chose to say or do the positive, and that which would bring the Lord honor, I saw joy on their faces and I saw that they felt acceptance from me.

7. I did chores with them instead of hurling lists of commands at them. I showed them a system and I was excited about it. After we began working on it, one of them exclaimed the desire to do (this) ALL DAY! Talk about excitement. How's that for motivation.

8. I said yes to as many requests as I could. I knew I wouldn't be able to do that every time (saying no is many times a blessing that they don't immediately understand) but some things just take a little more of my energy and yielding and we can get it done and give them the sense of fulfillment they're looking for. One example today was the request to make corn fillets out of the fish fillets we had. I would normally say no but how difficult was it for me to just take out some corn and cook it and add it to the plate? It paid off.

9. I participated in activities with the kids. One in particular - building and playing in indoor trees and pretending to be a squirrel family.

Things went so much better today than they could have! Praise the Lord.

Kumon Flash Cards

2009-05-05T19:01:00.006-05:00

Kumon Flash Cards have worked out great for my three year old during our home school day.

Just picked up some of these for my 3 year old. I look forward to working with her on them!

Memory Quilts

2009-05-05T18:33:00.004-05:00

My talented friend does these memory quilts and I thought I'd share some of her work. Nice job!

Couch to 5K Program

2009-05-04T22:31:00.001-05:00

I started this program a couple of months ago and fell off the wagon. I'm back on track now and hope to get it done soon.

Today I did (a modified version of) the Week 3 workout. I didn't have the podcast on my phone, like I thought so I had to do something!!

The website is http://www.c25k.com/

Easter Weekend on The Streets

2009-04-08T12:57:00.004-05:00

Don't get me wrong, I know about all the controversy around using that word. But I used it because it's the most familiar, especially to people outside of "church" circles.

This year we're looking to do something quite different. Taking it to the streets. Where all the people are who are NOT "at church" that morning and reaching them with the Love of Christ.

The event will be at a park in Forth Worth and is sponsored by City on a Hill Connection (a network of churches). If it rains we'll just have to bring rain coats and galoshes!

Read more about City on a Hill Connection.

Here's a list of churches.

And here's one testimony of the event in 2007 - Easter Like No Other

One year ago

2009-04-07T13:14:00.002-05:00

It just hit me that you were actually about to be a full year old, when people would ask your age and I heard myself say "eleven months." I'd think to myself, "Really, my baby boy is about to be one year old, man!"

The day you were born! I was surprised that the Lord was taking a different route than I had expected, with your entrance into the world. But it was a blessing, nonetheless.

The weeks and months seem to have flown by since then. I'm thankful, though, that I've been able to go from being very much out of sorts with holding everything together around me, to being just a little out of sorts from time to time - LOL.

You're my baby who was probably the most thought out because as we pondered the though of having another baby or not, I thought a whole lot about how I came into the picture as baby number four as well.

I'm so happy we gave you that opportunity because it's so fun to see you toddle around here having so much fun watching your older siblings. It's also fun to see them fuss over you and are so excited to see you do interesting, new, and funny things!

I look forward to many many more moments with you as the baby of the family, and since I know what my own "struggles" can be with being last in line (and Daddy too), we can hopefully watch out for them, for you and help you win --- Win Win!! (Get it?)

Happy Birthday, Dubb!!!

My Husband Rocks Friday

2009-03-09T09:30:00.006-05:00

My Husband Rocks
Disclaimer: I do these "My Husband Rocks" posts because I saw the idea on Katy Lin's site and I thought it was a good idea to do, as it helps me to focus in on the good of my hubby especially when things are tough. Hopefully I'll be able to go back to these and read them during any tough times that come. And they do come.......

So why, today, does my husband rock? Yesterday afternoon I was about to become frantic with last minute preparations for the homeschool co-op class I'm teaching. I figured that I would get (maybe) 2 hours starting at about 6 or 7pm, to go out and get the things I needed from the store and come home and print things from the computer. I knew 2 hours was going to be pushing it but with his school work that has to be done, along with the evening demands (getting kids fed, ready for bed, etc.) it was just not probable.

So at about 5pm, Jeoff walks in and says (in so many words), I'll take it from here. I was able to go back in our room, work quietly on the lesson preparations, run out to the stores I needed to hit and still get in bed at a decent hour. Thanks to my husband's thinking ahead and teling me to GO before I even asked.

Thanks, so much love!

Echo in Celebration - A Call to Home-Centered Education

2009-03-01T07:32:00.000-06:00

My latest favorite book is Echo in Celebration by Leigh Bortins

I Will

2009-02-24T12:44:00.001-06:00

Lately, every time I get a break for quiet and need to have a soundtrack with the moment, this is the song I play.

"I Will" by the British Songwriter, Chris Eaton.

I usually try to post a Youtube video of songs I really like but couldn't find one. The lyrics are also not online. So for now I'm linking to Eaton's website and asking that you take a listen to the track. If you are so led, go buy the entire track on iTunes. I did.

Here's the link to Eaton's website where you can hear a snippet of the song.

1st verse and chorus:

Nothing could be easier than telling you I love you

Nothing could be easier than sayig I adore you

Take me to a deeper place, bring me to a deeper faith

Show to me thy hands of grace

And I will, I will

I will love you always

I will serve you all my days

Follow you in every way

I will, I will

Worship you in holiness

Honor you with every breath

Let my heart always confess

I will

You gotta hear it though, to appreciate it as a whole....

