Hi Ya Strangers...

I have been an absentee blogger! Sorry! I was SICK as a dog last week and I have not been on here. It was a virus that knocked me on my rear! I haven't been that sick in a quite awhile. Anyway...I was sitting here trying to think of some profound thing that came to me this past week in the midst of my misery, but not much is going through your brain other than "I think I am going to die!" and "When is this going to end?!" So I figured I would just cover some randomness that is going on with me lately.

*Obviously we are getting ready for the new homeschool year. We will start on the 18th. I am pretty excited to get everything going in full swing again and so are the kids. The new curriculum is fun and exciting and we have a new homeschool group we are joining. I started a new blog for our homeschool so if you want to check it out go to my profile for the link. It's still early in it's development but there are few things on there already.

*I am the Moppets Coordinator (children's coordinator) for our Mothers of Preschoolers group this year and that has me BUSY too. Want to know about MOPS? Just ask. I can tell you all about it. I also get to go to the MOPS convention in TX come October! I am so excited to spend three days at a resort with friends and WITHOUT children! It will be wonderful! I say that and then I'll cry when I tell them goodbye and miss them like mad. But I will still have a wonderful time!

*My husband and I are planning a little second honeymoon for October too. This year we celebrate our 10th anniversary! Our anniversary isn't until December, but with the it being 6 days before Christmas it always gets a little nuts, so we opted to to do something a couple of months early. We are thinking we will be going to Chicago, it's 4 hours north of here and there is lots to do and see.

*The hubby and I went to The Muny on Friday night. It's an outdoor theater in St. Louis's Forrest Park that has been holding performances for 90 years! They always have fun shows. We went to see "My One and Only." It's a Gershwin musical and it was right up my alley. My husband well, let's just say he was there for me. He did love the atmosphere and said he'd definitely go back for a different show. They have some really good ones every season. I left singing and wanting to dance like Fred Astaire. But I am a nerd.

*Thursday night Heath has a business dinner where spouses attend too. It's supposed to be a nice place. So that will be a date of sorts. Kids will be with a sitter. So I'm calling it a date.

*This Saturday we are going on a group date to eat a nice dinner in St. Louis with friends. It'll be FUN! Hanging out with adult friends without our chilrin' hanging around to interrupt the flow of conversation will be nice! And on a side note, It's sounds like a don't like my kids in the post! But I really do, honest! They are my pride and joy and my three greatest accomplishments. But I am with them 24/7 most days. And sometimes this mama just needs a little sanity time to regroup. You moms KNOW what I mean! But I'll say it again I LOVE MY CHILDREN! More than life itself. Onto the next bullet.

*Next Friday we are going on ANOTHER date night to see Brad Paisley in concert. We are on a roll with the dates. We haven't had this many dates in 2 years time!!! It's SO nice and doesn't happen like this all the time for sure. I am just going to enjoy the romantic time that I am getting to spend with my best friend!

Well I am sure there is more to list....I mean my calendar is packed right now. But I seriously doubt ya'll wanna here about the other junk. Because you probably have the same junk on your calendar too. Doctor's appointment, etc. Boring stuff. Of course the rest of this post may have very well bored ya'll to tears too! If it did, my apologies. However thus is my life right now. God is still doing a great work in me and has for what seems like months. And all of that would be much more interesting I know. But I just can't seem to do the experience justice with words. One day I will clue ya'll in on it all. For now adios internet folks. I'll talk to you soon!

She's Got Personality....

You Are An ENFJ

The Giver You strive to maintain harmony in relationships, and usually succeed. Articulate and enthusiastic, you are good at making personal connections. Sometimes you idealize relationships too much - and end up being let down. You find the most energy and comfort in social situations ... where you shine. In love, you are very protective and supporting. However, you do need to "feel special" - and it's quite easy for you to get jealous. At work, you are a natural leader. You can help people discover their greatest potential. You would make a good writer, human resources director, or psychologist. How you see yourself: Trusting, idealistic, and expressive When other people don't get you, they see you as: Bossy, inappropriate, and loud

What's Your Personality Type?

Sometimes life is so hard...

