For my firstborn...

JD,

You did a really nice thing yesterday. The phonics reader you made for your sister was a gift from your heart. I know you love to draw, so that part was easy for you. But to add all the words and strive to have perfect spelling and handwriting, that is a gift of love.

I will treasure that special book, and I absolutely love "Beed" and "Bob". You have such a gift of drawing. God has blessed you with that talent and you absolutely amaze me with how you can continue to improve with how you show movement and perspective. Keep using your talent for God's glory.

Love,
Mom

I have a confession to make...

I hate teaching science.

Does that make me a horrible teacher?

I teach my kids at home, am responsible for their entire academic learning process, and I dread, each and every day, teaching them science.

Not all science.

Just anything that has to do with earth science, chemistry, physics, gravity, forces of nature, weather, the earth's atmosphere, the world's oceans, and taxonomy of both plants and animals.

Hmmm. That consists of all but two units of this year's science curriculum.

I DO love teaching anything and everything about cells, cell processes, and physiology. Guess that is why I didn't become a nuclear physisist and instead pursued an occupational therapy degree.

You would think I would be excited about learning all these things once again, because now I can see their relevance in my world.

Wrong. I still don't get it. I guess that makes me NOT smarter than a 5th grader.

But, I'm trying to be a darn good actress and showing my kids all my enthusiasm for this great world of scientific discovery.

Thank goodness for Cosmeo to explain it when I can't. Heck, even Schoolhouse Rock has it figured out better than I do.

Off to utilize my wheel and axle to get us to tonight's church activities...

Simple Devotion - January 28, 2009

For Today...

Dear Lord,

I'll bring you my shortcomings...Lord, I don't spend enough time with you and I want to change that. I know you're there, I trust in you, but I want to deepen the relationship we have.

I'll bring you my worship and praise...I praise you for the variety you created in men and women. I praise you for the differences that are deeply imbedded within us which makes us each unique and special. Your awesomeness is so apparent in how you created each and every one of us. I praise you for being the molder of the clay.

I'll bring you my prayer...Lord, draw not only me, but my family closer to you. My prayer is ongoing that we will be a witness to everyone we meet. I pray that we will touch a life each and every day. Help everyone see the light in us that only you can flame.

You spoke to me...In the gentle voice of TJ this morning. What a blessing when she wanted to "talk to me privately" about a concern with a friend. When I asked her what she thought we should do, she immediately said we should pray about it. Lord, you are speaking to me through her. May my first sense always be to pray, rather than it be an afterthought.

Please feel free to join your heart with others through the Simple Devotion link on the right...

May God bless your day!

Fireproof

If you haven't seen the movie, get out and get the DVD. Rent it, buy it, see it. We have not bought one movie, ever, on the day it has come out in the stores. Today was the release of Fireproof, and we picked it up at our local Christian bookstore. This is a great way to strengthen your marriage, foster communication, and solidify the foundation that God has blessed.

And, if you are lucky enough to have a Focus on Marriage Simulcast in your area Feb. 28th, get your tickets today to attend with your spouse. Spend the day working on the best gift of all, each other. Look here for more information.

Can you afford not to?

Finally, take some time tonight to snuggle up with your spouse and love on him. Share what makes him special. There's no time like the present to do it.

Blessings to you...

Simple Woman's Daybook - January 26, 2009

FOR TODAY... (Please link to Peggy's daybook at right -->)

Outside my window...a very fine, light snow is falling. Accumulations to be just a dusting, but hopefully it will cover the brown and bring the world back to a glorious shade of white

I am thinking...how full our day is today, as usual, for a Monday

I am thankful for...my dh's attitude and self sacrifice; I am so blessed to be married to a godly man who is working on growing each and every day

From the learning rooms...all subjects today - Science test as well over forces - eeks

From the kitchen...JT is cooking himself some eggs and the pot of coffee just finished brewin'

I am wearing...typical Monday uniform - layers, layers, layers

I am creating...a clean space on my desk to work today

I am going...probably to the grocery store - man, I bought a ton of groceries last week but we plowed through them all

I am reading...misc. magazines around the house and one book which I'll clue you in on later...

I am hoping...I can better reorganize my days and I can not be drawn to the computer so much

I am hearing...the space heater running to heat up our school area. This plus three add't bodies keeps it cozy in here. Too cozy as the distractions seem to bother the oldest

Around the house...wash sheets in our bedroom today and do some general pick-up

One of my favorite things...A pastor who preaches the Gospel with skill, ease, and conviction

A few plans for the rest of the week: generalized clean up around the house, keep the basement in order, couple time with Brad

Here is picture thought I am sharing...
A flashback to fall, my favorite season. Most people have leaves. This year we had cornstalks!

