Nothing to Worry About

There is no need to worry - I haven't had any further blog trouble.. I am just feeling a bit exposed lately and felt the need to hide out. I am content with the friends I've met in blog-land and so I feel like keeping my blog private. I've opened it to friends only and this makes me feel better. Maybe it is due to the whole Governor Palin thing - her email being hacked into. I don't know. All I know is I don't feel as free to be me with my blog open to random hateful people and I do not want to argue any of my beliefs. I just want to feel free again. After that last intrusion from the unwanted blog visitors last summer I have felt a bit cautious - watching every phrase so as to NOT offend. I just decided there was no need for that! So I took my blogs back! I feel better already!

If for some reason I have left someone off my list and they ask you about my blog. Please ask them to email me and I will add them back on. I tried my best to keep my regular readers informed but I am SURE I've left someone out by mistake! Please let me know - this move wasn't meant to disconnect from anyone. It was only meant to keep my world to myself again! :)

Love you all!

Milk and Cookies

There is a local church that is beginning their Kindermusik program and we have signed JB up for the fun. I am sure we are missing some key elements that make Kindermusik the fabulous program it can be.... but for us it is a great fit. There are a few kids and JB is able to have a class that is only for him. Here he is with his instrument - the instrument came with a spoon but... JB doesn't understand why it doesn't have a drumstick. So he substituted his drumstick for the spoon. JB was shaking the jingle bells. I find myself telling him "Listen to the teacher JB. Don't talk about this or that.." to only find that he is telling her something about the lesson they learned last week. I guess I need to listen more to what he has to say rather than assume he is not focused.
The teacher brought towels for the kids to use during the dusting/scrubbing song. He loves this part! He scrubs EVERYTHING!!!!
Best part of all... this class is ALL his. He doesn't have to be overshadowed by big sister. He is free to be the expert while she is full of questions! A nice change!

My fun loving JB - he is truly a bundle of goodness!

Refreshed... Renewed... Ready to face another year!

Last Thursday I took a little trip! I met up with some friends to be refreshed! I have been on retreats within the last 3 years but I was not making the ground I knew was possible. Once you know the depth of love and refreshing of God - it is hard to be satisfied with smaller doses. The retreats were nice but did not leave me feeling as though I really pressed in as much as I knew I could. I often left those retreats a touch frustrated knowing there was so much more that could be and yet we were only skimming the surface. As I loaded up the car and began my journey to a retreat I had been waiting for desperately... I realized it has been 4 years since I had been to a really life changing retreat. Four years is a LONG time when you think about it. The best thing of all was that I KNEW I would leave truly changed!

Here I am as I was leaving (heading to the beach): From the picture above to the picture below was a long way. Sure - I drove five hours and yes that is far but I changed so much in the short weekend away! I left the beach renewed and with the knowing that the coming year would be exciting. I feel I am beginning this year with a full tank. I arrived to the retreat destination sputtering into the parking lot (figuratively of course) and left feeling as though I had overcome many of the familiar battles I faced within. Ones I had been struggling to fight over and over again. To see a true change in my heart was the answer I cried out for many times, to feel different - to feel my heart renew. What a precious gift God gave me by letting me truly feel the tenderness of my own heart. Our last night there I felt He allowed me to feel how injured my heart was - as though a touch would cause me to buckle and fall to the ground, feeling discouraged once more. By the end of our final night I felt strong. I felt as though He truly renewed my heart. He changed me and let me experience the feeling of that change. Old wounds were healed.. truly healed. The achi-ness and void is no longer there. I even feel as though my tools were sharpened. Sure - I've been trained and taught how I can overcome the daily battles we all face but I had become weary and tired from what seemed to be battle after battle. When you feel you experience battle after battle after battle and when you turn around to take a breath - another battle ensues... your tools begin to dull. You begin to tire from the constant beatings and you begin to forget the power of the very tools you hold. I am stronger now! I am stronger! I am STRONG!!!!!

Here is a picture of me and my roomie on our last night:

K and I roomed together and haven't seen each other in almost 3 years. God allowed old connections to be renewed and He even allowed me to return to the very house I last experienced major breakthrough in. They did not realize it was the same house but I felt like God did that just for me. We later realized it was the exact same house with a few changes on the bottom floor, after previous hurricane renovations. God allowed me to return to a familiar place with familiar faces. Some were new faces and some although familiar the distance of the last 3 years has removed the familiar comfort they once held. So I had a big comfort of just being in the house again. I tell you God is in the details of our lives! Just take a careful look at the things in your life and you will begin to notice the personal touch He adds that means something to you and you alone. That is how He is! Sentimental - precious - detailed!

When I arrived home the kids had a ribbon for me to break through as I entered the door! They were so glad to see me - they both colored me a welcome home sign too!
They were both so precious! I love my babies!!!!

