Weekend in Review..

Even though I don't hold down a corporate job during the week, I still look forward to the weekends. I like having my husband home, enjoy us piddling around the house together, and I also quite enjoy the benefits of having dual disciplinarians in the home. :o) I don't stick to a schedule or have to do laundry on the weekends. I do basic pickups and cook a bit. We just enjoy being together. Some weekends are busier than others and we have obligations, but I do so enjoy those that require no special preparations or leaving the house unless we just want to!
My sister and her husband (and girls) are down for Labor Day Weekend, so we've visited with them a bit. Friday we went grocery shopping together and then Friday night our best friends' son had a birthday party and it was really fun. We love chillin' with our favorite people--you know people with whom you don't have to put on airs or anything--you can just be yourself. Those are the people with whom you have the best times! Anyway, Saturday, we slept in a bit (until almost 9!). I was expecting my sister to come over, so I started getting the house straightened and cleaned some. I got everything but the kitchen and took a break to cut a bit of grass (actually, I finished the whole yard). Then, the babies and I went to a bridal shower while Emory stayed and helped his dad work on a birdhouse and finish insulating the bathroom. After the shower, my dad took Erin and the rest of us (my neices included) to see some pigs (Erin's dream!). I came home pretty soon afterwards, cleaned my kitchen and my sister and her family came over. We decided to go over to my In-laws' to go swimming. My sister and I talked while we watched the kids swim. That is until I noticed my neice, who can't see very well, literally sinking in the deep water. My sister had Evan so I jumped in to save my neice. Whew! I finally just decided to stay in (the water looked tempting anyway! :), fully clothed and all! :) We later came back to our house, ate pizza, and chatted. It was a good and long day. I was proud that it was long, because I love long days if they are weekend days! :)
This weekend, we had a visiting preacher (upon whom we will be voting in the next week or so), and and he really did some great preaching. We still aren't sure how we feel about him as our pastor, but we are praying for God's will. It is just a serious situation--getting in a pastor. I almost wish churches could have a 'trial run' for the pastorship. :) Anyway, we are enjoying our long Labor Day weekend!
Tomorrow, the hurricane will hit the United States--projected around New Orleans. I know we will feel some affects--hopefully NOT tornadoes. They are scarier to me than hurricanes! Anyway, we are just to lots of rain and winds--Fay came last weekend. :o)
Emory had some behavioral issues this week--I don't know WHAT was the matter, but he was somewhat sullen and a bit rebellious. We didn't do schoolwork for a couple of days because he really easily frustrated and lacked enthusiasm. One day, I contemplated putting him in school, not because I didn't want to handle him, but because I was thinking maybe I wasn't doing the right thing--maybe he DID need to be with other children in a classroom setting. He seemed bored. I prayed long and hard on Thursday--I need(ed) so much wisdom. The Lord reassured me and I felt Him speak to me that I needed to take one day at a time, enjoy him, stop worrying and just make the best of today. Oh my, that helped me. God is sooo good. So, Friday, I went ahead and ordered him Science, Math, Language, and Spelling books. I am so excited about just digging in with fulltime homeschooling with him. I have workout a new schedule, which is more children-focused than before and I'm excited! I'm going to try to remember what I felt God impress me to think, "Don't worry about tomorrow, enjoy today"! I may have to put it on my frig! :o) There WILL be times that we have a bad day and may have to put off school for a day, but God is there to help us and I believe He will reward us for wanting to teach and train our children at home and in His ways.
Well, I have ants crawling over me from somewhere, so this will be all. Anytime after a rain, they will find some little minute crumb that can barely be seen with the naked eye and devour it. Ugh! Well, this is one crumb that can be seen that doesn't want to be devoured! :o)

Have a great Labor Day!

And the winner is...

Patricia!

Congratulations! Please Email me at msc2001uwa@yahoo.com your address and I'll get the book out to you.

PS. I have read your blog a few times and I enjoy it.

Have a great day!

To my readers: plz remember us the first of next week, Hurricane Gustov will affect us from the way the looks.

Have a great weekend!

FREE Giveaway...

