Qualifications

Starting on this homeschooling adventure I have read and heard many opinions on the homeschooling subject

I would like to throw in my two cents on some of the opinions I have heard about homeschooling. Some say parents without a teaching degree are not qualified to teach their children. This is something I thought about as our family was deciding whether to home school or not. I have only had two semesters in college. Big D will have his bachelors this November, but not in education. The question kept coming up. Are we qualified? Can I really teach my children what they need to know?

We taught our children how to speak. We taught them the alphabet, colors, shapes, and many other things they needed to know at that age level. But now we are talking about History, Math, Science, ect… Can I do this? Am I qualified?

My son will be in second grade and my daughter in fifth grade. I was also a child in these grades and I did pretty well in school at that time. I did all the work and I even received good grades. But does that qualify me to teach the subjects needed in those grades?

I really want to homeschool, but my first priority is my children’s education. So I went on with the doubt of my qualifications in the back of my mind. I picked out the curriculum and looked it over. The books tell you what to teach and how to teach it. But it gets better, if your child is not responding to the way the book suggest teaching the subject, you the parent can change the teaching method.

Now I was building confidence. I looked through the science book and thought hey I know this stuff! And the things I did not know I can read the textbook and learn it.

For subjects that I am not good at like Math for instance, my husband will step in. For Miss, her teacher at her old school tutors her in Math once a week and prepares her for the tests I give.

As I looked over my child’s curriculum and read the books, I remembered when we would sit on the couch when they were little and read books about colors and shapes. How we taught them their address and phone number and how to write their names. For a child who is 2,3,and 4 those are hard tasks. But all parents are qualified to teach these things to their children. Now that they are older the learning is the same only at a different level.

I do think all parents are qualified to teach their children. As long as the children’s education is top priority. I don’t think homeschooling is for everyone. But on this journey to the homeschooling lifestyle change, I do believe that Big D and I are quite qualified to teach our children. We have been doing it for years.

“Educating a child is a natural process. Home schooling is nothing more than an extension of parenting.” ~Sue Maakestad

Thrusday Thirteen

13 Reasons I love Dads

1.They know a lot of information, whether it is about super heroes, space, and sports or how to turn a potato into a radio; Dad’s know a lot of stuff.

2.Dads are the head of the household, but they know who really is in charge and they are perfectly fine with that.

3. Dads have a huge impact on their daughters. The first man a little girl falls in love with is her Dad, and all the men in her life will be compared to him.

4. You can’t beat the love and protectiveness Dad’s have for their little girls, Dads know what it was like to be a young man.

5. Dads are an irreplaceable role model for their sons. They show them how to be men. Another good reason Dads remember how it was to be a young man.

6.Dads replenish their wives. Moms who give love and affection all day (sometimes with little in return) need to be replenished. That is where Dad comes in. When he shows Mom all of his love and affection, she is filled up and able to give her love easily to their children.

7. Two words…piggyback rides

8.Dads have interesting ideas. They come up with cool projects for their kids without a care how messy the project may get.

9. Cooking, I know Moms can cook fantastic meals, but there is something about a meal when Dad cooks it. It just taste so good. Once again he does not mind the mess that comes with letting the little people help.

10.Dads are funny. They can get away with some jokes and funny situations that some Mom’s can’t. If Dad does something funny the kids will roar with laughter, if mom does the same thing the kids will look at her and say, “ewww gross mom!”

11. Children view their Dad as the strongest man in the world. Nothing bad can happen in the dark at night when Dad is there. He can beat up any monster or bad guy that ever lived.

12. Advice, Dads give very good practical advice. They get to the problem and give a solution, period.

13. Hard work, some Dads work all day long, come home, help with the kids and may even do some house work. Now that is cool.

Thursday Thirteen

Wordless Wednesday

Have we taken this recycling thing too far?


Wordless Wednesday

New Homeschooling Blog (Two Givaways!)

Angie over at Many Little Blessings has started a new group homeschooling blog. I am excited about the new blog and grateful to be apart of it.

We are having two awesome giveaways that you need to check out. There will be a 25$ Amazon.com gift certificate and a 10$ Starbucks gift certificate.

Click on the button at the top to visit our group homeschooling blog, The Homeschool Classroom.

