drink to this and movies...

first and foremost, Shannan, over at flower patch farm girl,

has just gone beyond reaching her goal for raising $10,000 to build a well for clean drinking water for a village!

how cool is God?

His dreams and hopes for us are always so much bigger than our own.

there is still time to donate,

why not let God use your small gift to bless others?

i also, being the movie addict i am, wanted to share my

top 6 Christmas movies,

for those that are running out to rent a movie for the coming weekend.

(and, yes, i know that none of these films puts Christ in His rightful place front and center)

 in no particular order...

How the Grinch Stole Christmas 

the ron howard version is soooo good.

yes, i grew up on the cartoon one,

and though i am not a jim carrey fan, he was such a good grinch, this movie is impossible not to quote.

Elf

another chuckler.

not entirely appropriate, but not 'bad' either.

another one that gets played in july here.

and quoted all the time.

the best way to spread Christmas cheer is by singing loud for all to hear.

the Santa Clause

with tim allen.  love tim, love the premise of this movie.



Miracle on 34th Street

 natalie wood and maureen o'hara.

The Shop Around the Corner

because my favorite actor is in it. it's sweet, it's cute.

and my absolute favorite is , of course,

It's a Wonderful Life.

i try every year to only watch this after thanksgiving.

i love it so much, it by far extends to my all time favorite list as well.

a few runners up:

Holiday Inn,

White Christmas,

(bing, bing ;))

the Holiday,

Christmas with the Kranks,

Samantha, an American girl holiday,

and of course charlie brown, frosty, etc. from my childhood:)

there are still quite a few i have never seen, and WILL...next year!

notice that Christmas Story isn't on my list?

i have HATED, loathed

that movie since childhood.

seriously, it would make my top 5 most hated films.

i find nothing cute about it.

okay, i'll stop now.

i just really don't like it .

okay.

what are your go-to movies for Christmas?

God Bless,

Mandy

~merry christmas~

from my family to yours

"And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. But the angel said to them, "Do not be afraid. I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord. This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger."



the good, the bad, and the ugly...

 

i am the mom that says she'll blog 3x a week and then a month goes by.

oops.

i am the mom that doesn't flinch when her kids decide they need marker tattoos and end up scribbled head to toe in neon green.

i am the mom that freaks out when shoes get left hither and yon when there are no less than 3 shoe buckets on the premises.

i am the mom that screams at her children to be quiet because i am trying to read a book about being being a more present mom.

i am the mom that spends extra money we don't have to buy organic milk and eggs at the grocery store, only to hit up Mc D's on the way home because there is NO way i'm cooking lunch after shopping.

i am the mom who will sweep and do dishes 5x a day.

but not fold the 5 piles of laundry sitting in my living room.

i am the mom who sees nothing wrong whatsoever with still needing to sleep with a 3year old monkey to get him to sleep.

i am the mom that would love to get a breast lift and lypo,

but would not get my stretch marks removed, believing they are part of a very special story.

i am also the mom against plastic surgery.

i am the mom that will remind my kids how essential modesty is,

then walk by and grab my husband.

i am the mom that fasts for her children in prayer, then realizes there are mint kisses in the pantry, and thinks God will overlook fasting for the sake of mint kisses.

i am the mom who has amazing ideas and intentions,

but lacks the follow through on 90%.

i am the mom whose children would never talk that way,

whose children now constantly use such language as idiot and shut up.

i am the mom who doesn't balk at crayon on the walls or new white furniture, but cried like a baby at the first "i hate you!"

i am the mom who has now grown accustomed to those i hate yous and simply says "well i love you"

i am the mom who has nursed four babies,

co-slept with those babies,

and never let them cry it out.

i am the mom who doesn't believe in having huge birthday parties every year.

i am the mom who too often says one thing and does another.

i am the mom that once stood on my front porch, baby on a boob, phone to the ear, while shooting at a deer with a bebe gun in our veggie garden.

