The dreams or plans I had for myself fall vastly short in comparison to the plans God has had for me all along. I could have never imagined this life I'm living. I am blessed beyond words with a wonderful husband, three precious kids, and an exciting homeschool journey. Looking back to where this all began close to sixteen years ago, I had various corporate jobs bouncing around to different fortune five hundred companies. I even did a good bit of traveling for work the first few years of our marriage. I don't miss those days. I don't miss that life. In that moment I did not mind it so much. Back then I thought having the nice house and the new cars were so important. I had the mindset that we needed to acquire a certain level of wealth before beginning certain phases of life. Thankfully some wise friends informed me that the problem with waiting for the perfect bank account or that just perfect moment of all the ducks in a row is the fact that we are living in an imperfect world. Things will never be perfect. Life will pass you by while you wait. I started to realize the truth in those words. We had our first son in January of 2001 and I began to grow less enchanted with climbing the corporate ladder. Babies have a way of helping you instantly put things into perspective. I do believe that's all part of God's design. Nothing else really truly makes me ponder the bigger questions in life like I do when I'm looking at the sweet children God knit together in my womb. After the tragedy of September 11, 2001 things became even clearer. I felt the pressures of life being in this rat race. My baby boy was growing up so fast before my eyes. How much of his life was I missing because I was stuck in the rut of working overtime to keep up with the workload? I came to a crossroads where I knew God was allowing me to feel these pressures and trials to bring about changes. These plans were not His plans. This was not where I was supposed to be. I began to seek God out. Begging Him to show me where we were supposed to be. What were we supposed to be doing? God does not always answer my prayers how I hope, but this is one of those definite moments that I knew without any doubt that God was moving swiftly in our lives. I had asked what His plans were. I asked where we were supposed to be and He answered. I still remember to this day being confident about where God was taking us. From very early on I always felt called to work with children. I had even pursued a college degree in education hoping to one day be an elementary school teacher. After three years under my belt towards that degree I became distracted. Life threw challenges my way and I got lazy about school. College was expensive. When a full time job came my way making nearly as much if not more than what I would teaching I lost sight of that dream. This factor topped with the immediate payoff of not having to finish my degree is the lie I told myself back then. All the while, meeting my soon to be husband in the mix and the rest is history. College dreams got tossed aside along with the passion and dreams about working with children. After the birth of my son those dreams began to resurface. I know that God gives us all gifts. Life is so much richer when we can use those gifts to serve him. I began asking God to help me use those gifts where He wanted me to. Over the last ten years God has brought us on this amazing journey. My husband and I served side by side at a children's home. We raised our boys along side us while we worked. We got to be part of the lives of some amazing children and adults. Friendships that were made in the time we worked there will last this lifetime and the next. Now God has called me on to a different journey. The one of homeschooling our kids. While this plan is not one that I originally imagined for us, I am so very glad to be where we are. Just when I thought our lives were complete and full God brought our precious daughter into our lives. At that moment I was terrified and feeling inadequate for the job of mothering a baby a third time around in what I was convinced through and through was too old an age to be having a another baby. Were if not for God's endless grace and mercy, I would have never made it through. God is good and He is faithful! Sometimes it's when I am weakest that I finally remember that I cannot do it on my own. I don't have to do it on my own. He is here. He is real! He loves me!! He takes care of me. His providence still leaves me speechless when I truly think about the moments He has carried us through. Fast forward to a little over sixteen years later and here I am homeschooling two fiery boys while doing my best to keep up with an ever inquisitive two year old. Life is GOOD!

This is going to be an exciting school year. I choose joy. I choose to make it a joyful school year because that's what God calls me to do. Choose joy. My biggest goal for this school year is to choose joy continually. Joy was also meant to be an action. I can chose to feel joyful or I can choose the alternative. What better way to model to my family God's light than to strive to live for Him daily. I have been blessed so richly and I'm tired of wasting my moments. What about you? Are you choosing joy? Are you where you're supposed to be? I challenge you to ask God if you have any doubts! ** And one side note...that is just a toy my oldest is wearing, I promise!(the knife he has strapped to his belt for all his pictures) It takes much bribery to get a tween to willingly pose for photos!