Don't forget to get in on those giveaways!

Visions of Babies Dance in my Head

I don’t know what it is about being around babies that makes me long to have another one. It may just be the normal time for me to want another child. I usually get these feelings when our youngest is close to turning two.

It does not help that five or so women I know have a new baby or are expecting one. My kids must know the drill that goes on in this house, they see that Oney is almost two and now Miss and Lil D keep talking about their new brother or sister we are going to have. They seem to know that this is the time when Mom and Dad usually announce that a new little one will be coming soon.

I cannot stop thinking about babies! I asked Big D if we were going to absolutely be done having kids. I was maybe hoping he would give me an absolute answer to put my thoughts to rest. Big D told me that we would make a final decision the day after Oney’s 2nd birthday. I have no idea why he said the day after, I just agreed.

So now I have a few months to be consumed with baby thoughts. In our family we stay open to new life. Still there are things we must consider to make a responsible decision on whether we should bring another baby into our family. The usual reasons money, time, and health.

I have some personal drawbacks that keep coming up. How will a new baby effect home schooling, What about our plans on getting these kids semi raised so Big D and I can fully enjoy each other? What about college? This last reason seems small but I can’t help cringe at the idea of all the doctor visits I will have to go to with four children at home and having to figure out what to do with them.

Then there are the pros. Being able to bring a new life into our family with God and the man I am absolutely head over heels for. The absolute love you have for a child and how each new baby magnifies that love. Brothers and sisters is one of the greatest gifts Big D and I can give to our children.

What am I to do?

I have a brand new niece. She is about 5 weeks old and in a couple of weeks I am going to take her home for the weekend. I know this is not the same as having my own baby 24 hours a day, but I am hoping this will help in our decision. Can we cope with a fifth child?
I have forgotten the details of having a newborn; I only remember the good things. God is good that way.

We will just have to wait and see what the future holds for our family. Meanwhile I am sure I will have baby on the brain and heart until a decision is made.

Magnificent Art

Big D does not let me read his posts on his blog while he is writing them. I have to venture over to his blog when he is done like everyone else.

Yesterday I sat down at the computer to do some blog reading and I of course visited Big D's blog first. He had written a beautiful post that I would like to share with everyone.

Give his blog a visit and find out how beautiful art can be.

You can visit him here Professio.

Tasty Vittles

The summer is going by fast. For our last little vacation we are going camping.
One of the highlights of camping is cooking. Everyone prepares and enjoys the meal together.

When I was a kid my family went camping all the time. My Dad always made the meals. He had a stove and we would eat very good food. It was more along the lines of the kind of food you would make at home. Elaborate in preparing and delicious to eat.

Bid D and I decided that for are family we are going to cook camping food. Since we don’t have a stove, and we have kids who are not satisfied unless they are cooking along with us we are going to use a more traditional method to cook our food. We will only be using the campfire.

I do intend to get a cast iron skillet and the kids do have a mess kit that comes with little pans, this is what we will use. I think the kids will enjoy this type of cooking. I will have my fingers crossed in hopes we do ok and that we will have something to eat on this trip. If all else fails we will always have roasted hot dogs to fall back on.

Looking for camp recipes I came across some that sound yummy. Here are a few that I like.

Egg in an Orange Peel
I like this one because the kids have to eat the orange to make the bowl.

Biscuits on a Stick

Boatin’ Hillbilly Trash Breakfast

Breakfast Hash

Bacon and Eggs in a Paper Bag

Campfire Pizza

Pig on a Stick

Hobo Dinner

Baby Red Potatoes

Easy Taco Salad

Foil Bag Surprise

Dogs in Sleeping Bags

Campfire Corn on the Cob

Banana Boats

Baked Apples

These are a few of the recipes I found that I think will be fun to make and good to eat. If you have any basic camping recipes feel free to share them with me.

Busy

Today has been busy. Big D worked from home today. That means he had total control over the computer. That means I was not able to post my Thursday Thirteen. The time that I usually post it has gone by and I just can’t come up with the brainpower to think of anything worthwhile to post.

