I let her wear mascara! 7th grade – help a tween!!!

As a homeschool parent, I have really missed the school pictures that help you document their childhood from year to year. Although, when I look back at some of my school pictures, I am not real fond of that documentation. Anyway, I really love being able to look through pictures of the girls and seeing how they have changed. And as a pathological picture taker I am trying to make sure that I documentment some of these changes in a more formal way.

So yesterday I took some more formal type pictures of Girl #2. She has been begging me to wear mascara. And yesterday I gave in. Do I regret it? Maybe a little. She looks so grown up!! Help, I have a tween in my home.

Of course, I have my favorite and then she has hers.

I think that she looks much too serious. I like the ones where she is giggling and being a silly girl!

Either way she is my sweet girl. Sometimes I still think of her as my fragile little baby in NICU. But she isn’t. She is growing into a strong young lady who is strong enough to stand up for her beliefs and do what is right. And I definitely want to protect her from the craziness of the world. I have to give her to God daily. My prayer is that she will walk the path that God has planned for her.

Of course, now that she got to wear mascara yesterday, she wants to wear it today. I struggle with the whole make-up issue. Is it really a battle that I want to fight? I don’t know. For now, I guess mascara isn’t the end of the world. Neither is having daughters that are growing up faster than I want them to.

Dolphin Tales – great movie

After working through most of the curriculum from the Homeschool Movie Club for the movie Dolphin  Tales, we went to see the movie today.  It was a few days after the big homeschool event across the country, but it was the first day we could go. Better late than never. It was a great movie! It was kid friendly – no pottymouth, no sexual content, no wizardary or witchcraft, no teen craziness. It was homeschool friendly. One of the kids in the movie (the very talkative, SOCIAL one) stated that she was homeschooled. Imagine that – a homeschool child that is talkative, social, and well adjusted!

We used some of the curriculum from the Homeschool Movie Club in our homeschool science lab co-op. We learned about density, bouyancy, water columns, and echolocation. We also learned lots of dolphin fun facts.  The kids loved it! And so did I

Yesterday we made learned all about jellyfish. We now have jellyfish hanging from the ceiling.

I was a little disappointed that we could not find the movie poster to take our picture with. But it probably would not have been very good because we all had red, puffy eyes. Definitely take some tissue when you go see the movie.

We love going to the movies. I am so thankful for a group that will take the time to develop quality curriculum based on good, kid-friendly movies.  Visit their site to see other movies featured.  http://www.homeschoolmovieclub.com/

Happy homeschooling!!!!

Surrender – Am I All In?

My day has been focused on surrender. It started out with a Life Lesson with the children at Calvary Baptist. Our word for the week – surrender! Our saying of the week – I surrender daily to God! It continued through the worship service and into the life group lesson tonight. It makes me question – Am I all in??

Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God’s mercies, to offer  your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God – this is your spiritual act of worship. Romans 12:1

I like to think that I am all in. That I have turned over EVERYTHING in my life over to Christ. But have I really. Do I still sometimes live with one foot in the world? Do I sometimes play tug of war with God? I want to give it all over to Him. But it is something I have to do daily. I have to surrender all to Him every single day.

And that’s okay. He does not expect perfection from me. God accepts me as I am – right now at this moment in time. And He loves me. His grace is sufficient. I just have to follow.

Lord, please guide my path. Help me to follow the path that you have from me. Help me to teach my children Your ways so that they, too, can follow Your path – wherever that may lead.

No matter where you are in your walk God’s way is so much better. Surrendering to Him is not about sacrifice and self-denial. It is about joy, peace, and beautiful feet that share Jesus’ love?

Inspired by the Amish

I love reading! I will read anything, at least, once! I don’t think that I have ever picked up a book that I disliked. Recently I have been reading a series by Suzanne Woods Fisher about the Amish. I am so inspired by the simple living. Now, don’t get me wrong. I don’t want to live without my washer and dryer or indoor plumbing. But the way they (according to these works of fiction) speak truth into each other’s life and live life together in community is inspiring.

  Each book is about a community that comes together during difficult times to help its members. The lives of all the characters are woven in and off of the lives of the others. Imagine having a barn raising where every member of the community shows up to help a family in need. The men work and build the barn in a day. The women cook for the entire community. Even the children pitch in to help as they can. Everyone works for the better of their community instead of living selfishly.  http://suzannewoodsfisher.com/fiction#The%20Search

Now, imagine if our churches lived life together like that. 

For the body is not one member, but many.  If the foot says, “Because I am not a hand, I am not a part of the body,” it is not for this reason any the less a part of the body.  And if the ear says, “Because I am not an eye, I am not a part of the body,” it is not for this reason any the less a part of the body.   If the whole body were an eye, where would the hearing be? If the whole were hearing, where would the sense of smell be?   But now God has placed the members, each one of them, in the body, just as He desired.  If they were all one member, where would the body be?  But now there are many members, but one body.  And the eye cannot say to the hand, “I have no need of you”; or again the head to the feet, “I have no need of you.”  On the contrary, it is much truer that the members of the body which seem to be weaker are necessary;  and those members of the body which we deem less honorable, on these we bestow more abundant honor, and our less presentable members become much more presentable,  whereas our more presentable members have no need of it. But God has so composed the body, giving more abundant honor to that member which lacked,  so that there may be no division in the body, but that the members may have the same care for one another.  And if one member suffers, all the members suffer with it; if one member is honored, all the members rejoice with it.                            ICorinthians 12:14-26.

 

8th Grade – Really!?!?!?!?!

Well, I have decided that I am not a very good blogger. I seem to go about life recording our life in pictures. Hopefully, one day I will look back at the pictures and recognize which kid it is and what they are doing. But here I go trying this blog thing again.

I am having a difficult time recognizing that I have an “almost” high schooler in the house. I still see her with her little backpack on walking into the First Baptist Church of Bremen preschool room. Well, there are no longer any back packs. But there is occassionally still some of the attitude

My prayer daily is that she will grow into a Godly woman that will honor God in all that she does.

She is so much like her daddy that it is scary. She even has “the lip.” Of course, this is something that she is extremely proud of!

WE do not always see eye to eye. In fact, sometimes we don’t even see the wall in front of us. But we are working on that wall. There are times that wall has crumbled and doesn’t seem to even exist anymore. And other times it is so high that we can’t see over it. But we keep trying. And as long as we both know that the other one is around the corner, then we will be okay.

I am so proud of the beautiful young woman that she is becoming. She was beauty on the inside and the outside. She doesn’t like to let many people see her sweet side, but it’s there. She cried the other day when her little sis had to go get stitches because she “doesn’t like to see her hurting.” I love that side of her – just like her daddy!

I thank God daily for giving me three wonderful daughters. Each one is special in their own way. Unique in the way that God created them to be. So – 8th grade – here we come!!!  Homeschooling is a blessing in our life. While I might not be able to help with Latin or with any type of musical/choir homework, I get to share life daily with this blessing God has given.