I have been MIA

Okay, Okay, Okay.....so I have been missing in action for quite some time to the blogosphere....but not without good reason...I have been busy! Very busy. Life is full of surprises sometimes.....very wonderful and good surprises. The kind sometimes you never imagine for yourself. Gifts you are given that you never even knew you wanted or needed until you receive them. That's the kind of heavenly Father we have. Without further delay.....the reason for my long long absence....is this very blessing from above who has turned my world upside down from the moment I knew this was happening and I wouldn't have it any other way.

This is our sweet Alyssa Grace. Born on the 4th of July. I know I waited far to long to update this blog with this lovely baby girl's arrival. But hey, we've been busy. This little lady keeps me on my toes....on top of that and homeschooling two boys...finding time to blog is hard to come by!! Thank goodness for facebook or else I'd never have any kind of updates to share!! So on my next posts I will try and share more details and updated photos of our sweet precious gift from God!!!

Memorial of a Dear Sweet Friend

n Wednesday I came to find out that a friend passed away unexpectedly.  It was so unexpected and sudden.  She was a truly amazing person.  It was impossible to know my friend Joy without seeing the shine of God in her life.  Joy was the kind of friend that made special handmade cards and took the time to send snail mail.  She had a gift of making those around her feel special and loved.  She was never too busy to reach out. I can remember her at my baby shower for my youngest son.  I remember working with her at Thornwell where we met.   I can vividly remember her holding my baby as we chatted and  watched the other children play on the playground. Children were at ease with her.  She had such a heart for children.  She had an amazing faith.  She truly lived her life out for God in the short twenty-six years of her life.  She made more impact in those few short years than most of us could ever hope to make.    She was fearless in her mission to reach out to children in third world countries.  It was on her last missions trip to Asia that she developed an aneurysm  that she would not recover from.  My heart goes out to her family as I cannot imagine the hurt that comes with losing a family member so unexpectedly.  I hope and pray they have peace in knowing that they will one day see her again in God's kingdom. I hope there is comfort and joy in knowing how happy she is to be with Jesus.  I know He has his reasons for allowing these things to happen.  This side of heaven we may never comprehend the reasons.  She was an amazing person that made such an impact, truly living out spreading the gospel. If you asked her what her life's verse was she'd quickly tell you James 1:27.  She went to places that would terrify many of us. Living in rugged places far beyond the modern comforts that we Americans often take for granted.  It was in those places that she shined the brightest.  Her gift was definitely missions.  She was living out her dream as she served abroad. She touched hearts in both her life and death.  It's made me realize yet again not to sweat the small stuff.  Take the time to tell your loved ones how much you care.  Life is fragile, make it count.  I believe Joy did. 

A Very Big Day!

It was a very big day for our family.  Austin recently made the decision that he wanted to be baptized.  Our pastor talked and prayed with him to make sure he fully understood the decision he was making. Today on the 4th of July our church had a big BBQ followed by baptisms, games and fireworks.  Austin was tugging at heartstrings as he told of why he wanted to be baptized. Before the baptism took place our pastor briefly spoke with everyone getting baptized telling them this moment would be an opportunity to share Jesus with people there that don't know Him. I didn't realize how my nine year old son say some profound things.

Listening to him speak to the crowd about how he watched his father make the decision to follow Christ and be baptized and how he was wanting to follow in his father's footsteps. He spoke of wanting God in his life.

Knowing that Eric is shining Jesus in his life in a very real way that even our sons can see vividly is so priceless.
Deuteronomy 6:5-7 Love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength.  These commandments that I give you today are to be upon your hearts. Impress them on your children.  Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up.

The way that Austin comprehends things that I never even realize are just taking place in the day to day routine of life. He gets the big picture. He is soaking in all the details, never missing a beat.  I'm so blessed that he has both an earthly and heavenly father and that his earthly father is pointing him in the direction of his heavenly father.  I think God has big plans for Austin's life and greater things are yet to come!!  Today has been a joyous one of celebration!   

Wes Makes His Piano Debute!