Ministry in the Dominican Republic

2009-02-19T07:13:00.001-06:00

Some friends of ours share their testimony, as they gear up to move their family to the Dominican Republic. I would love for you to take a look at this video and let me know if you would like to offer any support.

Homeschool Month 6: Looking for School Room Setup Ideas

2009-02-16T16:05:00.002-06:00

I recently rearranged the room where we do most of our indoor learning and discovery. So there are very little posters, maps, etc. I'll be starting from scratch again so I'm looking for new ideas and would like to see some pictures of what you have in your learning room, school room, or whatever you call it. I realize that many of us don't do school in one room only but whatever ideas you can share, please do.

You can include a link to your blog with a description/photo(s) or just describe it in the comments.

Thanks in advance!

Today I'm Reading....

2009-02-15T18:52:00.003-06:00

....the Everywhere Church Blog

Check it out

http://everywherechurchblog.wordpress.com/

A group of people who are serving the Lord by reaching and discipling others, worshipping the Lord, sharing the Word of God, encouraging one another, giving their time and talents to others, all in the name of the church. What's WRONG with that? Really?

Watching You: Sons are doing exactly what they see Daddy do

2009-02-11T07:33:00.004-06:00

My husband sent me this video from the Fathers.com website. Great great great. It immediately led us into a conversation about how the things Daddy says and does, are a direct impact on his son. Actually, both our actions (good and bad) are being watched and can be mimicked by any of our kids. Wow....

Great job on this song, Rodney!!

Going to Church?

2009-02-07T08:29:00.004-06:00

Someone sent me a link to this free book So You Don't Want to Go to Church Anymore?

Quite thought provoking, and as at least one Pastor put it -- "still Christ exalting"

I hope to :-) come back soon and share some of the thoughts I have about it. I'd love to hear your thoughts as well.

My Identity is Found in Christ Alone

2009-02-01T18:25:00.000-06:00

It's a Historic Day

2009-01-20T13:57:00.024-06:00

"I never want to let anything temporal (skin color, personal struggle or discomfort, earthly injustice, socioeconomic status) outweigh my allegiance to stand for things that are eternal."

Read more below......

Or should I say it's AN Historic Day. :) The Inauguration of our 1st Black President. I'm just quickly capturing a few thoughts, since I can't articulate everything.

I wish my grandmothers had lived to see this day because I know their hearts would have been made glad. I know my parents and mother-in-law are smiling from ear to ear as they watch this young man and his wife as they move into this new era and prepare to inspire more people to pursue their highest aspirations. This occasion reminds us that God's will prevails. It prevails over anything any man has the power to do. It prevails over the notion that one man can ultimately bar another's success, or deny them something as simple as his self-confidence; his hope.

As I search for more words to say, for now I'll just say it's historic. And I will chronicle a little of how we spent the day.

I attended a Bible study at Oak Cliff Bible Fellowship, and watched the inaugural address on several of the big screens. Baby boy was with me and listened along. I was inspired by the address and proud of Rick Warren for praying in Jesus name (as he said - the one who saved him).

I admit there was a bit of humor in Joseph Lowery's benediction when he mentioned "when black will not be told to get back, when brown can stick around, when yellow can be mellow, when the red man can get ahead, man and when White will embrace what is right." It was one of those things you laugh at but later think about the content and ask yourself, 'should I be laughing at that?"

Came home and watched some of the parade and luncheon ..... going to the garage to do some decluttering... plan to watch some of the inaugural ball tonight with Jeoff and the kids and talk about what this day means.

Praying for Senator Kennedy.

----

My thoughts are coming to me a little more clearly now..... so I'll write a little more.

I pray that whether we are conservative, liberal, independent, constitution party or other, we can all work together. Now that the efforts, the sacrifices, the ridicule, and bloodshed of so many, has allowed this day to come, I hope we can somehow begin to merge these very different political roads. One which rightfully hails the importance of our nation's social issues and the other which, in my opinion, more blatantly stands by our Biblical mandate as Christians to fight for life, protection of the unborn, and marriage the way God intended it.

It's a new phenomenon to even think that everyday people of diverse political affiliations can work together in communities, openly sharing the heart of their views, yet making a difference for the good of our nation.

I am for that. I will take personal responsibility and rally behind our President in doing that. Because Lord knows, my view, on many subjects, is in no way main stream. As I share it and walk it out, and as I more closely fine tune these convictions myself, I will say that at the heart of them is this --- I never want to let anything temporal (skin color, personal struggle or discomfort, earthly injustice, socioeconomic status) outweigh my allegiance to stand for things that are eternal.

When it's all said and done this body will go back to dust, the same color dust as everyone else's. But my soul will live forever. And in that forever place my communion (and communication) with him will be that of spirit and not of flesh.

I pray God will give us what we need in this country, to work together in peace and honor.

Chronicling the day,

Leslie

Great video - And Great Motivation for Reading All Kinds of Books to our Children

2009-01-16T22:43:00.004-06:00

This is a great video on the importance of teaching content, such as history, science, geography, arts, social studies, instead of overemphasizing reading techniques and strategies.

Here's the blog post where I found the video.

When boo bear is under the weather...

