Sweet Pea Turns Seven!!!!!!

Like the Crafty Princess's Homemade Pinata!
The recycled cereal box pinata up close!
Sweet Pea putting the final touches on her very pink princessy cake!
Best Friends!


Can hardly believe it! My little Sweet Pea turned seven last week. I'm seriously trying not to think about it or I could cry! She is my youngest baby. Not sure if she'll be my last. So I'm drinking her in each day and soooooo thankful to be with both my babes every day. Here are a few snaps of her seventh b-day party in the new house. Our sweet friends didn't care at all about our ugly walls and the lack of furniture. They are good that way! After a trip earlier in the week to Build-A-Bear workshop to pick out a pink monkey and lots of accessories (thank you to all the awesome grandparents who pitched in for that!) it was a small gathering at home with the usual party refreshments. Sweet Pea said it was the best party ever...she's still pretty easy to please :) Knowing I'm having a difficult time accepting her growing up, she was kind enough to ask the Lord to "help Mommy to deal with me being seven now" during her prayers that night! She's too much :)

God IS AWESOME!!!!

What more can you say about someone Who IS: Good ALL the time, Faithful to His EVERY Word, Love itself, Always for you and Never against you, Who has already Won Every battle and only asks you to just stand your ground, Who gives liberally and does not withhold ANY GOOD thing, Who sacrificed His Son to die for you, even if you were the only person on the earth!

Wow! His greatness is unmatched and He has proven His love for little ole me in many big and little ways. I am so reminded of that love as we have just moved into our house this past weekend. After a year and a half of looking for a house that met our needs and that we could actually afford on one income, I'll admit there were days I thought it not possible. I loved our little, cozy, cottagey home that we brought our two babies to and enjoyed watching them grow, but for the last few years felt so cramped and claustrophobic.

Even once we found a home we felt we could afford, there was the task of selling our existing house in the weird market funk that took place this past fall. But God is NOT subject to the weirdness of this earthly realm. He supersedes the markets of this world and brings our vision (which is REALLY His vision) to pass in our lives.

I have realized even more just how much He loves ME and wants me to have every desire of my heart. He has placed those desires in there in the first place. It is not selfish to want or to enjoy nice things. He LOVES to see His children blessed. What He despises is greedy children who do not give Him the glory for their blessings and do not share those blessings with others.

So, this new home will not only be a more spacious haven for our little family, but we endeavor to give God all the glory for it and will enjoy having the room to be a blessing to all of our friends and family.

We have much updating to do, as the decor is currently a blast from the past! But that is the fun part of making it your own. Lots of before and after photos to come. Until then bloggy friends, remain blessed and KNOW how much He Loves You!

Oh My Love...

Because we are moving today and tomorrow I haven't had much time to blog. But as tomorrow is Valentine's Day, one of my favorite days of the year, I wanted to dedicate this post to my husband, Chad. Valentine's Day has always been special to us, as it is the anniversary of our first date! 16 years ago tomorrow, it all began. No longer me and you, but forevermore, WE, began.

I can honestly say that it has been nothing but sweetness each and every day with this man. He is so good to me and where I am weak, he has strength. Chad is the most loving, compassionate, caring man I know. Watching daily how he tries so hard to BE a blessing to all those around him, blesses me just as much as if he were doing something nice for me.

There's just something about Chad, aside from his handsome looks, that is attractive. Before we even started our courtship, I only wished I could find someone just like him! Everyone in his family was crazy about him and I soon learned why. He's fun and silly, likes to play and sometimes just relax. I love it when he's adventurous, which is often! And when we we go on a vacation he LOVES exploring and traveling. He turns into this different person when he is free of responsibilities. I LOVE it and call his alter ego "Vacation Chad". How I love Vacation Chad! We went to Italy a few years back for our tenth anniversary and he dragged me, on foot, throughout the entire city of Florence, everyday! We couldn't possibly leave until he was satisfied he had scoured every last inch of that magical place and memorized it, until we return one day! He does the same at Disney World. He can tell you ANYTHING you'd ever want to know about that place and every ride.