We are getting ready to go on our camping trip in a few weeks. We have been looking up camping recipes. Cheap, easy, and fun is what we are going for. When I find my favorites I will post them. I am going to say good-bye for today. I have five children waiting to go to the park. They are looking at me with longing eyes, with the thoughts of slurpies in their heads.

Wordless Wednesday

Can you love the unlovable?
Can you please the unpleasable?
You can lose yourself trying.
Still you try



Wordless Wednesday

Heliping Children Give

Since my talk with Lil D about giving more to people in need and our community I started checking around the internet to see if I could find some volunteer work or charities that younger kids can get involved with. I found some that sound great. Here is a few of the charities I have found that can be put into action by my children.


Color a Smile

Children color pictures and send them in. Meals on Wheels then delivers them to the people they assist. A fast and easy way to bring a smile to someone and brighten their day.

Snazzy Hats

Make hats for chemotherapy patients. This site gives you details on how to go about doing this, and places you can send your hats off to.

Make A Child Smile

Children are able to send cards, drawings, and little gifts to very ill children. Children who really need something to look forward to.

Operation Goody Bag

Children can decorate brown paper bags, fill them with the supplies suggested, and send them to Operation Goody Bag. The Goody Bags will then be delivered to the military first responders, as well as fire rescue and any other people who risk their lives to respond first when we need them.

Cheerful Givers

Make Goody Bags for a child’s birthday. I think it would be good idea to have my children do this while we are planning for their own birthday. That way they are giving at the same time they are receiving.

These are a few of the charities I have found that are suitable for children of all ages, from very young to adult. The site that I got these from also has organizations for older kids and teens and how they can become involved.

You can view the list for more ideas at Go City Kids

If you have any ideas on how to get kids involved in their community or with charity please let me know.



Be a little pencil in the hand of God
who is sending a love letter to the word.
-Mother Theresa

Charity

Lil D and I were snuggled on the couch as I read to him from our Children’s Bible. I decided to read him the Sermon On The Mount. I read from the Bible and then Lil D and I would talk about what exactly Jesus was telling us and how we can follow what He was saying in our own life. We were having a sweet Mother son moment

Lil D then asked me a question I didn’t really know how to answer. He said, “Mom if you saw a homeless person on the street would you bring him home to stay with us?” I looked at Lil D for a minute and wasn’t quite sure how to answer. I decided to tell him the truth, and said no, I would not invite a strange homeless person into our home.

Lil D had a look of surprise on his face, like he could not believe I said no. He said, “Why Mom, Jesus would.”

Explaining that there is bad in the world to my children really upsets me. Whether it is about strangers, mean people, or whatever. It seems every time I have to talk about the cruelty of the world to my children they loose a bit of their innocence.

I had to explain to Lil D that I would not bring a random homeless person into our house because I could not be sure if he or she were a good person or not. I could not risk it if the person was dangerous.

I told Lil D I would give the person money, food and my prayers. As I looked into Lil D’s eyes I wished that the world and the people in it could be trusted as much as my little guy trusted me.

After Lil D and I were done with our reading and our talk he looked at me and said, “Well if they can’t come over than the next time I see a homeless person I am going to bring them a loaf of bread and a jar peanut butter.” My heart swelled up and I just gave him a hug and said Jesus would love if you did that.

I am glad Lil D was shocked when I said I wouldn’t invite a homeless person into our home. I hope when it comes to helping people in anyway shape or form Lil D will always be shocked at people who don’t do it.

I think it is time I looked at how our family helps those in need and see if there is more we can do. I want to show Lil D and the rest of my children that there are ways we can contribute to the needy. I need to put more action into the words I tell them when I say it is our duty to give to those who have less than we do.

If my little guy is willing than I should be too.

Are the Jonas Brothers Really That Cool?

Little Miss loves the Jonas Brothers. As do millions of other girls her age. Every time Miss likes a celebrity I am always on edge wondering if that celebrity will stay on a good path and at least try to be a good role model to the millions of kids who look up to them.

I was pleasantly surprised to see this article on Style.com, which portrays the Jonas Brothers to be a close family among themselves and their parents. The brothers also wear purity rings and are quite proud of it.

The Jonas Brothers get a thumbs up from me and I hope they continue to use their success and fame to be good role models for our children.

You can read the article here at Style.com

New Blog

I would like to introduce you to a brand spanking new blog.

