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. 

Apples & Oranges

I always thought people were crazy when they would talk about comparing apples to oranges. If you think about it though, its not really all that strange. You simply cannot compare two things accurately unless they are similar in nature.

What would be really strange though is if an apple tree was in full bloom, loaded down with shiny delicious apples, & *gasp* there was an orange hanging from its branches.

Don't laugh just yet.......it happens more often than we realize.

How many adults do we know who are fine upstanding citizens but their children bring shame upon the family name? How many times have we seen parents bring their children up in a loving, respectful (doesn't always have to be Christian) home only to have those children rebel against everything good & right?

Does this mean the parents have failed? No, I don't believe so, but I'm sure the burden that they carry is unreal.

Does this mean that the community has failed? Possibly, could we have stepped in the first time we saw that child doing wrong?

Does this mean that society has failed? Certainly, we no longer hold ourselves accountable, let alone other people, for mistakes. We are very quick to pass the buck when we mess up or to look the other way when we see someone else heading down the wrong road.

Its time to take a stand!!! If you know of or even suspect a young person heading into trouble, intervene, talk to them, yes, even tell their parents. Its far better to make them mad now, than to look back & wish you could have done something.

Tales of a Homeschool Nothing ~ Week (I'm honestly not sure) ~ Paying Attention, Sound, the Great Wolf Lodge, & Chicken Stew

REALLY?!?! Who was the crazy person
that made this necessary?

YES, I actually just admitted to not knowing what week we are on....I think its week 6 & YES, we are STILL studying sound. I came to a realization this week........I think I am just keeping my kids at home, I don't think I am teaching them much of anything. The month of September has been CRAZY & the month of October looks even busier. I am literally booked e v e r y s i n g l e Thursday, Friday, & Saturday through the middle of November - HOLY COW!!! It needs to snow so I can stay home & teach.

Highlight of the week ..... THE GREAT WOLF LODGE ..... YEAH!!!!!!! We had a blast & came home completely exhausted!

Then turned right around & threw a party. Yep - rest is for wimps. I confess. I'm a wimp. I need my rest.