In A Shoe

Redeemer

2012-01-08T20:48:00.003-05:00

Today was the first meeting of Redeemer Church at Lake Nona. It's been almost 14 years since my dad has led a church. I have longed for this day for so long even when it seemed like we would be at Metro forever.

I enjoyed our 10 years at Metro Life Church. There are aspects of a large church that are fun and convenient, but until the process began of beginning Redeemer, I had forgotten what it was like to be a part of the beginning. To be a part of the planning and dreaming of a new, small church. I love that my kids will be a part of this. I pray one day they will have a love for the church like I had when I was younger. Not just because their friends go there or it is "fun", but a true love for His people and His church. A desire to serve the community, to want to serve on missions, to give their life away for others.

I pray PJ and I are an example to them as well. I have watched my dad serve through thick and thin. Not allowing circumstances to affect how he serves God's people. I pray my children will learn from him, but also the two of us.

Inspired

2012-01-06T15:19:00.005-05:00

I have been inspired by my mom to blog again. The great news is no one will know that I am, so it can almost be like my own personal diary. If I feel the need perhaps I will share I blog again.

For now, an update on my kids.

Kayla - 10 years old

Friends, basketball, horses, reading, and riding her bike are some of her favorites.

Wyatt - 7 years old in two months

Wii, JJ, basketball, riding his bike, Titus, Legos, and Battleship are his passions.

Anniston - 5 years old

Barbies, Pet Shop, bikes, animals, writing her letters, and playing with Danae are her favories.

Danae - Almost 4

Titus, getting dirty, barbies, Ellie, chasing neighborhood cats, playing with Annie are some of her favorites.

Titus - Just turned 3

Anything with Wallace, playing with Danae, annoying Kayla, laying with Wyatt, footballs and swimming are just a few of his favorites.

As for me, these people are my favorite.

A Boy's Life

2010-05-13T14:06:00.004-05:00

It amazes me the difference between boys and girls. Wyatt's new obsession is Lego Star Wars. I tried and tried to get Kayla to like some sort of video game. I tried VSmile, Wii, and DS. I don't care so much for gaming, but it does have it's place.

Wyatt started playing Wii about a year ago, but we only had one game since Kayla never really enjoyed it. As a reward for him one day, I took him out and he chose Lego Star Wars to purchase. Dear Lord, it takes everything to keep him off that thing. I didn't even show him how to use it (since I had no idea how to use it), but somehow the child taught himself and was rejoicing today about making it to level 19 or something.

I guess now is the time to start making some rules about playing. When I was a kid, our rule was we could play video games on rainy days. Since we live in the "sunshine state" I am going to have to come up with something different.

Thankfully he still likes to run, romp, and swim outside because, although I enjoy having something quiet for him to do, I do not want a lazy, fat, sit in front of the t.v. type of boy.

I wonder how often most people let their kids play video games? I guess I should start asking around to see what other families do to keep this stuff under control.

Mom

2010-05-10T18:20:00.002-05:00

I think I appreciate my mom more this year than ever before. I wanted to take a moment to honor her and tell my kids what she has meant to me.

Kids, your grandmother is one of the most amazing woman you will ever have the privilege of knowing. She has sacrificed her entire life to serve her God and her family. There are maybe fleeting moments she thinks about herself, but when she does you never know it.

She has laid down her life for her husband. She has laid down her life for her kids and she is laying down her life for you guys, her grandchildren. Mommy has watched her go through trials you may never know about, but her faith and trust in God is unwavering. She is a woman of great faith. A faith does not not end when the storms come, when trials overwhelm and when pain increases. Her body may tire, but her faith does not.

She has helped your mommy through some trials. God has used her to help me to love your daddy more, love her God more, and love you guys more. Not only from her example, but from her wisdom.

One day I pray you guys admire and love me the way I love Granma. I pray you will look at me and think "My mommy is strong. My mommy has faith when there seems to be no reason to have it. My mommy loves my daddy and gives her life to him. And my mommy laid down her life for me. My mommy loves her God."

I pray you know your Granma for many years to come, but when the Lord eventually does take her away, I pray her legacy is lived through my life. And through yours.

Just Checking

2010-05-07T19:45:00.002-05:00

Does anyone at all still read this blog? Just curious.

I have been reading back over my past posts and realized how wonderful it is! I love reading about my life, my kids life, my thoughts at the time. I was cracking up at the things my kids said and loving reading what was going through my mind. A ton has happened over the past year and I easily forget what happened even 2 or 3 years ago. It is good for my soul to read it.

Therefore, I am going to start posting again. For me and my kids. I want to remember the times of my life. The good and the bad.

Even if no one reads it....

Kittens

2009-04-15T12:23:00.002-05:00

Anyone want a kitten? Nate and Amy Graham's cat had some a few weeks ago. They are trying to talk us into getting one.

My kids have already named "their cat".

Quote of the Week

2009-04-13T14:34:00.003-05:00

“You must regard parenting as one of your most important tasks while you have children at home. This is your calling…There is nothing more important. You have only a brief season of life to invest yourself in this task. You have only one opportunity to do it. You cannot go back and do it over. You live in a culture in which there are opportunities for you to do things unheard of in history. You are presented daily with scores of opportunities. There is more than you could ever do. [But] to do this job of parenting well, it must be a primary task. It is your primary calling.” Paul Tripp

Prayer

2009-04-12T21:54:00.004-05:00

I have been thinking a lot about prayer. Mostly how I pray more often, harder, and deeper when there is something "wrong". Either something going wrong in my life or others.

I do think a lot about how God is in control, that I trust Him, and that all things will work together for my and others good. The problem is that sometimes these, overall good thoughts, should not take the place of prayer. My trust in Him should not make me feel less of a need to pray.

“If any of you should ask me for an epitome of the Christian religion, I should say that it is in one word- Prayer. Live and die without prayer, and you will pray long enough when you get to hell.”

Charles H. Spurgeon

Update

2009-04-11T11:01:00.005-05:00

I am not sure I could have taken any longer to update my blog. I certainly hope to be more consistent, but am making no promises. I think my schedule pretty much fell apart during the holidays and I have been unable to catch back up. So, to start off my new found desire to blog, I decided to start with an update.

Kayla - Continues to grow, and learn, and be mommy's little helper. I am amazed at how competent she is with Danae especially. It is nice when that I can send her to give a bath, feed breakfast, or just keep her happy while I get whatever done. She is doing well in school, and her only downfall is her own mothers lack of consistency.

Wyatt - My little buddy turned 4 the end of March. Crazy that it seems like only yesterday he as my crazy, collicky baby and than my out of control toddler. He has really matured here recently and seems like such a little boy. He pretty much talks constantly, which can be interesting at times. He always has the most wonderful questions.

Anniston - Not much has changed with Annie. She is still as cute as can be and loud, and mean, and all the other awesome personality characteristics she has. I do love my little stinker and so enjoy cleaning up her various messes and destructions every day.

Danae - My sweet baby love is now 1. She still does not walk or crawl. Yeah, she is a little slow. I blame it on her eye infection last year. I figure all babies that have eye infections don't learn to walk until they are 5. Right?

So there you have it. I am doing well, already planning for next homeschool year (I WILL be organized, I WILL be organized) and plan on hopefully joining a small co-op to help me keep motivated for the year. I am pretty excited about my curriculum choices, actually, and looking forward to checking everything out at FPEA. Hopefully.

That is about it for now. Thank you for your patience, if you are still out there, whoever you are.

Wyatt and our newest addition, Titus

Anniston and Elsie

Kayla

Danae at her first birthday

Day at Disney

2008-12-18T09:35:00.003-05:00

You can see all the pictures on Facebook. There are some really good ones, especially with Annie and Mickey. I think Mickey was in love with Annie. It was so cute!

We had a great day, all the kids did wonderful, and I realized that it really is the most magical place on earth. I just love it there around Christmas time. We also saw the Osborne light show at MGM. That was pretty awesome.

Thanks to mom for working all that out!! You are the best Granma ever!

I do not know how to get my kids back to normal life after The Magic Kingdom. Good thing it is Christmas time!

Tragedy

2008-12-15T11:29:00.003-05:00

We had much sadness in our home on Saturday. Our bird, Benny, passed away. What makes this sad for Mommy and Daddy is we just bought the bird 4 weeks ago!

Apparently, Benny got a cold and died on Friday night when the weather was cold. I forgot to turn on the heat that night and it got down to 65 degrees in our house. I guess when birds (more specifically cockatiels) catch a cold, they die very quickly.

Well, Kayla and Wyatt were up for about two hours on Saturday crying and crying. Kayla especially really did love the poor bird. She played with him constantly and loved walking around with him on her shoulder during the day.

We had a beautiful funeral in our backyard at about 10pm Saturday night. We talked of our memories of Benny and what we loved most about them. We ended with a prayer. Wyatt prayed that Jesus would make sure and tell God to be careful with Benny. He said "Jesus, make sure to tell God that Benny might bite his ears sometimes." We are grateful Wyatt is looking out for God.

Since PJ and I had already decided that cockatiels are awesome pets for young children, and we want it to be a Merry Christmas around here, Daddy went out and replaced the bird. The kids are thrilled that we now have Tweety.

Benny will always have a special place in our hearts and we look forward to maybe seeing him in heaven since Kayla is convinced that he will be there.

May he rest in peace. (and hopefully not be dug up and eaten by a stray cat)

Happy Veterans Day

2008-11-11T11:10:00.002-05:00

Sleeping

2008-11-06T09:58:00.001-05:00

I love watching these two sleep. They pretty much sleep together every night. So cute.

Change

2008-11-05T01:15:00.008-05:00

Tonight was a difficult night for me as a Republican. It was hard to watch not only a liberal president being elected, but also the house and senate being pushed further left. I do fear the next four years, but I want to reflect on something historic.

The majority of Americans just elected the first African American President. No matter the reasons he was elected, this is truly amazing. I do not have to agree with what he stands for, nor do I have to agree with why people made this decision, but the fact that our country has come far enough to look past the color of skin really is something we can find to be happy about.

As I watched Obama give his speech tonight, I realized that perhaps my children will grow up in a time that the majority of people do not judge on color of skin. We do have to agree with his politics, or be happy this has happened, but I do think we can hope this is a sign that racial tensions in our country are subsiding. I would have been proud to vote for the first African American President. I did not because I do not agree with what he stands for, but I would have loved to have been able to.

The reality is, God has chosen Obama to be President. It does not make sense to me at this moment, but all I know is that it is for our good. I will pray for him. I will pray God uses him to help our country. I will pray that he is not as far left as he says he is! I will pray that God uses this to bring many people of all different colors and cultures together.

I may not be happy he was elected, but I can be grateful that we do not live in a world where he was not allowed to be elected. There was a time a man like him could not even vote, yet alone be elected to the highest office in this country.

As I listened to my neighbors celebrate Obama's victory, my initial reaction was to be upset, but I realized that I should be happy for those African Americans who are most excited for this President. I may not agree with them, but I can with all sincerity, say that I am happy for what this means to them.

