Lord please give me WISDOM NOT PATIENCE

Please LORD give me patiences and GIVE THEM TO ME RIGHT NOW! Ever have a prayer like this?!?!? Funny thing about asking God for patience, that most people don't think about, is that by asking for patience, you are really asking God to put trials and tests in your life to help you become a patient person. WOW I bet some people just got a huge eye opener. Am I right???... Yes, it's true, patience isn't something you just wake up one day with, it's something to be learned, practiced, developed.

Last night one of our dear friends Josh asked us a question that I never really thought about. He said, "Do you feel and think you are more patient, now that you have had children?" After a moment I answered, "yes." If I really think about it, before I had children or even before I got married for that matter I never really needed to be that much of a patient person. I didn't have others I was responsible for training, teaching, and caring for. Of course like everyone else I had to be patient about normal stuff in life but I have to say I have found myself saying, the prayer above, far, far more times, now that I'm married with 4 children.

The Bible tells us in James 1:5
If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you.

In the past 2 weeks I have changed my prayer, instead of asking God for patience like I have for the past 8 1/2 years I have been praying that the Lord will bless me with wisdom.  Wisdom in sharing His Word, wisdom in my marriage, wisdom raising our children. King Solomon ask God for wisdom and God was pleased with his request and blessed him with great wisdom to govern his people.You can read about it in 1 Kings 3
 
With wisdom comes patiences, for years I have been praying for the trials and tests but completely forgetting to ask the Lord for the tools to help me through them. I have found myself upset, frustrated, and confused about how to handle certain situations. Wondering why things seem so hard to understand.

I serve a Bigger God than any trial or test I could ever face, and I have to tell you, that this God even in all of His Power, loves me enough and cares enough about little me to hear my prayers. And I am so thankful!

This past few weeks I have felt the presents of God in everything I do, in every decision I make, in every meal I prepare, every lesson I teach, in every moment of disciplining and raising our children.

I just want to say, thank You Lord, and please may I have a second helping, You have blessed me with this family and I ask that You continue to give me wisdom for each day.

Busy Summer Full of FUN!

This summer has for sure been busier than any before looking at our calendar it seems like every week is full of trips, parties, camps, and of course lots of appointments. Looking back on what we have done already this summer I am amazed by God's Hand working in all of it. His love and guidance has been seen over and over again and I am in aww of our Creator and Savior!

So what have we been up to these last few months... to start we decided to take our first family vacation!!! OBX and Virginia Beach were our 2 main destinations. Driving 11 1/2 hours in a van with 4 children ages 6 and under some would say is CRAZY, I would completely agree! We started our trip at 3am in the morning just so the children would likely sleep half of it only to have 3 out of 4 sleeping with our oldest getting car sick 3 times, thankfully God helped me plan ahead and I remembered a bucket for this purpose just in case. Overall traveling with the children wasn't as bad as I thought it would have been. We were able to visit the ocean, swim, see the sand dunes, visit the Aquariums in OBX and VB and just have a great time. I think deciding where we would have dinner was one of the hardest parts! It was also such a blessing to be able to stay with Matt's Aunt Jenni and Uncle Dave and their girls in VB. What fun we all had sharing stories and going to the beach with the children. It was so relaxing and welcoming staying at their home, we are very thankful for such great hosts. Love you guys! Driving home we decided to make it a little easier on ourselves so instead of driving straight through we ended up splitting up the trip some by staying near Washington DC for a night, we were able to do some sight seeing there and visit the air and space museum. The boys loved it and what an awesome addition to our trip!
It's funny though how a vacation like Matt's says "makes you even more thankful for where you live." We had a great time but it was great to be home, sleeping in our own beds and just getting back into our own life.
Shortly after getting home we kept busy planning and preparing for our huge yard sale for Down Syndrome Awareness. Again it is amazing to see how God worked things out for the better,by putting it all in His Hands He turned it into a huge success. We are so thankful for all of the donations that were poured on us they were such a blessing and meant alot to us. To have support from friends and family that believe raising awareness for Down Syndrome is important was great! We actually were planning on having a yard sale for 2 days and an auction the 3rd day to get rid of the rest of the stuff, but God had different plans. I put tons of effort and time into advertising and planning, making signs and sharing the details. Even to the point of calling radio stations and TV stations only to have it all change in the end. The yard sale did great the first 2 days Saturday came along though and we set out the food tables and put up the AUCTION signs, prayed that God would do something amazing and waited until 1pm when the auction was to start. 12:30 came and went with noone here for an auction 1pm came and went with noone here by 1:30pm there was only 2 families signed up for an auction and dad said it was a no go. My heart hurt my eyes welled up with tears and I felt like such a failure. If I only would have advertised more or done this or that it would have worked out. Just a little earlier at 12:45 I went in my room, closed the door and prayed... I had tears running down my face as I held my pillow and prayed Lord PLEASE let this work out I have worked so hard for this cause, it's all for Your honor and glory, let Your Will be done. We planned for around 200 people only to have about 6 here at the time of the auction but as soon as we changed the signs back to yard sale the people came flooding in. We ended up selling more than if we would have had the auction plus we were able to donate the unsold baby items to the pregnancy center. Altogether we raised as total for $1200.20! God is good and even when I felt like such a fool and a let down God picked me up and worked things out and made it even better than I ever expected. Why did I ever think anything different,.. Pastor Rod preached one Sunday and say something that has really stuck with me he said "our will would be God's Will if we knew all the facts." How true is that!

This past weekend we also had a chance to take a trip to Niagara Falls and the Buffalo Zoo. How awesome that was to see more of God's powerful creation. Looking at the falls during our walk on the cave of the winds I couldn't help but think of the power of these waterfalls but how it doesn't compare to God's overall power. What a reminder of how He is the Almighty one.

Now as I write this our oldest 2 boys are at VBS at our church having tons of fun learning even more about our Lord. Next week Logan will also get a chance to go to a Kamp 4 Kids where he will be surrounded by even more children and adults praising the Lord. We may be busy this summer but what we are busying ourselves with is so worth the time. We are investing in our children, our family, our community, and our future home in heaven. Sharing God's love and greatness and being thankful for each day He gives us!

How we keep organized and fun things that help!

Even though we have only homeschooled for a couple of years I have learned so much and found some things very useful. Here I thought I would share them and how they make my life a little more organized! haha As much as it can be with 4 young children.

1) First off I use the workboxes or schoolboxes system some may call them. For ours we use 2) 5 section plastic stoarge units on the outside of each drawer I have placed the name of each day of the week Monday-Friday. Also in the bottom corner I have a velcro square this is were I place pre-made titles of special events that may take place that day for example if we are going to go on a field trip I will put the velcro title field trip in this corner that way my children know what to expect for the next 2 weeks. Other titles may be our children's birthdays or holidays, visits from friends, dr. appts. ect. In the middle of the top drawer on each storage unit I also have a velcro square where I place the week number. Every 2 weeks I fill the drawers with the materials we will be using in the day bin we will need them. This makes my life so much easier all we have to do is go down to the classroom pull out the bin for that day and all of our materials are there, no stopping in the middle of a lesson to gather materials. If there is something we will be using everyday I have another container on top of each storage unit that I place there items in. The children are responiable for making sure they are put back in this container at the end of the day.

