Here is a really fantastic contest from 5 Minutes for Mom. Enter to win the new Dyson Slim. Isn't that amazing? A Dyson. I don't know about all of you, but my vacuum sucks, and not in the way it should. Hee Hee. For your chance click over to 5 Minutes for Mom and enter.

My kids have always been home educated by me. I love having them home but at times I'm thinking why in the world would the Lord have picked me to teach my kids.

And then I go through the questions... Where are they supposed to be? How do they compare to the public school? Am I totally messing them up? Are they learning at the pace they should be? Is it wrong that I'm not teaching the capitals of every country in the world, geometry, trig, and the theory of relativity to my kindergartner?

Ok, I'm not that bad, but when I look at people that seem to really have this homeschooling thing down I feel that way. We homeschooling parents are constantly putting a lot of pressure on ourselves.

So this year my kids are virtual schooled.

Actually that pretty much means nothing except that the kids are counted as public school kids, the are able to join band, sports, field trips, and have general access to the school. The also provide us with a computer, curriculum, and a teacher/tutor as we see fit. The school has worked very well with us and we are able to use as much or as little of the curriculum as we see fit as long as we are supplementing with something comparable. We supplement a lot. Actually most of it is supplemented.

All that to say we are public schooling at home and so the kids did the state mandatory testing. My kids have never been tested for their grade ability so I was actually looking forward to this to see where I need to improve or where the kids are doing well. I am well aware of the pros, cons, and controversy of testing but I just wanted to know.

We got the results this week and both kids tested (it starts in the 4th grade) were proficient or advanced in all areas. Woo hoo! This is not bragging by any means, this is a huge sigh of relief. Maybe I'm not totally messing my kids up. I still don't strongly rely on testing but it is nice to know where I need to concentrate a little more and what the kids strengths are to help develop that. Ok, enough already.

*Updated on 5-9 for Real Mom Truths Mothers Day Contest*

Real moms don't create kids, they steer kids

With children you are dealing with different personalities each with different strengths and weaknesses. Learning to enjoy each child for who they are and how Christ made them is so essential. We all need to steer our children toward Christ, and to help them learn and grow, expanding their horizons. What we need not do is try to change them into someone that they are not created to become. Real moms don't compare their children to each other and expect one to be like the other. Real moms see the differences as a great thing because not everyone is used the same way in the kingdom and we rejoice in that truth.

Enter the Real Mom Truths Mothers Day Contest! The winner will receive this amazing 4G iPod Nano and Chocolate gift set, plus a link to their post on True Mom Confessions on Mother's Day

Critter Fest: Budweiser Frogs Lizards and Ferret!! 18 clips!

Learning about advertising today and so I had to show some of the best commercials. I found this and thought others may want to remember and laugh along. Enjoy

What is love and what does it look like? I have been in a semi-debate over this issue for a while now and I would like to get as many people's opinions as possible. The debate we have been having is over romantic love and what that looks like. Is there a song that really defines love? (some suggestions have been Every Breath You Take by The Police or I Will Always Love You by Dolly Parton) How do you know that you truly love someone or that someone truly loves you? If you could choose exactly how someone would love you what would that look like? Please let me know what you think. If you cannot leave a comment you can email me. I put my hotmail address on the sidebar. I really would love lots of thoughts on this matter so if you know someone else who could add into the conversation please tell them to come on over. I will put in my own thoughts after a time. Thanks all!

Dreams. Sometimes I wake up and just think, "HUH?!?!" For those of you who don't dream often, I envy you. I dream. All the time. Even during naps I have dreams but most don't stick with me for any length of time. Others stick, like last nights.

I was out with some friends and somebody asked me when my baby was due. When I looked down I was VERY pregnant. So I went to the calendar to find out my due date. (what?!?) I misread the calendar at first and thought I had only two weeks left, but then realized I was looking at May instead of March. (yeah, ok!) Next thing I knew it was the day I was able to take the Octuplets home. Yes, Octuplets. The rest of the dream was me running around trying to take care of them all and failing miserably. At least that part would have been true.

