Fairfield Corner Academy

DD ~ 1 Favorite Park

2012-05-24T19:23:00.000-05:00

As a homeschool momma, I would have to say my favorite park is
Epcot!

I mean, it is PACKED with educational fun. Some stuff that is SO fun, they don't even know they are learning!!
Where else can you get science and geography/history all in one fun spot!

Dont' get me wrong, I love Animal Kingdom and Magic Kingdom has some pretty awesome rides and it even has a Fire Station, but I believe that if I could only go to one park, it would be Epcot!

5 Days of... Day 5

2012-05-18T08:29:00.000-05:00

Today is my last Service Project day... did you learn anything? Did you find something that touched your heart? Are you looking for some way to get involved in your area? I thought today I would share a few ways to help you find something to do.

Here is one I am currently working on for my kiddos and possibly the local HS teen group or our scout connections or the local community youth - TeenCERT - this is a part of FEMA, teaching/training TEENS to help out in an emergency or a natural disaster.

And some more ideas...
DoSomething - a website that challenges youth to get involved. It is more than just service projects. It has ways you can help and ideas for you to start your own project.

Here is a link with SERVICE PROJECT IDEAS. Here are some EAGLE SCOUT ideas, but anyone can do these. Here is a list from a PUBLIC SCHOOL DISTRICT.

The lists are endless, and so are the ideas.. I challenge all of my readers to find something to do to give back to the community.

If you are going to do anything, might as well keep up with your hours! There is a Presidential Service Award that goes to individuals, troops, groups, families. I encourage you to keep up with your hours and submit them to this site and get the recognition. Trust me, nothing gets a kiddo more excited than see a letter signed by the President. And it wasn't even for him, Riley got excited over my letter!! I am trying to keep updated as a family this year, so the kiddos will get some credit... they don't quite get in enough to make it on their own.

If you have websites that you can share with more ideas and links, please get them to me and I will add them here.

Thank you for following along on my 5Day journey!

Please check out the rest of the 5Days of...

DD ~ 2 Favorite Memories

2012-05-17T19:22:00.000-05:00

Since we went twice in one year, once with my family and then once with Roger's family, I have chosen a favorite memory from each trip to share.
June 2008 ~ we went with my parents and sister. We managed to avoid the rain the whole time we were there.. except one afternoon! A huge storm (yes, storm- thunder/lightening storm) came while we were at Magic Kingdom. Lucky us, we just happened to be in line for the TikiRoom! We stood in line and watched the rain come down.

Once the rain stopped, Chelle, Roger and I headed to Great Thunder Mountain Railroad. We stood in line there for a while, because it was still doing a bit of thunder/lightening and the park had all the rides on stand-by. There was no one in line, so we were able to ride the train 3 times in a row with out wait!

October 2008 ~ we went with Roger's parents. (we didn't avoid the rain this trip ~ we got caught in it most days) The best thing from this trip was the *after-hours* passes! We watched the parade and everyone else leave and the we headed back out for some fun! I don't remember being very many places at the park, but the main place we hung out was where Cinderella's Merry Go Round was. Something cool about after-hours~ the characters are out and roaming and social!! We rode the Merry Go Round with Donald and Pluto and Goofy. Goofy was over friendly & Pluto hung out with me once during the ride!

5 Days of... Day 4

2012-05-17T08:12:00.000-05:00

Saving the biggest and best for last... at least according to my family! Check out your local Volunteer Fire Department. We have been involved with the Fire Department since before Roger and I met... in fact, that's where we met. When we were younger, we were both very active in the firefighting part of it, just as firefighters. I learned a lot while I was there, and it was the starting point for Roger's career as a firefighter.

Fast forward a few years, I have two babies... and Lupus... not much time or energy for the firefighting part of things right now, so I just quietly supported Roger as he continued to remain an active part, as a Captain.

As the kiddos got older, they really enjoyed being down at the station (I mean, what kid doesn't like firetrucks?). I was able to be down there a little at a time to help with paperwork and secretarial stuff in the office. It was about this time that the Ladies Auxiliary was formed. Myself, along with three other ladies, started the auxiliary so we could take on the community events and fundraising with a little more organization. The ladies also help out when they are out on a fire. We take them drinking water, meals when they are out during a meal time. I have sat at a corner in my car and blocked the road because we were short on manpower and no officers are available. I have ran back and forth to the station for whatever may be needed... Any way we can support the firefighters, we do.

Currently, Roger is still a Captain and I am on the board of the auxiliary. The kiddos love helping out. They have carried drinking water to the guys, helped served meals on scene. Between the four of us, we probably put in an average of 30hours a month serving the community through the fire department.

I have said all of this to encourage you to check into a volunteer fire department, if you have the option in your area. When people say fire department, the first thing anyone pictures is running into a burning building... there's more to it than that. Vehicle maintenance, paperwork, supplies, mowing the yard, taking them drinking water, helping with community events, helping with fundraising... the list in endless... I encourage you to stop in next time you see someone at your local station and just see what you can do!

Check out the rest of the 5days of ...

5 Days of .. Day 3

2012-05-16T08:11:00.000-05:00

My post today is one of the two things that hold the biggest place in my heart - Girl Scouts. I know there was a lot of (forgive my language) crap going around about Girl Scouts when cookie sales started, but I think people just look for a reason to cause a stir. Don't like GS, then don't buy the cookies and don't put your girl in it, but let me tell you, if you don't, you are missing out in a huge way! And, we, as leaders, do not promote their *agenda* to the girls. We are there to teach them skills, allow them to do things they may not do otther-wise, and to be there for them. I have been fortunate enough to have had an AWESOME troop - and moms - since the beginning of 6071!