My husband, Big D has his blog up and running.

You can go visit him at Professio.

Thursday Thirteen

13 Dwellings I Would Not Mind Calling Home Sweet Home

1.Craftsman Home





I love the Craftsman style house. There is so much character and charm.

2. Victorian Home






The Victorian home used to be my favorite. They look a little spooky to me now. They still make the list.

3.Farm House



A nice peaceful farm house.

4. A Cottage



5. A home in a Bavarian Village.



6.A Home in Tuscany.






I can imagine Big D and I sitting in this Tuscan living room, sipping our vino and enjoying life.

7.Castle


Who has ever not wanted to live in a castle? Not much my taste anymore, but they are beautiful.

8. English Cottage



9. A beautiful Home in Ireland.




10. A Hobbit Home




I thought living in a Hobbit home would be unrealistic, until I found out that they do make Hobbit homes for humans, yay!

11.Any Home with a wrap around porch.



12. Log Cabin


This is for Big D. he has dreamed of living in a log Cabin.


This is what comes to my mind when I think Log Cabin.

13. Home Sweet Home
Wherever these munchkins are is the best place to call home.









Thursday Thirteen

Wordless Wednesday

Spoiled Dog



Wordless Wednesday

Forgive Yourself

When I came back to the Catholic Faith six years ago I knew how important it was to receive the Sacrament of Reconciliation. During the time I was not going to Church or receiving the Sacraments. I had always told myself I could confess my sins to God on my own and everything would be fine. That is what I would do.

I knew if I wanted to become whole in the Catholic Faith I would have to go to Confession. I had no idea how long it had been since my last Confession; lets just say it was a good many years. I examined my conscience and came to the conclusion that I was going to be spending quite a bit of time in that confessional.

I was carrying around sins that were a tremendous burden on me, even though I spent many a night begging God for his forgiveness, the sin was still on my heart because I would ask for forgiveness of these sins over and over again.

The day came for me to make a proper confession. I had everything I was going to confess in my mind. To be honest I was afraid the Priest was going to tell me to get lost or chastise me for the things I had done.

When I was about to confess something came over me, I started to weep uncontrollably. It was as though all the shame and sorrow was pouring out and there was no way for me to stop it. I felt a little embarrassed, but the Priest was patient and waited for me to compose myself. This type of reaction never happened when I confessed my sins to God on my own, these emotions came out of nowhere.

When I was done and I had my emotions somewhat under control, the Priest gave me absolution. I had to ask again, “Am I forgiven?” The Priest told me of course I was, he said coming to Confession, asking and receiving God’s forgiveness was the easy part. The hard part is forgiving yourself.

This was something I had trouble with. Forgiving myself would require me to put my trust in God and his gift of the Sacraments. If the Lord has given us Reconciliation as a way to forgive our sins, then I would have to trust and believe in this. Trusting and believing in this in turn would allow me to forgive myself. I would have to learn to let go, that God’s promises are true and to constantly feel ashamed, or withdrawn would not be giving much respect to God’s promise of forgiveness through Reconciliation.

As I said my penance, I had never felt so light. I asked God to help me trust him so forgiving myself could begin. It was not instant, but everyday I was stronger in my trust, I was slowly becoming free of the guilt and shame I had put on myself. Being free of this helped me to declutter my soul, heart, and mind and make a space for God to enter.

The Lord calls us to ask for forgiveness in his Sacrament of Reconciliation, I will put my trust in the Lord and his Sacraments. I will not be afraid to forgive myself.

Potter

I have become a Harry Potter Geek!

I am currently on book number seven, Harry Potter and The Deathly Hollows.

I know it is a little late to be jumping on the Harry Potter wagon, but I am glad I did. These books are great.

I read book one, Harry Potter and The Sorcerers Stone when it first came out and thought it was pretty good, nice kids book. It wasn’t until recently that Big D decided he was going to read the series. Big D told me how great the Harry Potter books were so I decided to read them too.

I can’t put these books down!

I am off to see what is going to happen next to Harry and his friends

Home School Curriculum

School is right around the corner. For some home schooling families it has already started. This will be the first year we are going to home school. Miss and Lil D have gone to a Catholic School thus far. Though I like the school and love the parish, home schooling seems to fit our family better.

