Disney, rain, automatic flushing toilets and the like

Home again, home again, jiggity jig! Our Disney trip was everything we anticipated and more. The weather was unpredictable, but only added to the memories. Few brave souls were willing to run through the park in a downpour just to get in "one more ride". It certainly didn't stop our children, or the adults running to keep up with them. Hey, what's a little rain when you're already soaked?

The toddler did amazingly well. Apparently the only thing she is afraid of is automatic flushing toilets. Roller coasters? No big deal. She went on the Matterhorn and loved it! Had it not been for the height requirements, I dare say she would have ridden everything in the park. We even tried giving her big hair, but they were on to us. One attendant commented, "Her hair is tall enough, but she isn't." She kept begging to ride California Screamin'. "Mommy, ask the lady again!"

Courage seemed to be the order of the week. The boys rode things we never expected them to. Each time they conquered a new ride, I could see them walking a little taller and holding their heads a bit higher. They became Jedi and fought the Dark Side, while Emma sought out every single princess in the park.

The time with our Idaho friends served to further cement our friendship. If you can vacation with friends and survive, then you are truly friends! We ended our trip on Friday evening with the fireworks show at the foot of the Disney castle. A perfect ending to a magical trip.

Mountains of laundry have replaced Space Mountain and the only characters running around are my children, but I must say home is truly "the happiest place on earth".

Oh, and the cute shoes held up great!

So what do you DO all day?

When we moved to Texas we found there were no support groups in close proximity to our new home. So, long story short...I started my own!

We will be having our first Mom 2 Mom night meeting at the end of the month and I would love your input. Our topic will be "So, what do you DO all day? How to homeschool and keep your home without losing your mind". We will discuss the idea of routines versus schedules, look at opportunities to help our homes run more smoothly and visit ways we unknowingly sabotage our own homeschooling efforts.

Bit of background...the majority of the members are first year homeschoolers still trying to find their "groove". What advice would you give on the topic? What do you wish someone had told you when you first started out? What has been your biggest challenge in balancing home and homeschooling and how have you faced that challenge? I would really love your ideas...and your prayers!

Memorization Monday

So take a new grip with your tired hands and stand firm on your shaky legs. Mark out a straight path for your feet. Then those who follow you, though they are weak and lame, will not stumble and fall but will become strong. Hebrews 12:12

D-Day checklist

Item number one on my Disney to-do list - buy comfy shoes. Mission accomplished!



Cute AND comfy AND on sale! It honestly doesn't get any better than that. I do not like wearing tennis shoes. They make my feet feel claustrophobic. I'm a barefoot kind of gal, but since sans shoes probably won't fly at Mickey's house, I thought I should find a solution we can all live with.

My next task is to tackle the kids' closet and drawers to see what may be lurking inside. Yikes. Want to get organized? Take a vacation!

Of course, I can't forget to color my hair before we go.

Buy stamps.

Find someone to watch the dog...oh wait, we don't have a dog.

Mail birthday cards.

Why am I telling you all this?

I have no idea.

Adventures in lapbooking

Lapbooking. It's a word I was vaguely familiar with, but had never considered incorporating in our homeschool. If you're not familiar with it, it's basically scrapbooking everything a student has learned on a particular topic in one folder. From what I can tell, there are really no rules, but plenty of fantastic ideas and examples can be found on the Internet. Let me say it again, "How DID we homeschool without the Internet?"

We are working this week on a unit study of football. We've done some fun activities and the boys are enjoying it. Somehow a link for lapbooking ended up in my in-box this morning. Before I knew it I was printing and planning for our football lapbooks. The boys spent hours researching and reading facts, cutting, coloring, organizing, writing and creating. At the end of the day, the consensus was unanimous - all three of my boys agreed it was the best day of homeschooling they had ever had. I think we'll be incorporating lapbooks more often!

Here are a couple of good links I found. If you've never checked out lapbooking, I would recommend it as a neat extension activity for anything you are currently studying. The possibilities are endless.

Lapbooking on Squidoo - this one is a great jumping off point. I was able to get the basics and show the boys some good examples of what we were trying to accomplish.

Scrapbooking to Learn - good step-by-step example.

Hands of a Child - an entire business geared toward lapbooking...who knew? You can purchase and download lapbooks on almost any subject. They also offer a free project each quarter.

Chew on this

Pray daily for his guidance. Our problems are God's opportunities.

Blogging with purpose

If you've been around the bloggy world for any length of time, chances are you have run across Shannon at Rocks in My Dryer. If you're like most people, you probably have her in your list of favs. She has a way of making the ordinary simultaneously funny and thought provoking.

Compassion International has offered Shannon the chance to travel with other power bloggers to Africa and blog about the relief effort in Uganda. Amazing! I hope you'll stop by and read her story, then check back as she chronicles her life changing adventure.

Memorization Monday

Putting feet to my goals for 2008 includes memorizing a scripture verse a week for the whole year. I began last week with Proverbs 13:3. "Those who control their tongue will have a long life; a quick retort can ruin everything." There were several times when the thought of the verse gave pause to my speech. I tend to be the sort with a quick retort. I don't like that about myself, but it's the plain, ugly truth. My prayer is that I will not only commit the 52 verses to memory, but allow them to permeate my heart and affect my actions.

Continuing on the same vein, this week's verse also deals with our words. "Some people make cutting remarks, but the words of the wise bring healing." Proverbs 12:18

Thank you Lord for your precious Word that has the power to change my heart.

Homeschool prayer

One of my new acorn friendships is beginning a new chapter in her family's life. After much searching and prayer, Monday marks their first day of homeschooling. As with anything new, there is a sense of trepidation and facing the unknown. I know she's going to do a bang up job, but if you think of it, please say a prayer for her. I know she would appreciate it.

Picking up acorns

Our little Emma loves to walk around Grandad's farm picking up "applecorns" to throw in the pond. While we may not pay them much mind, these tiny acorns hold amazing potential. Inside each one is the beginnings of a mighty oak tree.

I was thinking today of the many friendships the Lord has blessed our family with, both here in Texas and back in Idaho. Starting over was a challenge and at times I felt like giving up. I can now look back and see many similarities between friendships and the tiny acorn.

Inside each new relationship resides the potential for something great. Like the acorn, the relationship must be nourished and given the proper nutrients if it is going to reach that potential. We can no more set an acorn on a shelf and expect it to become a towering shade tree, than we can ignore our friendships and expect them to flourish.

Like the acorn struggling to grow up, our relationships will at times be buffeted by bad weather. I can attest to the fact that the friendships that have weathered the storms, in most cases, come out stronger as a result. Difficulties have a way of drawing us to one another. The common ground strengthens our roots.

Thankfully, we continue to enjoy the fruits of our "oak tree" relationships that have grown steadily over the years. Though many of our new Texas friendships are still in the acorn stage, God is so faithful to encourage us. We are thrilled to be putting down deep roots as the Lord allows us to nourish our little acorns of friendship.

Making the jump

Welcome to my new home sweet home.

If you know me at all, you know that rearranging the furniture in my house is something I do almost on a weekly basis. I call it free decorating. Such the bloggy move. Blogger is a bit more user friendly and honestly, I'm ready for a change. Bear with me while I figure out the ins and outs of my new pad.

Now, if anyone has any idea how to move the 350 posts from my old blog I would appreciate your advice.