2009-01-14T11:42:00.013-06:00

...this is where he spends the majority of his time. Nothing like having to carry a heavy baby around in your arms as you're getting things done throughout the day, not matter how cute he is LOL

He naps longer there, he's more content, my hands are free, I can easily hear if his chest is rattling, I can feel how big his coughs are and I can easily clean his nose without him wiggling away.

Thank God for my Ergo baby carrier. It's so much better and more comfy than all the other carriers I've tried.

Five years ago

2009-01-13T21:54:00.006-06:00

My big buddy is now 5 years old. Man!!! I remember the day he was born and how elated we were that we finally had another boy in the family. Before him, the only grandson in the family (on my side) was my nephew and after him, came 5 girls. So glad to have another boy in the mix now.

You started out as a very mellow fellow. Always with a calm, warm grin, but not loud or boisterous at all. But man, when you hit the 2 year mark, you took off like a firecracker.

I'll never forget you whipping across Granny's sectional, and across all the furniture in the Narthex of Covenant Church. LOL

Then there were your experiences in preschool. All the calls we received about this little boy who wouldn't listen, wouldn't take directions, wouldn't sit still, wouldn't stay at the table. The calls saying you need to come pick him up and if this happens again, you need to consider taking him somewhere else because he can't comply with the school rules.

You've grown oh so much since then.

After my first year of being home with you, and schooling you, and watching you and your action-packed behavior. But at the same time, watching your helpfulness and your tender heart running to bring a flower, or a teddy bear, or a cup of water to one of your sisters when they're hurt. And watching you sit and sing a whole MEDLEY of songs to your baby brother when he was crying and mommy was taking your baby sister to the potty or cooking dinner and couldn't pick baby up.

Buddy, God allowed me to see how much love and care he has placed in you and by seeing that I'm able to look through your actions and (prayerfully) lovingly correct and guide you into making better behavior choices. ---- Like don't get out of bed in the middle of the night and cut your hair with scissors, because you want your hair to look like Daddy's.

I know that when you're BUSY and wanting to flip and jump or whatever, it's not because you're a tyrant or a rebel. I can watch you and listen to you before and after you do it, and know what was on your mind, so I won't have to just yell at you and beat you into submission.

You are 5 years old now!! Oh my! Leading up to this birthday, you have accomplished so many things. You are a super reader! A piano player! A baseball batter! A touchdown maker! An iTunesU Greek Language course taker! And a God lover!

I look forward to watching many more milestones in your life and helping you through the bumps in the road, on our journey.

Happy Birthday, son!!

Love,

Mommy

Homeschool Month 5 - Incorporating iTunes University

2009-01-07T14:16:00.009-06:00

My husband told me about iTunes University at the end of last year and last night I sat down and went through some of the courses. iTunes U was started in May of 2007 and it's such a neat resource!

I selected one of the free video courses for my 1st Grader to "take" this semester. It's Elements of Music, taught at Missouri State University. We started with the first session today.

As for the rest of our schooling, much of the past 4 weeks was spent on Christmas break, but when we were not on break, we continued work on Bible, handwriting, reading, living math, science, character, nature and art.

As we go into this next semester we'll be continuing the same, with the addition of Kitty's new music class, possibly Suzuki piano and the classes we take at co-op.

My Husband Rocks Friday!

2009-01-02T10:48:00.005-06:00

Click here for the End of the Year Meme - 2008

My Husband Rocks

There are so many more things I want to write and say based on the last few weeks. The holiday vacation and time we spent was very special. I just haven't been able to sit down and write it all out.

Thanks babe, for taking time to do what you did for me today and for all you do to make me feel special.

End of the year meme (2008)

2009-01-02T09:33:00.002-06:00

1. What did you do in 2008 that you’d never done before? coming soon
2. Did you keep your new year’s resolutions, and will you make more for next year?

I didn't make any
3. Did anyone close to you give birth? Yes. In addition to me -- Chrystal, Ashiya, Rochelle, Ronnie, Roz, Keyna, Charity, Angelique......

4. Did anyone close to you die? my paternal grandfather (James Gort), my uncle (James Wilson)

5. What countries did you visit? none other than the U.S.

6. What would you like to have in 2009 that you lacked in 2008? a will

7. What dates from 2008 will remain etched upon your memory, and why? coming soon

8. What was your biggest achievement of the year? childbirth

9. What was your biggest failure? coming soon

10. Did you suffer illness or injury? nothing major, thank God!

11. What was the best thing you bought? coming soon

12. Whose behavior merited celebration? coming soon

13. Whose behavior made you appalled and depressed? coming soon
14. Where did most of your money go? housing, groceries, savings

15. What did you get really, really, really excited about? leaving a legacy!
16. What song will always remind you of 2008? Sid the Science Kid Theme

17. Compared to this time last year, are you: (a) happier or sadder? (b) thinner or fatter? (c) poorer or richer? a) happier, b) thinner (no baby in my tummy), c) not sure, I have a little more saved so I guess richer

18. What do you wish you’d done more of? spending time with friends
19. What do you wish you’d done less of? using the computer when my children had a question
20. How did you spend Christmas? family traditions, one new one was brunch at my house with my husband, his mom, brothers, and nieces
21. Did you fall in love in 2008? already in love!

