Merry Christmas!

Twas the month before Christmas*
*When all through our land,*
*Not a Christian was praying*
*Nor taking a stand.*
*See the PC Police had taken away,*
*The reason for Christmas - no one could say.*
*The children were told by their schools not to sing,*
*About Shepherds and Wise Men and Angels and things.*
*It might hurt people's feelings, the teachers would say*
* December 25th is just a ' Holiday '.*
*Yet the shoppers were ready with cash, checks and credit*
*Pushing folks down to the floor just to get it!*
*CDs from Madonna, an X BOX, an I-pod*
*Something was changing, something quite odd! *
*Retailers promoted Ramadan and Kwanzaa*
*In hopes to sell books by Franken & Fonda.*
*As Targets were hanging their trees upside down*
* At Lowe's the word Christmas - was no where to be found.*
*At K-Mart and Staples and Penny's and Sears*
*You won't hear the word Christmas; it won't touch your ears.*
*Inclusive, sensitive, Di-ver-si-ty*
*Are words that were used to intimidate me.*
*Now Daschle, Now Darden, Now Sharpton, Wolf Blitzen*
*On Boxer, on Rather, on Kerry, on Clinton !*
*At the top of the Senate, there arose such a clatter*
*To eliminate Jesus, in all public matter.*
*And we spoke not a word, as they took away our faith*
* Forbidden to speak of salvation and grace*
*The true Gift of Christmas was exchanged and discarded*
*The reason for the season, stopped before it started.*
*So as you celebrate 'Winter Break' under your 'Dream Tree'*
*Sipping your Starbucks, listen to me.*
*Choose your words carefully, choose what you say*
*Shout MERRY CHRISTMAS ,
not Happy Holiday !*
Please, all Christians join together and
wish everyone you meet during the
holidays a
MERRY CHRISTMAS
Christ is The Reason¢ for the Christ-mas Season!

Great teaching videos

I just found a FABULOUS video website thanks to homeschoolfreebieoftheday.com newsletter! It is www.neok12.com.

There are a TON of educational videos that are really amazing. Everything from learning your numbers for preschoolers to learning about atoms, the earth, your body....the list goes on and on. I'm not sure about the Christian content of all of the videos (evolutionary thoughts, etc.) but what I've seen has been very good.

I especially like the animal science portion! I'm looking forward to sharing this with my kids. Hope you enjoy as well!

Javon's 7th Birthday Party

Javon: My birthday was great! I played lots of games. I got lots of toys. Well also I swam and stuff like that. The favorite thing of my pirate party was eating icecream and cupcakes. My outfit was cool. The best part of my day was finishing the day playing my new Wii Nerf Game.

October 2009

Wow, I can't believe it's been a month since I've posted. We've just been super busy this fall. Lots of learning going on around here. I'm very happy to report that school is going much better than expected with Javon and Reagan together. I was a bit worried about the timing of it all since Javon still needs attention and Reagan is in preschool but I wanted to be more formal this year since she'll be in Kindergarten next year. Javon is a hands-on learner so we didn't follow a strick preschool program with him...more random learning. However, Reagan is an auditory learner and loves to hear books and do pages. So it's been very easy to read lots of library books and do lots of workpages.

Here's a few pics from our October:
Coop
This is Javon's 3rd year in PATH coop and Reagan's and my first year. We go every Monday and it has been a really great addition to our homeschooling. Reagan takes 2 preschool classes that focus on learning a letter of the alphabet every week. Javon has Beginning Science, Hands on Science, Music`Movement`and Skits, and Creative Builders. They both really love to go.

Praying that your school year is going as great as ours!

CA Lapbook

We had a great time learning about CA. I grew up in Northern CA but the state is so large and diverse it was fun learning more about it. I have been to many CA cities and driven from north to south many times, but there are far too many things to take in than I can even imagine.

One of the fun things we learned was that it is ILLEGAL to eat oranges in a bathtub in CA! The kids thought that was really funny. We also studied a bit about Ronald Reagan who was a movie star prior to serving two terms as CA governor and then becoming President of the U.S. Reagan thought it was really neat learning about someone with the same name.