and i'm the mom who didn't think that was weird til i retold the story.

i am the mom that went through thinking two of her babies had cancer/tumors,

and rejoiced when they did not.

i am the mom who thinks it's perfectly acceptable to bribe your kids

(God bribed Moses to the promised land with milk and honey right?)

i am also the mom that second guesses everything she does and feels guilt about nearly all of it.

i'm the mom who never left her kids, even to run to the grocery store by myself.

so now i'm the mom that feels weird having bunco or a girl's day out every month.

i'm the mom who never once considered working outside the home, regardless of financial situations.

i'm the mom who likes to get all dolled up.

and wear a pony tail and yoga pants the other 5 days.

i'm a mom who plays her music so loud in the car, i fear for my children's ear drums when i get back in the car and realize how loud it was.

i am the mom who sings off key, ridiculous songs to annoy my kids.

i'm the mom who sometimes 'fights' the fit by throwing myself on the floor and screaming too.

i'm the mom with cracker crumbs in the van, the couch cushions and in my cleavage.

i'm the mom that knows how very blessed i am to have 4 little loveys.

i am the mom blessed to have such an easy time getting pregnant and easy pregnancies.

i'm the mom who was quiet and graceful through all my labors.

(if you can be graceful spread full eagle with sweat dripping down your face).

i am the mom who gives way too many lectures and gets drawn into the arguments.

i am the mom who is usually patient and kind during potty accidents, broken things and owies.

but i'm the mom who yells for everyone to just stop yelling.

i'm the mom who has forgotten to shut public restroom doors because i just forgot they shut.

i'm the mom who loves my monkeys unconditionally.

i'm the mom trusting God to help me enjoy this beautiful and crazy ride i'm on.

because life is good...

tis the season.

there  are moments when i am simply overwhelmed by how good and blessed my life truly is.

i am always thankful, but it seems sad that this overflowing awe only comes ever so often.

my gratitude is first and foremost always to the God who created it all.

i heard a pastor say once,

that if the only thing we were ever given was salvation...

no family,friends,outward blessings, that alone would be worth all our praise.

how much more should we be thankful for the many blessings we're surrounded by everyday.

i am thankful for the same things i'm sure everyone else is, but let us not make it seem trite by glazing over how truly wonderful each of these gifts are.

thankful

my Lord and Savior.

thankful for my husband.

a husband who loves, provides for, and is an amazing man.

thankful for my children.

kids that bless me with their individual personalities, each purposed for the glory of God .

treasuring each hug,  each funny word, even each 'teachable' moment that i am privileged to be present for. 

thankful for this homeschooling adventure that we're on.

the privilege of getting every day with them.

thankful for health.

so easy to overlook when you have it, and so scary when in doubt.  we've had 2 cancer scares with our kids, some issues with me, my husband's chronic illness.  moments of health are ones to be praised for!

thankful for good friends.

old  friends new.

women who bless me, laugh with me (occasionally at me;)) , pray for me, act stupid with me, share with me and put up with me!

thankful for a warm home, food on the table, beds to rest our heads.

and all the many luxuries that many before us, and around us don't have.

"Sometimes I would like to ask God why He allows poverty famine injustice in the world when He could do something about it...but I'm afraid He might ask me the same question."-anonymous

i hope you all have a beautiful thanksgiving day...

Blessings,

Mandy

still alive ya'all...

still not up to blogging,

but thought i'd hop on share a picture:

this is mr.buggie boo.

when i hear rocks being crashed upon my dining table i yell

"What the heck are you doing ?!  Why are there rocks on the table?"

looking very irritated he says ,

"MOM, i'm playing rock, paper, scissors."

sheesh.

i should have known that!

:D

Blessings,

Mandy

homeschool mother's journal...

In my life this week…

well, i've cried.

that's big for me since i'm not a crier.

but sometimes a mama just has to go take a bath at 10 am and cry her eyes out.

right?

right?