22. What was your favorite TV program? America's Best Dance Crew, Sid the Science Kid

23. What was the best book you read? Pagan Christianity

24. What was your greatest musical discovery? coming soon
25. What did you want and get? coming soon
26. What did you want and not get? coming soon
27. What was your favorite film of this year? August Rush!
28. What did you do on your birthday, and how old were you? 36, spent time with family
29. What one thing would have made your year immeasurably more satisfying?
31. How would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2008? relaxed
32. What kept you sane? The Lord, through his Holy Spirit
33. Which celebrity/public figure did you fancy the most? none
34. What political issue stirred you the most? coming soon
35. Who did you miss? coming soon
36. Who was the best new person you met?

To name a few - Amy Andrews, Chonta Veal, Chavon Bethany, Margaret Donnnely, Stacey White, Andrea Studt
37. Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2008. coming soon
38. Favorite quote of the year

"If the sargent is not respectful to the lieutenant how can we expect the private to be respectful to the sergeant".

This is with respect to the mother's need to submit to the father, if she expects the children to submit to her.

39. Quote a song lyric that sums up your year. coming soon

Church

2008-12-30T12:42:00.007-06:00

More of my ponderings. The last one I talked about was 'every member functioning'.

Today I am pondering this statement that I've said before and heard others say.

"I need to make sure that my church activity does not outweigh my involvement with my friends"

I'm thinking twice about that. And I'm asking myself why is it that in my mind, I even refer to church as being different than my friends. If my friends are believers, and the church is defined as those who are part of the body of Christ then there is no separation right?

If any of my friends are part of another "church fellowship" or local assembly, we're still not separate are we? I ask myself how I think of someone when they decide that they are no longer going to be a faithful member of the local assembly I'm part of. Do I ridicule them and say, 'oh they left our church' or 'yeah you know SO AND SO is not a member anymore'?

Maybe that's okay that they made that decision. Maybe I should send them in peace and pray for them and be glad that God is going to use them in another capacity.

Beyond that, I just have to be careful that I don't have the CHURCH so segregated in my mind.

The Lord says that we should not forsake the assembling of ourselves together. That's in verse 25 of Hebrews Chapter 10. Am I even applying that passage correctly in my mind? What does that mean?

So I go back to verse 24 and read it along with verse 25. It reads:

And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds.

Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching.

What are we doing (my husband and I) with all this pondering?

First, we're looking at our relationships with our friends and family, not as segments but as joint members of the body -- THE church.

I dare not go and do a bunch of great things with a local assembly and forsake fellowship with my dear and true friends. I don't want to be more intimately aware of the prayer needs of the people in my organization than the needs of those who I shared a fridge with growing up, those who I share Turkey with every year, the one I walked home from school with every day for years, the ones who come to my children's birthday parties, the people who stood with me on my wedding day, the ones who I started the Christian journey with but may now happen to be going on a different path (membership wise). I still love them. I want to be in fellowship with THEM. I want fellowship with them (with you - if you're reading this) -- LOL.

There's balance to all that but you get my drift.

I know the Lord will orchestrate how that plays out in our lives. In the meantime, we'll take steps as the Lord leads.

This may sound random, I know. Just more ponderings I have. Thanks for reading.

My mom is now twice my age!

2008-12-30T00:50:00.002-06:00

Today is my mommy's birthday. Erma Jean Montgomery. She's 72 years old, and I'm so grateful for her life, her spunk, her charisma, wit, and lovingkindness.

Thank you mom!!!

Cry it out

2008-12-28T22:50:00.002-06:00

I won't say that I subscribe to this theory but last night I began practicing something similar. It worked well for the little man, and tonight it did too.

So as long as I'm consistent, it will work well for his night time sleeping.

We shall see!

One thing for sure, since I started this at 8.5 months, it will make for an easier weaning process. With the other babies, I waited until 12/13 months before removing the night feeding (just before bed) and that feeding was normally done while we were both laying down. This time I think I'll still leave that one for last but I'll do it while sitting up. The next step will be to remove the two remaining daytime nursing times.

Again, we'll see how all this goes.

Homeschool Month 4 - Let me remind myself

2008-12-01T22:56:00.005-06:00

Note to self: I am not trying to have formal education with our children, the children the Lord has given us to steward. I am not trying to line up what we do, with exactly what's being done in first grade and in PreK, nor am I trying to be sure that they are always far ahead of their natural grade.

My focus right now is on comprehending, reasoning, and communicating. Based on the normal progression of learning. Laying a firm foundation and moving toward discernment, logic, critical thinking, ...moving beyond mere sensory perception. All of these will help our children learn to discern between truth and error - so essetntial to their life in Christ.

Educating them with useful facts instead of merely trying to master all of the modern learning theories.

We want them to learn - Why we do what we do. How the world works and why.

And finally, training their spirits in self-discipline.

It's The Hap Happiest Season of All!

2008-11-27T23:34:00.006-06:00

Thanksgiving kicks off the season for us!! Very exciting times!!!

Lord, you are good and your mercy endureth forever!

Wholehearted Mother Conference 2009

2008-11-20T16:09:00.000-06:00

I have my sights set on this conference coming in February '09

The Wholehearted Mother Conference.

I have heard many rave reviews about the conference. Take a look at it and see if you'd like to attend as well.

