Confessions of a Stay at Home Mom

I used to think that women who stayed home with their kids had it made. I knew their was always messes to clean up & it might get a little lonely from time to time, but I never even imagined the stress, heartache, & tears that would come with it. So here today, I give you some simple truths of the insanity that I call my life.

• Jealousy is a very real factor! I admit I'm jealous......
1. I'm jealous of my husband's freeness. He can come & go as he wants to. He gets to do the fun stuff, while I have to cook, clean, do laundry, & take care of the baby. He gets to pursue things that interest him, while I'm had to drop almost everything that doesn't involve the kids. He gets to sleep late, while I have to get up early most mornings. 
2. I'm jealous of friends that can get together whenever they want to. 
3. I'm jealous of adults that actually get to eat a hot meal, sitting down, in peace.
4. I'm jealous of people that work. They can "get away" for a little while. They can afford a nice car, a bigger house, & dance classes.
5. I'm jealous of anyone who looks nice for longer than 10 mins. That's about how long I am able to keep anything from being spit up on.
6. I'm jealous of anyone who doesn't have to "rob Peter to pay Paul!" I get so tired of living paycheck to paycheck, but it has been an interesting adventure to see how much money I can save!
• Loneliness is suffered in silence.
1. Occasional adult conversation would be nice.
2. Adult conversation that doesn't always center around our kids would be even better.
• Depression is easy to fall into.
1. There are days that I can't explain why I'm mad/sad/hysterical.
2. There are days that I really just want to lay in the bed & cry.
3. There are days that I don't want to deal with anyone (especially if they are under 5 ft tall) unless they live in black & white print.
• Expectations are unrealistic.
• Alone time is unheard of. I have to lock the doors & read a book during a bubble bath in order to make an attempt at peace & quiet. Today Logan woke up early & fussed the whole time I was in the bath tub & my other wonderful children were too busy watching T.V. to go pick him up, so much for that peace!

If you can relate to this, I hope you found my confessions amusing & you realize that you are not alone. If you think I am acting spoiled & just want something to complain about, I invite you to come spend some time in my shoes!

HOW IN THE WORLD DOES MICHELLE DUGGAR DO IT??????

Have You seen a Little Green Man?

Heys, elves have been at my house!!!!!! Elves, really? Yeh, you know, those little guys in the green costumes. History is full of hard working elves ..... Santa's workshop, the shomaker's helpers, the Keebler tree house. I'm fairly certain, they have visited my house.

HOW did I decide that you might ask?

Well, after spending A L L  S T I N K I N G  M O R N I N G cleaning my kitchen, I have come to a realization ....... those helpful little elves that worked so hard for everyone else needed a place to relax. So, having the inviting, kid friendly environment that we call home, they naturally chose here.

Not only did they pick my humble abode to relax at, they also decided to throw a party here & invite EVERYONE they know! And I believe that they enjoyed themselves so much that they do it again & again every night.

How else could our trash can get full so fast after putting in an empty bag?

How else could so much dirt get on my floor?

How else could food leak out of its bowl inside the fridge?

How else could every single fork we own always be dirty?

How else could all the soft drinks & cookies get gone so fast?

Yep, elves! Now........who keeps stealing our socks?

Train up a child...

Today's generation absolutely breaks my heart. I know that I didn't always make the smartest decisions as a young person (& still don't from time to time), but I had respect for authority most of the time & a fear of God even when I wasn't living right. What happened to that time of respect & reverence when the town drunk made an effort to be in church on Sunday mornings, even if he had been out all night on Saturday, when you turned your music down driving by a church, when you listened to your elders (even if only until you were out of sight)?

I'll tell you what happened, parents started doing a lot more things than they used to do. They started trying to be a friend instead of a parent. They started chasing "the American Dream", working longer hours, & allowing their children to raise themselves. They started worrying about everyone else's opinions on their parenting skills. They started trying to make their kids cooler, better dressed, & more popular than they were. They started "giving in" & buying affection because it was easier than actually paying attention.

Parents have also stopped doing lots of things as well. Parents stopped having an active role in their children's lives. They stopped showing respect for other people. They stopped making their children mind. They stopped standing up for what was right. They stopped believing that church was important. They stopped allowing God to be the center of their lives.

I was flipping through Facebook & landed on someone's page a few weeks ago & couldn't believe what I was seeing. I haven't been able to get it out of my head since then. Children ~ yes, if you are under 18 you are still a child!! ~ living in all different aspects of sin. Children, who were raised in church, venturing out & experimenting with the world. Children with no respect for themselves or anyone else.

