I love Home Schooling

Good days and Bad days I love it. 

 I think it has to do with a some places in town to help with curriculum and supplies.

My very favorite place to shop for curriculum! 

 My friend Sarah told me about it and since then I have made several visits!

  You can see behind the lady in the picture all of the curriculum that is consigned. 

 I love a bargain too!  They have classes for free to help you homeschool your children. 

 I have yet to take one but I have heard they are wonderful.

This is another resource for parents and teachers.  This store is all about supplies for me.

 It is chock a block full of items! 

I don't know what it is about sharpies, post it notes, stickers, pencils, etc.  I really could go on and on about the things that I like to use!

The brightness and colors are so cheerful that I can't help but leave in a good mood.

I am always eager to start another schooling day!

It is geared for teachers in a school setting but I loved this bulletin board.  

They have a homeschool section as well.

This next picture is my pure addiction! 

 I was able to take advantage of a warehouse sale of curriculum for $1 a book. 

 As I said earlier, I love a bargain!  

Most of these books will be reference books but they are full curriculum.  

They are mainly curriculum used in public schools from past years.

 You can also see the kids and I got so excited we all picked up duplicate copies!

I hope your schooling is going well or that you are ready to start!  We are!

Let Go

Tomorrow my parents are ending a chapter in their lives.  They are moving out of a house that they have lived in for a long time.  We found out this would be easy on no one.  Although benefits of the new place were in their future the past seemed to have a hold.

Earlier this year my paternal grandfather passed away.  Before he died we needed to clean out his house and divide the items among his children.  He could no longer live there.  You would think this was an easy task but it is not.  Now my parents were doing the same thing with their house.   How do you let go of all the things attached to a house that you lived in for so long?  How do you let go of things you just acquired that are part of your past?  We cling to material possessions because we are clinging to our loved ones to a life once lived.

 The truth is that it is OK to hold on to some things that will make you smile when you see it or conjure up a special memory of time you had with them.  A small item can still bring special memories into your thoughts during the day.  Maybe a piece of furniture is special to you.  What is your fondest memory and what item brings that back for you?  That is the question you must ask yourself.

For me it was easy.  My grandfather was a lifelong Boy Scout.  My son is a Boy Scout and my daughter a Girl Scout.  My grandfather supported both organizations over the years.  His items that were part of his Boy Scouting days, pictures, rank advancements, his eagle scout medal were now my prize possessions too.

 

The house my grandfather lived in was sold on Monday of this week.  My parents are leaving the house that I shared with them tomorrow.  I left a house my children loved just a month ago.  All had four walls. Sturdy.  All were full of memories.  I have been scared to say good-bye to all of them at one point or another but you have to say good-bye.  It's life.

My devotions this morning talked about this very thing.  It was about being fearful about the economy, money, change, etc.  It is true that we all become fearful over something.  What we need to remember is that God is our refuge and strength a Very Present help in trouble. (Psalm 46:1)

So as this week progresses, I plan to spend time with God.  I have a lesson to learn.   You know the one.  Let go and Let God.

Coming Home

He made an oath.  To serve and protect our country

It is something our family takes very seriously.  We love being a military family!

We promised to support him while he served.

In 24 years he has been to Korea, Saudi Arabia, Germany, Texas, Ohio, Virginia, and Hawaii.

In 20 years together we have lived in Ohio, Virginia, and North Carolina

We miss him when he is gone.

We always pray for safe returns.

He makes me proud of the time he serves. Two weeks is nothing.  He has been deployed for much longer.  Many service men and women are gone for a year or more.

We are glad he is on his way home.

A simple lesson or two

I was really hoping to head over to the homeschool bookstore and pick up the book they had on hold for me.
So I called my friend and asked if her kids could stay with us another night so I didn't have to make two trips to the other side of town.

She said "Yes" and all the kids were excited!  So off we went to go get them.  As I was driving I started thinking.  I didn't call the bookstore to see if they were still open.  Hmmm... When I stop for gas I will do just that.

So I pull over and look at my phone.  I had put the hours in the email with the rest of the information for the store.  CLOSED.  It can't be right.  I am 15 minutes down the road!  I don't want to make this trip tomorrow with 6 kids in tow!  (Bless all who have more than the two I have.)

So I decided that I would call.  Of course they will answer, I thought to myself, I must have just copied the information wrong. Right?  Nope.  Still Closed.  So I have to call my friend and tell her I will not be getting the kids until the next morning.  Unfortunately, there were 6 unhappy kids.

