Seriously???? :/

This was my homeschooling devotional this morning.

I read it as I layed in bed……

Hmmmmmmmmmmm.

LOL.

………………………………………………………………………………………………..

1 Corinthians 15:58 says, "Therefore, my beloved brethren, be ye stedfast, unmoveable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as ye know that your labour is not in vain in the Lord." As a homeschool mom, some days you just don't feel like having school. Being super mom lost its novelty a long time ago, and you would just like to have your house be cleaned, organized, and feel like a home again instead of a cluttered schoolroom.
God calls us to obedience in all areas of our life, including homeschooling. As much as you want to check homeschooling off your list today, don't. Your children's future depends on your daily discipline of placing homeschooling as a priority. Dirt and clutter will always return, but not the opportunities to teach your children. God is waiting for you to get up and get going. Be steadfast and throw off those covers. "And whatsoever ye do, do it heartily, as to the Lord, and not unto men" (Colossians 3:23).

VICTIMS of a system?????????? No.

Emancipate yourself from mental slavery, none but ourselves can free our mind…Bob Marley

………………………………………….

Babylon.

Oppression.

The Government.

Corporations.

The MAN.

Whatever you call it….

Its all the same.

A SYSTEM.

A system set in place by those who have no care for those “below” them.

A system that is governed by PROFIT .

A system where PROFIT is the ONLY objective.

…………………………………………………………………………………..

The  American system only wants to consider the positive aspects of reality. Men and women are subjected from childhood to an inexorable process of adaptation; certain principles, contained in brief formulas are endlessly repeated by the Press, the radio, the churches, and the schools.  A person imprisoned by these schemes is like a plant in a flowerpot too small for it: he cannot grow or mature….Octavio Paz

…………………………………………………………………………………

For years Jason and I have felt the HEAVINESS of a system designed to keep people like us “out”.

By “out” I mean….

making it hard for someone “like us” to get a loan, buy a house, a car, or even get a job.

A system SET UP to keep those who WON’T conform…OUT.

A system set up to keep the PRESSURE on.

Pressure to live like “everyone else”

Pressure to do what “everyone else” does

Pressure to think like “everyone else”

Pressure to keep up with “the Joneses”

THAT is alot of pressure that is FED to us throughout our LIVES –with little knowledge that it is evening happening.

We just grow up EXPECTED to CONFORM.

Expected to just fall in line……left, right, left, right.

But..

Conformity is a CHOICE.

I am aware that we have made a CHOICE…knowing that this CHOICE would keep us on the outside of the SYSTEM.

We still made the choice. 

I LOVE the choice we made.

But it is still a DIFFICULT LIFE sometimes.

Always going AGAINST the GRAIN.

Always feeling like there is a STRAIN, because the choice we have made doesn't necessarily mean there has been ALOT of money, or material things.

Our happiness has had to come from LOVE, LAUGHTER, and FAMILY.

Lately ….

I have been noticing something interesting.

I have noticed that NOW…because of the economy and recession…others have noticed this SYSTEM.

People who have never felt it before.

They are feeling  the heaviness of OPPRESSION in the  USA.

The HARDNESS of a system that will…

kick a family out of their home(because they couldn’t PAY),

take a family’s car(because they were a little behind)

force a family to ASK for welfare(when they never thought that was even a POSSIBILITY.)

AND

Keep a MAN from getting a job to take care of his family.

They are feeling the “system”….and its HEAVY.

Its heavy until…..

you realize that you can OPEN YOUR EYES and live on the OUTSIDE.

you CAN LIVE  in a world based on FAITH in GOD….not in material things.

REMEMBER:

19"Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal.

20But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal.

21For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also"

                                                                                        Matt 6:19-21

……………………………………………………………………………………………..

Instantly Lightens the LOAD………….AMEN.

 

Last Week….on Monday.

School was great this week we are LOVING our new “My Fathers World” Cirriculum.

I especially love the fact that the first year(its a 5 year cirr,) is all geography…instead of history.

Gotta love that….<3

Here it is in Pictures….

 

Happy Homeschooling!!!

Honoring the CHANGE…….monthly.