Then, as I kept looking, I came across one of the mistakes that we, as parents, are always making. We think that if we will just continue to overlook our children's wrong doings & accept them for who they are, everything will be all peachy. I found this verse posted very close to inappropriate behavior. "Let no man despise thy youth; but be thou an example of the believers, in word, in conversation, in charity, in spirit, in faith, in purity." 1 Tim 4:12

I'm not sure if that parent really put any thought into this or was just looking for a bible verse that slap on a picture (no, I am not judging). This child is openly making a mockery of God & the parent is wanting them to enjoy life & be an example to others.

Is there any wonder that our children are so confused?

The really sad part here is that this family is not the only one living life this way. Oh, I pray that parents will wake up & retake control of their homes. I pray that God continues to show mercy to us all!

This Little Piggie

Growing up within city limits, I never had the privilege/fun/hard work of farm life. I was, more or less, a little bit spoiled & a girly-girl so I've had to learn A LOT since moving out & getting married. It seems I learn more & more all the time. That's a good thing & I am not the least bit ashamed to admit that I certainly do NOT know it all (contrary to popular belief).

During the 12 years that I have been married, we have had all sorts of critters. Our latest addition......pigs!

Yep, cute furry little oinkers. We are the proud parents of 3 red headed step children ~ bacon, sausage, & ham! I just hope that we aren't too attached when gulp that time comes.

This isn't the first time we have had pigs, but this time, we are going to "raise" them. YEAH, I'm excited!

Now to decide who gets the honor of not being on our plate.....


Bacon, Charlotte, & Red



Betrayed...AGAIN

I haven't had the ... *sniff* courage to write this post yet. It was too heart breaking!

Nah - I just forgot about it & (imagine this) ran out of time!

The day was Saturday, Dec. 3, 2011. The weather was cold. The house was relatively quite (Austin & Makenzie had spent the night at nannie's house). So there I was, sitting at the kitchen table, minding my own business, trying to make a few hairbows. Logan was sitting in his chair beside me happily playing & babbling away. Then .... it happened ... DADADADADADADADA.

NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!

Wait, surely I misunderstood. It sure did sound like BLAH BLAH BLAH - oh wait, that's kinda the same, right?

Really? Its my face you see all day long, its me that runs to your every whimper. Is it too hard to reward me by saying MAMAMAMA? I guess I'll just settle for those wet sloppy kisses & know that in your heart, you love me more!

Could the Magic REALLY be Gone?

I just LOVE Christmas, don't you! Everyone is a little nicer, everything is bright & shiny, Christmas Carols, Christmas cookies & candy, Christmas movies, families getting together, street corner Santas everywhere you look. There is just something magical about Christmas time.

And then......the magic fades away..... 

We've been waiting for, dreading, the time when the kids stopped believing in Santa. Austin hasn't actually admitted he doesn't believe anymore, but, he sure has hinted at it.

Justin was talking to him the other day & it sounded like he was scared not to believe anymore. Austin said that he didn't think his cousins believed anymore.

Then we were watching The Elf on the Shelf video & he leaned over & whispered to me "You know those elves aren't REAL, don't you?"....

Oh, I'm NOT ready for this!

At least I still have the other 2!

.......So I had to add a link after a friend sent this to me! Its such a beautiful way of explaining the truth! Truth About Santa

Son of a Preacher Man

Do you know why preacher's kids have a bad reputation & get into so much trouble......Its because everyone is watching them closer than most other kids! I'm convinced of this. Kids are kids & will be mischievous & get into whatever they can in order to have fun.

So when you see my kids misbehaving, remember yours are doing it too!

Anyway, Austin was grinning like a possum during church. Well, ok after the choir came down & everyone was shaking hands & talking. He came back to where I was & the conversation went a little like this:

Austin said "Guess what? I asked _______ out."

I said "Really, where are you going?" hahahaha

He laughed & said "No, to be my girlfriend."

"Well, what did she say?"

"She said yes!"

"Austin, she's too old for you!"  (She's 11)

"So."

He then BEGGED to sit with his nanny (& of course this girl). Well, ok, I guess.

As soon as church was over, Austin darted out the door. GRRR - How many times have I told those kids to stay inside?! They tend to disappear......

By the time I finally got outside, he comes walking no, sauntering up to me & announced

"I kissed _______!"

"Austin! You're at church!"

"But mom, it wasn't inside."

OH, the logic there! HMMMMMMM- I wonder if this girl knows what she's in for??!!

I have always loved this song. They just don't make music like this anymore!

Are you my Friend?

