~Fantastic Face Paint ~

Black and white….or NOT?

"Ability is God's gift to man, achievement is man's gift to God"..

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Sometimes teaching isn’t black and white.

What works for 1 wont work for ALL.

Some kids are MATH minded…

some are NOT.

Some will sit still and do their work…

Some will NOT.

I have figured out(after 5 years of homeschooling) that each child learns differently.

You cannot give every child a lifepac math book and say GO. 

It doesn't always work.

Sometimes they need OTHER WAYS to help their brain work.

Sometimes they are JUST BORED.

Malachi has been BORED.

He is a 6 year old BOY who would MUCH RATHER be outside on the trampoline, or throwing a football.

Who wouldn’t?????

BUT----

sometimes,

you HAVE to do things you don’t want to do!!!

I don’t WANT to do laundry sometimes.

I do.

I don’t want to cook sometimes.

I do.

I don’t want to clean sometimes.

I do.

Some days …

I don’t want to TEACH.

I do.

And THAT is what I tell them…

“You don’t have to LIKE it…you just have to DO IT!”

And it works…

They do it…usually.

But lately Malachi has been saying things like,

“I don’t like school.”

or

“School is BORING.”

To a homeschool Mom …THAT is like a DAGGER to the heart.

I work so hard to find FUN things to add in.

I mean really…

do you stay up all hours of the night looking for the perfect “FALL CRAFT” to do if you DIDNT LOVE IT????

REALLY????

No…you don’t.

Anyway…..

After Malachi’s HEARTWRENCHING comments,

I was determined to MAKE HIM LOVE IT!!!

Lucky for me….he was EASILY pleased.

1 dice + 1 paper+ 1 pencil= MATH FUN

Who knew???

I told him, “roll the dice-write the number in the first spot. Roll the dice and write the number in the second spot.  Then ADD. “

He smiled.

Like I said…

Sometimes TEACHING isn’t Black and White.

Beaver Schmeaver……

Soooo….

On Fridays we have homeschool co-op.

When we start we do opening of a prayer, show-n-tell, etc.

It always reminds me of LITTLE HOUSE ON THE PRARIE.

All the kids, ages 3-18. sit together, cross-legged on the floor.

Little kids in the laps of the big kids and  friends sitting next to friends.

Its a sweet opportunity for ALL the kids to have a chance to be social and interact with OTHER students…you know-the ones that AREN’T their brothers and sisters! 

LOL

I love watching them be with their friends,and get sooooo excited over sitting together…

Its a sweet part of the co-op.

Anyway….

Last Friday we were having our opening prayers, etc.

After that the kids were sooo excited because there was a BUCKET of candy sitting next to the “teacher”.

As you can imagine…this causes a FRENZY in the co-op.

So…she started asking bible related questions.

Who was  the brother of Cain?

Who were the Magi?

Where was Jesus born?

All STANDARD bible questions…

THEN-

She said, “What kind of wood was the ark made of?”

AWESOME!!!

We’re studying the ark and Noah….sweet.

Zeek swiftly raised his hand and said “ohhh, ohhhhh, ohhhh, I KNOW!!!!”

I was so proud.

In my mind I was saying, “Thats my boy!!! Were studying this.  He KNOWS this.  Thats right! Im a great teacher. My kids GET IT!!!!”

Awesome…..He will GET THIS ONE!!!!

Then-

she called on him.

“What kind of wood is the ark made of?”

I stood there ready to be praised….ready for the “Good job Mom!” pats on the back.

LOL

I stood there with the word GOPHERWOOD on the tip of my tongue.

Then …he answered.

“BEAVERWOOD!!!!!”

HAHAHAHA

Yeah. 

I guess we need to go over that again!!!!!

Soooo Funny!!!

Sweet boy TRIED….

He knew it was some kind of ANIMAL WOOD!!!

Continue on……..

 

I pray a beautiful passage for your soul.

May God greet you with with  a smile so BOLD.