I sometimes forget that my own sister is a minority. I just think of her as my sister. Could we all one day be that color blind?

I am so grateful that Julia will grow up in a country where she has the same rights and opportunities as me. This has been a wonderful reminder of that!

There is a bright spot in this time of change and I will attempt to stay focused on that.

Do Your Part!

2008-11-03T10:19:00.001-05:00

If you have not already, don't forget to get out and VOTE tomorrow!

Palin Rally

2008-10-28T10:11:00.004-05:00

This Sunday we took Kayla to, what you would have thought, was the greatest place on earth. According to her at least. No, it was not Disney World, it was a Sarah Palin Rally.

Are We Ready?

2008-10-22T23:48:00.004-05:00

I love politics. I have enjoyed watching the developments of this presidential race, critiquing the different journalists and their views, and hoping each day that maybe, just maybe, McCain has a chance at winning. I do not agree with everything McCain says or has done, but I believe he is the best candidate. On the other hand, this political, race and the current economic situation, has put some fear in my heart.

I do wonder what will happen if we end up with a very liberal President, Congress, and Senate come January. How will that effect our paycheck, the business my husband works for, and just the consequences of having a far left government. "I will give tax breaks to 95% of Americans." Yeah right. How then are you going to pay for healthcare for everyone and pay for all the other liberal agendas you have? You may give us a tax break (even though we do not pay federal taxes due to our income and children), since we are the "middle class" but that tax increase to my husbands business will effect us worse. I will stick with the nothing we pay in taxes now and hold out hope for some decent raises, thank you very much. If you take my husbands bosses money, you are taking our money too. Think about it.

Anyway, that is not the point of my post. The point is, I am concerned for my children's future. What will the world they are going to live in be like? As America moves further and further left, I become more and more nervous. What will be normal for them? Same sex marriage? (Vote Yes on Amendment 2, by the way!) Socialist ideas? Will Christianity become more and more hated?

Are we preparing our children for the struggles that are going to be inevitable? As I think about why I homeschool, I am more and more aware I am not focusing on the most important things. It is not reading or writing or history, it is teaching them to wage war against the enemy. We could raise the smartest, most successful and bright students, but if we do not educate them primarily in God's word, it will not matter. I should not be weighing my children's success by how much money they might make, what job field they go in to, or what their SAT scores are. If my daughter can stand up for what she believes, to a world that hates what she believes, that is true success.

My kids may face some of the worst of times and I want them to be ready. I want them to be ready to stand up for their Faith in a world that will be against Faith. In a society and education system that indoctrinates children in liberal ideas, I want my children to know and be able to speak Truth.

I hope and pray my children will be ready. I refuse to sit back in fear and allow an economic or political situation to scare me. Right now I choose to let this remind me of what I am here to do. I am here to raise some of the next generation to love God, hate sin, stand up for what is right, and be, I pray, a light in the darkening world.

One thing I will do is take Kayla to the polls with me. She will watch me vote, she knows why I am voting for McCain, and she needs to see me involved in this process. But Kayla will also know that McCain is not our savior. She will know that God is in control of this election, even though all Americans think they are. Mommy will vote and pray, but God ultimately has chosen the winner. He knows what this country needs, even if what we need are hard times.

This political season is yet another way God is reminding me to love the season I am in and not take for granted what I do. I am a mentor, a teacher, and a mother. I am who my children look to for answers and my job is to get them to the point where they look to their Lord for answers. Presidents are not the answer, journalists are not the answer, government is not the answer. I homeschool and stay home with my kids so that no one can tell them any differently.

May we all be reminded to pray for our country, pray for our church, and pray for our children. Be reminded to teach them what is most important, even if that means skipping out on some of that math.

Will our kids be ready for what is to come? Maybe a more important question is, are you ready? I have four swords to start sharpening at a much quicker pace then before, and I plan on doing that with more intensity and focus, starting now.

Politics

2008-10-20T08:14:00.002-05:00

I love this.

Bar Stool Economics

Suppose that every day, ten men go out for beer and the bill for all ten comes to $100. If they paid their bill the way we pay our taxes, it would go something like this:

The first four men (the poorest) would pay nothing.
The fifth would pay $1.
The sixth would pay $3.
The seventh would pay $7.
The eighth would pay $12.
The ninth would pay $18.
The tenth man (the richest) would pay $59.

The ten men drank in the bar every day and seemed quite happy with the arrangement, until one day, the owner threw them a curve. 'Since you are all such good customers, he said, 'I'm going to reduce the cost of your daily beer by $20. Drinks for the ten now cost just $80.

The group still wanted to pay their bill the way we pay our taxes so the first four men were unaffected. They would still drink for free. But what about the other six men - the paying customers? How could they divide the $20 windfall so that everyone would get his 'fair share?' They realized that $20 divided by six is $3.33. But if they subtracted that from everybody's share, then the fifth man and the sixth man would each end up being paid to drink his beer. So, the bar owner suggested that it would be fair to reduce each man's bill by roughly the same amount, and he proceeded to work out the amounts each should pay.

And so:

The fifth man, like the first four, now paid nothing (100% savings).

The sixth now paid $2 instead of $3 (33%savings).

The seventh now paid $5 instead of $7 (28%savings).

The eighth now paid $9 instead of $12 (25% savings).

The ninth now paid $14 instead of $18 (22% savings).

The tenth now paid $49 instead of $59 (16% savings).

Each of the six was better off than before And the first four continued to drink for free. But once outside the restaurant, the men began to compare their savings.

'I only got a dollar out of the $20', declared the sixth man. He pointed to the tenth man,' but he got $10!'

'Yeah, that's right', exclaimed the fifth man. 'I only saved a dollar, too. It's unfair that he got ten times more than I!'

'That's true!!' shouted the seventh man. 'Why should he get $10 back when I got only two? The wealthy get all the breaks!'

'Wait a minute,' yelled the first four men in unison. 'We didn't get anything at all. The system exploits the poor!'

The nine men surrounded the tenth and beat him up.

The next night the tenth man didn't show up for drinks, so the nine sat down and had beers without him. But when it came time to pay the bill, they discovered something important. They didn't have enough money between all of them for even half of the bill!

And that, boys and girls , journalists and college professors, is how our tax system works. The people who pay the highest taxes get the most benefit from a tax reduction. Tax them too much, attack them for being wealthy, and they just may not show up anymore. In fact, they might start drinking overseas where the atmosphere is somewhat friendlier.

David R. Kamerschen, Ph.D.

Professor of Economics,

University of Georgia

For those who understand, no explanation is needed.

For those who do not understand, no explanation is possible.

Update Soon

2008-09-29T08:44:00.004-05:00

We are alive and well, just very busy. Between the wedding, family visiting, and my house being trashed due to new flooring, it has been crazy. Pictures to follow at some point soon.

Also, if you need any handy man stuff done, or flooring put in, we now know a guy. He is an incredible worker and does an awesome job. He and PJ worked until 5 this morning to get the floors done. He knows how to do pretty much anything and is amazingly cheap!

Off to Dr.'s appointments since I cannot seem to have a day off!

What We've Been Up To

2008-09-08T07:24:00.004-05:00

Getting bigger

The Army Dr. and Cowboy hanging out during school time.

Cleaning up water intrusion in my dining room. It is lots of fun living on concrete!

School time! Kayla loves Astronomy.

And history. She is very proud of her pyramid.

Doing the timeline is the highlight of the week. Except for when Daddy does the history reading with her. He pulls out the laptop and shows pictures. She told me yesterday, in a very sweet way, "Mommy, I like it when you do history, but Daddy is way better." Oh well, Daddy is heroic in all sorts of ways that I am not. Taken for granted once again!

School has been going very well this year. She is enjoying it a lot more than last year. Probably because I am attempting to do a lot more of hands on stuff that she enjoys. She gets through math and handwriting and the "not so fun" stuff to get to the history and science.

Besides that we have been painting our house to try and help with the water intrusion, praying for enough money from the insurance to fix the dining room, getting ready for Joey and Lauren's wedding, and looking forward to my cousin and his family to come to town in a couple weeks. Life is busy, but we are having fun! Most days at least....

Babies at 5 Months

2008-08-31T11:22:00.005-05:00

Now all my babies at five months. I love doing this, so I am sorry if I am boring you. Actually, I really do not care if I am boring you. You are the one checking out my blog when you probably should be doing something better with your precious time!! :-) I am one to talk because I probably read yours earlier today. Anyway......

Yes, Wyatt was unfortunate looking as a baby. I told you so, Erin, who always says he was not.

Hanging Out With Daddy

2008-07-26T17:28:00.001-05:00

The Many Faces of Wyatt

2008-07-26T16:59:00.001-05:00

Best Buds

2008-07-24T21:19:00.000-05:00

Couples Night Out

2008-07-24T21:17:00.000-05:00

Beach Babe

2008-07-24T10:07:00.000-05:00

Cracking Each Other Up

2008-07-24T10:02:00.001-05:00

Body Surfing

2008-07-24T09:58:00.000-05:00

Happy Birthday Kayla

2008-07-19T04:04:00.006-05:00

My baby is 7! Where does the time go? I love you baby girl.

Today we are off to the beach for the week for vacation (or diversion as mom likes to call it since mothers do not actually get a real vacation).

Kayla's 7th Birthday Party

2008-07-14T13:49:00.003-05:00

School Ideas For Little Ones

2008-07-10T12:00:00.003-05:00

I would love some ideas for Wyatt to do for "school" this year. I am not looking for structured curriculum, but something fun that he can do basically by himself. ( It really is crazy to me that they have actual structured curriculum for kids his age. That is another topic for another day.)

He does well just playing on a blanket while I do school with Kayla, but I would slowly like to incorporate some sit down at the table time for him. I thought about just going somewhere to get little books with easy activities, but most of those are preschool and he will only be 3 1/2.

I don't know....any ideas???

(Jenn, you are not allowed to give random, strange ideas that make no sense and that I will never use)

Life

2008-07-05T21:09:00.003-05:00

I haven't done much real posting recently. It is mostly because my life is crazy and I do not have time to sit down and actually use brain power. When I do post I like it to make sense and sound nice, but I realized today that it does not have to. Part of my goal for this blog is to journal my life with my kids to one day maybe look back on and laugh. Even if that is laughing at how I never make any sense. How fun for my kids to read what their mom was thinking and doing "back in the day".

So here it is. My life is crazy. Sometimes I sit down during naps and wonder how I am going to make it the rest of the day. What should I accomplish while they sleep. Schooling Kayla? Maybe clean a bathroom? Oh, no wait, laundry? Nope, I should read the Bible. Or perhaps read a story to Kayla. What am I thinking, I need to start dinner!

I get seriously overwhelmed at all there is to do and it seems, no matter how hard I try, that I never am able to get it all done. I understand this is ok. How many times have we heard that a lot of this is unimportant and will be forgotten in time. The important stuff is God, husband, and kids. Now, does anyone else still worry about the other stuff ALL the time like me, even when we know what is truly important.