I can't quite put my finger on it, but I woke up this morning with a profound sadness. As I was praying, so many thoughts were running through my head. As I was trying to wake Justin up, frustration kept creeping in. As the kids were eating breakfast, tears just rolled down my cheeks. As I walked through the house, I felt...defeated.

I don't know how else to describe it.

I have so much to be thankful for, but still I feel helpless and alone.

As kids, we place so much value on what people think of us & if we are popular & what group we fit into & how many friends we have. As we get older, we realize that the number of friends that we have has decreased. After we are grown & get married, we learn then that the number of people we thought were friends has gotten even smaller. Then as our kids grow up & become involved in some many different activities, that number decreases yet again. Somehow we don't have the time that we used to. Somehow we don't have the energy needed to put into friendships & they slowly slip away.

How many people do I really associate with that are my "friends"? I quit really confiding in most people several years ago. I have had far too many experiences where I thought someone was my friend, only to have them tuck tail & run when I needed them or to have them talk about me to the first person they saw after I left the room.

Most of the time, I'm ok with this, but for some reason this morning, it started to bother me. I miss having someone to confide in. I miss having someone drop by whenever. I miss phone call out of the blue just to say hi.

I know that the bible says in Proverbs 18:24 "A man that hath friends must shew himself friendly: and there is a friend that sticketh closer than a brother."

I know that God is there to listen to me whenever I need Him, but sometimes I need to hear an audible voice as well.

Its 3am & Its Raining

It is 3am & I am W I D E awake. I had the alarm set for 3:30. Why you may ask? No, its not Black Friday shopping .... although, I won't be getting much sleep then either. My little Logan has to be at Brenner's at 6am. WOW! I'm sorry, that's really early for me to be up, dressed, & presentable. At least with Black Friday shopping, I can roll out of bed & put on a hat.

Yes, 6am, which means I have to leave my house around 4:45 .... "just in case". So, I took my shower before I went to bed, but I had to allow extra time to pump his milk. You see, lack of sleep is not even the bad part. I'm used to that. I have to keep my baby from eating when he wakes up. Ug  - really? That kid still wakes up every 2 hours to nurse! And all I can give him after midnight is clear liquids. Yea, so far he's not real sure what he thinks of Pedialyte, but he knows its not momma!

So anyway ... back to why......



I sure hope I see that smile today!



When Logan was born, we had to put off his circumcision because he also has a condition called chordee (caution-link has "adult" material) that needed to be corrected. His was very minor & should be easy to correct but he needed to be 5-6 months old.

Apparently this is a very common problem, but if its not corrected he can have lots of issues later in life. We all know that men don't need anything else to complain about in that area.

Oh, this is NOT going to be a fun day! So say a little prayer for us today! Pray for the Dr's steady hand, for my peace, & for Logan's comfort!

Naturally, as I started typing, I couldn't get this song out of my head.

Who's Your Favorite?

As parents, we try to treat our children equally right? We try to spend equal amounts of time, money, & even discipline. Sometimes that gets a little hard & one child will start to complain that they feel left out or that you love the other one more & that child is your favorite. No matter how much you tell them its not true, the only way for them to really believe you is through your actions.

What about kids? Do they have favorites? Of course they love their parents the same, but from time to time, one of them is the favorite.

I've been on a "oh woe is me" kick lately. I really don't think Austin & Makenzie like me as much as they like their daddy. Makes sense. I am with them ALL day long. I do most of the fussing, correcting, punishing, etc. I teach & reteach lesson after lesson. I have to tell them "Be patient, I'm helping ____". I remind them to clean up their messes. I ask them to help in the house. Then daddy comes home...... YEAH! Its play time. He gets to watch T.V. with them while I grade papers & clean up school. He wrestles with them while I feed Logan. He pushes them on the swing while I cook supper. He reads them a book while I put Logan to bed.

Yes, I can understand why he is their favorite right now, but it still hurts. Oh, I know they love me, but it doesn't change how I feel.

Then God said "HELLO, sound familiar..." Huh, what do you mean Lord?

How many other things do I put before God? How many times have I chosen something else instead of what He wanted me to do? How often does He feel unloved by me? Oh, I SAY that I love Him, but does that help after I have hurt His feelings?

Thank you Lord, yet again, for using my kids to teach me!

Hey There Snow White....Today I am.....Sleepy

You know that fairy tale with all those short guys in it.....No, not the Chipmunks.....No, not the Smurfs either. I'm talking about those dwarfs. We all know them but can you name them?

Hmmmm..... Sleepy, Sneezy, Bashful, Doc, Grumpy, Happy, & Droopy. Oh wait, that's not right. Droopy was a dog, right? Dopey, yeah, that's it.