I love to hear him preach God's Word! The last message he spoke on was about LOVE! And I still have so much to learn! I also love to hear him worship. He rocks it out and when we were first married I never knew that my husband loved to rock! I learn new things about him everyday. He's one of those people that is always acquiring new interests and usually masters them. He dedicates himself until he is really good at it!

I especially love the Dad that he has become to our children. He has SO much patience with them! He is tender and compassionate to their needs and does not shy away from the hard parts of parenting them. I see the Father God in him when he has so much fun blessing them with something they want, for no reason other than he wants to see them enjoy it!

As you can probably tell, I'm a little bit crazy about this man! He is my true love and handsome prince and I pray a very special Valentine's Day for us this year! Earlier in the week, when we found out our actual moving day was on Valentine's, he said, "Will you like the Valentine gift I got you this year?" I said, "The house? Yep! But you're really gonna have to work hard at topping that next year!"

Sleepless in Rochester!

My Sweet Pea has never been known to be a good sleeper. This came as quite a shock to us because big brother slept through the night at 12 weeks and unless ill, never wakes up in the night. Even as an infant, if he woke up to nurse in the night, I would try to keep him in bed with me to snuggle a bit. He would toss and turn until I got up and put him back in his bassinet.

Sweet Pea was a different baby all together. She had colic for the first 3-4 months of her life and from day one slept with me. I'd do anything to keep her from crying all day and night and waking everyone else up. This method has backfired on Mama, as she still prefers to sleep with me. But hey, she's not going to do this when she's grown up, so I enjoy her snuggles while I can. At least I don't think she will?! :)

The last few weeks her sleeping habits have become even more strange as she has been having weird dreams and sleep walking. She has freaked us out on occasion with her wide-eyed look as she saunters into the living room where we are hanging out before bed and we try our best to make heads or tails of the nonsensical gibberish that comes forth from her lips.

The other night I was awakened to hear crying and more gibberish about not wanting to be "chubby"anymore. I tried to wake her and assure her she is not chubby in any way! I tried to fix her bed and make her more comfy. When she rolled over her belly looked huge! Inside her one-piece jammies were a lot of stuffed animals she must have put in there before she fell asleep! Oh my silly girl! No wonder she was dreaming of feeling chubby!

The Leaning Tower of Laundry, UGH!

It has been so busy here with trying to pack all our stuff as we will be moving in a couple of weeks to our new house...exact date still unknown. And I am still trying to keep up with homeschooling the kiddos and keep this house somewhat clean, which is always more difficult in winter. Not sure why, maybe because we are all cooped up, with very little room for all the extras like bigger coats, hats, mittens, wet, snowy boots that we constantly trip over because there is only a two foot square area in which to remove all that junk when you come in and you do very carefully so as to not fall down the basement stairs! All of that just makes this little house seem even smaller.

Many have said, why don't you take a few days off of school to catch up on the packing and stuff, which we might have to do a day or two before the actual move. But I am reserving time off for when we actually move. So I can have time to set up my classroom again and library and get the kids acclimated to their new surroundings and maybe do some needed painting while the kids chill out and play games for a few days.

In the midst of all the chaos, some things have been put on the back burner some days. AKA: the laundry! It is a sad day when my nine year old comes up from the dungeon, I mean basement laundry room and says, "Wow! Mom! You've got to DO something about that LEANING TOWER of darks down there!" So, it's Saturday and mama is FINALLY getting caught up on stuff, especially LAUNDRY! Happy Saturday Bloggy Friends!

The Shack by Wm. Paul Young

I kept hearing about this new book, The Shack, by Wm. Paul Young, everywhere I went. It is a best-seller so it wasn't so surprising. But I'm usually a bit leery about books that "seem" so popular. I am very careful about what I choose to spend time reading. But I'm also an "eat-the-grain-spit-out-the-sticks" kind of girl, so I thought I'd give it a try.


This is no light-weight read here. To be completely honest I did not read the inserts to see exactly what was contained. I had heard it contains some pretty heavy, heart-wrenching things and wasn't sure if I would read it knowing too much about it.


