My Must Watch Christmastime Movie List!!!

Not all of these are "Christmas" movies, but here's the list I try to watch while wrapping gifts, baking, or folding laundry at Christmastime :)

It's A Wonderful Life (Hubby will attempt his best Jimmy Stewart impersonation throughout it)

The Grinch (both versions of course)

A Christmas Story (never gets old)

Rudolph and Santa Claus is Coming to Town (for the kids of course)

The Family Man (kind of a modern It's A Wonderful Life)

Sleepless in Seattle/You've Got Mail (don't know why, just love that Tom Hanks at Christmastime!)

Little Women (The Susan Sarandon version)

National Lampoons Christmas (those Griswalds still crack me up!)

While You Were Sleeping (need at least one sappy romantic movie)

Emmett Otter's Jugband Christmas (It's classic Jim Henson and you can't go wrong with muppets!)

A Charlie Brown Christmas ( no explanation necessary!)

So, I hope I've inspired you to rent a couple you haven't seen yet and snuggle up next to a fire, with a bowl of popcorn and your favorite kiddos and take a well-deserved break from all the "hustle and bustle" Enjoy :)

We're Back!

Took some bloggy time off for Thanksgiving festivities and black Friday madness. It was actually a quiet and relaxing Thanksgiving at home, just the four of us! The kiddos helped with the baking this year, which was surprisingly nice. We don't normally go crazy on black Friday, cyber Monday is more my thing! But as we had a house showing on Friday afternoon, after MUCH cleaning, we ventured out and hit a couple of stores while the pupster waited patiently in the car. Here are some snaps of our humble Thanksgiving :)

Giving Thanks

1Thes. 5:18 "...in everything GIVE THANKS; for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus."

Ever wanted to know what God's will was for your life? It says right here, in everything give thanks and that is part of God's will for you. It didn't say FOR everything, for not everything in our lives comes from God, it said IN everything give thanks. If what you are going through is contrary to the word of God, you can still thank Him while you are in the midst of it. Thank Him for the answer, thank Him for deliverance.

Having a thankful heart, no matter what comes your way, will put you over in life. If you can't think of anything to thank Him for start with what He has already done for you. If you have accepted the salvation the Lord provided for you when Jesus took your place on the cross and delivered you from a life of sin, darkness and separation from God, start with that. I could think upon that ALL day and never tire of giving my thanks. He loved us so much that He gave Jesus, not only to be the sacrifice for our sins, but He also took ALL sickness and manner of disease on His own body so that we could be free from it.

I am so thankful for many, many blessings in my life. I am loved by the God of all creation! I know Him personally and because He rent the veil in two, I can go to Him and commune with Him anytime I want. I don't need a mediator to converse for me. He cared enough to want to know me personally.

Every good and perfect gift comes from above and therefore every blessing in my life, from the greatest to smallest, is only because of the Lord. I am thankful for my wonderful husband and two beautiful children. They bring such joy and happiness to my life and an example of God's unconditional love for me here on this earth. I am thankful for my extended family and wonderful friends.

If you can't think of something to be thankful for start with the basic things that we, in this very blessed country, often take for granted. I am thankful that I live in this country where I am free to worship the Lord without persecution. I am thankful that I woke up this morning in a warm bed and house. That I took a shower in warm, clean water. That I ate a healthy breakfast and my tummy is now full and satisfied. That I have a car with which to drive anywhere I choose to today and gas in it's tank. That I am able to stay home with my children while my husband goes to his job.

Wow! We are a BLESSED people! The next few days, while we are stuffing our faces with stuffing, let us not forget the One from Whom ALL blessings come. And let us endeavor to share all of our many blessings with those who may not know the same comforts and share with them the One Who desires to freely GIVE them all good things.

What is a Dubba?