Beach Trip

So I've fallen out of the blogosphere for a bit.  Sometimes you just have to do that.  Other things needed more priority....but that is a another blog post in itself.  So, for now, I'll share some pictures of our first ever camping trip with the boys!  Yes, you heard right, the city folks went camping and lived to tell about it.  The low point of the trip was having seagulls poop in the hot dog dinner that Eric was grilling up for us. Oh and in the process they pooped on him as well.  So needless to say the city folks moved to plan B and opted for pizza at a nearby pizzeria.  Being that our first night there the winds were at 20-25 mph, dinner really did work out for the best.  We did manage to cook other meals during our camping trip without bird droppings.  But,  I made a definite note to self that a canopy of some sort is highly beneficial for future camping trips!!! We even had a squirrel adopt us for a couple days.

He came running anytime he heard food bags rattling.  Eric even fixed him a bowl of cereal our last morning there.  And the squirrel, Sparkey, as we nicknamed him.....climbed up on the picnic table to eat some! All in all the trip was a success.  Couldn't have asked for better weather.  The boys didn't want to go home and are secretly plotting together on how to get us back out there again.  Austin was even brainstorming up ways to raise money so that he can buy another camping trip asap! He is determined!! Going to sleep to sound of ocean waves is highly addictive.....I'm secretly plotting our next camping trip in my mind too..... :)

The Prized Christmas Gift

Austin has been wishing this certain item for about three Christmases!!  And now thanks to some of Santa's helpers.....this Christmas.....his wishing came true.  Austin even told us as he awoke that morning that he had heard Santa's reindeer landing on the roof in the middle of the night.  But, of course, Austin said he made sure he stayed in bed.  He was so excited that night before he went to bed because this would be the first Christmas Eve where he slept in a top bunk ever so close tot he roof top! It pays to be the oldest!! Here is the video of Austin opening his special gift.  Of course once again....you'll want to pause the music player before you start the video!  Sorry people, I'm a music junky!!

My Baby is FOUR!?!?

My dear sweet baby is officially four now!! I can't comprehend that! Where does the time go? Blink and it's gone! We spoiled him and celebrated his birthday a day early. Sunday is his official birthday, but we have a busy day with church breakfast and program. So we decided to make today a relaxing day of birthday fun! I attempted to make an ice cream cake. It was not an easy process I discovered, but we may try it again sometime! Birthday boy gobbled up his cake! He was quite enthusiastic about it. I think he may have been more enthusiastic about the cake than the presents, at least at first! So in reflecting on the past four years of Wesley's life I poured through his baby pictures. We are very blessed! Wes is our wonderful Christmas gift from God. Each year I remember how special that first Christmas was with him. He is our quirky funny bunny who keeps us laughing. He showers us all with hugs and kisses and tells silly stories. He is the brother that Austin always hoped for. Thank you God for Wesley! He will always be our wonderful Christmas gift from above!

 

 

 

 

Finally, A Nonfiction Book for Homeschool Kids!

Woo Hoo, I'm excited!!! Finally, Wright on Time: ARIZONA, Book 1 is a book for kids that is a fictional story about a homeschool family. Despite the fact that homeschool is more popular today than ever, I still have my moments where I feel self conscious when others question our choice to homeschool. I can not EMPHASIZE how GREAT it is to have a book like this for homeschool kids!!

My son was so excited about this book. He DEVOURED it. I was thinking we would stretch the book out over the course of a week and incorporate it into a reading unit for our homeschool curriculum. My son Austin didn't quite make that possible as he sped read this book. He really enjoyed the story. I think he is actually contemplating if we as a family can pull off an RV adventure much like the characters in this book!

One of the things that really made this book stand out for him were all the details about minerals and gems that the family is exploring for. You see, this summer we took the kids gem mining in the mountains of NC. Austin still had all the details from that family activity fresh in his head. In fact, he still had the mineral chart from our trip. He quickly pulled that out as he was reading through this story. He still remembers the details and names of certain rocks and minerals and it's been several weeks since he read this book. When he remembers certain details and continues to remember and talk about it several weeks later, that's how I know he enjoyed the book.

This story begins with a family of four setting out on a cave exploring adventure. There are mysterious details in the story the really help build the reader's interest. The author Lisa M. Cottrell-Bentley has written a fantastic book that kids are definitely going to enjoy. The story leaves the reader itching to get started on the next book in the series to continue unraveling the mystery!