Don't get me wrong, I understand and believe that running a good, clean household is also important, but not when it becomes such an idol that I am getting angry with my kids. What is interesting is during this week, while Anniston was running a temp and teething, I found myself playing with her more. I sat on the couch and read her books, played memory with the three of them, and we played outside a lot together. I guess it was because I felt bad she was sick, but the funny thing is, I found myself less prone to getting angry and a lot more patient.

Don't get me wrong, Annie still drove me crazy when she fell on the floor screaming because I had not idea what she was asking for and that makes her mad, but I was more patient with her. Instead of getting upset when she made a mess while I was cleaning, I had her help me clean. She loved it. I know that kids love to clean and that I should get them involved, but seriously, it makes it take forever and is a little annoying. But not this week. I had fun with them cleaning. I had fun reading them books and coloring with them.

I realize I will never get it all done. I would like to, but I will not. Finding the balance might be something I work on until I am dead, and I am not ok with that. In my mind I will find a way to clean the whole house, homeschool, play with the kids, make wonderful dinners, have lots of time with my husband and have time to spare. I am going to make a plan and incorporate it next week. Then I will fail and be mad and try a new schedule the next week.

My prayer for this summer is I will trust God to help me be content with whatever it is I do or do not get done. I pray that the most important things I will accomplish such as a quiet time, special time with the kids, and not be too tired or frustrated at the end of the day that my husband suffers the consequences. Intermixed with all of that my family will be fed and clothed and live in sanitary conditions, but most important, I pray my kids will know that their mommy loves to be with them. I want to make them laugh just like they make me laugh.

So how do I get it all done? I don't. Am I ok with that? Not really, but I want to be. It would probably make me a better wife and mother. I wonder if anyone feels like they can do it all? Apparently it would help me if one of my children was not feeling well once a week. That seems to help.

And that, ladies and gentlemen, is what they call rambling.......

Danae 3 1/2 Months

2008-07-03T16:43:00.004-05:00

There Is A God In Heaven

2008-07-02T10:04:00.002-05:00

I have been working with Anniston for months now on sitting still for short periods of time. At times I have felt like it was a never ending battle. Well, today she stayed on her blanket and played for 45 minutes! Oh my gosh, not only do I now believe there is no doubt that there is a God in heaven, I might have actually died and gone to heaven!

Anxiety

2008-06-09T16:25:00.004-05:00

I wanted to share something I read from a friends blog post. It was amazing the timing of when I read it and all that was happening with Danae. It basically has become an almost daily reading for me!

I have been stressing about finances, whether Danae's eye will need to be worked on again, and also just the stuff of daily life. What a wonderful reminder this is. Thanks Megan!

I hope it blesses some of you as well.

“Some of you are perplexed with a multitude of anxieties about your life.
You do not know what to do.
One plan was suggested, and for a time it seemed the best action.
But now you have doubts. You are bewildered and you cannot see Providence’s clue.
You are lost in a maze...

You have tried various ways and methods to escape your present difficulty.
But you have been disappointed and are distracted.
Your thoughts have no order; they drag you in opposite directions.
The currents meet and twist as if you were in a whirlpool.

My perplexed friend, remember the children of Israel at the Red Sea.
The sea was before them, rocks were on either side,
and the cruel Egyptians roared in the rear. Imitate Israel’s actions.
‘Do not be afraid. Stand still, and see the salvation of the Lord,
which He will accomplish for you today’ (Ex. 14.13)
You reply, ‘I cannot be quiet. I am agitated, perturbed, perplexed, tossed, and distracted.
What shall I do?’

‘In the multitude of my anxieties within me, Your comforts delight my soul’ (Ps. 94.19)
Turn your eyes to the deep things of God.
Cease from an anxious consideration of seen things, which are temporary,
and gaze by faith on things that are eternal.

Remember your way is ordered by a higher power than your will and choice.
The eternal God has fixed your every step.
All things are fixed by the Father’s hand.
He who loved us from before the foundations of the world
has immutably determined every step of our pilgrimage.

It is a blessed thing,
after you have been muddling and meddling with your anxieties,
to throw your burdens on the Lord and leave them there.”
Charles Haddon Spurgeon | Beside Still Waters

According to Wyatt

2008-06-06T10:21:00.003-05:00

This was a conversation sparked by PJ telling him that before he was married he did not have children.

"Mommy, I am going to take the rings down to Lauren (he is the ring bearer with JJ), give them to her, and then she will have lots of babies."

Another conversation about sin.

"How did Jesus not sin?" Because He was God's son. "But what about when he was mad?" He had self-control, Buddy. "What about when he screamed?" I guess he never screamed with a bad attitude. "What if someone took his toys?" Well honey, he must have just shared his toys with a good attitude. "Probably He did not have any motorcycles." "And probably He did not have any Annie's" What do you mean He had no Annie's? "If he had a Annie, he would have screamed at her."

Talking about Adam and Eve.

"Mommy, Adam was scared of God so he hid." Yes Buddy, Adam and Eve were sad and scared that they ate the fruit and disobeyed God, so they thought maybe they could hide from God. "If I hide from God, I am going to go under your bed." Why would you hide from God, honey? "Because I might eat lots of cookies later."

Another Eye Update

2008-05-31T08:17:00.003-05:00

I took Danae to the Dr. again yesterday morning. Everything looks good and she is off all of the medication. Praise God.

The only thing now is that part of the abcess is still there. He is hoping it goes away all on its own, but if it does not, it may need to be removed. If not it would be there forever I guess. You can see the remains of it in the picture above.

The abcess is still hard, but there is nothing "wrong" with it except not wanting her to live with it there the rest of her life. I am praying God heals it and nothing invasive will have to happen. He will be watching this as well as keeping an eye on her sight over the next couple years. He does not think her sight would have been affected, but wants to make sure.

If you look closely you can see her left eye is shaped different than her right. In the grand scheme of life this is not a big deal, but I am hoping this also gets better as her eye continues to heal and she gets older.

Danae continues to be the PERFECT baby and I am so grateful she is in our life. I am grateful for God's protection of her over the past month and trust he will continue to heal her.

Want To Keep The Kids Out Of The Way?

2008-05-28T12:29:00.005-05:00

Give them a hose.

Surgery

2008-05-22T14:46:00.003-05:00

Danae had surgery this morning to open up her left tear duct and remove a cyst in her left nostril that had apparently been there since birth. (She has had trouble breathing through that side since she first came out. It was finally found that was the problem.) The surgery went well and it seems as though this will fix the problems.

Thankfully she had no adverse reactions to putting her to sleep. Her opthamologist says we still have a long road ahead to make sure this fixes everything, so many Dr. visits are still going to be a part of my life. Please pray that God continues to heal these two areas, that the process would be over sooner rather than later, and that there would not large amounts of scar tissue in her nose where they cut out the cyst. Please also pray that a cold she picked up a few days ago would clear quickly, and now that the cyst is gone, the cold would leave so she could see what it was like to breathe free and clear!

I am praising God for protecting my baby and trust He will continue to heal her little nose and eye. Thank you for all of your prayers for her!

We Are Home!

2008-05-07T18:33:00.003-05:00

Thank you to everyone who has been praying for Danae and I. I am sure most of my readers know what happened, so if you do not, you can email me and I will explain the whole thing.

Here is an update for those who do not know. The infection in the eye is gone. By God's grace is never made it to her optic nerve (they were worried at first) and as far as they know did not affect her sight. Although the actual infection is gone, her eye is still swollen and there is a place in her nose that is also swollen. Because of that, we are being sent to a surgeon specialist to find out if this will need to be surgically drained.

The Dr.'s do not think that the cysts are anything but fluid, so long term damage will be none. This I am thankful for. Please be praying that the Dr.'s are correct, it is just fluid in these parts, and that whatever needs to be done to fix it will be safe and effective.

Our hospital stay was as good as a hospital stay could be. There was lack of sleep, annoying things to be done constantly like vital signs, and lots of sticking my poor baby to get iv fluids in her. They must have stuck her 10 times at least during the stay. It was aweful. She had 3 collapsed veins during the stay, so they had to keep redoing the iv. It was difficult for me to see her in pain and being fooled with so much, but God and the best mother and grandmother in the world helped me through it. My mom helped me to realize that this was a great opportunity to get some reading, praying and thinking done. I was able to listen to worship music, read a great biography, and pray lots while I was there. It was a great way to pass the time!

Thank you to everyone who stepped up and helped me and my family. Thank you Tammy for being the best friend ever and organizing everything. Thanks Rachel and Tara for cleaning my house! And thanks to all who helped with my kids (Rachel, Rebekah, Amy, Erin, JJ, Janelle, Dad, Elyse. Did I miss someone?) I was telling mom that it amazes me how people rally around each other in time of need. It was awesome to see the local church in action!

Please continue to pray for us as the ordeal is not over. Things to be praying for are:

The infection stays away

Finances

Wisdom for all her Dr.'s

Rest for Danae and I

And most important protection for my baby girl in whatever needs to happen.

Last, thank you to my mom for being the most amazing person that I know. Thank you for sitting in the room with me for all those days. For holding Danae and comforting her when it was too hard for me to watch. For the many lunches and dinners you got me so I did not have to eat the food there. And mostly for being there for me. Just knowing you were there, or coming soon, helped me to get through this ordeal and I am sure it helped the baby girl too! If it were not for the fact I was her food source, I truly believe you would be her favorite person. :-) I love you!

Hospital

2008-05-07T18:31:00.001-05:00

Update on Eye

2008-05-01T12:16:00.003-05:00

Here is a picture of her eye today. She seems to be able to open it more. We are still dealing with the pain and not sleeping, but thankfully mom spent the night last night so I could get some rest. Tomorrow we have her follow-up appointment and I am praying all is ok.

Torture

2008-04-29T12:05:00.002-05:00

Danae had to have a cyst removed from her eye. It was there due to a blocked lacrimal gland. Here is the very sad picture. It was a horrible ordeal and Danae AND Mommy are traumatized for life.

Guess The Newborn Baby

2008-04-26T10:31:00.002-05:00

I have been organizing photos and trying to keep track of who is who. So....do YOU know?

Guess The Newborn Baby

2008-04-26T10:23:00.004-05:00

Attempting To Smile, But Accomplishing Looking Drunk

2008-04-26T09:56:00.002-05:00

5 Week Old Danae

2008-04-26T09:39:00.005-05:00

More to come, but blogger is really slow right now.

New Blog Name

2008-04-18T10:05:00.003-05:00

I was thinking today that Unambiguously Speaking does not really suit my blog anymore. It did when I used to write on "hot" topics, but now it is basically about motherhood, my family, homeschooling etc. Perhaps I will write something of substance in the future, but for now I do not have time.

So....I want to rename my blog, but I am not the creative type. I would love to hear some ideas!! I know there are some creative ones out here somewhere.

Crazy Life

2008-04-14T19:42:00.005-05:00

I thought I would give an update on my new, crazier life.

