Six Flags

Ok, so this whole post isn't about Six Flags, but most of it is. Here I am so you can see who does all these odd ramblings....
And here is Emily, our oldest girl, who spents hours with the new 100x pocket microscope and prepared slides. I really need a new one though because the inner lens has a spot and I can't remove it! But for under $15 I won't send it back to Cali.
This Is Elizabeth (and me in the background), after a long, hot, dirty day at Six Flags. Our annual trip with free tickets from reading club. It costs $15 to park, we bring lunch, spend $22 for two very large refillable drink bottles, and it is becoming our tradition for Emily to purchase new flip flops for about $7 as hers always seem to break at Six Flags.....hmmmm. Suspicious!
Elizabeth and Kimberly
Emily, Clay, and Kimberly
Jacob and Jordan
And Kimberly on the way to Six Flags.

In other news we are having a big playdate today at our house. We are also about to celebrate 4 precious years with our baby. Her birthday is Tuesday! And our oldest is going to embark on hunting Education and get a bow. The oldest three are enrolled for fall musical theater and the youngest two are going into gymnastics again. The youngest boy plans to give scouts a try. And we are two weeks from planning classes for our co-op. Life passes by too quickly so hug your kids and tell them every day that you love them. Play with them, read to them, walk with them, train them up in the way they should go, set the example. Use a loving voice as often as possible and cherish every moment. They fly by so quickly never to be recaptured. If you are able to go into your child's room each night and hear them breathe and kiss them, you are blessed beyond imagination! Treasure these days.

NO MORE MUSIC

As much as i liked my music thing on the blog, it was getting annoying to have to constantly mute it to read posts...so I figured, if I am always muting it why even have it on the page to annoy me. maybe other people are sick of having to listen to it, too. Besides, the truth is, while I like music I rarely listen to it. We do a lot, and i mean a lot, of singing around here. And when we listen it is classical, or kid songs, or Acapella, or Christmas music, or KLTY, or Celtic Thunder on PBS. So anyway, you don't have to be bothered by thesongs from this day forward...enjoy the peace and tranquility as you read my ramblings.
Now, off to get the little people to do their chores....................

fasting

well, in a way i am fasting...not in the food sense, though that is a biblical command in certain situations. But i have had a lifelong love of clothing and shoes. And sadly I have indulged often, though it was not necessary--a sin to be sure! But we all have sins and this is by far not my only one, but I want to conquer my sins as much as possible and set a good example for my kids. So i have decided to curb my materialism and go on a year long fast not to buy anything for myself in the way of clothing, shoes, or accessories except necessary underthings or socks if needed, and watches when i lose mine (which i already have done).
Instead i am focusing on being content and using what I have, because let's face it..i don't need any of those things and even if half my stuff wore out, i still wouldn't have a need. That is how blessed we are. I also do not plan to shop for the kids unless there is an actual need, and i promise not to over-purchase.
I am hopeful that after a year long "fast" I will be forever changed in my spending habits.
So what will i do instead? Focus on teaching proverbs to the kids more diligently...chronicle our homeschooling years in a scrapbook....enjoy the lasting parts of life which are people and relationships. And see what other sins I can conquer.
Blessings to you and yours as you daily try to follow God toward our home in heaven!

school's is just around the corner

The kids asked yesterday, "why are all the school supplies out in the middle of summer?" I was honest and said,,"Because school starts in about a month and folks need a few paycheck periods to pay for the supplies and uniforms." (BTW, it occurs to me that they PS system spends about $5k to $9K per child each year with taxes and that would be about $25K to $45K for my kids in PS, but I only spend $2K or less on all five and still pay the taxes so I think i am really saving the gov't a lot of money!)
Lucky for us, all we pay are the school taxes, of which we partake of $0. We spend on our curriculum and co-op classes and field trips, and each year around this time I start spending on new organizational items. It is my thing, I guess. Our formal dining room is an extension of the living room and that is our "school room" though we rarely work in there. Still, that is where the main computer and extra table and supplies are located. So this year I packed up the plastic folding white table which was SO nasty, and replaced it with a small 4 chair dining set I got off craigslist. The chairs aren't in great shape on the seats, but it will be great for the kids to use, and for youth devos and family get togethers. Besides, we still have the folding table out in the garage and some metal folding chairs, though several have bitten the dust lately. Now, I also have an old bookcase built long ago (has old square nails) by a great grandfather, and a small cabinet from Target that has doors falling off and a skinny shelf from Canton with heart cutouts. Today i am ridding the house of the heart shelf and the flimsy Target cabinet, and ordering a nice dark wood 36 by 72 bookcase with some nice storage baskets. Not only will this and the new dining set look nicer, they will actually free up some of our space. I also have a 9 cube cubby in the kitchen and an old refinished church pew in the kitchen that has kids school storage baskets under the seat. We keep planning stuff in the kitchen island, and do a lot of instructing at the kitchen table, but the kids work wherever they want, even the backyard. I also have steel shelving in the garage for those curriculum things that I am rotating the kids through, like math levels, LA levels, and project kits. They also hold all the school supplies I purchase, until they are needed. In the living room we have 2 bookshelves, one that is 72 inches and one that is 48 inches, both full of books. We are book junkies and read constantly! If anyone were to come into my home and accuse me of homeschooling, the evidence would be overwhelming, same with being a Christian. There are bibles, posted verses, study books, reference guides and kids stories everywhere!
But I digress....i am loving the organizational stuff. It will make momma a more calm teacher. Ok, i'm done!

