Happy New Year

There is something very exciting about a new year. For many I think it is about putting the last year behind and having a fresh start. All the things that did not turn out the way we thought they would, all the things we messed up on, all the undone “things”, broken resolutions all of it, we get to put it behind us and get a fresh clean New Year!

We start this New Year setting new goals and making new promises or resolutions as we like to call them. We start the year off with such great intentions, loosing weight, spending more time with the kids, being a better wife and mother, reading the Bible through cover to cover, never missing a church service the list goes on and on. However I think we are often setting ourselves up for failure. Don’t get me wrong, I think goals and the evaluation of our life is important but we must do it correctly. God must be at the heart of each of those goals. We must seek what he wants for us in the coming year and ask God to help us reach those goals. I have slowly learned that the goals God has for me are far better than any I would set for myself.

1. Philippians 4:6 “Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God. Seek the Lord daily in all things.” Make sure you are not filling your life with things that do not glorify the Lord or have his will for you in mind.

2. Matthew 6:33 “But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.” Seek God this year first in all you do and you will find that everything else will follow. Being in Gods will is the best place to be, He desires to make you happy and only wants the very best for you.

3. Ephesians 5:22-24 “Wives, submit yourselves unto your own husbands, as unto the Lord. For the husband is the head of the wife, even as Christ is the head of the church: and he is the saviour of the body. Therefore as the church is subject unto Christ, so let the wives be to their own husbands in every thing.” Set your goals with your husband, in doing so he can help direct you in areas that Lord has shown him you need help in and he can help keep you accountable.

4. 1John 1:9 “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” You do not have to wait until the first of the year to have a fresh start, if you are a born again believer each day can be a fresh clean start. Simply go to the Lord sincerely and seek his forgiveness.

I pray that each lady who visits our site this year will have a very happy Christ filled New Year.

Changing to Sonlight

At least partially. Sydney has been using Sonlight for several years in everything except math and English and I used it with all three when Syd was in third grade. I have to admit that was one of my favorite years to homeschool, that and when we used Five in a Row. We all still laugh about the book King Georges Head Was Made of Lead.

We stopped using Sonlight the year I had to work full time in nursing. I just could not seem to work full time, take care of the house, and homeschool with Sonlight. That year we changed to Switched on Schoolhouse. I did not particularly like it but having the lessons plans done and no grading allowed us to continue homeshooling while I worked and Scott was in college. After two years of that I noticed a big decline in the kids reading of books and their handwriting. We then started using Bob Jones Homesat. I have thoroughly enjoyed that and so have the kids but the history is boring to them and moves at a fast pace while cramming in so much info they find it hard to remember much a few weeks after taking the test.

So with all that in mind the boys will stop using BJU in history and litterateur and start using Sonlight. They will both use the same set for this year and then next year Ray will move to the American Govt./Civics. Sydney has taken two years with it and enjoyed the books immensely with only a few exceptions. I have chosen to leave out a few of the books they suggested because of content such as A Tree Grows In Brooklyn. Most of the other stories and writing assignments have been thought provoking and enjoyable for her and hope that the boys will feel the same way.

If you have never looked into Sonlight you can do so here. It is not for everyone and some of the books are questionable but just like anything you are the parent and you can pick and choose what to use. Another book I will be using with the boys is called All through the Ages by Christine Miller, it is a compilation of book titles in each time period. I will choose extra books from it to supplement the reading and to give Ray some more challenging stories to read. We will also use our transparency projector and butcher block paper to make large maps and a timeline to hang on the wall, they will then fill in the map information that goes along with each story. To us it helps to have a visual of where all these places are in relation to each other and helps them with their geography.

We have always desired for the kids to enjoy learning and not simply the memorization of facts, all though that does have its time and place. I truly feel that sliding back into Sonlight with the boys will be a great move and make school more enjoyable for us all and I have found when the enjoy it they remember more. There is nothing that can compare to curling up on the couch with a good book, even if it is a school book.

Where Does A Homeschooler Do School?

