February 24, 2009

Fabulous Quote

"And what shall be my journey,
How long I'll stay below,
Or what shall be my trials,
Are not for me to know.

"In every day of trouble
I'll raise my thoughts on high,
I'll think of that bright temple
And crowns above the sky."
—From "There is a Holy City," one of Sojourner Truth's favorite hymns

February 23, 2009

Two roads diverged in a wood...


... and I...I took the one less traveled by, and that has made all the difference.
By Robert Frost



A
ctually, I haven't taken the road, yet, but I think I just might. I have been mulling over the idea on whether or not to homeschool the kids or not. I know that I could handle it, the kids are super excited about it. My only hold up is the fact that I'm afraid that they'll miss the experience. I loved school. Every aspect of it and I feel strongly about my kids having the same experience. And then again, I don't. Although I was good at school, I never learned discipline, and - let's face it - I had a completely inflated view of myself. By the time I got to college, I wanted to yell at the professor who gave me my first C on a paper. "Don't you know who I am? I'm one of the smartest people you'll ever meet". This led to me ultimately dropping out. Well, that and the fact that I had stuck to the line so hard in school that, given just a little freedom, I immersed myself fully in the digression that is your Freshman year of college. I also strayed FAR from God and still find myself regrouping from all the mistakes I made back then. I don't want that for my kids. If my kids need to be challenged more and shown they're not the hottest thing on the block- I want to be able to do it. If my poor child is struggling with reading, I want to explore every possible aspect of her learning. I also want my children's lives to revolve solely around God and family. Is that too much to ask?
I homeschooled Stacy when she was in 6th grade and my husband is reminding how stressed I was. However, I was working when I taught her and lost my way about half way through. Therefor, we have struck a deal. If, by the end of this school year, I can create a complete "curriculum" for next year, I can do it. Piece of cake, right?

And the winner is...

Betcha thought this was going to be some recount of the Oscar's, but, alas, I did not even get to watch. The winners I am referring are the different birthday themes my children have finally decided on. My birthday gauntlet begins in April and ends in July with Kamryn. All six kids have birthdays smashed in between. Needless to say, a little extra planning on my part is needed to be able to give everyone the birthday party they deserve. Here are the themes for this year's parties: (in order of birthday)

Tony- Knight and Princess Party
Stacy- Mall Photo Scavenger Hunt
Melanie- Teddy Bear Tea Party
TJ- Superheroes Party
Siarah- Backyard Sleepover
Kamryn- Charlotte's Web Party

Any fabulous ideas from all you fabulous people would be greatly appreciated. Now, onto planning. I have lots of work to do...


February 18, 2009

Lemonade Stand

Today Greg and I let the girls run their own Lemonade Stand after school. Aren't they adorable? They actually made $3.75! At .25 a cup, I would say that our neighbors were more than generous. They actually had people stop in their cars and buy lemonade. For one hour, I was actually envious of my kiddos. Oh, to be that age again!

February 10, 2009

The Job Hunt

Many of you know that my husband lost his job two weeks ago. Two weeks. Wow, doesn't seem like it's been that long. He is having a infinitely hard time finding a new job. Please keep us in your prayers, this is beginning to be very trying for us. Plan B is that we will have to move the family back to Austin, so that Greg can work for his uncle again. I have put all of this in God's capable hands but sometimes it doesn't make the wait too much easier. We like our lives here, but if this is God's way of telling us we're needed there, then that's what we'll have to do. Please pray for us.

February 8, 2009

So they CAN act civilized...

I've begun to wonder lately if my children have just lost their minds or if I have reached the limit of my parenting abilities. In the past few weeks my kids have been on a rampage. There has been more yelling, crying, fighting, etc. between my kids than ever. Today at church, my youngest three embarassed me to no end by running through a meeting of child care workers, screaming and playing chase (I can't apologize enough, Jessica). Needless to say, by the end of church WE HAD HAD IT! Rather than lose it, my husband met all the children out at the van and expressed his disappointment at their behavior and began to list for each of them the behavior that we should be able to expect from them. He never once raised his voice or called out one of the children. I think he may have even made a joke in there somewhere. I would have handled it a much louder way, but somehow I think his way worked. We went to lunch and all of the children sat, ate, and acted civilized for the first time in weeks. We even caved and let them have ice cream we were so shocked. When we all piled in the van, a chorus of "sorries" rang through. This time, I almost fell out of the van from the shock. My children do not apologize, as a rule (not my rule, theirs). The effect of my husband's little expectation speech has weighted heavily on them the whole day. I am still in awe. The whole situation has made me think about something I read in my Esther bible study last week. "Your mood is not your mindset". I have a hard time remembering that. I have let my mood wreak havoc through my family for too long. This morning, after church, I was so angry that, had I been given the chance to speak, I would surely have hurt everyone's feelings, our lunch and rest of the day would have been ruined. There are a lot of responsibilities as a parent, and I take them very seriously, but this one seems to slip by me everytime. I am responsible for the mood of my family. "If mama ain't happy, no ones happy" is a very valid argument. So, today I start my journey on purposefully having my mind set, rather than let my mood dictate my life. Pray for me...

February 7, 2009

Time to Get Things Rollin'

Okay, so after 3 months of silence, I'm back. I'm sure that you've all been waiting with bated breath to hear all the mundane details of my little life again! I officially have my computer up and running again, with internet, so I will not be gracing my sister with my unheeded presence any longer! (I heard that sigh, Stephanie!) I will slowly catch everyone up, but just thought for now I would re-activate my blogging. I'll be back, soon.