We put the "cool" in homeschool

Why I'm spending my money on "crap" this Christmas

2011-12-20T09:56:00.001-08:00

Ok, so at the risk of sounding really awful, I am posting my feelings toward this movement that we should be giving to the poor and needy, instead of blowing money on "stuff" at Christmas time. I rarely post a blog. I think it's because, once I write something, post it, and someone reads it, I can't take it back. So, I don't post. But I want to post this blog. I want to try to put my finger on, and articulate to you, what has been bothering me about this whole movement to conspire at Christmas to put the true meaning of Christmas back into Christmas. Which, apparently, is to take care of the poor and needy, and not to waste money on stuff, that will lose it's luster in a matter of days or weeks, and sometimes even moments, as we rush to open the next package. You see, I was actually attending Imago Dei church, when the idea of Advent Conspiracy was conceived and brought to life. At the time I thought it was a wonderful idea, and we participated along with our church body, and wells were dug, and people had clean water, and less money was spent on junk. So what is the problem?? Doesn't this sound like a wonderful, life giving event? Shouldn't we all jump on this well-meaning and quite beautiful band wagon? Well... yes... and no.

We all know about the poor. We see commercials of them, with their round and distended bellies, empty of food. We see pictures of them, living among filth, no clean water in sight. We even see them, in person, pushing their shopping carts and making their "beds" on the streets at night. Should this move us? Yes! Does it move me? Sometimes... sadly, never enough. But sometimes. Is Christmas the time for it to move me the most? Maybe, but I don't think so. Is it wrong that this Thursday I intend to go to the stores and "blow" my hard earned cash on "stuff" for my spouse and kids, when all someone else wants is a clean glass of water? When I put it like that, it sure seems terribly wrong.

Well, I've pondered this a lot, and have been able to see all of my sweet friends on facebook posting blogs who are pondering the same thoughts, only to come up with a different conclusion for themselves. They plan to teach their children about "right" or "real" giving. Where the need is so great, the gift can actually give physical life to another. They are buying things like goats, or seeds, instead of bouncing balls and Barbie dolls.

So again, why am I not jumping on this very well-meaning and actually life giving band wagon?! Well, because Mary broke an expensive and very large jar of perfume on Jesus' feet. She "wasted" perfume that could have been sold, and the money given to those in great need. She did this out of love for her Savior. Judas Iscariot (the betrayer) was not pleased. He even mentions the poor. And Jesus says that "the poor we will always have" and then He tells them that they won't always have Him. You see, we will not always have these moments, the ones where our children are here, living under our roof, being cared for and loved on by us. I am suggesting that these memories we make together during times of celebration can and even should include a bit of extravagance, like when the prodigal son returned home. I am suggesting that giving someone a gift can and is a way to show love to your "neighbor". I am suggesting, that there is always going to be those in need, and they will always need our help. I am suggesting that we should give to the poor all the rest of the year. But at Christmas I want to put that aside for just a little while.

Maybe it's because my family does things differently the rest of the year, that I'm feeling this way. We don't buy ourselves or our children things that we want, or even things that we need. (And by need I don't mean food water and shelter, but need based on an American standard of living). We don't take vacations, we rarely, if ever, go out to eat, we clean our own house, I almost never get my hair done or a pedicure, my kids go without new underwear, socks, books, toys, and clothes all year round. Sometimes, the girls will save up by working for allowance, and buy something they want. But for the most part, birthdays and Christmas are it for our yearly spoil. Do I fault my dear Christian brothers and sisters for spending money on these things all year round? Do I write blogs rebuking them for living it up, while people are dying? No. I don't. Should I? Maybe... but I don't think so. I think that as long as you are not accruing debt, and you are still giving generously when and where you can, you should enjoy the blessings God has given you.

