Taking a little break...

Blogging requires thinking and I haven't been able to do much of that lately for some reason. Maybe my body was anticipating this bug that I have today??? My kids have had a one day bug with stomach aches and headaces and yours truly started getting it today. This stuff is BAD. Right up there with the flu. I told my hubby I was sorry that I had not sympathized with the kids more. He informed me that as an adult, I probably have it worse.

Weird bug, this is. Started out with some nausea and a minor headache. The nausea subsided and the aches came on, full force. I kept trucking it, albeit slowly. When the kids all laid down, I laid down as well (with Em). Hubby came home early and took over (even cooking supper). :) I thought I might be feverish, but took temp and it said 98.8. But, now I am *burning up* and sweating, so I know I had a fever. Weird, eh? Extreme aches and fatigue.

Ugh...I hate all these different kinds of bugs. Well, I hope tomorrow is better since I have to play for a funeral and sing. Don't think I could croak out anything at this point. My mom has the kids...Evan hasn't felt well today either--he may be feeling the same as me, but I *know* he is doing some major teething.

Well, hope to be back to posting regularly when the brain fog has lifted.

Wednesday's What's Going On?

Here's what's going on...

*Cooler Temps! :o)

*I cooked Chicken n' Dumplings for the first time today..Yum! :o)

*We have too many pets. :o?

*My early morning risings have caught up with me. :o/

*My kids got on my nerves a few times today. :o/

*My husband is still the greatest ever! :o/

*I washed his Digital Voice Recorder today in the washing machine. :o/

*He didn't get upset with me. In fact, I don't remember him ever getting really upset with me. :op

*Evan sounds hoarse.

*God answered a prayer for us last night. I prayed that Erin would have peace and go on to sleep (she has been waking up several times in the night being scared of the dark). She slept all. night. long. She also had a sinus infection beginning yesterday and she was fine today. God is SOOO good. The good part is I really felt like God was answering the prayer when I prayed it. It was really neat.

*I washed a mountain of dishes today. I also bleached my counters.

*I didn't sweep my front porch and sidewalk.

*My van is still a wreck on the inside.

*I got yet another piano student.

*It seems payday will never come. :o/

*I'm excited about Sunday when our new pastor takes presidence.

I need to go to bed now so maybe I can stumble out of bed and not fall asleep during my prayer!!

Tuesday's Topic--Criticism

Today I felt like blogging about something I struggle with--criticism of others. In fact, I think it is a characteristic that plagues women a lot more than it does men. I feel this is because women like to size themselves up to others and we like to size others up to ourselves. How do we measure up to others? How do others measure up according to our standards?
Now there are several meanings of criticism, but the one to which I'm referring is this: "The act of passing judgement; faultfinding." How many times do we find fault? How many times do I find fault in others?

There are two ways of criticizing (using the definition I stated above). One way is verbally and the other is mentally, in our minds. I really don't know which one I do the most. It is easier to criticize others when you are around certain people. If you are around your friends and those with whom you feel most comfortable, you might be more at ease to 'speak your mind' and get an affirmation from that person than say, a stranger. It might even seem fun. Our minds seem to be 'to ourselves' so we can criticize all day and no one will ever know. Right? :o/

How does criticism make us feel? At first, it makes us feel good because we are A. elevating ourselves above others and B. covering our own faults by revealing another's. What happens after the 'high' is gone? We start feeling like we probably said too much, or we probably should've not said some of the things we said. If one feels like this after criticizing, that's good. It means there is still a conscience! :o)

What does the Bible say about criticizing? A lot. Here are a few verses that I really need to commit to memory and pray the Holy Spirit will bring them to mind when I'm tempted to criticize:
The famous one: Matthew 7:1-5

Matthew 7
1Judge not, that ye be not judged.
2For with what judgment ye judge, ye shall be judged: and with what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you again.
3And why beholdest thou the mote that is in thy brother's eye, but considerest not the beam that is in thine own eye?
4Or how wilt thou say to thy brother, Let me pull out the mote out of thine eye; and, behold, a beam is in thine own eye?
5Thou hypocrite, first cast out the beam out of thine own eye; and then shalt thou see clearly to cast out the mote out of thy brother's eye.