When you see HIM standing there,

I pray you know  how much we CARE.

I hope he embraces you with warmth and light…..

and lets you know – there is no more fright.

The body you left was stressed and worn.

And with one glimpse of God…You  will be REBORN.

I pray you will be free of pain…

and I pray there is no more STRAIN.

You have a family on Earth  that loves you SURELY…

but we now release you to HIM- who loves you so PURELY.

Soooo……Please-

Smile when you see HIM….

EMBRACE his WARMTH…

Be comforted by the knowledge that your memory will LIVE ON…

Because-You will  LIVE in our memories…even AFTER  you’ve gone.

                                                                                           Jana Vallone

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We love you Nanny.

Rock on…..

Today…

I spent an HOUR in the library looking for an AC/DC cd for Zeek.

He was asking for it.

AWESOME.

On Loan from GOD……

 

 

 

How did this happen???

Where did time go????

When did it  slip away from me????

I demand to know!

10 years ago today we were BLESSED with a son.

He brightened our lives from DAY 1.

He has a LIGHT in his eyes, so easy to see.

Loving and Caring and SWEET as can be.

With a heart that is weaved of LAUGHTER and LIGHT.

And a smile that  makes you fell like MID-FLIGHT!

He is the most GIVING person I’ve ever seen…

and RARE is the  day you  see him be mean.

He’s WILDLY inventive and smart as can be….

with an INTUITION that freaks out even ME!

10 years ago we were granted a GIFT.

a wonderful, amazing, sacred gift.

On LOAN from God…we were given this chance .

What a wonderful life with him in THIS DANCE.

To Ezekiel ….our firstborn son .

Your work in this world is FAR from DONE.

May your life be  JOYOUS and DEVINE.

May the  God in you FOREVER SHINE.

Persevereance…….

“God has given each of you a gift from his great variety of spiritual gifts.  Use them well to serve one another… Do it with all the strength and energy God supplies.  Then everything you do will bring glory to God .” 1 Peter 4:10, 11

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Sometimes homeschooling is hard….

who am I kidding?

It’s ALWAYS HARD.

Sometimes harder than others…

Sometimes the HARDEST PART is JUST DOING IT.

I mean lets be real..

were AT HOME.

there is LOTS to do.

housework

bills

laundry

meals

LOTS of distractions….

and then there are the times when the TEACHER is sick.

THAT is what happened to us last week.

I got sick w/ a cold…which I caught from  DADDY!!!

We had school Monday, Tuesday,and Wednesday.

THEN Thursday I was DOWN.

We had school in the morning, then after lunch I told them,

“Watch a movie…I going to lay down.”

Of course…they were excited!!!

I , on the other hand, was not.

I couldnt shake the “school guilt”.

If you are a homeschool Mom, you know what I mean by “school guilt”.

It goes by many names:

school guilt

teacher guilt

mommy guilt

Different names for the same DISEASE!!!

It affects totally neurotic, self-judging moms like myself who feel BAD when we PLAY HOOKIE…even for GOOD REASONS..

UUUgggghhhhhhhhhhh.

I cant help it….I have tried.

I tell other Moms all the time, “Let it go. Your kids are smart. They can afford to take a day off”

Then ….

I get sick and everything that I have told OTHERS…goes OUT THE DOOR.

LOL. Figures.

Nedless to say…..

After a couple of hours in bed I couldn’t help myself.

I MADE myself get up.

We had a science lesson…on TREES.

We read about decidous forests, layers of the forest, and animals that live in the forest habitat.

Then they watched a tree video and identified the trees in the yard.

It was only AFTER our lesson that I realized something…

I CHOOSE to do this.

I CHOOSE to have THIS life.

I can do.

I am strong.

All I have to do is pull from HIM…

Ask and you shall recieve.

Put one foot in front of the other.

PERSEVERE…..its HIS way.

 

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“Now all glory to God, who is able, through his mighty power at work within us, to accomplish infinitely more than we might ask or think.” Ephesians 4:20

Oh Brother!!!!

