Woof Woof!

I'm really wanting this sweetie. I know, it's crazy to get a puppy...especially right before Christmas...to potty train in the winter...when I'd still like to have another baby...but really...who can resist this face??

Oh puppy!

Abundantly Blessed

Welcome back! As you may have noticed, I took a week long blogging break over the holiday and it was heaven! I am so THANKFUL. We are healthy, having chased the last of the flu bug away with Thieves Oil (knock on wood). Many thanks to Myra for telling me about this awesome oil!

I had time to connect with friends, internet friends who've become IRL and phone friends...which is such a cool thing. Thank you Stef and Angie, I treasure you both.

I had time to go to the playground and run around with the boys. As well as the gumption to play on the monkey bars. Well, I had the gumption to try the monkey bars, only to find I no longer have enough upper body strength to do more than three bars...and a little too much pumpkin pie in the lower body. But I'm thankful still!

And I had FOUR WHOLE DAYS that involved an awful lot of this...

Thank you Father for the abundant blessings!

Weekly Wrap Up - The Broken Record Edition

How sick are you of my saying, so and so was sick so it was a short week? Probably as tired as I am of various family members being sick...*sigh*.

Hubby and I came down with the virus on Sunday night. This was my second time getting it. We were violently ill all night and half the day Monday. So the bigguns just did their independent work.

Tuesday and Wednesday were normal days. Yay!

Thursday I helped my father in law with his phone interview for Social Security Disability. The call took 2 hours. Seriously. So with that and the accompanying paperwork and additional phone calls the day was abbreviated and I again only required independent work.

Then (dun dun dun) Fox got sick Thursday night. I don't know what it is with this virus but it only seems to strike us in the evening/night. He was down for the count Friday so I threw my hands in the air and waved the white flag. Next week will be short too, so whatever, right?

I bought some Thieves Oil and am giving everyone regular applications in an attempt to stave off any more sickness. I want this to GO AWAY!

In other news I decided that I am really, truly switching our history curriculum and I'm going with Tapestry of Grace. I downloaded the free three week sample to get a feel for it. Hopefully that will be enough because I plan to order the first unit and jump in, feet first after Thanksgiving! Ack and Yay!

I hope you had a great week!

Linked To:

The Weekly Wrap Up at Weird Unsocialized Homeschoolers

Fruitful Thursday : Patience

I'm stretching, learning, seeing new truths. And I couldn't be happier. By concentrating on patience I assumed I would feel more peaceful and serene. I figured my home would house a more welcoming vibe and that the kids would positively react to this change. And in general, that has happened. But what I didn't expect was this new sense of self esteem. I have this verse to thank:

Be still before the LORD and wait patiently for him; do not fret when people succeed in their ways, when they carry out their wicked schemes. Psalm 37:7

It's pretty much God's way of saying Don't compare yourself with the Joneses! Or the bikini clad, 125lb, tan and toned mother of eight at the public pool...ahem.

We don't peek over the fence and drool over what Mrs. Jones has. We wait for the Lord to reveal what he wants us to do and how he wants to bless us through that service. Because even if it looks like Mrs. Jones has been abundantly blessed, unless her heart is aligned with the will of God, it is a house built upon the sand. This world is temporary and the successes here are fleeting.

At least...that's how I see it :)

Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moths and vermin destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moths and vermin do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. Matthew 6:19-20

A Plea For Vermont Readers - The Top Ten Things I Love About Vermont

I was on Google Analytics and noticed I had readers from every state except Vermont. I was hurt. I mean, what did I ever do to you Vermont? Why the cold shoulder? You're on my vacation bucket list, along with Maine. There are lots of things I love about Vermont! Won't you return the love? Here's my top ten favorite things about Vermont, even though I've never been there..

1. Maple Syrup. I love maple syrup. The real stuff, from Vermont. Not the maple flavored corn syrup.
   
   
2. Fall Foliage. Fall is my favorite season and, from the looks of the travel brochures, your fall foliage can't be beat!
   