Now some liberals today will say that this means tolerance for everything and everyone. This is not what these scriptures mean. The Bible went on to say in verse 16, "Ye shall know them by their fruits". As true Christians, we should be able to observe others and tell by their fruits what they are. "A good tree cannot bring forth evil fruit". I think these scriptures are referring to fault finding. How many times to we criticize others for things that we are guilty of as well? Could it be that we can't see our own faults? Proverbs 30:12 says, "There is a generation that are pure in their own eyes, and yet is not washed from their filthiness." I want to see my faults. I pray the Lord will reveal them to me so I can crucify the flesh in specific areas.

Has being critical of others ever resulted in your getting into trouble? It has me. Especially when I was a teenager or younger. I would criticize someone with another and they would go back and tell them--you know the game. Proverbs 21:23 says, "Whoso keepeth his mouth and his tongue keepeth his soul from troubles". I think about the trouble I could've spared myself if I had've kept my mouth shut. :o?

There are several additional scriptures in Proverbs that I could blog about, but for the sake of time I'll just mention the above.

How can we keep ourselves from finding fault? Crucify, crucify, crucify! Deny yourself the 'pleasure' of finding fault in others. It will take the Holy Spirit helping you AND practice. Start with your thoughts. YOU have control over them, ultimately. When you think negatively about someone, ask God to help you replace that thought with something good. When you've done this for a few days, you will find yourself doing it verbally. If you feel you MUST say something regarding someone, tell it to your husband-- if it is just something you can't get off of your mind and it is more of an 'issue' instead of fault finding.

Have I arrived? NO! The Lord is working on me though. Oh, and I thank Him so much. My prayer has been lately a fervent one: Lord, help me to crucify the flesh DAILY, minute by minute, hour by hour. We must 'die to self' to allow Christ to ultimately REIGN and live in our hearts. The work He wants to do can't be done if we are living to and for self.

I'll leave us with this scripture: "Pleasant words are as an honeycomb, sweet to the soul, and health to the bones" Proverbs 16:24. Have you said anything pleasant about someone lately? Try it. I will--I sure could use some honey! :o)

Have a blessed day! I love all my blog readers! :o)

Monday's My Day

Happy Fall to everyone! I do believe this is my favorite season! I love, love fall. The cooler temps, the crisp air, the pumpkins..ha, I love it! I makes me want to cook a pot of soup, curl up with a good book and a nice comfy blanket and ah...relax and breathe in the fall air!

Well today you get a recap of my day, without pictures. It is a LOT of work to photograph every part of my day so I decided not to today. Maybe I can every other Monday. :o)

My day started early, 5:50 to be exact. The LORD has been waking me up to go to prayer with him for 4 days now. It has been wonderful. This is the miracle: I can't WAIT to get up and have my quiet time with Him. Amazing, huh? I pray that I keep the desire--the Lord has been really so near to me during my prayer time. I can't express what the Lord has done in my (our) lives in the past year. He's become so near to me! Anyway....:o) I had my prayer and Bible reading from Ezekiel 21-25...fairly interesting stuff. Emory actually woke up first and then the other 2 soon followed thereafter. My Dear one was sent off to work, bless him. I piddled around some, cleaned the bathroom, which should've taken me 5 minutes, but took me 30 because all of the kids were awake and demanding Mom's attention. I'm sure you know how it is. :o) Breakfast was eggs and grits, the kids had applesauce as well. Then, we set to work.

Now, how are Monday's at your place?? I don't do a whole lot on Sundays (most of the time not even making beds) so my house really needs straightening on Monday, especially the bedrooms. I don't do laundry on Sat and Sun so I have a huge pile of laundry usually by Monday, which dwindles down throughout the week.