2) File folders these are great for keeping items with may pieces together! Each folder has a pocket to help organize games, pictures or even papers that are all on the same certain topics.

3) Filing Cabinet is a MUST for us. We have 2 nice sized filing cabinets in our classroom for the most part these can be a great space saver plus they can hold a ton of stuff! I put extra books and materials we will may need in these. Plus I have a section that is labled for the next school year. In this section I have 40 folders each labled by week. I have a sheet of paper attached to each folder with general information about what we will be going over that week with a book list and materials needed section on it. This is very helpful since while looking through resouces if I come across a book that would work great later on  in another weeks lesson I can write it down on the list or place it behind that weeks file. Also if I am surfing the web and come across any free worksheets, experiments or activities that will go with a certain lesson instead of trying to find it again I can print it out and put it in the week we will use it. This saves time in filling the schoolboxes as well since I already have half of my materials in this section of my filing cabinet I just need to move it over to my schoolboxes. =0)

4) Chore Packs this works good for us since our children are younger with older ones something like it may work well. I made up small charts that have the days of the week on them and a list of 2-3 things my children must do that day. It could be take out the trash or help set the table for lunch. These little things add up and is alot for us mamas have to take the whole load on ourselves. Giving the children responiblities is good for them and helps them appreiate what others do for them. I have about 4-5 charts that I change around between each week that way I don't have to make up new chart each week just put one of the already made charts in their plasitic bag with the name on it. On the backside of each chart is a list of things each children must do each day like make their bed, take care of pets or put the breakfast dishes away.

5) For Bible Verse Memory Work I came up with something that my boys just LOVE. Matthew 6:21 says For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. So what I decided to do was make a treasure chest with small prizes and such in it. The way the children get something out of the chest is with the money they earn by memorizing Bible Verses. For each verse they can tell me I give them a either a penny, nickle, dime or quarter, they put it in their own contanier with their name on it and every other Friday we count up their treasure to get something out of the treasure chest. We explain to them by storaging up treasure in our hearts (God's Word) they also get a special treat. Helps them to learn true treasure God's Word, money values, how to save for things they really want and even how to spend it wisely.

6) Quite time: this is a must for any mother if your children are newborn - 18 just a few moments to ourself to regroup and rethink the day. My children ages 6, 4, 2, and 9 months still have a (nap time) after lunch all 4 of them go down for a "nap" or time of rest. The youngest 2 this is their regular naps but for the older ones some days they just don't need a nap but their bodies still must rest so I let them take a few books into their beds and read to themselves. I always say if you get tired feel free to take a nap but just enjoy a little quite rest time and we will have some more fun once you get up in a little bit.

7) Keep empty plastic containers, toilet paper tubes and old magizines for craft use. This has saved us alot of money and the children just love creating with a mixed varitiy of items.

8) Independant work: There are certain subjects or activities that I have the children do completely on their own. I find this helps me get my morning route done around the house and with a baby, helps them learn time management also and plus they get part of their work done even before we start together. Things like penmanship, practicing Bible verses, taking care of the calendar and typing are a few of the things I just send my son down to the classroom to do on his own.

9) Plan each day BUT be flexable! This past year I planned out each day of the school year, wrote down everything we would be doing and every lesson we would do in each subject. Knowing we would be having a baby within the first few months of school I had to plan ahead. I am so thankful I did. It was great just going down to the classroom and grabbing my lesson book and starting the day somedays we didn't get everything done that was listed others we would get more than listed but it all worked out.

10) Meal planning: during the school year this is something that helps me a ton as well. Having a list of what we will be making for lunch and dinner each week is one less thing I have to think about and make a decision about last minute. I'm sure this has saves us money with groceries and not having to order pizza for another night because mom couldn't think of something to cook. I have also learned to cook bigger servings this way you can freeze leftovers or eat them for lunches the next day. Or if you are making a meal with chicken and have to boil it why not boil the whole pack and put half away for another meal.

11) Appointments: I have tried to stick to having doctor appts. only schleduled on certain days of the week, for example Tuesdays are the days I try to get every doctors appt. on. This way it is easier for me to plan other things like playdates or other appts. I know just to stay clear of Tuesdays.

12) BUY USED or on clearance ahead of time: I am the kind of person that LOVES a good deal! I will hunt for savings haha! It's funny how I stock up on shampoo and tooth paste or have jeans for my boys 2 sizes too big because they were on sale or clearance. As most of you know those 2 sizes too big will actually soon be too small on our ever growing children! I would much rather pay $5 for a pair of jeans that are too big than wait until they need that size only to pay $20 or more! Same goes for winter coats and boots. You can always find these items after season on clearance. Same goes for homeschool materials and curriculum. I love searching the web for things that would be useful for our classroom. Alot of times you can find things on ebay or homeschool classiflieds alot cheaper. Sometimes there are even great deals on CBD or learning resources in their clearance sales. Buy in lots sometimes is great way to save as well.

Well here are some of my helpful hints hope they are useful to you as well! Be blessed and always remember to enjoy what God has given you! =0)

Homeschool Convention NOT just for resources =0)

This past Friday and Saturday Katelyn and myself, along with a friend attended the CHAP homeschool convention. What a treat that was to see all those other homeschooling families and ALL those resources! At first it can be overwhelming to see all that stuff, your not even sure where to start or what to look at!!!! 

From the weekend I wasn't really looking for anything special we already have our curriculum for this upcoming school year picked out I just need to finish my lesson plans. So I pretty much was going just to be encouraged by other mothers and look for some fun resources for the boys!

I find it so amazing how God leads certain people to each other at the perfect times. I remember last year at the convention there was a little girl with DS that reached out and grabbed Matt's bag while we were walking by, at that point we weren't sure if Katelyn would have DS but one look into that little girls eyes Matt and I were sold! We knew if Kate had Downs that it would for sure be just fine! Somehow I feel this was one of God's ways of letting us know she would in fact be blessed with and extra chromosome.