On a different note, Knight was home yesterday and we did a lot of spring cleaning. The house looks good and now I can just focus on school today. And laundry. It's clean, it's dry. Now it needs to be folded and put away. Ahhhhh Paradise.

I grew up in a military family. My dad was enlisted when he first started his career and then he became an officer. I remember him going to Officers Training School but honestly I did not know what that meant. My parents didn't make it a big deal to us. Maybe my older sisters knew the significance of it, but I never did.

Because we moved around so much, I have only one friend that I am still in contact with from my childhood days. A couple of years ago, after we were grown and married, we were talking and she said something about the social divide between officers and enlisted men and their families. She told me she could always tell who were the officers wives when they went to the store on base. After asking some questions she let me know that her parents were always nervous about her coming to my house because my dad was an officer and her dad was enlisted. This was the first time I had ever heard that there was this social divide, and honestly this was the first time that I knew her dad was enlisted.

My parents just had taught us to be kind to everyone. They never really did teach us about status or social class. I had learned about the cast system in school but I never could get my mind around the fact that people didn't interact between different social classes. Maybe I grew up naive, but I never did believe someone was better than me because of what they had or who they were, and I never thought someone was worse than me because of a different lifestyle than I was used to.

It is a lesson that I hope to pass on to my children. I hope that they can respect everyone as a creature of God. Since He is not a respecter of persons, I know that we shouldn't be either. And I also hope that they know that there will always be someone who has more than them, and someone who has less than them. It is great to work hard to achieve goals and dreams but if you do it at the expense of another or you should never look down on another for having different goals and values than you are pressing for.

For my parents instilling this in me, I am so thankful. What a blessing to have that lesson taught to me so thoroughly.

I worked with Knight today, didn't sleep well last night, and I have to get ready for the ladies retreat. So here is just a quick peek into a conversation overheard between J-Bird and me.

J-I know that Grampa was in a war.

Me-Yes, he was.

J-Do you know what side he was on?

Me-He was in the Army

J-No. I mean what side was he on?

Me-The war was in Viet Nam. Is that what you mean?

J-No. I mean do you know if he was a red coat or a blue coat.

At least he remembers something about wars. Makes a mother proud and want to just call Grampa so he can ask for himself.

Wordless Wednesday...

In hopes music makes plants grow better

Updates on our family life...

Yesterday was a field trip to the fire station. The chief of police was able to come and talk to the kids about his department and what they do, and then the fire chief talked to the kids about the fire station. All said and done, the kids learned a lot. The kids liked going into the bus that transports the fire fighters the best, but they also were able to see a real "jaws of life". Very informative and both of the chiefs let the kids know that they have females on their staff so if you are a girl interested in these careers that it is very possible.

The other thing going on in the house is that Knight and the kids have planted a garden upstairs in the sun room. They have planted peas, broccoli, bean, and spinach. The kids have heard that music will help the plants grow. So they go in and sing to the dirt. Rara was up early this morning and first thing she did was go and sing to the garden. Gotta love it!

This weekend is a retreat for me. I am trading in the controlled chaos at home for some controlled chaos "up north". I am heading up with 40 of my closest friends to have a time of relaxation, sessions, food, games, and shopping. Hopefully I will not come back completely wiped out like I am every other year. I am sharing a room with only one other person and she knows how psychotic I really am so it should be a great time. For those who are concerned about my roommate, she is bringing her stun gun in case I get too out of control! ;-)

Knight is going to switch his route around next week if all goes well this Friday. We have been trying to figure out how to get two days off in a row without it costing us a lot of money and thanks to an idea I had after reading a blog, I realized we do not have to stick to "normal" weekend times. We home school! So our plan is for Knight to work Tuesday through Saturday and we will do school those days and do our merchandising on Saturdays as we have been doing. We will take Sundays off and hire someone to take care of some stuff on Monday. It shouldn't cost us too much and yet it will free up some family time that we will be able to do some things out of town every once in a while.