This morning I gave my oldest two Four chores apiece to complete before we got started on our usual routine. Erin had to bring the trash to the big can, clear off the breakfast dishes from the table, wipe off the table, and take some blankets to her room. Emory had to take sheets to the laundry room, put them in the washer and begin the wash, and then they helped me move some books that had been sitting on the laundry room floor (for months!) to a 'new' bookshelf. I can't remember the other chore I had him do. Anyway, they were very helpful today. They played outside for a pretty good while, I hung my sheets out on the line and played with them some. Evan napped and we did our Devotions and read our chapter in Black Beauty. Emory started his school work for the day and did Spelling and Math. Erin colored a few pictures I printed off the internet for her.

All this worked up an appetite and I wanted to reward us for working hard, so we decided to make a cake. We (Emory and I did most of the work) made a Coconut Pound Cake, which is really yummm! I didn't let it cool long enough so it stuck to the pan some, but it's still good. Meanwhile, I fixed us some lunch which was frozen pizzas and chips. It was so not healthy, but we have a tendency to not eat healthy on the second week after grocery shopping. I run out of the healthy stuff and have to get cheap junker food. LOL.

After lunch, we had our 10 minute pickup which turned into a 10 minute pickup for the Living Room and a 10 or 15 minute pickup for the kids' bedroom. It was a disaster! In honesty it probably took longer. The kids were pretty helpful, of course, stopping every few minutes to play with a distraction. :o)

Erin took a nap and we started on our part two of homeschooling. We like to sit out on the porch and do the reading Lesson because Evan will play on the porch while we do school. Emory is on lesson 52 and doing great. I catch him trying to read other books now. It is so exciting that he is learning to read--I've always been so nervous and scared that I wouldn't be able to teach my child to read. Anyway, we were silly during the reading lesson. He learned the word, 'fog' and kept calling it 'fig' so I would make up sentences that used the word 'fog' but say 'fig' instead. For example, The ship blew the fig horn to warn other ships OR "I can't see because of the fig". It was funny and silly. Of course with 5 year olds, Once Silly, Always Silly. LOL For awhile, at least. We did Language (still on Proper/Common Nouns). He had to write down 3 family or friends' names to show capitalization in Proper Nouns and he chose me! :o) I was #3 on his list, but he still chose me. :o)

I kept falling asleep during the schooling (it really isn't boring, I was just sooo sleepy) so I decided to let Emory play on PBS kids while I took a nap. So I curled up on the couch and took a 20 minute nap (set my trusty timer). When I awoke, we got everyone loaded up to go meet daddy. Our trip was to Lowe's to get some bathroom faucets for our tub and sink. It was fun picking out something. We got faucets that cost in the middle of the road. Next was a trip to get diapers and then to get something to eat (Mexican). We looked around Petco for the kids and Em and I stayed at the Mice cage for the longest...laughing at the mice fighting over food and this one mouse kept getting stuck under the wheelie thing. It was a hoot.

Ev sacked out on the way home, after a little mama's milk and a diaper change. He is doing so much...saying, "See Daddy?" and just really getting involved. His latest thing this week is throwing everything into the garbage can. I have found a variety of objects in there lately! :o)

Well it's getting pretty late, but I wanted to check in. Hope I didn't bore you to tears--it's a lot more fun with pictures, isn't it? Well, you have a good night. God Bless!

Simple Saturday

Well my mom had my children today (she gets the itch to keep them every 2 weeks or so) and I had many, many things I wanted to get done. I relaxed a little bit here and there, but basically, I was full fledge all day long. I cleared off some of the clutter from the front porch, swept behind chairs and benches, bleached the swing and the wood around the screened in porch, washed and dried my living room/dining room curtains, swept and mopped, wiped out my window sills, but my biggest project today was the shelf in the picture above. For several months now (could it have been a yr?), it has been husband's drop-off place. Now, I really didn't mind because a man's gotta have a place for his stuff and we just haven't designated a place. So picture knives, guitar picks, receipts (oh, tons of receipts), change (lots of coins), and etc. etc., in front of this beautiful crystal. That's the before picture. Check out the finished product! Now if I can keep it that way. Please share with me where you hubby keeps his stuff.....I'm thinking about a cabinet all to himself. :o)

I enjoyed my Saturday! It was just a simple Saturday.