July

Catchy title, huh!Well, i am tired and not into punctuation today or creativity. been getting ready to wrap my mind around the upcoming school year. I will officially have a middle schooler. Do you realize how that changes life? School becomes more intense and precise records for transcripts have to be kept up, while trying to maintian a relaxed atmosphere teaching other , younger kids. Requires some thought and prayer for sure! But I can do it! And it will work well. Also been working on summer organizing and repainting. Got some sewing to do, and some co-op planning to work on, but co-op is so much simpler since we reorganized last summer and split from CHEFS. Before that we had made the whole process a nightmare, though we thought it was making things simple--really it wasn't. Now it is! And is so much fun!
In other news it is HOT!!!! still want to go to Six Flags but dread going due to the nasty sweaty smells, heat, and crowds. Three of my least favorite things. Wish i was back at the beach house! if only the whole family, church and homeschool group were there, it would be perfection to me! I think we are vacationing in the mountains next year. Not thrilled about that, but Clay likes it. I am fine just viewing that and deserts through photos. But that is just me. I am a beach or historical east coast girl. But it's not all about me. so anyhow, just trying to stay cool, keep life family and God focused and serve others with joy and truth. have a good month!

Life in June

Jacob and Elizabeth had a joint birthday at the park. the girls had nailpolish and the boys had nerf fights. Lots of friends came and so did family. It was a very fun day, followed by a trip to the Hunt County Fair. We did cupcakes this year instead of cake. I think it worked better.

Elizabeth had fun with her friends and cousins.

Jacob and his friends had tons of fun too!

Then Jacob left for a week to go to his first church youth group camp. It was hard on all of us for him to be gone, but Jordan stepped up and took on some mowing for his brother. Way to go little man!

Then Elizabeth got a haircut and Emily discovered some new rollers. She likes the curls but has so much hair with so little body that it just won't stay for long.

And one day we decided to browse some thift stores in Garland with grandma, but just as we got ready to leave, a cloud rolled in unexpectedly and brought us a lovely funnel cloud! Not what we like to see, for sure!

Here is a pre-party pic of the birthday kids--Jacob turned 12 and Elizabeth turned 8---and I just want to say that time goes by too quickly! But aren't they great!!!

And here are three of the kids doing one of their favorite things--playing board games!

We also had a fabulous Superhero themed VBS, and saw Toy Story 3, and went swimming a lot and bowling a few times. Stacy came into town for a week and it was great seeing her and the whole Friday Friends team. Maybe in july we will be back on track with summer school and home projects. Today we got a new tv cabinet for the playroom, picked out paint for the kitchen and the girls room, hung a pet net and pet chain for the girls' stuffed animals, and fixed the door on the dvd cabinet. Now I have PILE of sewing to tackle, and a little planning for friday school to take care of, a shelf unit to find and hang for the boys' lego, and some blinds and curtains to hang before getting set up for fall semester, which by the way is coming on too quickly......