Some things Javon put in his lapbook -
California - 1850 - The Golden State - Eureka - 31st State
~ Prior to European control, CA was inhabited by many differnt Indian tribes. Javon drew a really great Indian.
~ When Mexico lost the Mexican War to the U.S. in 1848, the U.S. gained control and two years later, CA was admitted to the Union.
~ CA Gold Rush - James Marshall and his crew discovered gold near Sacramento in the spring of 1848. By 1849, much of the world knew of CA gold. People that come to mind gold were known as "49ers".
~ CA is one of the most important farming state in the US.Some fruits and Javon picked to put in his lapbook were: Avocados, Apples, Pumpkins, Almonds, Grapes, Pears, Oranges, and Garlic.
~ Some of our CA family includes all of their great-grandparents and one grandma. Granny and Pops, Momo, and Maga. (What are some of your unusual grandparent names?)
~ San Fran has the largest Chinese population for any city in the US. Most of the railroads in CA were made by Chinese workers.
~ CA far exceeds other states populations. Los Angeles is the second most populous city in the nation.
~ CA has THOUSANDS of small earthquakes each year. In 1906, San Fran suffered a terrible earthquake.
~ The Golden Gate Bridge is actually painted RED.
~ Geography - CA has the highest and lowest points in the continental US. Mt. Whitney is 14,495 feet and Death Valley is 282 feet below sea level. The two sites are only 100 miles apart!
~ Death Valley has the highest recorded temp in the US - 134 degrees!

State Flower: Golden Poppy
Capital City: Sacramento
State Bird: California Quail
State Insect: Dogface Butterfly
State Tree: CA Redwood
State Animal: Grizzly Bear
State Mammal: Grey Whale
State Mineral: Gold

Coupons

I just got my grocery shopping high as I watched my total start at $97 and drop down to $42!!! I'm not a total die hard couponer but I do pretty good I think. Here's a few things that I've learned over the past year that fit my life:

1) I usually only shop at one grocery store unless there is an absolute blowout deal. I tried out the multiple store thing, but usually ended up spending a bit more as well as the time just wasn't worth it.

2) I plan my meals based on the weekly adds. I always get whatever meat is on sale and then go through my coupons. I try to only buy items that are on sale plus that I have a coupon for. Some weeks I get a ton of stuff and other weeks not so much.

3) I "large" grocery shop every other week and "small" grocery shop every week. This helps me to really sort out my coupons on my "large" shopping week and just focus more on the store coupons on my "small" week.

4) I very, very, very rarely take my kids grocery shopping!!! Not just because I tend to get things that I normally wouldn't get without them, but it is "my time" and I love to not be distracted. Some people get pedicures, I use coupons....go figure. In mind it's spending vs saving!

5) Buy one get one free items are fabulous if you have 2 coupons. Tonight I got two Glade autospray scent things that are origially 12.99 a piece for $2.99. They were marked down from $12.99 to $10.99 then they were buy 1; get 1 free plus I have two $4 off coupons. Thus I got what some would potentially have paid $25.98 for $2.99.

6) I love to check out the clearance bin at the grocery store because it's usually marked way down plus you can use a manuf. coupon on top of the clearance price! Tonight I got a box of haircolor with the base color plus highlights that normally sells for $19.99 a box for $4.00. It was in the clearance bin for $7.00 plus I had a $4.00 off coupon. Some spend $100 on color and highlights....I spend $4. To me that's WAY cool! I can still look good and do some of the things that make me feel pretty yet do it in a way that doesn't make my family suffer.

7) I usually go late at night after I've put the kids to bed so that way the store is not crowded.

Tonight there was a couple behind me and I apologized ahead of time saying that I had coupons and it might take a few extra minutes. They were great about it and starting commenting on how much I was saving. It was so funny. The husband was in shock and told his wife it was time they start using coupons (in a nice way) and she was totally amazed that I saved over $50. He kept saying, "It's like you've hit the lottery. How did you do that?" I told him to pick up a Sunday paper and simply plan a little and they could do it too. It was fun. I came home and told Josh all about it because it really does make me feel good when I know that I've done something to help out my family.