My Husband Rocks & Farewell to Uncie

2008-11-14T00:00:00.003-06:00

Disclaimer: I do these "My Husband Rocks" posts because I saw the idea on Katy Lin's site and I thought it was a good idea to do, as it helps me to focus in on the good of my hubby especially when things are tough. Hopefully I'll be able to go back to these and read them during any tough times that come. And they do come....... Don't believe me? Read what I wrote about "Winding down in the fire," or "Do you and your husband argue?" or "Does your husband get on your nerves???!!!" Those articles show that sometimes I think he's a straight-up knuckle head but even then, I have to remind myself of the good and remember that beneath all that flesh, ... My Husband Does Rock!!

My Husband Rocks
This post is is being automatically published while I'm away from home. I again scheduled it in advance since I'd be out of town for the weekend.

Baby boy and I are traveling to Nevada this weekend for my uncle's funeral. My uncle, James "Peter" Wilson, better known as Uncie was one of my mom's 2 brothers and he lived in Las Vegas most of his adult life. He passed away from an apparent heart attack and we're going there for his funeral. My mom, other uncle, and one of my sisters are going there as well, but on different flights. My uncle has a daughter, son, grand daughter, and great grand daughter (just born last month) who live there as well. I look forward to seeing them after many many years!

While I'm here in Vegas, Jeoff is home with the other kiddos doing the daddy thing, which they love so much! He's even taking them to one (maybe two) birthday parties. Woo hoo!

Thank God for Daddies and Thank God for husbands!!!!

Uncie, I look forward to seeing you on the other side. We will cherish all the good memories that are left here in our hearts...........

New Planners and Planner / Memory Book Combo

2008-11-09T18:15:00.032-06:00

Sample 1A (above)

Sample 2A (above)

I've created some planners that I'd like to share with you.

Day planners, school planners, family planners, homeschool planners, you name it (literally). Planning and finding new, creative and helpful ways to do planning is a hobby for me so I thought I'd share with others. The planner I made this weekend is very thick and includes almost everything (school, keepsakes, daily tasks & to-do lists, calendars, etc.).

Size: 8" x 8"

Custom cover pages & custom planning pages available

It's easier for me to keep it all in one place, in one book, so I don't have to tag along a lot of things with me when I'm on the go. And also so I won't find myself lost when I leave ONE of those planners or notebooks behind.

I'm adding a few samples at a time of the ones I'm working on but there is much more to come.

These planners are unique in that they will include pages that help you track ideas and layouts for scrapbooking later. If you don't have time to make a book near the date of the event, you can jot down special memories from the occasion (even include photos, ticket stubs, etc.) right in your planner; then put together the scrapbook later.

If you're not sure how to do the scrapbook or don't have the time, I can put that together for you as well.

You can order a planner WITH or WITHOUT memory pages.

Let me know if you're interested in purchasing one for yourself or as a gift.

Wanna suggest another color scheme, or style? Just let me know!

Below are pages that can be included inside your planner.

Event Invitation Log: Make note of events you're invited to, as you receive the evite or invitation in the mail. After it's logged, you don't have to keep up with the email or paper invitation.

Menu Planning: Plan your menus and keep track of the ingredients you'll need from the store.

Cards/Gifts: Keep track of gifts and cards you need to mail and also include the address here. I can't even count how many times I've wanted to mail a letter or card, then I'd write or purchase it, sign it, and carry it around with me for days because I didn't have the person's address on me.

Christmas/Gift Planning (also general gift planning): Keep these in your planner all through the year for far advanced planning. Use them to make note of items you've heard your loved ones say they like.

Daily planning sheets. I like this format because when I purchase a planner with a page for each individual day of the year, I end up leaving some of them blank on days where I wasn't up to planning. Feel free to suggest sections for this page or indicate that you'd like the traditional daily planning sheets.

Chore Planning: These can be provided blank or completed with your individual chore system.

Weekly Planning: Indicate your to-do list at the top, then use the layout below to plan the day you'll get each task done.

Call Log: Keep track of calls you need to make along with notes as needed.

School Planning: These pages can be included in the school planner or the family planner and can be tailored for your needs.

Student Evaluation Forms: Use these to make periodic evaluations of your child's work and progress.

Field Trips: Keep up with potential field trips throughout the year and even include those you aren't able to attend this year but would like to attend in the future.

Future School Year Planning: Jot down notes of things you'd like to implement next school year!

Homeschool Notes: Use this for whatever!!

A Day in the Life: Don't have time to blog, don't have a blog? Use this section to jot down things you'd like to cherish for later. Use the blank section to attach a picture, keepsake, receipt, ticket stub, or even draw a picture.

A Moment to Remember: Use this section to commerate an event you'd like to cherish for later. Use the blank section to attach a picture, keepsake, receipt, ticket stub, or even draw a picture.

Log for doctors visits, Purchase log, Weight Loss Diary Pages, Children's Growth Charts

Would you like to suggest a new page to be added? Send me a comment!

Would you like to place an order? Send me an email (jeoffsrib at gmail dot com) or leave a comment and I'll send you the current price list. The journals and planners currently range from $10 - $19.

President Elect, Barack Obama

2008-11-04T23:35:00.005-06:00

Although I don't agree with most of the views of the party, watching the speech and news coverage gave me chills. Especially, when my classmate Roland Martin (CNN Advisor) shared his point of view and shed tears. Jesse Jackson as well. And talking to my children, as they watched the victory speech, about the fact that mommy and daddy did not vote for this President but we will respect him and support him. We also talked to them about the historical impact this is on our country, having elected its first black president.

Having said all that, above being black, and above being a citizen of this nation, I am a Christian. As we've followed these campaigns we've considered all t he issues and I kept coming back to the enduring values that I find in the Word of God.