First, Danae is a wonderful baby. I have been known to say that the newborn stage is not my favorite stage of life for my children, but she has made me realize why people actually like newborns. She is a little clingy, but I can deal with that. She eats great, sleeps great, and is very consolable when she is upset about something. I have really been enjoying her and she has made it easy for me to fall in love with her.

Second, my other children. Kayla has been amazing. I had worked a lot with her before Danae came on some different things, but I feel like she has grown up even in the past three weeks. She is doing laundry and helping me clean. One morning Anniston woke up early and she got her up, took her down and made her breakfast, and cleaned up when they were done. She continually amazes me and even says she likes helping me....sometimes.

Wyatt has been incredibly sweet and good about a new baby in our life. He loves her very much and actually tries to kiss and hold her a little too much.

Anniston, well, oh my. That is really all I have to say about her. Anything that comes to mind about how she may be acting, it is probably true.

Ok, so here are some things I have learned since having a baby.

1. My kids think I am deaf. Every time she even starts to cry everyone starts yelling "the baby is crying, the baby is crying!". Annie just runs around yelling random stuff with them. I have tried to explain that Mommy has ears and can hear things too.

2. 20 month olds and 3 years olds can figure out quickly what they can do while there is a baby nursing. They have realized that is the time to put diaper rash medicine all over the playroom, put toilet paper around the entire upstairs, bite each other, go on a walk outside by themselves, eat lots of cookies, and fill many cups full of ice cubes and then pour them all over the kitchen floor. Apparently, it is fun to slide on the floor on cold ice.

3. Planning to leave the house takes 24 hours.

4. Everyone always needs me at the same time. I may incorporate a new rule. Only one child can say "Mommy" at a time. And, the other children have to wait at least 10 minutes to say the word Mommy again. I don't know why this has become worse since the baby came.

5. You do not have to change diapers as much as people think. They really can make it a long time. It saves time and money. Actually, running around naked works great.

6. Spanking is much harder when you have to nurse so much. What I really need is a giant paddle that I can reach all of downstairs from my chair in the living room.

And finally, I have learned that I can love a fourth child as much as my other three. I have learned that one more little face to kiss is amazing and watching my children love her is amazing. I have found that no matter how crazy my day, and how stressed out I get, I realize more and more each day that I am doing exactly what I should be doing. Loving and training four of the coolest, most adorable, hilarious, wild children.

They make me laugh, they make me cry and they scare me to death, but what an awesome job I have. I did not think I had the strength to handle one more, but God is helping me to not only handle it, but realize that the scary expectation of four children was harder than actually having them. If I only had trusted Him months ago, it could have saved me a lot of stress leading up to having Danae. One day I will learn.

Oh, gotta run. Thankfully Kayla and Wyatt just informed me that Danae is crying......

"We often speak of the birth of the child as a matter of course
...of no great moment but to the parents and relations.

But indeed the birth of a child,
whether in a palace or a workhouse,
is an event of more real importance than the
temporal concerns of an entire kingdom!

When a child is born, an immortal soul is born.

To have the charge of such beings,
to form their minds in their tender years,
to bring them up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord,
and at last to present them to Him,
enables us to say,

'Here am I, and the children Thou hast given me'

--- oh what a blessing!"
John Newton

Wyatt and JJ's 3rd Birthday

2008-04-11T22:11:00.001-05:00

Baby Girl Is Here

2008-03-24T21:23:00.002-05:00

Below are a couple of pictures of our newest addition. Better pictures and more information will come, but this is all I have time for right now!

Danae Jewel 9lbs 2oz 21inches

2008-03-24T21:22:00.001-05:00

Curriculum

2008-02-12T23:55:00.005-05:00

Ok all you homeschooling moms, I have a question for you. What curriculum did you use this year? What did you like about it? What did you not like about it? Are you using it again, or changing to something different? Are you even thinking about it yet?

Funny Story

2008-02-09T20:48:00.000-05:00

Today we had a few people over to paint a couple rooms. Taraleigh was kind and brave enough (or crazy!) to take my children, her children, and JJ to the park. Here is a picture from today and a story in her own words. Enjoy!

Ok, so there is a story behind this picture. Yes that is Sanford Bay behind them. We cleaned everything up and took a couple of trips to the van to get all the playdough,soccerballs,juice cups, jackets, etc. loaded up. The boys had been talking about "throwing leaves in the water" and I thought okay that will be fun to do on our way out. Have you ever seen one adult cross the street with SIX children??? Hilarious!!! I was holding Annie in one arm, JJ and Joseph's hand in my other hand, Wyatt's hand in my pocket, the girls holding hands holding on to me. (WHILE THEY ARE ALL HOLDING THEIR STICKS AND LEAVES TO THROW IN THE BAY) Thankfully someone felt nice that day and stopped so we could cross. We get across the road after it takes us about 10 minutes to walk and stay together. I look at the drop off and think "WHAT WAS I THINKING" I had visions of the boys pushing each other in or Brianna jumping in. I made everyone stand out 5 feet away from the edge to throw their stuff in and since it was windy NOTHING went in. So I picked it all up and threw it in myself and had them all sit to take their picture..then another 10 minutes to cross the street...then another to get in the van....It was so funny I could not stop laughing at what a dummy I am....we made a memory though ~ well at least I did. :)

Quote of the Week

2008-02-06T17:12:00.000-05:00

After many discipline sessions to keep Wyatt in bed, I heard him calling me from his room. I was glad he at least was calling me and not getting out of bed.

"Mommy, I can't go to sleep. My eyes are arguing with me."

Confused I asked. "Buddy, your eyes are arguing with you? What are they arguing about?"

"I want to go to sleep, but my eyes do not want to."

Random January Photos

2008-02-01T20:54:00.001-05:00

Daily Life Photos

2008-02-01T20:49:00.000-05:00

I realized I never post pictures of what my children actually look like on a normal day. I usually post the adorable ones where they look all put together, clean, etc etc.

Here are some random photos from January where things are not exactly like that. PJ bought me a cheap little camera that is easy to yank out and shoot with. His really nice one was a little much to quickly get to and take normal pictures.

This is Crazy

2008-01-14T21:20:00.001-05:00

Did you hear about the woman who delivered two kids, but they were not twins? Apparently, she conceived one three weeks after the other. She originally was pregnant with twins, one miscarried, and three weeks later she conceived another child.

I guess after she miscarried her body ovulated again for some reason. Even though she was still pregnant with the other twin. I don't get it.

Here it is.

Visit to Virginia

2008-01-12T22:36:00.000-05:00

Christmas night we left around 10:30pm for Appalachia, VA to visit PJ's grandmother. It was an interesting ride (about 12 hours), but we survived and the kids did fairly well in the car. I will post some pics, but first I will share the funniest story from the trip. Background: I have never really "explained" body parts to Wyatt. He has never asked, never seemed to care, so I never brought it up. Well, here is a conversation from the car....I have now explained. :-)

"Mommy!!....help!!"

"Wyatt, what is wrong baby?"

"My tail hurts!"

"Buddy, what are you talking about? Your tail? Do you mean the horsie you are playing with."

"No, mama, MY TAIL RIGHT HERE, FIX IT!!!"

Well, use your imagination. I had apparently put his diaper on when it was bedtime and smooshed the poor thing. After being fixed, we proceeded to have a conversation about how it is not a tail. :-)

Enjoy the pictures!

Virginia

2008-01-12T22:35:00.001-05:00

Christmas Pictures

2008-01-12T21:54:00.002-05:00

Below are from Christmas morning.

Check out my Slide Show!

2008-01-12T21:54:00.001-05:00

Merry Christmas!

2007-12-25T21:14:00.000-05:00

I hope everyone had a fun day today. We sure did, but are now about to be leaving for Imboden, Virginia. I am not exactly sure where that is. Somewhere near the border of TN and VA in the mountains.

We will be visiting PJ's grandmother (who he hasn't seen in about 18 years!), his dad, and some other extended family. Pray for our safety and sanity if you think about it. All of the driving for a short visit should be interesting. I am sure I will have some great stories and pictures to share when we get home.

Enjoy the rest of your week!

Update

2007-12-17T10:42:00.000-05:00

Ok....fine!! Here is the much anticipated update on the Herron Clan.

Kayla is doing good with school. We have continued through December since we anticipate a long break when baby girl arrives. We stick to about 3-4 days a week. She is also loving the newest addition to the family, a Chesapeake Bay Retriever named Auburn. Yes, after the football team. Kayla named her one night while watching a game. It totally fit since she is an Auburn type color too. Kayla enjoys doing "shows" for Wyatt and Auburn with horses or babies or whatever is laying around.

Wyatt is, well, Wyatt. I never know what is going to come out of that boys mouth. He loves the Christmas season and looking at lights, going to parades, and insists Santa is real and bringing him a train table. He also thinks there is baby boy in his tummy.

Anniston, my sweet baby girl, is not so sweet all the time. She has enjoyed this Christmas season and destroying all that comes with it. We are on our second tree (I found her sitting on our old one. She defeated it well.), she has broke two stocking holders, and poor Frosty in the front yard suffers daily. Thank the Lord she is so darn cute. Her newest word is football (go figure). We are still trying to get her to communicate better since AAAHAHAHAHAHAHA is totally not working for me right now.

Mommy is hanging in there. I am 26 weeks and starting to become...um...larger, fatter or whatever word you would like to use. Looks like baby girl #3 is Danae Jewel. We have gone back and forth for weeks now, but PJ told me the other night it is for sure. Thank the Lord....I just want her to have a name!

That is all for now. Hopefully it will appease you and I hope to actually post more. Who believes me!!!

We Are Having A........

2007-11-02T22:30:00.000-05:00

I am now almost 20 weeks and had my sonogram this afternoon. So far, my entire family had said that we would, without a doubt, have a boy. This included dad and PJ who have yet to be wrong about my babies. Well, they were wrong!

We now know baby girl Herron #3 will arrive in March. Now we all have to begin getting used to the idea of having a house full of girls. I am thinking we should all be praying for PJ and Wyatt now.

Right now she will be Natalie Jewel, although it is not set in stone. PJ is saying he is rethinking it. Thankfully, from what we could see, she is healthy and measuring correctly. Praise God for another healthy baby and another surprise!

Have a great weekend!

New Pics of Kids

2007-10-23T08:11:00.000-05:00

Ok Fine....I Will Post Again

2007-10-19T18:33:00.000-05:00

I cannot believe I have not posted in over a month! Life is full right now, and by the time I catch up on everyone else's blogs, I have no time to blog myself. Here is a quick update on our life.

Kayla is doing great with 1st grade. She tends to get overwhelmed with lots of work, so we are sticking with the basics. Math, reading, and handwriting. I try and get the other stuff in with the stuff we read together. She is obsessed with space, so we read about space....science done. If she asks about Indians or a state we do research into that....history and geography done. The beauty of homeschooling a young one is how flexible I can be. As long is she is enjoying what she is doing, she learns so much more than me forcing subjects down her throat.