Got an email the other day from my brother Dave saying that he finally had a minute to check out my new blog! The only criticism he had was that there seemed to be no mention of HIM! Specifically, what is a Dubba? I just didn't want others to be jealous of us by mentioning all of his great attributes. Well, here's my attempt to remedy that.
I'm not sure I remember when the name "Dubba" was given to him, but all of the nieces and nephews and all other little kids call Uncle Dave "Dubba". Dubba is an incredible guy. He's a handsome, strong, snuggly bear of a guy who gives the best hugs (know wonder all the kids are stuck to him like magnets!). He is an extremely charming and friendly guy and definitely not the shy, quiet type. If you are within a mile from Dubba's house while the Red Sox or Pats are playing, you'll hear him! He is also the most generous, fun-loving, and kind person I know.
He's ALWAYS been there for me and seven years my senior, more a "father figure" than a big brother. But I am happy to say, now that we are grown, he is one of my closest friends. My husband grew up with no brothers and four sisters, therefore Dubba has become the big brother he never had. He'd be the first one to tell you that Dubba is SUPER DAD and a tough act to follow.
He not only works diligently, many hours a week, but he's always there for his wife and kids. He has coached his kids various sports teams, helped with homework, attended a myriad of dance and band recitals, school events, soccer, baseball, softball, gymnastic, and golf matches where he is always their number one fan! He even takes his kids on "dad and kids only" camp-out weekends so mom can have a break!
He travels eight hours to visit us once or twice a year and always asks "should I bring my tools?" as he has done so many projects for us at our home. He also generously hosts all of us as we travel to New England once or twice a year, even our pup is welcome!
What more can I say, other than I feel badly for all of you that don't have Dubba (or someone like him) in your life. Love you Dub, Sis :)

Where in the world do all the socks go??

I read many, many blogs and most are written by incredible moms of many children. I am a mom to only two children, so far, yet I still can't seem to keep up with the laundry. I suppose it doesn't help that my kids find it offending to wear only ONE outfit per day. And, if clean, pants and bathrobes do not need washing EVERYDAY, Sweet Pea! It's not the washing I hate as much as the folding and then the dreaded putting away. (HH is great at the putting away!) Once the laundry is finally done and folded it could sit in the basket for Lord only knows how many days. If I still don't find or make the time to put it away and you come over to my house for a visit, that basket of clean, folded clothes will end up in the walk-in closet. Don't tell.

Requests for this or that are usually answered as "I don't know...check in the basket!" But the most common request is "Mom, I can't find any socks!" Where in the world do they go? Do they up and escape their dreaded life long duty of covering up sweaty, stinky toes? When we do locate a pair, I am then informed of their less than desirable quality...aka...holey socks.

My boy has been literally begging for new socks. Trying to stave him off until payday when I realized I might as well get some extra hats and mittens too. The first few days of snowfall here has left my basement flooded with wet winter gear on the drying rack. My boy can't just use his gear to keep warm. No. That would be too simple. He must roll in the snow like a dog until his stuff is sopping wet. Then if we need to run an errand he's got nothing dry to wear. Extras are necessity.

Upon my return tonight from the weekly grocery shopping, Pun'kin Head was "over the moon" that I managed to pick him up a new hat and snuggly socks. He put them on immediately and I must say looked very fetching with his jammies and hat on! I just checked on him and found him sleeping soundly and right next to his pillow, folded nicely of course was some of the new socks and hat! I guess you could say he's thankful for them. Gotta love simple pleasures :)

Six Keys To A Healthier You: #3 Worship & Praise

Psalm 34 "I will bless the Lord at all times; His PRAISE shall CONTINUALLY be in my mouth. My soul shall make its boast in the Lord; the humble shall hear it and rejoice. O, magnify the Lord with me and let us exalt His name together."

Praise can set the tone for the entire house. I'm the first to admit that I AM NOT a morning person. I'm not grumpy in the morning, but I definitely prefer my sleep as I am a night-owl! I am slow going and hate to be rushed to get ready. But by the time I'm in the shower, songs of praise are always on my lips (much to my family's chagrin!).

