Thou shalt know that God selected these children for you, and you for them, for a special reason.
Thou shalt remember how to be a child again–laugh, play, sing, dance, pretend.
Thou shalt not worry about messy faces and places.
Thou shalt pray daily for patience, energy and strength.
Thou shalt affirm thy children’s feelings, but be firm with their behavior.
Thou shalt instill in them respect for you, themselves and others.
Thou shalt give thy children roots–grounding them in faith and tradition.
Thou shalt give thy children wings–teaching them how to fly on their own.
Thou shalt show and tell them you love them every day.
Thou shalt entrust them into the Father’s hands.
Found on: http://www.naturalfamilyawareness.com/parenting/ and LOVE it! Wanted to find it easily so decided to post it here. Now... bed.
Sunday, July 31, 2011
Wednesday, July 27, 2011
Thankful Thursday: Week Beginning July 20
Thursday, July 20, 2011: I'm thankful for a day at home to prepare for the arrival of my brothers and their families.
Friday, July 21, 2011: I'm thankful for the gift of having SO much of my family in my home. What a joy!!! I'm grateful for the cool weather brought by the rain.
Saturday, July 22, 2011: I'm thankful for the time we were all able to spend at one of the Springs near us. It was FUN. I'm also thankful for the dinner my brothers treated us to at a local BBQ place which we enjoyed thoroughly.
Sunday, July 23, 2011: I'm thankful for my family's visit! I'm glad I was able to get to church, though I did miss taking the Sacrament. I'm also thankful for the visit we enjoyed with our new Elder and Sister Missionaries.
Monday, July 24, 2011: I'm thankful for a quiet day during which I rested and cleaned and prepared for FHE at Gramy and Grampy's house.
Tuesday, July 25, 2011: I'm thankful for a quiet day spent all at home. It was so nice to not worry about leaving or anyone coming all day. YEAY! I'm grateful for Jessie's desire to be of service to others. He worked for two households and performed many good works. I'm grateful for his Christ-heartedness.
Wednesday, July 26, 2011: I'm thankful for the meeting Jess had with our new boss. I'm just sorry that we have to wait until Monday for him to start. Just another delay in being able to discontinue church assistance. I'm grateful that we've had it and been ABLE to have it, but I want us to pay our own way again!
Friday, July 21, 2011: I'm thankful for the gift of having SO much of my family in my home. What a joy!!! I'm grateful for the cool weather brought by the rain.
Saturday, July 22, 2011: I'm thankful for the time we were all able to spend at one of the Springs near us. It was FUN. I'm also thankful for the dinner my brothers treated us to at a local BBQ place which we enjoyed thoroughly.
Sunday, July 23, 2011: I'm thankful for my family's visit! I'm glad I was able to get to church, though I did miss taking the Sacrament. I'm also thankful for the visit we enjoyed with our new Elder and Sister Missionaries.
Monday, July 24, 2011: I'm thankful for a quiet day during which I rested and cleaned and prepared for FHE at Gramy and Grampy's house.
Tuesday, July 25, 2011: I'm thankful for a quiet day spent all at home. It was so nice to not worry about leaving or anyone coming all day. YEAY! I'm grateful for Jessie's desire to be of service to others. He worked for two households and performed many good works. I'm grateful for his Christ-heartedness.
Wednesday, July 26, 2011: I'm thankful for the meeting Jess had with our new boss. I'm just sorry that we have to wait until Monday for him to start. Just another delay in being able to discontinue church assistance. I'm grateful that we've had it and been ABLE to have it, but I want us to pay our own way again!
Thankful Thursday: Week Beginning July 14
Thursday, July 14, 2011: I'm thankful for a quiet day of rest while my girls enjoyed movies. I'm grateful to have had some time to spend with my Aunt Barbara. She is a TREASURE!
Friday, July 15, 2011: I'm thankful for the time I was able to spend with my Mom at her Mom's house.
Saturday, July 16, 2011: I'm thankful for the Memorial for my Grandpa. It was a good and enjoyable event.
Sunday, July 17, 2011: I'm thankful for a sweet girl named Molly. She was the only one in the Ward I was visiting to approach me and introduce herself. SUCH a kind young woman! I'm grateful for the opportunity to drive around with my Mom and see the town of her youth.
Monday, July 18, 2011: I'm thankful for the opportunity to have a good talk with my youngest sibling (brother) and then an outing to New Orleans with all my brothers and their families. What a GOOD day.
