So, tomorrow David is going to have surgery...a minor procedure to correct his privates...My oldest had it too, so at least we know what to expect there...
So at Children's, they wait until the DAY BEFORE SURGERY to let you know what time it will be at...so we get our call today....His surgery is at 1:45 pm...He cannot eat FOOD past 5:30 am AND he cannot have anything to drink PAST 9:30 am...I have no idea why, but this news just set me off to tears....poor little baby...so I think I have my plan for how we will handle this....in case you do not know our family, we are LUCKY if we are thinking about food, much less UP AND MOVING around at 9:30 am...
So, I think I will set an alarm for 4:00 am and wake David up...get him moving and all...let him have his milk and eat breakfast...then he can have apple juice or water until 9:30...then HOPEFULLY by then, he will be ready for a nap and we can go without food or drinks easily enough...
Please be praying for us...it is a minor procedure...nothing life threatening or anything, but any surgery can have complications and such...we greatly appreciate being covered in prayer...
THank you!
C~
Monday, June 30, 2008
Wednesday, June 25, 2008
Tuesday, June 24, 2008
Hallelujah Chris Rice
Nothing says it better than this...
Hallelujah, Hallelujah
Hallelujah
(I think you will need to scroll down to the play list and stop that before you click on this...otherwise you will hear two songs at the same time...not too enjoyable..I think there is a pause button or something)
Homeschooling
Well, It has been a while since I have blogged...been busy, busy, awfully busy...
anyway, I was thinking about the last post and how I started scrappin'...I thought I would tell about my homeschool journey as well...
About the time I had Joshua, I heard about this crazy thing called homeschooling...I have a very good friend who walked down the parenting path before me and gave me all sorts of info that meant that I KNEW THE RIGHT WAY TO PARENT...amazing how quickly that all falls apart when the rubber hits the road...anyway, I had never heard about it before, so I thought I would find out about it and ask my husband what he thought...
Our reasons for going down this path back then were so basic at the time...to teach from our worldview...to be the main influence in their lives, rather than peers....etc
So when Joshua was 18 months old, we went to our first conference and saw what homeschooling looked like....little did we know then that that was ONE view of what homeschooling looked like...and there are as many views as there are homeschoolers...
Well, I have the PERFECT OLDEST child and HE DID the PERFECT OLDEST child kind of stuff...reading basic words at three...boxcar children and such at five...so I thought, as all rational people think...that this was going to be a snap...boy was I greatly deceived....
So, after either 8 or 14 years of homeschooling (two different views....one... actual years of teaching...two...well you've really been teaching since they were born...take your pick and run with it) I have learned a few things...
1) Curriculum may come all in a package and be delievered to your door in this one box...but it rarely goes off like that....one child will thrive on it...another will be stunted by it...a third will tolerate it, but not really reach their potential in it...and on down the line through how many different children you have...Ask questions of people who have homeschooled for a while and listen when the same item comes up over and over again...I know that I have two different kinds of curriculum for most subjects to address this problem.
2) The best history program I have found is Diana Waring's...she does a few things that I LOVE... she teaches from a Biblical view...teaches in a chronological order and gives SUGGESTIONS for projects in many different areas to fit all different kinds of learning styles and modalities, and other things people smarter than me figure out to show us how fearfully and wonderfully our Creator made us! So my Busy bodies and book worms are all relatively happy with this program (It is still school you know!)
3) Reading in all forms is one of the most valuable things you can do, teach, model in your home...I have heard this SO many times...read to your children, read with them, model reading for them...I know this is running rampant in our home...I always have a stack I am reading....My #3 child CONSTANTLY has a book in his hands...can be irritating at times, but a blessing nonetheless...If you model a LOVE for reading, a child can learn anything they set their mind to...I used to freak out about not getting it all done before Graduation...let me tell you this...and this has been one key to peace for me...You will not get it all in...they will keep learning their WHOLE LIFE...this is SO TRUE FOR ME...I know it will be true for them. I do not guide their pleasure reading other than it cannot be trash...things that contradict Scripture...I do guide other reading though and that, besides teaching them things for other subjects, gets them interested in other types of books that might not have otherwise appealed to them. When you are beginning to read in our house...you get a library card or your own...pretty soon, we will need a trailer for getting our library books to and from the library.
