Monday, September 3, 2012

September is here and that means that school begins for us. This year I will be teaching fourth grade, second grade, first grade, K-4, running a nursery school, teaching all subjects from Math to Sketching, from Dance to Science. I will be teaching home skills, manners, sewing, cooking, cleaning, house keeping, PE, cake decorating, cookie decorating, scouting, gardening, canning, horticulture and mulch more(haha- mulch - get it??). I will be teaching our newest student to talk, walk, run, and jump. I will do all of this, keep the house perfectly clean and have dinner ready each night by 5:30. Also, this year I will be adding a family style breakfast Tuesday-Sunday. I will of course be continuing my part-time job as the Children's Director and Middle School Director at our church. How will I do this?? Easy - the very first thing I will do each morning is take time out to be with my Father and Savior. I will spend time with Him first. Then I will do an exercise routine. I think it is possible....I will find out Monday. I must be honest, I am excited to see what gets accomplished and what gets pushed aside.

I have learned so much this summer...mainly that I love Fall. The Lord has been guiding and directing me along the correct path and I have strayed little. He knows that this summer was not a good summer for me to be apart from Him. I can't wait to put into practice all the things I have learned.
The above picture is from the first day of school 2011....I can't wait to put up a new picture and see how they have grown!!!

Monday, May 28, 2012

Well, I truly know that no one reads this blog so I use it for myself. If you happen to run across it...sorry to disappoint, but there really isn't much here to change your life...it is about changing mine. My mission now is to get through summer but to ahcieve  major goals....this all begins tomorrow.
Goal #1 - get my kids caught up in reading, writing and math. I am not concerned about history, science or social studies right now.
Goal #2 - get in shape - I am done having babies and now I need to keep up with the ones I have.
Goal #3 - travel - I want my family o get out of town more
GOAL #4 - create and stick to a household notebook....this is the task that is fully reliant upon me...so I hope it works out.

I put it all here in hopes that I will make myself accountable...but who knows.

**Of course I have some major spiritual goals but those are for me and my eyes only right now.
My goal tonight- get my notebook ready for tomorrow.

Tuesday, May 22, 2012

Well, here I am again. I just can't find time to get one here. Although I do think that I will this summer. We are going to school through the summer even though my allotted time with the county will be finished. I am worried that my students will loose all the juicy stuff I taught them this year. Okay, most of the details are already lost but the main points are in there...somewhere. We will be doing school just two day a week and the testing on Fridays. So it will be open and we will enjoy it. With VBS and other things going on, a full work week just wouldn't be ideal for our family.

Here is a run down of how we are doing.
Layne - working and at the church non-stop. we are lucky to see him.

Bean - Reading very well, just not reading very often. She doesn't enjoy it. I haven't found a book she wants to read. I may take her to the library-alone- so we can browse uninterrupted. I know she will love reading once she truly develops those skills. Right now, she is emergent. That just means that she only reads when she has to...but that will all change.
She has decided to take up sewing and since her mama doesn't know how to do it, she has signed up for classes at a nearby store.

EC-Oh boy!! She is a nut. She has decided that humor is her "thang". She loves to tell jokes and has begun silly pranks around the house. She keeps us laughing. Her artwork is getting better and I am glad. She didn't place in the google thing but I can see that this only motivated her for next year.

Buddy - WOW! What can I say? He is wild!!! He loves to do school and he is very quick in math. He still likes to snuggle and is great with the baby. This kid is really a superstar.

Ray- She keeps is smiling. I love to hear the silly things she says, sings and plays. Her imagination is so much brighter than any of our other kids. She is wonderful...and full of trouble. She never obeys and always has a reason. She will keep us busy.

Little Man- He is growing fast. Crawling, babbling and trying to always be in the middle of the action. I couldn't have been blessed with a better baby to end my birthing career.

We are all doing great!!! The Lord is faithful! 

Monday, April 2, 2012

Break-through

Well, those of you who have been journeying with me for a while will know the pain and guilt that has accompanied my oldest child's struggles in school. I am a teacher...not just because I home school. I am a certified teacher in the state of Georgia. However, I am a teacher because that is what the Lord created me to be. How do I know? Simple...no matter what I do, the teacher in me always sneeks out. Even at VBS I seem to want the facts about things and not just silly fun stuff. So having a child who struggles with reading and hates school has been a massive battle that breaks my heart daily.
My reason for posting today...the Lord has been faithful. I know that years ago when I first sat down with Lilly when she was 3 and I began to teach her...the Lord knew the future. He knew the joy of this day would not come without many sleepless nights, tempers, fits of rage, lost hair and tears. Lilly read 31 pages of a Dr. Seuss book. Yes, she had read before but she has read baby books and then she became so comfortable with her Dick and Jane readers that I had to ban them from the house(don't worry, I never made Dick or Jane actually leave, I just got tired of hearing about their running and playing and how funny their life is). Tonight's reading was different. It was from a book that she never would pick up before. She read with confidence and of course, she struggled over many words. Yes, some words she had no idea(we have't gotten to those sounds yet) but it was miraculous!!! I know the Lord was smiling down on me saying, "Child, if you would just trust me and stop trying to speed things along, you would have less ulcers, more hair and fewer wrinkles." I understand that now....not sure how long I will retain the lesson.
So, add my child to the millions of others in this world who can read at least a first grade book. But don't keep her on that list for long. I can see now that she is gong to love the places that a book can take her. She will soon be reading college level books...which means a 7th grade reading level, thereabout.

Friday, March 30, 2012

Randomness in my head

Today as I was trying desperately to finish cleaning for once in my life....obvioulsy I stopped cleaning to blog here, I overheard someone on the radio. She mentioned that Jesus is the ONLY One who as ever been with you through every situation of your life. Immediately my thoughts went back to a night in 1987...a Thursday night. February 5 to be exact. I remember laying in my grandmother's bed with her and my brother. She was in the middle which put me near the sliding glass window. She had huge curtains hanging in the window and plants everywhere. I can still see those plants and curtains in my mind. However, the memory isn't about those things. The memory revolves around a prayer. I am not sure if this is the night on which I first truly believed in God for myself and not just because I was supposed to or not. I remember lying there and praying that God would heal my dad. Pleading with Him through silent tears. Then I just realized that He might not heal my dad...so I prayed that (age9) God would take me. I prayed that He would take my soul that night and give my dad another chance. Oh, I can remember telling Him that my mom and brother and dad would soon get over my death because I was young and they could have more kids. I truly am amazed at that, now at 35. I can still remember closing my eyes for what I really thought would be the last time here on earth. I was very disappointed the next day. I just knew that Friday was not ordinary. I was so hurt that God hadn't listened to my pleas. My dad died that afternoon. But that one intimate moment with God prepared me. When my mom told me the news, of course my heart shattered into a million pieces that would never find their way back together the exact same way, but I can remember sitting in that car and knowing that even though it seemed like life was not worth living, that God would take care of us. He did. I have lately felt a void in my heart....just an abscense. I try hard to make sure the kids understand the foundation of faith..trying to make sure that my job as a parent is done to the glory of God. Between that, a new baby and two surgeries plus a part time job that takes up a lot of thought time....I have just felt alone. When that night popped back into my head it was like the warmth of God enveloped my heart and He reminded me that He was there back then...He is here now and has been. He will be with me...He holds my future and just as He held my past. Moreso, He holds me. He knew on that night in 1987 that I would be here today in 2012 and I would remember...I love my God. His grace is more than I deserve...but I am ever thankful for it. God is amazing.