Children of the same family, the same blood, with the same first associations and habits, have some means of enjoyment in their power, which no subsequent connections can supply...  ~Jane Austen, Mansfield Park, 1814

When you are the mother  of 4 kids that are homeschooled that  spends ALMOST every waking minute with your children ….you can’t help but notice how complex and unexplainable their relationships are.

Sometimes they LOVE,

and then they fight as if they were enemies.

Sometimes they hurt each other,

and then they help each other heal.

Sometimes they pick on each other,

and then they protect each other fiercely.

Sometimes they yell at each other,

then they read to each other sweetly.

Its a very COMPLEX relationship that they have.

Always dependant , yet INDEPENDANT.

So yesterday when Zeek was going to his friend Tai’s house …Malachi started to have a MELTDOWN.

He wanted to go…..BAD.

“Why can’t I go Mom?????  I want to go. WHYYYYYYYYYYYYY can’t I go????? PLEASEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE.”

“Because your brother needs time with HIS FRIENDS sometimes. You have your friends over all the time. “

Truth be told….Zeek doesn't have that many friends that he sees.

He has a cousin that is a couple of years older, and Tai(who is 11).

I know he WANTS to be with friends…we just don't KNOW that many.

So….Any chance I have to get him together with a sweet god-loving boy…I JUMP.

When Shainee and I talked and she wanted to have Zeek over for the afternoon…We were THRILLED.

Well….SOME of us were thrilled. LOL.

We dropped him off and the remaining kids and I headed off to dance.

(Which was ANOTHER reason Malachi couldn’t stay…he takes DUDE HIP-HOP during that time.Sweet!)

If you have ever had a couple of kids in different activities …you can imagine the next couple of hours for me….Call me TAXI-MOM!

Then we picked up Jay from work and headed to pick Zeek up.

The ENTIRE time Malachi was in the back saying , “WHEN are we picking up Zeek???? WHENNNNNNNNNNNNNN?”

I mean seriously….if Zeek was in the car they would be arguing!!!!

CRAZY KIDS…..<3

 

 

When we FINALLY got there he was OVERJOYED!

Malachi was SOOOOOO happy to be with the big boys.

He was stoked.

They played and rode the “little motorcycle” around.

Then were SUPPOSED to be taking turns…but Malachi is kind of “balls-to-the –wall” so he was a little inpatient!!!!

He basically RAN AROUND behind Zeek and said, “I want to ride” while Shainee and I LAUGHED so hard that we almost peed our pants. LOL

Then in true form …Malachi got on the bike and rode it as fast as possible 1 time in a circle before ROLLING IT only to JUMP right up and say, “And THAT is why you wear a helmet!!”

all the while Zeek was right behind him ….ready for the fall!!!

Oh BROTHER!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Truthful Tuesday… differently.

"Defend the cause of the weak and fatherless; maintain the rights of the poor and oppressed. Rescue the weak and needy; deliver them from the hand of the wicked." Psalm 82:3-4

"He who oppresses the poor shows contempt for their Maker, but whoever is kind to the needy honors God." Proverbs 14:31

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I started this little “truthful Tuesday” post on my blog a couple of weeks ago…

it was meant to be about ME and MY FAMILY.

About something in MY LIFE that I was being honest about.

Seems silly to think that ANYONE would want to know about my laundry “guilt” or my unwashed dishes.

DUMB.

I mean really….how NARSASISTIC.

Anyway…It all SEEMED like a great idea.

THEN….

I had a stirring day yesterday..

The LORD really spoke to me thru a friend of mine.

She is a missionary in Haiti…and she is an amazing writer who truly has a way with words.

She has a GOD given gift….a way of thinking and a way of expressing herself so beautifully.

And so TRUTHFULLY.

She has been thrown directly into the fire…eyes OPENED.

She ha.s been STRIPPED of preconceived notions and assumed lies

Lead right in onto the FRONT LINES of GODS battlefield.