I give MANY hours of volunteer time to the Girl Scouts- my troop, my Service Unit and my Council. Maybe it's because we have such good support and a friendship at each level that makes it worth my time. The girls I have in my troop have gotten to do so many neat things, I have blogged about most of them, so you can search Girl Scouts on here and find some of the things the troop has done.

Being a Girl Scout Leader is so much more that planning a craft for a meeting once or twice a month. There is so much behind the scenes work that keeps me busy, but it's for the girls! I don't say that to scare you away, but there is a lot of work in being a troop leader. Having a great co-leader helps!

That was a little about how I serve the community, but Girl Scouts is also a two-fold type deal. My girls give their time to the community also. They mat seem like something small at the time, but I know they make a huge difference in people lives. I don't know the best way to share what all they have done, so I will just list it. They do these things as a troop and on their own. They help out at the animal shelter regularly, even made their Bronze Project part of the Annual Pet Fair. Help out with the Special Olympics Baseball Team. Help feed the hungry with Mission5000. Make Holiday place-mats for children that are in ACH. Make sleep mats for the homeless. Sent packages overseas. Made Holiday cards for children that are in ACH. Baked cookies for a nursing home. Played BINGO with the ladies at a nursing home.

These are just a few of the things I can think of off the top of my head. I know I have two small groups working on their Silver, but I can't share what that is just yet. Their main focus this year is service projects and giving back to the community. I am hoping their thought process carries on into this next year, and into the rest of their lives.

TOS Crew Review ~Write Shop

2012-05-16T08:00:00.000-05:00

I have to admit, I was VERY confused about this when I first got the download. It took me a bit to figure out that once I extracted the original files, I still had to extract each individual lesson from the teachers guide. Once I figured that out... it was fairly smooth sailing!
By looking at the introduction, I think according to the placement testing, we are starting out with the right level. Write Shop Level D. Also, looking at the introduction, I loved how the plan/schedule is set up (although I am tweaking it just a bit to fit our schedule). One lesson spread out over three weeks... three days of work each week. Gives us our Monday, plus one other flex day.
I received three different files to download for Write Shop Level D. One was the WS Junior eBook, that is the teacher's guide/lessons. One was the Activity Pack and the last was the Time Saver Pack. Now, you would think that if you had the Activity Pack, then that would be all you need, or that the Time Saver Pack would have just what you needed in it.... As I am trying to get the first lesson in my plan book, it's not appearing that way. It appears that, even though there are some duplicates in the two packs, you still need both in order to do the lesson. This may change as I get going, and I will let you know if it does, but for now, looks like you need both packs.

This program starts off pretty smooth. This level may even been a bit basic for my kiddos, but since we are not big into writing, like- they hate it, I think it has worked fine. They loved the print-outs, and even made a game out of the Thank You Letter writing print-outs. Like I said, I loved the lessons layout they offer us, and for once, I am actually sticking with it and following their schedule, because it works.
The lessons are simple, one step at a time, type lessons. It gives them just enough to "get" something, but not so much that they are done with it before they finish. They have both finished all of the lessons we have done so far with-out complaining. We are about to wrap-up our school year, but this one will be on the lesson plans for next year and we will finish up this level of the program and will look into the next level for them.
If you have a beginning writer, or a struggling writer, I encourage you to check out Write- Shop. It looks simple and basic, but it really is working for us. Write-Shop Junior is what we used. It is currently available in book form for $39.95, or as an ebook for $34.95. There are sample pages on the website, for you to see how the program works.

*Disclaimer: My family was given this product free of charge to use and form our own opinion of and share with our readers. The thoughts and opinions expressed about this item are strictly opinions of myself or my children.*

5 Days of.... Day 2

2012-05-15T08:20:00.000-05:00

Today, I wanted to share two different ways that we offer service to the community.

One of them has been a way of our life since the kiddos were in first grade - Boy Scouts. We have never been den leaders or scoutmasters of anything of that sorts, but during Cub Scouts, both Roger and I served as committee chairs and helped with all of the behind the scenes stuff. We were both very involved as Cub parents, and still continue to serve through scouts as Riley continues to be a Boy Scout. I am serving as co-secretary (another lady and myself share this position - works for both of us!) on the Boy Scout Committee and am behind the scenes a lot with the boys. This is almost a double position, because as I help out with the Boy Scouts, we are encouraging them to serve the community also. Their current project is one of our roads out here, keeping it cleaned. They participate in two food drives each year and have jut completed a couple of Eagle Projects, with a couple of more on the horizon.

Roger has not been as involved in Boy Scouts because he has taken on a new position in the community as an Assistant Coach to Riley's 12 year old Little League team, which has evolved into a 12 year old All Star team! Coaching the League Team has taken up quite a bit of his time, and I'm afraid that we aren't going to have a whole lot of time to offer around here for the next few weeks due to being an ALL STAR team player and coach! Anyways, this has been an awesome way to give back to the community and I think Roger really enjoys doing this. He has formed a bond with these boys and I know they enjoy him also!