This year was no different, there were a few people we had a chance to met that was a wonderful surprise and blessing to us! First off we met a lady at our hotel that has 9 children ranging in age from 11 months to 17 yrs. She was an encouragement more than she knows, by seeing someone being able to homeschool with a family of 9 children and manage a household is amazing to me! Makes me feel like having 4 should be a walk in the park (haha at least sometimes). This lady was very friendly and sweet, you could sense God's presents in her spirit and it was refreshing to speak with her. After the few moments of talking with her my cell phone rang, not having any more hands she reached out to help with Kate. This is one of those times a mother normally would feel a little unease about passing her child off to a stranger but it wasn't like that at all. I felt like I had known this woman forever, a sister in Christ. She held Kate safely and talked to her sweetly, all the while Kate was soaking up the attention and giving her million dollar smiles! Having to leave for dinner we didn't get a chance to exchange information, but as I was walking away I prayed for Sherry and asked the Lord to give us as chance to met again if He seen it fit. If you have ever been to a convention this big you would realize the chance of seeing the same person again could be difficult. The Lord had it in His plan though. Thankfully Katelyn needed to nurse it just so happened to be the time when one of the speakers I was interested in hearing was about to talk about exploring the supermom myth so we headed to the room and sure enough who was there volunteering but Sherry. At first I wasn't sure if she realized it was us but when the speaker was almost finished she came over and said please could I hold Katelyn for you. I think Kate must have stolen another heart that day! She sure is stock piling them! haha We had a chance to talk afterwards and I was able to give her our information. What a huge blessing this was to met this wonderful lady! Sherry thank  you for your kindness to Katelyn and myself, it means alot to me!
We also had the chance to met two mothers with children with Down Syndrome. The first lady came up to us and said Katelyn was cute and then asked if she had DS. After saying yes she told me she was also blessed with a little boy age 3 with DS!!! We talked for awhile and then headed on our ways. Funny thing is after we parted I thought the same thing, (oh it would have been nice share contact information) so again I prayed and asked the Lord to lead us to each other again if He seen fit. Sure enough a little later Katelyn and I got a chance to me her and her husband during lunch and were able to exchange information. Thank You Lord for answered prayers! The second lady my friend noticed she had a little girl in a stroller with DS. We made a uturn and I said hello to Ashlyn (the little girl) she was sooo cute and happy! Reminded me of Kate soooooooooooooo much! We also exchanged information and Ashlyn's mother was able to give me alot of helpful information! So very thankful for both of these woman! It was so nice and encouraging to see two other mothers willing to homeschool their special needs children. Praise God for blessing us with support!
Lastly but most certainly I am so thankful for my friend Karin for asking me about the convention. Since Matt and I attended last year we weren't planning on going this year, but I am so glad Kate and I got a chance to go. It was such a fun time and Karin was able to get alot of advice and information on needed materials. Looking forward to the convention next year and seeing who God has in store for us to met!

Help Sponsor Katelyn Hovis for Down Syndrome Awareness

September 17, 2011 we were blessed with the birth of our daughter Katelyn Noel Hovis. she was diagnosed with Trisomy 21 better known as Down Syndrome. Down Syndrome is a genetic condition that involves having 3 sets of the 21st chromosome and has nothing to do with anything the parents done, honestly we think of it as God gift to us, He chose us for our miracle baby Kate.

Anyone has a chance of having a child with Downs but sadly over 90% of children with DS don't get the chance to live due to abortions. The information that is given to expecting parents if their child in fact has a chance of having DS is in simple words horrible! Yes, with Downs there is a lot of other health issues that CAN come with the condition as far as mentally and physical delays, heart problems and more. BUT no information is given about how wonderful these children are... and how the spectrum is so wide in their abilities and personalities.

Each year the NDSS has Buddy Walks all over the US to help raise funds for Down Syndrome Awareness. After much prayer we have felt lead to start our own fundraisers to help share the joys of having a child with Down Syndrome in hope that other see how much of a blessing Katelyn is to our family and how life with a child with Special Needs really isn't has bad as everyone makes it out to be. We have decided that we will be dividing any funds raised between 3 groups, first 50% will go to the Sponsor Katelyn in the 2012 Buddy Walk, 25% will go to our local Down Syndrome Support Group and the last 25% will go to the Pregnancy Center in Meadville PA.

With all that said I am asking everyone to join us in our efforts first and for most please keep us, other families with children with Down Syndrome and parents expecting a child with DS in your prayers. Secondly I am asking everyone to please consider donating to sponsor our little girl. God gave her to us for a reason and a purpose, we have a responsibility to do our best for her and other unborn children like baby Kate.

We have a few different ways that you can help. Easiest way is go to our family blog http://raisingwarriorsforchrist.blogspot.com/ and make a donation of any amount through Paypal.

DONATION BAR TOP RIGHT

 If you would like to make a donation through mail please send to:

Matt Hovis
24814 Highway 408
Cambridge Springs
PA 16403

Next we will be having a huge family yard sale June 14th, 15th, and 16th and are accepting items donated to be sold. Please contact us at mmhovis1@gmail.com to get more information or to request a time to drop off your items.

Lastly we will be having a candle fundraiser selling Our Own Candle Company Candles. More information will come about this at a later date.

In advance thank you for all your prayers, donations and help! God Bless each and everyone one of your!

In Christ,

The Hovis Family

NOT what but how I want to be when I grow up!

In school this was one of those things that was asked many times, "What do you want to be when you grow up?" In the younger years it was something that changed just as much as you would change your socks. Some really did know for sure what they wanted to be.... others had no idea, actually some still don't at all and will spend a lifetime trying to figure it out.

For the most part growing up I knew I wanted to do something with business, I understood from a young age that God had given me talents in this area and that is what I wanted to use. After high school I when to college got a degree in marketing and management only to find out that God had an even more wonderful future in store for me. A bigger responsibility than even running my own business.... raising children! =0)

Now I don't look at what I want to be when I grow up BUT how I want to be... it honestly makes so much more sense to me now to think like this. God is the one whom I put my trust in and who's will I want to be apart of. I want to be used for His glory and honor!

So you ask HOW do you want to be when you "grow up"... well to start with I want to be a person that someone can count on, a Godly example, a light for the Lord, a mother who's children and husband raise up and call her blessed. Pretty much everything God wants me to be, reaching for the highest goal He has willed for my life.

Another big one is Lord Willing if God blesses us with grandchildren we want to be grandparents like my parents! My parents, Don and Sandy have scarified over and over again for our children. They love each of them for who they are. Even though they live 40 minutes away they take the time each week to come over to visit us at least 1-2 sometimes more times a week. They make it a point to call and talk to our children, love on them and share every special moment with each of them. Even for Zach and Wylie's birthdays which are two days apart and we had a bowling party on the day in between they came over to our house all 3 days just so that each boy would feel loved on their own birthday! What a blessing it is to have someone I can always count on to call and share my fears, joys and needs and know they will listen with understanding ears and willing hearts. I don't ever have to worry about help with appts. if I need a hand mom and dad are always ready even willing to change their plans to help me. Mom even has taken on the hard job of holding all of my children while they have gotten their shots just so I can love on them as soon as they are done! WOW I honestly could go on and on. We want to be a meme and papa like that, I pray our children always feel comfortable asking for help or things they need. I pray they consider us not only their mother and father but great friends like I consider my parents.

Yes this post is about how I want to be when I get older but also a thank you to my wonderful loving parents, who as I write this are watching our boys since Kate and I have had sinus colds and a dr. appt. today. I am so thankful for your love, friendship, example and help you offer us everyday and I want the whole world to know how blessed we are to have you as meme and papa to our 4 children! I love you mom and dad!