Have a nice Lord's Day tomorrow.

Friday's Fotos

How are you and your's this day? God has been so good to our family. I woke up early and sought the Lord and He is so faithful.

Here is a little reflection of our week. Today we went to the park and it wasn't too good--there were too many mosquitos and poor Evan fell into an ant bed and got several bites on his hand and leg! I was right there with him, grabbed him up and started brushing off like a mad woman. He didn't cry, and my hopes is that they won't itch him since he isn't messing with them.

1. First photo is of Emory and his first art project! I have it up in his room--it looks so good.

2. My cowgirl and all her beauty!

3. One of Erin's block creations--I love looking at the intricate details of the animal pens and the arrangement of the animals--Look at the men! I guess they are the night watchers sleeping on the job??? :o)

4. Just a pic of my living room--I rearranged the chairs this morning and I thought it looked really good. I don't know why I didn't do this arrangement earlier!

5. Evan at the park..what a cutie!

Happy Friday to you--have a great weekend!

Thursday's Tip

Just a small tip before I head to bed....

If you don't have a timer, get you one! You can use your cell phone or stove timer as well. Set your timer for everything! Pick your least favorite chore and set your timer to complete the task in increments. For example, I really don't like washing dishes. So, I will set the timer for 15 minutes and wash. When the timer goes off, I will go get on the computer or do something else for 10 or 15 minutes. I then will go back to the dishes, etc. until the job is finished. You must obey the timer, tho! :o)

If the house has just gotten a little unkempt, set the timer for 10 minutes...you will be amazed at what you can pick up and straighten in 10 minutes time. Sometimes I will even set the timer to read the Bible.

It is a handy tool. You can get one at the dollar store!

Wednesday's What's Going On?

Another Wednesday...time to post about what's going on at our house!

Let's see...

FALL is coming!!! It was really, really cool yesterday morning and this morning. I love it and say, Bring it on!

My wonderful husband has been working on the ongoing bathroom remodeling this week. I'm really not in a hurry to get it finished, there is no reason to be stressed over it--we have an extra bathroom.

My husband picked up a stray puppy (that's a way to get into my heart..:o) last week and we thought he was a woe be gone mutt. I took him to the vet last Friday to have him checked out, etc., and it turns out that he is a Catahoula Cur breed. He is a sweet, playful pup. His name is Tender Foot. :o) So, now with 3 cats and a dog, whew, it's getting crowded in the animal dept. :o)

My husband and I and our two great friends (husband and wife) sing together and have had several invitations to sing at different churches. We so enjoy singing together. We have a singing this coming Sunday.

I have another piano student which makes for a total of 4. I said I wouldn't take over 5. I really enjoy it and it's a good way to make a little extra money. God is so good. Dear hubby has picked up a guitar student too.

I joined a Sewing Club that will meet a couple times a month. I cut out my first pattern today. Isn't that crazy? My mother, the excellent seamstress and her daughter, who can barely sew on a button. :o) I have a cloth diaper pattern that I'm taking next week. I can't WAIT to make my own cloth diapers. Maybe then I'll actually use them. ;o) Anyway, it's a good time to get out and just enjoy sewing! :o)

Evan is officially walking now. He doesn't even crawl anymore. He is tee-teeing in his potty an avg of twice per day.

Well, I guess that's the bulk of what's been going on. Hope you'll drop me a line to let me know what's been going on in your house!

Homeschooling..