That is the news from our home front. Now onto the rest of my day.!

Baby Got Book (OFFICIAL)

This is so funny! I got this from I'm Toni at In the Midst of this season. Knight wanted me to put this on for you all to enjoy. He had someone specific in mind so I hope that they see it.

I think I love having parties. It always sounds like a good idea and I have big plans. I decide that this would just make the day neat. So then I actually invite some people. That is when reality hits.

So goes this weekend. Actually, I am surfing blogs and I stumble across some St Patrick's Day recipes. I check my calendar. St Patty's day is on Saturday. We should have a party. Never mind that we have never done anything to celebrate it, I want to make green food and rainbow jello!

Yeah, I can be impulsive.

So Friday morning after getting a whole 3 hours of sleep I call up one family that has 4 kids that are the ages of my kids. I tell myself, this will be fun, and if I don't get the house clean, they have seen my "real" house anyway and I've seen theirs. Who else should I call? That is when it hits me. I am SO tired.

I talk to two other people and they have plans for Saturday so it can be a smaller group. That is better for me. We clean the house and go shopping. The menu has been decided on. We are going to have lime punch, bread sticks dyed green and shaped into shamrocks, stromboli's tinted green, dyed hard-boiled eggs, shamrock cookies, and green jello. The rainbow jello idea was killed when I couldn't find the cups I wanted to use and this was easier anyway. We head off to Walmart to pick up some ingredients and we can pick up some crafts for the kids to do while we are there.

I have a hatred for party games. I like things to be fair so I don't have to see people upset. So for any kids parties we have crafts available and the kids still have something to take home. My kids have done games, but they come up with them, run them, and supply the prizes.

Anyway, St Patty's day comes and the kids decide we need decorations so they spend the morning making and hanging decorations from doorways, the ceiling fan, the wall. It does look festive. The family comes, I finish the meal and the kids entertain themselves for 5 hours while us grownups talk. It was a fun day but Knight and I take a nap after they leave before we head off to work. Maybe I should do this more often.

I was somewhere around 8 years old the first time I really had to deal with death. Not like the death of an animal. I remember dealing with that too, but this was different. This was a friend.

Scotty was 5. He was out playing and fell. He needed stitches in his chin. Because of a doctors' stupid mistake, his life was ended. If I remember right, the family had come over just the week before. His sister and I were the same age and we probably had amused ourselves by picking on the younger kids, but we all did get along pretty well. I remember my parents taking the phone call saying that he died. I know what room they were in. My sister came in and told me in gossip style "Scotty died". I told her to shut up and kicked her out of the room. I thought she was trying to make some sick joke.

Then my parents told us. It was real. Someone younger than me died. Someone I knew. Someone who wasn't sick. They didn't have cancer. The didn't get into a car accident. Just a little boy fell while playing and hurt his chin.

That is heavy reality for someone that age.

Later on as I was struggling with the fact that he was gone, I remember sitting on my dads lap on the recliner and he was rocking me and letting me cry. I know now that he was struggling to explain this to his little girl but he was probably struggling himself. He was trying to explain to me that I was not sad because Scotty was dead, but because he wasn't around anymore. I understood death, but I didn't quite understand my feelings. But I remember being there on my dads lap and knowing everything was going to be ok for me. Dad was there. He was the strongest man in the world. In that moment I knew that I was loved, I was safe.

Now I come to my relationship with God. The Bible tells us that we should think of and call God "Abba, Father". Or better translated, Daddy. I did not know God growing up. But when I think of Him being my heavenly daddy I picture that day and then I envision crawling up on Gods lap and he holds me while I cry. But I know that everything will be ok because I am with Him. I am loved. I am safe.