In our homeschool this week…

well, being the 'new' homeschooler i am, i was totally unprepared for columbus day.

sunday night i looked at the calendar and rushed to pinterest to find craft ideas.

at 10 pm , trying to print out columbusish stuff, i realized my printer was out of ink.

let's just say i'll be paying a lot more attention to the calendar in the future!

we did go on our first field trip!

we headed out to the fire station

(the oldest monkey chose not to go)

Helpful homeschooling tips or advice to share…

well, hhmmmmm.

i ran across this article last week. 

apparently it made several people angry, but i felt it was such a heartfelt and honest article, that i took no offense, just absorbed...

here

What’s working/not working for us…

well, my oldest is really fighting me on just about every aspect of school (and life, but that's not for now...)  so i am rethinking our school days.

i maybe switching it all up and having blocks of time for each student, otherwise, he absorbs so much of my time and energy, i have very little for the other kids.

he drags a 20 mintue lesson into hoooouuurrrsss  long.

my thought right now is to tell him "you have between 10-12 for my help.  should you choose to throw a fit, refuse to do your work, etc. your time is up anyways"

any advice?

Questions/thoughts I have…

if i should change history to more of a unit study approach?

I’m cooking...

diet food,

can you please eat a cookie for me?

I’m grateful for…a Heavenly Father who, despite my discouragement, questioning and doubts,

has a plan and a purpose for us that is being weaved to reveal itself.

I’m praying for…

wisdom.

hehe.

and for 10 lbs to be gone next week.

(kidding...kinda)

A photo, video, link, or quote to share…

***don't look if you are squemish or from PETA***

blessings,

mandy



pop culture , a recipe and baby pictures...

none of which are related, in case that wasn't obvious...;)

so i had the privilege of taking my new niece's newborn photos recently and wanted to share.

that's what you'll see throughout this post.

what you will read however, is about my lack of pop culture awareness.

are you ready?...

i'm ashamed to say (because it sounds as if i should be?) that i'm still sort of unclear who steve jobs was.

i mean, i googled and figured out he was a computer creator.

that's about where my knowledge ends with him.

i also googled another pop culture thing that has slightly less relevance...

you see when i read (somewhere ?)  that Carmen Electra was marrying Rob Patterson,

i pictured edward from Twilght.

i thought to myself "as little as i know about these 2 souls walking around, that just seems a very odd couple."

ya, edward would be robert pattinson.

rob patterson is, apparently, some musician for Korn (i think, not looking back to make sure!), that by wikipedia standards looked much more like who i would picture carmen electra with.

(not that i care).

it was a sad waste of 5 minutes.

now, onto the recipe!

the reason i'm sharing this is because it is easy and a good Fall all in one dish!

corn bread pie:

first of all mix up your favorite cornbread recipe.

i use the Homesteader's Recipe found here .

set aside.

preheat oven 375.

get a cast iron pan (i use my 9 or 10 inch),

or, i suppose a square 9x9 pyrex would do.

cook hamburger or turkey burger (about 1/2 lb) in the cast iron skillet, drain off grease.

add in 2 cans of ranchero beans.

(i have put in my own cooked beans before, and it's okay, but not as good)

a cup of frozen corn or a can of drained corn.

and a can of diced green chilis.

pour corn bread mix over top.

cook at 375 until corn bread cooked through and browning on top.

enjoy!

blessings,

mandy

homeschool mother's journal...

In my life this week…

my back seems on the mend!

yay!

i've started working out again.

I am inspired by…

charlotte mason

Places we’re going and people we’re seeing…

we joined the YMCA for homeschool PE.

today was day one and i feel good about this now

(i stressed about the $ a lot)

My favorite thing this week was…

bedtime.

hehe.

Questions/thoughts I have...

i am really trying to figure out if i need to add more in to our day.

it's such a different bowl of soup than public school,

i need to get comfortable with that,

because i don't want it to be like public school!