One big plus that I really liked about this book is the glossary of terms in the back. When Austin needed to know what a word meant, he could simply flip to the back to read the definition. This book has such great educational qualities, but the kids won't be complaining because they'll be having too much fun reading and discovering to notice. I really do believe that's when the best learning takes place!

The illustrations in this book are some of the best I have seen done in a chapter book. I always feel like the pictures become a little boring as children progress into chapter books. Not the case for this book. Tanja Bauerle's illustration work in this story are wonderful. They are very eye catching. No matter how old kids grow, they still love illustrations.

The book costs $12.99 and is put out by Write On Time Books. That's about average price for a paperback chapter book. The book is also available on Amazon.

When we first got the details about this book I checked out the website to find out more. I was shocked to learn of the number of families that are living out the RV adventure. My husband definitely started running through the scenarios in his head. We could envision one day doing an RV adventure as a family. We already know full well that our boys are on board for that idea! So thanks to this book, we have a new family dream to add to the To Do List!

This is a Mama Buzz review. The product was provided by Lisa M. Cottrell-Bentley and/or Wright on Time Books for this review.

Another Goody for the Little Ones!

My three year old and I are having a delightful time with the book
Big Thoughts for Little People by Kenneth N. Taylor. The book is geared towards children ages 3-7. Right off the bat my son spotted the bright red ladybugs all over the inside cover of the book. It becomes a wonderful game when we read through the book. Wes tries to find all the ladybugs hidden throughout the pictures on each page. Sometimes he grows bored of stories, but this activity really helps keep him invested in the story. Each page has a larger than life brightly colored letter from the alphabet. This is another feature that my son really likes. He was calling out the letters each time we turned a page. The illustrations are just so much fun. The pictures are so brightly colored and filled with tons of details. Little ones are sure to spark up a conversation with each page. This is more of an interactive book for children. Each page has questions related to the picture and an extra question to help the child personally relate to the scenerio. I am a huge fan of life application of scripture and this book does a great job of showing children how to apply God's word to daily life. One of my favorite highlights of the book are the scripture quotes and reference at the bottom of each page. The one thing I noticed about the book is that some of the terminology feels a little odd to me, for example the words "perhaps" and "dear me!" Those are just not words in my regular vocabulary. On the other hand, it's an opportunity to introduce some new vocabulary words to my son. He didn't seem to notice or mind. This is a repackage edition book. I was amazed to learn that there are a million copies in print in thirty languages. What a great book for missionaries to share with little ones in foreign countries! This is a book we will continue to read over and over. The book is a nice hardcover with a glossy texture. The hardcover retails for $14.99. That seems to be an average price for a book this quality. It is a timeless book that is sure to stay in our collection. I can even imagine that in years to come my children could one day read this book to their own children.




Ages 3-7

Hardcover retails for $14.99

* Mama Buzz, and reviewers, were provided with a complimentary copy of this book for blog tour purposes*

It's a God Thing!!

I think this has to be by God's design that little cross type symbols appear in our dried tears!! I don't get why it's so hard to comprehend that we are God's creation!

Happy Halloween

Boys are ready for trick or treatin! :)  I'm ready to help them eat their candy! :)  Here is a preview of their costumes. 

Kiss the Camel

Here is the promised picture!!  You haven't lived until you've been kissed by a camel! That's right! I tried it!!  No one was around to catch a picture of me doing this either! :)  Camels have prickley tickley whiskers by the way.  If ever given the opportunity, you should take advantage of being kissed by a camel!!  Wonder if Jesus was ever kissed by a camel?  Yes, that's my weird thought process.  For some reason when I see camels I think of nativity scenes and then of course I think of Jesus!! :) 

Practicing Face Painting Skillz!!!

I volunteered to help with face painting at our church's fall festival.  It was very fun and rewarding.  I was worried about not being able to do a good job.  So....of course I decided to practice before the big event. Wes and Austin were kind enough to lend me their faces.  Austin said is face was itchy and smuged it all off before I could get a picture.  I did capture a shot of Wes with a white lightning bolt.  He was good practice because he likes to wiggle around.  Next I practiced some spidey skills on my hand.  This is fun stuff.  Anyone want to come over and let me paint their face?? :)  Next up I'll get some pictures posted of the the festival.  It was so much fun for the kids!! Stay tuned for kiss the camel picture!! That one is a hoot!! :)

Packages!