4) Surround yourself with a support system- This is vital for many reasons...having like minded friends, to get advice from or help on how to do this or what curriculum should I use for that or you'll never believe what so and so did today...and on those possibilities go...also, there will be those in your acquaitance that will think you have completely lost your mind...DO you POSSIBLY think you can teach YOUR children better than the PROFESSIONALS??? That support system will give you encouragement along the way...and you may have lost your mind, but gained something much better in its place. A varied range of homeschoolers is great to have too....I have been on the two year planning path for high school as my oldest begins this fall...I have a couple of friends who have walked this path before me and have helped me as I walk through this...I am not alone.
5) GO TO A CONFERENCE YEARLY if at all possible...this has been like a shot of vitamins when I am down for the count...I have found that the day to day teaching of school is not the easiest thing...setting aside the little darlings that are BEGGING you for more school (Please note the sarcasm here...you may not know me or my family, so I thought I would point that out, just in case it was missed...my children are normal and would rather play outside than do school), you also have a house to clean, laundry, dishes, meals, little ones who are destroying the house while you are relating the great mysteries of the world and on it goes...a conference gets you energized and excited and ready to do this again for another year and tells you I can do this...I have found that they are WELL WORTH the money spent...
6) Surpise your children along the way...donuts for breakfast or pajama day or park day...etc...it breaks up the monotony and will give them the boost to make it until the next surprise
7)Learn about your children and don't make them fit the molds of someone else...one of my children has a HARD time sitting still...a hard time being inside...a hard time fitting the school mold...I do not expect the same things I do out of my others who can sit still and do their work quietly and such...I give #2 smaller bits and then a break...and such as that...try to give him hands on projects and movement when the choice allows...makes life a little easier...I mean does it really matter if they jumprope to learn math facts? I am looking into ways for him to learn skills to do with his hands...word working, auto repair...yard work...things like that...I think he will do very well with something he can do with his hands...he seems to have a skill here that I want to develop...
8) Do not freak if your child is 8, 9, 10 etc and does not read well...children will read at their own pace...and they all seem to get there (If you believe there is a learning disability or challenge, by all means look into that, but if everything seems normal except the reading is what I mean)and when they do, you cannot tell the late bloomers from the early birds....forcing something that is difficult though can do damage...I have heard of many homeschoolers that had children who didn't really read until 12 or so...I have had early readers as well as reluctant readers...my reluctant one still would rather be outside and active than reading a book...so we will see what comes of that....he can read though and does some reading.
My homeschool journey has meandered along the way as we have progressed on this path...what began all those years ago at point "A"...has broadened to include more...being able to adapt for different learning styles and personalities...giving room for delight directed study, building and developing familial relationships...guiding them along the path to adulthood...While this sounds good in writing, we have ugly days...we've been in the trenches and I am sure we will be there again...we just really believe in the God given right to direct our children's education...its not easy, but SO worth it...and just to dispel the two greatest myths of homeschooling:
1) My children are not social freaks...we don't lock them up in the house never to be seen again...the get plenty of socialization
2) I have not been endowed with a superabundance of patience...I get mine the same way everyone else does...by being tested to practice patience...I have successes and I have failures...
Blessings and encouragement along the way!
C~
anyway, I was thinking about the last post and how I started scrappin'...I thought I would tell about my homeschool journey as well...
About the time I had Joshua, I heard about this crazy thing called homeschooling...I have a very good friend who walked down the parenting path before me and gave me all sorts of info that meant that I KNEW THE RIGHT WAY TO PARENT...amazing how quickly that all falls apart when the rubber hits the road...anyway, I had never heard about it before, so I thought I would find out about it and ask my husband what he thought...