Are you an artist?

Are you an artist? I am soooooo not! I've always wanted to be able to draw or at least doodle, but it simply doesn't come natural to me. I have one smiley face and one flower that I draw well and that's it!!!

Aaawwwhhhh, the beauty of homeschooling is that you can explore not only your child's interests but yours as well. :-) Since Javon was little I have been working with Javon on various drawing lessons off and on. Reagan, however, has a natural talent at art. It's amazing. At 4 years old she can draw better than I can. Not in a technical sense but in an imaginative sense. Javon can look at something and copy what he sees very well. Reagan on the other hand had a variety of different people that she makes. Some square, some alien, some with curly hair, some with no hair.....all different and dependant on her mood I suppose. Here are a few of the things they did today.

Javon = awesome orange tree and rose for Nana
Reagan = pics of people; the one with the tamborine is me that she drew in like 30 seconds while playing Bible pictionary. She got the word tamborine and drew that super fast.

Non-Scary Pumpkin Carving

This is a cute fall project! Go to www.bhg.com/dogstencils.
There are 13 different breed stencils available.
Fun!

The Set Game

I found a really great website at www.setgame.com. It helps kids understand that a SET is a group of elements with common properties (of size, shape, color, etc.) and should be able to identify elements in sets that don't belong. Ages 5 and up. It's tricky, fun, and mathemathically mind-expanding. There is a new game each day.

Camping

We had a great time camping this weekend! This is family camping trip #3 that it has rained on us. We've went in June, August, and September and every single time it's rained HARD! So, if you plan to camp in the Northwest make sure that the Boggs family does not have a reservation at a state park prior to finalizing your plans. :-) Here's a few things that were memorable or I learned this weekend:

1) That even when everyone at church says you're crazy for going camping when it's POURING rain and lighting/thundering that you'll still make memories and have fun...so just go! :-)
2) Setting up a tent in the rain is much easier when it's not raining.
3) You can survive w/o a ton of stuff. I'm not into the packing enough to cross the Oregon trail kind of camping. Less is more.
4) Speaking of Oregon Trail...I did thank the Lord that I wasn't born a 100 earlier and have to cross the Oregon Trail as I was freezing from the rain and lack of fire.
5) My daughter, who is a total girly-girl, loves to dig and play in the dirt.
6) State camp bathrooms are not the most pleasant. And why don't they have soap? But at least they have bathrooms, so no more complaining. :-)
7) The stars are amazing to look at when you get just a little ways out of the city.
8) The NW is an amazing place to live. We live 20 minutes from Seattle and 20 minutes from an amazing beach that has amazing views.
9) Reading Charlottes Web is even better when done around a campfire!
10) Slugs are fun to look at.
11) Javon loves to find trails that he doesn't know where they will end up. Reagan, not so much!
12) Friends are great things to have.
13) Having a pastor that will come visit you while camping and bring your kids a TON of glow items is pretty cool. Plus other friends who come and bring SMORES stuff!
14) My face feels dried up after 3 days with no makeup. :-)
15) Hearing the birds chirp in the morning is really neat while laying in bed with your family.
16) A thermal shirt, Columbia jacket, plus hoodie does keep you warm in below 50 sleeping weather. :-)
17) Josh is a great dad that worked really, really hard to make sure we all had a great time.
18) Turkey bacon cooks much quicker on a campfire than regular bacon.
19) I am so blessed. People spend thousands of dollars to go on vacations where they are going, going, going the whole time and not really spending a lot of time just "being together". I spend $50 and had a wonderful time with my family!
20) As I watched my kids brushing their teeth this morning with their crazy morning hair and jammies on, I was filled with gratitude that God would entrust them to my care! What a huge responsiblity and wonderful task this is!

Tomorrow, back to school! But that was well worth a few missed days of school to spend time together!!!

Schedule '09-'10

Well, one week of school successfully completed! Here's our schedule and it worked out beautifully last week. Hoping to keep on throughout the year as much as possible.