I am so glad to come home to such precious little ones with a full heart! They deserve a whole Mommy - not a fragment of a Mommy. I can even see a peace settling over both of them lately. I know I was becoming edgy with them. Less patient. After a day of their needs I needed a break each night so I could be prepared for their needs the next day. Of course a break was rare but my husband is hands on and often took the lead so I could regroup for the demands of tomorrow. I decided to hug and love on my babies upon my return. I decided I would hold and hug them until they were done (thankfully we were taking a week off from school during this time - it was a perfect fit). After 1.5 hours with HC she finally filled up. JB took less time to fill his love tank but I can see they are less draining on me. That is unfair for them when I am dragging through life. I am glad to say I am whole and am fully here again! YAY!!!!! It is nice to be fully in the moments of life again! How could I have let things get so distant?! I pray I will have such times of refreshing at least once a year! It is clear my whole family needs me to take such breaks! Thank you God for such a refreshing time! I pray you each have a chance to experience the same depths of refreshing!!!!

Gasoline Panic

I took the kids to our Homeschool park day today and received a text message from my husband telling me to fill up my tank. Usually my sweet husband fills up my tank for me (and he isn't one prone to unnecessary panic) and so I wasn't sure why I needed to take on this task but... I figured he had a good reason. I knew Ike was lurking in the Gulf and figured it had something to do with that.

Before I knew it there were multiple pockets of parents discussing their journey to the park. They noticed gas prices go from $3.54 to $3.99 as they passed station after station. The lines were long and the demand was surging. I began thinking - we are not in danger or anything. I am used to this sort of panic in Louisiana when hurricanes are on their way. We are usually preparing for the worst case scenario - in case the power stays out long term and we need to get to safety or something. This experience isn't new to me but the fact that we are not in danger and the panic is surrounding us is new. We are not in imminent danger but we are experiencing the panic here! Kind of crazy.

I finally waited through the line at a gas station after passing two stations that were totally OUT of gas!! I found a place where it was $3.68 and I decided to wait in line. The kids were wiped out from our day at the park and taking a nap so I quietly waited my turn. I was three people deep in line, and every pump was with at least 3 waiting behind the one pumping gas, and it was finally my turn. I then see this sign as the pump S..LOW..LY pumped fuel into my van. I had a half tank but... I was hearing rumors of soaring prices. After I filled up I heard from a friend who saw prices at $4.19 per gallon.
As I drove by another local gas station (because the one I was at was difficult for me to photograph) I snapped a shot of the lines in/out. This is so crazy to me! But I guess what happens in the gulf DOES affect all of us! I pray Ike is not the monster they are predicting!
We are praying for you all - friends in the Gulf area!!!

No More Hurricanes!

Praying for all our friends and family on the coast! Gustav was pretty dreadful on all our family and friends in Baton Rouge - I hope Ike does NOT hold the punch it appears it may!

Never Forgotten

Today always brings an eery stillness to me. I can remember the exact place I was when I first heard. I remember the fear the worry the wondering of who would dare do such a thing on purpose!

The stillness is here again and I am remembering. I am thankful that God has spared us from further attacks. I pray God continues to guard over America!

My heart aches for the families who lost dear loved ones 7 years ago today. My heart is also filled with thanks for the military, who continue to sacrifice so we remain safe.

Laughing and Playing in the Rain

So carefree!!!

I get by with a little help from my friends....

Our first early elementary outing with our fellow homeschooling families was a hit! We had a blast! So much fun watching the kids get to know one another. The Pre-K and Early Elementary age kids need a few more outings each year and so we started off the year with a bang! We had a tremendous showing of families that need the support of fellow homeschooling families. We look forward to the year ahead. Friendships formed, Moms encouraged and fun - who could ask for anything more??
The wee ones had fun too!
Sliding anyone??
Two girls who are clearly NOT afraid of messing up their hair - it's all about fun!!
and jumping...

Precious bonds made - maybe even a hero or two was found!
Fun fun fun was the name of the game! And 'classmates' are what make it all the more fun!

Thanks to all who joined our first outing of the year! We look forward to much more fun to come!

Livin' it up with Homeschool Days

While HC does her math pages JB creates things with the remaining blocks. HC working on her Math worksheets (these were what we used before we received Right Start).
She loves doing these.
One of the bigger rewards for her is joining JB in play after the 'work' is done.
We studied the Moon and HC made a mobile of the sun, moon and stars.
She was so proud of herself.
During our study of the Sun (I think) we put some nice plump grapes on the window sill and we made our own raisins. They finally finished becoming raisins (or at least that is the story I told the kids - I was beginning to see gnats and that is the finish line for me!).
Pretty good results huh?
Then HC created a hat like the bear in the story we read.... and she drew a picture and retold the story to me while wearing her hat.
Our last study was on leaves. HC learned about leaves and going your own way vs. going the way God wants you to go. She really enjoyed learning about each of our lessons thus far.
We read the book 'A tree is Nice' and she made a book of her own about why trees are nice.

We are finishing up our study on apples this week and then our first break of the year. We've worked hard and are due a little break from the daily grind. We've added a new math program that I LOVE!!! We are using Right Start and she absolutely LOVES it. She has really learned a bunch so far. We are learning poems in our language studies and returning to our reading. We have a full load but it is just challenging enough to push her while remaining simple enough to keep things fun! I am so pleased with this year thus far. The curriculum I found is really making our year fun - My Father's World is truly keeping HC's interest and that gives me the freedom to slip a few extras in there without her feeling burdened! More updates to come!!