Things I’m working on…

just trying to figure out the organizing/laying out/ etc. parts of this...

I’m reading…

lord of the rings

I’m cooking…

i've cooked some yumminess up this week.

but i'm too lazy to write the recipes right now.

I’m grateful for…

some new friendships i feel the Lord is putting in place, for the both the kids and i.

I’m praying for…

ya all know that if i do this each week wisdom is still going to be my answer right?

i give you permission to assume that unless otherwise stated

(and solomon has been outwitted)

A photo, video, link, or quote to share…

via pinterest

blessings,

mandy

.thehomeschoolchick.



breaks my heart...

so, here i am.

i should be in bed and yet my heart is hurting.

i have never intended to be one of those blogs that preaches what we all should be doing.

i can crawl up my soapbox like anyone else,

and i am not one to back down from my stance on things.

but i have never wanted to come across as a "i am more righteous than you so follow my lead" type of  girl.

but there are things that just grieve me.

things that to others may seem a pittance , and yet it bothers me.

not in an 'i'm annoyed way', but in a "why can't they see it?" way.

what's bothering me?

women in today's culture.

how many times have i clicked on another woman's facebook page only to see their over abundance of self worship amidst the pictures there?

how many times can you post 'sexy pouty' faces and bikini shots?

how many comments are you trying to get that fill you up with praise?

how do you feel when that doesn't happen?

what hurts my heart in all this is knowing , that deep down, these women are searching for self worth in fleeting beauty and empty words.

do they temporarily feel good about themselves by shouting "look at me, see how pretty i am!?" , only to fall down empty again when that selfish, worldly admiration fails?

oh, i too fall into the trap in many ways.

i've had to chastise myself when i've received a certain look or appreciative nod.

it does feel good.

for about 20 seconds.

then i kick myself and remind myself that the only man who should be giving me his eyes are that of my husband's.

i'll never forget renting a video one day, i was with my husband, whom at the time was boyfriend, when the man at the counter gave me heart felt compliment about having  the most beautiful smile he had ever seen.  he said it such a way that i will never forget it.
he didn't see my ample chest or my body.
he didn't even see that my smile is actually gummy and i look like a horse when i grin.
what he saw in me was a beauty that is the Lord's.
He saw my spirit and not my flesh.
i just felt it.
and i can tell you that in time i will forget the crude, said in jest, arm in the rib type of hubba-hubbas.
but i will never forget that man who saw more in me.
because that felt better.

i can laugh when i get a cat call, but then, if you think about it...

it's quite disgusting.

my body was created to glorify God and to honor and bring pleasure to my husband.

now i'm not saying we shouldn't try to look nice.

i like a pair of good butt jeans as much as the next girl.

i certainly don't cloak myself in a moomoo to hide my curves.

i believe it's okay, good even, to try to look our best.

fun clothes, make up, high heels:

bring it on.

it just makes me so incredibly sad to see these women seek fulfillment in a world that will leave them empty.

they will never be good enough.

there will always be someone prettier.

someone sexier.

someone more fun.

someone with less cellulite, or more money, or better dressed.

Jesus is the one who sees who they are.

the one who watches them with tears as they try to play a part on a stage that will forget them soon enough.

if they could only see that He won't.

He'll go on loving them years after the boobs have sagged and the legs flab.

He'll love them in sweats and on their bad hair days and when they are sick.

what they seek cannot be found in temporary thrill at the appreciation for their struts across the parking lot or in their facebook picture.

it can only be found in the One who formed their hearts,

loves them jealously,

and waits for them to see it...

i pray for these women, some moms, some fellow Christians, some too young to 'get' the fire they play with.

i pray that they would find all they need and seek in Jesus.

blessings,

mandy

p.s. So Long Insecurity  by Beth Moore is an amazing read that i highly recommend to women of 14 or 65 and anywhere in between...

post in which i promise i don't feed my kids poop...

how's that for a lure, huh?

no , really.

i must explain.

i came on here to share a favorite and easy snack at our house,

but when i opened up my photos , well...



now you see my why my title had to clarify !

it's all because i splurged on the dark chocolate flavored peanut butter this time...

so here it is, the recipe for what we call fun bites.