Anywhere they want to

Home and Resting

Her wisdom teeth are gone! Everything went very well and the staff treated us wonderful. The consent form I had been fretting and upset over was simple and today they were very sweet about it.

Sydney went back around 9:30am, they let me stay in while they started the iv and then I was sent back to the waiting room. Sydney was very calm and that helped me! Truly, you would have thought they were taking mine out as tense as I felt.

Within 20 minutes they came and got me to sit with her while she woke up. Syd was pretty disoriented and one of the side effects of the medication is crying so seeing her like that was not easy for me but God stepped in, calmed me, and reminded me that the worse part was over and he had been there all along!

She was pretty fuzzy on things until around 2:00 when the medication wore off and the pain set in. She has pain medication and an antibiotic so for the most part she is now resting some what comfortably.

Thank you for all your prayers!

On Our Way Out

We are getting ready to leave for the dentist so Syd can have her wisdom teeth pulled. She is very calm and seems to have no apprehensions; I pray it stays that way. I will let you know how it went later today, if you think about it please pray that all will go well and that an infection does not set in.

Sassy Apron

Sydney and I participated in the Sassy Apron Swap this past month and had a great time! This was a first for both of us and we had a great time.

At first I had a hard time picking fabric because I kept thinking about some fabric I had at home and wanted to find something close to it. Finally I came to the conclusion that since that fabric kept coming to mind that I should just go ahead and use it. Part of me felt like I needed to go and buy something just for the swap but in the end I was glad I use the gingerbread man fabric.

The theme was holiday/winter so this fabric fit perfectly to me and my partner likes to cook/bake. I also sent a gingerbread man cookie cutter and Christmas tree ornament. I truly had a great time putting this together for her and hope to participate in another swap soon.

Please excuse the crooked photo, it was late when I got one of my kiddos to snap it.

The Loss Of Wisdom

The loss of wisdom... teeth. Last Wednesday I took Sydney to meet with the oral surgeon and he confirmed what we knew, she needs to have her wisdom teeth pulled. She only has the bottom two so that will ease the pain some and they will be using anesthesia so she will be unaware of what is happening.

Please pray that Sydney's mouth heals quickly and with very little pain and that no infection sets in.

One thing we did not expect was that she has to take a pregnancy test prior to having the surgery. I understand the risk and liability they are up against and that in today's society they have to cover themselves however I expected when we explained that Sydney has chosen abstinence until marriage they would understand instead the nurse looked pretty perplexed and proceeded to tell me I would have to sign a refusal waiver. I smiled and said okay but it just seems unfair. When the nurse took me up front to schedule the surgery she very loudly stated "she will need to sign the refusal waiver", as if I was a problem parent and not cooperative.

How would you have handled it? Would you have paid for a test that insurance does not cover especially when you knew it was un-needed? Any ideas how we can turn this into a positive when we go in for the surgery and sign the waiver?

Rays 16th Birthday

Rays 16th birthday was last Monday and we had a great time of celebration! I meant to get a post up that day but I had to be careful of what I wrote because everything planned was a SURPRISE!

Ray is not one for surprises, although he loves to give them, so I was unsure how things would be receive by him.

When Scott got home he told Ray to get dressed the three of us were going out. Ray had several guesses as where but they were all wrong which was pleasing to us.

We took him to Texas De Brazil which is located downtown very close to our favorite library so at one point Ray thought we were taking him to the library for his birthday.

Once we got close to the restaurant and he could see the flaming torches on the wall outside the restaurant he knew, his face lit up and he smiled sooo big. It was worth the planning and cost just to see his face outside the restaurant; once we got inside his smile turned to a look of being overwhelmed. The restaurant is huge and everything in it seems over sized and grand, it is overwhelming to me too.


Scott and I have been several times but this was Ray first time and he truly enjoyed it! Ray is very much a carnivore and since we had to almost completely stop eating red meat earlier this year because of Scott's gall bladder Ray has often mentioned "missing Meat".

We had made reservations so we were seated quickly and when making the reservations they asked the occasion so our hostess and wait staff knew it was Ray's birthday and each told him Happy Birthday.