I noticed on other blogs that occasionally, the blogger will have a giveaway! I also noticed that I have TWO of these awesome books on my bookshelf, so I want to give one away. All you have to do to play is leave a comment stating you want to enter the giveaway. You may enter until Saturday at noon which is when I will draw. I will notify the winner and you can Email me your info for me to ship the book out to you. Please do not play if you do not plan to read the book. I want to pass it on to someone who will read it. It is a GREAT book--possibly life-changing for you and your family.

PS. If you are just a reader and don't have a blog, now would be a great time to sign up for a blog so you can keep in touch! :o)

EASY Peanut Butter Cookies

Okay, this week has been the week for me to post recipes, but if I find a good un' then I want to share! This recipe is SUPER easy and these cookies won't last past a day (unfortunately). :)

1 cup Peanut Butter
1 cup sugar (if you are using natural PB, then use the whole cup, if it is reg PB w/ sugar already then use 3/4 cup)
1 egg
1/4 tp vanilla flavoring

Mix PB and sugar. Mix in egg and vanilla. Bake at 350 on an ungreased cookie sheet for 10-12 minutes.

Very easy!

A must read....

I have been working on this book for a few days. Last night I finally finished it (around 1am)--it is a wonderful book! It's a free download, so read!!

http://www.zealandpublishing.co.nz/womanhood%20book%20secrets%20of.html

Another Recipe...A Frugal one too!

This has been a very lean week, financially speaking, so I've been fixing from what I had in the cupboards. I had bought a pack of split peas for 72 cents a couple of weeks back and yesterday I made this soup. Very yummy and quite filling!

Split Pea Soup

3 qts. water
1/2 lb. bacon, cut in pieces
1 lb. (16 oz pkg) dry split peas
1 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. pepper
3 carrots, chopped
3 celery stalks, chopped
3 c. canned tomatoes
1/4 tsp. cumin seasoning
1/4 tsp. garlic salt
1 med. onion, chopped
Put in slow cooker at night, ready for noon meal. Let cook on low all night. Very good. We also had this yummy cornbread:

My Mom's Cornbread (with my 'touches')
1/4 cup AP flour
1 & 1/4 cup Corn Meal
3 tps baking powder (or 1 tbs)
1 tp salt
1/4 cup oil
1 cup milk (may need a littl more if you use buttermilk)
I add 3 tbs of melted butter (if you don't add the butter, put 1/2 cup of oil instead of 1/4)

Preheat oven to 450-500. Add a small bit (bout 1 tbs) of shortening (can use oil or drippings--depends on how healthy you feel that day..lol) to a cast iron skillet and place in the oven for shortening to get hot. Mix dry ingredients; add liquids. Stir well and take out hot skillet. Put batter into skillet (it should sizzle) and bake for about 15-20 minutes. You have some fine southern cornbread!! :o)

This meal probably cost less than $5.00!!

My Chicken Pot Pie

I had Chicken Pot Pie on my menu for this week because I had some leftover chicken from the Chicken Salad I made last Wed night. I had trouble finding a recipe that didn't have Cr of Mr soup or Cr of Chicken (which I don't like to use b/c of MSG) and I did find one but didn't have access to a computer yesterday. SO, I had to make my own. It was yummy. First of all, I had some refrigerated chicken broth leftover from cooking the chicken the other day--so when you see chicken broth, that is from where it came.

Chicken Pot Pie

3/4 cup of cooked chicken (can use more, this is all I had)
2 cups of chicken broth (divided)
2 carrots, cut up
2 celery stalks, cut up
1/2 cup of English Peas (I used canned)
salt, pepper, garlic, poultry seasoning
1/4 cup of AP flour

In a skillet, saute raw vegetables in 1 cup of chicken broth. Add some about 1/2 tp of poultry seasoning. Add a little salt and pepper (I never measure). Saute until soft (for about 10 mins). Meanwhile, add a little garlic powder to cooked chicken (I don't measure--maybe 1/4 or 1/2 tp). Once vegetables are tender, add the vegetables to the chicken. Sprinkle the flour into the leftover broth and begin stirring immediatly with a fork. You should have the heat on low at this point. It will clump up some, but try to mash out the clumps with the fork. Slowly add the rest of the chicken broth, stirring and mashing the flour until it is mostly dissolved (I found I could quite get all the small lumps out, but that's ok). The mixture should be thickening. Add a little salt. After the flour is dissolved some and the mixture is thickened a bit, add it to the chicken/vegetables mixture. At this point you can put in the canned English peas (if you use frozen, you would want to put them in with the raw vegetables). Stir this up and make your crust.