Learning a new Language

Remember when I wrote earlier this month about my family trip and how God has thrown in some detours along the way of my great adventure. Well as I wrote before Katelyn is one of these amazing detours I never pictured I would be apart of but so very thankful I am! She is a wonderful little girl who has completely stolen my heart along with her daddy's and brother's, not to mention most people she comes in contact with!

At 6 months old baby Kate can do most things other babies her age are able to do, somethings she actually has done before the normal milestones are typically reached. Like rolling over at only 6 1/2 weeks old. What a huge surprise that was to us! Since the moment Katelyn was born she has been putting us and everyone else in awe of the things she can do, I know we like most parents with a child with special needs thought the worst. Granted that's all the doctors and other professionals tell you, which is sad since these children really are able to do pretty much anything any other child can do some a little slower but sometimes even faster than others. One of our friends, Lynette said something to me while I was pregnant with Kate that has really stuck with me and was a great encouragement to me... she said "all children do things and learn things at different ages and stages no matter if they have special needs or not." WOW how true is that just looking at my boys I can see a difference in each of them! And if I haven't told you Lynette thank you for those words of wisdom God used you to comfort a mother's heart! =0)

Knowing we had a chance of having a baby girl with Down Syndrome I did alot of research before she was born. Found out about different therapies she would and could have to help her. Plus anything that would be helpful to communicate with us. I want to be able to offer her every chance possible to reach whatever level of development God has given her actually not just her but each of my children.

That's were the learning a new language comes in. For about 8 years now I have been blessed to know an amazing woman by the name of Sue Stephenson, whom I can say is one of my dearest friends. Sue is also a stay at home mother who homeschools her children, PLUS she has her own small business teaching Sign Language to children and adults. Before having Katelyn I always thought it would be nice even neat to learn the language and teach it to my boys but never committed myself to take one of the classes.

Finally after years of thinking about taking a class I actually decided it would be best for our family if I took the time and effort to learn this language that most say helps not only children with Down Syndrome but young children in general communicate even before they talk. All I can say is WOW.... I have learned so much through this class! Plus my children have picked up on the signs so quickly too, they hunger for more each week! Now at lunch time Logan will sign I want more food please mom! Or more juice please! It's amazing! Even Wylie at 2 years old can sign please, thank you, mom, milk, more, all done, bath, help and a few other ones that it seems he is trying to make up himself! haha Some people think that by doing sign language it will hold off a child from talking or using words, this completely isn't the case. Wylie has gone from using only a few words a few months ago to using many more.

I am so thankful to Sue for offering this class, and to God for placing her in my life. She is such a blessing and I find it amazing how God knew how much I would need her even before we met each other!

Sue has a website as well were she lists her upcoming classes and some AWESOME resources if you would like to check it out here is the link:

http://suestinysigners.webs.com/

Finishing Strong

Today starts week 32 in our homeschooling year! Only 8 more to go and than on to finish planning for a 1st grader and pre-ker! WOW did I just say..... 1st grader! Almost 2 years of homeschooling down already. Thank you Lord for seeing us through this far!

The past few months have been a little bit of a hard time for me, the weather has started getting nicer and I'm sure like most teachers by this time of year it's difficult to stay focused on what we need to cover. Along with the weather being a distraction, we have had many appts. lately to keep us just as busy. Not to mention the normal everyday needs of a family have taken a toll on me.

Saturday night Matt and I decided we were actually going to sit down and watch a movie together, seems like something most people do at least a few times a week. Us on the other hand, we don't watch much TV and if we do it mostly with the children as a treat for them. The movie Matt picked out was called Indoctrination a film by Joaquin Fernandez and The Gunn Brothers.

God lead us to this movie by a EBay purchase for our Weaver Interlock pre-k curriculum. The wonderful woman we were blessed to purchase this curriculum from was Joaquin's wife, we got a chance to email each other about homeschooling and she shared about the movie and it's website with our family. After purchasing a Backstage Pass to help support the movie we honestly didn't think much about it, only had a chance to visit the website a few times. With the backstage pass we were also told when the movie came out we would receive a copy which we got last year sometime and have had on the shelf for months now waiting for a chance to watch it.

Again God always has perfect timing... Just in the middle of my dry season He delivered this amazing video to bring on the rain and grow a new understand and love for this calling in my life. I would completely recommend this movie to any Christian parents out there, it truly will change your heart and make you consider your schooling opinions.

Not only has this movie helped me grow it also has brought back a desire to do my best and give my whole self in training our children for the Lord. I am so thankful to the filmmakers for this DVD and thank you so much Monica for leading me to this website and sharing your love for homeschooling with our family! God Bless your family!

http://www.indoctrinationmovie.com/

Philippians 3:14 I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.

Family Trip

Spring and summer are right around the corner now, is your family planning any special trips or vacations? With any kind of family trip there is always TONS of preparation and planning to do. With children these preparations are even more crucial. It would be horrible to forget to pack something you will need or more importantly to actually forget one of your family members!!!

Now I am going to let you in on an amazing adventure or journey that I am on and where I am planning on going! It's super exciting so you don't want to miss out on all the details PLUS anyone is welcome to come along with me if you would like. So do I have your attention?!?!

First step in planning a trip is deciding where you are going to go, I chose this destination when I was 13 years old. I set off on my way at the time I didn't know much about the location or even how to pack my luggage. Throughout the past almost 15 years I have gotten guides and learned more about my choice. While traveling I have been down many roads to get this far, most have been smooth, some bumpy and some planned out, others have been detours along the way. As any trip I have done alot of planning and preparation for many little things but some turns up major highways like getting married and wanting to start a family along the way.

Now my solo trip has turned into a family affair. I no longer am just responsible for keeping myself on the right road, I have a family to make sure I guide and direct along the way. I must lead by example, show them how I pack my luggage and handle the detours that show up unplanned. I must share with them that even though it is a journey that takes time and is sometimes difficult it is worth it that way when they are older my children will make the decision for themselves to continue on towards this destination.

Most I'm sure have figured out my chosen final destination : Heaven. At 13 I gave my life to Christ, knowing He came as a baby, grew to be a sinless man, died on a cross to pay the price for my sins, rose again on the 3rd day and is now preparing a place for me in Heaven! I'm not sure when my time will come to reach Heaven, but I know once I get there all of my luggage I have packed long the way will be unloaded. It will be examined by fire, whatever I have packed is all I will have, there is no going back for something else. This is why I ask God each day to help me live each day as if it's my last, to love as Christ loved. To help me teach my children His ways and be used for His glory.

I have put much time in planning this trip and sometimes things go just as I have planned other times God knows a little detour is just what I need to keep me on track and keep my focus on Him. Throughout these detours I have grown and trusted God more, realizing He really does know best. Before having children I never could have pictured myself a stay at home mother, let alone a mother that homeschools her children. Thankfully God has helped me along the way knowing just what things are worthwhile packing in my luggage. Spending the time molding and teaching our children is one of these things.