After Ray had his fill of food they brought him his birthday slice of cake and although he insisted he had no room for it he managed to get it down.

When we arrived home Ray was in for another surprise, his sister and brother had decorated the house and had his gifts on the table for him. We each got Ray one of the books in the Eragon series so he now has all three and a bookmark that has the dragon on it.

I truly could not have asked for a better night with everyone especially since I know we did what we set out to do, make a wonderful memory for Ray to cherish. You see Scott and I had purposed a few years back that we did not want to just get the kids gifts for the sake of having something to open, we wanted to give gifts that would include/create a lasting memory.

While we were eating Ray looked at me and said "I think this is my best birthday ever, I will never forget tonight". He then went on to add the night with us in a very grown up restaurant was better than any gift. I smiled and asked any? His reply was "yes, I have everything I want for the most part and this is something that will last forever". All I could think was perfect!


Be sure to stop back by later in the week for my post on giving memories not gifts. I hope to give you some creative ways to give gifts that create lasting memories.

This Weeks To Do List

Lately I have been putting things off that need done and I know that if I do not get busy I will soon feel overwhelmed. I am hoping that by posting my to do list here I will feel a little urgency to get this stuff done and marked off.

Sometimes it seems like when I was working full time outside the house I was able to get so much more done inside and outside the house.

So here it goes in no particular order:

1. Clean up sewing patterns
2. Clean laundry room up (it's not dirty but it does need swept and some buckets I dug through need straightened up
3. Clip and put up extra coupons
4. Finalize Rays birthday party plans
5. Go through and clean out magazines (FLylady would be so upset to see my pile)
6. Vacuum out truck (I hate a dirty truck almost as much as Scott does)
7. Work on my website (inserting a shopping cart takes waaaaaay to long)
8. Fix linen closet (how do the towels go in straight and then end up all over the place?)
9. List items on e-bay
10. Finish up pile of aprons and list on e-bay
11. Start working on decorating plans for winter and Christmas
12. Work with Syd on her graduation plans. I want everything done by February/ March at the latest.
13. Grocery shopping: CVS, Walgreens, Target, and Kroger
14. Get the last of our winter things out, washed and ready to use.

Ok, I think that is enough for now. I plan to get started on the coupons in a few minutes because I have several shopping trips planned for later today.

Being Frugal Can Come Back to Haunt You

Yes, sad but true... being frugal can come back to haunt you and when it does it is not pretty. Remember those cute little kittens I told you about us finding? Well we only have two left and one will be living her permanently. Yes, as in this is its new home.

I was very clear from the beginning we would care for them until a home could be found, I NEVER intended it to be our home. So I know you are asking what does this have to do with being frugal? Everything!!!! You see my daughter has learned to thoroughly investigate everything prior to even thinking about asking us for it or to do it and these kittens would be no different.

She started in with how cute they are, how soft they are, how cuddly they are, and how much fun they would be; I smiled and nodded trying not to even touch the subject; this went on for about two weeks. Then last week she smiled tilted her head while snuggling one and asked what the chances of keeping one were. I gave her a sympathetic grin and said listen honey mommy likes them too but we have a dog, a really big dog and well dogs and cats do not mix. Oh, but she had found that indeed they can with gently persuasion and patience. Next is where the frugalness comes in... I said besides you know pets are expensive. You have food, toys, treats, vet bills, and shots the list just goes on and on. I should have known she would have an answer to that too. She smiles inocently and proceeds to say $500; the average cost is $500 a year to care for a cat she spouts out.

I laugh... Sydney dear, mom and dad are not spending that kind of money on another pet and I am sure you do not want to either, remember your car and college fund? Then its her turn to laugh.. I won't have to really spend that much, I will coupon it. (That's our term around her for anything we will use coupons on.) She had been scanning cat food prices and coupons and determined it will be very feasible to stock up on sales combined with coupons to get free food. Ok, food under control what about the vet? She had decided to use the low cost clinics that set up at the feed store for vaccinations and am area clinic does low cost spaying and neutering. That still leaves toys for the darlings. I should have know my frugal zealot would have that figured out too, her room now has an empty cracker box, empty thread spools and material balls strewn about it. I guess she is well on her way to caring for her baby and maintaining her family tradition of being frugal.