6:45 AM - Wake up and pray while laying in bed :-)
7:00 AM - Read Bible
7:30 AM - Exercise (Mommy) Kids (Get up, dressed, potty, etc.)
8:00 AM - Breakfast then chores - Mommy: breakfast dishes & counters Javon: tidy entry way and put away shoes Reagan: put away clean silverwear and dust
8:30 AM - Opening Activities: Pledges, Songs, Prayer, Memory Verse, Weather
9:00 AM - Reagan: Preschool with Mommy Javon: Computer Time - Typing & Spelling
10:00 AM - Fruit Break
10:30 AM - Reagan: Preschool Javon: Math
11:00 AM - Reagan: Tactical Activity/Physical Activity
11:30 AM - Daily Project - Art or State Studies
12:00 PM - Lunch
12:30 PM - Reagan: Toys Javon: Piano
1:00 PM - Reagan: Books Javon: English
1:30 PM - Reagan: Nap Javon: Lit. & Creative Writing
2:00 PM - Reagan: Nap Javon: Social Studies
2:30 PM - Reagan: Nap Javon: Science
3:00 PM - Reagan: Help Mommy clean up Javon: Chapter Book then Nap
4:00 PM - Both: Veggie Break and Word Girl/Curious George on PBS
5:00 PM - Everyone: Quick Clean
5:30 PM - Mommy: Start Dinner Kids: Outside Play (when not raining!)
6:00 PM - Dinner
6:30 PM - Mommy: Cleanup Kids & Daddy: Play together
7:00 PM - Family Board Game
7:45 PM - Devotions
8:15 PM - Get Ready for Bed
8:30 PM - Bedtime

Well, there it is. Now for some of you that looks crazy and to others it look like pure sanity. :-) PTL we're all different! My mom has graciously agreed to adhear to my school schedule on her days of teaching with a few minor tweeks. (Thanks Mom for being the best co-teacher in the world!!!)

Do you follow a schedule or go with what the day throws at you? No judging here! Just wondering. :-)

Preschool

I shared this with a friend and thought I'd post it if anyone was wondering about other preschool schedules.

The website that I really like to use to help me with themes for preschool is at www.pammshouse.com/toddler. It says it's for 2 year olds, but I use it to base my week on and then add extra things as needed. I just make sure that each week we have a theme, letter, color, shape, and tactile activity like counting beans, playing with rice, throwing bean bags in a pan, etc. that we do all week long. Plus I have Reagan do a few "pages" a day from a preschool book that you can buy at Sams for like $8.
I also use the library like a crazy person. :-) But I do it ALL online that way I just run in and pick it up. So this weeks theme is grandparents so I would get like 10 kids books that have something to do with grandparents.....perhaps make a family tree....call a grandparent that the kids haven't spoken with in a while, make a card or craft for a grandparent, etc. For me and Reagan, an hour and a half seems to be a good time span for us. I do 1 full hour, take a fruit break for 1/2 hour, and then do another 1/2 hour to finish up. Then we read books and do other things throughout the day. I'm more structured with her simply because of Javon's schedule. It works fine with her personality though. Hope this helps some. Feel free to ask questions as you think of them.

Twelve rules for raising delinquent children

by Robby Robinson

Being with infancy to give your child everything they want. They will then grow up to believe the world owes them a living.

When they pick up bad words, laugh. This will make them think they are cute. It will also encourage them to pick up cuter phrases that will make you blow your top off later.

Never give them any religious training. Wait until they are 21 and then let them decide for themselves. Don't be surprised if they decide to be nothing.

Avoid using the word "wrong." They might develop a guilt complex. This will condition them to believe later, when they are arrested for shoplifting or stealing a car, that society is against them and they are being persecuted.

Pick up everything they leave lying around - books, shoes and clothing. Do everything for them so they will become experienced in throwing all responsibility on others.

Let them read any printed matter they can lay their hands on. Make sure the silverware and glasses are sterilized but allow their little minds to feast on garbage.

Have plenty of knockdown drag-out fights in the presence of you children. Then, after you are divorced, they won't be surprised.

Give your children all the spending money they want. Never let them earn their own. Why should they have things as tough as you had them?

Satisfy their every craving for food, drink and comfort. See to it that every sensual desire is gratified. Childhood should be fun. Denial may lead to harmful frustration.

