LIFE happens.......

Sometimes I cannot keep up...

Sometimes I have to pick and choose....

Sometimes I have to prioritize...........

We started out the week on track.

As of right now...we are scheduled to finish school by about mid-June.

And

Right now...things are getting CRAZY BUSY.

Things that happened this week:

Doctors appts.

School...and make- up from last week.

Library..oragami workshop

Dance

Football

Jay had his first gig on the PIRATE SHIP

Wed night Jays Summer Tour 2011 started with a PUNKY REGGAE PARTY!!!

And

his little brothers punk band stayed at our house for a night

and we took a "field trip" to the beach!!!

Sooooo.........

as you can see...

we are CRAZY BUSY.

and

We are staying true to US and fitting it all in....YEAH RIGHT.

Pretty much HALF of that was SPONTANIOUS!!!

Whoa.

Up for the challenge?????

All kids are different.

They all learn differently.

Some "just get it" the first time.

Some ...."don't".

Some are SELF-LED.

Some AREN'T.

Some are EAGER to finish their work for the day...

Some...DON'T REALLY CARE about finishing....AT ALL.

Every child is so different and different things motivate them.

I have lerarned to WATCH and LEARN.

To be observant of my childrens different personalities.

Some are easier than OTHERS...believe me.

And what they say about BOYS being SLOWER at BOOKWORK and learning is TRUE.

But I have found that they are only SLOWER in SOME THINGS.

Zeek has had a harder time at reading, but whizzes thru math.

Now Malachi....he is 7 and in 1st grade.

THAT is FUN.

He has a hard time sitting still...well, he has a hard time SITTING at all!!!

He has a hard time keeping his concentration....on ANYTHING.

My daily mantra during school has become..."He is ONLY 7. He is ONLY 7. He is ONLY 7."

But I KNOW that if we LISTENED to "them" and he was in public school....he would be tagged ADHD.

But- In my opinion....most 7 year old boys are "ADHD"...

or

HYPER.

I have learned a few tricks on this journey that I thought I would share.

First....I give him copywork/spelling words he WANTS to write.
Like:

spiderman
superman
hulk
webs
heroes
etc.

It is funny how the word "them" can be "too long to copy"(insert WHINING).

But, the word "spiderman" gets NO COMPLAINTS!!!!

AMAZING.

I have also learned that he likes to be challenged.

Like with a TIMER.

We use a small "hourglass" timer....one that we got at the dentist...so it iis probably a "minuteglass"....and CHALLENGE him.

It is AWESOME how quickly he "gets with the program" when he feels like it is a challenge or race.

He has no PROBLEM finishing any of his work when he feels interested AND challenged.

What a concept???

After getting him to actually DO his work QUICKLY with minimal complaints....I feel like a WARRIOR.

One who just crossed used my JEDI-MIND TRICKS to LURE him into the LEARNING GAME.

and WON!!!!

Sneak Peek.......

There is a STORY to go with this picture...More on this later.

LMAO.

Who is the teacher?

Today in school...I told Sheba to write her ABC'S on a dry erase board.

Just busy work really...she was being "difficult" and she is in Pre-K so it was something easy for her to DO.

After about 5 min she called me over....

I said, "Sheba there is no "N" between Y and Z."

She said, "Yes there is Mom.(Then she SANG) A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y "N" Z."

I couldn't help but LAUGH!!!!

OMG.

What a cute, sweet girl....She STILL doesn't believe me.

and really...

Who can argue with THAT???

The "Finder"......

All of my kids have "quirks".

SOME more than OTHERS.

But our youngest sweet princess...has a GIFT.

She has an AMAZING memory.

I mean like.....PHOTOGENIC MEMORY.

She NEVER forgets.

I can say, "Sheba...have you seen that blue rubber band I had last week???"

Her answer is ALWAYS..."Hold on Mom." Then she runs off and comes back with it.

"Where did you find it, Sheba???"

"Behind the dresser under my dolls clothes."

Sweet!!!!

She is my little finder.

My little MASTER MEMORY.

Thank goodness.....because I need it.

The only thing is(and she doesn't KNOW THIS PART yet)...
At THIS rate she will never be able to leave home.

She is stuck here with me ...FOREVER.

I can just see it, "Sheba, have you seen my TEETH?"

"Hold on Mom.....I know JUST where they are."

LOL

I can dream right????

No Guarantees.....but 1!!!

Raising kids is THE HARDEST JOB I have ever had.

An TRUST ME...I have had some JOBS.

The hardest thing about raising kids for me is the uncertainty of it all.

There are NO GUARANTEES...only TIME will tell.

I hear stories about other kids.

Tales of TOTAL disrespect...
To be honest - It TERRIFIES me...
Because- THERE are no GUARANTEES.

It IS NOT a GIVEN that just because I TEACH my children ABOUT God...They will KNOW him.
They have to make the journey INTO God themselves.
THEY have to WANT IT.

I am a believer that we are GIVEN these little souls by GOD....and NOT FOR FREE.
We are ORDAINED by God as parents to these kids.
We are EXPECTED to return them BETTER than they were given to us.