Since I have had trouble figuring out what to blog about I thought I would put my various "soap boxes" on as topics. It's really not that I'm in a bad mood, actually the truth is that I've been in a great mood today. I just figured I'd tell the small readership I have the things that get to me at times. And, although Poppy's idea about blogging about how she packs Kleenex up her nose instead of taking the time to wipe it when it runs is such a great idea, I think maybe I will use that for a WFMW if I ever decide to jump on that train.

First, I don't understand why the Lord thought Knight and I would make the perfect match. It's not that I don't love him, I really do. It's just that so many things are so different about us it makes for some pretty difficult situations at times. I don't like to be touched, he loves to cuddle. I live in emotional extremes, he is even tempered. I am not one to enjoy bodily noises, he shares them a lot. I am not competitive, he won't play if he can't win. Relations could be once a month for me, that does not work for him. I know that opposites are supposed to attract, but why? Balance? Wouldn't it just be easier if we were a little more similar?

Next, why is it that Christians seem to be so embarrassed to talk about issues and struggles we all have. I know that we can't share our dirty laundry with everyone, but why have such a taboo on things that most women are going through or that even couples struggle with. Even if it is not a struggle we hide the fact that the Lord created our bodies to have cycles that have the same thing happen every month, but shhh, don't say anything. Or if you are struggling trying to figure out how to keep your husband satisfied and have kids hanging on you, a house to clean, people to feed and you are just tired, not interested, bored, or things don't work real smoothly, people suffer in silence because there is a loudly unspoken rule that those things are not to be discussed. I'm not talking about embarrassing anyone or talking about sinful things or encouraging things that could be sinful, but in a good monogamous relationship things still may need a little help.

I know most of the people in my circles don't talk about this type of stuff, but I am so tired of trying to look like the "perfect Christian woman" (not that I ever got close to that!) I want to be real with people and I want people to be real with me. I know that I add to the problem as much, if not more, than anyone else. So here is me being real. My smile is real at times, and other times I feel like I am so deep in a pit that I can't even see the sky anymore but I still smile. Because I wouldn't want anyone to know that I am faking every second of my day. In weak moments I will open up and tell you what is on my heart but at the times I am hurting greatly, I probably won't share with you. I don't mean to hurt people with my privacy but I can't and won't share the most private of hurts when they actually hurt. I have done that and have regretted it.

So there it is, just a couple things that have been going on in my warped mind. Now that I've shared, feel free to run and hide! Hee Hee

I completely don't have inspiration to blog today so I thought I'd put out this get to know me better survey. I found it surfing for inspiration and took out some of the questions. Now I feel like I'm signing up for some dating service or something like that. Hopefully I will be inspired sometime tonight to blog about SOMETHING! If any of those who read this decide to put this on your blog please let me know in the comments and I would love to read your answers.

Birthplace--Brindisi, Italy

Eye Color & Hair Color--Blue eyes, Redish hair

Favorite Animal--Platupus, it shows Gods humor

Favorite Musician--Casting Crowns

Favorite Comedian--Bill Envall

Favorite Food--Pizza type stuff

Favorite Drink--Diet Mountain Dew or Black Tea

Favorite Clothing--Jeans

Favorite Books--Francine Rivers Mark of the Lion Series

Favorite Season--Spring or Summer

Hobby--Blogging!

Talent--Sarcasm

Age you got married--18 years, 42 days (oh, how young and foolish!)

Age you had your first kid--19

Have you ever been drunk--Yes (I haven't had a drink in over 10 years though)

Have you ever gotten high--No

Have you ever been arrested--No

Have you ever been in an accident--Yes (the most major was when I was young and broke my collar bone)

Number of Tattoos--0 (but I have designed one that I want but won't get)

Number of Piercings--0 (not even my ears!)

Best physical trait--I would say my hair

Wordless Wednesday

I know this is supposed to be Wordless Wednesday but I wanted to share why this picture is so special to me.

This picture is from last Saturday when I went to visit my mom. This picture is from when my dad was teaching us adults Texas hold em poker (play, not real money). It was a lot of fun and Knight and I ended up with all the chips, which is great since we are the only non-gamblers at the table.

