Sniff-Sniff

Yesterday, I went into my Pastor's office to copy cds. As I entered the office I was greeted with a strong smell. It was a nice smell, but a strong one nonetheless. I assumed it was from the cleaning products used in his office.

I proceed to make the cds which could not have taken me more than 15 or 20 minutes minus the time that I went out to my car to get a Sharpie marker and the times that I went to peek in on the children in the Adventurer meeting.

At the end of the Adventurer meeting, the director called all the Mom's forward to have a meeting and I could tell that something had irritated my sinuses. I had no clue that it was the smell from the office as of yet.

I get home an hour later and now I can't breathe through my nose! It is completely congested. All night long I sneeze and have drainage. And all this from 15 minutes in an office?? Wow talk about sensitivities to smell.

At any rate it is the second day and the roll of tissue is still sitting next to me. :-)

I am praying that I will feel better tomorrow.

Enjoying Keeping Your Children's Hearts

Question: How are you enjoying keeping your children's hearts?

Answer: I am absolutely loving it. It's all information that makes sense and that just needs to be read or heard so that it can be implemented on a daily basis. As homeschool Moms we often believe that if we are in the house, then we are at home with our children. But if the whole day is filled with activities that don't really include our children, then how will we capture their hearts?

It's so true that relationships are pretty much the same. If you do not spend time together, your relationship will not flourish. Time together in the house under the same roof is not a substitute for quality time or quantity time.

So because of this book, I have made a concerted effort to answer my phone less and to make sure that I am an active part of my children's lives in all that they do. The adjustments in attitudes have been amazing.

And the best part about the book for me has been comparing the growing and flourishing of relationships with my relationship with Christ. How will He have my heart if I do not spend time with Him?

I want to have the hearts of my children, but more importantly I want Christ to have the hearts of my children. As the children are knitted to Christ and I am knitted to Christ then will we all be knitted more closely together as a family. How beautiful.

Blog Update

I did not realize it had been so long since I updated my blog. There is so much to tell.

For one I finally finished my Grandmother's quilt! For the race is not given to the swift nor to the strong, but to the one that endures to the end. :-) I haven't spoken to her yet, but she left me a message to say that she absolutely loved it and wants to know if I made it. I'm guessing that she doens't remember that it was supposed to be finished two years ago for her 70th birthday. I'm thinking the don't ask don't tell rule would apply well here. :-)

The kids and I have started school. We had a rough start as the kids were having some stomach issues. Hopefully the saying that an apple a day keeps the doctor away will help us to get back on track. I'll write a separate post to let you know what we are working on in school.

Update on Chorepacks

I ordered the Chorepacks from Steve and Terri Maxwell and they have been a huge hit. The kids have done their chores like never before. My son comes and puts his pack down proudly when he is done. Who knew??

I tell them to go and do their morning routine and as of yet (1 month so far) I have not had to say another word. We went to Half-Price Books after the two week mark to celebrate.

Thanks to Shereen for sharing the idea.

First Day of School

Our new school year has begun. I'm still trying to figure out exactly how I want school to go, but we have started nonetheless. This year our days will look like:

Adventist Sonlight Curriculum (Bible plus two subjects a day)
Math-Math U See
Handwriting-Italics

My son wants to "go to kindergarten" since he is five now and so I am coming up with things to make him feel like he is really in school. I asked him what he wants to do in school. Recess, painting and eating lunch were at the top of his list. I think I can work out a deal on that one.
:-)

Everyday Dress

It amazes me how often I am questioned about the way I dress. "Where did you go today"? is often the question that I get. "I'm sorry, what exactly do you mean"? Which I guess on my part could really be deemed as a deceptive response because why else would they be asking other than the fact that they think that I don't have a "real" job and I could not possibly have anywhere to go that would warrant looking halfway decent. On the other hand, in my heart I really don't want to believe that people think that homeschooling and deciding to raise children full time is not a real job.

There was a time when I didn't get dressed like I had somewhere to go. I might just throw on some jeans and a t-shirt or sweat pants in the winter time. I might just throw my hair in a ponytail or whatever I deemed was comfortable, but the truth is that I feel better when I get dressed as if I have something to do and I am WAY more productive. It also doesn't hurt that I'm not embarrassed to answer the door when the UPS truck comes. :-)