God blessing us with a beautiful little girl with Down Syndrome has also been a road I never thought I would have to go down. Looking back now I am so thankful He closed one road to open up the chance for us to experience something so much more special and wonderful than all of our planning could have ever brought about. Through Katelyn God has opened my eyes to even more things that are worthwhile like raising funds for the Down Syndrome Buddy Walk to raise awareness for DS. That way other people can see how wonderful these gifts truly are. We have decided to have a public auction and a candle fundraiser to help raise money for this cause, more information to come about these later on and how you can help and be involved in this part of our journey.

For now though we will continue down this family adventure together, hand in hand, trusting God along the way and welcoming any detours He sees fit. Serving Him with joy until we reach our final destination.

Book Reviews!!!

I received these complimentary copies from New Leaf Press for this review. A positive review was not required and the opinions expressed here are my own.

I have been blessed to be able to review a few pretty awesome books that I'm sure most of you moms out there would enjoy for your children as well.
They are A is for Adam, World of Science, and The World of Animals... each of them can be found at Christianbook.com.

Just to tell you a little about each one here you go:

A is for Adam

http://www.christianbook.com/for-adam-the-gospel-from-genesis/ken-ham/9780890516256/pd/516256?item_code=WW&netp_id=919344&event=ESRCG&view=details
Great book that explains the Gospel from Genesis By Ken and Mally Ham, if you don't know who Ken Ham is you should look him up or the creation museum. Awesome christian man with a passion for Lord and sharing the truths of science with Christ as the center and God as the creator of it all!
A is for Adam is a flip chart style book. It has a Rhyme or catchy sentence for each letter of the ABCs than is followed by a number of sections like the starting point, telling us what the Bible tells us, Bible Bits... these are short facts to share with your child that they can also read with you or repeat after you to reinforce the concept. Then there is a Let's talk section that has some questions to ask, a always remember section explaining again the main point of the lesson for that day. This book even has a STUFF TO DO section with some great fun and easy ideas to made the concept more hands-on or to reinforce it even more. Lastly each page has a quick review these questions can be asked too if need be.
Pictures are beautiful and very detailed in this book and my boys all loved looking at them. Even Wylie our 2 year old was in awe of the animals and would sit and listen while I read the back of the book while they got to see the picture I was reading about.
Overall I think the book would be great for family of small children for devos or homeschooling. Also it would work great for Sunday School classes and such. Great resource that as the book even says helps children understand what they believe and even helps so they themselves could speak boldly about what they believe.
Oh yeah you can even download coloring pages to go along with the book too! Moms be sure to check this one our for your little ones they will love it, ours do!!!

Next book I want to share with you about is the World of Science. This is a all around science book that has great concepts that must be learned but yet starts from the Intro explaining how God is the creator of it all. Layout and details are great for this book and there even is a section in the back that has project and experiments. Best part alot of that materials are simple things that most of us would have around our houses, so they aren't expensive things to do and they help reinforce what you already learned about!

I would say this book is more advance than for my boys at this point though, 4th-8th school age I think would get more out of this resource. The boys do enjoy the pictures and can follow the concepts pretty well but they don't understand everything this awesome book has to offer for them just yet. Thankful we have this on our shelf for when they get a little older. Matt also had a great time flipping through this book and I'm sure this school year he will be doing a number of the projects in the back of the book with the boys!

Overall great book for 4th-8th graders, could use it for younger children as a starting point and for the projects if you are going to help them with the experiments.

Lastly one of my favorites is The World of Animals book.... if you have children that LOVE animals than this is a must have book to add to your home library! I can't say enough about this book, it has fascinating and beautiful pictures on each and every page! Great information about hundreds of animals and best of all again even from the Intro. this book focuses on God as the creator of it all! Praise God! This book is layed out like some other great science books with lots of facts on each page and little sections and snapshots to keep your attention. There are 7 sections this book covers simple animals,/ worms, snails, and starfish,/ insects and other arthropods, /fish,/ amphibians and reptiles,/ birds, and/ mammals.
Again this book would be used to it's full ability with in my opinion 4th-8th grades but the knowledge that even a young child can gain from this book is HUGE. My boys have spend hours and I really mean hours looking through this book and asking questions. Great source of information right here.
One thing that I would recommend though if you do decide to get this book for younger children please don't jump in reading the book right from the simple animals, first read the Intro. than move onto something a little more interesting like the fish, birds, reptiles or mammals. If you start with the simple animals at a young age children may get burned out and not understand completely about micro size animals. They would much rather talk about the ones they see at the zoo. =0)
Overall we LOVE this book, so happy and thankful to have this as a resource for our homeschool, know we will use this book for years to come and I'm sure your child would enjoy it just as much as our boys have and will!

If you have any questions about any of these books please let me know I would be happy to answer anything I am able to! =0)

Loving the Memories

Yesterday was my baby boy Logan's 6th birthday and he even has a loose tooth! Watching him eat his lunch yesterday and carry on a converation with me it made me tear up, he said "mom what's wrong with you?" I said I can't believe he is already 6 and I remember when he got those little first teeth and now he is getting so big and starting to loose those baby pearly whites! =0) Zachariah is so funny, he keeps saying mama look mine are loose too! He has such awesome facial expressions they are to die for!

I am such a wimp! Really... who crys over their child loosing their first tooth! haha Hopefully I'm not the only mother that does this!

The other night Matt and I had a great time going down memory lane of all our birth stories... it's funny they make me want to have another one and it makes Matt tired thinking about the first few days after having a new baby! haha Difference between man and woman right there!

Haven't gotten back started with the potty training thing with Wylie yet, really need to do this but have felt overwhelmed lately with just everything that needs done in a day! He is showing some interested and has gone in it a few times! YEAH! Finally starting to talk a little bit more as well which makes it a little easier to understand what he wants and needs, but he still is a handful most days. Wylie is one child that wants your full attention even when it's not possible. He for sure has a personality like his big brother Logan. =0)

Katelyn will be 5 months on Thursday! She is doing so great keeping up with all of her milestones and amazing us every step of the way! A day before 4 months we started trying to spoon feed her baby cereal and she actually didn't do to bad with it at all. I decided to just try it 1-2 times a week at first and than now we have gotten up to once a day! Saturday she tryed sweet potatos for the first time and yesterday she had apple sauce! My baby girl is starting to eat solids! YEAH! Way to go baby Kate! Yesterday she downed half a container of apple sauce mixed with rice cereal, that's alot for such a little peanut! She also started drinking from her sippy cup yesterday! How great it is to see each of my children reach new milestones and goals and learn new things! What a blessing it is to see all of them grow first hand!

HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY EVERYONE!

Coupons Coupons Coupons

Couponing has become a huge hit lately, there is even a show out about extreme couponing. I have never personaly watched it other than a short click on the computer. It's amazing how much some people can save!!!