For Crust:

2 Cups AP flour
2/3 to 3/4 vegetable shortening
1 tp salt
4 Tbsp. cold water

Mix shortening, flour, and salt with a fork or pastry blender until crumbs are pea size. Add water and pull together with a fork or fingers to form a ball. Roll out onto a clean counter and form into a circle big enough to cover pie dish.

Add chicken/vegetable mixture to a glass pie pan or a small casserole dish and carefully pick up your pie crust and put it on top of the vegetable mixture (it will be pretty thick--if it tears, you can mend it back pretty easily). Press the sides down around the edges of the pie plate.

Bake at 375 until pie crust is slightly brown--probably about 30 or 35 minutes.

Enjoy! You don't even miss the Cr of Chicken soup!!

Random...

Today is the Lord's Day and I am trying to keep it low key--resting a bit. The kids are napping/resting, the Tropical Storm came through and left us with a cool snap, wet conditions, and breezy. It feels wonderful.
Some things I will be doing today is reading in God's word, working on our menu for next week, and making some brownies for our after church meal. We are hosting a new pastoral candidate this week, so we will be eating at the fellowship hall tonight after church.
I don't know if you are like this, but I like to have a new focus for each week. This week I'm going to focus on continue getting up before my kids do, making sure I have a good prayer session every day, keeping the house straightened, having good, meaningful devotions and good homeschooling with the kids, and tackling clutter!! That is what I really want to do. I have a good spot where I going to put all the clutter or things that have no place and then I'm going to sort through it all. :o)
Well just some randomness, but I wanted to have a new blog up!
Oh, I went to see my new neice and family this weekend (for a very brief visit) and she is beautiful and SO tiny! We had a nice time.

Me, Lord?

My mom has the kids today--she wants to keep them once every 2 weeks or so--so you'd think I'd be busy getting lots of things done. But, I felt like starting my day off with Bible reading and Prayer. First of all, let me say that I do not claim to be Ms. Spiritual or anything of the sort, but I have been drawing closer to the Lord and have felt such an urgency to be exactly what God would have me be. He has been really meeting with me in prayer and I feel myself drawing closer to God.
So, I start with my Bible reading (Jeremiah 5-8) while jumping on the trampoline (think, physical and spiritual exercise coupled in one..lol). Then I go to my prayer room, which is our future homeschool room at the back of the house. God met with me there and we communed together. It was wonderful. I have been praying that God would make me a bold witness for Him. In my prayer today, I had a thankfulness and a longing for Heaven. I also had a strong feeling that the Lord is coming soon because of the fulfilling of the 'last days' prophecies. After my prayer, I just sat quietly 'listening' for the Lord and He impressed upon me to go see my neighbor. I don't want to say too much because I don't know who reads my blog, but they are nice, sensible people. But, all indications show that they are lost. In fact, the husband has admitted to me more than once that he knows he needs to get right with God. We pray for them all the time. But, today, I needed to go see her (the wife) and God told me what to say. Boy, do you know how hard that is? I don't even like to go to someone's house for a planned visit if I don't know them very well, much less an unplanned visit to someone I've only talked to in passing? Well, I thought about it for an hour or so (my dear husband came to visit me and bless his heart, I was so preoccupied in my fears) and finally it was like God said, "Go" and I went. I opened my Bible before I went and oh my, the verse I read was this," He that receiveth you receiveth me, and he that receiveth me receiveth him that sent me, He that receiveth a prophet in the name of a prophet shall receive a prophet's reward; and he that receiveth a righteous man in the name of a righteous man shall receive a righteous man's reward. And whosoever shall give to drink unto one of these little ones a cup of cold water only in the name of a disciple, verily I say unto you, he shall in no wise lose his reward." Matthew 10: 40-42. Wow, I mean that was for me!
I admit, I prayed that she would be outside so it would be easier, but I really felt like I would have to go up to the door and knock. I walked by the trailer one time and walked all the way to the end of the road and finally on the way back I went up to the door and knocked. She came right away. I asked if the dogs bit (they have several hunting dogs who barked ferociously at me) and she said "No" to "come on in". Well, I got to the point and said that I didn't want her to think I was a freak or anything but I had been down praying and the Lord had impressed upon me to come and tell her that she and her family were in His thoughts and He loved them. I told her I didn't know where they were at spiritual speaking, but to know that I just didn't go to ppls doors and tell them about God, that God had impressed upon me to do so. She said a few things but I didn't really hear her, kwim? She was glad I had come and said that we all go thru rough times, etc. She appreciated me coming and then we just started talking and talked for about 30 minutes or so. We had a good time and she is a lot of fun. I planted the seed and now God can water it, you know? I've been praying that God would help me to just exude joy from my life that others can see Christ in me by being around me or talking to me. Oh, this is my prayer!
Anyway, I'm not pinning roses on myself in any way--this was very hard for me to do and I wanted to share about it on my blog. Get close to the Lord and he will use you. You will be glad that He did. Even though I was really nervous, I was so glad that the Lord would speak to me to tell someone that He loves them! The world is dying and going to hell and if I'm a super-spiritual Christian and I never tell anyone about Christ, what have I done?? The super-spiritual don't mean a thing if I never shine as a light for Christ. God is so good to me and I want to be willing to do what he has for me to do.
Later on, I'll post a couple of yummy recipes you'll want to try! Stay tuned....