Wyatt is starting to really grow up. He actually sits and does projects for longer periods. He talks constantly, and still has his wild side, but he does seem a little more under control. Currently he is obsessed with motorcycles and football.

Anniston is well....a 15 month old. Temper tantrums because mommy doesn't understand what aaaaahhhh means, getting into anything that she should not be, and unable to sit still for more than five minutes. Boy is she adorable, though.

We still do not know what baby #4 is. Hopefully I will get to the sonogram place in the next couple of weeks. I am almost 19 weeks, so right now is actually the ample time to get that information. I just haven't done it yet.

This season is full due to the start of basketball season. I am enjoying coaching for my fourth season. I love being able to serve the church in that way and love working with my girls. I appreciate how they put up with my kids running around the gym during practice. I love the relationships I have built with them over the years. Some of my graduates have become my friends, love my kids (bonus I receive from coaching is babysitters), and we have learned a lot from each other over these years. It is a crazy time, but I really do love it.

I hope everyone has a great week.....but I wonder if anyone will even read this. You have probably given up on me!!

Recovering

2007-09-08T16:30:00.000-05:00

I wanted to give an update on my family for those who have heard of our recent drama. Thank you to all who have been praying for us.

For those who did not hear, we spent Thursday mid morning/early afternoon at the ER with Wyatt. I decided to take him after watching him pass out in front of my eyes and proceed to vomit everywhere for what seemed like forever. He became a rag doll, white as a ghost, very feverish and I could not get him to keep his eyes open. So......off like a crazy woman to the ER I went thoughts flying through my mind of parasites in his brain or meningitis and other terrible ailments. The diagnosis? Pneumonia. I was grateful because I had come up with many more terrible problems in my mind!

Friday morning we were off to the Dr. again because of more vomiting. I also had the girls checked out. Here is what we have.

Wyatt - Pneumonia.
Kayla - Crackling in her lungs. She was put on a nebulizer and it got better, so they prescribed her a inhaler.
Annie - Double ear infection, but nothing in her lungs. Thank God!

Now Mommy feels terrible, but the important part is that the kids are doing much better. Wyatt is becoming his normal self again today.

Our dramatic week is over, my babies are feeling better, and my house is clean thanks to Mom, Janelle, Julia, and Lauren. A clean house makes EVERYTHING better!

Have a great weekend.

First Appointment

2007-08-27T19:43:00.000-05:00

Today I had my first appointment with my midwife. We have decided to have this baby at home. I would have never thought that I would have a baby at home, but after my last hospital experience and seeing Rachel have Elsie at home, I was sold. Even PJ is on board.

I am using a midwife in Winter Springs. She is pretty kooky (is that a word?) and earthy. Basically everything you would expect from a homebirth midwife!
She has a house on lots of land that the kids got to explore while we talked over everything. Unfortunently, our maternity health insurance is terrible, so it is cheaper to pay out of pocket for a homebirth than to use a typical practice and hospital with our insurance. Maybe that is why PJ is on board! Either way, it seems like this is the way to go and we are at peace and even a little excited about it.

I got to hear the heartbeat (only one Mom!), which surprised me at the early stage of 10 weeks. I am still coming to grips with the fact I am even pregnant, so hearing a heartbeat was a little weird. It was almost like I was surprised it was there. Maybe I thought this was all a funny joke. Now it is official, there is a little person in there!

Keep us in your prayers if you think about it. The main requests would be:

Finances
Having 4 children
Health of baby
This mommy taking care of 3 while wanting to only lay in bed all day, not move, not eat, feel bad for myself, and sleep sleep sleep........

Thank you!

Help

2007-08-22T20:32:00.000-05:00

First let me say thank you for those who participated (keep them coming!) in our name quest. I have enjoyed hearing what everyone thinks! Once I know no one else is going to post, I will post the winner. Although, that does not mean we will use it. You have got to give us a few more months of fighting and arguing before it is official.

Here is my actual "Help" question.

For those who homeschool, and have young children, what ideas do you have for keeping them out of the way? I start school with Kayla next week and have been racking my brain of what to do with Wyatt (2yo) and Annie (1yo). Hopefully, Annie will continue her morning naps until she is 4. Yeah right.

Please comment any ideas you have, or have used yourself. Thanks!

Baby Name Vote

2007-08-18T19:28:00.000-05:00

PJ and usually have major issues naming our children. I would like to take care of this name thing early on, so I am allowing all of you to take part in the vote. We may not listen to you, but it would be fun to hear what you think. I will give names and meanings.

Girl

Natalie Jewel Herron (Natalie - To be born, or Christ's birthday)

Danae Elyse Herron (Danae - Showered with gold)

Boy

Garrett Jacob Herron (Garrett - Strenght of the spear) PJ's favorite

Gareth Jacob Herron (Gareth - Gentle) I personally like this better than Garrett. More unique.

Colton (Cole) Jacob Herron (Colton - swarthy person. Swarthy means a person with a dark complexion, in case you
were wondering)

I heard today my father and mother-in-law read this, so I better hear from you both too, Roy and Mary! No more stalking my website without making comments!! :-)

Added:

I wanted to add a couple things (for those who read this before I said this) We can swap the girls middle names. Example: Natalie Elyse instead of Natalie Jewel etc.

Also, for my brothers and husbands sake...

Virgil Jacob Herron (Virgil being Wyatt Earps brothers name)

Doc Holliday Herron :-)

I think my brothers and husband would love for us to have a little Doc and Wyatt or Virgil and Wyatt running around. :-)

Still Alive

2007-08-14T08:33:00.002-05:00

Yes, I am alive and well. Feeling pretty much like BLAH, but hanging in there. I am hoping I start feeling better by the time we start school. I decided I will share what the top 10 things I am looking forward to this Fall/Winter are. I think it might make me feel better this morning!

In no particular order:

1. Football season starting! I love football and I love fantasy football. I can't wait to come home on Sundays to the unlimited games (Direct TV Sunday ticket), watching the Redskins, and lounging on the couch while my kids nap. Good times.

2. Starting homeschooling.

3. Coaching basketball. This will be my 4th year coaching the Regent Acadamy's Girls Varsity Team.

4. The MOM's meetings starting up again.

5. Holidays. I can't wait to go shopping the day after Thanksgiving!

6. Family nights. We are starting to get together once a month as a family to go over the Fruits of the Spirit. I think my dad wants us to love each other more. Or maybe it is have patience with each other? Self-control?

7. Weather getting cooler, or at least not being oppressively hot.

8. Doug and Devi coming to town.

9. Feeling better and getting back into a rhythm and schedule!

10. Watching my kids grow up a little more and getting ready for one more!

Shrinking Family

2007-08-02T08:18:00.000-05:00

I have been thinking recently how next year we will officially be a family of six. It is amazing that already people consider our family large. I cannot go anywhere without somebody giving me a look of sympathy and telling me "wow, you have your hands full". I find it funny most of the time. I think about what people must have though of my mom when she was walking through the store with six little ones in tow.

I wonder what people will think when I have two in a stroller, one walking with me, and a pregnant belly. Most will think we do not know how to use birth control. Although, perhaps that is true!, I would love to just leave out the part about the "accident". I would love to see the looks on their faces when I say how excited we are to have four children. That we would have it no other way. I think being happy about having four children in six years would be pretty shocking to most.

According to the Census Bureau figures, since 1970 the percentage of households containing five or more people has fallen by half. And it keeps shrinking. I am not here to say we must all have at least four children. What I am curious about is why it is so bizarre to have more than 1 or 2 kids, as if there was something irresponsible about it.

I was talking to a lady at church on Sunday about my pregnancy. She has 7, I think. She was saying that more people will ask you bizarre questions. One person asked her if she thought she had to many children. She answered back, well which one of these children you see do you think I should not have had?

I would LOVE to hear from people on this. There are so many different reasons for family sizes. I think it would be very interesting to hear how many kids you have (if any), if you are done, if you do not have children how many do you want, why?

I would really love for this NOT to be a debate about how many children are to many, not enough etc. I would just love to hear the perspective or opinion from others. I have noticed that "large" families in today's society are taboo, so assuming believers are the only ones reading this blog, are they becoming taboo even for us?

Anniston Janelle is 1!

2007-07-31T07:32:00.000-05:00

What would our life be like without our sweet Annie? I found out I was pregnant with Anniston
when Wyatt was barely 7 months old. This was even a bigger shock due to him getting over colic the month before. I felt somewhat normal for one month, only to find out I was pregnant.

Oh, but the joy she brings to our life! Yes, she has that Herron personality.....loud, rowdy, temper, and oh so cute! I love watching Kayla and Wyatt hug and kiss on her. I love how much she loves her daddy, Papa and Granma, and all her aunts and uncles. (Yes, especially Janelle!) I am so grateful to God that he is in control and not us. He knew we all needed the baby girl!

Surprise!

2007-07-28T10:39:00.001-05:00

I know it has been a while since I last posted, but we have been busy trying to wrap our minds around our latest news. I found out earlier this week that I am pregnant with my fourth! This comes as a total shock to both PJ and I, but we are slowly getting used to the idea and God is helping us to realize that this child is a gift from Him, regardless of whether it was planned!

I had always wanted four children, PJ was content with the three we have for now, but apparently God wanted us to have four quicker then we planned. :-) So, by the grace of God, another little Herron will make an appearance sometime late
March. Kayla will be 6 1/2, Wyatt will be barely 3, and Annie will be 20 months. Lord help me!

Here is a quote my friend Megan put on her blog when she found out about her fourth pregnancy. I have read it before, but it is a wonderful reminder.

From Stepping Heavenward.

“I shall now have one mouth the more to fill, and two feet more to shoe;
more disturbed nights, more laborious days,
and less leisure for visiting, reading, music and drawing.
This is one side of the story to be sure, but I look at the other.
Here is a sweet, fragrant mouth to kiss;
here are two more feet to make music with their pattering about my nursery.
Here is a soul to train for God, and the body in which it dwells is worthy of all it will cost,
since it is the abode of a kingly tenant.
I may see less of friends, but I have gained one dearer than them all,
to whom, while I minister in Christ’s name,
I make a willing sacrifice of what little leisure for my own recreation, my other darlings had left me.
Yes, my precious baby, you are welcome to your mother’s heart,
welcome to her time, her strength, her health, her tenderest cares, to her life-long prayers!
Oh, how rich I am, how truly, how wondrously blest!”
Elizabeth Prentiss | Stepping Heavenward

The Price is Right

2007-07-24T08:18:00.000-05:00

I do not watch The Price is Right often, but I used to love it. I just came across this article today.

I will post something for real sometime soon. Life is crazy right now. :-)

Pictures

2007-07-22T14:43:00.001-05:00

Just wanted to let those of you, who care, know that there are pictures from 4th of July and Kayla's 6th birthday at our picture blog.

Happy Birthday Kayla!

2007-07-18T21:34:00.000-05:00

My baby girl is 6 years old tomorrow! (Thursday the 19th). I cannot believe I am the mother of a six-year-old little girl.