And about this giving generously. It should include three principles. It should be done cheerfully, it should be done for God's glory alone, and it should be done anonymously. When you give, and it is out of obligation, and not out of joy, God would rather you didn't give at all. When you give, in order to look good, or to make someone's life easier rather than for God's glory alone, it is in vain. When you give and tell about it, you are paid in full your blessings. The praise of man is all that you will receive from that gift. And it takes away from the gift completely. I can tell you, first hand, there is very little joy in receiving charity, unless it is done anonymously. Also, when you tell about the wonderful thing you are doing, others will compare themselves to you, and they will either come out ahead or behind. Either way, the focus is on man and not God.

It seems to me that holidays were created by God and given to man to serve a purpose. And I don't believe it was to mope and fuss about the woes of this fallen world, of which of there are many. That purpose, I believe, was and is to celebrate. Yes! Celebrate the babe in the manger! Yes! Celebrate your Salvation, given you by God's grace and mercy in the death and resurrection of that very same babe! But I say live it up! Have a feast! Emulate the great wedding banquet in heaven! Buy your loved ones something that you normally wouldn't, or that you normally would, but this time wrap it up and put a bow on it. And then, wake up tomorrow, and put those in the margins of society, back on your heart. And pray about how you can help and how you can give. And then do it. Because as Christ Himself said, "the poor we will always have."

Merry Christmas my dear sweet readers. May the King of kings bless you this day and everyday. May He alone be glorified in all things and through all things. And may this post bring you freedom from condemnation, and may it return the joy that possibly has been lost to you by the good intentions of others.

No "Body" is perfect

2010-12-22T11:26:00.000-08:00

Tonight John and I are meeting with some elders, one of them the Pastor, to discuss becoming a member of Rockdale Community Church. And before I seal the deal, I just have to brag about this wonderful body, before I become an official part of it, and can no longer brag without it being a boast about my own self!

When we first visited Rockdale, I was immediatly in love. It is a smallish Reformed Baptist Community Church, located in Conyers. I had been invited by one of the ladies that take my Zumba classes. (LOve you Bekah!)I felt so welcome and right at home from the very start. It was such a relief to find somewhere so quickly after we moved here. We went to 8 or 9 churches in AZ, and still never found a church home.

Of course, since our first visit, I have had my moments of doubt. For as you know no matter what body I am a part of, it is made up of saints that sin, and will not be perfect. And the longer you attend somewhere, the more likely you will see the weaknesses of that particular body.

My first struggle was one with labels. I hate labels. Period. What more can I say?? I only want to be labeled "lover of Jesus" or "Christ follower". But I've come to realize that labels can be a sort of protection. Keeping truth true, and untruth out. So, although I do not call myself a Calvanist, a Baptist, or a Reformed Theologist. I can associate myself with a body that does, and feel quite at ease with almost a hundred percent of their theology. And actually most everyone that attends Rockdale, feels the same way about labels as I do, and doesn't necessarily label themselves either.

My second struggle was, with the future, when Echo would be joining us for church. If any of you have met my "energetic" son, you will immediately understand my fears and anxieties. Echo is unlike any other boy I've ever been around. I've seen some come close, but I think he takes the cake on curiosity mixed with creativity, mixed with determination and physical ability. Anyways, I've decided to just cross that bridge when we get to it. A lot can change in a year. Right??

Let's talk about why I love this place and these people. They may not be perfect, but they love each other, and it is obvious. They pray for each other, come up under each other, practice the "one anothers" throughout the rest of the week, spend time together, and provide for each others spiritual and practical needs. The welcome that they extend to guests is unmatched! Although they are a tight knit group,however, it is not a closed tight knit group. There is always room in their hearts and congregation for more!!

There is an hour of Sunday School before the Regular service. I've never attended any Sunday School at a Christian church before, and it is intimate, Bible teaching, interesting, fun, thought provoking, and bond building. The kids attend their own Sunday School during this hour, and they are really learning God's Word. They have fun, but that isn't what it's focus is. The focus is on God and the Good News of the Gospel.