Not ASKED...EXPECTED.
Not WANTED...EXPECTED.

We are CALLED raise our children in "fear and admonition of the Lord."

THAT is our PRIMARY calling....

I want to look one day on my children and say, "Wow!!! They are AMAZING people!"

But-

That takes a LIFETIME of INVESTING in them.

Learning about them...which in turn teaches you about YOURSELF.
Trust me...

It takes training them FOREVER.

Teaching them things like how to tie their shoes
OR
How to be kind to one another and LOVE.

It is all the same.
It takes a KNOWLEDGE of something BIGGER then me.
Something STRONGER than me.
Something MORE LOVING than me.

In MY eyes....You CAN'T do it without GOD.
It takes his teachings.
It takes LISTENING.
And an INWARD EYE on yourself.
It takes a STUDENT.
Someone who is EVER CHANGING.
Someone who is WILLING to be wrong.
Because....
It is a LONG, WINDING road,
where we choose our battles,
fight the good fight,
and BEND as not to BREAK.

But parenting without God...
THAT HAS a guarantee...

Look around.

I bet you'll see.

Today....

Outside my window today I saw a peculiar sight...

I looked out there and saw a gleaming light.

It was some of my children....laughing joyfully.

What a sweet, sweet sight it was for me to see.

One Day.........like THEM.

Somewhere in the world today....
a child walks MILES to a well for water- with NO SHOES.

Somewhere in the world today....
a child missed school today, because he had NO SHOES.

Somewhere in the world today....
a child needed MEDICAL ATTENTION, because he has NO SHOES.

All of my children have TONS of shoes.
MORE shoes than they even KNOW they have.
And they have LESS than most kids...TRUST ME.

So when I hear about the "One Day Without Shoes" Campaige put on by TOMS shoes
I knew this would be something that we would "dig".

It was a pledge to go ONE DAY without SHOES...in honor of those who have NO SHOES .

A day to make us all a little more aware of what it would be like to HAVE LESS.

And in our nifty little town...there was even a "One Day Without Shoes" Walk held.

So...we all rolled up our .....PANTS and headed downtown.

Sans shoes.

We walked as THEY have to everyday.

We walked thru puddles and over rocks....as THEY do everyday.























They may not be MY children ...but they are all HIS children....

Life experience.....

Life has a funny way of CHANGING YOU.

WHO you THINK you are an WHAT you THINK you want....changes.

When I first met Jay in 1998...I was 21 years old.

I was FAR from WISE, and DID not know WHO I was..........at all.

BUT--Lord help the person who tried to TELL ME that!!!!
LOL

I had no idea WHO the TRUE me was.

As I look back...I'm not sure you CAN know who you are at that point.

At 21 ...I didn't have enough LIFE experience. ....AT ALL!

Life experience comes only thru TIME spent IN YOUR LIFE.

Saturated by the ups and downs....fully emersed in the everyday.

You gain life experience by making best friends and losing crappy friends...and again- only time can tell you that.

You gain life experience by LOSING someone you LOVE....from DEATH or just from LIFE.

You gain life experience from TRULY LOVING a child.....

I had no idea...and thought I did.

I am not saying that I knew NOTHING...but- I am saying that I did not have enough COLLECTIVE experiences to accurately shape my world.

Up until then I thought that the things I had seen were the WHOLE TOTAL of what life COULD BE.

( I am LITERALLY laughing right now. )

But...I knew 1 thing.
I knew that I was on my way...
I knew that the life and man I had "stumbled" onto was something special.

I KNEW that I was in LOVE with my growing life and knew that GOD had put me exactly where I was suppose to be...
I knew that If I just concentrated on my ROOTS...the fruit would grow.

It has been a LONG ROAD from THERE to HERE....

But yesterday... I sat on a stool in the sunlight, smelling the ocean, watching Jays AMAZING band play some really GREAT music..all while Zeek stood in front of the band PROUDLY waving the Rasta flag. TONS of other kids splashed in the pool and laughter filled the air....

It HIT ME.

THIS is what was possible.

I finally HAVE IT.

I had no idea....

And wouldn't change the JOURNEY for anything.

RAIN Break...........Waaaaa!

For the last week we have been on Spring Break.

(THAT is why I took a break on the blog....sometimes it is alot of SELF-INDUCED stress.)

We actually had 2 spring breaks this year.

Grandparents came in town an we had 1.

THEN...
All our friends in public school had their week an we HAD to take that week too, because as we "all know" homeschooled kids NEED socialization. (hahahaha)

THAT is my excuse anyway.

I PLANNED on a bunch of FUN STUFF to do....
Then
it rained.

and we WAITED...
and WAITED...

It STOPPED raining on Friday!!!!

JUST in time for ONE LAST beach/park day.

Woo Hoo!!!

It was a WASH of a spring break....
and to be honest...
I am READY an renewed to get back to school...
an am OVER the CABIN FEVER that the kids have had.

AND

I am OVER the CRAZY feeling I get from NOT HAVING SCHOOL.

So...THANKFULLY....
SCHOOL BELL RINGS on Monday!!

An the SUMMER countown begins....YEAH!!!