   
3. The Letter V. Who doesn't love the letter V? It's strong and powerful. I used to want to name a son Victor. Maybe I'll name my next son Vermont.
   
   
4. Moose. Moose are so majestic and impressive. I don't know that I'd like to meet one up close and personal, but I like them from a distance.
   
   
5. Spirit For Freedom. Who doesn't love their rights? I love your true blue, defend your rights, not going down without a fight spirit.
   
   
6. Montpellier. I love the name of your capitol. I bought my favorite scarf in Montpellier, France. Do you pronounce yours the same way - Mont-Pill-Yay?
   
   
7. No Billboards. I love that you don't allow billboards along your highways. Groovy.
   
   
8. Covered Bridges. You have the most anywhere right? I love their beauty.
   
   
9. Cool People. You've produced some world changers, Ethan Allen from the Green Mountain Boys, Calvin Coolidge and John Deere
   
   
10. Ben and Jerry's. I now know I'm allergic to dairy, but I remember the creamy goodness from BFD (before dairy free). My hubby and big kids love it. Chubby Hubby, Cookie Dough, Chocolate Macadamia. Yum!

This post is for my friend Angie, she knows why ;)

Weak, Can't Hack It

I was sick a couple weeks ago.

Bram was sick last week.

Hubby and I are sick now, but we're slowly recovering.

It's the kind of sick where you alternate between burning hot and freezing cold. The kind of sick where you can't even keep ice chips down and your stomach cramps and burns with the bile it's trying to forcefully eject from your system. It isn't fun.

I was surprised by my thoughts during the wee hours of the morning when I was praying for mercy. So, what was I thinking other than "Oh please, oh please, oh please, oh please be with me. Oh please, oh please, oh please."

I thought "I'm weak. I can't hack it. I want more kids but I can't handle a stomach virus? I don't think I'm strong enough to handle morning sickness and another labor."

Is it just me? Do you ever think things like this? I doubt we'll have more kids, but I hope. In fact I'd like to have another and adopt a few too. Then something like this happens and I wonder if I'd ever have the strength to do it.

But it's been about 24 hours and I'm finally able to keep ice chips down. So I'll just revel in that victory.

Weekly Wrap Up - Blink And You'll Miss It Week

This was a short school week, a really short week. It wasn't supposed to be quite so short, but we had more sickness in our house this week. Monday and Tuesday were productive days; the big boys managed to cover all subjects and I was able to fit in some fun story and craft time with Bram.

But around 11PM on Tuesday night Bram woke up (while sleeping between me and Shane) and vomited all over the bed...and the hallway...and in the shower...several times. Poor baby. This was the first time he'd ever thrown up. He didn't like it. He told me in a sad weak voice:

"Me no like that stuff come out."

(Cuddling with Daddy in the wee hours of the morning)

I didn't like it either. Thankfully there was no fever, just an upset tummy. Needless to say everyone spent Wednesday loving on Bram. Thursday and Friday we didn't have school because Fox and Billy went with my step-father-in-law to a tractor pull in Ohio.

But, three days of down time gave me time to reflect on how the school year has progressed so far. It's been going pretty well but...I'm almost afraid to type the words...but I'm considering switching our main curriculum. Would it be silly to switch after 8+ weeks in?

We've been using Sonlight for years, and I love it, I highly recommend it. But with the required/needed parental read aloud time, I'm having trouble balancing two separate curricula. I know it doesn't sound like much but two separate read aloud times is difficult for me to fit in with the additional subjects and Bram's preschool.

I'm thinking of switching to Tapestry of Grace. The reason this appeals to me is because (please correct me if I'm wrong) this curriculum is made to teach all levels together. Each year is broken into four separate grade levels so all ages will be learning the same material at their own level.

Currently Billy is learning about the Eastern Hemisphere and Fox and Tony are learning about the history of Christianity. It makes me feel like Billy is largely left out of group activities, I don't like that. Technically I could supplement Billy's curriculum, or remove some item's from Fox and Tony's to make it work for everyone...but I don't want to. Is that lazy of me?