I pray for all the issues and battles we as Christians will face in the years to come, namely - abortion, same-sex marriage, healthcare, welfare, economy, taxes, national security, etc.

If nothing else, I look forward to seeing how this administration will encourage people to work together in communities and share their opinions on how things should be done.

I also look forward to following a 3rd party on local and national levels, that I've come to know and respect through my husband's research and influence. The Constitution Party

Seven Principles of the Constitution Party are:

1. Life: For all human beings, from conception to natural death;
2. Liberty: Freedom of conscience and actions for the self-governed individual;
3. Family: One husband and one wife with their children as divinely instituted;
4. Property: Each individual's right to own and steward personal property without government burden;
5. Constitution: and Bill of Rights interpreted according to the actual intent of the Founding Fathers;
6. States' Rights: Everything not specifically delegated by the Constitution to the federal government is reserved for the state and local jurisdictions;
7. American Sovereignty: American government committed to the protection of the borders, trade, and common defense of Americans, and not entangled in foreign alliances.

The Church: Every Member Functioning

2008-11-02T17:25:00.003-06:00

Every member functioning..... what is that really like? Is that something you see often? What does that mean?

I have a desire to see that in action and to it's fullest.

I realize that may be asking for perfection and I may not ever see it but "why not look for it?", I ask myself.

Homeschool Month 3 -- What are we doing?

2008-11-02T16:32:00.003-06:00

This is a quick post that I hope to come back to and share more detail later.

The Five in a Row books we've done in the last month are Madeline and The Rag Coat.

With reading, we ventured off a bit and began using some new books we purchased from the bookstore for the kids' independent reading. Some of them are Well Done, worm from the Brand New Readers series (for The Pupster) and we started some of the books from Top Readers and Magic Tree House series. From Top Readers we got a book on Castles to go along with The Knight at Dawn from book #2 in the Magic Tree House series. We heard the audio of book #1 (Dinosaurs before Dark) but we went ahead and got the printed copy as well, so we can make a collection.

Kitty is also continuing the Kids Phonics Bible and Ready Set Read for her independent reading.

Field Trips: We visited two pumpkin patches and made our first field trip to the Texas State Fair!

Bible: We picked up curriculum set I previously purchased to help us in this area and we're now reading through it. It's the Training Wheels Curriculum. We hope to go through the activies on Creation through the activities on Heaven. I'm sure we'll skip (or go briskly through) some in between since they've learned some of them in more depth than others.

Our character focus for this past month was Responsibility and this coming month the focus is Patience. -- I may need to do that was like, ALL YEAR!!

At some point we want to study some more about blue whales (I made a mental note) because Kitty asked lots and lots of questions about them after we watched Nim's Island a couple of weeks ago.

In co-op, Kitty has just about gotten through all of the state capitols and has progressed in Spanish class from numbers, colors, name, days of the week, letters, through simple expressions.

Art (update coming soon)

One thing we focused on the most this month was memorization. Kitty and Pupster were in an oratorical contest where they recited poems and both received gold ribbon ratings! The Pupster's poem was "The Quality of Mercy" by William Shakespeare and Kitty's was an original poem, "Who is He?" written by yours truly.

Vertigo

2008-10-31T12:18:00.004-05:00

I hope this photo doesn't freak anyone out but this is how I've felt for the past couple of days.

And I pray God it goes away soon!

I have an appt at the docs this afternoon.

Thank the Lord, My Husband Rocks!

2008-10-31T12:00:00.004-05:00

Getting to know Twitter

2008-10-16T14:28:00.001-05:00

What's all the hype about? Well, I'm trying it out and I'll determine if it's worth it or if it's just another thing to do to waste time.

What am I doing with my time?

2008-10-15T14:25:00.002-05:00

I just realized I haven't been posting, nearly as much as I used to. Part of the reason is because I realized how much I was NOT getting done when I was on the computer.

At least I'm trying to keep up with the Friday posts for My Husband Rocks and the monthly homeschool updates.

I'll find something else to post about I'm sure. When I get some down time.

Toodles.....

My Husband Rocks Friday

2008-10-09T19:03:00.007-05:00

I told my husband about 30 minutes ago that he had just made my day by doing something that is completely within the definition of what it means to be a husband!

I called him to share some things that had been troubling me and some fears that I had been wrestling with. He listened to me explain it all and then He began the strongest, most confident discourse about our confidence in Christ, the peace that we have as Christians (versus those who are without the Lord), and about God's mighty hand of protection on us.

When I tell you I went from having tense muscles, and a tight neck, to a position of relaxation and tranquility........ I am not lying. It was like a spiritual calgon take me away moment, and I wasn't evening lying down. In fact, I was in the car driving, with all the kids in tow.

He was my covering, my priest, the one who washes me with the water of the Word!

So baby, you totally rock for that!!!!!!!!! Balee-dat!!!

More of My Husband Rocks Friday Thanks KatyLin for starting this!