So why is this picture so special? Because I have such a great family and I know that they love me.

You see, my mom is in the red and my step dad is wearing blue. My dad is in the burgundy and my step mom is wearing grey and black. (Knight is in the green) My dad found out we were in town and came over to spend some time with us and we can all sit around and enjoy each others company.

They split when I was 12 but they still come together for the sake of the family. My sisters and I (I have 4) are able to spend Christmas with our family. Parents, step-parents, grandparents, and our families. I can't tell you how much it means to me that my parents can put their differences aside for all of our family. I am truly blessed.

When I was a kid I always looked at growing up in terms of numbers. When I turn 16 I can drive. When I turn 18 I can move out. When I turn ?? I will finally feel like a grown up. I am now a mother of 4, married for 12 years, and I am still waiting to feel like a grown up. Although certain things show me I am growing up.

Today we purchased a new couch. It wasn't the purchase that made me feel grown up but how we went about it. We actually thought about this purchase. A lot. We shopped around. We looked at different styles. We talked about how we would use the couch. We considered how long we would like this couch to be in our house. We went through the whole covering issue (leather, microfiber, upholstery, what is washable, durable, comfortable). Do we want a sectional, hide-a-bed, recliners)? Who would we like to purchase this item from? This took weeks.

Rewind to our first year of marriage when we bought a brand new car. We went out for a gallon of milk and came home with a pretty new thing that only had 2 miles on it but a hefty price tag. We put the amount of thought into that as we would have a new pair of jeans. We were young.

Fast forward to the present: We looked again on Saturday at the store we were hoping to buy from. The owners are our next door neighbors. Great people. Love the Lord. Honest. We wanted to buy from them and they carry quality stuff that should last for years.

So we went today and actually brought the kids. We wanted them to see some of the process and thought it takes. We wanted them to see the bill. Maybe, just maybe they will appreciate the sacrifice it takes to make this kind of purchase. We spent double on this set than we did on our last vehicle purchased. (ok, so we got our van for $700) We also got a pretty decent deal on this couch because it was a cash sale.

Then comes the other lesson, the fabric Knight decided on was not in stock in the couch we decided on. So we ordered it and the couch should be here in about a month. We would have never waited a month for much of anything when we were first married but now we are willing to wait a month for a couch. I truly hope this sets an example to our children that it is good to wait for things you want, and that it IS possible to pay cash for something like this. Maybe I am turning into a grownup.

I am in that spring cleaning mode. It's not that it's just that time of year so we have to do it. It's that I have been stuck in this house all winter long and have once again decided that we have way too much stuff and the stuff we need or want to keep does not stay in it's assigned place. "A place for everything and everything in it's place". I love that motto. (Those of you that have actually seen my house...you can stop laughing now!)

Our house is not the cleanest, most well organized place on the block. I can find what I need in a very short amount of time so it is pretty well organized. I would love to have it look better all the time but we actually live here. I have kids who are kids. They play, fight, learn, work on projects, lounge, eat, and work in this house. Currently in my living room there is Payday on the floor, a couple books on the coffee table, clean laundry waiting to be folded, blankets, Magnetix, and a purse or two left from counting money. That is just the living room. It doesn't take much for it to look decent but it takes less time to make it look lived in again. Endless cycle.

I do go through my stuff and toss tons on a regular basis but, to be honest it is the books and school stuff that I get hung up with. We have done different curriculums throughout the years. I do look year by year on what the needs are of the kids and try to figure out the best way to go about meeting those needs. But yet I never know when or if we are going to revisit what we did in the past so I don't feel that I can or should get rid of something until all the kids have outgrown it. So here I am with lots of school items, loads of books, but yet I have 5th grade through kindergarten. I will lend people my stuff but I haven't had a whole lot of opportunity to do that. But there is plenty of stuff in my house I would love to get rid of.