'

Life doesn't always give us what we want.  Sometimes we have to wait for things.  Sometimes there is disappointment.  Lesson #1.  So I turned the car around and tuned into Radio Disney which they like.  Moods changed and we were off back home.

Now here is where lesson #2 is...  What we put into our minds.  As we drove along we started discussing some of the things the kids like.  Kyle had seen something that had some curse words in it.

I understand that this seems almost trivial to a lot of people now a days.  Cursing seems to be part of the "norm".  I used this as an opportunity to ask them how they wanted to fill their minds.  With good things or bad things?  

My friend Noreen told me a story.  I don't know where she heard it but I thought it was a good time to share it.  So I asked my kids.  If you saw a batch of brownies on the counter would you want one?  Of course they said "YES"!

So I asked them this question.  Now if the brownies got dumped in the trash would you still want one?

The answer was of course "NO!"

So I explained.  If you mix some good things with some bad things you have a garbage can full of things.  Yes, some things are really yummy things in there.  There are also some things that you don't want as well.

I hope that I will always have friends around me to share "Life Stories" with me. 

  Having others around to steer us in the right direction is what we need.

.

So the times that I get to spend with my kids teaching them a simple lesson are special times.

They grow up quickly.  I want to keep them on the right track.

I want to keep my kids innocent till they are 102!  Isn't that every parents dream?

Homeschooling gives me the opportunity to help put what goes into their minds. 

Where hopefully they will make good choices.

And I can help build followers of Christ a lesson or two at a time!

Graciousness and Gratefulness

I learned about them this week.

Since Michael has been gone over a week now I have had to rely on my neighbor TWICE to take me to pick up our truck.  I am humbled by his willingness to help me even if I am uncomfortable about it.  My friend said it is good to let the neighbors help you when you have first moved.  Especially if you don't know them well because it gives them an opportunity to "meet" you and learn about your family.  People enjoy the satisfaction of helping others!  I am one of those people.  Not the other way around.

I love to help others!  It is a joy and a privilege to me to help anyone I can wherever I am.  My kids tease me because I will talk to anyone, anywhere, at anytime to help.  It seems funny now to be on the other side of the "help" fence.

So my neighbor and I did a song and dance of niceties to each other.  "I can be taken up there whenever it is convenient for you" I told him. "Oh, he says, I am not busy I can take you whenever."  "Would you like me to take you in the morning, afternoon, or evening?"  "Well we are going to a museum so we could go early morning or late afternoon." "Either works for me, what works for you."  "Oh well whatever is good for you."  On and on till we decided if I was here in the morning he could take me to pick up the truck around 8:15 am or we would go when I got back.  Technically no real decision!  Sound familiar?  I have done this dance so many times I can count the steps it takes to make a decision.  My neighbor was trying to be gracious and I was making it difficult.

As it turned out he arrived at the door at 8:15 am ready to take me to pick up the truck.  I was ready to go and we headed off.  I chatted about why I had to go back to get the truck and talked about how shocked I was to see a picture of my husband wearing flip flops.  "In twenty years of marriage I don't recall ever seeing that!"  I told him about Michael growing up on the beach and how he was enjoying Hawaii.  We laughed when I shared with him how I scared the kids at night opening and shutting all the doors in the house.  Since this was his grandfather's house he knew all about the doors!  There are 5 doors you can open and close to go in a complete circle on the 1st floor.  I even shared being scared the first night with just the kids and I in a house I didn't know well.

So I had swallowed my pride and asked for help.  If the truth be told...Sarah was right.  My neighbor learned about me, but I also learned a lot too!   He told me that his family had lived there a long time and reassured me that nothing had ever happened. That I could always call if I needed it.  I learned I was using the wrong garage and got a suggestion for a good mechanic.  He showed me a few "back ways" to get places around town by going two different directions to get to the garage.  I found out his youngest daughter talks as much as I do!  (Oh my!)  I even learned he has flip flops with can openers on them. (I already knew he had a bar stool you can drive!)  But the most important thing I learned?  The graciousness of my neighbor.  With a nod of his head and a simple "Thank you" from me I had made a new friend and learned about my neighbor and my neighborhood.

The definition of Gracious is:  having or showing a tender and considerate and helpful nature; used especially of persons and their behavior.   It was shown to me this week.  For that I am Grateful.