Our reasons for going down this path back then were so basic at the time...to teach from our worldview...to be the main influence in their lives, rather than peers....etc
So when Joshua was 18 months old, we went to our first conference and saw what homeschooling looked like....little did we know then that that was ONE view of what homeschooling looked like...and there are as many views as there are homeschoolers...
Well, I have the PERFECT OLDEST child and HE DID the PERFECT OLDEST child kind of stuff...reading basic words at three...boxcar children and such at five...so I thought, as all rational people think...that this was going to be a snap...boy was I greatly deceived....
So, after either 8 or 14 years of homeschooling (two different views....one... actual years of teaching...two...well you've really been teaching since they were born...take your pick and run with it) I have learned a few things...
1) Curriculum may come all in a package and be delievered to your door in this one box...but it rarely goes off like that....one child will thrive on it...another will be stunted by it...a third will tolerate it, but not really reach their potential in it...and on down the line through how many different children you have...Ask questions of people who have homeschooled for a while and listen when the same item comes up over and over again...I know that I have two different kinds of curriculum for most subjects to address this problem.
2) The best history program I have found is Diana Waring's...she does a few things that I LOVE... she teaches from a Biblical view...teaches in a chronological order and gives SUGGESTIONS for projects in many different areas to fit all different kinds of learning styles and modalities, and other things people smarter than me figure out to show us how fearfully and wonderfully our Creator made us! So my Busy bodies and book worms are all relatively happy with this program (It is still school you know!)
3) Reading in all forms is one of the most valuable things you can do, teach, model in your home...I have heard this SO many times...read to your children, read with them, model reading for them...I know this is running rampant in our home...I always have a stack I am reading....My #3 child CONSTANTLY has a book in his hands...can be irritating at times, but a blessing nonetheless...If you model a LOVE for reading, a child can learn anything they set their mind to...I used to freak out about not getting it all done before Graduation...let me tell you this...and this has been one key to peace for me...You will not get it all in...they will keep learning their WHOLE LIFE...this is SO TRUE FOR ME...I know it will be true for them. I do not guide their pleasure reading other than it cannot be trash...things that contradict Scripture...I do guide other reading though and that, besides teaching them things for other subjects, gets them interested in other types of books that might not have otherwise appealed to them. When you are beginning to read in our house...you get a library card or your own...pretty soon, we will need a trailer for getting our library books to and from the library.
4) Surround yourself with a support system- This is vital for many reasons...having like minded friends, to get advice from or help on how to do this or what curriculum should I use for that or you'll never believe what so and so did today...and on those possibilities go...also, there will be those in your acquaitance that will think you have completely lost your mind...DO you POSSIBLY think you can teach YOUR children better than the PROFESSIONALS??? That support system will give you encouragement along the way...and you may have lost your mind, but gained something much better in its place. A varied range of homeschoolers is great to have too....I have been on the two year planning path for high school as my oldest begins this fall...I have a couple of friends who have walked this path before me and have helped me as I walk through this...I am not alone.
5) GO TO A CONFERENCE YEARLY if at all possible...this has been like a shot of vitamins when I am down for the count...I have found that the day to day teaching of school is not the easiest thing...setting aside the little darlings that are BEGGING you for more school (Please note the sarcasm here...you may not know me or my family, so I thought I would point that out, just in case it was missed...my children are normal and would rather play outside than do school), you also have a house to clean, laundry, dishes, meals, little ones who are destroying the house while you are relating the great mysteries of the world and on it goes...a conference gets you energized and excited and ready to do this again for another year and tells you I can do this...I have found that they are WELL WORTH the money spent...