Did you know that these legendary men are not fictional? Me neither, I thought they just lived in the forest with Snow White. Apparently they are alive & kicking.....& our churches are full of them.

That's right, we had a guest preacher this morning preach on the dwarfs in the church.

• Sleepy - this one is easy. How many times do we look around the church & see heads bobbling uncontrollably? Yep, I'm guilty too. Don't laugh, I bet you are too. But Sleepy Dwarf not only sleeps during church, he also sleeps on God. He can't stay awake or focused long enough to do God's will.
• Bashful - Why can we hoop & hollar (yes I am from Wilkes County Thank You Very Much!) at a ball game or out with friends, but we clam up in church. Now I don't mean we should sit around & talk all the time, but when the Spirit moves you, DO something about it! Raise your hands, sing a song, say Amen, shed some tears - whatever you feel lead to do. Quit pretending to be so shy.
• Doc - oh, that's the preacher right? Well possibly. Today preacher's feel the need for titles & initials after their names. What good are titles if you don't let God lead you. Oh & have you ever been told something based on "a professional opinion"? YEAH - well, in my opinion, there are TOO many opinions in this world. And it seems that they are all professionals.
• Grumpy - um, enough said.
• Happy - isn't it great to be happy in the Lord?! Well, not everyone is happy for the right reason. Some people aren't happy, unless someone else is miserable. "Why are they singing again?" "He's the preacher's favorite." "Why does the choir sing so many songs?"
• Dopey - we are all pretty guilty of getting stupid in the world.

Hey wait - I forgot one. Sneezy - well...........other than that person having allergy issues, I can't think of anything.

So today, I would have to admit that I am Sleepy. Yes, I am physically sleepy, but I have laid down on God. Its time to wake up.

Which dwarf are you?

I am a C

We sing a song at church with the kids

I am a C

I am a C H

I am a C H R I S T I A N

And I have C H R I S T in my H E A R T and I will L I V E  E T E R N A L L Y

Its a simple song & the kids like it, but if you take a few minutes to think about it. I mean REALLY think about it. It pretty much says it all.

We had Austin's football awards program tonight. The guys love getting together for food & lots of goofing around. I enjoy seeing them just getting to be kids. The boys always get so excited about their trophies & secretly, I get excited too. Not because of the reward, but because the coach always tells what stands out to him about the kids. I enjoy hearing about inside stories & personality quirks that sometimes only come out on the football field. Its a good time to recognize how special each boy is. Sometimes, its easy to pick out who is being described.....

When Coach Brian started talking about Austin, he did acknowledge his football skills. But more importantly, he told how proud he was that Austin would lead the team in prayer, how Austin was never afraid to let everyone know he was a christian. Those few words made my heart sing. I couldn't have been prouder if he had said that Austin was the best player he had ever seen.

Even though, Austin doesn't always make the wisest decisions, Christ still shows through in his life. Can people say the same thing about me?

All in all, God blessed me with a pretty awesome kid!

Betty Homemaker - I am not!

I have made several references here lately to "Super Mom". We all know how incredibly crazy my life has been. Thankfully, it slows down somewhat during this time of year. Good thing too, or I might miss the Holidays. Anywho.....

I have some sort of deep seeded desire (as backward & unpopular as it might be) to be "the ideal (not perfect - well not completely anyway) wife, mother, & all around woman". I want to have a nice tidy house that always smells fresh. I want to have hot meals on the table at their respectable time. I want to have obedient children. I want to have an abundance of time left for just whatever. Do you see the pattern here? I want, I want, I want. Has our crazy world built up an attainable dream with outrageous demands? Or have we, as women, placed that much pressure on ourselves?

Whatever the answer is, I have come to the terms (at least for the time being) that somehow I cannot be everything every day. Some days, I get my house cleaned & supper fixed but I have neglected quality time with the kids. Some days, we have an awesome day with school, but the house is a wreck. Some days, I get lost making hairbows & have completely forgotten to fix supper. Some days, more often than not, I push the laundry off of my bed & choose to go to sleep.

Yesterday really opened my eyes........ As I was going through a cabinet to make room for baby food - yes Logan is already big enough to be eating baby food! Where has the time gone? - I started checking some jars of pickles that I had canned a few years back. I had to dump out a few about a month ago because they had unsealed {On that note....Have you ever checked a lid & had you finger go THROUGH it? - Yep, I did}. So I'm checking them just to make sure. Lo & behold there's a seal that has unpopped, and another, and another. UGH! I through out about 5 or 6 jars of canned goods.