Do you use Tapestry of Grace? Do you like it? Do you have to buy all the books or can you just use the book list? What are the pros and cons?

Linked To:

Weekly Wrap Up at Weird Unsocialized Homeschoolers

Fruitful Thursday : Patience and Human Nature

It's Thursday (is it just me or is this week flying by?) so I'm talking about fruits of the spirit. This month is all about patience. As I've said before, patience is not my strong suit, but I'm working on it.

Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up. ~ Galatians 6:9

This week, while thinking about patience and my lack thereof, I couldn't help but consider all the ways I justify my anger as a mother, or others justify it for me. The one that kept popping back up was the excuse "losing your temper is natural".

And in a way it is. Please don't take this post to mean that getting frustrated, upset or downright angry is completely wrong. It's not, even Jesus got mad and overturned a few tables. (Matthew 21). But that was righteous anger. My anger so often...is not. Not at all righteous. It's ugly and selfish and unjustifiable.

And natural.

How often have I told myself, it's okay, everyone loses their temper. It's natural.

Too many times. To me, natural means human nature. We all have it ingrained in us, but it doesn't mean it's right. As Christians we are to reach above our human nature and strive for righteousness. While we can't be perfect, we were called to be in this world but not of it.

To be like Jesus.

So that's it. I hope some of this made sense for you. I feel like I'm rambling, pouring incoherent words onto the screen. If it doesn't make sense to you, at least it makes sense to me in my heart, it was clearly my conviction from the Lord.

But for that very reason I was shown mercy so that in me, the worst of sinners, Christ Jesus might display his immense patience as an example for those who would believe in him and receive eternal life. ~ 1 Timothy 1:16

while we can't be perfect we are called to be in this world and not of it, to be like Jesus

#AmazonFail Update - Only Half the Battle

Thank you to everyone who raised their voices to say We Are Not Going To Put Freedom Of Speech Over Safety Of Our Children. As of the time of this posting Amazon has removed the How-To Pedophile guide. Yay!

But don't drop the balloons just yet. This is only half the battle. There are other books like this, and this, and this.

This boycott is not about one book. It is about asking a big business powerhouse to take a stand for decency. We are not asking them to remove anything but those products which glorify child-adult sexual relations, aka pedophilia. That includes not only how-to manuals but fiction novels.

If you feel the removal of the book was enough for you to lift your personal boycott, go ahead, I won't judge you. It is a personal decision. For me it is not. And this is why:

• Censorship is when government controls what its citizens read, watch, hear etc. Amazon is not government, it is business.
• As a business, Amazon has the RIGHT to not sell any item they feel goes against the standards they set as a business.
• Amazon will not sell anything pornographic. This type of material is mental pornography for pedophiles.

I am asking Amazon not only to remove the book which started this storm, but all books and materials in that vein. I am waiting for them to take a stand and officially state that they will no longer offer such items.

I say I am waiting for them to OFFICIALLY STATE this because, sadly this is not the first time Amazon has been embroiled in this topic. If you search you will see that this issue has come up several times before. On those occasions Amazon has chosen to use the freedom of speech excuse or pull only the item which caused the outcry.

I am calling for lasting change.

If you do choose to stick with the boycott as I will, until official change is announced then please sign my boycott linky, as well as the Facebook Boycott PAGE 1 and PAGE 2.

Amazon Boycott

I try to keep negativity out of the blogosphere, but I take the protection of children VERY SERIOUSLY. In case you haven't heard, there is a Kindle book for sale on Amazon entitled The Pedopihile's Guide To Love And Pleasure. This is the author's description.

This is my attempt to make pedophile situations safer for those juveniles that find themselves involved in them, by establishing certian rules for these adults to follow. I hope to achieve this by appealing to the better nature of pedosexuals, with hope that their doing so will result in less hatred and perhaps liter sentences should they ever be caught.