6) Surpise your children along the way...donuts for breakfast or pajama day or park day...etc...it breaks up the monotony and will give them the boost to make it until the next surprise
7)Learn about your children and don't make them fit the molds of someone else...one of my children has a HARD time sitting still...a hard time being inside...a hard time fitting the school mold...I do not expect the same things I do out of my others who can sit still and do their work quietly and such...I give #2 smaller bits and then a break...and such as that...try to give him hands on projects and movement when the choice allows...makes life a little easier...I mean does it really matter if they jumprope to learn math facts? I am looking into ways for him to learn skills to do with his hands...word working, auto repair...yard work...things like that...I think he will do very well with something he can do with his hands...he seems to have a skill here that I want to develop...
8) Do not freak if your child is 8, 9, 10 etc and does not read well...children will read at their own pace...and they all seem to get there (If you believe there is a learning disability or challenge, by all means look into that, but if everything seems normal except the reading is what I mean)and when they do, you cannot tell the late bloomers from the early birds....forcing something that is difficult though can do damage...I have heard of many homeschoolers that had children who didn't really read until 12 or so...I have had early readers as well as reluctant readers...my reluctant one still would rather be outside and active than reading a book...so we will see what comes of that....he can read though and does some reading.
My homeschool journey has meandered along the way as we have progressed on this path...what began all those years ago at point "A"...has broadened to include more...being able to adapt for different learning styles and personalities...giving room for delight directed study, building and developing familial relationships...guiding them along the path to adulthood...While this sounds good in writing, we have ugly days...we've been in the trenches and I am sure we will be there again...we just really believe in the God given right to direct our children's education...its not easy, but SO worth it...and just to dispel the two greatest myths of homeschooling:
1) My children are not social freaks...we don't lock them up in the house never to be seen again...the get plenty of socialization
2) I have not been endowed with a superabundance of patience...I get mine the same way everyone else does...by being tested to practice patience...I have successes and I have failures...
Blessings and encouragement along the way!
C~
Friday, June 6, 2008
Serendipity Challenge
I love Serendipity Scrapbooks...shameless plug time...and for the blog challenge on that site, we are to talk about when we started scrapbooking...etc...so here I go
I started scrapbooking when my #2 son was born...I'd never heard of it before then and about the only one on the bandwagon then was CM (Creative Memories)...so I scrapped the CM way...as I have walked this road for 11 years now, CM went one direction and the industry went another direction...as CM got simpler and simpler, I was also exposed to other scrappers who really went all out on their pages and I loved the look much better than my pages...so about 10 albums into my scrapping journey, I have totally changed my look...makes me feel sad for my older albums, but I am so far behind that I probably will never get back to re-do them...I love that this is a RELATIVELY (think knitting, quilting, cross-stitch, etc) quick way to creatively express yourself while preserving a legacy to pass onto your children...
If you are new to scrapbooking, I would like to encourage you to:
1) journal in your own handwriting...the computer fonts are cool and there are so many, but in 40 years, that will mean nothing to your family, but your handwriting will be precious to them
2) Scrap your faith...for me, my faith in Christ is something that IS...let that come out in your journaling...again, this will be precious years from now...I do this some, but need to do it more...
3) Scrap about yourself...your favs, dreams, difficulties, etc...
4) Get one of those ATG adhesive guns...expensive at first, cheap refills, and as Kim says, "adhesive on steriods" This is AMAZING adhesive!
5) DO not be afraid to cut your pictures, but I would recommend that you do not cut into a whole bunch of cute shapes....a couple of years down the road, you will wonder why on earth you did that.
6) Sign up on the Serendipity Message board and gallery...you will get SO much inspiration ( www.serendipityscrapbooks.com )...there are MANY other message boards as well... (I am clueless to what the really great ones are!) www.cropaddict.com is another fav...Serendipity is owned by a friend though, so a little favoritism is allowed...