Church starts with worship. It is a great mix of classic and beautiful hymns, and contemporary Christian music. It is Spirit filled and somewhat quiet. I actually prefer a little more outward show of worship. But nonetheless I enjoy the sincerity and beauty of our corporate worship time.

We then have corporate prayer. I have been to many many churches. And this is almost never a part of Sunday Services. Anyone that wants to pray, confess, adore, ask the LORD is welcome to. Usually at a Bible study, or church very little time is spent in actual prayer. It is almost an after thought, or rushed through at the beginning. A praying church is a powerful church.

Then for a Bible teaching, thorough, well planned but not rehearsed sounding, convicting, encouraging, not a mere 28 minutes long, more like an hour, and sincere. Our kids sit with us (Blaze and Shade do, while Echo and Lock are in extended service). All of us are growing so much in the LORD, and it astounds me how much the girls are getting out of it.

Every Sunday we take communion. I love taking Communion every Sunday. It doesn't get old for me. I need to remember. Remember Jesus' sacrifice for me. Remember the forgiveness and redemption found at the cross. Remember the competed work and the power of the resurrection. How could that get old?

Rockdale doesn't pass around an offering or make a mention of money ever, that I have heard. There is an offering box in the foyer that you can give if you feel led, and how you feel led. They don't seem to have any financial struggles, and they are not in debt. The pastor actually had a full time paying job for most of his time in his position, and wasn't even paid. I know this is a huge testimony to many that think churches only care about getting at your wallet. I've never felt this way, but I still think this is a wonderful approach to handling money and church.

They are about to launch small groups soon, and I am really excited to get involved in a small group, and to get to know more people at the church. These groups will last about six weeks, and then rotate, which will avoid the whole cliquish feeling that small groups can incur. Also, more people will get the opportunity to know each other every new rotation.

Well, as I write this, I'm looking forward to tonight. But I'm looking even more forward to when John, the kids and I stand in front of all those smiling and loving faces, and make our commitment to them and them to us. It is like being grafted into a huge family. A huge, wonderful, loving, imperfect, beautiful mess of a family....

"If Jesus thought the church worth dying for, it may just be worth living in." Mark Galli

At the Foot of the Cross

2010-11-24T05:56:00.000-08:00

A broken marriage is heartbreaking. And that is an understatement. Two fallen and sinful people coming together to make one. To me it sounds doomed from the start, a recipe for disaster even. And yet, God created it. And somehow it is even the very picture of Christ and His church. Of course, ours is a marriage made on earth, among sin and sinfulness and flesh and decay. His is a marriage made in heaven. And so what do we do, with this earthly, sometimes broken, sometimes painful marriage? How do we respond to a spouse that is imperfect, sinful, and sometimes really difficult to live with?

Before marriage, I was not one of those Christians that thought "Hey, I'm a pretty great Christian!" I was, and still am pretty aware of my wretchedness. So it didn't come as a shock to me, when I did not turn out to be the Proverbs 31 woman in my role as a wife. However, in the microcosm of my little world, my sins have become even MORE magnified! Magnified to a degree, that it becomes essential to address them and not to ignore or just live with them. So now that I've discovered that I'm an even worse sinner than I originally thought.... now what?

What do I do with the disappointments? The pain? Scrap it? Pray for early widowhood? (See, I am an ugly sinner) Become a constant nag? Fake it 'til I make it? Try harder????

I've tried all of these ways, and they just don't work. Well, I haven't totally scrapped it, but I did check out emotionally and have been unavailable to my husband for long periods of time. And that may be even worse in some ways. Thankfully my prayers for widowhood went unanswered. And nagging only made things worse. God's Word says that I am sickness in John's bones when I nag him. Focusing on my own behaviors, and trying harder, just causes more disappointment, more despair, when I fail, or self-righteousness, bitterness, and resentment when I succeed.