Homeschooling is going really great. I am a teacher by profession, but more of one by heart. And the fact that I'm getting to teach (guide) my child(ren) is just the best feeling ever. I'm thankful several times a day for God allowing me and speaking to me about staying at home. It is my calling and I'm so glad I yielded to the call. I love everyday. Somedays are monotonous (sp?) and I really love the dependability of the days. But, anyone who has kids can tell you that there are really and truly zero monotonous days with small kids. Every day is so different and sweeter than the day before. I love being on a schedule, *knowing* what happens next in our day. The children know also and it keeps them from getting a little antsy and crazy. :o) We are not on a tight schedule, as in, "Oh, it's 9:30 on Thurs and I've got to scrub toilets this very minute". LOL In fact, I more than likely won't get to scrubbing toilets until I notice a line in the commode or start smelling urine. :o) But, I don't CARE!!! :o) My house is tidy and cozy and thanks to a couple of 10 minute pickups during the day, it stays fairly neat. We have a lot of fun, though. It's not *all* fun and games--I have to cook, sweep, laundry, yes, blessed laundry, etc., but I usually don't get too busy that I can't stop for a hug, a squeeze, a kiss, a little tag, you're it!

Back to homeschooling... In Spelling, Emory is just reviewing writing his letters now. I've had to really redirect him on this for somehow a few of his letters have been learned incorrectly. It would be so easy and less stressful for me to let him do it the way he's been writing them, but I don't want to water a seed of laziness or 'just anything will do' attitude. So, we've been writing correctly and rewriting correctly. :o) Math is still very easy for him now. He is just counting and writing how many, matching the number to the word, etc. It's a breeze. Reading is going good...we are halfway through our Reading book. I'm so excited to be finished and have him reading small books on his own! Language is through the Well-Trained Mind series and it is awesome. He has memorized one poem already and has learned the definition of a noun, how to distinguish between a common and a proper noun, etc. WOW. I taught fourth grade and I remember teaching that stuff! History is the same curriculum and it is advanced. This week he has learned about the Fertile Crescent, the first farmers, and the Egyptians. Guess who is learning with him??? Yup. ME!! We are memorizing scripture as well and are finally through with Psalm 1. :o)

You know today I was sitting there watching him work and what popped into my head was a thought that went something like this, "You know if I were teaching (or any teacher) out of this book, we would get about 3/4ths finished and the rest of the book would just be for naught." I have never finished a textbook in a schoolyear. I don't remember finishing one while I was in school. That is another huge plus about homeschooling. You can finish the schoolbooks. You can take your time, learn, and soak it ALL in. We can read all of our history book. It doesn't matter if we are still working on it next year--it won't be cast aside because it's a new year, time to get new books--we can finish it!

It still only takes us probably a little over an hour to do our schoolwork. It's amazing. I'm amazed. It shows me how much of traditional school is really devoted to learning. I think about a dear very intelligent student of mine I had last year in my class. She would finish early, rarely ever made under a 100 and spent most of her free time reading. At home, she wouldn't have to worry about the pressures of making a 100 and could advance herself without fear. She would get all of her subjects done in an hour or less. Think about that.

Another thing that I've been think on in regards to homeschooling is that I see a huge bond that has been created between me and my son. We are so close now and have such a special relationship! Little silly things we share, special praises for a job well done, he knows what I expect and I can see him trying hard to please me, it's just all good.

Daily I thank God for my calling and for my life right this moment.

Monday's My Day

Yesterday I did a "My Day" post. This is a typical day for us. To enjoy this photo session, scroll all the way down until you see, My Day Part one. You will have to read from the bottom up. I'm sorry for this and worked hard to prevent this, but it still happened.

Thanks for looking!
Have a blessed day,
Natural Mama

Wow...part 7??

Time to get the sheets on the kids beds too! They will sleep like angels tonight. :)

Ms. Snackeroo has to have some applesauce for a late night snack!

Our last little bather for the night!