Another Tell All Meme

2008-10-03T13:49:00.001-05:00

1. FIRST NAME? Leslie

2. WERE YOU NAMED AFTER ANYONE? Yes, the Leslie on Young in the Restless (my mom, late aunt and late grandmother LOVED that soap opera in the 70s ... and 80s ... and 90s :)

3. WHEN DID YOU LAST CRY? About a week ago, letting out some stress ... Thank God for GOD (and my husband!!!)

4. DO YOU LIKE YOUR HANDWRITING? I don't like my cursive writing so when I was about 23 I gave it up and wrote everything in print, except my signature

5. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE LUNCH MEAT? turkey, smoked turkey

6. DO YOU HAVE KIDS? yep, 4

7. IF YOU WERE ANOTHER PERSON, WOULD YOU BE FRIENDS WITH YOU? I would like to think so, I would hope that I would say "that sister needs some good people around her"

8. DO YOU HAVE A JOURNAL? yes, a written one as well as this blog

9. DO YOU USE SARCASM A LOT? what do you think

10. DO YOU STILL HAVE YOUR TONSILS? yes

11. WOULD YOU BUNGEE JUMP? um I don't think so, I lost a lot of my nerve around the year 2000

13. DO YOU UNTIE YOUR SHOES WHEN YOU TAKE THEM OFF? come to think of it, no

14. DO YOU THINK YOU ARE STRONG? only in the Lord (and I'm not being super spiritual it's true)

15. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE ICE CREAM FLAVOR? vanilla

16. SHOE SIZE? 7 1/2

17. RED OR PINK? RED

18. WHAT IS YOUR LEAST FAVORITE THING ABOUT YOURSELF? I think ALOT (can be good or bad)

19. WHO DO YOU MISS THE MOST? Mamaw

20. WHEN AND WHERE WERE YOU BORN? Dallas/Fort Worth Area, Early 70s

21. WHAT COLOR PANTS AND SHOES ARE YOU WEARING? black sweats (from working out), white, pink and grey tennis shoes

22. WHAT IS THE LAST THING YOU ATE? double cheeseburger (I KNOW)

23. WHAT ARE YOU LISTENING TO RIGHT NOW? The fan in the background

24 IF YOU WERE A CRAYON, WHAT COLOR WOULD YOU BE? red or orange

25. FAVORITE SMELL? bubble bath, chocolate chip cookies, baby powder on my fat baby

26. WHO WAS THE LAST PERSON YOU TALKED WITH ON THE PHONE? my moms, getting my neph's address to send him a bday card

27. THE FIRST THING YOU NOTICE ABOUT PEOPLE YOU MEET? do they look at me when I'm talking, what do they talk about, do they listen

28. DO YOU HAVE A SPECIAL TALENT? let me think about it

29. FAVORITE DRINK? Mr. Pibb (I know)

30. FAVORITE SPORT? H. S. Football

31. HAIR COLOR? Dark Brown

32. EYE COLOR? Brown

33. DO YOU WEAR CONTACTS? no

34. FAVORITE FOOD? Lately it's been baked chicken with onions or Schlotzky's Italiano sandwich

35. SCARY MOVIES OR HAPPY ENDING? Happy Endings but I also like intensity

36. LAST MOVIE YOU WATCHED? What Happens in Vegas

37. WHAT COLOR SHIRT ARE YOU WEARING? White and gray (a gift from my moms)

38. SUMMER OR WINTER? it depends

39. HUGS OR KISSES? it depends on from whom

40. FAVORITE DESSERT? cheesecake, cookies, Hostess cupcakes, Hershey's with almonds, white sheet cakes

41. WHAT BOOKS ARE YOU READING? Reimagining Church

42. WHAT'S ON YOUR MOUSE PAD? I don't have one

more to come......

43. FAVORITE SOUNDS?

44. ROLLING STONES OR BEATLES?

45. THE FURTHEST YOU'VE BEEN FROM HOME

46. IF YOU COULD PICK ANY TWO PEOPLE TO HAVE DINNER WITH, WHO WOULD
THEY BE?

47.

48.

49.

50.

My Husband Rocks Friday!

2008-10-03T00:05:00.003-05:00

My Husband Rocks - just because!!!

I was thinking today, what if I didn't have a reason to share this week, to prove why my husband rocks?

Would I post nothing, and skip this week? Should I?

So I decided to say that he rocks JUST BECAUSE.

There may be some weeks to come where he did not do anything to deserve my praise and I would be challenged with the choice whether or not to honor him anyway.

I'll just say that he rocks because:

I'm committed to loving him regardless.

These are things I've heard before but were reiterated in the movie - Fireproof - which we saw last weekend.

My prayer is that would remain so and that I will always remember that my love for him and his love for me is built on such a solid ROCK.

The love of Jesus Christ!!!

Jeoffrey, you rock today! Because of Christ's love for YOU!!!!

More of My Husband Rocks Friday Thanks KatyLin for starting this!

Homeschool Month 2 -- What are we doing?

2008-10-01T20:06:00.000-05:00

Quick updates:

Co-ops started the 2nd/3rd week of September so we are out of the house a few times a week now. Much more than we were last year.

For Five in a Row, we have done Storm in the Night, The Story about Ping, and Lentil. I'm really enjoying all the great lessons that are in the lesson book.

The kids been making good progress in handwriting, memorization, reading and work ethic. The rest of the subjects have been going well too but they are not focused on as much as the others.

The co-op classes Kitty is taking (1st grade) are art, Spanish, Traveling Across America, and P.E.

Gutts or Fluff?

2008-09-27T11:28:00.000-05:00

Warning: I don't claim that this is a well-written piece. It's just me putting stuff out there when I had a moment, didn't have a chance to perfect it, soo I just typed until family called............