I remember the day she was born like it was yesterday. I went into the hospital sometime after 5am because of heavy bleeding. I was scared that something was wrong, but I heard later, my mom was even more afraid then I was! They checked me, but I was not in active labor. Apparently, a blood vessel had burst or something. Since I was five days late already, and they did not know really why I was bleeding, my midwife broke my water around 8am. Five hours and twenty minutes later, Kayla Sheree came into this world.

She had her daddy's dark hair and his side of the families eye color. She weighed 8lbs 8oz and was 19 inches. She was so fat! I remember just being in shock that I had a baby. She was such a good baby, but only liked to sleep in her carseat or swing.

She has brought so much joy into my life. God has used her to change my perspective on so many things. From homeschooling, to realizing my parents were right about pretty much everything, to me wanting my life/job to be raising her. She is growing up so fast. She talks constantly, wants to know why about everything, is a wonderful big sister, smart, absolutely gorgeous, fun and has a smile on her face almost constantly.

Thank you Lord for giving me my baby girl. Protect her as she grows Lord. I pray that she will continue to want to know more about You and will live her life to glorify You. Thank you for entrusting her to PJ and I and help us to raise her to be God fearing, to love the church, and to serve you. Please help us to be examples to her of what that looks like. Bless these wonderful childhood years she has and I pray she looks back on them with fond memories. Soften her heart towards the Gospel, Lord, this next year. I am a truly blessed woman! Amen

I Have Now Been Tagged

2007-07-11T22:24:00.001-05:00

I got tagged by Janelle at Reformed-TULIP-Charismatic-Girl. The rule is that I must list 5 reasons why I love Christ. After that, I must tag 5 other bloggers. So here it goes.

1. I love Christ because He elected me! Why He chose me, I will never know, but how grateful I am!! "though they were not yet born and had done nothing either good or bad—in order that God's purpose of election might continue, not because of works but because of Him who calls" Romans 9:11

2. I love Christ because He chose to give me the parents I have. I do not understand the love of Christ to give me the undeserved gift of the most loving, forgiving, wise, and fun parents in the world. They have sacrificed their life in more ways then I can explain for me and my siblings. I love them so much!!

3. I love Christ because he uses all the circumstances in my life, whether I think they are "good" or "bad", to help me grow, help me to become smaller and Him to become bigger, and to help me trust in Him. He gives me favor even when I do not pursue Him.

4. I love Christ because He forgives me over and over and over. "In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace" Eph 1:7

5. I love Christ because He gave me a wonderful husband who loves me and his family so much. A husband who is committed to me, loyal to me, and puts up with my randomness and annoyances and calls them cute. A husband who gave me three of the most beautiful children in all the world and who I cannot wait to get to know even better over our lifetime.

Here is who I want to tag:

Erin at My Family/My Life

Tammy at The Griffith Family

Meghann Roberts at Four!

Megan Russell at Russell Life
(BTW Megs, I did not even know you came here till I saw your comment on my last post. Congratulations on your news!! I tried to comment on your blog, but it would not let me for some reason. Email me. We got a new computer and it did not save your address.)

Kathy at Laffy Kathy

Contentment

2007-07-10T08:08:00.000-05:00

Why is it that I so easily lose sight of the joy and privilege I have of staying home with my children? Well, I actually know it is because of my sin, but it concerns me when I get to a place of discontentment. Usually I know this is happening when I find myself getting frustrated or angry with them. Or, thinking that I "need" a break. And even having thoughts of what I could be doing, the money I could be making, and the recognition I desire from others about what I do (especially my husband).

It is hard when I get up every day to the same exact thing I did the day before. Annie wakes up, I feed her, Kayla wakes up after her, Wyatt wakes up last (mostly because it took him SO long to actually go to sleep the night before). I feed the older two. I put Annie down for her morning nap, try to get cleaning done while disciplining the kids for arguing, fighting, hitting, biting etc. etc. etc. I try to find fun things for them to do to keep them occupied and keep me from putting them in front of the TV. Annie wakes up, feed them lunch. Clean up and down for afternoon naps. After that I make any phone calls and emails. Kids wake up, start dinner, eat dinner, bathe kids and start the bedtime routine. Nowadays, that process with Wyatt seems never ending. Kids are down, spend some time with PJ, go to bed and start the same thing over again in the morning.

There are times I wish away this season of my life. The day Kayla can babysit her siblings, so I can go to the store by myself, or have a normal date night (without worrying and feeling like we cannot go anywhere because Wyatt might not go to bed!). The day they will occupy themselves and not want me to play with them all time time. Oh, and of course when I can actually drive somewhere without stopping to discipline for screaming in the car seat, or climbing out of the car seat.

The problem with all of this is that I am wishing away the time of have with my children. I cannot wait to put Wyatt to bed, but actually, I love it when he wakes up in the morning! He comes down stairs and does the same thing. "Hi mama. Time to wake up?? Kiss!" I love going into Annie's room to see her jumping up and down in her crib and laughing showing her adorable dimples. Watching six-year-old Kayla change her baby sisters diaper, or feed her lunch, or even just kiss on her.

Although I can be so discontent, would I trade what I am doing for anything else? No. But, I want to LOVE what I am doing. I want to have an eternal perspective about what I am doing. I want to remember that it is the greatest possible job I could have. I would not trade being able to watch my baby learn to walk for any job in the world. Or, sharing the gospel with my daughter and showing her how to be a wife and mother. Or missing out on the crazy things Wyatt says. (Yesterday he asked of we could go to Jesus's house. I said no baby, Jesus is in heaven. So, he asked if we could go to Chuckee Cheeses house) I get to teach my children to read, about how Jesus died for their sins, how to add and count to 20.

I pray that each day I will not take for granted, that I will not wish I was somewhere else, and I will thank God for how he has blessed me by allowing me to be at home with my kids. May all of us find joy in whatever season of life we are in, and not wish it away, because no matter what you are doing right now, we will all look back on this time as the season God has us in. May we not regret how we used it.

For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven
Ecclesiastes 3:1

Dumbing down....even board games

2007-07-06T14:38:00.000-05:00

I found an article in the Boston Globe about toy-maker Hasbro introducing “express” versions of Monopoly, Sorry, and Scrabble that will only take about 20 minutes to play. “Busy lives” and “shorter attention spans” the article said.

Has it come down to children’s lives being too busy, and their attention spans too short, to participate in a full game of Monopoly, Sorry, or Scrabble. I personally loved the memories of the hours spent playing those game and many others including Clue, Yahtzee, Chutes and Ladders etc. Instead of speeding up games (or dumbing them down) could we not use board games to teach children focus and patience?

I know some of you are thinking, good grief, not a big deal. I personally think this is just another sign of what our societies family life has come to. I wonder if those same people, who are going to buy the express games, have time to sit and watch a movie? Jake, Joey, Janelle? When is the last time you asked mom and dad if they wanted to sit at the dining room table and play scrabble instead of watching or going to a movie? Do you have enough time in your lives to do that?

I understand there are times that you cannot finish an entire board game. But, spend the extra money to buy express games? Why not just declare a winner? Oh, never mind, that might hurt the child's self-esteem if they lose.

Sports

2007-07-03T11:09:00.001-05:00

I have a random question. If or when you have kids, do you plan on them playing sports? Why or why not? If you think they will, what sports? Why?

Dumbing Down Part 3

2007-06-30T19:26:00.000-05:00

Sitting facing the television, muttering half thoughts or reactions into black space - this is the primary linguistic training ground for most of my students. It does not in any way adequately serve the goal of developing and strengthening verbal communication because there is no meaningful interaction. I have before me in my classroom a generation of youngsters whose world encourages linguistic passivity. I must build an awareness of the demands of clear verbal communication on the most rudimentary interpersonal levels.

A. Jane Hamilton
MIddle School Teacher, Hillsboro, NH

According to Dr. Healy (Endangered Minds) language shapes culture, thinking, and brains. The verbal bath in which society soaks its children arranges their synapses and their intellects; it helps them learn to reason, reflect, and respond to the world. The brain is ravenous for language stimulation in early childhood but becomes increasingly resistant to change when the hour of puberty arrives.

The brains of today's children are being structured in language patterns antagonistic to the values and goals of formal education. The culprit, which is now invading all levels of the socioeconomic spectrum, is diminished and degraded exposure to the forms of good, meaningful language that enable us to converse with others, with the written word, and with our own minds. The results are inevitable: declining literacy, falling test scores, faltering oral expression, ineptitude with the written word that extends from elementary schools into the incoming ranks of professionals. Corporations run writing courses for budding executives, universities re mediate basic skills, secondary schools lower standards, and elementary schools add more "learning disability" classes.

Educational planners ignore the basic problem and tout curriculum and methods devised for a previous generation. Old methods are not working because young brains have not been shaped around language as a quintessential tool for analytic thinking. If we want growing brains to build the foundations for traditional modes of academic excellence, we must confront the habits of our culture that are changing the quality and the quantity of our children's conversation.

As noted in a previous post, much of the blame inevitably falls on television, but that is only one symptom of the problem. According to Dr. Healy, no one has defined long-term effects of headphones versus conversation, of computer games or drills versus active social play, of dvds instead of books. How can children bombarded from birth by noise, frantic schedules, and the caretaking of a fast-paced adult world learn to analyze, reflect, and ponder?

Now, how do I as a parent deal with this? Obviously, we live in a culture of technology, a culture where no one plays outside (I had a neighbor knock on my door yesterday to tell me that my children were playing in puddles of water and mud in the rain and it is gross. I was like, um, it was my idea! I don't think she thinks I am a good parent anymore).

I would love to hear some ideas of what some of you moms, dads, singles, whoever, have done, did, or would do, to help avoid the trap of technology over kill.

Vacation

2007-06-25T19:16:00.001-05:00

I am back!

Below are some pictures from the vacation. I will be posting all of them here later tonight. We have some really good ones!

We had a lot of fun while we were there (Flagler Beach, FL), but realized quickly that "vacation" with kids is very different. I told PJ it was like my normal life, but in a different environment. It was worth it to see the kids having a blast and to spend a lot of time with the fam. Mom, dad, Jake, Janelle, and Julia were there the whole time. Joey came on Wednesday (he had to work) and Jesse and Rebekah stayed until Wednesday. Josh and Rach came one day and on Friday we got some day visitors from some singles.

Normal posting to resume soon, but in the meantime, check out my other site for some great pics. Jenn, Lauren, and whoever else, if you want some of the pics from when you were there, you can easily download them from the site.

Check out my Slide Show!

2007-06-25T19:15:00.001-05:00

Vacation

2007-06-16T12:14:00.000-05:00

Just wanted everyone to know that we will be on vacation this week, so not much posting will be happening. I am sure you are all devastated!

I will try to post some pics while I am away, but we will see if that actually happens.

I hope you all have a good week and may it be characterized by JOY!

Yummy lunch

2007-06-13T14:14:00.000-05:00

My kids new favorite activity is catching the many baby frogs that are hopping around our yard recently. I have enjoyed having them around since it keeps Wyatt and Kayla distracted outside for hours.