Night Owl

My middle child, Erin, is about to be renamed, "Night Owl". For the past 3 nights or so, she has been awake when we went to sleep and has gotten up to play or to come in our room sometime during the night. This morning before the alarm went off, we heard something in the living room. It was her--leaving out of the living room and going into her room!

She gets up usually from 8-9 and naps for 1.5 to 2 hours a day. She doesn't go to sleep until after 10 every night. In fact, I don't know what time she has gone to bed for the past 3 nights.

She is really scared of the dark. They don't watch anything scary nor do we talk about scary things. She is just scared of the dark. We leave lights on, but then she can see to play. We discipline her if she gets up without an emergency, which she will sometimes 'make up' one.

Well, this is our new dilemma with her. If you've been thru similar, feel free to share advice. BTW, she NEEDs her nap because she gets really whiney and ill. I have awakened her after 1 or 1 & 1/2 hrs. every day this week so she doesn't get too much sleep at nap time.

Enjoy your Wednesday!

Today's chores:

Husband's laundry

Put up childrens' laundry

Sweep and Mop Living and Dining rooms

Change Trash

Sweep off Porch

And if my mom keeps my kids for awhile, I will finish mowing the grass

Decluttering the extra bedroom (Project)

Homeschooling:

10 minute Bible Study with kids (I take a scripture or two and we discuss it)

Read Aloud (currently reading "Pinocchio")

Emory--writing worksheet (letter 'X'), practicing subtraction, copywork, & Reading Lesson

Erin--recognizing numbers 1-5, practicing writing the letter 'E'

Menu for today:

Breakfast: Pancakes w/Maple Syrup

Lunch: Tuna Sandwiches

Supper: Chicken Salad Sandwiches (church night--quick supper)

Well, I better get busy before the little ones awake! Have a blessed day!