I purchased some of our curriculum from cathswap a group on Yahoo. The books were hardly used and I got them at a great price. According to Catholic Home School Support, cathswap has been changed. Here is also a new group CHSSwap that is the like version of the old cathswap.

We purchased the rest of our curriculum from the Michigan Catholic Home School Conference. All of our books arrived yesterday. I thought I would give a list of the curriculum each of my children will be studying.

Miss 5th grade

Religion~ Faith and Life series

Math~ Saxton 6/5

Science~ Harcourt Science (Kolbe Academy offers this Science curriculum)

History~ Catholic Heritage, From Sea to shining Sea

English/language~ Catholic Heritage, Language of God

Reading~ Seton readers and the Dear America series to start. Miss loves the Dear America series, and you can get the questions for each book on Scholastic's website.

Writing~ Each child will have a journal to write in. I also purchased the book Stories with a View. I love this book. It is great because both kids can do it together. There will be book reports, creative writing ect…

Handwriting~ Seton handwriting for young Catholics

Geography~ Seton Map skills

Spelling~ Spelling Workout


Lil D 2nd grade

Religion~ Faith and Life series

Math~ MCP math

Science~ Harcourt Science

History~ I really could not find any history that I liked for 2nd grade. Either there wasn’t any or it was boring. So I decided that what ever Miss was learning about in her history book. Lil D and I could do a unit study on the subject. Then Both Lil D and Miss can do the crafts together.

English/language~ CHC Language of God

Reading~ Seton readers, Lil D loves these readers. He has been reading them to me all summer. I love these. CHC Devotional Stories for Little folks.

Writing~ Journal and Stories with a View.

Handwriting~ Seton Handwriting for Young Catholics

Geography~ Seton Map Skills

Spelling~ Spelling Workout

I have yet to find anything to do with art. I don’t know how I want to approach this. Ginny over at Small Things With Great Love gave some good art ideas. I think I will let Big D and my Dad handle art because they are the artists. I would love any feed back on some good art books or materials that you may like or find helpful.

I am always looking for new ideas or tips. If there is a certain book or curriculum you like, let me know. My ears are open to any advice or tips.

Thursday Thirteen

13 Reasons I have a bunch of kids.

1.I have something to blame my few extra pounds on.

2.I have learned to find a dark amusement when my whole family walks into a restaurant and I see the look of horror on the wait staff’s faces.

3.I get many compliments on my children, even if I think they are acting up. People just assume that if you have many children they should be hanging from the ceiling or setting fires in the corner. I welcome every compliment.

4.People give me compliments like, “Oh you must be so patient.” “You really have it together.” I either roll with it or I fight back the urge to tell them I have not showered in three days, my house looks like a heard of goats came through, and I just got done telling my kids through clenched teeth, “You better behave or else.”

5.Easter egg hunts, tag, and duck duck goose are more fun to play because you always have enough playmates and they live with you.

6.I feel comfortable around families with 5 or more children because finally my family gets to be the ‘normal” one for a change.

7.More Mother’s Day presents.

8.I get to exercise my brain coming up with witty answers to questions and comments such as “Are you done?” “Are they all yours?” or my personal favorite, “Better you than me.”

9.I will never have to waste money on art or wall decoration. My kids make enough art for me to display to last a lifetime.

10.I really like the sound of the word Mama from many different voices.

11.Silence while good and comforting at times gets me antsy if it last to long. My kids don’t know the meaning of silence, so it works out well.

12.The more kids I have to teach me how to lead a good life the better. I need all the help I can get.

13.It is comforting to know that I have produced at least one child who will take care of me when I am old and in need of care. Maybe we should have a few more just to be sure.


Thursday Thirteen

Wordless Wednesday

The Angry Chef
Maybe the next Gordon Ramsey, minus the cuss words.

Wordless Wednesday

Be Yourself

Miss is my oldest child. At the end of the summer she will be ten years old. I admire Miss for the person that she is. I could have only dreamed to have the kindness, confidence, and sense of self that she has at such a young age.

Miss gets along with everyone. It doesn’t matter the age, she fits herself right in to any group. She has a few little friends in the neighborhood that she goes to visit. One in particular I will call Y.