7) If at all possible, set up a PLACE to scrap...if it is out, you can sit down for smaller time periods and get pages done by degrees...this is not my preferred method of cranking out many pages, but when life is happening, sometimes it's the only way to get things done...I mean dinner for my beloved husband and children REALLY IS MORE IMPORTANT than that page I would REALLY like to get done..., but if I am set up, I might be able to crop photos, or get papers adhered to a page, lay down some stickles...you have to wait two hours anyway...etc...while dinner is in the oven!~
I hope that helps...also, do not worry about being like so and so famous scrapper or Sally Sue down the road...the way you scrap is perfect for you...that being said, do not be afraid to try something new or come out of your box...you never know what you'll discover!
Carrie
I started scrapbooking when my #2 son was born...I'd never heard of it before then and about the only one on the bandwagon then was CM (Creative Memories)...so I scrapped the CM way...as I have walked this road for 11 years now, CM went one direction and the industry went another direction...as CM got simpler and simpler, I was also exposed to other scrappers who really went all out on their pages and I loved the look much better than my pages...so about 10 albums into my scrapping journey, I have totally changed my look...makes me feel sad for my older albums, but I am so far behind that I probably will never get back to re-do them...I love that this is a RELATIVELY (think knitting, quilting, cross-stitch, etc) quick way to creatively express yourself while preserving a legacy to pass onto your children...
If you are new to scrapbooking, I would like to encourage you to:
1) journal in your own handwriting...the computer fonts are cool and there are so many, but in 40 years, that will mean nothing to your family, but your handwriting will be precious to them
2) Scrap your faith...for me, my faith in Christ is something that IS...let that come out in your journaling...again, this will be precious years from now...I do this some, but need to do it more...
3) Scrap about yourself...your favs, dreams, difficulties, etc...
4) Get one of those ATG adhesive guns...expensive at first, cheap refills, and as Kim says, "adhesive on steriods" This is AMAZING adhesive!
5) DO not be afraid to cut your pictures, but I would recommend that you do not cut into a whole bunch of cute shapes....a couple of years down the road, you will wonder why on earth you did that.
6) Sign up on the Serendipity Message board and gallery...you will get SO much inspiration ( www.serendipityscrapbooks.com )...there are MANY other message boards as well... (I am clueless to what the really great ones are!) www.cropaddict.com is another fav...Serendipity is owned by a friend though, so a little favoritism is allowed...
7) If at all possible, set up a PLACE to scrap...if it is out, you can sit down for smaller time periods and get pages done by degrees...this is not my preferred method of cranking out many pages, but when life is happening, sometimes it's the only way to get things done...I mean dinner for my beloved husband and children REALLY IS MORE IMPORTANT than that page I would REALLY like to get done..., but if I am set up, I might be able to crop photos, or get papers adhered to a page, lay down some stickles...you have to wait two hours anyway...etc...while dinner is in the oven!~
I hope that helps...also, do not worry about being like so and so famous scrapper or Sally Sue down the road...the way you scrap is perfect for you...that being said, do not be afraid to try something new or come out of your box...you never know what you'll discover!
Carrie
Tuesday, June 3, 2008
Monday or Tuesday
I posted this on a message board, but wanted to share it here too...because it really shows how scary I can be...so here is Monday's post on Tuesday...
Well we have had a crazy weekend and are starting the week off kinda crazy too!
All last week was spent preparing for a yard sale and I will just say this...in 12 hours we made this amount...then we list two things on craigslist and within twelve hours sold two bigger items and made more than double what we made during the two day garage sale....hmmm...maybe that should tell me something!
So we still have a few big items that I will gradually be listing on Craigslist, then I will make some goodwill trips, then HOPEFULLY, we will have an EMPTY GARAGE...oh that will be the day~!So in between all of this, on Thursday I went to a play and got to see only half of it because DAVID had had ENOUGH!
Friday was a co-op meeting and garage sale
Saturday was Garage Sale and women's night...
Sunday-Church...then I wanted to crash, but my house is a pit, so we worked on that a little....