Tuesday, July 19, 2011: I'm thankful for an ejoyable and restful day at my Uncle Mark and Aunt Barbara's house. It was a pleasure to be in their home. I'm SO grateful to two of my brothers, their hard work and the gifts they provided to repair and renew my van. My van now has tires fit for travel, windows that go up and down at the touch of a button, and buttons that are situates properly in the door. They did so much for me and my family in their desire to help me/us and there are not enough words of thanks to explain my gratitude! I'm grateful for the time I was able to spend with my sisters-in-love and talk and share and hopefully repair some of the pain of life.
Wednesday, July 19, 2011: I'm thankful for a quiet evening at home to rest from the LONG trip home. I left Tuesday night around 9pm (10pm FL time) and got hom around 1:10pm Florida time. It was a rough trip. Thankfully the trip TO Louisiana was MUCH easier!
I'm so grateful to all those in my family who joined us for our morning and evening Devotionals. It is STILL a tremendous joy to me... the feelings of being bound in Unity and Love with those who joined to worship our Lord and Savior with us during those few days/times we had together. THANK YOU!!!!
Friday, July 15, 2011: I'm thankful for the time I was able to spend with my Mom at her Mom's house.
Saturday, July 16, 2011: I'm thankful for the Memorial for my Grandpa. It was a good and enjoyable event.
Sunday, July 17, 2011: I'm thankful for a sweet girl named Molly. She was the only one in the Ward I was visiting to approach me and introduce herself. SUCH a kind young woman! I'm grateful for the opportunity to drive around with my Mom and see the town of her youth.
Monday, July 18, 2011: I'm thankful for the opportunity to have a good talk with my youngest sibling (brother) and then an outing to New Orleans with all my brothers and their families. What a GOOD day.
Tuesday, July 19, 2011: I'm thankful for an ejoyable and restful day at my Uncle Mark and Aunt Barbara's house. It was a pleasure to be in their home. I'm SO grateful to two of my brothers, their hard work and the gifts they provided to repair and renew my van. My van now has tires fit for travel, windows that go up and down at the touch of a button, and buttons that are situates properly in the door. They did so much for me and my family in their desire to help me/us and there are not enough words of thanks to explain my gratitude! I'm grateful for the time I was able to spend with my sisters-in-love and talk and share and hopefully repair some of the pain of life.
Wednesday, July 19, 2011: I'm thankful for a quiet evening at home to rest from the LONG trip home. I left Tuesday night around 9pm (10pm FL time) and got hom around 1:10pm Florida time. It was a rough trip. Thankfully the trip TO Louisiana was MUCH easier!
I'm so grateful to all those in my family who joined us for our morning and evening Devotionals. It is STILL a tremendous joy to me... the feelings of being bound in Unity and Love with those who joined to worship our Lord and Savior with us during those few days/times we had together. THANK YOU!!!!
Thankful Thursday Week of July 7, 2011
Thursday, July 7, 2011: I'm thankful for busy and productive days. I'm grateful for a phone call and a subsequent gift of something I need and something I radomly thought would be nice to have! :) I'm glad for the girls' first rabbit business purchase! I'm thankful for the opportunity to attend a dear friend's baby shower. :)
Friday, July 8, 2011: I'm thankful for difficult times and the blessings that result from them. I'm grateful that the girls have reason to trust me more as their business manager and hope that they will abide the lesson in the future! I'm grateful for the opportunity to better understand promptings of the Holy Spirit.
Saturday, July 9, 2011: I'm thankful for a good Orange-ade Stand day... spur of the moment to make it two for the week even though we were rained out the day before. I'm grateful to be able to make it for the end of two sweet girls' baptisms!
Sunday, July 10, 2011: I'm thankful for a really amazing Bishop! I'm grateful for sweet sisters in Relief Society!!
Monday, July 11, 2011: I'm thankful for conflic resolution and the prayers of a friend. Peace IS priceless!
Tuesday, July 12, 2011: I'm thankful for a quiet day at home before my trip to Louisiana.
Wednesday, July 13, 2011: I'm thankful for the opportunity and gift of the blessing of going to Lousiana for a family reunion/memorial. (We leave/left around 9pm.)
Friday, July 8, 2011: I'm thankful for difficult times and the blessings that result from them. I'm grateful that the girls have reason to trust me more as their business manager and hope that they will abide the lesson in the future! I'm grateful for the opportunity to better understand promptings of the Holy Spirit.
Saturday, July 9, 2011: I'm thankful for a good Orange-ade Stand day... spur of the moment to make it two for the week even though we were rained out the day before. I'm grateful to be able to make it for the end of two sweet girls' baptisms!
Sunday, July 10, 2011: I'm thankful for a really amazing Bishop! I'm grateful for sweet sisters in Relief Society!!
Monday, July 11, 2011: I'm thankful for conflic resolution and the prayers of a friend. Peace IS priceless!