¹ There is a time for everything,
       and a season for every activity under heaven:

² a time to be born and a time to die,
       a time to plant and a time to uproot,

³ a time to kill and a time to heal,
       a time to tear down and a time to build,

⁴ a time to weep and a time to laugh,
       a time to mourn and a time to dance,

⁵ a time to scatter stones and a time to gather them,
       a time to embrace and a time to refrain,

⁶ a time to search and a time to give up,
       a time to keep and a time to throw away,

⁷ a time to tear and a time to mend,
       a time to be silent and a time to speak,

⁸ a time to love and a time to hate,
       a time for war and a time for peace.

                                                            Ecc 3:1-8

…………………………………………………………………………….

Every month I fight a monster that swells inside me.

It is NOT PRETTY.

It is not FUN.

And believe me…it does not come and go without its’ fair amount of GUILT.

“Mommy guilt” I call it.

I feel guilty every month because I am not at 100%(for a few days).

During THOSE days…I am not the FUN teacher,

the COOL mom,

or the CARING wife I normally am.

I am TIRED, CRANKY, IRRATABLE, and SNAPPY.

I try.

But I suck.

I can’t seem to be PATIENT or KIND.

Trust me…the “fruits of the spirit” are BURIED DEEP inside me during this time.

I want to overcome it.

But…I can’t.

I want to BE NORMAL.

But …I can’t.

I want to WANT to be near all the SMALL PEOPLE running around..

But…I can’t.

ALL I hear is the arguing.

Somehow, the smacking is AMPLIFIED.

Even watching “America’s Funniest Home Videos” is a chore.

THAT is BAD.

THAT is not ADMARABLE.

But

It is TRUE.

It is not a side of me that I am proud of,

BUT

I am being honest.

I need to remember that I need to GIVE MYSELF those days.

I need to HONOR my body during those days.

I need to remember that in a few years there will be 3 FEMALES in this house in the same “boat” at he same time!!!!

And if we know what is good for us I will SCHEDULE in “those” days.

The days when I allow myself to “let things slide”.

Days when I let the laundry go, stay in my Pj’s, and CHILL.

For the time being….I want to remember that these days are precious.

These days are numbered.

Cranky or not.

These days are PRECIOUS.

 

 

Truthful Tuesday…..

Here it is.

Here is my TRUTH for this Tuesday.

THIS is what didn’t get done today.

This is what “fell behind” today.

This is what I didn’t have the energy for today.

And I DEFINANTLY don’t have energy for them TONIGHT!!!  

We scream for “Ital” Ice Cream!!!!

 

We are a family that LOVES sweets.

Most of us LOVE chocolate.

And lately I have really been trying some NEW things to stay away from PROCESSED foods .

I want to be a better steward to my body and I want the kids to do the same.

But at the same time I want them to be kids.

I want them to remember things like ice cream and chocolate in their childhood.

I want them to have those “sweet” memories.

Soooo…

I came up with this little treat.

“Ital” ice cream

Ital meaning : unprocessed, non chemical, fresh.

This is a SUPER recipe that calls for 1 ingredient.

BANANAS!!!!

All you have to do is take the peel off of the bananas and freeze the bananas.

Not like ROCK HARD FROZEN….but-frozen yogurt frozen.

Then you put them in a bowl and smash ‘em.

THAT IS IT!!!!!

seriously…..THAT is IT!!!!

Try it…..The kids will LOVE it!!!!

DAILY Life lessons…for all of us.

 

 

EVERY morning the kids do chores.

Actually, we have a pretty well “set in stone” chore chart.

They do it all…..

they make their beds, do the dishes, vacuum, dust, empty/take out the trash, and even clean the bathroom(sort of).

AND

They feed/take care of ALL the animals (dogs, cats, turtle, chickens, and guinea pigs).

Depending on which day of the week it is, they have different chores.

They don’t always like it ….but they do it.

In the mornings…before school and AFTER a little “wake-up TV” time, they get dressed, they go to the chore chart and they do their chores.

There are a few reasons WHY we have them do chores.

1. We feel like they need to have responsibility. They need to know that there will not ALWAYS be someone around to pick up after you or clean your home.

2. We feel like in the bible we were told that we are  responsible for these young souls.  “Proverbs 22:6 - Train up a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not depart from it.”

3.  I want to release these children into the world to find a partner.I want them to KNOW that they have to help out in THEIR family in order to HELP the unit HONOR GOD. I want my daughters to be JEWELS in their husbands crown, and I want my sons to HELP their wives with the house. (FYI:Jason is THE BEST example, he is actually Mr.. MOM- but better…he actually KNOWS how to clean/take care of the house!!!)