Today, school, skating lessons, trip to the ortho because Joshua is out of rubber bands...AND we have to be there next week....and a homeschool meeting tonight
I wanted to tell you all about the women's night we had a church...it was alot of fun...they called it the Parade of Aprons...you were supposed to bring an appetizer and the recipe for it...they had some cooking type conversation starters...like what was the worst thing you ever made, etc...then a friend and I each did a make and take recipe card...they turned out cool...so we had about 12 ladies making these cards...they had some little prizes...it was fun...
Anyway, I got there a little early, because I live life on the edge and had no idea what on earth I was going to do for my make and take...so I was grabbing the paper cutter from the copy room and misjudged the door opening...clonked the cutter into the door and the cutter jabbed me in the eye...it hurt SO bad...I was laughing ( because I couldn't believe I was so stupid) and crying because it hurt so bad...I put my hand up to it and then looked at my hand...there was blood all over... so I went to the bathroom to clean up..and it is this LITTLE NICK OF A THING....bled like I had a GASH and needed stitches...I couldn't believe it. SO it swelled up and I had this mini goose egg of a thing on my eye....today it is turning purple...it's not real big...it just hurts like it is...so if you see me, you can rest assured that I should not be trusted with particular things and that nothing with a spectacular story happened....and you can laugh with me....just don't let me catch you doing it...it really did hurt!
Well we have had a crazy weekend and are starting the week off kinda crazy too!
All last week was spent preparing for a yard sale and I will just say this...in 12 hours we made this amount...then we list two things on craigslist and within twelve hours sold two bigger items and made more than double what we made during the two day garage sale....hmmm...maybe that should tell me something!
So we still have a few big items that I will gradually be listing on Craigslist, then I will make some goodwill trips, then HOPEFULLY, we will have an EMPTY GARAGE...oh that will be the day~!So in between all of this, on Thursday I went to a play and got to see only half of it because DAVID had had ENOUGH!
Friday was a co-op meeting and garage sale
Saturday was Garage Sale and women's night...
Sunday-Church...then I wanted to crash, but my house is a pit, so we worked on that a little....
Today, school, skating lessons, trip to the ortho because Joshua is out of rubber bands...AND we have to be there next week....and a homeschool meeting tonight
I wanted to tell you all about the women's night we had a church...it was alot of fun...they called it the Parade of Aprons...you were supposed to bring an appetizer and the recipe for it...they had some cooking type conversation starters...like what was the worst thing you ever made, etc...then a friend and I each did a make and take recipe card...they turned out cool...so we had about 12 ladies making these cards...they had some little prizes...it was fun...
Anyway, I got there a little early, because I live life on the edge and had no idea what on earth I was going to do for my make and take...so I was grabbing the paper cutter from the copy room and misjudged the door opening...clonked the cutter into the door and the cutter jabbed me in the eye...it hurt SO bad...I was laughing ( because I couldn't believe I was so stupid) and crying because it hurt so bad...I put my hand up to it and then looked at my hand...there was blood all over... so I went to the bathroom to clean up..and it is this LITTLE NICK OF A THING....bled like I had a GASH and needed stitches...I couldn't believe it. SO it swelled up and I had this mini goose egg of a thing on my eye....today it is turning purple...it's not real big...it just hurts like it is...so if you see me, you can rest assured that I should not be trusted with particular things and that nothing with a spectacular story happened....and you can laugh with me....just don't let me catch you doing it...it really did hurt!
Well, because I do that kind of stupid stuff all the time....both physically and spiritually, I am really GLAD that God's mercies are NEW every morning....clean slate...and we can do it again and by God's grace it will be better, because we will have learned a lesson from our Father God and we are walking with the indwelling Spirit guiding us into all truth...If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
It doesn't have to be a Manic Monday~!
Recipe cards...My friend made the top one...I made the bottom one...
It doesn't have to be a Manic Monday~!
Recipe cards...My friend made the top one...I made the bottom one...
Front...
Back...
C~
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