Miss and Y get along pretty well when they are together. But if you add any of Y’s friends from school into the mix it seems as though they leave Miss out.

They will tell her that we, her parents, are too strict on her. (This happened after I told Miss there was no way she was going to the park with a bunch of nine year olds at 8pm)

Y had a birthday party sleep over this past weekend and invited Miss. I told Miss that no matter what time it was if she wanted to come home just call and I will come get her.

Around two in the morning I get a call from Miss who is crying. She told me that all the girls are sleeping in a bed and are making her sleep on the floor. They were teasing her because I said no to the park trip, and they were whispering to each other about her.

I walked down the street to go get her. We got back to our house and sat on the couch where she cried and told me what had happened. As a mother I was getting upset with these little girls. Miss is a good and kind friend, and for someone to take that for weakness really got my blood boiling.

I asked her, “Did you come home because you wanted to?” She said yes. I was proud of her. Even though she was being ganged up on, and she could lose one of her only friends in the neighborhood. She stood up for herself and left. She could have stayed and took what these girls were giving to her, but she didn’t.

That night we talked about peer pressure. How some people can’t be themselves when other friends are around. I explained to her that some people act how others expect them to rather than how God intended them act.

I told her I was always proud how she never changed who she was no matter whom she was with. I told her that I admired her for that, and she was my role model in that way.

Miss got a big kick out of that, and she started to feel better.

When does the pressure of being the person others expect you to be stop? When situations come up around my adult friends and acquaintances there are times when I feel like a little girl at a sleep over being bullied into behaving a certain way. I will think of Miss in these situations and say and do what I know to be right. If they don’t like me afterwords, then they were never true friends to begin with.

Invite God to The Party

Oney was our baby that gave us the most worries. Before he was born I had the tests done for Down Syndrome and Spina Bifida. The same tests I had with all my other children.

When I got the call from my Doctor’s office and the women on the phone told me that I needed to come to the office right away is a day I will always remember.

I rushed to the office and sat in the room waiting for my Doctor to come in. My heart was racing; I already had tears in my eyes. The doctor came in; he sat down and told me the tests had come back positive. It could mean Down Syndrome or Spina Bifida.

At that moment I became a hysterical pregnant woman. I was crying so hard I could not catch my breath. All I Could think of was that my perfect little baby was hurt, and there was nothing I could do about it.

The Doctor tried to reassure me but I could not process anything he was saying. I went home and called Big D, still hysterical, I am sure he could not fully understand what I was trying to say. Being my Knight in shining armor that he is, he rushed home and went to the Doctors office to get the full rational story.

We decided to get the amino test done to see if this was really what was going on. I needed to know because I was so distraught and depressed. I needed to know what was happing to my son so I could be prepared and come to terms with it.

We had to wait two weeks before we took the test; during that time I was a depressed emotional wreck. I turned to God and prayed like I have never prayed before. All I could think about was what was happening to my baby, and I prayed constantly every day.

I met an acquaintance who had a child with Down Syndrome, when I told her what was happening to us her first words were, “Congratulations, they are a blessing.” To be honest I got a little angry at her statement. I started to get angry with anyone who said things like, “You will love him just the same.” “Everything happens for a reason” and so on. I was sad, deflated and angry. I also felt guilty for having these emotions. I felt I was giving the impression that children with Downs were not satisfactory. I prayed even harder. God did lift that anger, and I began to feel comfort in people’s reassuring words. I felt so close to God even though I was suffering so much.

After the test was done we found out that in fact Oney was a healthy baby boy. I thanked God and my constant prayer stopped. My happy content life returned to normal and my prayer life diminished.

When Oney was a month old he developed RSV. The morning I found him cold and limp will also live in my memory forever. When Big D and I were in the hospital rubbing Oney’s little body to get him to start breathing again will never be forgotten.

Seeing my sweet little boy with a breathing tube and a feeding tube not knowing when or if I would ever take him home was something that tore my heart right out of me.

Again I turned to God. Constant prayer is what kept me from lying in bed and not getting up. Constant prayer helped me to be a mom to my other children, to get through Christmas without my little boy. God was with me I could feel him all around me.