Without giving too much away, because this book is truly an emotional journey, can I just say check it out. Once you get passed the Great Sadness that this family endures, the rest of this book portrays beautifully the heart of the Lord toward His children. With vivid and captivating details of how the Lord reveals Himself to one man, it will leave you with a sense of His goodness and a longing to sneak away with Him to commune each day.

Basement Super-Fort!!!

We've had quite a few days of weather that is too cold to play in the snow. The kids always love making forts in their bedrooms with blankets, pillows, etc... but after a couple of days of trying to navigate the the gauntlet without getting barked at for wrecking things, I usually make them take everything down and return their rooms back to normal. Pun'kin Head whined until I said, "How about making your fort in the basement play area? Then, as long as you keep it neat, I don't care how long you keep it up!" Hooray for Mama! Construction began immediately and he has created a cozy spot where he has now requested to have his "resting times". It is complete with carpet, blankets, pillows, stuffed animals, books, flashlights, spy gear, weapons, (one never knows when an enemy might attack!) boardgames, tv and video games. He may never come out! As proof in this pic, even his four-legged friends approve! He even occasionally invites his little sis to join him :)

Growing Borax Snowflakes!

In science the past couple of weeks we have been learning about weather; solids, liquids & gases; and crystals. I thought I'd combine them all with a cool experiment on growing our very own crystal snowflakes! These grow overnight, as apposed to other crystal making kits out there.

Check it the directions at http://chemistry.about.com/cs/howtos/ht/boraxsnowflake.htm We had so much fun...isn't that what school is supposed to be? :)

Tip: If you want the snowflakes to be colored, you have to add a lot of food coloring. We added a couple drops to each and the water appeared dark, but the crystals came out only slightly colored. My camera doesn't show the detail very well. These are much prettier in person!

Lego Barack Obama?!

This is a "Lego Inauguration" created by Pun'kin Head this afternoon. Which is really saying something, considering we did not vote for Obama and Pun'kin Head has had his issues with accepting our new president. We have had to correct his negative attitude towards President Obama in the past couple of months and again, today, as we sat before our television and witnessed history in the making.

I am not in the mood to get into the many reasons we chose not to vote for Obama. And I will never be supportive of his stance on issues that are CLEARLY against the Word of God. But I will say that I am VERY proud to have lived in this day and age when Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s dream has been made manifest in such a way that the whole world is a witness to it! And I believe that it is more evident than ever that the God-fearing citizens of our nation need to desperately get off their butts and onto their knees and pray like we should have been all along. We want change? Then PRAY people. When will people come to the realization that hard work and sweat alone will not get the job done. We can toil and work for many years to correct the state of our nation, but if we continue to go along in this life without the inclusion of the One Who IS the Giver of that life, than we are missing the mark!

2 Chronicles 7:14 "and My people who are called by My name humble themselves and PRAY, and seek My face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, will forgive their sin, and HEAL THEIR LAND." Is that not the CHANGE we are wanting for our great nation? This is the formula we need to use to get it to come to pass. He can do more in ONE day with the unified prayers of His people than we can do in many, many years. When will we understand that when we are at our weakest that's when He can move right in and be STRONG on our behalf, if we LET Him?

Whether we agree with the choice that our fellow Americans have made in this election, true submission is when we don't agree. We are called to respect the "office" of the president and to support him with our prayers. We are to be sober and alert in these days of darkness, that the day should not overtake us, for we are people of Light. And we are to offer up "prayers, petitions and thanksgivings on behalf of all men, for kings and all who are in authority, in order that we may lead a tranquil and quiet life in all godliness and dignity." 1Timothy 2:1-3

Let us rejoice that CHANGE, is indeed, on the horizon and that God's words CANNOT return to Him void of accomplishing all that He desires, IF WE PRAY!

Mama-time and Barnes and Noble!

Went out tonight for some "mama-time" and what better place to go than Barnes & Noble...books and hot treats! Handsome Hubby very often has to kick me out of house for a little bit of "mama-time". Time which consists of doing something that has nothing at all to do with kiddos. I could go for weeks without ever being alone and not notice. But sweet man that he is, he kicks me out for the sake of my own sanity. Although I'd much rather meet up with a girlfriend, not all moms can be spontaneous on the same evening, so tonight, I was on my own.