(i actually named them something different.

fun, and then something else.

then i realized that it sounded sorta dirty and we had to change that up real quick like.

too bad i still slip sometimes and call them by their original name.)

 1. so, take a bowl and melt down a little peanut butter (or almond,  etc.)

2. toss in just about anything:chopped nuts, oats, coconut, flax seed, wheat germ,

 seeds (poppy, sesame, sunflower...), choc chips, etc.

3. add some honey or agave.

4.stir it all up and refrigerate for at least an hour.

5. scoop out and roll into little balls,

place in a baggie or container, and keep them in the frig.

6. anytime kids want a snack and you can't whip one up, yell  "go grab a fun bite or 2!"

seriously: the kids love these cause they're sweet.

 i love them because they are super easy to make since you basically use whatever you have on hand, and keep stocked in the frig, and they are fairly healthy!

  

 blessings,

mandy


linking up with:

http://abowlfulloflemons.blogspot.com/

the homeschool mother's journal...

so, i found this fun idea at Homeschool Chick.

like the women's daybook idea, but for the homeschooler.

and yes, i realize many of you would like me to

shut.the.heck.up.
about homeschooling and get back to my regularly scheduled blogging,

but,uh,

this is my life now!

i promise to revel you with some amazing non homeschooling awesomeness early next week ,K?

In my life this week…

i've been fighting a lower back issue for nearly a month.  this last week has really taken it's toll.

particualrly my house.

In our homeschool this week…

we are learning.

it's still a trial and error thing, but we'll get there.

Helpful homeschooling tips or advice to share…

HA!

is that a serious question?

I am inspired by…

another mom i know.

not particularly well, but her constant willingness to get down and just play with her kids.

drinking them in.

i want to be more like that.

Places we’re going and people we’re seeing…

we went to the beach today! 

 on a thursday!

on a whim!

My favorite thing this week was…

the beach.

 watching the kids play together in the sand.

What’s working/not working for us…

i need to figure out something for geography...

a system...

Questions/thoughts I have…

how long is this going to take before my son just submits to my authority?!

Things I’m working on…

relying on/in Christ.

asking Him for wisdom each moment.

I’m reading…

blackberry inn, or something like that?

it's by karen andreola, i know that!

I’m cooking…

it's 10 pm.

nothing.

:)

but i made a whole trough of salsa last night!

I’m grateful for…

my husband working his tail off.

constantly.

I’m praying for…

wisdom.

oh,

did i say that already?

ya, i need way more of it.

for my son's heart to hear God's call in His life,

for him to really and truely repent and become a lover of Christ.
(and yes, i  of course want this for all my children.
but this boy is old enough to really start to find his own relationship with the Lord)

for safety this hunting season.

no cats were harmed during this mummification process.

this was for intense historical study purposes only, and actual embalming and organ removal was discouraged

(though most animatedly spoken of).

Drifter, you are a fine cat, even if i don't particularly enjoy you animals,

you make for fine and quite fun live demonstrations.

thank you for sacrificing your comfort (and fur) for the sake of early egyptian class.

blessings,
mandy

the daily grind...

many have been curious as to the daily schedule around these here parts.

how we fit in all of school,

if we have a particular schedule, etc.

if you could care less,

i apologize in advance...

so here's the basic outline:

6 am:  i'm supposed to wake up.

6:30-7: i actually wake up.

i make coffee or tea,

and spend what's supposed to be at least a half hour in prayer and devotions

 (currently, the Jesus study with beth moore)

but then around 7:15 monkey 3 wakes up.