Soooo….

As my children get older I realize how important these chores are.

It teaches them about being part of a family or TEAM and about how sometimes in life JOY can be found in the SIMPLE THINGS.

I want them to know that every time they do a chore they are HONORING GOD thru their actions.

It helps ME(mom) and that is a blessing…

"Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves. Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others."
~Philippians 2:3,4

I think that this is a LIFE LONG LESSON.

This is something that has to be PRACTICED.

It has to be trained INTO a person.

I mean….

I do chores daily, and have to remind MYSELF that these things that i do ARE for the LOVE of my family and God.

I LOVE having a clean house and a nice yard with lots of animals and ROOM.

I want to have a clean bathroom and kitchen for my children.

I want have a sweet front porch and a garden that yields fruit.

But in order to have those things….I have to HONOR GOD by keeping up with those things DAILY.

And…

I am trying to teach the kids that there is a PLEASURE in those things.

Those EVERYDAY, SIMPLE things.

I pray they are learning……

better yet- I pray that WE are learning!!!!

…………………………………………………………………………………………………

Mountaintop experiences don't happen every day, you'll find
that life is usually 80% ordinary and 20% extraordinary. Most of your
life will involve being faithful in the normal everyday routine, but
when God chooses, He will give something that changes your life
forever."..

New FAVORITE bible verse!

Proverbs - Chapter 4:1-17

1. Listen , my sons, to a father's instruction; pay attention and gain understanding.
2. I give you sound learning, so do not forsake my teaching.
3. When I was a boy in my father's house, still tender, and an only child of my mother,
4. he taught me and said, Lay hold of my words with all your heart; keep my commands and you will live.
5. Get wisdom, get understanding; do not forget my words or swerve from them.
6. Do not forsake wisdom, and she will protect you; love her, and she will watch over you.
7. Wisdom is supreme; therefore get wisdom. Though it cost all you have, get understanding.
8. Esteem her, and she will exalt you; embrace her, and she will honor you.
9. She will set a garland of grace on your head and present you with a crown of splendor.
10. Listen, my son, accept what I say, and the years of your life will be many.
11. I guide you in the way of wisdom and lead you along straight paths.
12. When you walk, your steps will not be hampered; when you run, you will not stumble.
13. Hold on to instruction, do not let it go; guard it well, for it is your life.
14. Do not set foot on the path of the wicked or walk in the way of evil men.
15. Avoid it, do not travel on it; turn from it and go on your way.
16. For they cannot sleep till they do evil; they are robbed of slumber till they make someone fall.
17. They eat the bread of wickedness and drink the wine of violence.
18. The path of the righteous is like the first gleam of dawn, shining ever brighter till the full light of day.

A Homeschool week…thru MY lens.

PURPOSE-FUL living.

 

This year in school, one of my main goals for the “Vallone Academy” is to live MINDFULLY

and

To teach a REAL WORLD-VIEW to the kids.

WORLD VIEW being, “the sum total of our beliefs about the world, the BIG PICTURE that directs our daily decisions and actions.”

I think it is important for them to know that there is MORE TO LIFE than what is just outside their door.

There is a WHOLE WORLD out there that STRUGGLES …WAY MORE than they do.

Listening to the news at night you NEVER hear of the

MILLIONS starving tonight

or

the children dying tonight

or

the countless women being abused tonight

or

the inhumane living conditions being endured tonight.

You will only hear about the murders RIGHT OUTSIDE ….in your neighborhood….

Or the robbery that occured on the other side of town.

There isn’t a REAL representation of the world in our culture.

Its a fast, money driven, non-culture society that we live in….with no regard for the needy,the poor, or the oppresed.

I want my children to SEE those things without them having to be pointed out.

I want them to understand that people need help, without them having to ask.

So this year, we are being especially mindful about our life adn trying really hard to present the children with a TRUE world view.

So that when they are IN THE WORLD….they will not be looking thru “rose colored” glasses,

but seeing CRYSTAL CLEARLY!!!!

Truthful Tuesday: Week 1

Sooo…..on the blogosphere there is something neat going around.

Its an idea.

Its called, “Getting Real” or “Truthful Tuesday”

It is just what it sounds like:  a TRUTHFUL Tuesday.