I've been thinking about that topic this week after reading a post from a former classmate on our alumni site, then after hearing a similar comment from another friend. It was about being fake vs. real, in our friendships and other relationships. Hence, the title:

Fluff, of course, meaning fake

and

Gutts, first meaning the real stuff that's inside and second meaning having what it takes (the gutts) to be that real.

After pondering those thoughts this week, I had a chance to put it into practice. I was having a challenging morning. My emotions were high, it had been a long, busy week, and I wasn't feeling good about myself, my accomplishments, my hair, none of that.

In the midst of all of it, I received two phone calls. During both phone calls I had a choice. I could have done the usual "hello! ... oh hey girl, how's it going?" and after they said I'm good how are you, I could have said "I'm doing well" or "I'm doing fine" in the usual chipper voice.

But I didn't. I spoke in a casual low-tone voice. With one caller I shared exactly how I was feeling and told some of the details. There are times when I would have done that anyway, or I would have done it with certain people and not others. Or I would have just not answered the phone.

Today I just felt like going for the gutt and not the fluff.

With the other friend, I didn't go into details because I had to get the other call on the other line. Other times I would have gotten my "chipper" fluff on and said "hey girl, let me call you back" but I didn't chipper and fluff up I just talked straight in the tone I was feeling.

Later I thought about it and wondered, how do people feel when they hear you in that tone? I've actually heard some people comment that "oooh she was in such a bad mood!" or "oh my she could have sounded more pleasant couldn't she?" or "man, why did she just blow me off?"

Some of those same people - or others - might say, when I spill my gutts about what I'm really going through instead of going for the fluff, may respond in silence or just give me one of those "well we all go through something..... don't be such a whiner.... don't come to me with all your pity, we all have problems" or "she's just trying to make it seem like she has it so bad, she should be thankful, at least she ----blah-blah-blah"

All in all, I can't worry about all that. I can't control how other people take what I say or do. And I also can't allow my worries about how they will take what I say, launch me into this fluffy-bubbly-Barbie/Christie-girl demeanor and not DEAL WITH what I have going on.

I have found that when I go fluff, I conceal my issue and it takes me longer to DEAL WITH it through prayer, or confession, or a good conversation about it with a girfriend, mother, my husband, etc.

But when I "go gutts", I can get it out of the way and find the healing necessary. It can sometimes bring healing and peace to the other person(s) involved as well.

As long as it's balanced with love, grace, and encouragment, we can all benefit from some gutts every once in a while!

My Husband Rocks Friday

2008-09-26T05:31:00.008-05:00

My husband rocks because we're going on a date night Friday night. We're going to see the movie "Fireproof"!

(Also because it's actually Thursday night, I'm scheduling this post while I'm here at the library and he's home playing baseball in the back yard with the kids). This is my lesson planning (and get some other things done) night.

We've had some "intense discussions" this week and no matter how intense it got, he came back and told me that no matter what we disagree about and go "toe to toe" about, he loves me and knows that our marriage is great!!!!! During times when I am tempted to think that he's totally disappointented in my behavior, he (most of the time) :-) comes back to me saying I know the real you and I trust what God is doing in our marriage. He tells me we DO have a good marriage, because of God's hand!

And it is so true. Beneath all the flesh is our spirit, our spirit which is connected through God the Father. And THAT is the Love that keeps us together! It is only through Him that we are able to love each other through difficult times and the everyday stresses of life.

Sing with me "na na na na..... na na na na". Send me a comment if you know what song I'm talkin about.

Back to the movie, I absolutely cannot wait to see it. There were some free screenings available before opening night, but I'm actually glad that we're going to be paying for it and contributing to their opening weekend box office numbers. I hope you see it too!

By the way, go to KatyLin's Blog and see the cool giveaway she's doing through October 2!

My Husband Rocks

2008-09-05T23:00:00.002-05:00

My husband rocks!

This morning I woke up feeling very tired. He was already up and I heard that the kids were up too so I assumed that he was getting breakfast for them.

Obviously, I roll back over and sleep another hour and when I wake up I hear

1

2

3

We love mommy!!!! He and the big kids walked in with a bag of kolaches and my favorite donuts. My heart melted.

And those sweet donuts melted in my mouth!!!

Read more about what My Husband Rocks Friday, is all about.

Homeschool Month 1: Week 1 -- What are we doing?

2008-08-25T14:42:00.012-05:00

It's a light week. We're not fully into our schedule but during this prep week, we'll start with some portions of the curriculum below.

Five in a Row
Integrated Literature Curriculum, including Social Studies, Math, Language Arts, Science and Art. The story for week 1 is Storm in the Night by Mary Stolz (All children)

Catechism: Big Truths for Little Kids (Bible memorization for 1st grade and PK4)

This week we're doing Chapter 1 - A Party at the Zoo and Questions 1-5

Handwriting Practice: Copy Work for Little Girls (1st grader)

Independent Reading: Growing Reader Phonics Bible (1st grade and PK4)

History Alive: What in the World's Going On Here? (All children)

Audio stories - learning the history of the world, beginning with creation

Ancient Civilizations & the Bible - Activity book which acompanies What in the World's Going on Here

Additional Reading & Memory Work: A Child's Garden of Verses

Letter of the Week: Letter G New vocabulary, spelling, and reading words; artists, composers, and elements of science which begin with the letter G

What Your 1st Grader Needs to Know