Book Giveaway

No, it's not my giveaway. Robin from the Heart of Wisdom blog is giving away three copies of "The Shack." I must be in a cave because I had not heard of this book until I read the review on her blog. I have to say that it sounds like a good read.

Go to her blog and be sure to enter.

You Might Be a Homeschooler...

Where to begin...

I know I been awful quiet lately. I have had a whirlwind of things flooding my time and my thoughts. When my mind is this cluttered, I have trouble sitting down and organizing my thoughts enough to write a simple blog post.







I have really been thinking hard about the direction of our homeschooling. After ten years of experience under our belts with this, you would think I'd have this under control and be handling it like a pro. No matter how long you do this, it is still work. It takes thought and effort and creativity. What works like a charm for one child doesn't for the next. Where the kids are in life and their development is constantly changing and being able to adapt to that is important if you want them to have a love for learning.



Although we homeschool year-round, we tend to get into a simplified maintenance mode in the summer. Then when fall comes around and everyone around us is gearing up for going back to school, I feel the need to examine where we are and kick it up a notch. This year, though, I feel a lack of direction and a bit overwhelmed. Part of that is the fact that, my oldest is officially 9th grade - a freshman in high school. Technically, I only have 4 more years to prepare her to face life on her own. The clock is ticking. I also need to come up with a better system for record keeping, because right now I am terrible at it. I don't know for sure where God will lead her, but if it is college, she needs a good transcript. My little scribbles in my calendar planner are not going to cut it!


So, I have been doing a bit of studying of my own. I have been praying, and reading several books by godly homeschooling women. I feel like God is nudging me in a slightly different direction, but I am having trouble seeing it. I am considering various topics of study and curriculum options, but although they all seem good, none of them feels quite right to me. I think that is the Holy Spirit telling me that He has a better plan for us. He has just not fully revealed what it is yet. I guess I need to go through a period of spiritual growth before I am going to get it. That is one thing about homeschooling, you think you are doing it just to teach your children and it ends up that you are doing just as much learning and growing through the process!

If you are interested, here are a few of the books I have been reading and getting a lot out of:

Senior High: A Home-Designed Form+U+la by Barb Shelton

The Heart of Wisdom Teaching Approach: Bible Based Homeschooling

Managers of Their Homes: A Practical Guide to Daily Scheduling for Christian Homeschool Families by Steve and Teri Maxwell

And I plan to read
Homeschooling the High Schooler by Diana McAlister

and, of course, the Holy BIBLE - the best instruction manual.


In other news...
I'm still pregnant - in my 19th week. I am still having a bit of nausea which is unusual for me and I am still lacking a lot of energy. This means that I am having trouble keeping up on housework and laundry along with everything else I need to do. Hubby is anxiously awaiting that "nesting" thing to kick in so he can have a clean and organized house. Sadly, it's kicked in for me mentally, but certainly not physically. So, I am seeing all the things I want to accomplish, and have no oomph to get it done.

Because of my past history of gestational diabetes, and the fact that I had periodically checked my blood sugar early on and discovered it was a bit high, I took the glucose test that you normally would get at about 26 weeks early. It came out too high so my doctor is having me watch my diet and regularly check my sugars. It looks like I am going to have to start on a low dose of insulin like I did with my last pregnancy. I'm bummed, but that worked out great before, so I am hoping that it will work out as well this time. too.

So, that's my life lately. I'm falling behind on a lot of stuff including laundry, scrapbooking and even taking photos of my kids. Thankfully, my oldest daughter has been in photography and has been making up for me.






You can see more on her blog, Everything.

I know, I know....

I think I really DID fall off the face of the earth. I have hardly been on the computer the past couple of weeks. There is a lot on my plate and there is of lot of what's on my plate that is stressing me out a bit. Because of this I have been seeking more quiet time to pray, to study and to think. This has sort of taken the place of my computer time. I don't really have time to elaborate because it is time to wake the troops up for church. I do however want to share this video. I am fairly certain I shared this some time ago when I first saw it. It never fails to move me when I watch it and I wanted to share it again.



Enjoy!
Happy Sunday!

I May Have Fallen off the Face of the Earth

Fall off the Face of the Earth
Originally uploaded by Lemon Frosted

What a week! Between Vacation Bible School, getting sick enough to practically lose two days of my life, numerous apartment manager duties, and just plain running a household of seven, I've been whooped. Needless to say, not much time for blogging.

I feel like I am alive again after being pretty well knocked off my feet by some intestinal bug. That was not fun and I am praying that the rest of the household doesn't get hit by it. Right now, most of us are dealing with a summer cold, but I can live with that.
Yesterday, the kids and I spent the day at a friend's lake cottage with my bible study group. It was a great day full of water, fun, and fresh air. I expect my kids will not be getting up too early this morning because they were spent. The only exception might have been Rachel because she had enough ambition to strip her diaper off after we had tucked her into bed and pooping. I had heard her wake back up about an hour after putting her to bed and we decided to let her go in hopes that she would just fall back asleep, knowing how tired she was. When I went to check on her she had, but she was sleeping diaperless next to a pile of poo. Ick! So that was fun having to get her up, clean up poo, change her sheets and reclothe the tired, grumpy baby.

I've never had a stripper like this before. Rachel can wrangle herself out just about any outfit imaginable. Usually she has managed to do this after she wakes from a nap and there is only pee involved. I suppose this is a sign that we should start potty-training, but I haven't psyched myself up for this yet. Potty-training is a process that I truly have no love for. Even if you have a child that picks up on it quickly, it is at least a good 6 months before you can go out in public and not have to race to find a bathroom immediately after you hear them utter the words, "I have to go potty." And a child knows this and uses it whenever and wherever they get a bit bored. By the end of this process, I feel like I know every dirty public restroom in town intimately. But ultimately, I do want the end result. I mean, who wants a kid going off to college in diapers?

So, I need to dig out the little potty and the "Once Upon a Potty" book. Of course, with success, that means I also have to give up the security of corralling my little darling in a crib at bedtime. [sigh] I like knowing that my baby is in bed and not wandering the household during the night. Oh well, I guess it is inevitable; they have to grow up. I can certainly see that Rachel is eager to do so. Let's just hope I am!