I sat in the Starbucks cafe, sipping a Hot Chai Latte (too late at night for coffee) and actually read more than one sentence without interruption! I'll readily admit that I am a BOOKWORM! As a kid I would rather spend an entire Saturday afternoon reading a good book, than playing outdoors with my three brothers. Big sis was already out of the house when I was eight or nine (being the oldest and ten years my senior), so in order to stay out the way of all the testosterone in the house, I usually buried my nose in a book.

On one occasion, my mother-in-love and I spent about seven hours straight at a Barnes & Noble! Pun'kin Head was a newborn and sweet mama picked us up to get us out of the house. After lunch we of course made our way over to B&N. Mama is as big a fan of the written word as I am and time passed quickly as we read books & magazines, chatted while I nursed Pun'kin Head and took turns burping and snuggling him up. When we got hungry, we bought snacks and continued to chat and read. After about six hours Handsome Hubby called her cell phone to ask our whereabouts as he must have thought we skipped town with his offspring in tow! When she told him we were still at B&N, he exclaimed " Still? Whatever for?" We laughed and proceeded to pack things up :)

Oh, silly man, not the biggest fan of the written word, still proclaims at the other end of the sofa, "When are you gonna finish that stupid book and pay some attention to me?!" So sorry honey. I've had many years of ignoring men because of a good read, I can't change overnight! :)

33 Reasons we HEART homeschooling!

In no particular order, here is the rundown of the myriad of blessings received by homeschooling:

1. I get to BE with my treasures for 24 hours a day (may not sound great to some, but it IS!).
2. My kids get to learn at their own pace, encouraging one to press on or one to slow down.
3. My kids get to study things that really interest them in depth.
4. We are dependent upon one another and that makes us a strong family.
5. The bond between siblings becomes amazingly strong as they achieve together.
6. Kids learn how to learn and how to teach, by helping younger siblings.
7. I get to see the joy of new discoveries everyday.
8. I get the opportunity to be the one who comforts during disappointments.
9. I get the blessing of choosing wonderful literature to read to my children each day and push by the wayside the many books that schools engage which are so detrimental to true growth.
10. Learning while snuggling on a cozy sofa or bed, it doesn't get better than that!
11. Working anytime of day we choose.
12. Going to school in our jammies some days!
13. Take school outdoors, grab our books, a picnic blanket and study in the sunshine, fresh air, and sounds of nature all around us.
14. Go on field trips that interest us, especially when public schools are in session so it's not crowded.
15. Go just about anywhere, anytime, especially family vacations, during seasons when places are not crowded at all!
16. Creating a curriculum each year that the whole family enjoys learning.
17. Educational vacations or outings can be counted as school time.
18. I get to hone my skills in patience with my sweet ones while teaching them.
19. Having WAY MORE family time than most, and everyday together is family time!
20. Sweet Pea says homeschooling is great because you get to be with your mom!
21. Pun'kin Head says homeschooling is great because he loves to do lots of projects and experiments!
22. No standing at a cold bus stop on dark mornings!
23. We usually finish all bookwork by lunchtime!
24. NO HOMEWORK!
25. Opportunity for interaction with Godly friends and it's easier to avoid negative influences.
26. No need to stress over back-to-school shopping.
27. Kids are not subjected to a peer group of thirty other kids that have the same lack of skills in judgment that they do.
28. We have the ability to select those adult mentors we want for our children, sorry to say, but not all teachers out there enjoy teaching.
29. Keeping our little ones close by until they are emotionally ready to be separated from us and not at age four or five.
30. We have much more time to instill Godly principles in our children each day.
31. We have more time to focus on teaching our children how to know and worship God.
32. Allowing our kids to be KIDS and not working an eight to ten hour day like they will be soon enough!
33. Their daddy was homeschooled and he is a brilliant, compassionate, and successful man of God! It is my greatest hope that they turn out to be just like him :)

Poetry of Robert Frost

Having grown up in Derry, NH, I am well-versed in the life and poetry of Robert Frost. His farmhouse was only a short bike ride from my parents house and is now a museum and memorial to his life and works. I used to love to go for rambles in the woods, on his farm property, that lead out to a clearing where the entire little village can be seen below. He taught English at Pinkerton Academy in the early 1900's, the high school I graduated from in 1992. For a man who suffered so much loss in his life, he definitely still enjoyed the beauty of God's creation and saw even the simplest acts of rural life as pleasant.