So, thanks to Mommy at Helms Deep I have found Freecycle. A place you can advertise things you wish to give away for things you are looking for that others may want to get rid of. No money exchanged, just give and take. I now have a place that maybe someone will take some of the stuff I can't or don't use anymore. I know I can bring to Goodwill, or save it for our church's annual free "garage sale but I want it gone. But I would love to bless others at the same time. So, if you see lots of garbage on my curb, just know that I'm decluttering.

I gave J-Bell a hair cut yesterday. She likes it short so we thought we'd share. These are the many faces of J-Bell. The bottom left picture is her most common face if she gets her way. We are off to enjoy Saturday with my mom. Yeah!

Friday 14?
14 positive things we have seen with homeschooling

1. For the most part, my kids are friends. They do get on each others nerves, but they also care deeply for each other and are involved in each others lives. I see them consider each other a lot more than I see them dismiss each other.

2. They are pretty self motivated with their school work. They go in and tackle it so it does not take all day. I have heard a couple times, "can you get me up at ___ so I can start school early. I want to be done by ____"

3. They have learned to love research. They choose what to learn about each week and are learning how to write reports. The blogs have helped since they want something to blog about. This is only for 1 subject this year but I have seen great progress in their writing, reading, spelling, and love of learning.

4. J-Bell isn't afraid to be who she wants to be. If other kids her age are into things she is not (boys, makeup) she will just go play with the little ones. I have seen her enjoy playing dolls with an 8 year old because the 13 year old sister was into makeovers.

5. None of my kids know what the name brands are. They have seen our budget, know that we do our best to provide with needs and wants, and know if they really want something they should save and watch Goodwill. It is not an embarrassment.

6. Teaching has become habit. Shopping, paying bills, cleaning, gardening, cooking, ANYTHING can be a teaching moment. Gardening can become a lesson on the importance of what roots you let grow in your heart, bills become math/budget lesson.

7. Other homeschoolers who's kids are friends with my kids talk to each other. If we are going to teach something big (like THE talk) we tell each other first, so that the other families are aware of what they may be talking to each other about. We also let each other know if there is something we notice.

8. Homeschoolers help other homeschoolers. We share ideas, field trips, books, advice. There is a common bond that I have seen. Normally we share a faith also, but we can normally talk learning styles, curriculum, joys and hardships. And those who have homeschooled through high school are invaluable with their wisdom.

9. It is touching those times when a lesson leads to more lessons. A history lesson led us to talk about salvation, a reading of Aesop's fables led us to talk about the dangers of credit cards, and a lesson on Hitler led us to talk about the importance of choosing the right curriculum's. I love those days

10. I love the fact that my kids are free to be who they are. They can be artistic, serious, love learning, and they are not getting picked on every day because of who they are. They know that they are loved by this family and the Lord. I truly believe this will make them more independent. They will be able to grow and become who the Lord intended them to be.

11. As busy as I am, it forces me to stay involved with my kids. I notice bad attitudes, loving gestures, right and wrong choices. I think if my kids were in school all day I wouldn't be real involved with what they are learning, and probably wouldn't ask tons of questions about school friendships. This is something in my personality, not a reflection on parents who send their kids. I know lots of people that send their kids and they are GREAT parents.

12. My kids are learning what it takes to run a small business. They see that it is a job that is 7 days a week, and really appreciate the days that we take some time away. They also know that trucks don't come loaded with product, and someone sells this all to the stores, stocks the shelves, collects the money. I have a vague idea of what my dad used to do in the military, but my kids KNOW what Knight does. They have gone with him and have learned how to do it.

13. Being with my kids all the time, they know the real me. They know the good, the bad, and the ugly so it reminds me that I can't be a hypocrite. They know that I struggle but they also see my heart. I am their mom, not their friend but yet they seem to think I'm ok (My screen saver says "Mom is cool" and they typed it!)

14. I am learning tons of stuff. This information would have been great to know when I was in school. Did you know that their is more than one way to do long division? And there are spelling/reading rules for almost everything. So nice to know!