When we first got married I used coupons some and even have since every once in awhile but a few weeks ago I decided why not try and save more on things we would normally pay full price for. Don't get me wrong I'm not going to try and be an extreme couponer to be honest I KNOW I don't have time to do that. I have however been clipping coupons from the normal mailers and getting the Sunday papers to clip those ones as well. I have found a few web sites that also offer coupons which are great here is my list if anyone wants to check them out:

www.target.com
www.coupons.com
www.smartsouce.com
www.redplum.com

I also signed up for a Rite Aid Card and CVS Card. They have great programs which you can earn reward bucks to use on other purchases. Their prices are sometimes higher at these store than say Walmart but with coupons and the reward bucks it's worth going to these places instead. If you sign up for a CVS card you can also sign up for their emails and they will give you $4 off a $20 purchase as well!!! =0)

Thoughtout this year I am going to keep track of my savings and see how worth it, it has been to spend any time couponing. Also if I come across a good deal I will be sure to pass it on.

A Meal From ?!?!

A few Fridays ago we decided to take the children out to dinner and get a few things we needed. We thought it would be great to eat at Applebee's since we had a gift card there from Christmas and that would cover the cost of most of our dinner, so off we went. Any of you with children know "the talk" before going into a public place with children.... keep your hands to yourself, be good, stay with mommy and daddy, be quite and respectful, the list can go on and on. After I had gotten a yes mame from each of the boys we headed into the resturant.

Within 15 seconds of walking into the door, a man started chatting with us about the children. He asked if they were all ours and said it was great we had 4 little ones. And I of course told him that yes God had blessed us with 4 children so far. He said after a few years you all could have another set. haha I said well we will see whatever God has in store for us. After talking for 5 minutes or so the couple decided the wait was too long and were going to head out. We told them it was great talking with them and said we prayed they had safe travels and that God would bless them.

The children were listening very well overall. haha Wylie was being a little bit of a handful, but thats normal for him, he is for sure my strong willed child. We finally got to sit down to order and eat. After we had waited and gotten our food we prayed over the food and started to eat. Much to our surprise one of the servers came over and handed Matt a gift card. He said he wasn't allowed to share who it was but that one of the other customers had wanted to help pay for our dinner that night!!! What an AWESOME blessing! Matt and I just looked at each other in shock... who could it have been?!?! Eating our meals Matt and I kept trying to look around to see who it could be but never was able to firgure it out.

We had a few different people come up and say that our children were very well behaved (that makes any mama proud) but we still weren't able to tell who purchased the gift card for us. After we left Matt and I were trying to guess to each other... maybe it was the first couple we had chatted with (hmm but they left), or maybe it was the gentleman who came up to Matt and said you have a beautiful family, or someone different altogether. We may never know.

What an awesome way to bless someone, this actually wasn't the first time this as happen to our family. About a year or so ago we were out to eat with the children at Texas Roadhouse and a Lady and Gentleman sitting across from us handed Matt $40 on their way out and said they wanted to pay for our meal, that we had a wonderful little family. We insisted that they didn't have to do it but the man just smiled and walked away. WOW! Makes me want to cry just thinking about the kindness that has been shown to us.

I must say whoever you are out there Thank YOU so much from the bottom of our hearts for your awesome gift. It was such a blessing to our little family! =0) May God bless you and yours for your kind and giving hearts!

Zachariah's & Wylie's Special Days

Today is Zachariah's 4th Birthday!!! Yeah! I asked him what he would like for his birthday dinner and of course I got "Well mom you guys can take me to Red Lobster!" haha After I explained he needed to pick something for us to cook at home he decided on hamburgers. =0)

Normally we have a birthday party for the boys together but this year we decided to just take the boys to do something for their birthdays. Saturday we took Logan snow tubing at the Peek and Peak and than tomorrow we will be taking Zach and Wylie bowling for the first time. They are so very excited!

I can hardly believe that my 2nd little boy is already 4 years old!

Feb. 2nd, 2012

This week has been so very busy! Having birthdays for both Zach and Wylie, bowling on Tuesday. ST for Katelyn today and school and housework on top of everything else I need a nap! haha

Yesterday was Wylie's 2nd birthday, I think he enjoyed all the extra attention he got but I don't think he really understand it's all just yet, still to young I guess. It's funny to see how the other children react to one of their siblings getting gifts and themselves not getting any. Logan doesn't handle it very well. Even though he is the oldest it seems hard for him to understand why someone else gets a gift but he doesn't. So that has been the big lesson of the week, being thankful for others and not jealous of what others have.

I just pray I can instill these important traits in the children, somedays it feels like I don't get anywhere when other days it's like it just clicks.... those are the days us mamas are sooooooooo proud of and thankful God has help and answered our prayers. This has been such a week of thankgiving and joy, seeing two of my boys grow another year older, it is bittersweet. I love seeing them grow but it sure does go by so fast! Thank you Lord for these wonderful little blessings!

A Job Worth Having

While sitting here finishing up our school day I thought about everything I still need to complete today. Well things I would like to complete I should say. There are at least 2 main meals to plan and prepare. Nonstop clothes to wash, fold, and put away. On top of that dishes to do, floors to sweep, windows to wash. After all of this I think about the things I would like to do myself like sewing a number of projects I have started and haven't gotten to finish, scrapbook pages and baby books to work on. Not to mention how I have been trying to work preparing our lesson plans for the 2012-2013 school year.

Most importantly today I must, give hugs and kisses, take time to read a story, teach a lesson, hold a hand, wipe a tear, say I love you and show God's love by example. I am a mother... what a wonderful job it is, a job worth having. I wear many hats throughout a day, wife, mother, teacher, cook, maid, nurse and this is just to name a few but my favorite of all is being a wife first and a mother second to my little blessings.

While Jess and Benji were home they had me read an article.... here it is if you are interested in reading it. http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/05/22/AR2007052201554.html?referrer=emailarticle

After reading this I thought about how little people without children really understand what it is like to have children. I know myself personality I was one of them 6 years ago, wondering what in the world could a person possibly do all day long as a stay at home mom. Especially if her children when to school outside the home. Funny part is I never wanted to be a stay at home mommy.

Then I had Logan, my sweet baby boy who will be 6 in the middle of February. Our world turned upside down, things changed, we were no longer just responsible for ourselves. There was another little life we had to take care of, raise and train, to mold into the person God wanted him to be. From than on every 2 years God has blessed us with another child. Some say it gets easier with each child you have, I say easier isn't the word I would use. Comfortable is more my style, fits better for us. Some days go so simple while others I tell Matt "I need a vacation!" There are days I wish bedtime wouldn't come, while others I am watching the minutes waiting for the time to say get your PJs on! Come on admit it moms, you all have had days like this as well. Doesn't mean we love our children any less, being a parent is just hard work sometimes, especially if you take it seriously. I always say my job is from SON UP TIL SON DOWN now I can add daughter up til daughter down haha.

I think that article explains what a mother does with her time very well, the only other part I would add is even though the lady who works outside the home with no children does laundry and dishes..... with children there is just ALOT more of the two! =0)

Well with that being said I am going to go make lunch, fold two loads of laundry while my little take their naps.