A day when you post about some “UGLY” part of your life.

Its about being honest and being REAL.

Sometimes when you write a blog,and people read that blog,  they don’t realize that you post 1 TIME per day (if your lucky).

So it is a SMALL piece of your life that you are posting.

A

SMALL

PIECE.

Not in any way is it a WHOLE VIEW of someone's life.

Its a SLICE…and a slice that THEY CHOOSE to show, at that.

In honor of this idea, I am starting a “Truthful Tuesday” today.

As I sat last night and tried to figure out what would be a good TRUTHFUL TUESDAY post.

I mean TRUTHFULLY…..there aren’t many things that I haven't been open about. 

But here goes…..

Its 9:00 am and the kids are STILL in there PJ’s.

no chores done.

They are watching “America’s got talent”.

Soooo….

THERE it is…

The UGLY TRUTH.

It is what it is…..

We will get to it(by 10) …but as of right now….

It is TRUTHFUL TUESDAY!!!!

Being “ordinarily” faithful…..

As I look at my life I am AMAZED….

Amazed that God has granted me this AMAZING life.

As I sat yesterday at Shebas party I felt soooo blessed.

Blessed that we had THESE friends.

This HOME.

These KIDS.

This FOOD.

This COUCH.

This TV.

and even the FOOTBALL game that was on.

It is all a blessing…..something that was GIVEN to me by the GRACE of GOD.

Trust me…there were times in my life that my future looked NOTHING like this.

It wasn’t nearly as BEAUTIFUL or AMAZING.

And sometimes there are times when the EVERYDAY-NESS of this life can get to me.

the laundry.

the dishes.

the kids.

the schooling.

the pets.

the house.

the husband.

It is ALOT of work……

AWESOME, BEAUTIFUL work.

But WORK…none the less.

And then I read this in my homeschool devotional this morning:

Mountaintop experiences don't happen every day, you'll find
that life is usually 80% ordinary and 20% extraordinary. Most of your
life will involve being faithful in the normal everyday routine, but
when God chooses, He will give something that changes your life
forever."..

WOW.

That really made me think.

life is supposed to be “everyday”.

You have to do those things so that when those “mountaintop experiences” do happen…you are prepared.

Prepared in a way that pleases God.

I want to live a life that GLORIFIES HIM…no matter WHAT I am doing.

Praising HIM while DOING the laundry.

Glorifying HIM  while COOKING meals.

Lifting HIM up  while TEACHING  the kids.

Loving HIM while LOVING my husband.

BECAUSE…..Faithfully serving God in the ordinary makes you a candidate to serve God in the extraordinary.

"His lord said unto him, Well done, thou good and faithful servant: thou hast been faithful over a few things, I will make thee ruler over many things: enter thou into the joy of thy lord" (Matthew 25:21).

AMEN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Vallone Academy 2010-2011

" The only purpose of education is to teach a student how to live his life-by developing his mind and equipping him to deal with reality. The training he needs is theoretical, i.e., conceptual. He has to be taught to think, to understand, to integrate, to prove. He has to be taught the essentials of the knowledge discovered in the past-and he has to be equipped to acquire further knowledge by his own effort. "
--Ayn Rand

 

…………………………………………………………………………………………………

We started school this week.

It went wonderfully smooth.

But then again, we WERE only doing “first day of school activities” .

Time will tell.

Next week the REAL WORK begins…..

 

Oh Happy Day!!!!!!

 

   

5 years ago today we had a baby princess with a ROYAL NAME.

Sheba Ithiopia Vallone.

She was born at home, underwater……

She was awake and eager to meet the world.

From the moment we saw her we knew she was a sweet, sweet girl.

A blessing in the form a perfect baby girl.

A gift from GOD.

And as she has grown she has become everything we knew she would be.

sweet

happy

strong-willed

fun

awesome

cute

little

loving

sassy

all these qualities she posseses

all these qualities she was granted by GOD.

As I look back on the last 5 years, I am amazed.

I want to just STOP TIME.

Freeze everything RIGHT NOW.

Keep her a 5 year old little girl…FOREVER.

I know that is impossible.

I know that 1 day she  will not  she be small enough to sweep up and hold close .

1 day she will not WANT to sleep in the bed cuddled next to us.

1 day she will want to  be a “big girl”….far from the 5 year old she is today.