Blog Blahs

Well, I haven't been on vacation, literally, just haven't felt like blogging much. I have wanted to blog, but haven't had much to blog about. Things are pretty mundane here. We are doing our usual routines and have been homeschooling this week. We made it through a wonderful campmeeting at our church that was so uplifting and refreshing. Makes me wish it was at least once a month!
This week I'm getting up earlier (before the kids) which is my intention all the time, but somehow I just get really sleepy in the mornings..lol. I love it when the house is all quiet and I can get a few things done before my sweet sleepyheads walk through the door. My Dh literally has to drag me out of the bed though to get me up (wish is what I asked him to do). :)
Right now I have a new recipe, Baked Oatmeal, sitting on the stove, fresh from the oven and it smells divine. I was really easy to make and I hope it will rekindle my childrens' love of oatmeal that has been lost.
Emory started subtraction yesterday and he is doing very well. I was amazed how well he did at addition that I decided to start on subtraction. He is on Lesson 39 in his "Teach Your Child to Read in 100 Easy Lessons" Book. He is just doing great. I started Erin with her numbers 1-5 (recognizing them) yesterday and writing the letter "E". She did pretty well--she is quite stubborn when it comes to conforming to a homeschooling schedule. Before now, I have pretty much let her pick what she wanted to do for 'schoolwork' while I worked with Emory. She is officially in 'preschool' now though. :o)
I have a new niece, Emma Raeleigh, born to my SIL, Amy. This is her 3rd child so now she has 3 kids under 3 years old! WOW. I may have a chance of going to Louisiana this weekend and seeing the new baby and their new house. That is exciting.
Well, I must get busy doing something before the sleepyheads start waking up! Have a great day.

A Deeper Experience..

Recently, I've been feeling compelled to deepen my relationship with my Savior. I've also felt compelled to get more in tune with the Holy Spirit that dwells within me. I think all this is due partly because I'm staying home and I feel such an urgency to see that my children make it to heaven and are all God wants them to be. Also, I actually have time now to further my relationship with God. I feel like when one has more time, more is required if you kwim. For example, a single woman with no children and a husband to attend to is required to give more service to God that say a woman with four small children and a husband. God will bless both the same if they both put in what is required of their time. The second reason for my urgency, is I feel like God has something great for my husband and I to do. He already blesses us to sing and minister in song, but I feel he has something greater in the ministry department. My husband feels the same. When he calls, I want to be ready, spiritually. I also don't want to be a hindrance to His will being done. The third reason for my urgency, is that I so desperately want to see a move of God among our church and the families of our age-group. I desire an outpouring that will result in an endless supply of souls being saved, people being filled with the Spirit, lives being sanctified and dedicated, people being healed, and prophesies being prophesied--just whatever the Lord would do! Lastly, I know, more than ever, that the Lord is coming very, very soon. I feel like it's just around the corner. The Bible is being fulfilled more and more every year. America is turning further and further away from God. I wonder if Soddom and Gomorrha was as bad as America is today. It must grieve God's heart so much to see this beautiful world he made being corrupted by the blackness of sin.

I have been feeling just a deep urgency to pray at different times in the day. The other night, I felt like praying before I went to bed and it was already midnight! I got down, not really feeling anything, and when I got up it was 2am. God met with me in a way that I could never explain. I told my husband the next day that it was addicting! I'm ready for the next experience like that! :)

I was raised in a Spirit-filled, Spirit-led church by Spirit-filled and Godly parents (the best!), but I want a deeper experience for myself. I want to have such a Glow about me that people will know that I've been in the Spirit and that I'm walking in the Spirit. I've been praying that God will just dig so deep into my heart and carve out anything that is in there that should not be there, whether it's pride, deceit, or maybe ungodly desires. I want to be so filled up with God that maybe I'm doing laundry and I just feel God so strong that I have to just fall on my face before God, right there in my laundry room, and cry out to Him. He is so Holy and so worthy.

I believe we are missing out on what God really, really has for us. He has greater heights and deeper depths for His children. If we will seek Him, we will find Him. I'm tired of just being a mediocre Christian. I want to be 'on fire' for God. I want my children to remember their mother as being a woman who knew how to pray.

We have Campmeeting at our church this week and oh, I'm so excited about what God's going to do in my life and the lives of those dear to me. We will hear some wonderful, anointed preaching that will be straight from God's Holy, unadulterated word.

I do believe that God has so much more for us. I want all that he can give me. I want to be like this: "As the hart panteth after the water brooks, so panteth my soul after thee, oh God". Praise the Lord--I want that to be me.

I challenge you to seek the Lord until you find Him. Stay on your knees until you get that "Holy Ghost" experience. It is wonderful. You'll go back for more and more. God is real. Well, I feel another prayer meeting coming on. LOL

Thanks for letting me testify!