Choices...and growth

Today I am going to speak about our life choices as we try to improve ourselves for the Lord each day. Our life, like everyone else's is a personal journey, and the more I realize that, the harder it can be to be very harshly judgmental of others. And I am glad because I wouldn't like them being harshly judgemental of my life as I strive to be pleasing to God. But you will never please everyone with your choices so i try to only worry about what God will think. Just remember, your choices will not likely be ours, and if they are, it may not be for the same reasons, and that is OK! That is the great thing about freedom to choose. You get to choose your path, your family's path. As for us, as Christians we just try to measure all we do, say, wear, read, engage in, and so forth, by what would be pleasing to God. We find out what He expects of us through study of scripture, and prayer, seeking His will for us.
We have made some non-mainstream choices in our family.
First, we have more than 2 kids. We have 5. Two were planned and the others sent at God's timing. And while we do not expect any more, the possibility is there. they are, after all, a blessing and gift from God, who will provide for us.
We have chosen to live on one income. That can be challenging because you quickly learn to live within your means and rearrange your priorities. But not living the social norm has many benefits. The house payment is the biggest challenge for us, because it is larger than I would prefer, but it forces us to make better choices in other areas. We always give to church first, though. Then you just learn to do without the things you can't pay for, unless it is an absolute emergency. So we rarely eat out, mostly rent movies from the free library, bowl only with free coupons, have birthdays at home or the park, etc. Good choices to be sure.
We have chosen to homeschool the children. this has as much to do with concentrating on Christian character as it does with allowing self paced learning and free exploration. It has been a blessing. Many do not understand it, but it is a fabulous choice for us, and if others would only seek out knowledge about it they would surely see it as a wonderful option, even if it is not for them.
For outside activities, the cost in dollars and time can be astronomical. So that has to be limited. Any activity the kids are in can not take away heavily from family evenings, and should not make us feel like we are always running. We have found a few good fits, but often have to rotate our activities. Not eveyone gets to participate in something at all times. We always have to weigh the time cost, and the monetary cost, against what is best for family unity. If family unity isn't promoted, but rather peer dependency, it is not good for us, and that applies to church activities too. I would rather pay for a week of bible study and fellowship at Christian camp that a Six Flags trip. Team sports are fun, but they have been a real strain on family life for us. Right now we have 3 in theater classes that are once a week and end before supper. We have two in homeschool gymnastics that we attend only twice a month and we all go to support (except dad who is at work) and it is in the afternoons. One wants to join cub scouts ina few months, but we will have to weigh the cost before deciding for sure. And we are very involved in the Christian based homeschool co-op which is 8 half days each semester of fun and learning together. We do productive activites with church like helping others, devos, VBS, teaching, Leadership Training, outreach, but skip most of the fun-only stuff.
We have chosen to eat mostly homemade foods. Oh, sure, we buy corn dogs and mozzarella sticks from time to time, but mostly we eat whole wheat items, fresh and fresh frozen fruits and veggies, water, real cheese and dairy products, and homemade baked goods. We aren't perfect. We buy the meat at Sam's. It is not ideal, but it is affordable. Affordable is key for us. I try to have a great balance of healthy and affordable. But it requires effort and preplanning and actual cooking every single day, often 3 times a day. But that is ok. It is good. In fact it is the best home and family living class available for the homeschooler!
Lately we have also chosen to make several homemade cleaners from vinegar, peroxide, baking soda, and essential oils. Non toxic is great for family cleaning. i still use cheap detergent from Sam's and use half the amount, but it is cheap. The eco friendly cleaners work nicely, too, and save money, but most importantly it saves our health from bad fumes and toxins. That being said we rely more on vitamins, probiotics and colloidal silver that medicines. but we do still venture to the doc for meds when needed. Lately we have been seriously scrutinizing vaccines, though. We decided to only vaccinate for the more serious diseases like polio and mumps and pertussis, and on a different scale than the recommendations. We think there are too many given at too close intervals, but that is our choice based on our learning.
We choose to buy new clothes for the adults in the house, but only at a discount (and occasionally sew them or buy secondhand), and rely on used, handed down, home sewn and thrift store clothes for the kids--mostly. We do sometimes buy shoes and undergarments and occasional sale items for the kids at places like Payless or WalMart or Ross if we find a great deal and/or really have a need. it really saves. People think it costs a ton to raise kids--and it can, if you buy all the trendy food they want, sign them up for everything under the sun, buy them too much stuff, and clothe them at department stores. But it doesn't have to be that way. Parents are the ones in charge of all that, and it just takes the power of making different choices.
We have tv, and a clearplay dvd player, and vcr player, and internet. But we limit their use. We have almost the lowest cable package, and block all but about 20 channels. What I wouldn't give to have a $1 per channel, choose your channels, option! We would have some great stuff for under $20/month! TV is off most of the time, and is heavily monitored for inappropriate content (hence the limited viewing).We are VERY picky about movie content. Another media area we monitor is internet. It can be used on certain days for certain time ranges by certain people. And can only be used on certain sites approved by the adults. No IM chatting or anything for kids under age ????? -- haven't crossed that bridge yet. No cell phones for people who aren't out driving (why do they need it?) which leaves no texting or unauthorized web surfing. And no secular music without approval. No kids own an mp3 player/ipod yet, though we do have a cd player from this past Christmas. We download and burn songs we approve of. None of that is available in our vehicles either. I guess old cars are a plus! The kids own 2 ds lites and a few games, but that is limited usage too. Just like computer games. We have a family tv and one upstairs for videos. None are allowed in rooms, and neither are computers. That is just inviting addictions. No gaming systems other than the DS either. On the other hand, we are overrun by books and are a family of voracious readers (yes, we monitor that content too!). We probably should have a wing of the library named after us for the fines we sometimes incur! But that falls under money management.....
Anyway, we are a family that starts each day with devotional time, regularly memorizes scripture, believes in serving others, and constantly reinforces how to live life pleasing to God. We are FAR from perfect, and are growing, learning, changing every day. I am so thankful for His grace to cover our multitude of transgressions as we daily seek to walk in His paths. But He has a plan for us and is growing us toward His will each day, I believe. If we do nothing else in this life we hope to pass on Godly living skills to our children and others. Reading and math are important, but if you miss the loving obedience to God's word, you have failed. Failure is not an option........
love to all :)