When the words just aren't there!

Br. and W. had their district competition with 4-H. They had to earn enough points through auditions and a showcase to do this competition, so I was proud of them.

In a karate costume loaned by a friend, Br. had practiced "Kung Fu Fighting" for the umteenth millionth time in the car. He had shown us his dance moves (and this kid is all arms and legs - so funny). He seemed SOOO prepared.

But then, it happened...what every stage performer dreads most. He had just finished the first chorus and was moving on and a blank look came over his face and his body stopped moving. He forgot EVERYTHING.

His long eyelashes showed the shadows on his cheeks, while the expression on his face showed the shadow on his heart. It doesn't take much to upset him, so no amount of "That's O.K. That happens to EVERYBODY!" made one bit of difference to him. I think he has stage fright. What's more, he wants no part of presentations of performances.

You know, I think you HAVE to present yourself in uncomfortable situations many times. We have a whole year to work on next year. He has a beautiful voice, but he may not sing. I'll try to encourage him to at least do a presentation. If he stops dead in his tracks due to one bad incidence, I'm afraid he will give up "getting out there" for good.

Jonathan is a little on the quiet side. Br. probably gets that from him, but Jonathan is in TOTAL agreement with me that one of the BEST qualities we can give our children is the ability to vocally express themselves in front of others. He has gone through MUCH special training for communication and wishes he had been given more encouragement as a child to try speeches, presentations, etc...

In the mean time, it will take a LOOONG time to help Br. build up his confidence. He'll get there.

The parting of the sea...

Br. and G. spent a great deal of time creating this. I made some photo copies of some sea life and they colored, cut, and glued these to the blue construction paper. I hand drew a quick whale on some large paper and they both painted it. They were very proud of their work.

Once we hung the papers, we now had our Red Sea opened! Halfway through the Seder, we pretended we were the children of Israel looking behind at Pharoah's army and we had to run through that sea. Br. took the part of Moses and G. was Aaron. It really made me think of how our death to sin seems complete until our Savior, Yeshua, opened up the Sea to Everlasting Life.

Next week, Br. wants to start a unit study on Sea Life - wonder where he got that idea:)

Passover - Our first Seder in our home

Yep, we actually did it. Jonathan wanted to invite some people over to share it with us, but since this was our first to host, I just wanted our family around. C.J. could not get off work, even though he tried desperately.

We went to one hosted by a church last year and it was very insightful. However, it meant so much more going through the Haggadah as a family.

In the first picture above, you can see the "blood on the doorposts." Br. used red beeswax crayons on paper and cut the stripes out and we helped him tape them to the posts. It worked great because we were truly inside with this on the outside of the room.

The stripes and piercings of the matzah bread...breaking the middle one and hiding a portion and "resurrecting" it later in the meal...passing the matzah...passing the juice and wine...just what Our Savior was doing on this same day 2,000 years ago. Oh, how precious to learn more of how Our Lord worshiped.

Next year, we will invite over friends and family who are interested in participating with us.

Top Ten things people should know about homeschoolers:

1) Please don't tell them "Oh, I could never do that." They already know you probably couldn't.

2) Understand that home education IS LEGAL! If it was good enough for Abraham Lincoln, Patrick Henry, Einstein, Edison, Teddy Rooselvelt (the list goes on), it's good enough for me!

3) Be aware that 99.9% of homeschoolers do not live in "compounds."

4) Understand that we are VERY concerned about proper socialization. This is ONE main reason our children are being properly socialized in a proper time and in a proper setting - without fear of bullies, drugs, gangs, etc...

5) Know that we do pay our taxes so your kids can go to school. We spend extra money to homeschool. That is our choice and we get "no free ride" or "tax break."

6) If you decide to "quiz" a homeschool relative's/friend's child, be aware that we may feel free to quiz your child. However, we do not believe in "teaching to the test," so you may be unhappy with the performance of your child.

7) Please understand that many of us go to; the mall, restaurants, Merle Norman (for makeup), the salon, tanning beds, concerts...some of us may wear high heels with our jeans. Some of us wear skirts and jumpers, but that doesn't make us "weird." We just happen to like what we wear.

8) Please know we DO have a grip on the latest fads and styles - we simply don't care about them. We spend great fortunes on LASTING things like books, music lessons, art lessons, etc...

9) Be aware, we are not speaking a different language when we talk about "Miquon, McRuffy, Timberdoodle, Abeka, Konos." We know you are confused by these words. We were too at one point.

10) Yes, it is TOTALLY fun to be laughing while doing experiments in your pajamas in the kitchen!

And Finally...

Oh, if only superheroes were real, I would already know what G. would be when he grows up! Well, at least this week, spiderman has given him the urge to learn all things spidery and thanks to the book I picked up at the library sale for .25 cents, he has learned quite a lot! He asks me to read it to him twice a day at least. I'd really rather read Curious George.