Projects

I have several things that I am/have been working on in the past 2 days. First of all, I organized our schoolwork a bit. I have a filing system going and have organized the kids' papers. Secondly, I have been whittling away at the clutter in our second spare bedroom. It is a very slow process because it has been a year since I've decluttered that room. The kids have gone through lots of sizes, toys, etc. since then. It is a catch all room until I have time to organize. Third, I have been repainting an old (but very cute) table that we had our in our storage shed. It will be a perfect table for us to do homeschooling at. It is being painted red. I hope to get a new memory card in my camera and I can take a picture. An extenuation of that project is that I'm working on converting our #1 spare (tiny) bedroom into our homeschooling room. I have lots of ideas that I hope to get on paper within the next day or so. I'm also working on getting our grass mowed before the day is over. I have about 15 minutes worth left. Last, I hope to start composing a very nice song book today..one that we can utilize in all our services.

Well, I better go before I think of more. The kids are asleep so I'd better get with one of my projects! Oops...also we have campmeeting all week (even during the day) at our church next week and I hope to get all of our ironing done. Looks like another late night tonight (last night's was spent in prayer...oh, I had a great prayer meeting--God is wonderful)!

God Bless!

From the book of John....

Here is some wisdom I gathered while reading the book of John..
To be saved: Believe in/on Jesus, Believe He is the Son of God
Then: Sin no more--His words to the Woman at the Well and to the Blind Man (We strive daily to live a sinless life and daily crucify this flesh)
Commandments: Love thy neighbor as thyself--care for your neighbor, have compassion upon your neighbor
Promise: We can ask anything in His name and it will be given unto us.
Promise: We will suffer persecution/tribulations in this World but we should not fear.
Lastly: Our joy should be full!

Guess what I got?

Just a quick post so my readers can celebrate with me: I got DSL! Yeah, I've had dial-up for all this time. It's wonderful how the page loads so quickly! Just thought I'd share.

We have had a good week. Done homeschooling every day, had fun with the kids, kept the house decent...yeah, it's been good! :o) Tomorrow is my last night of being the guest pianist at a nearby church's revival. I've enjoyed playing some of the hymns that we Pentecostals don't sing very much. :)

I think my mom wants to keep the kids tomorrow, so I hope for a nice productive day. We got a nice rain tonight, Praise the Lord, so the grass will hopefully be ready for mowing.

PS. Today Erin was sitting on the potty doing her 'business' when she looked up at me and inquired, "Mom, does my God have a booty"? LOL Wow, I don't think I was 'instant in season and out of season'. I didn't have a very good answer. :o)

God Bless!

Why I Homeschool

Our public and private schools started today and tomorrow so I decided an appropriate post would be one that states why my little Kindergartener won't be standing at the bus stop this week. So, here goes: twenty reasons why I Homeschool (in no particular order).

1. I trust no one with my children the way I trust myself with them.

2. No one loves my children the way I love them.

3. No one cares for my children the way I care for them.

4. No one has the best interests in mind for my children like I do.

5. I'm responsible for my children, not someone else.

6. My children need me.

7. My children do not need to sit in a desk for 6-8 hours a day.

8. My children do not need to be with 20 children the same age as he more than he needs to be with his family. The people you are with the most are the ones who influence you the most.

9. In a traditional school setting, my children will not learn the Bible and other subjects will be of more importance (How can they find their way to Heaven if they don't know what the roadmap says?)

10. My children are not used to being hollered at.

11. All children the same age are NOT on the same level intelligent-wise, even though the traditional school setting requires that all children learn the same thing at the same time.

12. I want my children to learn about the 'Birds and the Bees' from me and not from what Johnny told him that happened in this movie he watched.

13. I do not want my children to be made fun of or to be pressured into being malicious to other children.

14. My children are disciplined out of love and not anger.

15. I don't want my children to have a chance of being molested by a school peer or a teacher.

16. I don't want my children to be in the school when that guy that is mad at his girlfriend decides to go on a shooting rampage.

17. I want the freedom of teaching my children a variety of subjects in a variety of ways.

18. I want my children to have the liberty of participating in art, music, nature, philosophy, Bible memorization, woodworking, baking, and any other skill that I deem important for them.

