Indoctrinating Children

As Cubs baseball fans, we've tried to make sure that our children know for which team to cheer. In the winter, it's the Bears. In the summer, it can be none other than the Cubs! To that end, when given the chance, we dress our children in appropriate clothing. It's all part of the brainwashing......

4,100

That's how many pages I read from mid-May to early July to get through the Harry Potter 7-book series. I thoroughly enjoyed it, but must admit I was left a little unsatisfied with how it all ended. There's a part of me that hopes J.K. Rowling will decide, if she hasn't gotten sick of the characters, to write a couple books about how the characters got from the Great Hall in the final chapter to 19 years later in the Epilogue. You can bet, though, that I'll be dragging someone with me to go see Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince this month. Anyone else looking forward to this and the next two HP movies coming out?

High School Musical Jr.

Charlotte was signed up for summer camp through Christian Youth Theater last week. Each morning she went to practice dances, music, and lines for a little showcase of HSM. The kids on the "yellow team" were 5-6 year olds, and they were simply adorable! I had to smile as I watched Charlotte who seemed to be watching US more than she was paying attention to her dance partner. Here's a little series of shots I took during one of the routines:

Tax Dollars At Work

Doesn't it seem wrong to use our tax dollars to stamp out signs that inform us how our tax dollars are being used? This is the second time I've seen this sign around where I live. This particular sign is on the way to our church, and I have to admit, I've not seen any part of America being "put to work" on this stretch of road in the past several weeks. Who knows....maybe the trucks and crew fell into one of the crater-sized pot holes they came to repair.

The Big Decision

I think we've all heard the saying, "God laughs at our plans"?? Well He's having a good 'ole knee slapper right about now, I think. I used to say that I would home school if I had to; what I really meant was that I'd home school if we found ourselves living in the wilds of Alaska 400 miles away from the nearest public school. I really resisted the idea of home schooling for a long time, but God has been persistent in urging me to look into it. After months of researching, reading many books, praying, and talking with home schooling families, we've decided to home school our kids!

The past month or so I've hunted for home schooling curriculum and checked into a co-op, plus attended a 3-day home schooling conference. There are not only thousands of curriculum choices, but it can be fairly expensive depending on what you go with and how much work you're willing to do on your own. This is a slight concern since Mike's employment has been sporadic since his lay-off last October (another reason home schooling seems like a crazy thing to do. This decision is a huge step of faith!)

All that research led me to a particular curriculum that appeared to meet my criteria, while also taking into consideration my kids' learning styles and my teaching style. To remain true to myself , I had to be completely thorough in my researching, so I also joined a "Yahoo Group" of families who use this curriculum so that I could learn as much as possible from women who were already using it. I began to sense conviction, as well as peace, about this choice of curriculum, even after browsing many other worthy options that had made it onto my short list.

Last week the moderator posted on the curriculum Yahoo Group that there was a full starter set of this particular curriculum available as a gift for anyone in need.....as a matter of fact, she was reposting the notice since no one had come forward to state they had a need. I was practically dancing in my seat as I sent her an email indicating I'd be interested. She forwarded my request to the family that had, 4 years prior, received this set brand new as a gift during a difficult time in their lives, and they were "paying it forward". Pam's situation 4 years ago was so similar to where my family is at right now (her husband was in construction and laid off just like my husband, my Mom is battling cancer and Pam's sister Sheryl was battling cancer, etc.). It's almost eerily similar, but I don't believe in coincidences. When Mike and I stepped out in faith to choose home schooling despite our finances so up in the air, I believed God would provide......but never in my wildest imagination did I think He'd provide a very specific curriculum for us - chosen from hundreds of options - through a stranger's gift. We're not even being asked to pay for shipping.

It would be an understatement to say that God continues to amaze me in how good He is to us, how mindful He is of the little things that concern us, and how He never leads us somewhere without making sure we have what we need for the journey. And if this is how the journey is starting off, I'm sure that my imagination can't even conceive of what an incredible year it's going to be.

There's Nothing Like Mama

Last week we headed down to visit my Mom, who is recovering from her latest cancer treatment. Besides our family of 4, we also went with my brother and niece, so our van was full of people and luggage! We had a nice time visiting, and as always, the time flies by much too fast. Here are a few photos from our trip.

My niece, Lynae

Uncle Tom helps Eric build a spaceship with Legos.

Grandparents are easily impressed by their grandchildren. Charlotte reads a book to her Grandma.

Queen Of The Slackers

My goodness, I can't believe I've allowed about 6 weeks to pass since my last blog update! In my defense, I've been spending much of my computer time researching and reading. Hopefully things will settle down now, and I can continue on with a more regular schedule of blogging, which I miss doing!

Check back later this week! I promise to have something new for you to read!