TOS Crew Review- Captain Jax Math Facts

2012-05-14T14:04:00.000-05:00

Having trouble with math facts? Check out CapJaMathFax!
Simple, easy, cute. That is how I would describe this program! I will admit, we had a little trouble getting it going, and that was very frustrating for the kiddos, because they weren't able to move forward and do other things. Once we got the kinks worked out, and I followed ALL of the directions to get it going, they were good to go!
Riley wasn't on it at much, he said it was too easy, but Samantha really enjoyed it, and I think it is helping her with her math facts. She has asked about getting on the sailboat site a few times. I was surprised that her favorite part was the division!
Cap Jax is a downloadable program that has different drills set up at each level and is set up to start them out at the lower level, then allow them to work up and progress at their pace. Merit Badges are given as they work themselves up in rank through the program.

CapJaxMathFax is good for those starting out, learning their math facts, but it is also a great review place for those who just can't quite get it. It is a download that is currently available for $29.95. If you're not sure this is something for you, check out what my Crew Members are saying by clicking the Crew Banner. Still not sure? Check out Cap Jax FREE evaluation!

*Disclaimer: My family was given this product free of charge to use and form our own opinion of and share with our readers. The thoughts and opinions expressed about this item are strictly opinions of myself or my children.*

5 Day of... Day 1

2012-05-14T07:00:00.000-05:00

When this idea first came up on the Crew forum, I wasn't sure which 5Days I wanted to take on. I suggested a few, and got a couple of comments about how 5 Days of Service Projects would be a good one. I decided to go with it... but where I was going to go, I wasn't sure.

So, for the past few months, I have been thinking about how am I going to do this. I have finally decided that over this week, I am going to share with you some of the service areas we are involved in in our community and be here to encourage you to get involved in your area. I will help out with that in any way I can.

First, I am going to start with our church. Sadly, it is the place we serve the least amount of hours. We help out during the week of VBS. The kiddos each help out in Children's Church once a month, and next week, they will sing special music. When we re- vote for positions, they are both going to sign up for praise team and sing during services.

Do you have a church home? Are you involved in your church? I encourage you to look and see what ways there are for you to serve your church, your community or your world.

Mother of Pearl ~ What I Didn't Know by Rhonda Shrock

2012-05-13T07:23:00.000-05:00

Welcome to Pearl Girls™ Mother of Pearl Mother's Day blog series - a week long celebration of moms and mothering. Each day will feature a new post by some of today's best writer's (Tricia Goyer, Sheila Walsh, Suzanne Woods Fisher, Bonnie St. John, and more). I hope you'll join us each day for another unique perspective on Mother's Day.

AND ... do enter the contest for a chance to win a beautiful hand crafted pearl necklace. To enter, just {CLICK THIS LINK} and fill out the short form. Contest runs 5/6-5/13 and the winner will on 5/14. Contest is only open to US and Canadian residents.

If you are unfamiliar with Pearl Girls™, please visit www.pearlgirls.info and see what we're all about. In short, we exist to support the work of charities that help women and children in the US and around the globe. Consider purchasing a copy of Pearl Girls: Encountering Grit, Experiencing Grace or one of the Pearl Girls™ products (all GREAT Mother's Day gifts!) to help support Pearl Girls.

And to all you MOMS out there, Happy Mother's Day!

What I Didn't Know by Rhonda Shrock

I always knew I wanted to be a mother. As a girl, I played house with my dollies, shushing them when they cried and kissing their plastic heads.

Looking back at that girl, I realize now that there was a lot she didn't know. This morning over my fresh-ground coffee, this mother of 22-1/2 years scratched out a list of 10 things she didn't know then that she knows now.

1. I didn't know - how could I? - just how completely a tiny, helpless scrap of humanity can capture the heart and hold it forever. From that first whooshing heartbeat and the first butterfly brushes, a mother's heart is never again her own. For all eternity, it enlarges, walking and pulsing and moving outside of her body; in my case, in the shape of a blue-eyed boy with rooster tails. Times four.

2. I didn't know that the size of a mother's heart is always changing, stretching to embrace each new baby that comes, then growing again to love their friends and then their own families.

3. I never knew, as I changed my dolly's dress, how many reasons there are to worry when you're a mama. Didn't know about the nighttime vigils. Didn't know the anxiety of separation, the terror that floods when you turn around in the grocery store and they're gone. Didn't know about the fear of the pond next door or the concern that pays for swimming lessons. Didn't know the thousand-and-one reasons that keep a mother awake, whispering prayers on her pillow in the dark.

4. No one told me that loving so much means that you will hurt hard and keen; that what pains your child hurts you even worse. I didn't know then that a playground taunt travels through that smaller heart and lands square in yours, stinging and burning like fire. I didn't know that motherhood makes lionesses of us all and that there'd be days I'd have to bite my tongue and pray to not sin.

5. I didn't know how exhausting it is, being a mother. I didn't know that it takes everything you've got and then some. Didn't know the bone-deep exhaustion; how it strips you bare and shows how selfish you can be, but, too, that you have more strength than you know.

6. I didn't know, playing house, how much joy mothers feel; joy so big that it makes up for the pain. Just looking at those eyes and the curve of the cheek can make you so happy it hurts. Watching them grow and find their talent and win at something...all the money in the world can never buy that kind of happiness.

7. I didn't know how making babies and raising them, how it binds you to their father. I didn't know the intimacy you feel when your eyes meet above those tousled heads, and your smiles say, "Just look at what we've done."