I went to a wake tonight for a 3 year old little girl. And it is so selfish I know, but my husband and I could not bring ourselves to go down and speak with the parents or see her precious face in her casket. We are friends with the extended family, but not with the parents themselves, but we had prayed for her every single time she crossed our minds until she passed. And I just wanted them to know that. And that we are still praying for them and their family. But we just couldn't do it. I couldn't see the grief in their eyes, or face their forced smiles. My heart was breaking for them. I imagine my own little three year old girl and my other kids for that matter. There was a picture in the memorial slideshow of her and her sister standing up on a fence at the zoo to see the giraffes. We have that same exact picture of two of our children, at the same exhibit, at the same zoo, doing the same thing. It was more than we could take. My husband actually got up and walked out. I cried forever in the car after we left. And I regret not sucking it up to offer what little comfort I could to her parents. 

I know that God has a purpose in all this. I know He must have been ready for her now, rather than later. But I doubt that offers much comfort to her parents right now with their wounds open and fresh, the grief so overwhelming. I can't imagine their anguish behind closed doors, at night as they lay in bed or wander the house, or sit in her room on her bed. Absolute agony. A parent's worst nightmare. 

Lord, wrap them in your arms, remind them You are with them always. Remind them all things work together for their good. Remind them blessings will still come, that You still love them. Remind them of your unending promises. Take whatever they throw at Your feet, in anger or grief, with hope and heartbreak, and use it to build an altar for Your glory. Please let them fall at your feet or lay their heads in Your lap. Let them be angry, let them work it all out with You. And I pray they come full circle and go from anger to love again. It's only human. And You know us better than anyone possibly could. Remind them of the reunion with their precious girl that will one day happen when their days are done on this earth. Just be with them, comfort them as only the Great Comforter can. And rebuild their faith better and stronger than ever before! Help me to remember them in the coming days, so I can offer up a prayer on their behalf when they feel they have nothing left to say. My heart is broken for them. 

Cardboard Testimonies

This is AMAZING! Watching this was an awesome way to start the day! I just don't have the words to say how wonderful our God is! 

Note: Make sure you pause the music at the bottom of the home page so you can watch the clip.

Family Web Site

I keep meaning to add a link to our family web site on here and it keeps slipping my mind. It's password protected, but for those of you who have what you need to enter the site, I thought I'd add a centralized location where you can just click on the address. For those of you that want the username and password, just let me know. It's considered on a case by case basis for security reasons. It does need to be updated for July. One of my daughter's birthdays was yesterday and my son's birthday is next week. So I need to add in all the details for that with some of the new photos and the update from my baby girl's last well baby check. So check the site often, there is always something be added. We have had the site for three years now so there is A LOT to see and read. Here's the link. (I am also adding the link to "Some Sites I Like" in the side bar, under Our Family Web Site.)

Joyful. Sad. And EVERYTHING in between!

I came across this blog, called Bring the Rain. It is the story of a precious baby girl named Audrey Caroline who changed lives, who continues to change lives. If any of you listen to the Christian group, Selah, then you will recognize the father in this story. I could NOT pull myself away from this blog when I first came across it because I just wanted to know the whole story. To see how things ended up. The story didn't end how I thought it would, truthfully I don't think it's ended at all. Now I check the blog daily to see how to best pray for this precious family. So I thought you might want to do the same. Just be warned, as you read you will feel joyful, sad, and everything in between. But Audrey's story is one for every person. You won't walk away without being touched, blessed, and inspired by her!

Homeschooling, the Great Debate

This will be the first of many posts to come on the topic of homeschooling. And I would love everyone's feedback. Lurking? Delurk yourself! Because I KNOW homeschooling is a hot button topic and everyone has something to say about it. But let me start by saying...

We are a homeschooling family. And I have heard every argument for and against it I tell you! And we have taken all of them into consideration I assure you. Granted I am obviously pro-homeschool, but I am not completely anti-other schools either. And I certainly will not tell someone what choice they should make for their children. So it bothers me when others think they should tell me what choice I should make. Thankfully I usually get really positive feedback from people when they are told we homeschool, but occasionally you'll run into someone that wants to jump on their soap box and unload on you. Or they give you that face and the "Oh, really?!?!? Why?" That type of person is usually one that doesn't haven't a clue what homeschooling really means and what it entails. All it takes is a little research to discover that homeschooling isn't what it used to be. And the number of families that do it is multiplying like mad. Very, very few families fit into the old homeschool stereotype. Which is a good thing. What I really love, however, is when you meet someone that truly wants to ask genuine questions about it. Someone that doesn't assume you fit the old homeschool stereotype. Someone who really wants to see why you consider it a viable and good option for educating your children.