Mirror Image

Last night I decided to let the boys watch a movie... which isn't very often. We don't have cable and only let them watch certain movies. Matt and I agreed a few years back that if we wouldn't want our children to watch a movie than we ourselves shouldn't watch it either.

The one Logan picked out was The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian. When this movie first came out Matt and I wondered if it was a little too scary or not something the children should see at such a young age, but the positive meaning behind the movie is great. Children understand so much more than we think they do, they are like little sponges, and if you use these moments to explain things to them and teach them they really will retain alot of it. Plus my boys are very hands on and visual, by seeing something it helps them understand things better.

After we watched the movie and got ready for bed, than we sat on my bed and discussed the day while waiting for daddy to get home from Bible Study. Logan said "man mom, I just love watching movies about God" =0) than went on to say "it's amazing to see how people trust God like they did in the movie and prayed for help." I was so proud of how much he took from it at the age of almost 6! Some adults don't even understand this. Out if the mouth of babes huh!

After that he said "mama wasn't that crazy how when Lucy looked into the mirror she saw a different person with different clothes on, why would someone want to be someone different?" This really made me think, how often do we try to be someone or something we aren't. Why can't we just be comfortable with the way God has made us.

Another thing that this made me think about was the mirror image of being an example and letting others be an example for us. Sometimes we may not want to look or be something different but we may be influenced by things and people around us. These influences may change the way we act, our personalities, morals, and reactions towards other people, even how we handle situations as well.

Being a mother of 4 little ones leaves a huge responsibility on me to set a good example. I have to say I am very far from perfect and fall short from setting a good example sometimes. There are days when all I want to do is be selfish, I may yell alot, or get frustrated over simple things. Than I am upset with myself for the way I acted that day and regret things I have done or said. The worst part is when one of my children model the same attitude or reaction I have sat in front of them. My first thought is were in the world did they learn or see that from, than the conviction comes flooding in and I know that was something I showed them through my own actions.

I am so thankful that I don't have to raise these little ones on my own. God has blessed me with a great husband and father to our children... in Matt and we both are learning from the best father of them all the Lord! By God's grace He forgives me for my faults and helps teach me the ways I should act and live through His Word.

My prayer is that with God's help I am able to overcome some of these faults and pass on positive traits to my children. That when they look at the "Mirror Image" of mommy that they can see their heavenly Father shine through me. It overwhelms me how God can use a simple sentence from a child to teach so much! Thank You Lord for these little reflections I call my children! =0)

Reflecting on 2011

As many other people I have talked to have said it's hard to believe 2011 is already behind us. There is no going back, some would say that's fine with them, others would say it was the best year of their lives. For us it was a wonderful journey, a year of growth... growing closer to God and trusting Him more than we ever have.

I remember at the beginning of 2011 writing on facebook I wonder what God has in store for our family this year... knowing full well that Lord Willing Matt and I were praying God would bless our family with another child in His perfect timing. Little did we know that only weeks after this statement we would find out we were expecting our 4th child due October 8, 2011. From there it all seems kind of a blur since the year past by so fast. I don't know if it was the excitement of the pregnancy, it is such pure joy to have a child growing inside your belly, knowing full well that
the Lord is working on this tiny persons every little detail or if the year seem to fly by just by keeping busy with life itself, taking care of 3 boys, a husband and house.

All I know within no time we were sitting in the doctors office waiting to be called back for our 12 week sonogram and check-up appt. That morning I was very unease, I told Matt for some reason I was nerves about the appt., shaking it off as just excitement we when in for our sonogram.
How amazing it was to see our little baby moving around in my belly, which at that point I hadn't felt yet. After only a few short minutes in that little room, my nervousness returned but this time for a reason. The sonogram tech. was very short about what she was doing and her findings. I new something wasn't right, all she said was the back of our baby's neck was a little thick and she
wasn't sure if she could see a nose bone. My heart sank, I held back the tears as she said "I'm still looking" and she asked "you are getting blood work with this right?!?"

After that we had to wait for the regular OBGYN to come in to give us any information. We were told that there was a chance our baby could have something wrong with him/her and they were suspecting Down Syndrome. I broke down crying, I'm not one that is good with unknowns but knowing that God knows best we decided not to do any advanced testing. We figured God doesn't make mistakes and if our baby was going to have Down Syndrome than that was fine
with us. When Matt and I prayed together for God to bless us with another child we never prayed, please only give us one with this this this and this. No we asked that His Will be done in our lives and we were willing to take whatever blessings He had to offer.

From then on I started to do research about Down Syndrome, it may sound funny or strange but deep down I somehow knew our baby would have it. I remember praying Lord please let Your Will be done, if our child is to have Downs please let him/ her be overall health and able to
breastfeed. We found out the baby was a little girl at 20 weeks, she finally had a name Katelyn Noel meaning Pure Gift, Pure Hope, Pure Peace, Pure Happiness! Logan was so excited he wanted a little sister soooo bad, he would say "mama I already have 2 little brothers I would like a little sister."

Throughout the next 17 weeks I kept going back and forth with feelings sometimes I would cry, sometimes I would be strong and ready to take on the world. I even ended up with Gestational Diabetic during my pregnancy and had to watch my diet and sugars from 28 weeks on. It's crazy how hard it is to fully count on God. To give Him all the pieces and say here do as You see fit and help me to deal with whatever You have to offer.

Throughout this time we when on with life, taking care of the boys, planning our new school year then starting school. The boys were soooooo excited to met their little sister and we were too! I remember doing calendar time with them and explaining how Katelyn could come anytime from the middle of Sept-Oct. When I put it in that time frame it made them even more excited! Never did I expect she would decide to come 3 weeks early.

After a very short and amazing labor and delivery Katelyn Noel joined our family in person... 6lbs 6ozs of pure cuteness! We were completely in love from the moment they handed her to us, our beautiful little girl with her almond shaped eyes, tiny nose, curved pinky finger and extra chromosome... yes our little girl has Down Syndrome, we were able to tell the moment she was born and are so thankful she does. She is exactly the person God wanted her to be, our sweet daughter who we love very much just the way she is.

Even having the GD was a blessing in itself since most babies with a GD mama are bigger. Katelyn was able to pack on a few extra ozs that was great for her since she was born a little early. Another amazing gift was our little girl was and is able to breastfeed, what a HUGE answer to prayer this was. I am so thankful to be able to nurture my child this way, and that she is strong enough and able to do it! Thank You Lord!!! Now we are praying that God continues to be with our little girl, keeping her healthy and strong. At 1 month we found out Kate has a VSD small hole in her heart, very common with DS babies, we pray it heals up on it's own or continues to not cause her any problems.

I remember wondering during the pregnancy how I would feel if Katelyn ended up having Downs... would I be sad or upset even for a moment. I am so grateful to say that by God's grace I didn't feel any of that only happiness and contentment. Fully relying on God, it felt and feels wonderful!