Seriously, I'm not making this up. There have been reports of Amazon removing negative comments about this book and rumor that they are defending the sale of this book under "Freedom of Speech". Well, I'm sorry but that doesn't cut it. I am all for freedom of speech, but when that speech is in support of illegal activities that prey upon our children I take great offense.

Amazon, I love you. I purchase from you regularly but that will not continue if you do not take a stand to protect our children rather than encourage criminal activity. My extended family has been shaken by the slimy hand of pedophilia and I can tell you the damage it does to children is immeasurable.

This is your chance Amazon to take a stand to protect our children. To be one of the first in big business to stand up and say that you care more about common decency and children's safety than you do about freedom of speech for those teaching others how to hurt children. Please. Please. I beg you. Stand for our children.

LET YOUR VOICE BE HEARD. LINK UP BELOW IF YOU PLAN TO STAND WITH ME AND BOYCOTT AMAZON UNTIL THEY HAVE NOT ONLY REMOVED THIS BOOK BUT TAKEN A STAND AGAINST VULGARITY AND PROTECT OUR CHILDREN.

30 Day Giving Challenge Update

You may remember my family and I are participating in the 30 Day Giving Challenge. It has been great so far, I'm stretching myself and the kids are too. I hope to give you a weekly peek at how we've been giving. But don't worry, I won' list everything we each have done! This isn't about patting ourselves on the back, it's about doing the work to make this world a better place and blessing one another.

We made a Thankful Tree so the boys will have a visual which shows how little acts of kindness can add up to big things. Here's a few of the "leaves" we were able to add to the tree.

• Helped someone with their chores
• Did extra chores without complaint
• Added extra money to the parking meter
• Clipped Grandpa's toe nails
• Sent friends ecards
• Helped MawMaw with directions
• Picked up trash along the road

I've Been Nominated! Don't Vote For Me!

Woo Hoo!!! I'm doing a big ol' happy dance right now. I was nominated at The HSBA Post Blog Awards in the category of "Best Homeschool Mom Blog"!! I'm thrilled! Thank you to those (or the one) who nominated me!! It means a lot.

I love participating in this each year, voting and hoping for my favorites to win. It's a blast. And I am honored, Honored, HONORED to be in great company. Other nominees include Confessions of a Homeschooler, Five Js, A Holy Experience and The Tie That Binds Us. Wow!

As honored as I am, I know I have no chance of winning. I have hundreds of followers, other nominees have thousands. And that's okay! It truly is an honor to be nominated!! That's why I would like to ask my followers to

PLEASE DON'T VOTE FOR ME!!

I would much rather pool your voting force to help some of my friends and favorites win. MwahHaHa! So I ask you to please consider voting for one of the following in each group:

Best Homeschool Mom Blog:

1+1+1=1

Homeschool Creations

Raising Arrows

Weird Unsocialized Homeschoolers

Best Family or Group Blog:

The Homeschool Village

The Homeschool Classroom

Best New Blog:

Mom's Mustard Seeds

The Homeschool Regel

Thank you, thank you and THANK YOU again!!

Weekly Wrap Up - The "Can We Just Skip To Next Week?" Week

This week didn't go so well. There were no discipline problems, no concept issues...nothing like that which was a blessing. It was just one of those weeks where I started out thinking I was organized only to realize that I sooooo wasn't. That and the outside world encroaching upon my little nest. Here's some examples of the hiccups we ran into:

• The library books I ordered were not yet in. I never know if it will take 2 days or 3 weeks to get the books I need. It's not working out as I had hoped. Our library does not have about 95% of the books Tony and Fox's curriculum calls for.

• My Father-in-law came to stay a few weeks with us and I tried to help him apply for his social security disability benefits. Say it with me class : REDUNDANT PAPERWORK. Seriously, hours worth of answering the same questions 3 different ways.

• Rain, rain, rain. Rain + 3 teenage boys + 1 toddler boy = rambunctious house.
  