In all seriousness, I am very proud of her. We did not intend to keep one but they have won our hearts. Izzy will be staying and Gus will be going to live in the country with a friend of Sydney's from work as soon as he is about 8 weeks old.

Sydney has managed to stock up 4 bags of kitten food totaling 15 pounds for free thanks to the great deals last week at Petco, thanks to Kroger's triple coupons she received 8 cans of moist food for free and a cute litter box with a lid, liners and scoop cost her $10 on sale after her coupon. All in all she has done great and seeing her compare deals, read labels and put all that economics/financial math to work makes homeschool parents proud, proud enough to even let a kitten live here :)

It doesn't hurt that she looks pretty cute with them all snuggled up on her lap.

Vote

Following God, Not Momma

I have debated several weeks now on rather or not to write this post and last night decided I would in hopes of maybe helping / encouraging someone else who may be facing this same issue.

You see, a month or so ago Sydney and I were talking casually about clothes, hair and stuff. You know casual girl talk. Then out of the blue she said "what do you think about head coverings?" What do I think about head coverings? Yeah, head coverings. I laughed a little and said you mean like Amish type things? I guess I have never taught about them, why? Then it came..."do you think we should wear them?" Well... obviously I don't think we should or we would.

Then I go for it and ask "why, do you think we should"? All is silent and finally after what seemed like an eternity she says she does. How could this be? We have never discussed the need for them, I had never worn them, and no one we know wears them except for one family at church. I have to admit I was a little stunned that this had even been going through her mind. The more we talked that night the deeper the conversation got and the more I could see she had really been studying this out. Now most of the time I take great pride in the fact that I have taught my children to dig deep, find out what they need to know and to always seek the truth via the Bible but that night seemed different. How could she be going into this on her own? How could she be developing convictions like this....without me?

Let me be clear I have never had an issue with head coverings but all of a sudden I felt like I did. For days Syd and I talked about why I did not think they were needed and why she felt they were; I must say the whole time she stayed open minded and very sweet spirited about it. I could truly tell she wanted to do what God wanted. We used the Bible and concordance as our first source for information since as Christians that is our authority. After about a week we both agreed to study it out, pray about it and talk again after a week or so. We also both agreed to try and keep an open mind and see the issue from all aspects. I began searching the web, talking to our pastor’s wife and even bought a sermon on head coverings. I prayed constantly for God to show Syd why I was right and she was wrong and to allow her to be persuaded by what I had found.

After a week or so we got back together on the issue, I just knew she would see my points, did she? NO! We finally agreed to talk to Scott and that as the head of the house if he was ok with it I would not say any thing else about it. I just knew he would see MY point of view. Did he? NO! I was shocked, how could he say it was a choice she had to make? I was so frustrated and could not understand why God had not answered my prayer. Why had he not made her see MY point of view and now Scott too?

Scott agrees with me that the Bible teaches a woman's covering is her hair but could see from Syd studying why she thought it could be interrupted as a covering of cloth not hair and that if Syd truly felt like God was calling her to wear them we should not stop her. He felt as if we would do more harm in trying to make her agree on something that is truly a non issue in his eyes. Later he asked me why I was so bothered when this was really nothing that could injure her, it was not unscriptural or bad for her to wear them and he could find no reason to stop her and I truly didn't have a reason either other than it was not needed, that was what her hair was for. I could not answer him with anything reasonable and his question left me feeling puzzled with myself.