19. I want my children to have a Biblical worldview.

20. I homeschool my children because they are MINE and I know it is what God wants me to do.

Who created the educational system? Man, not God. God placed the mother and father in charge of teaching the children. Sending my children to a modern day school to me is like sending them to a den of wolves on a 'kiss and a prayer'. I have the freedom to homeschool these precious lives God gave ME to teach, mold, and make. If they are away from me 8 hours a day, 5 days a week, then how can I do this? Then comes extracurricular activities that are school-related that take more time away from family-time and I have even less time than that to mold my children! We pray that our children stay safe at school, aren't molested, don't hear curse words, aren't influenced, don't sneak around and smoke, don't get groped, etc., but then why are we sending them to school on this prayer, when God has given us the command to 'Train up our children' . I am very passionate about homeschooling and feel so disheartened at times because it is so looked down on where I live.

The biggest frowns about homeschooling that I get or hear:

1. They need to be around other children. What do I say about this? First of all, what happens when you get a bunch of kids the same age, together? You get stealing, or cheating, peer pressure, maliciousness, fighting, selfishness, bickering, etc. I know because I've seen it year after year. Who made the law that children do well by being around children their own age for 8 hours a day? I don't know, but it's such a deception for one to believe this. Children learn social skills by seeing it modeled. NOT by being with children their own age all the time. They learn to share by seeing grown ups share or by hearing grown ups express the importance of sharing and implementing sharing. They don't learn sharing by being with other children. Unless YOU, the grown up, steps in, kids will get into a fist-fight before they will give into someone who has their toy. Do you see what I'm saying? Social skills by being with other children is a BIG misconception. Yet, it is the number one defense against homeschooling. Okay, so I agree that kids enjoy being around other kids. What about siblings? My kids have a blast being with one another. They are used to each other. They love each other so much they often want me to 'marry them'. LOL What about cousins? What about church kids?

2. The second 'frown' is your kids will miss out on so much (i.e. ball, soccer, cheerleading, performances, camps, and all the other gazillion things that kids are involved in these days). Do you know what my kids won't miss out on? The won't miss out on Mom reading "The Swiss Family Robinson" or "Robinson Crusoe" to them. They won't miss out on Mom reading the Acts chapter 2 and explaining the Day of Pentecost to them. They won't miss out on learning Psalm 1 at age 3. They won't miss out on playing the 3 Little Pigs outside for an hour with siblings and Mom. They won't miss out on learning how to bake a special dessert. They won't miss out on building a birdhouse with dad. They won't miss out on learning a foreign language at an early age. They won't miss out on ball--with daddy as the pitcher and mom as the umpire, who can beat that? They will, however, miss out on being hollered at by a teacher (who may be having PMS) because out of being bored from sitting in a desk for 2 hours, he or she decides that doodling is better (and probably is) than doing multiplication. They will, however, miss out on going to bed at 11 because of studying and doing endless hours of homework. They will, however, miss out on being pressured to make that "A". They will, however, miss out on having low self esteem because someone called them "fat" or "retard".

3. They aren't going to be prepared for college. You know, frankly, college doesn't mean much to me and I won't pressure my children to go. *Gasp* I pray my girls will grow up to want to stay at home mothers and my sons will grow up to have a trade to where they can be around their families, if possible. Hardworkers, but with a meaningful job. However, I'm am convinced 100% that homeschooling will more than prepare my children for college. You can look up the statistics on homeschooled children. Their IQs are higher than the traditional schooled children. Why? More ONE on ONE and no pressure to do 'said' objective and have it mastered by such and such date. Also, possibilites are endless. You can teach Shakespeare one day and Booker T. Washington another day. Isn't that wonderful?

I love homeschooling. Won't you consider it? I'm fully convinced your child will benefit from it. And, perhaps, most importantly, you might prevent your child from a lot of sorrow. Shelter your children. There's NOTHING wrong with it.

God Bless.

Productive Day and Pottying....