Always take their side against neighbors, playmate, friends, teachers and policemen. They are all prejudiced against your child.

When they get into real trouble apologize by saying, "I never could do a thing with them."

Prepare yourself for a life of grief. You are apt to have it.

:-)

A miracle 12 years in the making!

Just a little (HUGE) encourager for all those in need of a miracle....

This morning my friends, Victor and Ivania, gave birth to a beautiful baby boy named Asah. He is truly a miracle. They have been trying to get pregnant for 12 years! At one point they decided to start fertility treatments and Ivania very quickly into the process felt the Lord say to her, "Why are you trying to help me?" So they stopped the treatments. That was several years ago. The miracle of a baby seemed impossible after 12 years. But today, August 23rd, 2009 God answered their cry for a child!

He is a beautiful, healthy, miracle baby! God knew all this time as they prayed, mourned, wept, feared, hoped, and prayed some more that today was the day. Isn't that amazing that He knew all along! Wow, if we could only understand how much He loves us and cares and has everything planned out in His PERFECT timing!

So, if you're praying for a miracle and it's been 12 days, or 12 weeks, or 12 months, or even 12 years.....don't give up hope! Trust Him!!! He IS a miracle working God!

1 hour challenge

I am very proud of myself so I thought I'd post about my accomplishment. :-)

About a year ago or so I discovered flylady.com. I really enjoy her website and implemented a lot of her cleaning tips. Then I got a book at the library called "A house that cleans itself" and I really, really enjoyed it. I felt like it was the missing link for me. I liked flylady's tips but I didn't feel like I was on top everything all at once. I always felt like there was a room or area or spot that was not done. "A house that cleans itself" really focuses on getting each room of your home decluttered, cleaned, organized, etc. and THEN do your daily routine. I like how flylady has you work on your entire house each month, but I always felt behind with it. I felt like I hadn't really accomplished everything I wanted to get done in one room when it was time to move on to another room.

So I've done two things:
1) I made a weekly chore sheet with my daily tasks and LAMINATED it! That made it more permanent and real. Then I put it on my fridge. I simply put a little dot w/ a dry erase marker by each task as I complete it. This list covers ALL my basic weekly chores like dishes, floors, bathroom, kids' rooms, trash, etc. Then on Wednesday I focus on paperwork first and foremost before anything else and Thursday is laundry day. I do loads throughout the week, but Thursday is the BIG day that everything has to be washed, folded, and put away. Every Monday I have a different "monthly" task like clean out the fridge, clean the carpets, etc.

2) I broke my house down room by room and focus on just ONE room per week. This is where I veered off of the flylady schedule although I still love her lists and helps. Trying to get my whole house deepcleaned in a month wasn't working, but I can focus on one room per week. It only takes about 3 months to get everything done then I can rotate through again. I just officially started this process although I've been kindof doing it for a few months now. My goal is to simply start at one end of the house and work my way to the other end. I want to treat each room with love and respect on it's week. :-) If something needs a repair, I want to tend to it. If pans need organized, I'm going to organize them. (etc.)Here's my areas:
1) Laundry Room
2) Kitchen
3) Dining Room (school area)
4) Living Room and Entry
5) Javon's Room
6) Bathroom
7) Reagan's Room
8) Hall closet - This is where I keep all my Christmas/bday gifts I've accumulated. So on this week, I want to organize it, write down the new gifts I've purchased in my "gift" notebook, and then with the extra time work on a Christmas craft project with the kids.
9) Office and Den
10) Backyard
11) Front Porch Area

I used to not be as organized and I'm still not as wonderful as my mother at it :-) however I'm learning what a blessing it is not only for me but for the kids and Josh to simply be organized. I used to feel like I didn't have time to get everything done due to working part time, homeschooling my kids, being a pastor's wife, directing children's ministries at our church, and just being a fun mom but now I'm really understanding that I can't NOT stay on top of things.