We were finally able to take Oney home, I thanked God and my life went back to normal. Once again my constant prayer stopped.

"Watch ye, therefore, praying at all times, that you may be accounted worthy to escape all these things that are to come and to stand before the Son of man." -Luke 21:36

What does praying at all times mean? It seems that the only time I did this was when tragedy struck, when God was the only person I could cling to. What about the times when life is a party, when things are good and God’s blessings are apparent? I have learned through tragic events that yes, even when life is a party I must invite God into my life through prayer.

I believe if my prayers never ceased through the good times, when the bad times came around I would not be searching so fervently for God. I would not in a frantic haste pray for Him to be at my side, because I would know that He has been there all along.

I don’t think I can say this enough, children can teach us so many things about God. They are blessing from God for a good reason. Children help us to understand what “Pray always” means. I have been blessed to have a life that is most of the time a party, having been blessed with that type of life I feel it is my obligation to continue to pray always, everyday for God’s grace, for others, for family and for the world.

God wants to be in my life when things are going great. Just as much as he wants to be my rock when things are going wrong. I won’t forget this. I will take what my little son has taught me. God will be there always through prayer when I am down and need Him. He will also be there when Life is wonderful because I will still need Him.

I look to God to help others and me out of the darkness; I will also remember to invite him to the party.

America

I like to see a man proud of the place in which he lives. I like to see a man live so that his place will be proud of him. ~Abraham Lincoln

How often we fail to realize our good fortune in living in a country where happiness is more than a lack of tragedy. ~Paul Sweeney

"Our country, right or wrong." When right to be kept right; when wrong to be put right. ~Carl Schurz

I believe in America because we have great dreams - and because we have the opportunity to make those dreams come true. ~Wendell L. Wilkie

Oh, it's home again and home again, America for me!
I want a ship that's westward bound to plough the rolling sea
To the blessed land of Room Enough beyond the ocean bars,
Where the air is full of sunlight and the flag is full of stars.
~Henry Van Dyke


Happy 4th of July!

Thursday Thirteen

Thirteen Of My Favorite Love Songs



1. Love Song -Elton John (This was our wedding song)

2. In Your Eyes-Peter Gabriel

3. Two of Us- The Beatles

4. I Don't Feel Like loving You Today-Gretchen Wilson

5. Crush-Dave Matthews Band

6. Helplessly Hoping-Crosby,Stills,&Nash

7. Silver Springs-Stevie Nicks

8. Johnny and June-Heidi Newfield

9. Forever and Ever Amen-Randy Travis

10. Release-Pearl Jam (This one reminds me of Big D, that is why I consider it a love song)

11. As Long As The Grass Shall Grow-Johnny Cash

12. Blue Eyes Crying in The Rain-Willie nelson

13. Secret Garden-Bruce Springsteen

Thursday Thirteen

Wordless Wednesday

Birthday cakes Big D and I have made for the kids.







This one was a bit difficult. It turned out a little messy, but Lil D loved his Lego cake.


Wordless Wednesday

Adventure Academy

My Husband always has great ideas for helping the kids think and learn. He thought it would be fun to come up with an educational board game for the kids. It is a cross between Trivia Pursuit and Dungeons and Dragons. This is one of my favorite ideas of his because it's fun and we can all do it together.

The idea of the game is the kids come up with characters. I will be in charge of writing the characters backgrounds, strengths and weaknesses. There will also be a narrator during the game that comes up with adventures the characters will go on.

The object of the game is to roll the dice and get around the board. If you land on a question mark then the player has to answer a question to move on. The questions will include what the children are learning in any given subject. The questions will be geared towards the age of the child, that way all the kids can play.

Along the way there will be clues to a riddle. If a person lands on a magnified glass they will receive a clue that will get them a step closer to solving the riddle.

The first player to make it around the board and answer the riddle wins.

Big D took his old Dungeons and Dragons’ board and modified it to fit our game.





We decided to try it out. We didn’t have time to come up with the educational questions so we played with Nickelodeon trivia questions. We plan on making our characters out of modeling clay, but for our first game we used Dungeon and Dragon pieces and a Sponge Bob character.



Here are the clues for the riddle of our first game.
Can you solve the riddle?