The past two weeks we studied the poetry of Robert Frost and specifically Stopping By Woods On A Snowy Evening. I am impressed that my Sweet Pea (age 6) can now narrate it by heart. If you're not familiar with Five In A Row check it out at www.fiar.com. It is a Charlotte Mason style curriculum and there are so many great resources in their forums to glean from.

Here's what we studied:
~The life of Robert Frost
~Rural New England life in the early 20th century
~Farm life and duties of a farmer
~Inventions that were created during his almost 90 years of life and how they were helpful to man.
~Vocabulary of poetry ie hyperbole, onomatopoeia, alliteration, personification, metaphoric language, personification, rhythm, rhyme and repetition.
~The beautiful illustrations by artist Susan Jeffers, art medium and style, viewpoint, mood, detail and history. Then created some of our own art interpretations. We also looked up all the species of birds, that Susan Jeffers so beautifully illustrated, in our field guides, utilizing reading and following alphabetical order.
~Read other winter stories and studied hibernation of animals. Created a hibernation den with some stuffed animals.

We had so much fun and I hope to continue to instill in them a love for reading and recitation of great poetry!

Caught on tape!

Okay. I am now wondering why did we spend a small fortune on a camcorder for our nine year old for Christmas?? Pun'kin Head has had so much fun the past few weeks making little videos of his Star Wars action figures and learning how to upload and edit videos on the laptop. Didn't know we needed to enforce any RULES for the use of the camera...well, we do NOW!

The other day I stepped out of the shower, dried off and applied my lotion. I forgot to bring my new clothes in the bathroom with me, but as no one else was upstairs with me, I bolted from the bathroom, across the hallway to my bedroom, to fetch some duds. Ah, once in the safety of my own room I proceeded to take my time dressing, as I was waiting for my lotion to dry anyway. There I stood, in the buff, in my closet, when a little red light reflecting in my full-length mirror caught my eye. I slowly walked toward my vanity and noticed that the baby monitor was turned on. My kids always use the old baby monitor as "spy gear" when playing and usually snoop on us when we have people over for dinner etc... As I walked a little closer I noticed not only the harmless monitor, but the new cellphone-sized camcorder also on the table.

In a sound only an experienced mama can make, I screeched "Good Lord! Is that camera on??"
Oh, yeah, it was! I then got a crash course in video editing and the wonderful DELETE button! To make a long story short...Pun'kin Head now has agreed to ALWAYS ask permission of anyone he might be taping. Sigh :)

Got Vision??

Pun'kin Head is a typical 9 year old boy when it comes to writing. He was an early reader and has impeccable penmanship, but gets very stressed out when asked to write even a paragraph for school. To help engage him in this seemingly mundane activity, I've been encouraging journaling. His journal started out with few words and mostly artwork, but I felt I shouldn't push him. He has come to enjoy writing short stories and his own comic books. But I've found him writing more and more in his journal, outside of my homeschool writing requests. I've found him copying scriptures into his journal and the other day I read an entry that really made me think. It read:

"I think for the future. I can make churches with my friends."

Wow! My boy has vision! He is planning for his future and I am proud that those plans include the works of the Lord. Vision, we all need to be people of vision. Without it, we perish. So I send out this question...search your heart...Got Vision?

Six Keys To A Healthier You: #4- Exercise!

Okay. It's way past January 1st. A whole week has gone by and I am still needing to get my butt in gear and refocus my life. It has been a whirlwind the past couple of months, with trying to sell our house and all the fun get togethers of the holidays. We were very thankful to receive an early gift, as our house sold just a few days before Christmas! Praise God! His timing is always perfect! As I mentioned in December, the holidays are a time of celebration and treats. But the past few weeks I have had insomnia by night, exhaustion by day and I know that my body is trying to tell me to get back on track, chuck all the junk that found it's way into my cupboards, and get proper rest and exercise.