8. That girl in the homemade dress, she didn't know that letting go is one of the hardest things a grown-up mama will ever do. Rocking those babies in that small rocking chair, she didn't really know that babies grow up and walk away and there goes your heart, out into the big, wide world. No one told her that part.

9. I had no idea how rewarding it is, being a mother. How the happiness that comes from boy kisses and awkward hugs can't be bought or sold. How proud you feel when you see what they're growing up to be and that all the planting and pruning and watering and feeding is finally making fruit!

10. I didn't know how much my babies would enrich my spiritual life or how they would change the way I pray. I didn't realize they would lead me to a deeper dependence on the Heavenly Father or how I much I would need His wisdom to raise them aright.

These are things I didn't know before I was a mother. But I know them now. Oh, how I know them now! And I’d do it all again.

###

Rhonda Schrock lives in Northern Indiana with her husband and 4 sons, ages 22, 18, 13, and 5. By day, she is a telecommuting medical transcriptionist. In the early morning hours, she flees to a local coffee shop where she pens “Grounds for Insanity,” a weekly column that appears in The Goshen News. She is an occasional guest columnist in The Hutch News. She’s also blogged professionally for her son’s school of choice, Bethel College, in addition to humor and parenting blogs, and maintains her personal blog, “The Natives are Getting Restless.” She is a writer and editor for the magazine, "Cooking & Such: Adventures in Plain Living." She survives and thrives on prayer, mochas, and books.

Exciting News – the latest Pearl Girls book, Mother of Pearl: Luminous Legacies and Iridescent Faith will be released this month! Please visit the Pearl Girls Facebook Page (and LIKE us!) for more information! Thanks so much for your support!

Mother of Pearl ~ He Will Walk With You by Carey Bailey

2012-05-12T07:22:00.000-05:00

AND ... do enter the contest for a chance to win a beautiful hand crafted pearl necklace. To enter, just {CLICK THIS LINK} and fill out the short form. Contest runs 5/6-5/13 and the winner will on 5/14. Contest is only open to US and Canadian residents.

If you are unfamiliar with Pearl Girls™, please visit www.pearlgirls.info and see what we're all about. In short, we exist to support the work of charities that help women and children in the US and around the globe. Consider purchasing a copy of Pearl Girls: Encountering Grit, Experiencing Grace or one of the Pearl Girls™ products (all GREAT Mother's Day gifts!) to help support Pearl Girls.

And to all you MOMS out there, Happy Mother's Day!

He Will Walk With You by Carey Bailey

As a little girl, I loved baby dolls. Loved them! I played school, adoption agency, daycare operator and babysitter all day. I felt like I was born to be a mama. Therefore, I was a bit anxious when the ages, 22, 25, 28 and 32 came and went and there were no babies. Have you ever desired something so much and feared never getting it? That was me.

My day finally came at the age of 34. I soon realized that God knew what He was doing when He had me wait. To my shock, it wasn’t as easy as playing with dolls. I was surprised that it wasn’t the dream world I imagined it would be! I felt like life became a gigantic prayer.

“God, HELP me!”

“Please, God. Please, please, please make it all better. I can’t do this!”

“God, this feels impossible. Where are you?”

While I adore motherhood, it is harder and there are more adjustments than I expected. (I am hoping there are some nodding of heads and Amen’s being said out there in cyberworld.) Not only did I have a new life to care for, but my identity suddenly felt all scrambled up. It took me until my son was one to finally feel confident in my new role as a mother, confident that I could drop my child off at preschool without crying, confident that I could go out with the girls’ and the world wouldn’t fall apart, and confident that I could go on a date night and have conversations that didn’t revolve just around our son.

I was feeling settled in my new world and then WHAM! I discovered I was pregnant again. Can I be vulnerable with you? I actually cried when I found out. And they were not tears of joy. I feel awful saying that out loud, and I hope you will give me a moment to explain. It was not that I didn’t want another baby or feel like I couldn’t love a new life, it was just that I got scared. Discovering a little person was on the way sent a panic through me. Would my son still receive the love and attention that he deserved? How was my husband going to feel about my body changing again? Would I ever be able to pursue the vision I felt God had for me in writing and publishing? I was truly wondering if I was going to be able to handle another intense wave of identity crisis like the one I had just been through. I wasn’t sure.

God and I needed a serious talk. And in that conversation He carefully reminded me of this:

“For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” Jeremiah 29:11

He reminded me in our time together that I, too, am His child and He has every intention of loving me, caring for me, and giving me the future that He has planned for me.

As mothers, we can get so caught up in parenting that we forget that we, too, have a spiritual parent who loves us as His child. He loves you as much as He loves the children He has given you. He will never forsake you. And on those days when motherhood seems too overwhelming and too impossible I step back and take a deep breath. Then I remember that this journey I am on, right now, is the one He has designed and create uniquely for me. I simply need to live in it, learn from it, and allow His love to sweep over and through me.

He will walk with me! He will walk with you! Grab His hand.

###

Carey Bailey is a recovering perfectionist, wife, proud mama, and the Family Life Director for her church in Arizona. She hosts an online community for moms called Cravings: desiring God in the midst of motherhood where she strives to make God time easier. Not less meaningful, just easier. She is the author of Cravings {The Devotional} which is a set of forty devotional flashcards for the mama on the go. Visit Carey online blog: www.cravingstheblog.blogspot.com Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/CravingsOnline and Pinterest: http://pinterest.com/careycbailey/

Mother of Pearl ~ Stepping Out on Faith by Bonnie St John

2012-05-11T07:21:00.000-05:00

"Darcy . . .”