Anyways, back to my accomplishment. I wanted to be able to clean my ENTIRE house in under 1 hour at ANY given moment (sweep, mom, the kids' rooms, dishes, etc.) and I did it. This Monday I was hosting our monthly Girls' Bible Study and the house was really good so I was doing other things all day. Including taking a meal to a friend who is on bedrest with her pregnancy. Well, I made a bigger mess than I wanted while cooking and stayed longer than I had planned to at her house so as I was driving home I felt my stress starting to rise as I realized that I hadn't really done much in the way of cleaning during the day because I was on top of things. But now I only had 1 hour to actually clean. And I did it! The floors swept, mopped, vacuumed. Bathroom done. Nothing just thrown in closets. But I will have to admit that the dishes where still drying on the counter because I've been trying not to use my dishwasher. AND Reagan had a few articles of clothes on her bed because I'm trying to teach her to clean up and we didn't quite get in there, but after the party we finished up. I hung up her clothes and finished up the last few little things before bed and she dusted, straightened, etc. and felt so good about herself. There is such a peaceful feeling that comes when everything is in it's place.

Don't get me wrong, I'm not Martha Stewart by any means. We live in a fixer-upper that will probably have a project until the day I die, but I'm learning to do what I can to provide a warm and welcoming environment for my family and friends. There may be dry wall in my hall but it is a neatly stacked pile of drywall. :-) I want to make memories of people laughing and loving in my home and this is a way for me to find that road.

Have you found a system that works for you?

Happy cleaning to all you busy moms out there just trying to keep all the balls in the air!!!

Music

There is something so healing, encouraging, calming, powerful, amazing, humbling, emotional......about worshipping Jesus through music. I am so very grateful to the Lord for creating music and giving it to us as a gift. It is a gift that I want to pass down to my children and I pray that they will pass it down to their children.

I am not the most gifted pianist by any means. All my high school friends will atest to that. :-) But I have learned over the past 10 years that my gift isn't necessarily in playing written music, but rather chording and being free to flow with the music that I'm singing. For me, the piano is a means of expression and singing is very connected to the playing for me. I rarely play without singing as well.

I'm not sure if even my family (mom, sister, etc.) know just how much ruckus I make around our house playing the piano. Especially late into the night. The kids have grown up with me playing after they go to bed. They don't even budge.:-) I'm probably ruining them for later on in life because I've turned them into such sound sleepers! But I also hope that they remember a home that was filled with music! Javon already plays the piano very well for 6. He loves to memorize things (which I hated!) and after he's mastered a song wants to quickly move on to the next.
Reagan is my singer. She loves to pretend to play the piano and sing whatever I'm singing.

A piano-What a wonderful gift that my grandma got me many years ago. It used to be a burden. I hated lessons (although Mrs. Mickey was a fabulous teacher :-) ) and I don't play by ear. But I honestly believe that over the years the Lord has gifted me in a different area and that is simply "being in the moment" when I worship Him on the piano. I can't explain it except to say, "Thank you Lord for the gift of music."

Psalm 7:17 (New International Version)

17 I will give thanks to the LORD because of his righteousness
and will sing praise to the name of the LORD Most High.
Psalm 9:2
I will be glad and rejoice in you; I will sing praise to your name, O Most High.
Psalm 13:6
I will sing to the LORD, for he has been good to me.
Psalm 30:12
that my heart may sing to you and not be silent. O LORD my God, I will give you thanks forever.
Psalm 33:1
Sing joyfully to the LORD, you righteous; it is fitting for the upright to praise him.
76.Psalm 33:3
Sing to him a new song; play skillfully, and shout for joy.

Marriage

Here's a shocker...I haven't always been the best wife! Yes, it is true. :-) Josh and I just celebrated our 10th anniversary with a wonderful cruise to Alaska that I never thought we'd be able to afford but God opened up an amazing deal for us. It was unbelievably nice to get away with just Josh.

Last year at the annual homeschool convention I picked up a book called "His Help Meet" and spent several month reading through it. While I don't totally agree with everything in the book I do have to admit that I fell short in many, many areas when it came to being a good helpmeet. Yes, I could argue that I do a LOT around the house, in both mine and Josh's ministries, homeschool our children, pay the bills, tend to...........and the list could go on and on, but I have not always done it with a submissive and servant filled heart. I have to admit that I tend to "keep score" a lot of times. Not on paper and not even on a daily, weekly, or monthly basis but subcontiously and then about 2 days before I start my period I like to bring random things up.

