My Summer-4 years old!

I can't believe she is turning 4. We are having a little party for her today so I will post back with pictures. Everything will be pink!!

Homeschooling with a Meek and Quiet Spirit

I finished this book yesterday. I really enjoyed it. Although I have to say that sometimes I didn't have a meek and quiet spirit when I got stepped on or bonked in the head while reading. LOL It really was worth reading and I will likely read it again. I liked a couple of her practical suggestions regarding journaling about sin/prayer/expectations. It helps to see things on paper. I just started Keeping Our Children's Hearts Teri has a lot of wonderful products for us mothers to get our heads on straight!

Dh and Andrew butting heads

I'm back

I had a great time at the retreat. It was refreshing but mostly just challenging :) I am glad to be back home. I missed everyone! We had a huge shock last night at church but I am not at liberty to speak about it(nothing bad within the church, just very...interesting) Anyway, when we got back we had a vomit marathon. I don't know what happened but I think the kids just wanted to let me know that I was REALLY back home! LOL So, we evidently are sick AGAIN!! I don't think this will last more than a day though. I think it is a little virus. I am praising God that I am home and am able to glorify him through the taking care of my little ones. I found out that I left for the retreat and forgot to put a load of laundry in the dryer. My Mil started putting them in the dryer and found out I had left a poopy diaper in the clothes. And get this, nothing dissolved! It was everywhere they said. I felt so bad!! She told them not to tell me until I got home and I am grateful because that would have really bothered me. I love her so dearly. She puts up with my lack of homemaking skills. I am looking forward to the week, we might make it a light school week :)

Women's Retreat

I am off to a women's retreat this weekend! I am excited but a little anxious. I don't like leaving the kids, I will miss them! My Mil will be here and Dh will have a chance to spend time with her so that is a very awesome thing. They are really close. I am hoping to get some pics to post.

This is hilarious

http://www.onenewsnow.com/Culture/Default.aspx?id=404788

Japan hopes to increase 'abysmal' birth rate
OneNewsNow - 2/3/2009 4:00:00 AM

The professional culture of Japan is taking steps to increase the
country's population.

When Margaret Sanger launched a clinic in 1916 that later became
Planned Parenthood, Japan was the first nation to jump on the
bandwagon as the biggest financial supporter. Jim Sedlak of American
Life League's Stop Planned Parenthood, or STOPP International,
reports the Asian nation promoted family planning and abortion.

"And now Japan is beginning to see the effects of this," he
contends. "Japan's birth rate is abysmal. It's down [to] about 1.3
children per family, which is well below the replacement level of
2.2."

CNN.com reports at least one employer, Canon, is letting its
employees leave work early two times a week to "go home and
multiply." The article claims the 12-hour work day is just one reason
for the low birth rate. Other alleged contributors are the high cost
of living and the rapidity at which Japan's population is aging,
according to the article.

However, there are currently not enough children growing up to help
sustain the country's economy. "And now they're trying to do
everything they can to get their families to have more children, to
provide more Japanese children for the workforce," he notes, "but
also just to provide more Japanese children to save their culture and
to save their island."

Sedlak contends some European countries face similar circumstances
that will eventually affect America's future if the situation is not
reversed.

Zoo in winter!

One thing that I love about Columbia is the weather. I know many people don't like how hot it gets but I love it. I love the fact that it gets warm enough in the winter for us to go to the zoo with our freinds. This is a pic of the kids and our friends. We had such a blast!

What happens when...

you forget to look at your list of things you don't want to forget? You forget them. We had a keepers meeting and I completely forgot to pray!! Can you believe that? I was also going to talk to the kids about why we are learning these things. I have really been bad about not following my lists and schedules lately and I can really tell. I think I have been preoccupied with other things. We still haven't gotten the car fixed so that has been on my mind alot. I have had several things that I have needed the car for. Oh well. You know what IS cool? I am looking at Charlotte on the other computer. She is emailing someone. She is typing in a bible verse that she knows(without looking at the bible) Now THAT is something to be glad about!!

Thankful for friends!

I use to think "I want friends but I don't NEED them." While it's true that we technically don't need them, I have learned that they make a huge impact on my life. I am so grateful that God has put these people in my life. One of my friends took us to the zoo yesterday in her 15 passenger van. I was so blessed by this. It really filled my heart. Thank you Shelby!! We have a couple of cars that are not safe for the kids to be in(we are getting one fixed this week) so we couldn't take ourselves. We had such a great time.