“Yeah, Mom?”

I momentarily held the undivided attention of my teenage daughter. Her thumbs, free of their ubiquitous texting keypad, quietly dangled by her side. Her computer and its omnipresent Facebook page were completely out of sight. I had almost forgotten what she looked like without all these adolescent accoutrements. As we sat down together on the burgundy leather sofa in our living room, I realized this fleeting state of electronic dislocation was my chance to hatch a plan I had been formu- lating for the past several weeks. Carpe diem.

“How would you like to write a book together?”

“About what?” I asked my mom. Write a book? This was a real surprise. I felt a bit suspicious, but still curious. I love to write, and Mom kept telling me I was really good at it. I like writing poetry, fantasy, and sci-fi, though. The books Mom wrote were all nonfiction. I wondered what we could possibly do together.

“Well . . .” I hesitated. If I wanted her to commit to any extra work out- side her busy schedule at school—not to mention work alongside her mother—I had to make this really great. “It would be about women as leaders,” I continued, “a mother-daughter investigation into leadership styles and structures.”

“Leadership?” I blurted. It came out as if I had a bad taste in my mouth—which I did. I couldn’t imagine a more boring topic to write about. What is there to say about leadership anyway? When you’re in charge, you just get things done, right? Who wants to talk about that?

Her furrowed brow told me I was losing her fast. “Um . . . we could find women leaders all around the world!” I said impulsively, frantically casting the ultimate bait.

“Really? Would we get to travel a lot?” I hadn’t thought about that. Heck, I’d write about the mating habits of tsetse flies if I got to go to Africa to do it!

But this project wasn’t just about the influence it would have on Darcy. I wanted to do something that could have a potent impact on an alarming trend I had witnessed in workplaces across the country: far too many women appeared to be making a choice not to apply for top leadership positions when presented with the opportunities to do so.

This project, then, was a bit of a Trojan horse. On the one hand, the saga of a mother-daughter journey could seduce female readers, who might never bother to read the Harvard Business School dissertations on the subject, into a meaningful conversation about leadership. At the same time, if Darcy met a series of brilliant, accomplished women— people even a cynical teen would be in awe of—perhaps they could tell her all the things I’d like her to know—and more.

And she just might listen.

But where to start? How would we make it work? I suggested we do most of our research by phone, as I did for How Strong Women Pray. My telephone interviews with a governor, some CEOs, actors, sports figures, a college president, and others yielded great stories and information. I promised my intrepid co-author, though, that we could punctuate these conversations with a few visits in person to exciting and exotic places—all with reasonably priced airfares.

“Why don’t we follow each subject as she goes about her daily life? That way our readers get to come along with us and get a behind- the-scenes look at what happens to them. Instead of just a boring interview, we—and our readers—get to hang around with these women, see them in their natural habitat, and even see how other people treat them.”

Although I agreed it was a wonderful approach, this idea of “job- shadowing” each featured subject wasn’t going to be easy. Would these high-powered, important women deign to allow us that kind of access? Would they be able to impart the kind of wisdom that would resonate with our readers and truly make a difference in their lives? We looked at each other, both of us hooked on a crazy idea that we weren’t sure we could pull off.

“It sounds impossible, Darcy,” I said. “We might as well get started.”

And so, we stepped out . . . on faith.

###

Bonnie is a 1984 Paralympics silver medal winner in ski racing. Her education includes a degree with honors from Harvard, a Rhodes scholarship, and an M.Litt in Economics from Oxford. Her career includes positions as an award-winning sales rep for IBM and a Clinton White House member of staff. She now is a much-in-demand speaker, who makes nearly 100 speeches each year to corporations and civic groups. You can visit her on the Web at www.bonniestjohn.com.

Re-printed with permission from How Great Women Lead by Bonnie St. John and Darcy Deane

Mother of Pearl ~ What I Am Not by Tricia Goyer

2012-05-10T07:20:00.000-05:00

— Andrea J. Buchanan, in Mother Shock3

Sometimes the easiest way to discover who we are is to know who we are not.

• We are not our children. We all know mothers who go overboard trying to make themselves look good by making their children look great. I saw one woman on the Oprah television show who had bought her preschool daughter more than twelve pairs of black shoes just so the girl could have different styles to go with her numerous outfits! Just as we -don’t get report cards for mothering, we also -don’t get graded on our child’s looks or accomplishments. While you want your children to do their best and succeed in life, your self-esteem -shouldn’t be wrapped up in your child.

Life as I See It:

My individuality will never end. There will be no one exactly like me, not even my child. She will be like me in some ways, but not at all in others. I -wouldn’t have it any other way.

— Desiree, Texas

• We are not our mothers. I remember the first time I heard my mother’s voice coming out of my mouth. The words “because I told you so . . .” escaped before I had a chance to squelch them.

It’s not until we have kids that we truly understand our mothers — all their frets, their nagging, and their worries.

It’s also then that we truly understand their love.

Since you are now a mother, it’s good to think back on how you were raised. If there were traditions or habits that now seem wise and useful, incorporate them into your parenting. You also have permission to sift out things you now know -weren’t good. Just because you’re a product of your mother, that -doesn’t mean you have to turn out just like her. Repeat after me, “I am not my mother.”