Having continual praise in our hearts is one part of keeping ourselves healthy. I truly believe Christians today are not seeing the power of God working in their lives as much as they'd like, because they are lacking in praise. Oh, we are people of faith and we've got all our confessions of His word, but we are still feeling down and depressed about the situations in our lives that we want to see changed but haven't yet.

As the wife of a worship pastor, music and praise is a huge part of our home. Our kids love to hang out and "jam" with daddy as he rehearses, with much amperage, several days a week. But praise is more than just singing songs. It's having an attitude of praise in our hearts. When it's the end of a long, tiring day and there is still dinner to be prepared(not my favorite part of my day) I put on my ipod and belt it out to the Lord. Singing songs that exalt Him make my frustrations melt away and center my faith to know that He cares about every part of my little life.

Hebrews 13:15 "Through Him then, let us CONTINUALLY offer up a SACRIFICE of praise to God, that is, the fruit of our lips that give thanks to His name."

It is a sacrifice because we must do it even when we least feel like it. The things the Lord encourages us to do in His word are not for His benefit, but for ours. Does God have an ego-centered attitude? No. He knows if we will PRAISE Him continually we are giving Him something to work with and then He can move on our behalf. In praise, we are magnifying Him and not our circumstances.

If you are believing God for something, start by praising Him for all that He has already done for you. He is the same yesterday, today and forever. Therefore what He did once, He can do again. Search the scriptures to see how He has blessed His children and know that He has no favorites. What He has done for one, He will do for you. The word says, without faith (hearing and accepting what you've heard as truth) it is impossible to please God. And praise will keep that "switch of faith" turned on. Be blessed today as you unleash the power of praise in your life!

Will You Keep Testing Me, Mama?

This was the question Pun'kin Head presented me with upon the "tuck-in" tonight. As he had a math test today and got a 100%, I thought he was referring to math tests. He said, "Promise me you'll always test me to keep me sensitive and tell me if I watch any bad shows or play with any bad toys okay?" It took a while to convince him that Mama and Daddy have it under control and that's what we are here for. To monitor everything he does until he's old enough to do it for himself. But I'm impressed that he is sensitive enough to know that he does need to listen to the Lord within himself and follow as He leads his steps. Oh, my sweet Pun'kin Head...Sweet Dreams.

Waaa! The Kids Are Winning

Welcome to NY...Grab a shovel!

I'm not sure where we got these kids. They may look like us, but they are definitely nothing like their dad and me when it comes to cold-weather, outdoor activities. In other words, we HATE to be cold! Even as a kid, I was the one sitting in the middle of the ice rink crying and begging to go home while my sister and three brothers whizzed past me. At the first sight of those soft, downy, goose feathers floating down from the sky, they don their coats and boots and run for the door! "Put on a hat and mittens!", I yell to no avail. There's nothing on the ground but they just leap across the yard and spin and squeal as they try to catch them. The kids and I have an ongoing contest 8 months out of the year. They try to wish snow upon our lawn and I try my best to will it away! As we live only 10 minutes south of Lake Ontario, they usually win. But Mama still tries! We have a monster of a silver maple, smack in the middle of our already tiny back yard and every year it's the last tree to bloom and the last to shed. Therefore we usually still have leaf piles to be bagged when the first of many, many snowflakes hit. The lawn was totally covered in white this morning. The kiddos cheered, "We're winning!" I just heard them exclaim as they passed by the window, "Oh No! Mom's winning, she made the sun come out!" I wish I had that kind of power, but of course I don't let on! Happy Shoveling! :)

Homeschool Field Trip: Fire Station

This Is The Life!

She's got the essence of being a girl!

All You Need Is Love...And A Little Chocolate Doesn't Hurt!

