The Rebuilding in Slow - Don't Forget Them!!

I felt bad even thinking how hard it was to decorate this year when others are so displaced. Pray for their spirits and remember their incredible sense of determination. Pictures taken in Mississippi over the Thanksgiving weekend.

Mississippi Still Struggling

I had the opportunity to go to Mississippi this weekend. My dh preached at two churches, predominately African-American congregations. It was my first trip to the area and I was shocked by the level of devastation still present three months after Hurricane Katrina. Most families are living in campers parked outside their front porches, working on their homes at each opportunity. The homes all had their windows and doors open to help get rid of the mold. All of them have been completely gutted, everything inside a total loss. As the holidays are upon us, please take the time to remember our brothers and sisters in the Mississippi, Alabama and Louisiana areas that were so devastated by Hurricane Katrina. I pray they can find some sense of holiday in their current situation.

I have never felt so much love from people before in a situation where I didn't know anyone but my dh and my 4 dc's. We were received with great food, lots of hugs and a feeling that they were genuinely glad to have us. Southern hospitality at its finest!!

Why I know God has a sense of humor!

I recently read a book called "Discover Your Child's Learning Style" by Willis & Hodson. As we just started our homeschooling year back after a summer break, I thought this would be a great book to teach me how to do a better job at coaching my children through the learning process. After giving all my children, my husband and myself the evaluation, I realized God certainly has a sense of humor.
I found out I am the only one in my family with the disposition for organization. Now I know why it doesn't seem to bother my children when the whole house is a wreck, they can't find anything, or their rooms look like everything is out of place. However, I did find out that they really like to work together and perform. So, my new plan is to make clean-up days a group event and turn the music loud enough for them to "perform" while cleaning. (ha-ha)
Seriously, I have found God continues to call me to do things that require faith. That is a measure of my "calling" to a task, I realize without my faith in the Lord it would be impossible. Life becomes a chance to praise Him, praising Him with the mundane daily tasks. It is in those moments that I feel Him closest, urging me on, asking me to take just one more step in faith. I can almost hear his voice cheering me on, especially when others won't notice. For it is in the everyday that I see His face most clearly, in the faces of my children looking to me to show them the path. When I see how different we are, I realize only God can make the different shine like a beautiful rainbow.

Learning can be Fun!!

Monday we got the opportunity to deliver home meals in our area. We do this once a month. Afterwards, we stopped by a sign shop and bought two pieces of Cloroplast to build the cavy (guinea pig) cages that had been discussed on the WTM message board. The instructions were at cavycages.com. The owner was very interested and sold them to me at cost. We spent the day measuring, calculating area and perimeters and making two cages. Everybody got into the action and we really enjoyed finding some neat toys and bridges to put in the cages. The dc's even developed a plan for little houses and tunnels from the leftovers. Everybody agreed, it was fun to see math in action.

Our guinea pigs are loving the action. You can barely make out Lightning running through the tunnels. What a fun and educational way to spend the day!! 

Filled and full of houses and tunnels, the guinea pig cages are a big success. We even used our math skills to design houses and tunnels from the leftover Cloroplast. 

Yeah!! We got the bottom done and it is all attached and ready to be filled. Dusty (the Lab) is worried this is for him. 

Work begins on the Guinea Pig cages!! We have sides but no bottom. 

Every generation needs a frontier to explore.

Homeschooling has been something we felt called to do even before we had children. It has truly been a new and unexplored territory. However, I have found many helpful friends and resources along the way. I really enjoy visiting the Well-Trained Mind message board and our "learning room" pictures below show how many ideas we have put into action. Each day is a time to learn together, realizing we are in this together as a team and TEAM means: Together Everyone Achieves More. I really enjoy this spirit among the fellow homeschoolers.
We have four dc's ages 4,6,8 & 10. We have 3 ds's and 1 dd. These are truly the best of times and sometimes they are VERY interesting. In addition to the human species, we also have a Lab, a hamster, a mouse, 7 guinea pigs and fish. Believe me, there is always something to do around here. God is truly awesome!!

Here is T's desk. He uses this and the table so we have both. Behind him is a reading chart for everyone with library style cards that list all books read. 

Closer shot of our craft station. This works great for paints, markers, crayons, dough, etc.

This is mom's corner, where everything is easy to locate and within reach. In the front are our checking/ to-do boxes for each child. Of course, Mom has her stereo handy.

These are the individual desks for my two oldest ds's. On the wall is the white board I built with directions from the WTM message board. It is awesome. 

Our table for my youngest two dc's and the table we do our group work. You can also see our craft station under the fish tank and the activity table behind them.