I can tell you why we homeschool and I can also say the reasons that other's give vary greatly! Our decision was first and foremost a God-led decision. If you had told me a few years ago I would be a homeschooling mother I would have laughed! Not that I was anti-homeschool, but I just didn't think I was capable of doing it honestly. But I have learned in a big way that when God calls you to something, He will equip you for it. It has been so exciting to see God answer all my prayers in the area of homeschooling!  

Secondly, I leaned towards homeschooling for my son's sake. He went TO school for preschool and I caught a glimpse of what would occur in the upcoming years. He deals with two separate disorders, Sensory Processing Disorder and Developmental Dyspraxia. They basically go hand in hand. The word Autism was thrown around a lot in the beginning, but we discovered that it wasn't it. It used to be a big struggle for him just to do every day tasks. It was frustrating for all of us and many days ended with me in tears after he was in bed. He was diagnosed with the above disorders when he was about three and half years old and has continued to improve since starting occupational therapy and the like. He is not in therapy now, he is done for the time being, and most days are blissfully normal, praise the Lord. But even so, I know him and his struggles and I can really specialize his education. I was fearful, especially after preschool, that he would head off to school and be slapped with a label and shoved into special education or he would simply get lost in the sea of other students getting further and further behind every year. I wanted him to have every chance to reach his full potential. The teachers just don't have the freedom to give him the one on one time he needs at certain times. It isn't their fault, the average classroom isn't meant to function in that capacity. And truthfully it isn't fair to other students. When he gets to take that extra week on something, or the extra day, or even the extra half hour on something he is struggling with, he does fantastic. And he balances out the extra time spent on the things he struggles with the things he does really well. So the time spent in school is the same as any other student. He is smart and creative and has a wonderful imagination. And he learns just fine with a little extra attention. He is right on target for his age and a little above average in some areas. So he was at the heart of our decision to homeschool. I know he was the reason the Lord laid this option on our hearts. I knew that I could do it for him. 

I also know we do not fit into any homeschool mold or stereotype. Homeschooling in this generation is exciting and fulfilling and easier than ever. For instance, we have joined a local homeschool group in our county that offers ten times more than any school in the area. As a part of this group my son misses out on nothing and gains plenty. He has a group of peers his age that he sees on a regular basis, he has the chance for sports, foreign languages and other specialty classes of all kinds. And as he enters middle and high school he will have the chance play high school sports like any other boy his age, or play in the band, or sing in the choir, go to prom, have a year book, and attend graduation. When the school year starts he will have a field trip once a month, have the chance to compete in science fairs, spelling bees, etc. It's all the so called social benefits of school paired with the benefits of homeschooling. The specialty classes are taught in small classes and are taught by ages. And they will not teach your child full time, as they obviously believe in the benefits of homeschooling. The classes offered are usually advanced or specialty classes, not classes that a child needs to move forward. So the majority of your child's education still occurs at home, one on one. And yet they have tons to do outside of school. Eli already has time with his friends at least three times a week and he has been involved with baseball and soccer and he attends Royal Rangers which is very similar to Boy Scouts, but it's a church program. He LOVES it! He has plenty of friends and shows no signs of being socially awkward in any way. I do not over-shelter my son and I certainly do not slight him in the education department. Mommy cuts him no slack. He gets challenged daily, and yet loves to learn! We are still doing some school over the summer a couple of days a week to keep things sharp. We aren't doing any review, just moving right along into first grade. And he is having such a good time that he doesn't even care and is excited to get started the next day. It's really great to see! 

So....what is everyone's take on homeschooling? Any tips from veteran homeschoolers out there? Or any questions from those considering it? Or any questions from those that consider homeschooling a completely foreign subject to them and they just want to know more? Feel free to comment away! I have a meter that tracks my readers so I know you are out there. I would love to meet you! Especially those from across that globe that read my humble blog! 

I am not sure what the next topic will be, but it's such an in depth subject that there is plenty more to discover. I have so much more I could say about it. I know I will def post some pictures of our classroom soon as I am almost done redoing it for the new school year! (Even though a lot of our learning takes place outside of it, we like having a separate and official school area for certain things. We even have a school name!) And then I will just wait on the comments and go in the direction they lead me in. Can't wait to hear from everyone!