Time for bed and time for mom to hit the kitchen with a vengence!

The kitchen is clean and it is 11:10...mom has been taking breaks to work on her blog. Little One woke up for some Mama's milk! Hope you enjoyed our day.

We sure did. God is so good. I'm am the most blessed. Ah....

Pt Six

Let's put all the dishes in the sink. Wait are there some from the weekend too?? Well, I think I'll put them off a little bit longer. Go outside and play with the kids a bit. It's such a cool fall evening.

My mother in law comes over to show us the Saddleback Caterpillar that put my FIL in deep misery by its excrutiating sting! Interesting, huh?

Daddy works in the bathroom, our ongoing project. We are finally getting somewhere. He is such a hard worker!

Evan runs around with "Wocket in my Pocket" for about 10 minutes. It is so cute. I had been reading to the kiddos, so he wanted to show me that he could read by himself! :)

The bed is *finally* made--a couple of hours before it is time to crawl in...the freshly laundered sheets will feel lovely tonight!

Monday pt 5

More bedding to go on the line....(Don't you just love seeing clothes and especially, quilts, hanging on a clothesline. It is such therapy for me.)

Sneaking in a few minutes of play time with Evan.....(this cat has hardly ever been touched by anyone..he is pretty wild...but Evan is determined to close in on him one of these days)

Oops, 4:00, better set out something for supper...how about yummy salmon?

Time to fold.........

**This is the transition time in our home...the kids wake up, mom is recharged and refueled, Evan starts getting fussy because he is getting sleepy again, but it is too near bedtime to put him down. Erin wakes up and immediately goes out to check on and play with her new kitten, Mr. Chief. Emory wakes up via Mama and gets on his scooter. He then decides he would like his 30 minute *Entertainment* time, so he is allowed 30 minutes to play his gameboy. Meanwhile, Evan is on the counter some, on the floor some, etc., and I'm making a delicious supper for my wonderful family.***

Here it is: Salmon marinated in Soy sauce, peppered down really good, Home fries, and Sauteed Squash. Simple but satisfying.

Monday Pt 4

This is Erin, making her nest.

Boy, History, Language, and History can make one tired (you should've seen me in the pic with him--I tuckered out for a few minutes after cuddles)

Drug myself off of the couch for my Bible reading, Jeremiah 50-52. Did I really finish Jeremiah today?!? Woo hoo

Little one is awake and we settle down in the back so not to awaken the sleeping beauties. He in his rocker, sharing a few raisens while I fold a bit of surprise laundry that I discovered in the dryer from last week. :)

Monday's My Day Part 3

Somewhere in here I spent about 30-45 minutes cleaning up the kids' room (with their help). It had gotten awful over the weekend!! You could barely see the floor. Ugh. I had a picture, but it obviously didn't download?

What a nice surprise, Daddy is home for a short visit!!! :o)

I round up a quick dinner, begin making preparations, with my Supervisor sitting on the counter! :o) I don't know how it is at your house during food preparations, but at mine, someone is going to be on the counter every time! LOL Notice that they still aren't really dressed for the day! :o/

Spaghetti, Yurm!! I ran out of reg noodles and had to use some whole wheat elbow noodles..I think I liked it better that way!

Daddy's gone, and life gets back to...hmm...getting in trouble?? See that marker spot on the door..that was Ms. Erin's creativity gone awry! The first 'trouble' incident of the day. Guess it isn't too bad. ha. She did have to scrub it up and clean the rest of the door that she could reach.

Time for some Mama's milk! Erin is resting at this point and Emory is chilling before his Reading and other lessons. (Sorry about the blur of this pic)

Monday's My Day Part 2

Time to get the Living Room back in order...