Well a few days later I was reading my Bible and started praying to See God's will in a another situation and was suddenly hit with the fact that I never sought Gods Will in the head covering, only MY point of view. When praying about it I wanted what I wanted, not what God wanted for her. After a lot of prayer I realized I was not bothered by the head coverings I was bothered that Sydney is growing up and seeking God's will and that God's will for her may not always be mine. She sought God before me and that is what I want but it was hard to deal with it actually happening. More than anything I have always wanted my kids to seek God, to have a relationship with him and to strive to do His will in their lives. I honestly felt like a failure when I realized how bad I had blown it over something as simple as a head covering, and then I remembered that Gods grace is for the big and small failures in my life and that God brings these things about often to teach us things and make us more CHrist like.

What I learned: First and foremost to humble myself and seek God's will not my own in all things! I still do not feel that I need wear a cloth covering but I am truly at peace with the fact that Sydney does, I have even helped her choose some fabric, find patterns and sew some.

Please note this post is not meant to convince anyone to or not to wear coverings. You can find lots of info on the web about them including outlines that you can cross reference with your Bible. This post is simply to share my experience. If you are struggling with rather or not to wear them and are under your parents authority go to them. I can not stress this enough. Through out this Sydney kept a very humble, meek and obedient heart about the issue. She continuously shared what she had found but always said I will do what ever you and dad decided is best for me. If you are struggling with different convictions from your child seek God humbly and ask him what He wants for your child and be ready to accept it.

Lastly, just to be clear Scott and I would never give in on something that would harm our children or was clearly unbiblical.

Fall Has Arrived In Texas!

I think fall is finally here! I enjoy fall and spring the most in Texas, not too hot, not too cold. When trying to pick a picture for this post I thought about some pretty leaves turning colors but if you have been to Texas you know we have green leaves or dead leaves for the most part so I settled on the gourds and pumpkins.

The temp is in the mid to low 70's, I am able to leave our patio door open,I can actually wear a light jacket and the dog is getting frisky. It's weird when ever the seasons change he gets playful; maybe because he was a winter pup.

A cold front is suppose to come through tonight and drop us down into the upper 60's, of course that will only last a day or so but it will feel good.

Kitty Duty

I am still alive, I promise. These kittens are just a lot of work and suck up more than just my free time; it is like having three newborn babies! Honestly, I have no idea how moms of twins or triplets do it.

Here are two pictures I snapped this morning while they were sleeping.

These two are so plump! Sydney calls the black one Gus-Gus after the mouse in Cinderella, the other one remains nameless.


This is Treky, Vince named him. Treky is by himself this morning because the other two would not let him sleep. Little Treky is the runt and having problems staying warm and eating regularly. The other two try nursing on him every chance they get so this morning we separated him so that he could get some rest.

This is definitely turning into a learning experience for us all!

Well I better try getting some stuff done before they start crying again.

Death and New Life

This week-end has been one filled with life and death. Friday my mom called to let me know she had spoken with my dad. This in itself is unusual, my parents divorced when I was around 10 and after I was about 15 as far as I know they have had very little contact.

He had called her to let her know his mother, my grandmother had died. My brother and I have no contact with him so he asked her to let us know. At first I was unsure how to feel; I never really knew her. I have no pictures of her and I do not think that I ever had my picture taken with her. The thought of that saddened me and then the realization that she would never know my kids or see the woman I have become filled me with some regret. Maybe I should have tried to contact her, despite the fact as a child she seemed to care very little about me. The worst part is that I do remember attending church with her one summer when visiting but have no idea if she was saved. She was raised and raised her children to be Episcopal. They do not put an emphasis on salvation. It is hard to think that I never tried to witness to her. Part of me justifies it with the fact for my safety I have to keep my distance from my father but I have allowed my fear of him to keep me from ever knowing my grandmother and worst of all it has kept me from witnessing to her.

Then later that night while talking to my SIL outside I heard a whimpering sound, I went to check it out but found nothing. A few hours later I could still hear it. The sound was coming from the yard next to us which is a vacant house. I went over the fence and found two abandoned kittens cold and wondering around the best they could. We looked around and did not see a momma cat. We took them in, warmed them up and went to Petco to get kitten formula and bottles. By the time we got home about 4 hours had passed. While feeding them we heard more crying and went back out and found two more; they were cold and pitiful looking. The poor little things were so cold and limp-like. We took them in got everyone warmed up and then the not so easy task of feeding them began.