In my defense, these were some of the first things I canned, so I was still learning.

Then, I go out to the building for a box & think to check the freezer. I had sent the kids out the night before to put a few groceries in there & wanted to make sure the food actually made it to the freezer & the lid was shut, etc. I open the lid & hear "drip drip drip". What is that? Why isn't there any ice around the top? Why does it not feel super cold? Ah yes, I know, because I UNPLUGGED it!

Why would I do something so stupid? Well, it seems that the other day I vaguely remember removing the battery charger from my car (lovely children left the doors open all afternoon while we carved pumpkins), unplugging it, & placing it in the building. What didn't dawn on me was the fact that the battery charger was plugged into an extension cord along with the freezer. UGH!

So we emptied the freezer & had to throw out several things & ALL of the milk that I had pumped for Logan! UGH! UGH! UGH! Do you know how much time & energy that was?

But.....I had a clean kitchen, finished hairbow orders, had supper ready on time, & made it to church. The laundry will eventually get folded.

Tales of a Homeschool Nothing ~ Acceptance, Admittance, & Adjustments

I have been struggling so much this school year. I have no problem admitting that. I feel like I am still in - what I call - "survival mode". Most days, I am doing just enough to get by & its starting to catch up with me. Even though Logan has gotten on a decent routine, I am still getting up with him 2-4 times a night. That can really wreck havoc on what little bit of common sense & judgement that I may have previously claimed to have had.

Don't get me wrong - I'm NOT complaining, I'm just stating the facts.

I've felt that "something" wasn't quite right, but I just couldn't put my finger on it to begin with. After some deep thought - ok, maybe not so deep, but lots of thinking & searching - I realized that my heart just wasn't into part of our curriculum. I couldn't make our unit studies work. I'm not sure if it was me or if it just didn't fit us, but  e v e r y s i n g l e d a y  was a struggle to get through it. I kept thinking that I would get the hang of it, I kept wanting to make it through Christmas, but deep down, I knew we needed to change.

Sooooo ...... I bit the bullet & returned to the history curriculum we used last year. Tapestry of Grace is a 4 year rotation & we started out with year 2 because I was part of a co-op & that's what they used. We enjoyed it last year, but I guess I needed to venture out & see what else there was.

Unfortunately, I can't afford to buy Apologia for science right at this moment, so I am having to make due. Hopefully by Christmas, we will be able to swing it.

Sunday morning, I spent my extra hour laying in the bed thinking........... I knew when we set out on this homeschool adventure that I really didn't want to teach high school. Unless God completely changed my mind, we would send the kids back to public school when they got older. BUT, Sunday morning, I could NOT get middle school out of my head. This scares me to death! This only gives me another year and a half with Austin at home! Have I made any difference in this short amount of time? Will he have trusted God enough to stand up for his beliefs? Has he really learned ANYTHING?

I just want to follow God's lead for our family! Please pray for us!

Tales of a Homeschool Nothing ~ Week 10 ~ Trust, Daniel, Elijah, Bernoulli, & sick days

Yet again, I didn't accomplish nearly as much as I had hoped for in structured learning. Sickness has dominated my house all week long - snotty noses, sore throats, barking coughs, yuck, yuck, yuck.

TRUST - having blind faith in something or someone

We are still studying trust so we have talked a lot about Daniel, Elijah, Noah, David, & Jesus this week. Its amazing how much my kids already knew about these men.

We have also finished up our study on airplanes, the Wright Brothers, & Bernoulli. I really wanted to take a field trip to an airport, but unfortunately, that didn't happen. Maybe some other time. But we did manage to conduct several cool experiments about air.

I helped Makenzie make a cherry pie for Keepers & Justin took the boys on a nature walk looking for animal signs in Contenders.

All in all, it was a pretty uneventful week.

PINK is NOT my favorite color!

I really didn't like pink until a few years ago. I guess it was too much effort from my mom to turn me into a real live baby doll or some other deep seeded insanity like that. So after lots of therapy (BWAHAHAHA), I have come to terms with my distrust of pink. Afterall, its a nice enough color & it hasn't ever meant me any real harm ..... or has it? **ba ba bum**

So after all these years & my final acceptance of it, how does it repay me ..... it sits on my fridge taunting me ..... ok, not me exactly. Afterall Justin is the one with the lead foot, but it is still taunting my bank account!

Convo went a little like this - *Caution, this is a reenactment, any resemblance to real life persons or events is completely INTENTIONAL*

me: How was your class tonight?

Justin: It was fine until I was coming through Roaring River.

me: thinking *OH NO, NOT AGAIN* What happened?