Recess time while mom hangs out the sheets (even tho it was so not a good day to hang out clothes...very damp and even drizzling rain for a bit)

Let's come in for devotions before Evan wakes up... (Matthew 11:28-30.."Come unto me, all ye who labour and are heavy laden....." and Black Beauty, Chapter five & six...our current read aloud)

Emory does a little schoolwork, Spelling and Math

Monday's My Day Part one

...It's just another Manic Monday!.... :o) Thought I'd share with you my day.

Last night, Evan had a bout of something that had him crying for about an hour--I think it was teething, ears, stomach or maybe all of the above?? I don't know. After some Tylenol and lots of prayer, he went to bed about 2:30. So...we slept until 8:30! Now, I like to get up between 6:30 and 7:00 and get the kids up at 8, but it was dreery out and the night before's events caused me to sleep late. So...we had a bowl of cereal, which I usually save for Sundays. Next, we got all the sheets off the beds. The kids helped rather cheerfully! I was proud. Evan got a diaper change while gnawing on the Tylenol bottle. While I straightened up my room and got dressed, look what transpired in the living room! :o) They had all the pillows and extra blankets for their cave! :o) Here I am dressed for the day. It is a little cool this morning, so I wore a thin sweater like shirt.

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Simple Saturday

A simple day. A simple meal.

Ahhh! I love Saturdays!

Friday's Fotos

Here's a few snapshots of our week!

Emory & Erin dressing up

Erin digging for roly pollies

Evan checking out the trike

My clothes swaying in the breeze...

Thursday's Tip

It's actually early Friday morning, but since I fell asleep on the couch and missed my usual posting session, I'll post now! :o)

Tip for ya:

If you are having trouble with your homeschooler being antsy, unattentive, and even quite bored or disgusted with schoolwork, review what he or she has done entertainment-wise for that day. Any TV? Any Gameboys? Any Highly Stimulating computer time or other activities? Schoolwork doesn't compete very well with those activities. The brain has been stimulated albeit while having to do close to nothing other than letting itself be stimulated and entertained, and now it's having to work! It's shocking to it! What? No moving pictures? No highly colored images? No little men jumping around? No action? Just white paper and wait...I've got to use that yellow long pointed object to put something on that white paper? Wow, that's a lot of work! :o) (That is the brain's dialogue, btw. :o)

Okay, so I've learned my lesson. My Aha moment. No Gameboys, computer time, OR TV until all schoolwork is done. And I've got to balance the entertainment. He doesn't do any probably half as much as *normal* 21st century kids, but still it's probably too much. They only watch a movie on Wednesday's (while I mop) and maybe on the road if we go on long trips. He may chose either gameboy or computer time AFTER his homeschooling session and complete activity for 30-45 minutes.

Just thought I'd pass on that tip for ya. Will be posting some pix for ya tomorrow! :o) Good night, er, morning.

Wednesday's What's Going on...

Well, let's see if I can give a pretty decent mid-week report:

*Homeschool is going GREAT! I love it. It only takes us a little over an hour to do all subjects, not counting our devotion and read aloud. Emory is enthusiastic mostly. I stay on him when he gets lazy, not losing my patience, but gently guiding him and reminding him that he IS going to do his work. :o) He always does it and we have a good time when he does 'pick up his feet'. :)

*Speaking of homeschooling, I went to my first homeschooling mtg in the county and it was ok. It was pretty unorganized, but the president had resigned (b/c she was living in another state trying to run it all while her husband was working construction) during the middle of the yr last school yr, so that was understandable. We talked about several things, but didn't really decide on anything, much. I found about some extracurricular activities I can get Emory involved in, so that was neat (see next paragraph)

*Emory had his first Art class today at our County Extension office. It was pretty fun and way cool. He got to pick a clip art picture to paint on a 11 x14 poster. He chose a still life of a pear. It was relatively easy (I'm so glad he chose that) and he did great. I'll try to remember to post a pic of him and his artwork tomorrow. He will go once a month. They have sewing lessons starting next Wed and I plan to attend that. I have really been wanting to learn to sew. I mean SAHM and sewing goes hand in hand, right? ;o)