I read that quote recently and I concur! It has been an exhausting week! I feel so tired yet sleep hasn't come easily or soundly enough. I swear we are all still messed up from changing the clocks. Any excuse will work for me at this point. The kiddos have been taking forever to settle down at night and therefore sleeping in, which means we start school later than I'd like. They goofed off the entire time today during bookwork time, but then they wanted to have their free time in the afternoon that they enjoy. Mama had to come down hard and make them finish up their work on their own time. They haven't had much opportunity for any physical outlet the past couple of days and really needed to be wrestled up a bit. Where's Daddy when you need him! Mama's just don't wrestle as well...so I've been told. And I've also been told DAD doesn't have rules when he wrestles. Well, Mama's are built different and WE NEED RULES! Handsome Hubby returned from his FOUR day business trip (hey, no wonder I'm so tired) bearing souvenirs for the kiddos and dirty laundry for me. It's also Thursday and I've come to despise Thursdays, as Fridays are food shopping day in our house, and by Thursday there is not even a mouse-sized morsel to be found. These kids eat up every scrap of everything each week and by the time Friday rolls around, Mother Hubbard's Cupboards are beyond bare! No wonder these little piggies each gained 6 lbs. in one year (they recently had their check-ups)! It's the highlight of the day now to sit and fold THREE loads of laundry. Anyway, in desperate need of a little pick me up after tucking them in and I couldn't find ANYTHING that looked good. In desperate need of one thing in particular, CHOCOLATE! I rummaged until I found some chocolate chips in the baking supply cupboard and downed a handful. Ahh! Much better. I can face tomorrow! Hey, don't judge, you know you've been there. Happy Almost Friday :)

Nature Studies

Our collection of treasures
Soaking in the fragrant lilacs
Pun'kin Head digging nature
Sweet Pea releases her ladybugs she raised
Killdeer nest and egg discovery!
Scooping up creek specimens
Scoping out the pond life
Spying on the geese



Appreciating God's creation is a huge part of our homeschooling experience. Our kids have always enjoyed going on nature hikes and exploring for nature treasures. We have always kept nature journals. It's a great way to engage kids who normally see writing or drawing as a chore. There is a new found excitement when making a journal entry about something discovered first hand. We tend to be out and about more during the warmer months, but fall and winter is a great time for studying nature, as more animals come out of hiding in search of food and local birds are easier to spy in trees that have shed their leaves. Here are a few of our favorite snaps of enjoying nature.

Last Day Of Fall Co-op

Pun'kin Head's Drawing Class
Sweet Pea's Cartwheel!
Working the beam!
Stretch it out!
Sweet Pea's favorite: Arts & Crafts
Pun'kin Head's attempt to bring it to the hoop
He's got skills!

Our fall homeschool co-op has come to an end :( The kids had much fun at their art and phys.ed. classes we selected. The last class they allow parents to observe and take photos. Here are a few shots of the day.

SUPER STUDENT BUCKS !

There are times throughout the school year when the newness of learning wears off and school can seem a chore like anything else. We all need motivation to complete the task at hand. At the end of last year, as the weather began to finally warm up, the kids were tired of the nagging mama/teacher and just wanted to go outside.
Our kids are blessed being homeschooled. They can do their work at their own pace, according to their schedule, and study what interests them. They don't have to rise when it's dark and stand at a chilly bus stop. They don't have evening homework to complete. Once their studies are done, they are free to play and have fun the rest of the day.
Because they don't know any different, they don't always appreciate these blessings. Instead of focusing on the constant threats of punishments for not doing their best work, I came up with a reward system to motivate them. We have been using the Super Student Buck system for about six months and it has been quite effective. At the end of each lesson time, the kids and I determine whether or not their did their best and used a positive attitude (which is the most important to me). If they feel they have, they receive a Super Student Buck. If not, they must wait until the next school day and try harder to earn one. After they receive five bucks, they can cash them in for a coupon. Their favorite coupons are A Date With Dad, Fun Time With Mom, 30 bonus video game minutes, 30 bonus stay up minutes, Play Date With A Friend, One Free Movie Rental etc...
It has been a good lesson to learn that they have control over earning rewards and that their progress and positive attitudes are worthy of tangible rewards. They are very often harder on themselves when it comes to determining if they receive or not. It's within their control and there are no arguments to be had. And Mama no longer needs to nag! :)

GREAT NEW PRODUCT:SILVER SHIELD!!!!