• We are not like any other mother out there. Sometimes you may feel like the world’s worst mother. After all, your friend never yells at her son — and sometimes you do. Then again, your friend may feel bad because you have a wonderful bedtime routine that includes stories and songs. In many cases, the moms you feel inferior to only look like they have it together. All moms feel they -don’t “measure up.” Instead of feeling unworthy, we should realize that everyone has strengths and weaknesses. The key is where we place our focus.

The Bible says, “Let’s just go ahead and be what we were made to be, without . . . comparing ourselves with each other, or trying to be something we -aren’t” (Romans 12:5 – 6, MESSAGE).

The problem with comparison is, we always measure our weaknesses against the strengths of others.

Instead, we need to thank God for our strengths. We can also ask God to help us overcome our weaknesses — not because we want to compare ourselves, or look good in someone else’s eyes, but because we want to be the best mom out there.

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Tricia Goyer is a CBA best-selling author and the winner of two American Christian Fiction Writers’ Book of the Year Awards (Night Song and Dawn of a Thousand Nights). She co-wrote 3:16 Teen Edition with Max Lucado and contributed to the Women of Faith Study Bible. Also a noted marriage and parenting writer, she lives with her husband and children in Arkansas. You can find her online at www.triciagoyer.com or at her weekly radio show, Living Inspired.

Mother of Pearl ~ She's...My Everything by Suzanne Woods Fisher

2012-05-09T07:19:00.001-05:00

--Cardinal Mermillod

Just a few more months. My mother was hoping Dad would hang on long enough so they could celebrate their sixtieth wedding anniversary in April. But on January 1st, as the sun rose on the new year, my dad’s worn out heart beat its last. Dad had battled Alzheimer’s Disease for ten years. As many of you know, AD is a long, hard journey. Hard on the one afflicted with the disease, hard on the caregivers.

But not without its blessings.

Four years ago, as I began researching stories for Amish Peace: Simple Wisdom for a Complicated World, my path crossed with a handful of Plain families who were coping with Alzheimer’s. It was just about the point when Dad’s illness was shifting from early to mid stages AD and the timing was a divine accident. I learned so much as I observed the calm acceptance of these families. Rather than waste time shaking a fist at God for allowing this disease to take their loved one, they put their energy into trusting God’s sovereignty. They didn’t deny the difficulties and complications and sadness of Alzheimer’s, but they didn’t dwell on them. “God has a plan,” one woman told me. “He always has a plan.”

Something else I noticed was how privileged my Amish friends felt about caring for their loved one. Caring for the elderly, they believe, is the time to give back to them.

Those encounters shaped my perspective of Dad’s illness. I started to pay attention to how God provided answers to new wrinkles created by Alzheimer’s, just in time. God may be slow, but He is never late.
I started to cherish special moments or good days with Dad—just as he was at each point in his illness. Not mourning the past, not dreading the future.

I really miss my dad. I miss his scratchy whiskers and the way his eyebrows would wiggle at us, even as words failed him. Yet I have such peace in my heart that he was well loved and well cared for, right to the very end. And as hard as Dad’s end of life has been, it isn’t the end. We will meet again. As the saying goes, “Some may see a hopeless end, but as believers we rejoice in an endless hope.”

There’s a beautiful story that illustrates my parents’ 59-year marriage. This event happened about a year or two ago. My sister had accompanied our mother to the doctor appointment for Dad at the Stanford Memory Clinic.

Dad had declined quite a bit that month. He was weak and lethargic, even to the point of whispering, as if it took too much energy to project his voice. During the doctor's appointment, the doctor told my mother and sister that Dad was now in late stages of Alzheimer's. Dad didn’t have much vocabulary left, but when the doctor asked him who mom was, he whispered something back. The doctor looked at Mom and asked, "Did you hear what he just said?"

Mom shook her head.

"When I asked him who you were, he whispered, 'She's...my everything.'"

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Suzanne Woods Fisher is a writer of bestselling fiction and non-fiction books about the Old Order Amish. Her interest in the Plain People began with her grandfather, W. D. Benedict, who was raised Plain. Suzanne is the host of Amish Wisdom, a weekly radio program on toginet.com, and writes a bi-monthly column for Christian Post. Suzanne can be found on-line at www.suzannewoodsfisher.com.

Re-printed with permission by Cooking & Such, www.sherrygorebooks.com.

Exciting News – the latest Pearl Girls book, Mother of Pearl: Luminous Legacies and Iridescent Faith will be released this month! Please visit the Pearl Girls Facebook Page (and LIKE us!) for more information! Thanks so much for your support!

TOS Crew Review ~ Judah Bible Curriculum

2012-05-09T06:19:00.000-05:00

Wow, where do I even start with this one?

Judah Bible Curriculum offered us their entire Bible Course, including the Judah Bible Curriculum, the Elementary Notebook ideas and the digital download of the Teacher Training Seminar.

Judah Bible Curriculum has 40 lessons broken down and the themes for each week planned out for you. Except, they are not really planned out in detail. You have a theme and you just, for lack of better words, go with it. Each week you study the weekly them focus.

Judah encouraged that we make notebooks and take notes with each theme, they even provided us with Key Sheets, that they encouraged use for taking notes. We had to adapt here. My kiddos are currently fascinated with composition notebooks, so we are using those for anything we do this year.