He is full of super strength. I don't know how else to describe him. When I took him in for his three day check up at the pediatrician, he said he had never seen such a strong baby in his whole life. Well, that has only increased.

He and Br. are polar opposites. Br. could do 300 piece puzzles at age four. G. could care less! He is my daily workout, but he loves to sit on my lap and snuggle.

The Perfectionist

Well, I know where Br. got this trait! Thanks Grandma S! Now, I can't tell you how much fun it is to parent a child with this trait when the parent (me) has no such trait.

Where his older brother jumps in without thinking of the outcome, this one considers EVERY outcome possible before acting. Both of these traits have their strengths and weaknesses.

You know how boys go through this stage where girls are yuck? Not this boy. He has NEVER thought so. He says when he sees E., he can hardly talk. He says he feels like he forgets everything and just has a dumb smile on his face. HE IS NINE YEARS OLD! You don't know how hard I laughed, because this is the child who is NEVER at a loss for words.

The girl

Reflective, but not shy; compassionate, but not a pushover; driven, but not obsessed; that's my girl. She demands as much from others as she does herself. That trait can be a blessing and a curse.

W. really is her own person. So many people "assume" she is just like me. I'm not sure why because she is truly quite different (yes, I do hear the sighs of relief).

This girl hates to see anyone in her family hurt by the actions of words of others. This cuts her to her core. Once a person breaks trust with her, very rarely does she ever give second chances. Sometimes, there is a time and place for a second chance and sometimes, there is not. I need to learn to evaluate like she does.

The Oldest

C.J.



The oldest and now 18. He is outgoing and sentimental. He always pulls for the kids who have been served a harder lot in life.

I remember one time at a lazer tag / arcade type place when he was about ten, he hit the jackpot on one of the games and got hundreds of tickets. You know what hundreds of tickets can get you? One of those REAL toys.

One of his school friends was there with her family this same night. Kaitlyn didn't really have friends her age that she went places with. She was different. She had been born with many deformities and had GREAT difficulty with speech. But she loved C.J. and he never shunned her. He saw her there and knew she couldn't really play the games to win tickets the way other kids their age could. He went and handed her his jackpot of tickets saying, "Here Kaitlyn, why don't you go get you something nice with these?" Sometimes, impulsiveness is a very good thing indeed.

The Hubby

Almost twenty years. I can't believe it. How has this poor man put up with me for that long? If anyone has taught me "God knows who we need in our lives and when we need them," it has been this man. He is as patient with me as the day is long. I'm the hyper one and he goes along with the craziest of my ideas.

One would think that in order for him to be successful in the field he works in (mortgage broker), he would need to be greedy and misleading. He believes otherwise. He feels offering the truth about debt and compassion is the way to build a business. So far, his integrity on these matters proves him correct. I'm proud of him. He would say, "God has blessed me. I did not do this alone."

He doesn't come home and crash on the couch while I work alone in the kitchen. He pitches right in. He's not too good to change diapers and feels if a man is to show his wife how Christ is head of the church and GAVE Himself for it, that means he (my husband) is to show the same servant mentality in our home.

Is he perfect? No, but shockingly, neither am I. He's a work in progress, just like me. We screw up as individuals and as a couple. The difference with this guy from so many others? He has no problem recognizing mistakes very quickly and admitting them.

Yes, I do know how blessed I am to have him. I know the other side. I've gone through it with sisters and friends who had NO idea that there are men who are NOT physically, spiritually, or emtionally abusive and who are NOT into pornography. These women have NO idea what it is like to live with a man who encourages his wife to "go for it"; tells her to go sit down - he is cooking dinner; always calls to see if his wife needs anything from the store on his way home; and always calls if he is running late.

I'm glad my daughter has grown up with such a fine example set before her. I already know she will not settle for the other side - simply so she can be married. She is going to be picky looking for these qualities.

Hello to All

Why has it taken me soooo long to do this? I love sharing with people about my husband, children, family, and friends - so, you would think that I would have started one of these long ago.

Perhaps, I let other "important" things over rule from time to time and talk me out of doing things like "blogging." Maybe it is the fact that a blog is always going to be somewhat self-centered (me talking about my opinions, my family, my blessings, my faults, my devotions, my preferences, etc...) For whatever, reason, I have finally found the time to blog.

There will be posts on things near and dear to my heart: Messianic Judaism, homeschooling, my family, traveling, horses, dogs, reading, flowers, my parents and siblings, politics etc. You will (hopefully) read the posts and either be enlightened, encouraged, or enraged (o.k., this is the one I wish to stay away from, but is bound to happen from time to time).