I have found that I'm not happiest when I look back on my day and I'm gotten all my chores done. I'm happier when I have done everything on my list with my KIDS than my housework. Today we got to do our devotions, book reading and homeschooling. I tweaked my schedule a little today and it worked even better than my last tweaking. I'll post it when I get it 'down pat'.

Back before Evan was born, I read a book called, "Diaper Free Baby". I had heard of Elimination Communication before and after reading (most of) the book, I decided I would try it some on Evan. Now it's hard to try things like EC and cloth diapers, etc., when you have another caregiver than yourself, so I knew I couldn't do it all the time. I remember when Evan was about 2 weeks old, I put him on the potty. He was soo cute--his little red, wrinkly booty on the big potty. In December when he was 4 months old, I knew he was about to 'poo' one day while we were at the table. I thought, "Why not just take him--don't wait for him to soil his diaper." So, I did and he went! He did it several times during my Christmas vacation, but after that, he went back to my mom's during the day and we fell off the wagon (er, potty) so to speak. I determined that I would start taking him to the potty after his one year old birthday. So, today I got the little blue Bjorn potty out and cleaned it out. I put it in the living room and sit him on it after each diaper change. One time, he was dry and had been for a few hours. I thought surely he would go on the potty, but he wouldn't. You know, he is now 'trained' to go in his diaper. Isn't that sad? I have trained him to soil his diaper. Back at 4 months, he was comfortable going on the potty because he wasn't quite trained yet. Just like we don't feel comfortable going in our underwear, he doesn't feel comfortable going anywhere but his. Well, I'm going to keep trying! Keep you posted.

This week I am guest pianist at a nearby Baptist church. It went well tonight, I enjoyed it. It is a job I love.

"Praise God from Whom all blessings flow"

Happy Birthday, Evan!

Here we are from then until now!

Happy, Sad, Disappointed all in one day!

Happy:

Today we had Evan a birthday party after church. His grandparents and great-grandparents were all there (with the exception of my grandmother in the nursing home) and a few close friends with their children. I have pictures on my MIL's camera I hope to upload tomorrow night. He really had a great time. He dove face first into the cake and finally picked it up and eat it! He enjoyed playing with his presents. Everyone brought a dish, so we had some good food--just enough for everyone. I'm so proud of my sweet, little one year old. What a gift from God!

Sad:

Today when I got home from the party, I went out to feed the dog and cats. Gabby, our rat terrier, wasn't there to get her feed. Thinking this was unusual, I went out and called her for a bit. I went in and told Dh that I couldn't find Gabby. He told me that he had noticed that she hadn't come to him last night when he was at his car. I went walking a little further in the yard looking for her. Finally, I got in my car and drove around. I had just got to the end of our road, getting ready to turn out on the highway, when I saw her in the ditch. I could tell she was dead immediately. We live a little ways from the highway, but I'm thinking she followed one of us out to the road and a car hit her. She was the best little dog!! We had just got her in April. She really was the perfect dog, gentle and playful, just the right size. I will deeply miss her, as will the kids. She was Erin's best pal. I was really frustrated that she died. That is the second dog this year! :( Another thing is a dear reader of my blog and a cousin of mine has had a spot discovered on her lung. She had a biopsy done yesterday and things aren't looking too good. She has a 1 yr old son and is in her early twenties. Brandy, we're praying for you!!!!

Lastly, my best friend for many, many years had her sweet baby girl taken to be with the Lord one year ago today. She's in my thoughts tonight.

Disappointed:

We voted on a pastor tonight at our church. We have two candidates. The candidate that we felt like was God's will for our church was voted on tonight. He had to have 80% to get in as pastor. He got 73%. I was so disappointed. He is a great preacher and a prayer warrior. I don't see any reason for someone not to vote for him, but the other candidate is kin to some in the church. Anyway, just a little disappointed. God is still sovereign though. He knows where we are. He is still in control.

Back to the proverbial drawing board tomorrow. I could be starting back to school (teaching) tomorrow, but praise the Lord, I'll be with my babies!! Thanks be unto the Lord for that prayer answered.

Look at me!

I got Evan's one year old pictures made last night. Isn't he adorable? Just thought I'd share! Happy Saturday!

PS. Got a lot to do today...bake a birthday cake, among other things. Have a great one!