Friday and Saturday they ate almost every two hours, today (Sunday) they are going about 4 hours between meals. They still have their cords and eyes are shut tight but they sure can cry! For the most part after some rooting around, taking the bottle in and out a few times they latch on and suck away. They are going potty fine and gaining weight. One sad note however is that one of the last ones to be found died today after morning church service. He had never really eaten like the others but we still had hope he would make it. The other three seem very healthy and I think they will be fine.


I know the next few weeks will be a lot of work but seeing them fall asleep with full bellies feels good!

Senior T-Shirt Giveaway

I am so excited about this giveaway that A Pondering Heart is holding. You see last week Syd told be about these shirts, then she e-mailed me a link and then she asked me about a trillion times if I had looked at them. I had but was not really ready to purchase one.

Then today she came out squealing and hopping around asking if I had seen Miss Jocelyns giveaway? OK, maybe she wasn't hopping but she was pretty close to it.

Sydney had been playing around with the idea of making her own but getting a decent transfer that will last is so expensive. These shirts seem almost too good to be true, low cost, high quality and on top of that by purchasing from The Homeschool Boutique you are supporting a homeschool family, now can you beat that? I think not!

So click on over to A Pondering Heart and sign up!

Cheap Date and Lots of Fun!

Scott has had this past week off and for the most part we have spent it working on the house... but not today! Today we took a cheap almost free date. It could have been free but we stopped and ate lunch out.

Armed with our cameras we started off our date with a stop at our local library. They offer passes for a few museums and the log cabin village that can be checked out for a week. The pass gives you unlimited visits during that week to participating museums for you and up to five people. I heart free!!!

Next we went to the botanical gardens and spent about two hours walking around talking and taking pictures.


These turtles looked as if they were really enjoying their sunbathing. No matter how close I got they stayed on their perch.


By the time we finished at the Botanical Gardens we were both ready for lunch. So off to Whataburger it was. Not the healthiest meal but it was GOOD!

Our last stop was The Log Cabin Village

This is a picture leading into the old water mill. The mill actually still runs and they grind flour there for use by the docents. I could not have timed things any better if I had tried, as we were leaving two school buses were unloading to go into the village! Scott and I both looked at each other, smiled and said "just in time".

I know my pictures are not great but I had fun with my hubby!

When A Mother's Heart Aches Part Two

This is part two so if you have not read the first part you may want to do so here.

In the first part I shared with you some of the heart aches I have shared with my children, in this post I hope to give you some ideas on how to deal with some of these issues. I know I am not the only mother out there with kids who have been hurt.

1. The most important one is praying. I can not stress this enough. Without the strength of Jesus Christ I could not survive the heart ache this world gives out!

2. Next encourage your children to pray. God hears their prayers just as much as he hears yours.

3. Allow them live and learn from life. I have sheltered my children from many things but I have not tried to solve all their problems for them. I believe some problems we bring on ourselves, some are from God to grow us and some just happen because of this sin cursed world. No matter the cause we can learn something from them and so can our kids if we let them.

4. Be your child's cheerleader. I can always get Ray to smile after a bad night by simple reminding him I love him and I think he is special! For Vince a glass of cocoa makes the day melt away. Syd, just a few minutes of sitting on her bed with her and chit chatting and she forgets how awful those customers treated her. Did I actually solve anything, no not really but they knew I cared and somehow knowing mom is on their side and cheering for them can erase much of the days negativity.

5. Encourage your children to pray for the people causing the problem, this is not easy but it is Biblical and it works. It is pretty hard to resent someone you are sincerely praying for. Trust me, been there, done that!

6. Surround them with good Godly examples, starting with making sure you are one.

7. Know your child's heart. It is very easy to pick up on their feelings when you know their heart. Each of my children reacts differently to hurt and I can often, not always, but often can spot it before they tell me. A great book on this subject is Romancing Your Child's Heart.