Great Quote

I saw this on one of my homeschooling email loops. I thought it was great.

"If you knew you only had a year more with that child, what would you expose him to? Where would you go? What would you eat? What would you watch? What would you do?

If you had only ONE year—and then it was all over, what would you do? Four seasons. Twelve months. 365 days.

Do that THIS year. And the next."

Presents from Papa and Mama Sue

Toby loves his knights!!












I think Charlotte loves excitement more than the gifts! Oh, a child after my own heart. :)












Kaitlyn loved her shirt and earrings!












Here they all are waiting for me to open them. I only had a pencil and a pair of kid scissors.

A Charlotte Mason lesson for all of us

This quote came from a summarization of one of Charlotte Mason's principles.
"Children must learn not to lean too heavily on their own reasoning. Reasoning is good for logically demonstrating mathematical truth, but unreliable when judging ideas because our reasoning will justify all kinds of erroneous ideas if we really want to believe them."
I thought this was great advice for all of us!

Random Tip #3

If you put your cream and sugar in your cup BEFORE you pour the coffee in, you won't need to stir it. :)

Bible Lessons

I am so excited! I finally finished Acts yesterday. I have been reading and coming up with questions(around 4 for each chapter) for every chapter for the kids. Jason puts it up on captivatedminds and I am able to print it out for them. Soon they will be able to answer the questions online. Their answers will be saved in a database for me. YAY! I finished 1 Samuel several weeks ago but they haven't started Samuel. I started Ruth today. This is an easier book for sure! I think they will enjoy it. It's exciting because I will have these questions for the younger ones as well. Then years from now they will be able to see their answers and dive deeper into God's word.

A necesary Being

This came off of a forum I visit. I thought it was very interesting:
"First of all it makes no sense to say that Existence is contingent, Because that would mean that existence could fail to exist, which is logically contradictory to the nature of existing.
In order for something to fail to exist, there must first be such a thing as that which we call existence; and that must be eternally true.

Secondly, one cannot say that existence is a dimension, even though existence permeates all things; for, a dimension can only be dimensional because there is such a thing as Existence. You cannot say that dimensions are greater (more necesary) then existence, because that would mean that existence is contingent upon dimension; which makes no logical sense because there must first be such a thing as existence before anything can be any particulor thing. Hierarcaly
speaking, existence is greater than any dimension, for dimension is contingent upon existing. Therefore it is not reasonable to say that dimension and existence is one and the same in nature, because physical dimensions, so fars they are actual moving bodies, do not have to exist in any particulor sense, and only exist because there is something that causes such things to exist.
Out of nothing comes nothing. The ultimate reality is not a physical dimension.

In any case, like i said in the first paragraph, in order for anything to come into being in the first place, there must first be something that is ultimate,
uncaused, and eternal. In other words, something that cannot fail to be. A necesary being.
One cannot simply say that a necesary being is the first being. A necesary being must also sufficiently explain its own existence by its own nature, and
must also sufficiently explain the realities that it produces. It must be incorruptible and uncaused. Thus, and infinitely long chain of contingently created
beings, can never sufficiently explain itself. The nature of "space-time" and energy, does not fit the bill because these realitys are contingent on being caused and thus are not sufficient in explaining why the universe exists. So unless you are willing to say that motion came from nothing, then you must
accept that there is a timeless uncaused cause."

Some "Summer" for your winter

Random tip #2

Almond Breeze almond milk has 25% of your daily vitamin D requirements. Get the unsweetened and pour it over some raw old fashioned oats. Add some raisins-Yum! Calcium is absorbed by the body only when vitamin D is present so it is very important for our bones! Fatty fish have vitamin D as well. But the best way to get vitamin D is to spend some time in the sun. Can't wait till Summer!
***I would like to note that almonds do not naturally contain vitamin D. They do however contain an array of good vitamins. The almond breeze milk adds the Vitamin D. This is also an excellent substitute for milk for those who are vegan.

Random tip #1

Rinsing rice before you cook it makes it less sticky and taste better. HOWEVER, nutrients(put on the rice for us) in white rice will be stripped away. So, if you eat white rice, rinse it but make sure you get your veggies. This brings up a whole other topic for another post....Are you processed??