Our boys get really excited when packages arrive.  Grandparents have a way of making different holidays special for the kids.  It's hard living in different states. We don't get to see each other as often as we like.  When packages arrive it's a big reminder of grandparents who may be miles away, but close at heart.  I know I always love to see the look on someones face when they open a package.  So, I try hard to capture these moments to share with our family members!  Thanks Grandma "P" and Grandpa Rich!  The boys are excited about Halloween and using all the cool prizes you sent. 

And of course this one well....

He wanted to know where is package was! : (

He thinks all treats should include him as well.  He seems to think he's people!

A New Adventure for my Kid Sized History Buff

We are having a great time discovering a new history book alongside our homeschool curriculum. It’s called Draw and Write Through History by Carylee Gressman. Before I even had a chance to integrate it with the current materials we are using, Austin discovered it. He immediately asked to look through it. He loves all things history. He has been reading a lot about Egypt lately. When he saw the Egyptian illustrations on the cover his curiosity was peaked. He spent a good hour looking through the book. He made it a point to bring the page with the Legend of the Trojan Horse to my attention. You can even try a sample lesson from the book posted on their website.  The illustrations are done by Peggy Dick. Her experience as a graphic design artist is evident in this book. She has done a great job of simplifying what appear to be challenging drawings. This book is put out by CPR Publishing. It is reasonably priced at $12. The quality and content of this book make it well worth the price. You can purchase this book directly through the website here.

What really makes this book great is how it integrates the practice of cursive writing, history, and art. I am a big fan of combining subjects. It really enhances the learning process for children. It also makes a subject like handwriting a bit more fun for a child that may dislike writing. This book would be perfect for supplementing history or Bible curriculum. Art is definitely the strong emphasis in this book. There are colorful illustrations throughout the book. Another nice feature is the step by step instructions on how to complete the drawings. It contains a wide variety of drawings. The style and content are appropriate for the targeted age group of ages 8 and up. I have a younger son who loves to do everything his big brother is doing. This is a book that I can easily adapt to include him. I really like how the author references  Bible verses.

When my son started the first drawing activity in Draw and Write Through History, I was amazed at his enthusiasm. He truly enjoyed the activity. He was very pleased with his drawing results. He usually doesn’t want to color in pictures, but with this book he took the time to carefully color in his pictures. He even went the extra step of blending the colors. After completing some leafy green plants from the creation story he was begging to jump ahead to the section about the Trojan Horse story.

His creative juices were definitely flowing at this point. He began drawing background details for his picture. Even my younger son was following along and making his own pictures. While he isn’t quite four, he could still understand the simple directions with help. It was definitely obvious in his artwork that he was drawing green plants. Any activity that I can use together with my kids makes for a more peaceful and productive school day! The only area that may be challenging for us is the amount of cursive writing practice listed on each page. It seems just a bit lengthy. Handwriting is not a favorite subject for my third grader. We are tackling that subject this school year. Austin completed second grade in public school. The schools in our state are not teaching cursive writing. This was one of many factors that persuaded us to return to homeschool. I am hoping that my little history buff will find the cursive writing process more pleasurable since it is combined with wonderful history and Bible tidbits. We will happily continue to use Draw and Write Through History with our other curriculum. 

**disclosure: This is a Mama Buzz review. This product was graciously provided for free by
Carylee Gressman for our review.

Fun at the Air Show

We had a blast, literally at the air show!!!  I'm not kidding.....there were even explosions!!!  One that would require the fire trucks to rush to put out a smallish fire!  I think the explosions were intended, but the fires that wouldn't go out on their own, weren't.  Seems no one was hurt or anything like that.  It was a little erie.  Made me thankful we don't live in a war torn country like the middle east.  I didn't manage to get any pictures of the exlposions that took place in the finale due to camera batteries dying. Sorry to disappoint! :)  But we did manage to get some fun photos for your viewing pleasure.  Wes took a lot of persuading to go to the air show and of course some nice ear muffs as well.  Even with the muffs, he had some moments where he was not happy with the noise!  The explosions in the end were a bit much for him even though we were pretty far away.  I have to say, if I didn't know it was planned, I would have been terrified too!!