Here's what threw me... they say *curriculum*. To me, curriculum is detailed, laid out lesson plans that tell me what to do and say. To me, this is not a curriculum, it is more of a study guide or study helper. The way it is designed is to help me study the Bible with my kiddos. We have done a few weeks of studying this way, but it really doesn't help me much when it comes to me making my lesson plans.

One thing that was good for us, was listening to the downloads... I know it says teacher training, but we have listened to them together, usually while working on something else. It has provoked some discussion and questions.

Please know that this is just my thoughts on how this is set up, and I may be understanding it completely wrong. We will continue to use this program as a *guide*, not a *curriculum*, throughout the rest of this year and into next. Once completely through the Bible, there is a good possibility that we will use it as a guide the next time through.

The entire Bible Course, that was offered for us to review, is available though their website for $74.00 or downloadable for $44. If you are interested in more information, please check out the Crew reviews by clicking on the banner below.

ALL STARS!!

2012-05-08T08:02:00.000-05:00

We got a call this afternoon from Riley's coach ~ he has been selected for the ALL STAR Team!! He was super excited about it, and so were we! However, I have been told, by more than one person, to write off this summer - because it will be about nothing but baseball!!

Several from his team were chosen and we are having a meeting this weekend to meet all the team.

I guess I need to get out my geocaching notebook and my state parks map and gear up for traveling (and learning) for the summer!!

Mother of Pearl ~ Joy Comes from Perseverance by Shelia Walsh

2012-05-08T07:16:00.000-05:00

AND ... do enter the contest for a chance to win a beautiful hand crafted pearl necklace. To enter, just {CLICK THIS LINK} and fill out the short form. Contest runs 5/6-5/13 and the winner will on 5/14. Contest is only open to US and Canadian residents.

If you are unfamiliar with Pearl Girls™, please visit www.pearlgirls.info and see what we're all about. In short, we exist to support the work of charities that help women and children in the US and around the globe. Consider purchasing a copy of Pearl Girls: Encountering Grit, Experiencing Grace or one of the Pearl Girls™ products (all GREAT Mother's Day gifts!) to help support Pearl Girls.

And to all you MOMS out there, Happy Mother's Day!

Joy Comes from Perseverance by Sheila Walsh

One of the most important lessons I have learned in my own life is the joy that comes from perseverance. Eugene Peterson, borrowing a phrase from Friedrich Nietzsche, wrote his book “A Long Obedience in the Same Direction …Discipleship in an Instant Society.” He points to the Psalms as the way believers have always learned to pray what they live and live what they pray but it is not a short journey. It is an intentional commitment to keep walking even when you are worn out.

*If we want to see lasting results in any area of life it’s important to keep walking in that direction.

*If we want to have a better understanding of the Gospel of John then it takes time and commitment to dig deeper day after day.

*If we want to be thinner this summer than last summer then the work begins now not then.
So too in our relationship with Christ…..

*If we want to know Him at a more profoundly intimate level, that also takes an intentional seeking after Him every day.

As a grown woman I have come to love the beauty of this gift. Passing this “mined treasure” onto my son on the other hand has been an interesting challenge. We live in such a fast paced, attention-challenged culture where the latest thing can be delivered to your doorstep by tomorrow for a few dollars more. But, as you know, by the time it is delivered it has already been replaced or updated!

How do we speak then into the lives of our children to help them understand and value perseverance?

For me…part of the puzzle meant a large piece of poster board, scissors, some photos and a bottle of Elmer’s glue. My son, Christian and I spread everything out on a sheet in the game room as I explained our project. “We’re going to make a family faith-tree,” I said. “These are photos of family on your dad’s side and on mine. Many of them have gone on to be with Jesus but the seeds they planted into our family continue to grow.” Then we wrote down their names and when they came to faith in Christ (as many as I knew). It was quite something to see when we were finished.

“Your life matters Christian. Running your race well matters.”

That night we read these words from the writer to the Hebrews,

“We are surrounded by a great cloud of people whose lives tell us what faith means. So let us run the race that is before us and never give up.”

Hebrews 12:1 (NCV)

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Sheila Walsh is a Bible teacher, speaker, singer, and best-selling author with more than 4 million books sold. Sheila Walsh is the creator of the award-winning Gigi, God’s Little Princess® and her new series, Gabby, God's Little Angel. Meet Gabby in Gabby's Stick-to-It-Day. As a featured speaker with Women of Faith®, Sheila has reached more than 3.5 million women by artistically combining honesty, vulnerability and humor with God’s Word. She resides in Dallas with her husband Barry and son Christian. Visit www.sheilawalsh.com for more information about Sheila, her other books or Women of Faith.

Mother of Pearl ~ Priceless Treasure by Cindy K. Stiverson

2012-05-07T07:15:00.000-05:00

We publicly declare your praise today,

and in the days to come,

for you deserve to be praised and blessed,

"We honor you, Mom, for all you have done!"

In my earliest of memories,

You worked so hard, striving for the rest.

You persevered through great trials

and did your very best.

I know you are being rewarded

in ways far beyond our reach.

We honor you now by practicing what you've taught,

and even what you preached!

You've stood for us for all these years,

Today, we stand for you!

I pray that our applause on earth

will reach your heavenly ears.

With the reading of this poem, I asked everyone to stand. We clapped our hands in celebration and praise of the life of my mother, Margaret Alice Stiltner.