Have a blessed week!

25 things you may or may not know about me...

My fellow blogger, Joyce, at Mom's Musings, had been "tagged" to write 25 goals, facts, and habits about herself and challenged others to do the same. Since I am the queen of random thoughts, I thought I would take the challenge. Try it yourself and see what kind of things come to mind. My goal is to write 25 things in way less than 5 minutes.

1. Coffee is my favorite beverage but I would substitute an umbrella drink on the beach if needed.
2. I homeschool my three children, work for my husband, while trying to manage our household.
3. I love to read, particularly Christian fiction, but I am working on adding more non-fiction to my repertoire.
4. I have a stack of Christian, self-help books at my bedside, mostly half read.
5. I am a hermit at heart, and don't mind if I don't leave the house for days.
6. I can wiggle my ears and my nose at the same time.
7. I prefer salty snacks to sweet, hands down.
8. I like dark chocolate better than milk chocolate.
9. I used to practice crawling out of car windows because I wanted to be a flight attendant.
10. I have to work at being an optimist, but I continue to try and improve.
11. I love to take baths to get warm to the core.
12. I used to be an occupational therapist, but have let my license lapse.
(5 minutes have come and gone...)
13. We are a Survivor family - we love the show; we DVR it so that my kids don't have to watch the nasty commercials - we DVR most shows for the same reason. We don't watch a lot of TV, but dh and I love Top Chef, Frasier, and Seinfeld
14. I would like to learn to knit and/or crochet
15. I don't get home to see my mom, or call her often enough
16. My dad died when I was 12, and he was a pastor
17. I am so thankful that I was raised in a godly home, and am married to a godly man who loves me with all his heart
18. I am proud to be the mother of my three children and greatly blessed in that I can stay home with them every day
19. I am not too proud to say that some days my children are not too happy that I stay home with them every day :)
20. Dad is the fun one in this relationship - I don't "play" very well
21. I am getting tired of saying "I"
22. I need to read my bible more, exercise more, and eat better
23. Some of my closest friends were initially met through the internet via the curriculum I use...but I have been blessed to be able to grow a relationship with them and see them once a year the past few years. I hope it can continue!!
24. My biggest issues that I deal with most likely boils down to my selfishishness
25. I hate the ending of the movie Message in a Bottle

Wow - that was harder than I thought.

I LOVE Saturday mornings...

Well, let me rephrase that a bit. I love Saturday mornings when my dh doesn't get up and go in to work, when we can all wake up at a leisurely pace, and lounge the morning away. What a luxury it is to be able to gradually meet the day, greet each other with a cup of steaming coffee in hand, and wear pajamas until noon. (Actually, I'd freeze if I wore them that long, but it's a nice thought.) I need my layers around here to keep warm!

So, today, dh snuck out of our room to try and let me sleep in a bit. I've been having some difficulty sleeping this past week, so I was looking forward to a little extra snooze time. Of course, it seems that whenever you have the opportunity for it, you can't sleep which was actually the case this morning for me. I was awake, but did spend some time just lounging and relaxing in my bed, enjoying the solitude and peace. I took some time to lift up my family in prayer and continue to place them in God's hands. I am so thankful we have a Lord and Savior who allows us to approach his throne with our requests and praise. Seems like I lean more towards the requests and not enough towards the praise so I need to continue to work on my focus!

Brad started a fire in the fireplace at 9:30 so we are enjoying the snap and crackle of the logs earlier than we usually do. It's a treat to have a fire at night, but even more so to enjoy it throughout the day! We played a game of family "Blokus" with a steaming cup of coffee, and the day was off to a great start. Steaming coffee is one of life's simplest pleasures, and I think I have made it my adult security blanket. The majority of my day is spent with cup in hand - even if it is just to keep me warm...

Plans for the rest of the day include a game of Monopoly, Herd Your Horses, and maybe some closet cleaning. We already got through some work for the office so that is nice to check that off the list. I'm excited about our full class for "Fireproof Your Marriage" that will be meeting tomorrow - last week we started the class with a review of God's model for the family from "The Truth Project"...powerful stuff. God's design is imbedded into everything and we frequently stray from what he intends. Our challenge is to stay the course and hopefully influence others in our walk as well. I pray we all, as a family, can be a light to each person we come in contact with on a daily basis.

Off to heat up the cup that has cooled...

Enjoy YOUR Saturday -