Well, Annie got in to the action today. I think she was a little confused though because she ate one! Julia dug most of it out of her mouth, but she definitely got the leg down her throat.

I figure many people eat frog legs, it shouldn't hurt her. Who knows what I will find tomorrrow when I change her diaper!!

I know everyones question will be how did she catch it and was it alive in her mouth. The answer....I have no idea. It was dead by the time Julia got there.

Dumbing Down - Part 2

2007-06-12T08:06:00.000-05:00

Excerpt from Endangered Minds.

The Two-Minute Mind:

Why don't - or can't - most young people read? One of the most common complaints among this generation is that books are "too hard" or "boring". Many have trouble with the mental organization and sustained effort demanded by reading. Coming to grips with verbal logic, wrestling one's mind into submission to an author's un-familiar point of view, and struggling to make connections appear to be particularly taxing to today's young intellects.

Informal reports help explain the reality behind the statistics. Even some English majors now find sustained prose a drag. Kristin Eddy, a news aide at the Washington Post and literature major at George Washington University, reported recently on a hands-up poll revealing that only half of her upper-level classmates had bothered to finish the assigned All the King's Men, a bestselling favorite of a previous student generation. Why? "Boring!", "Too hard to follow". Another classmate commented that it "went so slowly that it seemed like it was written by a retarded person".

Students may be learning to sound out words, but unless they possess the internal sense of responsibility for extracting the meaning, they are engaging in a hollow and unsatisfying exercise. With major effort's, we have succeeded in teaching students in early grades to "read the words." Test scores jump off a cliff, however, when students must begin to plug the words into language meaning and grapple with the more advanced grammar, vocabulary, and the sustained intellectual demands of a real text.

Going back to my last post, I would like to say that it is not entirely the fault of video games or TV that children are not reading. I think that it is us as parents who are at fault. Obviously, it is easy to blame current technology for a lot of things, but the reality is, parents actually allow their kids to watch TV, or play video games, or do not read to them. The society we live in is one that both parents work, everyone is running around doing "stuff", we are not content to sit at home, read, play a board game as a family, or just run around outside. Children are overstimulated and easily bored.

Also, I found today that Al Mohler actually blogged about the reading issue a few months ago. Check it out.

Part 1 of Dumbing Down

2007-06-10T22:00:00.000-05:00

Well, I have decided to do a series on the dumbing down of American children. I know it sounds awful to even say it, but I believe it is true, for many reasons, which is why I have decided to do a series on it.

First, I would like to talk about reading, or lack there of. I believe the affect of video games and TV is that reading a book becomes boring and extremely un-stimulating for a child. Since they do not read, but do other mindless activities, it affects attentions spans etc. I will talk more about that later, for now, just read this statistic.

According to Dr. Bernice Cullinan of New York University (found in Endangered Minds), the proportion of readers in the United States is continuing to become smaller with a steady and significant decline in the number of book readers under twenty-one. Here is the result of a large group of "typical" fifth graders when asked how much they spend reading outside of school:

50% read four minutes a day or less
30% read two minutes a day or less
10% read nothing

The same group of children watched an average of 130 minutes of TV per day.

I will let you chew on that for now. Thoughts?

Random

2007-06-07T08:24:00.000-05:00

It has been a while since I last posted. It has been busy around here with swimming lessons etc. I do have some things I have wanted to post on, but it will have to wait for the weekend, or next week. For now, here is an article by Al Mohler that I found interesting. I find it so sad that less and less children are playing outside.

http://www.albertmohler.com/blog_read.php?id=957

Also, somewhat related, here is a book I noticed him talking about in one of his blogs. It is about the importance of "boys being boys", getting hurt, being brave etc.

http://www.dangerousbookforboys.com/

Also, please continue to pray for the Haiti team. I have not heard anything recently, but you can see what is going on by visiting Janelle's site: http://janelle-marie-phillips.blogspot.com/

Enjoy and off to swimming lessons.....again.

Link

2007-06-01T10:13:00.001-05:00

Try this link for the post below. Let me know if it works.

http://www.nytimes.com/2006/12/02/us/02child.html?ex=1322715600&en=c2fbaead896bc256&ei=5088&partner=rssnyt&emc=rss

Boys? Girls?

2007-06-01T06:57:00.000-05:00

http://www.nytimes.com/2006/12/02/us/02child.html?ex=157680000&en=c9088495eb470141&ei=5124&partner=permalink&exprod=permalink

Here is a quote:

At the Park Day School in Oakland, teachers are taught a gender-neutral vocabulary and are urged to line up students by sneaker color rather than by gender. "We are careful not to create a situation where students are being boxed in," said Tom Little, the school's director. "We allow them to move back and forth until something feels right."

I would not doubt that the next great idea, from the government, would be gender neutral public schools. I am not going to comment much, just read the article and let me know what you think.

:-)

Instruction of Children

2007-05-27T15:33:00.000-05:00

I went to a great meeting at the FPEA conference this weekend, Ginger Plowman (author of "Don't Make Me Count to Three"). Despite that she spoke INCREDIBLY fast, I was able to get a lot out of the workshop. Some main points were:

Instruction of children is just as important as discipline (spanking). This was a good reminder. I know that the outward behavior of children is a manifestation of what is in their heart, but during the day to day madness, I can focus primarily on the outward behavior. I react to whatever it is they are doing to annoy me, disobey me etc, discipline, and move on.

She also said, "the first objective should not be to let them know how YOU feel about what they have done wrong, but drawing the child out about what THEY think they have done wrong."

Now, obviously we are talking about a child who can actually understand and communicate to you what they have done. Kayla (six years) is very capable of communicating to me what she has done wrong. Wyatt (two years) is beginning to be able to do this as well. Personally, I feel at times like I do not have time to actually draw my kids out. I want to tell them (sometimes loudly and very firmly) what they have done wrong, how this affected Mommy, and that they better not do it again! This is dangerous in many ways, but mostly because it creates a man pleasing "fear" of me and will turn into a possible robotic obedience to please me.

Here are some "deceptive philosophies" of discipline and correction:

Bribing - This encourages selfishness.

Threatening - Basically teaches that mommy or daddy does not mean what they say. Most of the time, we do not follow through with our bribes. Right? May our yes be yes, and our no be no.

Appealing to emotions - "Why would you do that? You know it makes me sad! Do you want mommy to get upset?" This teaches them to be man pleasers.

Manipulating their environment - This was an interesting one for me. She used the example of a toddler and grabbing random items from a table (at another persons home). The child grabs the vase, you move it out of the way, the child grabs the flowers, you move them higher, the child grabs the whatever, you move it higher. Intead of dealing with the child and their self control issues, you manipulate the environment. Basically, as she put it, if you can reach it, it is yours, if you cannot reach it, it is mine. This helps at that very moment, but is not teaching them the root issue of obedience and self control.

Reasoning - Talking them into obedience. For example, I tell Kayla to come to lunch. She says, "no thank you I am not hungry". I proceed to reason with her telling her it will get cold if she does not come, her brother wants to eat with her, I will give her cookies if she eats etc. A great point she made was that usually we are outwitted by the child and end up bribing, but also, that the reasoning puts the child at peer level with the parent. THEY get to decide when the reason is good enough to make it worth their while to obey.

Now how should we respond? Our objective in our communication with our children should be to understand THEM as much as they understand US.

We should:

Probe their hearts
Talk about how they responded to the particular temptation
And discuss other ways they could have responded

Something practical PJ and I plan on doing is creating a "sin chart" much like the one she actually discussed in her seminar. She sells them, but we have decided to make our own. This will hopefully help us to think and prepare for times of disobedience with our children, but also be able to make it based upon the situations that arise most with our particular children. It will have different situations (arguing, selfishness, disrespect) and then scripture to go along with them. Basicially a chart of "put on, put off" of various sins. This way, when a situations arises we will be more prepared to actually take the time to talk, draw out, and help them understand what they are doing is not only disobeying mom and dad, but most importantly, sinning against God.

Some scriptures that she used, but I could not get them all down.

Proverbs 4:3
Romans 3:23 (Instruction)
Mark 7:21
Proverbs 18:2 and 18:13
2 Peter 1:3
James 1:5
James 1:19 (Threatening)
Proverbs 15:28 (Threatening)
Col. 2:8 (Reasoning)
1 Corinthians 10:13

Fred Thompson and FPEA

2007-05-24T07:00:00.001-05:00

Mom forwarded me an email this morning that said: "Signs Point to Fred Thompson Candidacy." This was a report from CBS news. Now, I know he is the guy from Law and Order, but I know nothing else about him.

I am just curious about everyones thoughts about him???

Well, I am off to FPEA (Florida Parents Educator Association) tonight. I find going to the conference (and curriculum fair) is always a lot of fun, but eye opening as well. There is such a huge group of homeschoolers in Florida with so many different opinions, thoughts etc.

Anyway, I will be offline for a couple days, so nothing new will be coming. When I get back though, I will be getting on with my series on public school. I am also starting a book by C.S. Lewis called The Abolition of Man. (Go to the link below to read about it.), which should make for interesting discussions.

(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Abolition_of_Man)

Also, I will eventually post Kayla's gymnastics pictures. This has been requested, but I keep forgetting! Sorry.

Testimony

2007-05-21T21:56:00.000-05:00

Here is the testimony I gave at a Debra Bell conference about 4 years ago. (www.debrabell.com) It is fun to look back and read something I wrote around the time my convictions regarding homeschooling were blooming. What is most amazing is the little girl I was talking about is now almost six! Kayla was probably around two when I wrote it. Time flies. After this, I am done with my history and will continue on with normal posts. Whatever normal is. Enjoy.

I did not always appreciate homeschooling. There where times during my young years I would look outside, see my friends coming home off of the large, yellow bus, and think to myself how “fun” it would be to go to school. In highschool, I wanted to play basketball for a real school; I wanted to buy backpacks and new clothes. Without even stepping in to a school, I was affected by peer pressure, and wanted to be like every other “normal” kid.

Why am I grateful I was homeschooled? One of the main reasons is because it was what was best for me. My parents developed a deep conviction about education, more than likely, before I was born. These were the times when strange looks and thoughts of child abuse came to mind when you mentioned homeschooling. Why in the world would you NOT send your child to school? Despite all of the early difficulties of homeschooling, my parents persevered and I was homeschooled straight through highschool. Despite my lack of appreciation for them, they knew what was best for me. It was best for my spiritual condition; it was best for my education. I am incredibly grateful for their conviction. It was not always mine, but that is why they were the parents, and I the child. Without the convictions of my parents that were shown to me over 18 years, I would not hold the convictions I have now.

Another reason I am grateful I was homeschooled was because my mom set an example of love and a conviction and standard for education, and most importantly, Godliness, that I now am beginning to see in me. As I have grown up, a little at least, and have a child of my own, I realize that I really knew absolutely nothing about why my parents were really homeschooling me. I was so busy wishing I were like other children I missed what homeschooling is really about. It is about having the privilege to educate your own children. To teach them based upon how they are developing, and their style of learning. I want to teach my daughter more than the multiplication tables and grammar rules. I want to teach her what my mom taught me. What a Godly wife looks like, how to serve your husband, and what sacrificing for your children looks like. I also want to make education fun.