Justin: Well, I bout hit several deer & then got pulled over.

me: Um, ok, HOW many times have I tried to warn you about your speeding?

Justin: Don't fuss at me. You don't exactly drive the speed limit. I just got caught.

me: Yep, you got caught alright! & How many tickets have you had?

Justin: Just 4.

etc etc etc etc

You get the picture.

YEAH! There was an expense I REALLY wasn't expecting. **SIGH**

Tales of a Homeschool Nothing ~ Revival & Mufaro's Daughters

We took our school pictures at Smoot Park. It was a beautiful day for it!

Well, it wasn't my original plan, but ... we took last week off from school. We had revival & I mean we had REVIVAL! It has been a L O N G  T I M E  since I have felt God's presence like I did last week. I have heard other people talk about that Holy Ghost fog. Last week, I SAW it! It was the most amazing thing I have ever experienced! There wasn't a lot I could do other than raise my hands towards Heaven & cry! PRAISE GOD!!!

The only other thing "school" related that we did involved a John A Walker Center play. Mufaro's Daughters was about an African man with 2 beautiful daughters. Both of them possessed physical beauty, but only one was beautiful inside as well. They were both invited to meet the king in the hopes of becoming his wife. One used dishonesty & cruelty to try to get ahead. The other used kindness & humbleness & won the king's love.

I loved this play! The plot was wonderful, the actors were energetic & the music was enchanting. It is classified as an African Cinderella story, but what stuck out to me was the kindness shown to the king.....

Have you ever heard the story John 3:16? This is what came to my mind! Maybe, it was the state of renewed faith that I had been experiencing this week, maybe not. But I REALLY liked this play!

JOHN 3:16

I don't understand it, but In the city of Chicago, one cold, dark night, a blizzard was setting in. A little boy was selling newspapers on the corner; the people were in and out of the cold.

The little boy was so cold that he wasn't trying to sell many papers. He walked up to a policeman and said, "Mister, you wouldn't happen to know where a poor boy could find a warm place to sleep tonight would you? You see, I sleep in a box up around the corner there and down the alley and it's awful cold in there, of a night. Sure would be nice to have a warm place to stay."

The policeman looked down at the little boy and said, "You go down the street to that big white house and you knock on the door. When they come out the door you just say John 3:16 and they will let you in."

Then he did; he walked up the steps to the door, and knocked on the door and a lady answered. He looked up and said, "John 3:16." The lady said "Come on in, Son." She took him in and she sat him down in a split bottom rocker in front of a great big old fireplace and she went off.

He sat there for awhile, and thought to himself "John 3:16. I don't understand it, but it sure makes a cold boy warm." Later she came back and asked him "Are you hungry?" He said, "Well, just a little. I haven't eaten in a couple of days and I guess I could stand a little bit of food." The lady took him in the kitchen and sat him down to a table full of wonderful food. He ate and ate until he couldn't eat anymore. Then he thought to himself "John 3:16 ... Boy, I sure don't understand it, but it sure makes a hungry boy full."

She took him upstairs to a bathroom to a huge bathtub filled with warm water and he sat there and soaked for awhile. As he soaked, he thought to himself, "John 3:16 ... I sure don't understand it, but it sure makes a dirty boy clean. You know, I've not had a bath, a real bath, in my whole life. The only bath I ever had was when I stood in front of that big old fire hydrant as they flushed it out."

The lady came in and got him, and took him to a room and tucked him into a big old feather bed and pulled the covers up around his neck and kissed him goodnight and turned out the lights. As he laid in the darkness and looked out the window at the snow coming down on that cold night he thought to himself, "John 3:16 ... I don't understand it, but it sure makes a tired boy rested."

The next morning she came back up and took him down again to that same big table full of food. After he ate she took him back to that same big old split bottom rocker in front of the fire place. She took a big old Bible and sat down in front of him and she looked up at and she asked, "Do you understand John 3:16?" He said, "No, Ma'am, I don't. The first time I ever heard it was last night when the policeman told me to use it." She opened the Bible to John 3:16, and she began to explain to him about Jesus. Right there in front of that big old fireplace he gave his heart and life to Jesus.

He sat there and thought, "John 3:16. I don't understand it, but it sure makes a lost boy feel safe."

You know, I have to confess I don't understand it either, how God would be willing to send His Son to die for me, and how Jesus would agree to do such a thing. I don't understand it either, but it sure does make life worth living.

Guilty or Not - You Decide!

Poor Zoey is in jail! Its not her fault, well, not completely......