She was brave and selfless in making the decision to GO to Haiti.

I am sure that there are those that think that taking 4 kids from their HUGE beautiful home in their safe neighborhood is …CRAZY.

BUT----

I get it! I am the same way…

I am a SUCKER for the oppressed.

This bible verse has always affected me:

"Defend the cause of the weak and fatherless; maintain the rights of the poor and oppressed. Rescue the weak and needy; deliver them from the hand of the wicked." Psalm 82:3-4

And reading her blog and her stories of oppression and pain  makes me want to JUMP IN.

I guess its my personality.

I am a SPRINTER.

When I am moved ….I MOVE.

So…as you can imagine my first instinct is to go directly to Haiti and say , “yes…I want a baby” or “Babe…lets move to Haiti…we have to help SOLVE the PROBLEM.”

But …

That is my FIRST, CRAZY, NON-THINKING self ….SPRINTING.

It is not a REAL solution to ANY PROBLEMS.

It is my “FIGHT or FLIGHT” instinct.

Just a reaction to UNSETTLING , AWFUL, HORRIBLE things that go on in the world.

Fortunately, after a day of just meditating on it,  thinking and praying about the situation…I calmed down and canceled the tickets to Haiti.  LOL

But-seriously…..

I truly feel like GOD(Jah) works in mysterious ways.

I feel like he is moving me to be MORE ACTIVE and intentional with my actions.

I mean …..there are PLENTY of problems in MY TOWN.

So many homeless and oppressed sleeping on the streets of Saint Augustine right now.

There are so many oppressed families that are needy in our own community.

So many hungry mouths and lonely hearts….

So much to do….

So many lessons to learn.

So much to teach.

THIS was the last paragraph on another blog today(Katie).

SWEET, AMAZING, WISE girl………..

“So we go. This is where our family is today and where I hope to stay – loving, because He first loved us. Going into the pit, entering into the sorrow because He entered for us first and because by His grace, redemption is on the other side - again, and again, and again.”

EXACTLY…

Here we go…..LOVING.

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There will always be poor people in the land. Therefore I command you to be openhanded toward your brothers and toward the poor and needy in your land." Deuteronomy 15:11

Striving to be…….

^[c] A wife of noble character who can find?
       She is worth far more than rubies.

¹¹ Her husband has full confidence in her
       and lacks nothing of value.

¹² She brings him good, not harm,
       all the days of her life.

¹³ She selects wool and flax
       and works with eager hands.

¹⁴ She is like the merchant ships,
       bringing her food from afar.

¹⁵ She gets up while it is still dark;
       she provides food for her family
       and portions for her servant girls.

¹⁶ She considers a field and buys it;
       out of her earnings she plants a vineyard.

¹⁷ She sets about her work vigorously;
       her arms are strong for her tasks.

¹⁸ She sees that her trading is profitable,
       and her lamp does not go out at night.

¹⁹ In her hand she holds the distaff
       and grasps the spindle with her fingers.

²⁰ She opens her arms to the poor
       and extends her hands to the needy.

²¹ When it snows, she has no fear for her household;
       for all of them are clothed in scarlet.

²² She makes coverings for her bed;
       she is clothed in fine linen and purple.

²³ Her husband is respected at the city gate,
       where he takes his seat among the elders of the land.

²⁴ She makes linen garments and sells them,
       and supplies the merchants with sashes.

²⁵ She is clothed with strength and dignity;
       she can laugh at the days to come.

²⁶ She speaks with wisdom,
       and faithful instruction is on her tongue.

²⁷ She watches over the affairs of her household
       and does not eat the bread of idleness.

²⁸ Her children arise and call her blessed;
       her husband also, and he praises her:

²⁹ "Many women do noble things,
       but you surpass them all."

³⁰ Charm is deceptive, and beauty is fleeting;
       but a woman who fears the LORD is to be praised.

³¹ Give her the reward she has earned,
       and let her works bring her praise at the city gate.