Personally, I am not one who craves physical activity! I'll be honest. If I have some free time I'd much rather curl up on the sofa with a cup of tea and a good book and don't bug me till tomorrow. I am thin by my genetics and therefore don't get much sympathy from the other curvy women in my life! What I wouldn't give for a few more curves! I'm probably the only woman in America that actually welcomes monthly bloating! But thin does not translate to healthy. The media has so warped the thinking of women and men everywhere. For me, I do it only because I know that I have been entrusted with this one body and it is my responsibility to care for it.

New Years resolutions are not for me! I can't take the guilt! But if I could encourage anyone out there, I'd say just do something that makes you happy. We don't need to be extreme...just make some small changes to make exercise a part of our daily lifestyle...bottom line...get movin'.

At least 3 times a week we should be participating in some form of exercise for at least 30 consecutive minutes. And our daily goal should be to raise our heartbeats and break a sweat. Organized exercise is not for me personally. I'd much rather play basketball with my kids for a half hour or go for a walk or hike. If you need to have alone time, go to a gym. For me I like to find something I can do right at home otherwise I won't make the effort to do it. In the winter I rely on yoga, pilates, a stair stepper and small weights. Rochester is the second cloudiest city in the U.S. and therefore many people here suffer from the winter blues. As long as it's not icy out, we need to get outside and get some fresh air every day. To breathe deeply is so important and a great stress reliever. We especially need some sunshine on our skin for at least 10 minutes a day. If this isn't possible take a vitamin D supplement during the winter.

What does the Word say? 1 Timothy 4:8 "...for bodily discipline(exercise) is only of a little profit, but godliness is profitable for all things, since it holds promise for the present life and also for the life to come." That's one of those scriptures I wish I could overlook! God didn't say bodily exercise was of NO profit for us. He said godliness holds promise for this life and the next. Therefore, bodily exercise only holds promise for this life.

God knows the inner workings of our bodies. Exercise keeps every body part healthy. First of all just the act of raising our heart beat gives our heart muscle a good workout. It also is bringing increased amounts of oxygen to every cell, muscle and tissue. Exercise most definitely aids our proper digestion and elimination of waste. It also stimulates brain function. Many diseases that affect our minds are linked to a sedentary lifestyle.

So find something that you can fit into your lifestyle and tell yourself your goal this new year is to take better care of yourself. We take care of everyone else, everyday, this is one time where it is encouraged to be selfish and do something that is just for us. It will eventually make us feel happier (all those great endorphins being released!) relieve the stress our lives throw at us, and make us live longer and healthier. And in that way, it IS a gift to those we love the most. Because we all know, when Mama's happy, everyone is happy! Thanks for sitting and taking the time to read this post, now get off that tush and get movin' :)

A Year Of Jubilee!

"Arise, shine; for your light has come, and the glory of the Lord has risen upon you. For behold, darkness will cover the earth and deep darkness the peoples; but the Lord will rise upon you and His glory will appear upon you and nations will come to your light and kings to the brightness of your rising." Isaiah 60:1-3

I have heard from many the past few months, that the new year ahead seems dark. There has been so much fear concerning our economy. Even in church circles among those of faith. I feel the need to remind all of us that we are NOT of this world. That we are not to look at the circumstances of this life with fear in our hearts. God has not given us a spirit of fear, but a spirit of Power, Love and a Sound Mind. That is good news. We can have sound minds in the midst of all that SEEMS dark.

Isaiah 60 confirms that darkness will come. But it is during the darkest times that The Light will shine the brightest! As people of faith, now is the time for us to rise up and take our authority that was paid for with a huge price. We need to start living as if Jesus is in us, if we truly believe He is. Therefore, WE are the light of this world. Hold it out for all to see and be the Lord's hands in this earth.

I believe with all my heart that this New Year will be one of GREAT blessing for God's people. Those things in our hearts, that once seemed impossible, WILL come to pass THIS year. Mountains will fall and doors of opportunity will be opened to us. But as we are blessed let us not forget to reach out and BE a blessing to all those around us.

May you prosper in body, soul and spirit this New Year as you follow hard after Him. And may this New Year truly be one of Jubilee!