Zoey is a full bloodied Blue Heeler. She is VERY feisty & I'm hoping she calms down as she gets older, but for now, we love her & tolerate her. Its her nature to "herd" things - cows, kittens, kids, basketballs. If it moves, its fair game.

We also have chickens. Austin takes good care of the chickens & in return gets to keep whatever profit we make off of them. Zoey likes watching the chickens. Thankfully she can't get to the chickens or we probably wouldn't have chickens anymore!

This afternoon, Justin & Austin went to feed the chickens. When they were done, Justin walked out thinking

that Austin was right behind him. Nope, Austin was still feeding the roosters. So instead of Austin following Justin out of the coop, a chicken followed him out. Never fear, Zoey was there!! She knew that chicken wasn't supposed to be outside of its coop so she saved it ...... with her mouth ...... not too gently! She was only trying to help (I think)!

So after sitting before the judge & jury, poor Zoey got sent to jail! Her alibi wasn't very reliable! Me personally - I think she was FRAMED!!!

Tales of a Homeschool Nothing ~ Week 9 ~ Trust, Flight, Substitutions, & FOUND - AT LAST

We started a new character trait this week - trust. This should be fun because my kids, just like yours, are having slight issues being completely truthful. Makenzie has just figured out that if she tells a fib (& I don't find out...) she might not get into trouble. Yeah well, she's not a very good liar, but she will stick to her story adamantly until the bitter end! For some reason, she doesn't remember the spankings until its too late.

Its been a pretty fun week. We started reading about the Wright Brothers & the history of flight. Justin taught school for me on Wednesday! YEAH!!! And we ended the week with a trip to the Hot Air Balloon Festival! It was beautiful! I really wanted the kids to be able to ride up in a balloon (tethered, of course), but it was getting too dark so we missed out on that.

 Completely nonschool related news.....football is OVER for the season (silent little happy dance). It was bittersweet. I know how much Austin wanted his team to advance in the playoffs, but I was ready for it to be over. Like I already told someone, I finally get to reclaim my trunk! LOL

Also, while Justin was fixing the recliner on our couch, yet again, we found .......... da da da dum ............ Austin's Nintendo DS!!!! It was in the back of the couch! HOLY COW!!! Do you have ANY idea how long we looked for this thing??? Its been missing since February! Austin finally used his own money to go buy a new Nintendo DSi because we couldn't find the old one. Well, I guess I have a DS now! YEAH! Wait...when do I have time to play it?

Zoey hard at work!

Tales of a Homeschool Nothing ~ Week 8 ~ Music, Meltdowns, & More

WHERE is that big yellow bus & WHY is it not stopping at my house?!?!

Yes, last week (at least the beginning) was THAT bad!!!

One day, I believe it was Wednesday, I had finally reached my breaking point. I slammed my pencil on the table, said "I quit", & locked myself in the bedroom. I held Logan for an hour & cried my eyes out!

I felt a little better when I returned from my black hole. I was REALLY starting to doubt my curriculum choice for this year. It just seems that I have been fighting an uphill battle with baby oil on my shoes. But, I started rethinking & I started praying & saw some areas that needed to be adjusted, so hopefully next week will be better!

THANKFULLY, Friday was my saving grace & it went very well! I had already sent out the alarm for reinforcements & had some prayer warriors on the fighting line with me! Prayer really does make a difference!

So anyway, we finished up our unit on paying attention with music, instruments, & composers. They are still getting composers & conductors confused, oh well.

The highlight of the week was going to the fair on Tuesday night - in the rain - to see how Austin & Makenzie had placed with their crafts. Austin won 3 1st place ribbons (well, technically, the bird feeder was both of theirs!), 1 2nd place, & 1 3rd place. Makenzie won 2 1st place & 1 2nd place ribbons. They were soooo excited!

Turn That Frown Upside Down

 Its been another one of those days (weeks). You know the kind - nothing quite goes right, school has been less than perfect, no one is listening & no one seems to care. We have had way too many of them lately & I must admit, its very hard for me to "be the adult" when I just want to kick, scream, & throw things. While I'm in the middle of my pity party (I was on the up side, I promise! - Nothing like listening to the Moore Family to brighten my spirits - after all she has 7 homeschooled kids & hasn't went insane yet.), Logan woke from his nap & started to cry. He knows that someone will come get him. He doesn't doubt for a minute that he has been abandoned. He knows he is loved!

Thank You Lord, yet again, for the simple reminder that You care for me more than I could ever care for my kids! Why can't I have the unwavering faith to know You will come to my rescue, just as I did for Logan? Why can't I remember that while I'm telling my kids to do something for the 10th time today, You have been asking me to do something over & over again? Why can't I be as tender hearted when they mess up or disobey? You don't get angry everytime I let You down.