I remember trips to Gettysburg, while studying the Civil War, Monday trips to the Zoo, or a museum, getting sunny days off (because the school kids got snowy days off). Sitting with my brothers and sisters at the dining room table, yelling at each other to be quite. Potty training one little brother, and helping to teach another to read. Changing diapers, burping babies, and than going back to do my math. As I think about my education, sometimes I wonder, what would it have been like to not learn these things? I am grateful that my education taught me more than what you can read in a math book.

Sometimes I look at my daughter and wonder how she is going to like being homeschooled. Will she want to get on the big yellow bus, like her mom used to? Will she want to play basketball for a highschool? Then I sit back and think, maybe she will, but like my mom and dad I now have a conviction. A conviction that I pray will hold steady through the times of discouragement. Through times of confusion and wondering why I am doing this. A conviction that goes beyond my daughter’s education, a conviction that will help her grow and teach her things that like me, she will never forget. Kayla may want to get on that bus, but I am now the mother, and finally I know what is best. I am grateful that my parents did not give up. It has and is helping their children, but what is even better, it is now affecting a new generation of children. That is what I am most grateful for.

A Little History

2007-05-20T11:49:00.000-05:00

I realized today one of my first posts, about anything of substance, was about my opinion on the subject of homeschooling. I decided I would give a little history of how I came to my convictions regarding this subject to help you better understand my passion.

I am a second-generation homeschooler. My parents homeschooled me all the way through high school. If you had asked me back then if I was going to homeschool, I would have said NO! Why? The answer, more than likely, would have been lame. Something about how I wanted to play high school sports and how I did not want to deprive my children of that. I also was not going to be a stay-at-home mom and was going to marry rich. Those who know me know how that turned out. :-)

After being married for almost four years, we had our first child. That started my change of perspective about a lot of things. PJ and I made some hard financial decisions in order for me to stay home with Kayla. I stayed home with her while PJ continued his degree and was working full-time.

PJ was a product of the public school system; therefore, was extremely passionate about me homeschooling our children. I was not totally on board, but decided I would start researching the subject. To be honest, it was mostly to talk him out of it. I thought I could find enough information about why public or private schooling was a better option.

When Kayla was around one, I went back to school. My goal was a nursing degree. Thanks to the sacrifice of my mom, I was able to go back full-time while she watched the baby. I did not realize that, although my intention was a nursing degree, God had other plans for my continued education.

Due to the many years I had been out of school, I had to take some remedial math classes. Although I hated math in high school, much to my surprise, I soon found out I was pretty good at it. In these classes, I noticed there were a lot of graduated high school students. I wondered why so many graduates had to start over right out of school. As a matter of fact, a lot of them even dropped out half way through. (FYI, this class was probably the equivalent of what my 8th grade sister is doing right now). I was somewhat disturbed that while I was flying through the material, these kids could not even keep up. I knew that this was not a reflection on my own intelligence; though that would have been nice. It was enough of a shock that my research of education choices became even more of a passion.

Around the same time, I was in a speech class where one of the assignments was an argumentative speech. I decided I would do mine on homeschooling. To make a long story short, during that semester at college, I went from one extreme to another. I no longer was attempting to find a reason not to homeschool, but realized there was no way I was ever NOT going to homeschool. I came to this conclusion, at the time, because I was concerned over the quality of public education. Now I believe there are many more reasons to keep my kids out of public school, and I keep finding more as the years go on.

I never finished my nursing degree. I was only a year and a half away, but we decided to have another child instead of waiting until I was done with school and established in a career. Despite not actually having a degree, I know that I am more than qualified to educate my children. Some may say that you need a degree in order to teach. My mom is an example of that falsehood. She homeschooled (on her last right now) seven children while holding no official degree. So far the success of her children: business owner, computer science major, philosophy major, pastoral intern, stay at home mom/homeschooler, another daughter accepted to nursing program, and two more to go. The more important thing to my mom is not that her children are successful scholastically, but that they are all serving the Lord, serving the local church, and passionate about their family, God, doctrine and truth. She is reaping the benefits of her labors.

I am passionate about homeschooling because I know it is what God desires for my children. I know it will be hard and there are some days I look longingly at the yellow school bus taking little ones away from their home, and I think about how much easier that would be on me. That is why I still research and I love to write about it. It keeps me strong in the hard times and solidifies my beliefs about why I am doing what I am doing. Even if no one ever reads this blog, it has served its purpose.

Tomorrow I will post a testimony I did for a Debra Bell conference at our church about homeschooling.

(The picture is mom and dad holding Kayla in the hospital)

Summer Reading

2007-05-20T06:31:00.000-05:00

Here are some summer reading programs I have found. Thought I would pass them along.

http://www.scholastic.com/summerreading/

http://www.barnesandnobleinc.com/our_company/community/Summer_Reading/Summer_Reading_Program.html

http://www.seminolecountyfl.gov/lls/library/kids/kids_sum07_reading.html

Barnes and Noble and the Seminole County Library give away free books after you have finished your list. Scholastic is just a cute little site to keep track of what you read. B & N also has some great print outs you fill out after you have finished reading the book. I think you have to hand those in before you actually receive your new book.

Finally, Scholastic is still doing their "$1 days". You can get some really great books for a buck. I spent about $8 and ordered some pretty fun activity books for reading etc.

Public Education

2007-05-18T09:37:00.000-05:00

I have started reading a book by Marlin Maddoux called Public Education Against America. It is not a book promoting homeschooling per se, but commentary on the downfall of the American public education system. I have found it very interesting and wanted to share. (With all two of you who actually read this). Perhaps I will make a series of this?

One of the chapters is about how textbooks are slanted toward denigrating Christianity and favoring Islam, and even the infiltration of Islamic doctrine. One woman told of a flyer sent home with her child (from a CA school) called "You and your classmates will become Muslims!" The book goes on:

"We discovered that the students at the school were required to attend an intensive three week course in Islam that mandated that they learn the tenets of Islam, study the important figures of the Muslim faith, wear a robe, and read verses from the Koran. In addition, they had to memorize twenty-five Islamic terms and learn six Islamic (Arabic) phrases, twenty Islamic proverbs, and the Five Pillars of Faith. They also had to study ten key Islamic prophets and disciples".

Can you imagine if any public school tried to teach anything about Jesus or have kids memorize scripture? Most public schools do not even call it Christmas break anymore! There are a lot of people who would send their children to public school to be examples to others, a light in the darkness, etc... I think Challies listed that as one of the reasons he was sending his kids to school. I would think it would be very difficult for a child to be exposed to, and forced to enter in to this kind of role-playing/teaching without becoming confused.

Don't get me wrong, I do believe it is beneficial to teach children about the different religions, teachings, and other falsehoods in the world, but I also believe this should not be expected of an elementary school student.

The book also says:

"The miraculous events leading up to the Koran, the holy book of Islam, and other "revelations" to Muhammad were presented as factual.
On the other hand, any reference of the miraculous regarding Christianity is always set next to the disclaimer, implying an absence of credibility about the stated event. It also emphasizes such things as the Inquisition, the Salem witch hunts, by highlighting in bold, black type."

Another amazing fact was that it mentioned a Jr. High School in CA (what is up with that state?) that had a huge banner on the front grounds of the school that said...."There is one God, Allah, and Muhammad is his prophet." Also, according to Dr. Paul Vitz (who has done extensive research on children’s textbooks), Muhammad's life gets considerable more coverage than the life of Jesus.

I believe it is obvious, even outside of what I have read in this book, that the public education system is steering children further and further from being taught anything about the Christian faith. What is being focused on is tolerance for all religions, all beliefs, and that all are good. Ironically, as this so called tolerance is being taught, anything about Jesus or Christianity, is either ignored, or put in a bad light. Due to a child’s trust in adult authority, and man pleasing attitude, is it not more likely they will be influenced away from Christianity as opposed to standing up for what they believe?

So, my question to the readers of this blog (if I have any), is this: do we need to put our children in public schools to combat the teaching of other religions? If the public school is teaching other religions as “good” and Christianity as a joke or “wrong”, will our children be helpful in teaching other kids the Truth? Are there any 1st-8th grade students who could process information about other religions, understand it to be false, and move on to share the gospel with others in order to make the public school better? Do people really believe that is possible?
Do you?

Don't get me wrong, I think it is a wonderful idea to believe that your children will be lights to the world, and lead their friends to Christ: however, I believe it is naive to think it will actually happen nor do I believe it is their responsibility at six, seven, eight, or nine years old. As parents, it is our job to raise our children and teach them right from wrong. Whether that be not to hit your sister, or to argue with mommy, or not to believe that there is one God, Allah, and Muhammad is his prophet.

There will be ample opportunity for my kids to be lights in the world, but for now, it is my responsibility as a parent to reach out to my neighbors (i.e. the parents of those friends of our children) and be examples to them, it is not my children’s job to do the leading. That time will come, sooner than I think. By the Grace of God, Kayla, Wyatt, and Annie will be strong in their faith, convictions, understanding of doctrine, and love for the Savior so that they are ready to go into the world and teach the Truth. One thing I know for sure, Kayla is not ready to be sent out.

Naming my blog

2007-05-16T12:14:00.000-05:00

After much consideration, I have chosen a blog name. Actually, Joey has chosen my blog name.

At first I was going to play off of Janelle's name. (Reformed-TULIP-Charismatic-Girl). My name was going to be "Mother of three-Christian-Second born of 7-Opinionated-Girl. Decided against that one. PJ mentioned "mommy's musings". "Musings" is overused in the blog kingdom, plus as Joey put it, I am not really the musing type. (Muse - "to think or meditate in silence, as on some subject") He is probably right.

So, he came with "unambiguously speaking". Unambiguous - having or exhibiting a single clearly defined meaning. Or, you could look at the opposite of that. Ambiguous - lacking clearness or definiteness.

According to Joey, it fits me, so I am going with it.

There you have it. Thanks Joey.

(I should give a shout out to Jesse. His blog is "prophetically speaking" and obviously Joey is playing off of that.)

Jaime

Welcome

2007-05-15T20:00:00.000-05:00

I have decided to jump on the e-blogger bandwagon. We already started another mac blog (see my blog links), but because it has to be done on PJ's laptop, it was hard for me to keep it up. I will continue to post most of the pictures of kids etc on that blog, but will use this to write more consistently.

My writings will include stuff about Kayla, Wyatt and Annie, homeschooling stuff, and any other topic I feel like writing about. I do plan on including a lot of links on homeschooling I find helpful, or free things I find. I am still trying to figure out what exactly I am trying to accomplish, but hopefully I will find out once I start!

I also will probably be writing a lot more on here about opinions I have about different topics instead of driving my friends (Erin) crazy with emailing her about them all the time!