Over the past year, but especially in the months following our anniversary I have really been trying to see my primary goal as "keeper of my home" and "helpmate". Since the book I got last year was so good I decided to make it a tradition to pick up a new "learning to be a better wife" book each year at the homeschool convention. This year I picked up Excellent Wife. It has been really good.

The thing that I struggled with for many of the first years of my marriage was being a "strong" woman yet still having a gentle spirit. I am by nature a "go-getter", a slight loud-mouth :-), stong-willed, determined, a people pleaser, and have watched my mom do whatever she set her mind to. So I thought that when the Bible said that I was supposed to have a gentle and quiet spirit I thought God must not have been speaking to me because He designed me how I am, right? He made me outgoing, loud, fun, determined, etc., right? My personality and that verse never seemed to mesh, but the older I get and the longer I've been married I am coming to a new understanding of that verse. It doesn't mean that I have to change who God made me to be, but it does mean that I am to have a servant's heart and ATTITUDE in everything I do. In my home, in my marriage, with my family, in ministry.....

I will fail. I know that for a fact, but I am trying. I am trying to be a "helper" for Josh that is suitable for him. Someone that lifts up and NEVER tears down, someone that seems the good not the evil, someone that encouages not nags, someone that always believes, always hopes, always loves. My period will come around next month and I will have the urge to vere away from my naturally happy nature for a brief 24 time stent, but I will CHOSE to not give into my flesh. I will CHOSE to be Christ-like, I will CHOSE to be content, I will CHOSE to be happy, I will CHOSE to be encouraging, I will CHOSE to be a servant, and I will do it with a happy heart because I love Jesus and that's what he's called me to do.

Thank you Lord for a wonderful husband who has chosen to serve you, love you, and raise his family for you. I am very blessed! Help me to always look for the good. You are amazing and so is the family you gave me!!!

Crocodile Dock

One of my favorite things each summer is directing Vacation Bible Adventure. Is it a ton of work? Absolutetly! Can is be stressful at times? Most definently! Do I love seeing the kids learning about Jesus and having fun while doing so? Yes! Is it always easy working with 50 helpers? No, but I love seeing us work together as a body of Christ! Is it worth it? Totally!

We did Crocodile Dock and had 107 kids 3 days, but 120+ actually walked through out doors. Of course, some of those already have a church home, but some do not. Even if only one child didn't know about Jesus and left with a new found knowledge of Him then it was totally worth it. The reality is that some of those kids will grow up and not serve Jesus, but they will look back and remember things that have been spoken into their life by a VBA teacher. I am absolutely sure of it. My mom does the Bible Lesson and there is no doubt that each child leaves hearing about how much Jesus loves and cares for them and wants a relationship with them.

My other favorite part is seeing all the teens help out. Without our teenagers we couldn't run a program. They are such a huge help. Most of them have all grown up in VBA and now have the opportunity to give back. There were a few years in ministry that I was pretty discouraged thinking that all the time, energy, training, and love that we put into these kids didn't really make a difference, but I now know better. Even if some of them walk away from the Lord I know that the words, actions, love, and Word of God that we have put into them will not return void. They all have decisions to make regarding their future. I cannot make it for them. Neither can Josh, Pastor, or their parents. What we can do though is continue to pray for them, love on them, and have open arms for them.

It is so neat to see those who are faithfully serving Jesus though! Wow, how cool to see these kids serving Jesus. By "kids" I mean Jr. Highers on up to High School graduates who still seem like they should be in my kids' church. Where has the time gone? Honestly, they were all just little kids!!!

Thank you Lord that You have allowed me the honor and priviledge of serving You and others. May I never take it lightly or for granted or begrudgingly!

I only want to please You, Lord
I only want to make You smile
I only want to live my life for You
'cause You deserve it all!

Mrs. Alphabet

I came across another website that has a lot of links to alphabet helps.

www.mrsalphabet.com

Happy school planning!