Tuesday, July 12, 2011: I'm thankful for a quiet day at home before my trip to Louisiana.
Wednesday, July 13, 2011: I'm thankful for the opportunity and gift of the blessing of going to Lousiana for a family reunion/memorial. (We leave/left around 9pm.)
Thursday, July 7, 2011
Thankful Thursday Week of June 30, 2011
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Thursday, June 30, 2011: I'm thankful for the rain! I'm thankful for a day at home to do lots of things. I'm grateful for Jessie's work. I'm so glad Ria LOVES baking class so much. She is progressing REALLY well now! I'm so pleased. :)
Friday, July 1, 2011: I'm thankful for all the wonder customers the girls enjoyed today. Ms. Alena, Mr. Gale, and Mr. Bill in particular because they each came by twice. Ms. Chelsea was their first customer and SO kind. We also enjoyed visits from four neighbors (two couples), which surprised and pleased us all. We are so thankful for the generosity and encouragement of strangers, neighbors, and friends! Ria and I stayed up late to place her order for homeschool supplies. She is VERY excited to have a new package of study materials arriving before too long. Her greatest excitement is over her Science: Anatomy and Physiology (for the young crowd) by Apologia Science.
Saturday, July 2, 2011: I'm thankful for the energy I felt which enabled me to get my house more in oder in preparation for the Sabbath. It feels GOOD to come home to an orderly home!
Sunday, July 3, 2011: I'm thankful for a wonderful Bishop who fit us in without advance notice.
Monday, July 4, 2011: I'm SO thankful to be born in the USA. I'm grateful for the freedoms I'm ABLE to take for granted, but which I also strive to be mindful of and work to protect. I'm grateful for service men and women who become the property of the USA so that we may remain free. I pray God's guidance and protection to all our leaders and EVERY person here that we may continue to enjoy the freedoms our forefathers worked so hard to preserve for us! I'm thankful for the opportunity to spend some time with my Ward Family. AND I'm blessed beyond measure to feel so loved by all of my family when I extend my hand in need. Family ROCKS! ^_^
Tuesday, July 5, 2011: I'm thankful for a meeting with my Bishop on Sunday, which has relieved me of some burden and decreased some heart-achey-ness. I'm thankful for the opportunity to speak with someone I met via a Craigslist Ad... someone who already feels like a friend. :)
Wednesday, July 6, 2011: I'm thankful for the customers who stopped at the girls' Orange-ade Stand. We had a good time! :)
Friday, July 1, 2011
Today
My girls have completed their 9th week of their Orange-ade Stand. They are pleased with it and excited to continue. I think Ria is particularly happy about it lately because it means she gets to have more time working on her baking class. She LOVES to bake so far! She's graduated out of cake mix cookies AND peanut butter cookies. She'll probalby move on to some sort of rolled out cookie dough next. She's also close to finished with muffins (from scratch) and bread (kneaded in the Kitchen Aid, though). She's making SUCH good progress!!!
Today was a good day at their Orange-ade Stand. They had a number of repeat customers who came for the first time today and then came back again. :) What fun for all of us! Two couples of our neighbors dropped by and frequented the girls' Stand. That was a treat, too.
Ria and I spent some time tonight working on the Homeschool Supplies order. Ria is SO excited that she's been able to choose her books!! She's going to study Anatomy and Physiology for Science. That is the subject over which she is most excited. She's also going to be doing Math, History (Ancient Romans), Spanish, Piano, Poetry, Grammar, and Business and Economics (via their Orange-ade Stand and other businesses to follow). So, we are all excited about new books to arrive in the next couple weeks! :)
I'm thinking a bit about how the Lord uses difficulties to make us what He would have us be. I'm sure this is, in large part, because I'm feeling the "grind" of some of my own difficulties.
There's this comparison of us to a clay pot in the master potter's hands. I'm sure you've heard it before. Our Lord forms us and then places us in a fire (kiln) to finish us. To test whether we are finished or not, he takes us out of the kiln and thumps us. If we thud, we are put back in the fire to finish. When we are finished, He will thump us and we will sing. To my way of thinking, the "sing" is referring to literal singing in praise, but also simply to thankfulness for the test or thump.
I don't know about you, but it seems like maybe I get all screwy when I'm put in the fire. So Father God takes me out and sees that I'm not right (formed as He wanted me to be), so He drops me to the ground to smash me up, then picks up those pieces and proceeds to grind me into powder so that he can add water,stir me into the correct consistency and then proceed to begin anew the process of forming (spinning on a wheel as in the movie Ghost or building me via slabs or coils or whatnot). Perhaps this is a bit extreme... but it definitely feels like it fits in these last few weeks.