So today….I want to cherish THIS TIME.

Cherish THESE memories.

So that …I can look back and remember THIS DAY and what a BEAUTIFUL, SWEET, PRECIOUS girl she is right now!

Happy Birthday Princess Sheba!!!!!

Comfortably Numb???????

 

My friend Heather has been in Haiti on a mission trip for about a month now.

She is an amazing woman with 4 kids and she is on a “mission” ….in more ways than one.

She lived in Texas her whole life …until she moved to Haiti.

As I  read her blog I can’t help but be “taken back” to our days in Costa Rica.

For us there were THOSE days also.

Days when we  had to  re-adjust our lives.

Washing clothes by hand, figuring out HOW to wash dishes, how to EAT, and simply STAY ALIVE.

Days when REAL LIFE stared me in the face.

When poverty lived just around the corner, and struggle was a DAILY.

As I read her blog there is something that swells inside me….

I can’t figure it out.

As I read her blog today I said to Jay , “Is it weird that I MISS the 3rd world struggle?”

I sat there staring at the computer screen pondering WHAT this feeling is…searching my heart for the rhyme or reason.

I am blessed to be BACK here and am BLESSED to KNOW where our next meal will come from….

BUT

I feel ODDLY unsettled by how “comfortable “ I am here.

I feel like we(as Americans) can lose sight of what REAL LIFE is like for some people.

I feel like sometimes we complain about about things sooooo UNWORTHY of complaints.

We didn’t walk to a well today.

Our  families  are not starving.

We live in a homes…not  tent cities.

We  have NOTHING to complain about.

Yet…

We do.

And as Americans I think we tuck those uncomfortable  things safely away in the BACK of our minds…..

only thinking about them when CONVENIENT.

I don’t want to be  DISOBEDIENT to God.

He says :

Deut. 15:7. If there is a poor man among you, one of your brothers, in any of the towns of the land which the LORD your God is giving you, you shall not harden your heart, nor close your hand to your poor brother; but you shall freely open your hand to him, and generously lend him sufficient for his need in whatever he lacks.

I want to live like THAT!!!!!!

I want to BURN the veil the COVERS my eyes!

I want to be obedient and AWARE of the REAL LIFE situations around me.

I want to be part of Jah’s soldiers.

The ones who defend the WEAK and the POOR.

The ones who STAND UP for what is right BECAUSE it is right.

In Proverbs it says this:

Prov. 31:8 Open your mouth for the dumb, for the rights of all the unfortunate. Open your mouth, judge righteously, and defend the rights of the afflicted and needy.

I think THAT  what I miss about 3rd world living is …..

the fact that EVERYONE in a 3rd world country is at least AWARE of   REAL LIFE STRUGGLE….

they may not LIVE it …but they SEE it.

It isn’t tucked away in the BACK of their minds ….

I want to keep those things FIRMLY PLANTED in my life and the lives of my family.

I want to live a KINGDOM LIFE.

A life that is DICTATED by the LOVE of GOD.

A life that is MOVED by the LOVE of GOD.

A life that is BLESSED by the LOVE of GOD.

Jer. 7:5-7. "For, if you truly amend your ways and your deeds, if you truly practice justice between a man and his neighbor, if you do not oppress the alien, the orphan, and the widow, and do not shed innocent blood in this place, nor walk after other gods to your own ruin, then I will let you dwell in this place, in the land that I gave to your fathers forever and ever."

Van Gogh, the 5th day, and PE!!!!

Yesterday we started our Homeschool co-op classes.

Every time we meet I am reminded of how BLESSED  we are as a homeschool family to have such wonderful support in our community.

Even if we are all not close friends,and we have different views on many things…

I believe that GOD pulls us all together for a reason.

Sometimes that reason is for the benefit of the child…and sometimes the parent.

Sometimes it is apparent, and sometimes vague.

But it is ALWAYS a true blessing to have the fellowship of others “in the same place”  as you.

As I sat in class yesterday surrounded by others “like-minded”  I thought…

I am always thankful for being able to teach and guide my children thru what I believe is the MOST IMPORTANT part in a persons life…

The beginning.

Doing an experiment about ocean currents in “swimming creatures of the 5th day” class.

September birthdays!!!!!

Elementary Civics Class…….

PE….for Zeek and Shasha.

Art Treasury……  Van Gogh