Imagine our surprise to discover that she had left a poetic epitaph for us! She had clipped it from an old magazine and framed it. I found it when I was cleaning her home, on a nightstand by her bed. My mother was never versed at expressing emotion. This was her sweet way of kissing us good-bye: a priceless treasure to remember her by.

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Cynthia (Cindy) Stiverson is a speaker, writer, and artist. In 1998, she founded Woven: Women of Virtue Network, a spiritual formation and friendship ministry. She pastors the women at Newark Church of the Nazarene in Ohio. She is currently working on her fourth Woven Workbook, and also a book for mothers and daughters on the subject of sexual abuse. Cindy considers raising her daughter, speaker/author Nicole Braddock Bromley, to be her greatest achievement. She loves the men in her life, hubby Mark, grandbabes Jude and Isaac, and son-in-law Matthew. You can find more of Cindy at www.WovenWomen.blogspot.com and www.CynthiaStiverson.com

Un-expected field trip - just the 3 of us!

2012-05-04T18:01:00.000-05:00

At the last minute, we were blessed with tickets to the Children's Theater to go see the play The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe. Was a pretty good play, but a little on the scary side. I know I read that book when I was younger, but I don't remember it... the play didn't help!

After that, we went around to the backside of the theater to where the MacAuthur Military Museum was located. We have never been in there before, it was a fairly quick tour through the museum (because Roger called and wanted to meet us for lunch). We did get to see everything, but will probably go back and spend a little more time there at another date.

The kiddos had my camera, so I don't know what any of these are...

DD ~ 4 Favorite Souvenirs

2012-05-03T19:21:00.000-05:00

We have a few things that come from Disney. Our top favorites have been:
4. The Trading Pins
3. The Autographs
2. Scrapbooks & all the photos that go in them!!
1. The EARS!!

Final 4H meeting

2012-05-03T18:00:00.000-05:00

Supposed to be of the year, but turns out, it is possibly the last meeting for Homeschool Rocks 4H club. I am hoping someone is willing to step up and take over for next year. We had such a fun year!

Riley participated in Robotics, which we thought was more like robots than it was. However, they made some really cool small catapults and the group took it upon themselves to make a huge one. I am trying to find out if anyone has any photos from the launch of the large one.

Samantha was part of the Child Development group and her instructor worked with them to learn to be more responsible at home, because if you can't take care of yourself, how can you watch someone else's child? As a result of this group, both of them are now CPR/FirstAid/AED Certified.

There has been talk about someone stepping up and re-structuring the way our group works, and if that happens, then we may look into joining next year. Until then, we are sad it's over...

We have taken the step,

2012-05-01T18:00:00.000-05:00

got bitten by the bug.... are no longer muggles...

Yep, we have discovered Geocaching. Our first trip out, we ended up at two State Parks, which is just another element of caching! Kiddos LOVED it and we were super excited to find our first cache...

We actually ended up finding three or four our first time out... there were a couple that we didn't find, but will go back and search!!

On the way to the Plantation Museum, we found our first one! It wasn't at the museum - I don't want to share the pic we took, because it could be a give away...

Here's the one at the Plantation ~ it said to take a wooden token - even if we didn't leave anything - but there weren't any, so we went inside and we all got one...

Then we headed on down the road to Toltec Mounds and found the Cache that was hidden there... Our State Parks has a code hidden at each of the 52 parks that will lead you to the 53rd cache... this was news to us, so we started keeping track of these numbers also.

Here is our Ashley's Mill find.. Samantha found this one...

Then the mirco we found at No More Lunch... Em found it

We had two more on our list, but one was on the side of a very busy highway and I wasn't cool with stopping there and the other we searched but couldn't find... We will be back though!

Another cool field trip ~ Plantation Museum

2012-05-01T17:58:00.000-05:00

Plantation Museum set up a really cool school days program and a mom from our group arranged for us to be able to attend. We had a lot of fun this morning learning with our homeschool friends...

Cool field trip ~ National Weather Service

2012-04-28T17:58:00.000-05:00

One of the moms in our homeschool group set up a tour of the National Weather Service. She arranged it where we were there at a time that we would be able to see the evening weather balloon released... Very cool field trip... I encourage you to look into this one if there is a slight possibility in your area..

2012-04-27T10:33:00.005-05:00

In my life this week… fairly slow week, sad because it was our last Class Day until fall! Excited because Riley got to pitch for the first time in his Tuesday night game!

In our homeschool this week… we managed to stay caught up on all of our school work... until we skipped out on Thursday to go to the lake! We are close to finishing for the year ~ I keep telling them as soon as they finish their math books, we can be done!!

Places we’re going and people we’re seeing… Pepaw was able to come home from the hospital last Friday, we stopped in to see him on Monday, taking him some cookies. He said he still wasn't feeling that great. Monday night, we went with their choir to a local nursing home and sang for them. Thursday, Roger was off so we headed to the lake!

My favorite thing this week was… Roger being off and headed to the lake for the first time this summer!

What’s working/not working for us… one of the review items we have... I will not mention them here, because I am trying to make them work, & there is a review coming soon!

Things I’m working on… our Girl Scout troops Shutterfly group page - how cool is this feature!!

I’m reading… Five Love Languages for Children

I’m cooking… nothing right now... working on a menu for next week... does that count?

I’m grateful for… seeing the light at the end of the 6th grade tunnel!!