Rain Out - The Gift of a Free Saturday!!

We had baseball practice all day today but they were rained out!!  Can you tell how upset I am?  So now, we can get all those 4-H Presentations finished.  Glorious free Saturday.

Wordless Wednesday

The Lincoln Ducks!!

My dh was the head coach and is in the picture on the right.  He is great and, after showing him my "redesign" of my blog wanted to know why he wasn't there.  So, here is his own post where I can tell the world what a great guy he truly is!!

We had three boys on the team, along with three other families.  It was Middle School age and we had a great time.  We even won a couple of games!!

Next year we hope to have a JV and MS team and be a force!!

We are Descendants of Pirates!! Argggg

Great news.  We found out we are proud descendants of pirates on my husband's side.  I think that explains sooooo much around here.  So now, I have three pirates and one fair maiden to navigate on this ship through life.  I hope I am up to the voyage!!

I decided to keep this blog because it is so easy to post on but I also have one at my website.  I plan to keep this one with day to day happenings and other really fabulous tidbits of information like this one.

I've been working on my layout and learning as I go.  Leave me a comment and let me know what you think and what I could add.

G-Force

We started our new children's service called G-Force.  The service is designed for K to 5th grade, although anyone is welcome to attend. 

It has been so much fun.  I have really enjoyed getting to know those involved, as well as seeing the children's faces each week.  

The first week we had about 150 and this last week we had 186.  God is so Awesome!!

The Dragons are Coming!!

What started out as a normal school day completely changed when the bearded dragon eggs we have been incubating started to hatch. The mommy, Padme, laid 28 eggs of which about 4 never developed. So, we could have LOTS of beardies soon.

Here are pics of the first two. As I checked the eggs this morning, they had hatched and were running around. I can't wait until the others hatch.

In the one picture you can see their mom looking at them as if they would make a good lunch. My dc's wondered how any babies survive in the wild if the grown ups want to eat them.

If you would be interested in one, I am asking $50 plus shipping which must be one day. They will be ready when they are approximately 7 inches long, roughly 5 to 6 weeks old.

So, can I count this as science??

Home Education is up and Running Again

This is the latest we have ever started back but with all our friends in the neighborhood it has been hard to focus. All the dc's were more than ready to start back.

My oldest, C-man, has been getting up early to start. After I picked myself up from the fainting spell, I realized he really likes independent style learning. He really hates waiting on me to move forward. He is studying Omnibus I.

W-man and T-bird are liking independent reading even though we are having some adjustment issues. I am using Robinson Curriculum and really love it. After a few kinks are worked out, I think it will be a good fit for us.

My youngest, Princess, is progressing well if she could only wake up earlier. Oh well, it does give me time with the other guys.

Meet Obi-One-Kanobi

Our one little egg that hatched is the cutest thing ever!! His head is almost bigger than his whole body. He's a quick little booger, catching crickets like crazy.

You can see his parents, Boga and Padme below. Padme has already laid 28 more that are in the incubator I built. I think the others failed to hatch because of lack of air circulation which dried out the eggs. This time, I expect success.

Montana

We recently went with our church on a family mission trip to the Blackfeet Indian Reservation in Heart Butte, Montana. What a beautiful place and beautiful people. There were 42 of us all together including 18 children, 5 youth and 19 adults.

We spent the time picking up trash, painting, cleaning and teaching VBS. We left feeling our work had only just begun.

New Additions!!

Princess Padme, our bearded dragon, had her first eggs last night. Altogether she laid 25 and then proceeded to bury them. After she was through, I put the eggs in Perlite and then into an incubator set at 84 degrees. Now, we have to wait about 60 to 70 days. The kids want them to hatch today.

Here are some pictures of Boga, the proud father. He is a German Giant and Orange Sunset cross.

Let me know if you would be interested as they should be old enough to sell by the end of July or first of August. They are extremely healthy since we have used the proper lighting, vitamins and feeding schedule for them.

A Place for us All

Here are pictures of each dc's desk area. Each child has a desk space, which I have found works good to keep everyone on task and focused. Dusty is modeling for the picture too. I have two bookcases for books and teacher guides behind and beside my desk. Great things are happening in this room!!

Also, Mom gets the USA map behind her desk area and has the vantage point to keep an eye on the whole room!!

Spring Cleaning in our School Room

I've been working at decluttering all week. Here is our school room as clean as it will be in a while. We have a table in the center of the room where we work together on things like history, art, etc. Then, you can see my 4 ft table I have at a counter level so I can put my teacher's books on it and go over lessons on the white board. Of course, the white board is "tile board" made during a discussion on the WTM message board.
Our computer center is by my desk so I can keep an eye on internet activity. And, finally you see one of our many pets, Oreo. He is litter box trained and hops around the room as we study.

Going Birdie!!

At the Riverbanks Zoo in South Carolina, we got to feed the birds nectar. Obviously they were really hungry. The weather was a perfect 72 and we had a terrific time with our homeschool group.

My New Look

Now that I have lost 50 pounds, I have a new look. Highlights and new nails are a few of my new changes. Also, I get to change my blog. Way too cool.

Go Deacs!!

We went to the game against Virginia Tech and, even though we lost, we still had a great time. It was the dc's first time tailgating.

We went with Jeff's family and had a fantastic time!!

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!!