*Remember I told you a few posts down about trying EC with Evan? Well, since his first birthday, I'd been taking him to the bathroom after diaper changes, when I see him dry after awhile, etc. Well, he hadn't done anything and I was getting a little slack. I would just take him before bathtime. Monday night before bathtime, I noticed that he was still dry and it had been awhile since I had changed him. I sat him on the potty and he went! I was ecstatic!! He has gone FOUR other times on the potty since Monday night! :o) Woo-hoo

*Erin's funny of the week happened tonight. Our friend and current fill-in preacher was preaching about the 'Truth" and was near the end of his msg. Erin looked up at her grandmother and said, "Well I love the truth, but I don't want to learn the truth" :o) Cute (for now..hopefully she WILL want to learn it later).

*I have a slight sinus infection this week. I have soaked two tissues since I've been on the internet tonight. Ugh! I'm using the nasal spray, Xlear, and it sees to be opening up my sinus passages a bit.

*My husband got a good evaluation this week and gets a 2 step raise!! Woo-hoo. Praise God for that!

*Evan is walking everywhere and is cutting his 'eye' teeth. Yikes. It hasn't been pretty. :o)

*We have a new pastor, voted in Sunday night. We are pretty excited. :o)

I have truly enjoyed our week and all its busyness! Have a great rest of the week!

Nature Seens...

I forgot to tell you all what came in my yard on Friday morning. I was wiping off the table and saw a cat stratching on our pear tree. So, I ccall my kiddos to come look at the orangy cat. It must've heard me because it turned around and stared at me. I knre instantly it wasn't a normal cat. Especially when it started walking away. I told my son to go get me the phone and he did. I called my husband and told he what we had seen and he said it sounded like a cougar. So, me believing it to be a cougar, went and loaded us into the van to go look up towards my neighbor's house. When we got up there it was there on the edge of the woods and when it saw me it sprang into the woods. Right after we got home, my husband arrived. We haven't seen it again, I don't think. Today as I was hanging clothes out on the line, I saw something in the trees, moving around and big enough to cause the limbs to lean over (I'm pretty sure it wasn't a squirrel). It had a blondish, long tail. It was pretty far down in the woods, but it caused enough commotion for me to notice. Anyway, a guy that works with my husband called the game warden and described it to him. He said it wasn't a cougar (they are endangered), which I knew it wasn't after I looked the animal up on the internet. Anyway, the man said it was called a Jaguarundi which is native to Central America (or maybe South?). Anyway, he said someone had brought a few up here and several ppl have been spotting them around the area. He said they aren't aggressive and like to eat things like small dogs,etc...?? I mean, if one will eat a small dog, it might eat a small child! :/ Well, the description fits to a T. It was a little larger than a house cat, definitely not more than 20 pounds, longer, and the whiskers were more prominent than a house cat. The tail was as long or longer than its body. Anyway, interesting, huh? We have being really careful going outside! :/

The next animal I saw was yesterday while cutting grass. This little arachnid, I think, was just God being extra creative and humorous! :o) I showed it to the kids today and we DID have a camera this time (didn't have one for the jaguarundi). It didn't show up very well, though, so I'm just going to get a pic from the web. We looked it up on the internet for Science, and it's called a Yellow Smiley face Crab Spider! Cool, huh??

God has given me an extra dose of contentment today! I'm so happy staying home and taking care of my children. It just feels so right, yk? He's given me patience and wisdom and I so don't deserve His goodness. I hope He continues!! :o) I want for nothing today! God's blesses are abundant and so meaningful to me. I was praying today and I said, "Lord, so many times you've given us material things (tangible, I think that's the right word) and they have been soo helpful..money, etc. But, I'm especially thankful today for the intangible things...patience, wisdom, love, virtue, etc." There is nothing more fulfilling than being in God's will!!

Well, it's hamburger steak tonight and I'd better go get started. Got a 6:00 piano student. :o)