A Need to Learn

So we are going into our 5th year of homeschooling... This summer we have been really busy with mission trips and camps.. It's been fun.  Just the other day my 10yr old - 5th grader, came up to me and said "I want to work on fractions and units of measure..."  You see, she is a baker, and that is what she works with the most.  She wants to really get good at changing the recipe quantities.

Well I proceeded to download some recipe math worksheets... Granted she can do alot of the math in her head... but on occasion it may be difficult.  So I showed her how to multiply and divide fractions, and convert an improper fraction to a mixed number on paper.  It was cool seeing how I could teach her something that she would have viewed as a waste of time and apply it to exactly what she was loving to do, which is baking...

I hope that this year will provide us with many hands-on learning experiences... I want my children to have a want-to, a need, and a love of learning,.

Jealously and Comparing

Genesis 28-31
Rachel and Leah.... two sisters.... From the get go there was jealousy and competition between the two.  One one more beautiful than the other, One was older than the other.  One was able to bare more children.  They fought over their husband and his love.  What a mess!!!!!

How many times in our lives to we do the same with our sisters in Christ?  Do we compare our jobs or stay-at-home status... whether we send our kids to school or homeschool?  Do we compare the cars we drive, the houses we live in?  Do we compare our kids, our husbands?

There is no room in our lives for jealousy and comparison.  Proverbs 14:30 says "A tranquil heart is life to the body, but jealousy is rotteness to the bones."  Jealousy eats away at you... You will never be content or happy when you are envious of someone else.  When you compare yourself with another, it not only hurts you but the relationship with that person as well.

1 Timothy 6:6 says "But godliness with contentment is a great gain"

Sprained Ankle x 2 - Walking on Uneven Ground

This past week I sprained my right ankle for the second time within a month. So of course I know that there is a purpose and reason, I just didn't know what or why. This week I was studying the bible using Beth Moore's study on the the two books of Thessalonians. This week my homework had to do with mobilized ministry. Oh man did it speak to me. Because I have a ton of ministries... First my husband, children, and home; and then my ministries at church. So this is what God has taught me in the midst of two sprained ankles.

 Sprained Ankle x 2 - Walking on Uneven Ground There are disabilities that cripple our capacity to do the good works which God prepared ahead of time so that we should walk in them. These disabilities can include doubt, lack of faith, weariness, laziness, complacency, etc… These are ways that the enemy can thwart our effectiveness and kill our fruitfulness because he doesn't want our Father in heaven to be glorified. 

How am I not glorifying our Father in heaven?

•  I’m not being consistent in my quiet time 
• Allowing my pain to dictate my emotions and attitude towards others 
• Feeling inadequate as a mother, wife, and teacher 
• I have a bad attitude concerning the newly acquired medical expenses, which could have been used towards my mission trip, which leads to.. 
• Not relying on God for our finances.
  

 So what has God revealed to me this week?

• I need to quiet myself in Him for a while.
• What you have been called to do is beyond your natural abilities, skills or talents. 
• In loving Him with my whole heart, soul, mind and strength, everything else will fall into place piece by piece. 
•  Stay willing, flexible, and teachable and God will not let me miss out on what he put me on this earth to do. 
• Even if I don’t see the connection between where I've been and where I am going, God is at work. He knows my heart and will equip me. 
• I can’t always tell if what I am doing is working, but I can rest assured that God is doing His work in me, to glorify Him. 

 Lord let me experience your faithful love in the morning, for I trust in you. Reveal to me the way I should go, because I long for you. Psalm 143:8

 God, teach me to do your will, for You are my God, may your gracious Spirit lead me on level ground. Psalm 143:10

Job 1:20-22 Losing Everything

"At this, Job got up and tore his robe and shaved his head. The he fell to the ground in worship and said: "Naked I came from my mother's womb, and naked I will depart. The LORD gave and the LORD has taken away; may the name of the LORD. be praised." In all this, Job did not sin by charging God with wrong doing." Job 1:20-22 When Job lost everything, his family and fortune, he grieved. He grieved for the loss of his loved ones, who wouldn't. In this test from Satan, Job passed. He proved that people can love God for who He is and not just what He gives us or what He does for us. Job 2:10 says "Always give thanks to God for everything." God is the one who gives us all things, our family, home, health, the very air we breath. 1 Thess. 5:18 says "Give thanks in all all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus." Paul was not teaching that we should thank God for all the bad things that happen to us. But IN everything give thanks. When evil strikes, we can still be thankful that he will accomplish his will through the distress. 1 Peter 5:6 - "Humble yourselves, therefore, under God's mighty hand, that He may life you up in due time"

$9 Linen Closet Re-Org

The organization ideas that I'm getting off of pinterest are totally changing our home and making it just so much better... Today I went to Dollar Tree and bought some baskets to organize my linen closet... I LOVE IT!!!!

Wow, what can I say it's been an amazing 1st year of homeschooling. At the beginning, I was overwhelmed with what curriculum to choose, what direction to go, etc., etc. Since we had a 3rd grader we thought we try a public virtual school, I mean we couldn't go wrong right? She would be learning everything the state required. Well we tried that for a month and a half and it was okay. While my 1st grader was doing hands-on assignments and having fun, the 3rd grader was bored, had lots of work and did not enjoy school. So I purchased Weaver Volume 1 (cheap and good for teaching multiple-grades)... There was alot of prep time for me, like searching for videos and books etc. However, we enjoyed it. So now what? Well, I stumbled across unitstudy.com and decided to try these for the summer. I will be purchasing, Father's Day, Independence Day and the beach fun pack which includes: Dolphin Days, Sunny Seashells, Kite Capers, and Summer Sensations. The rest of our summer we'll be on 2 mission trips and hopefully a vacation. I also found some free unit studies at homeschoolshare.com. So for the next 2 weeks we'll do one on "Isabel's House of Butterflies", so fitting since Isabel has caught numerous butterflies this spring, and the other on just Spanish. Our summer is gonna be fun...

Loft Beds

My husband built these beds and they are great...they give our girls so much more floor space... We totally redid their rooms, new floor, new paint, new decor and new BEDS!!!! Here are photos from my oldest daughter's room.