8. Do not allow them to run from problems unless there is a real danger. I have always tried to ask my kids to give a situation at least 30 days of trying it out and praying before quiting an activity.

9. Remind them that not everyone is saved and even those who are, may not have a strong walk with Christ. This is where they can let their light shine.

10. Remind them everyone has bad days and maybe that person was just having one and they happened to be available.

11. When able point out how others may feel about their actions. When I catch one of my kids teasing the other I remind them of how they feel when teased. Even teasing in jest amongst siblings can lead to hurt feelings.

12. Be ready to listen and slow to answer. Sometimes they just want to vent; however do not allow them to depreciate the others involved or allow it to become gossip. Gossip is damaging.

13. Always have open arms; sometimes even for teens a hug can fix a lot!

14. Encourage them to read books on problem solving and dealing with teen issues. A great book to start with is Do Hard Things. Ray was quick to say it helped when thinking about how other kids act and the importance of him doing what is right.

15. Be creative when solving problems. I will not give any examples here to avoid embarrassment but I am sure you can come up with creative solutions. Remember there is always more than one way to solve a problem.

16. Do not underestimate or down grade their problems. What is going on in their life if just as difficult to them as our problems are to us.

17. Love you child for who they are while encouraging them to be all that God wants them to be.


I would love to hear how your family deals with teasing and such. How do help your child deal with the heart aches the world throws out, how do you deal with it?

When A Mother's Heart Aches

"Dare to be different", Stand Strong", "Stand in the Gap", "Stand out for Jesus", "Stand up for Jesus" and many other catchy phrases inundated my children's early / mid childhood. They were quick to want to please their family, church and God so they took these challenges to heart and started applying them. Now let me start by saying they are not perfect and they are not sinless but they do desire to please God and strive to do so.

I have tried to always encourage them to stand up for those who were teased, make friends with the friendless kids, try to include everyone in group activities and most of all be who God made you to be; conformity is overrated! I have never wanted kids who looked like everyone else and acted like everyone else; little did I know my desires to raise them this way would also bring heart ache for them and myself.

Even within the Christian and homeschool society that we function in kids can and are cruel to each other. My kids have been pushed to change their hair, wear different clothes, talk different, pile on the make-up, listen to different music and reject the uncool kids. Most of the time they refused to give in but sometimes like most kids I saw they conform and it hurt; my heart truly ached. Not because they were doing what their friends wanted but because it seamed as if they could not see the value got had created them with. They seemed to loose sight of the fact they were fearfully and wonderfully made with a unique purpose.

I gave subtle hints and gently guided them back to where I felt God wanted them and by the Grace of God they followed and found greater joys.


Sydney has chosen to wear skirts and dresses only, headcoverings, little to no make-up, does not date, enjoys cooking, sewing, knitting and serving God and Her Family. Not to mention she spends time with her brothers, even in public. Not the typical teen girl. It has taken Sydney 17 years to get the where she is and it was not easy. She went through the straighten your curly hair, wear make-up and fashionable clothes stage, flirt, want a boyfriend, don't hang out with your brothers and all the other "cool" stuff but in the end came back to wanting to please God not so called friends. If you ever get time you can read about many of the journeys my oldest has taken to get to where she is, embracing God's desires for her life over the worlds on her blog.

Next is Ray, my oldest son. He was premature and until recently was always pretty small, nothing seems to say easy target as a small boy, why is that? His stance on guarding his eyes has also been a source of ridicule, he has tried to guard his eyes like no boy I know. He has refused to play video games or watch things that seem even remotely immodest. He turns over any magazine that has a bra ad on the back and in our past church refused to look at immodest pictures and told on the "cool kids" who were. You can imagine what that got him. Then once we changed churches he seemed to find a group to hang out with that didn't even mind his kid brother hanging around. I was truly overjoyed to see him with a group of guys that I knew had the same values he did and like him just how he was. However lately he has had issues with being picked on at work. He is working at a reelection campaign headquarters for a State Rep making and planting signs, calling people to remind them to sign up to vote, filling out questionnaires and such. He is enjoying it and is excited to be helping with campaign for a Godly man who has made changes in our state and pray continues to be able to serve. The down side, many other teens are there and they find Ray an easy target. He doesn't wear the right jeans or shoes; his hair isn't perfect and sometimes they just pick to pick. He has talked to one of the older guys and to my relief he has been a great help in reminding Ray that some people are just mean and pick on others to feel better. Somehow hearing that from someone besides mom and dad is reassuring when you are 15. Despite the fact that I know this is a learning experience and that God will continue to give Ray the ability to work through it my heart aches each night that he comes home and says they were at it again.