Katelyn is now 3 1/2 months old and as wonderful as ever! Her big brothers completely adore her, they think she is soooooo cute. They are her biggest fans too and are so very proud of her when she does something new. At 6 weeks she rolled over from her belly to back and last Friday she decided to roll over from her back to belly. I am always in awe of how strong she is, what she is able to do and the little person she is! Yesterday Zach was talking to baby Kate and said sis you are a princess, I love you and want to marry you someday! How sweet is that! Logan always tells me "mama I am sooooo thankful God made baby Kate." Wylie is our busy boy always on the go nonstop Wild Wylie and when it comes to baby Kate he will give her kisses but is a little bit more of a jelly bean then the other boys.

Looking back it seems like most of the year was about Katelyn and not about the other children, the thing is though they were with us throughout every step of the way. We were together as a family enjoying the ups and downs. Walking through the year holding onto one another learning new things and trusting in the Lord more. We did many fun things in 2011 like going to Port Farms and the zoo, taking trips to the Falls and taking our first plane trip to see Matt's sister
get married.

Each one of them Logan, Zachariah, Wylie and Katelyn are truly a treasure and blessing. They each have their own personalities and have brought such joy to Matt and I. Being a parent is such a wonderful experience, one I am so thankful that God has allowed me to take care of these little gems for Him.

I'm not sure what God has in store for us in 2012, I know I am for sure excited to see. Each year brings new trials and tests. I pray God helps us through them all this year like He did in 2011. I know He will, His Word promises it. =0)

2011-2012 Curriculum

Here is an overview of what we decided to use for our 2011-2012 school year! Logan's Kindergarten school year!

Bible: God's Word Book A

Plus we have already learned the 10 Commandments this year and are learning the books of the Bible right now. We have planned too touch on the Armor of God and the Fruit of the Spirit this year as well.

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Handwriting: Weaver Penmanship To Praise (I picked our own 40 Bible verses to learn throughout the year, 1 per week and starting part way through the year Logan had to start writing out the verses he was memorizing for that week. I typed them all out so Logan would have his own little example in front of him each week.) The boys also enjoy using the chalkboards or dry erase boards to practice this names, numbers and letters.

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Phonics: Saxon Phonics K (Great program we have enjoyed this very much so far, very easy to teach and Logan is already starting to read some after only 20 weeks of school! SO proud of him!

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Science: The World God Made (we do science 2 times a week they normally are only short lessons and sometimes we add a experiment or activity to go along with what we are learning.)

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Health: Horizons K Health (we do Health once a week normally Wednesdays, very simple lessons about family or feelings, safety things, different jobs.) I sometimes add extra devotions into this area as well, things like being content or being humble.

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Art: All of our art projects are things I have made up myself that go along with what we are learning about in the other subjects. Sometimes it may just be coloring a picture or drawing our family, to playing with play dough or painting and cutting.

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Math: Lifepac K Math (when I first was checking into math programs it came down to two choices either Lifepac math or Horizons math. Final choice ended up being Lifepac, the price was more reasonable and I liked how it was layed out. Then after doing the first few weeks I was overwhelmed with this feeling like I picked a math that was too easy for Logan. After some more prayer I decided since this was the math program the Lord had lead me to I was going to stick with it. I am so glad we did. I realized that this program lays out the foundation at the beginning of the program that each child needs to be strong at before they can learn more difficult things like adding. So even though we spend weeks reviewing things that were simple to Logan at the time like colors and shapes we now at 20 weeks into the school year are learning how to add number, sets, write number words.)

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History: For history we picked History for Little Pilgrims or American People and Nation, after reviewing both of them I decided History for Little Pilgrims was a little too advanced for a Kindergartner just starting to learn about such things and the American People and Nation touched on many topics but not too in dept, I had to split this book up into my own lessons but it has worked out great. Each week we do our history lesson on Mondays and review things about it during the rest of the week.)

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Beyond these things we have been playing games, putting puzzles together, cooking, learning about maps, telling time, calendar and weather, senses, reading lots of books and just plain enjoying our time together. =0)

Where We Started and Have Been

When we first decided to homeschool there was alot of work to do. I knew I wanted a Bible based curriculum and had no idea about where to start or what was even out there. I would say for a good 2 weeks I surfed the web, reading HUNDREDS of reviews, (mind you I was just looking for a curriculum for pre-k) I was determined to put my whole self into this and really find what God wanted us to use.

After much thought, research and prayer I decided to use the Weaver Interlock Curriculum for both Logan and Zach ages 4 1/2 and 2 1/2. It was wonderful I would completely recommend this curriculum to anyone. We had so much fun learning, the Interlock teaches starting at Genesis and goes through the Flood.

On top of this we also added handwriting, calendar time, reading time and a craft. The Interlock is set up to be used 3 days a week, so we did Monday, Wednesday and Friday. Little minds can learn so much just by playing and don't need as much sit down time. Plus just starting out school, it was a great way to get the children and me started in understanding the concept of organized learning. Any parent knows that teaching listen skills and sitting still are a normal part of raising children, trying to teach your child brings on a whole new level of this.

(FIRST DAY OF SCHOOL 2010 PRE-K)

That first year we learned so many things from the life cycle of a butterfly, about each day of creation, how to count to 100, learning our address and phone number, even to more in dept things like the Trinity 3 in 1 God the Father, God the Son God the Holy Spirit. I loved how the Weaver curriculum introduced this at such a young age, yes it is something over their heads but as they put it, by teaching it at this age puts a hook or stepping stone for later learning.

By the time we were done with school for our first year I was so happily overwhelmed with how God had used me to teach our children so many things that alot of children placed in a public school setting would have never learned at this age or at all for that matter. It made me excited to start research for the uncoming school year, which we are currently in and also for the future.

As most of our family and friends know I am the kind of person that LOVES a good deal and I love to save money on things we need. I will shop around, use eBay, and buy from classified ads before I would ever purchase anything new.

Again after many hours of reading reviews and even taking a trip to our PA CHAP Homeschool Convention with Matt, I decided our family would use the Weaver Curriculum as our main curriculum starting in 1st grade, it would work great with our children and I could use it for multi grade levels at the same time learning the same things. Then started my hunt for the Volumes 1-5, Supplements 7-12 and other items that would work great with the curriculum. After searching and purchasing I am happy to say I have our whole curriculum up to 12th grade, other then math or other extra subjects we decide to learn and teach. Thankfully we have saved $1000s of dollars already and my hardwork searching for this items as paid off.

It has been so amazing to see how God has provided for us and opened doors for us to find what we need at great prices. It really has just reconfirmed for us that this is His Will for our lives. Some may wonder why I would ever purchase curriculum that far ahead, the answer is simply I love a good deal! Everything I have purchased with the intent to use but with the flexibly to resell if need be. I'm sure others are thinking are they really planning on homeschooling their children all the way through 12th grade, again the answer is simple YES! =0) I have heard some families that decide to homeschool say they are planning on taking a year at a time and see how it goes, that is fine but for us I decided I didn't want to make it easy on myself that I had to put my whole self into this. That it was either all or nothing and that I was going to make a commitment to the Lord to use me to teach our children.