8 am: breakfast and chores

(all)

8:45: calendar/ memory work

(we just memorized the Lord's prayer)

9am: mon: art

tues, wed. and thurs. history

(the mystery of history)

10am: HELL for me.

um, that was supposed to say math.

ya, math.

(math-u-see)

11am: spelling and english,

(we have switched to rod and staff for both the olders, and working through teach your child to read in 100 easy lessons with #3)

noonish: lunch

1pm: mon & wed: science

tues & thurs:geography

we also have a monthly artist study and musician.

i don't make the kids learn about these people, we just (for now) get familiar with their works.

throughout these days there are many breaks, sometimes we get it all done in  2hrs.

some kids *cough, aiden, cough*, could stretch a 20 minute paper into 3 hours...

but all in all i am extremely surprised by how much we can get accomplished in such little time.

 blessings,

mandy

p.s. i have made my oldest monkey rewrite many assignments because of his lack of capitalization.  praise report for the day :

thank God he doesn't read my blog!

solution to our world?

there's a worship song...

one of the lyrics

"break my heart for what breaks yours."

via http://freechristimages.org

how simple.

what truth.

if each christian in this world,

if our hearts broke,

for the same things that our lovings Father's heart broke from,

each and every time...

i just wonder what a different kind of world it would be...

what are some things that break His heart?

from the simple to the tragic?

happy fall...

"Delicious autumn! My very soul is wedded to it, and if I were a bird I would fly about the earth seeking the successive autumns. "

~George Eliot~

question...

so, uh...

is it bad that my life's goal is to not yell?

seriously,

"just help me not scream at the little people today Lord and my mission will have been successful".

so this is my life:

~wake up and study Bible, pray

~homeschool their ever lovin hearts

~yell, threaten, have melt down

~read  my parenting books

***one of these things is not like the others, one of these things just isn't the same***

(credit:sesame street)

ya.

that's life.

how's yours?

blessings,

mandy



let's talk music...

i have no musical talent.

zip,zero,zilch.

i had wanted piano lessons once upon a time.

now it would seem like just another thing on the 'to-do' list that never gets all done.

but i love me some good music.

and, surprise, surprise, my choices are random.

most of the time in the car, i'm tuned into the contemporary christian.

my favorites there include third day (because mac powell is awesome), casting crowns, mercy me, jeremy camp, todd agnew, and matt maher.

  but then i also love the edgier ones.

skillet, thousand foot krutch.

but then i'll turn to country.

where i think that gary allen has the sexiest voice in the entire world.

but i also love zac brown band,

dierks and billy currington, lady a, and little big town.

and then the classics, like good ol mr.strait and john michael.

throw in some brooks and dunn,

and we're calling it good.

fly me to the moon please.

the rat pack,

any of em.

and ella.

and the beach boys.

that fit into none of my categories.

and there will always, ALWAYS  people, be a place in my heart for  bryan adams.

why is he still not popular??!!!

as far as current 'cool' music,

i love 3 doors down, lifehouse, coldplay, daughtry, creed.

and then there is my

ihatetoadmitthisside.

which includes nirvana,

greenday,

and all those naughty bands that sing of totaly yuckiness and yet they sound so cool.

speaking of which, can we please pray for a conversion to the faith for nickelback?

whom i adore but loathe all at once.

i mean really.

God gave you the talent, use it properly.

bon jovi.

and i love the bag pipes

but my favorite group ever?

(are you drumrolling?

you should totally be drum rolling)

NEEDTOBREATHE.

if you haven't heard these guys.

they are musically amazingly, lyrically intelligent,

and just all out studs.

for the first time in my life i want a band t shirt.

i've listened to

this album

about 200 times in a row.

not sick of it yet.

what don't i like?

ANY AND ALL hip hop.

and rap.

(unless it's the french prince of bel aire of course.)

and if you didn't notice?

i'm not into female singers.

i have NO idea why this is.

it dawned on me about 2 years ago that none of my go to music is done by females.