This is one of the hardest lessons for me to understand. God has been more than gracious & patient while trying to teach me.

Psalm 61

1. Hear my cry, O God; attend unto my prayer.

2. From the end of the earth will I cry unto thee,

when my heart is overwhelmed: lead me to the rock that is higher than I.

3. For thou hast been a shelter for me, and a strong tower from the enemy.

4. I will abide in thy tabernacle for ever: I will trust in the covert of thy wings. Selah.



Do you KNOW?

The story of the wheat & the tares in Matthew 13:24-30 is just one example of where Bible warns us about false Christians.

"Let both grow together until the harvest: and in the time of harvest

I will say to the reapers, Gather ye together first the tares,

and bind them in bundles to burn them: but gather the wheat into my barn."

Its a scary thought that maybe some people who we think are "good Christian people" may not be truly a Christian. Its even scarier to think that the devil does that great of a job deceiving people.

I have always struggled with my salvation. I know that I know that I'm going to Heaven to see my Lord & Savior one day but there are times where I start to wonder. These are dry times in my life, times when I've gotten slack in my relationship with God, times where I have taken His blessings & His presence for granted. We've all been there - things are good, the finances are in order, everyone is healthy. Or maybe we are super busy, running here & there, finishing this project or that chore & we don't even have time to study our Bible & we think a quick "Thank you Lord" is sufficient. Before long, we start to feel empty, like something is missing. Not some thing, someone! Its during those times, where doubt starts to creep in!

Salvation is a FREE gift! It is so simple that we try to complicate it. Its hard to accept that someone would die for me. Its hard to understand that all I have to do is trust & believe & I can live forever.

IT REALLY IS THAT EASY! But, you have to know that you know that you know! Don't "think so", don't "hope so", don't "wish so". KNOW SO!!!

Salvation isn't based on feelings, but it sure does feel good to be saved!


God hasn't left us. He's still right there & He's waiting on us to come back to Him.

One of my favorite songs right now talks about coming back to God http://youtu.be/dCN0hnogqj8
Isn't it time you came home?

Tales of a Homeschool Nothing ~ Week 7 ~ Encouragement, Paying Attention, & the Performing Arts

Ya know what? I didn't think we got much accomplished this week, but really, we did - it just wasn't "sit down, book work". Yes, I still always feel guilty when "school" doesn't quite look like school. I know my kids are learning, but after being in public school, its hard to break free from the mentality that they need to be sitting at a table with a pencil in their hand in order for learning to take place. If you have always homeschooled your child, then I'm sure this is a hard concept to understand, but if you made the decision to bring your child home, you know what I'm talking about.

A good friend of mine had the BRILLIANT idea to host a mother's encouragement tea Monday afternoon. I am so thankful that she did this. Yes, this took time away from "teaching", but my kids helped me bake the goodies to take over there & then they got to play with their friends while us moms got to enjoy stimulating adult conversation! Some lessons truly are learned & taught when we least expect it! I am so thankful that I am not the only mother struggling with my obedience to God, time management, motivation, & keeping house. Its nice to confess that its hard being super mom all of the time & I feel that I can truly be myself without having to worry about judgement & shortcomings with these ladies! Thank You again from the bottom of my heart!!!

We met on Tuesday for Keepers & Contenders. Our young men learned about leather working & some of the tools & techniques used with this skill. Our lovely ladies finished up their baskets. They turned out beautiful. 

Our 4H meeting taught us how to NOT GET LOST!!! (hopefully) Some of the kids paid very close attention during the presentation & could probably navigate pretty well if they needed to, some of them (including Austin) looked a little bored. Yeah, well - its not all fun & games. He was a lot more excited once they got to explore an area at W Kerr Scott Lake with a compass.

We are still reading about Helen Keller & Annie Sullivan (shhhh - I've been a little busy) with our sound unit. This week, we focused on music. So, that being said we took a trip to .... da da da dum ... the NC Symphony! YEAH! Austin's exact words, "Its pretty cool music, but I couldn't listen to it all the time". Me neither, buddy. We listened to several pieces on YouTube (thank God for the internet). Makenzie didn't care about the music, she just wanted to see the pictures on the video. I had to close the laptop so she would stay focused.

And as an extra treat for Makenzie, we went to see The Little Red Hen. It was hilarious! All of my kids enjoyed it, even Logan, who kicked & gurgled at the performers - that is, until he lost interest & went to sleep.