Then my youngest Vincent, he is skinny, has red hair, is very smart and has a wonderful vocabulary that he uses every chance he gets. He also has a desire to do right no matter what and always follows the rules. Well, when you are 13 all of those things make you stick out and other boys think he is just begging to be picked on.

Nothing breaks as mom's heart like her child's tears!

So what's a mother to when trying to raise children who want to bring honor to God in a world that doesn't? First and foremost I pray... a lot. I pray through out the day for them to have strength and the ability to do what's right by God's standard, not mine, not their dad's, not the cool kids and surely not the world's.

I have another post almost done that I plan to put up Thursday that is a part two to this one. It will give some simple things I have done and encouraged my kids to do to face these problems, and allow them to be building blocks not stumbling stones so... stayed tuned.

What Not To Share

I guess while I busy teaching my kids to share I should have explained to them that there are some things you never share.

Sure I taught them never share: combs, toothbrushes, pillows, hats, cups you know the usual. What I failed to teach them not to share was sick cooties.

First Vince was sick, he shared with Sydney and she so graciously shared it with me. That's right I now have it and I didn't want it!

I am taken extra vitamins, drinking lots of fluids and downing medication as often as I can. Fortunately I do not seem to have it as bad as they did but my nose is still running like a faucet.

The one good thing is so far neither my husband nor Ray has it. I am praying that they stay healthy. Ray has asthma so when he gets sick with any type of nasal or respiratory thing it is not good.

Anyways, I will try to get promised recipes up in the next day or so assuming I do not get worse.

Apron and Bonnet Giveaway

I have been busy the last few weeks making lots of apron and bonnet sets. Some for Halloween, some for field trip but most for play time dress up.

I can still remember when Sydney would play dress up. She always looked so cute and it kept her content for hours. Creative play like that is so much better for children in my opinion than computer games or tv. Instead of being told what to think by an outside source the child is able to roll play using what they have been taught by their family and witnessed being roll modeled to them.

I am so glad my daughter read good books and enjoyed playing pioneer girls with her friends instead of rock star or who know what else tv and the world would have had her embrace.

So in the spirit of cultivating more fun and imaginative play for the little girl in your life I am having an apron and bonnet giveaway. The apron and bonnet will look like the one in the picture however the dress is not included. I will work out the colors with the winner. If you are interested in the set in the picture I have shown it is a set I sell on e-bay and Etsy.

To enter all you have to do is leave a comment with your favorite way to entertain children that does not involve electronics. I will choose two winners on Friday using a random number generator. Be sure to leave me some way to contact you.

Free Tote and Natures Bounty Coupons

Follow this link to sign up to receive a free tote and coupons for Nature's Bounty vitamins. The site shows it will take 4-6 weeks for your tote and coupons to arrive.

These vitamins often go on sale at CVS and Kroger.

Day With My Honey

My mom called yesterday and asked if she could borrow her grandkids for the day today. The kids enjoy being with her and it really brightens her day so off they went at 9:00 am.

Scott and I enjoyed our day picking up some things at Home Depot we needed and then doing some yard work. After the yard work I made baked potatoes in the microwave and then we wrapped them in foil and put them on the grill with some skewered shrimp, they were fabulous!While we ate we watched a movie and chit chatted. The entire day was slow and relaxed even while we worked in the yard and garden.

Thanks mom for watching the kids! They had fun and Scott and I enjoyed our time alone.