Either that OR perhaps I just keep on NOT singing right when He takes me out of the fire, so then He puts me into hotter and hotter fires... probably that's more correct. That's more reasonable, for sure. But it sure FEELS the other way lately.
I'm also feeling frustrated about other people's opinions when expressed as if they are THE way rather than an opinion. I was just told today that every child needs to go to public school so that they could be socialized. I gave my opinion in return. Of course, though, I was wrong because I'm "so young." Seriously? Well, I have news for anyone who thinks I'm wrong for my children in our family... in essence, you are saying our God is wrong because ultimately HE is the reason we homeschool.
It would certainly be MUCH easier in SO many ways to put our children in public school.... but every time I have asked our God, He has directed that we should continue on course: homeschool. And so I do and will.
These children do NOT suffer with or from any socialization problems or issues. They are able to be far more social than most children in public schools. They do not sit locked in a desk for somewhere around 6 hours each day; required to be silent and work. They are not threatened with silent lunches when the lunch room gets too loud (though I do require a quiet time each day, but that is because I know my children need naps and/or alone time).
My greatest concern over other people's opinions is that when they are expressed the way the one was today, they obviously think I am doing something WRONG. And in my experience with such individuals, they want to prove to me how wrong I am. :( I do hope that this particular person is just expressing their opinion in a strong manner and will NOT try to hurt me or my family to prove me/us wrong. Another example of the increase in the heat of my fire lately. And, honestly, this isn't one of the greater of the increases in temp!
Today was a good day at their Orange-ade Stand. They had a number of repeat customers who came for the first time today and then came back again. :) What fun for all of us! Two couples of our neighbors dropped by and frequented the girls' Stand. That was a treat, too.
Ria and I spent some time tonight working on the Homeschool Supplies order. Ria is SO excited that she's been able to choose her books!! She's going to study Anatomy and Physiology for Science. That is the subject over which she is most excited. She's also going to be doing Math, History (Ancient Romans), Spanish, Piano, Poetry, Grammar, and Business and Economics (via their Orange-ade Stand and other businesses to follow). So, we are all excited about new books to arrive in the next couple weeks! :)
I'm thinking a bit about how the Lord uses difficulties to make us what He would have us be. I'm sure this is, in large part, because I'm feeling the "grind" of some of my own difficulties.
There's this comparison of us to a clay pot in the master potter's hands. I'm sure you've heard it before. Our Lord forms us and then places us in a fire (kiln) to finish us. To test whether we are finished or not, he takes us out of the kiln and thumps us. If we thud, we are put back in the fire to finish. When we are finished, He will thump us and we will sing. To my way of thinking, the "sing" is referring to literal singing in praise, but also simply to thankfulness for the test or thump.
I don't know about you, but it seems like maybe I get all screwy when I'm put in the fire. So Father God takes me out and sees that I'm not right (formed as He wanted me to be), so He drops me to the ground to smash me up, then picks up those pieces and proceeds to grind me into powder so that he can add water,stir me into the correct consistency and then proceed to begin anew the process of forming (spinning on a wheel as in the movie Ghost or building me via slabs or coils or whatnot). Perhaps this is a bit extreme... but it definitely feels like it fits in these last few weeks.
Either that OR perhaps I just keep on NOT singing right when He takes me out of the fire, so then He puts me into hotter and hotter fires... probably that's more correct. That's more reasonable, for sure. But it sure FEELS the other way lately.
I'm also feeling frustrated about other people's opinions when expressed as if they are THE way rather than an opinion. I was just told today that every child needs to go to public school so that they could be socialized. I gave my opinion in return. Of course, though, I was wrong because I'm "so young." Seriously? Well, I have news for anyone who thinks I'm wrong for my children in our family... in essence, you are saying our God is wrong because ultimately HE is the reason we homeschool.
It would certainly be MUCH easier in SO many ways to put our children in public school.... but every time I have asked our God, He has directed that we should continue on course: homeschool. And so I do and will.
These children do NOT suffer with or from any socialization problems or issues. They are able to be far more social than most children in public schools. They do not sit locked in a desk for somewhere around 6 hours each day; required to be silent and work. They are not threatened with silent lunches when the lunch room gets too loud (though I do require a quiet time each day, but that is because I know my children need naps and/or alone time).
My greatest concern over other people's opinions is that when they are expressed the way the one was today, they obviously think I am doing something WRONG. And in my experience with such individuals, they want to prove to me how wrong I am. :( I do hope that this particular person is just expressing their opinion in a strong manner and will NOT try to hurt me or my family to prove me/us wrong. Another example of the increase in the heat of my fire lately. And, honestly, this isn't one of the greater of the increases in temp!
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