  
• I got sick Thursday night, really sick. Friday was a complete wash with me spending most of the day in bed or on the couch.

But I have to say that even with all the chaos I saw lots of good this week too. I love to see the kids rise to the occasion and give of themselves. Honestly I don't know what I'd do without my teens some days. It's amazing to see that even though they like to play like little boys, they really are growing up into men. Here's some of the benefits of this week:

• The big boys spent time playing imaginative games with Bram.

• The boys were able to stay on track with their independent work with very little guidance from me.

• We were able to demonstrate the importance of family and helping our elders

• We learned about patience

• The boys demonstrated that they can get their own breakfast and help with Bram when I'm sick

• Everyone demonstrated empathy and a kind character

That's about it for my week. While it wasn't a horrible week, I sure hope next week is smoother. How about you, how was you homeschool week?

Linked To:

The Weekly Wrap Up at Weird Unsocialized Homeschoolers

Struggling With The Role Of Mother?

Then watch this cool video from Dawn (single mother of six kids) at Because I Said So. Watch it through to the end.

Fruitful Thursday : Patience

November's fruit of the spirit is patience. Ack! Patience, my Achilles Heel. Oh boy this could be a tough month. Patience is not my strong suit. I try, but if I have to repeat myself more than twice I'm more apt to grit my teeth, clench my fists and growl my next words. Or yell. Either way it isn't pretty. But I have faith! I can make a change.

I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me. ~ Philippians 4:13

The fact that this change will be so difficult for me is proof of how much I need to do it! I want my children to remember a mother who lovingly instructed them and disciplined them with direction, not anger. Not a stomping, huffing, raving lunatic.

Lest you feel the need to call social services, let me be clear and say that I don't become that raving lunatic too often. But I don't want become that lunatic at all.

Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. ~ Colossians 3: 12-13

I do have hope.

As I'm working my way through the fruits of the spirit I'm finding that even the order they're listed in makes sense. It seems that every fruit has prepared me for the next. Love helped me experience joy, joy helped me find peace, and I'm sure peace will be helpful in practicing patience.

There is wisdom in the Word.

Glimpses

Is Your Devotional Time Indulgent?

Since Relevant I've been making devotional time a priority. I've been rising before the children. brewing a cup of tea and having devotional time in the quiet of morning. It's been lovely, and I feel more centered when I start the day this way.

Today was a little different. I missed my devotional time. I felt rushed and disjointed.

But God provides. I was blessed with a quiet hour this afternoon and I used it for my devotional time. However, instead of my usual cup of tea I indulged in a glass of rice milk and a few Double Stuf Oreos.

As I dipped my cookie and smiled over the sweet deliciousness to come I couldn't help but compare my devotional time to the Oreos.

While I truly sought God during my devotional time, I still looked at it as something I needed to do, something to be checked off my morning routine list.

When in fact devotional time should be considered an indulgence of my day. An ooey, gooey, sweet and satisfying time to be relished, looked forward to and smiled over.

It's dessert for my spirit. Dessert before breakfast! Who would turn that down?

30 Day Giving Challenge

I've committed to participating in The 30 Day Giving Challenge. And my kids are doing it too...like it or not mwahahaha. And boy am I looking forward to it! I am so excited to see the changes God will work in all of our hearts. And not just because during our 'giving brainstorming session' I was bombarded with, uh, helpful, ideas like:

• You need to give me a ride to the skate park
• You could give me double my allowance for a month
• I could give him a fat lip and a black eye
• I could give you my chores to do for a month

*sigh* Teenagers, they're all comedians.

We've created a giving tree like the one Jane shared at The Homeschool Village. Each day we'll add a leaf (in the shape of our hand) to the tree; the leaf will have the way we gave for the day written on it. By the end of the month our tree should have 150 leaves on it! I think this will be a fantastic visual for the boys to see that even small acts of kindness can add up to big things!

I hope you'll consider participating too.