(lady a has a man ya'll)

i'm bizarre, i know.

so all this to say.

i'm totally random.

where would you classify me in the music genre?

what about yourself?

blessings,

mandy



eating well...my conclusions.

so i've been on a mission.

the mission to come up with a healthier lifestyle.

between my husband's Crohn's disease, some random health issues with myself

(not to mention being about 50 lbs over my 'normal' weight),

i am on a mission to find healthier alternatives.

i should mention,

that i tend to get carried away by new ideas and hit them full fledged...

only to slack by 3 weeks in.

so as i have bookmarked a billion sites/blogs/books to buy, etc, on this get healthy mission,

i have also prayed about it.

i believe God truly does want us to keep our bodies His temple.

this means limiting foods that are not good for us and being wise with our choices.

i would say we are a somewhat 'in the middle' family.

we aren't super healthy,

we indulge in fast food here and there, and eat desserts.

i drink sodas (regular-diet makes me sick) on occasion but not everyday.

on the other hand, i always avoided prepackaged foods, overly processed stuff, and hydrogenated oils.

(even back in the beginning of our marriage before it was 'cool' ;))

i buy boxed cereal, but only cheerios or cinnamon life.

the only 'boxes' i buy are the occasional kraft mac n cheese (for my once a month bunco night, the kids love it with hamburger), and crackers.

so as i jumped into learning more, i have found so many articles and things i want to try.

we tried to drink Kumbocha-(YUCK!)

i got the recipe to make my own fish crackers.

i looked into buying my own wheat grinder (spendy!).

and then it hit me.

this is all good for us.

it is wise.

but at the same time, it should NOT be allowed to dominate our lives.

i would still love to grind my own wheat one day.

i still plan on even healthier meals.

and i may still make my own crackers.

but,

i will give myself a break.

i have made the decision to continue to buy fish crackers until pepperidge farms dissolves.
otherwise they would meet certain immediate bankruptcy, we can't be responsible for that now can we?

i will still allow my kids their boxed mac'n cheese night once a month.

i may even crack open a coke still on occasion.

but i will do it all in moderation.

and i will honor God with our health.

without going extreme while i'm juggling so many other balls.
( i just reread this post.  um, let's just leave that alone shall we?  ;))

what are your thoughts on healthy eating?

blessings,

mandy

p.s.  nourishing traditions is still in my amazon cart ;)

(the kids enjoying their smores while camping Labor day weekend.)

a question:

what is your favorite book/ movie of all time?

c'mon.

i want to know.

i expect everyone who reads this to comment;)

if you don't have a google account

(which is really easy to get, all you need is your junker e-mail and a user name),

you can do an anonymous comment,

but be sure to write your name at the end:)

ready?

GO!

blessings,

mandy



so grateful...

we've been at it 3 whole days.

this homeschooling thing.

i want to weep with gratitude for the Lord's direction.

                                        

i had always known my oldest struggled with math.

i used to sit for an hour a night reteaching it when he was in public school!

but even with all that,

i got the reports he was doing 'average'.

doing his work.

getting by.

today i felt kicked in the stomach when i asked him to do an assignment,

and he didn't know how to do it.

(it involved #s)

i know i had gone over this with him.

2 years ago!

i showed him the way his homework had said.

he had got it done.

i didn't look back.

only...

he never actually got it!

these last years he has sat through countless instructions,

staring timidly at papers with the anxious feeling of never knowing what he was actually doing.

it.breaks.my heart.

i researched another way to teach it.

threw aside the 'workbook' for the day.

and taught him.

after 10 minutes,

he lit up.

he said "oh, i get it!"

and looked so stinkin' proud.

this is it folks.

this is me walking in affirmation.

i could feel the Lord's presence around us today.

His conviction came alive in my heart fully.

this is the path i am to walk.

for how long i don't know,

but i'm walking it.

there will be days.

i'll probably have to come reread this post ;)

but i love knowing

we're right where we're supposed to be.

blessings,

mandy