After almost two months of using this product personally, I feel I can definitely promote it. Silver Shield is simply pure silver particles dispersed in purified water. It is non-toxic, even in the highest quantities, unlike homemade concoctions others have used. It kills bacteria, mold, viruses and fungus on contact. It differs from the other colloidal and ionic silvers out there because it is missing two electrons in it's outer shell. That means that Silver Shield has catalytic capabilities. Catalytic means that while one electron is destroying bacteria the other is being recharged allowing it to kill again and again.
We used to be confident that antibiotics would help us to fight off disease. But pathogens are becoming increasingly dangerous and resistant strains are causing deadly breakouts in hospitals, schools and restaurants. They have been misused, overused and are becoming ineffective. Not to mention the havoc the use of antibiotics creates in our bodies. Unlike antibiotics, Silver Shield has no negative side effects. You can't say that about any prescribed medicines out there. Because of it's super-bacteria-killing properties, it can be used with medicines and cause them to be even more effective because it will boost the immune system so it can do it's job more effectively. Silver Shield can be used topically and internally and can be used in a preventative manner as an immune enhancer.
There are hundreds of uses and it has been proven as a broad spectrum antimicrobial in the destruction of bacterias, viruses, mold and fungi including MRSA, SARS, Malaria, Anthrax, hepatitis C, Aids and Influenza, pneumonia, herpes virus, strep, staph, etc... In a day and age where bio terrorism is a real threat and epidemics are inevitable, we need to protect ourselves and our families.
We have personally used the product in our home with many different applications. We use it daily as a hand sanitizer and to clean household surfaces like remotes, computers, doorknobs, phones etc... It is unique because unlike other sanitizers out there, it not only kills bacteria and pathogens on contact, but it is the only product that continues to kill pathogens for four more hours. Which is great if you are in school or an atmosphere filled with many people. It will not dry out your hands because it contains no alcohol and you only need to reapply it if you wash your hands. In winters past, our hands have become so chapped and raw from alcohol based sanitizers. So far,we've used it for sore throats, yeast infection, eczema, stretch marks, wrinkles, colds, coughs and protection when traveling on an airplane (the filthiest place on earth) and have seen amazing results. It is odorless, colorless and virtually tasteless (some notice a slight metallic aftertaste). We've brushed our teeth with it to kill all mouth bacteria, as our mouths hold our first line of defense. A few drops will purify drinking water as well.
To learn more about this amazing product that was created by Dr. Gordon Pedersen, you can order his book: A Fighting Chance-How To Win The War Against Bacteria, Viruses & Mold With Silver at www.naturestools.com The product Silver Shield in liquid and gel forms can be ordered from me through Nature's Sunshine where it is exclusively patented. Feel free to ask me any questions concerning Silver Shield. Be well and healthy :)

GET OUT THERE AND VOTE!!!

Just want to encourage everyone to make it to the polls today. You may have to stand in a very long line and have your day inconvenienced, but many have paid a high price for our RIGHT to be inconvenienced! There is no perfect candidate out there. They are but mere men and we know God can work through those who get the privilege of leading our great nation. Do not vote based on FEAR of the economic situation we are currently in. The Lord has always known how to take care of His people and will continue to take care of every aspect of our lives if we involve Him. Ask your HEART how to vote. Support the candidates who will most likely uphold the vision the Lord had when he created families. This is STILL His nation and if we humble ourselves and pray, He will lead us. No matter what the outcome, tomorrow morning we will be praying for our president, like always. Let's give the Lord something to work with and continue to pray His word over our new president!