Thank You God for the Titus 2 women in my life. Thank you God for Your Word. For in my questioning of You and Your plan, you lovingly guided me to where I needed to go. For when my sins are magnified, the need for the cross is also magnified. And when I go to the foot of the cross I am right where You want me. Here I will lay myself down, and wrap my body and mind around it. Allowing the blood of Jesus to flow down and over and cover every inch of my being. A robe of blood that becomes my robe of righteousness. It hides my blemishes, washes away my sin, changes me, renews my mind and makes my heart tender. If every time I fail, I capture my wrong thought and make it obedient to Christ. If I spend time with Him, seeking Him in His Word, and I leave that place with His aroma covering the stench of my flesh. If I be still, knowing that He is God, listening for His voice, crying out to Him my worries and my sadness. And even all of this is still by His Grace alone and through His Holy Spirit alone and by His Power alone. In my weakness, He is my strength. To Him alone be the Glory.

To an unbeliever this will sound foreign, and the blood visual will even sound like a remake of the horror flick "Carrie". But to those that have tasted the grace and mercy of His forgiveness. To those that have found themselves at the foot of the cross. This is the most beautiful scene in the Story of Life.

At the foot of the cross there is no judgement. There is no condemnation. There is Redemption. There is Salvation. There is Power. Here I can trade what is of no value to me, for something I could never earn or purchase. I can begin to live in a Heavenly Kingdom as the daughter of a King. I can walk in the same power that raises the dead, and makes alive the dead parts of my own life.

God takes no joy in my pain. Pain is a necessity at times, and through this fire, this refining fire, I come out with a little less dross and a little more shine. And instead of just enduring the pain, I can even take joy in my suffering, if I remember it is changing me more and more to be like my Beloved Jesus.

So, this day, when I fail once again in some way or another, or when I am hurt by the sin of another, I will lay myself down in the only place that can change me, heal me, and bring me peace and joy inexplicable.

The cross.....

Press On

2010-11-17T20:21:00.000-08:00

Lately everywhere I turn I am faced with hope. I can't escape it, not that I want to. There have been many times in my life that I have felt the emptiness and terrror of (almost) absolute hopelessness. All the time grasping for a God I wanted to believe was there. Was He Knowing, Caring, Still in control? Unable to see any hope. Blinded by sadness, circumstances and self-centeredness. And yet I pressed on.

Driving in my car the other night, I thought back to the path my life has taken so far, and where I am today. Seeing His Hand on me throughout all those dark times, I became overwhelmed with gratitude. My heart overflowed with thankfulness to God, my God had never forsaken me, He never will. He, who in perfect wisdom, does whatever is good and great and right. And resting in those truths, I press on.

God has been loving me through some amazing people lately. I am surrounded by and being loved by an amazing body of Christ. I am being encouraged and prayed for. Whose thoughts of me are precious. I have been grafted into and adopted by this body. And for the first time in my life, I want to become a member of a church. And even as I write this my palms feel sweaty and my heart races.And my mind wanders to all of the "what ifs" (like a groom with very cold feet). But I press on.

This morning with each sip of my coffe (that my sweet husband made me), out of my brand new mug, I am faced with hope. No, literally, it says the word "Hope" on the inside (thanks Cheryl!) And I ponder over what my hope is in. My hope is in HIM, who has my every tear in a bottle, who gave himself for me, even unto death, who loved me first, when I was so unlovable, who never did and never will forsake me, even when I turn away, who has a beautiful plan for me, that I take no credit for, who loves me tenderly and sometimes painfully, even when I reject Him, and who conquered sin and death, giving me the same power of the resurrection to Just Press On!

The Lost Art of Writing a Letter

2010-09-13T15:07:00.000-07:00

My sweet Blaze writes to her grandma. She takes a pen, and a piece of paper, she writes something personal and friendly, she puts it into an envelope and addresses it, she applies the proper postage, and walks it to the mailbox. I have never told her to, I have never even taught her how. She just did it, completely unsolicited, on her own. This last month has been extremely difficult for my mother in law (she lost her dad and her dog), and so Blaze's last letter, was somewhat sympathetic. However, I don't think that compassion is her gift! lol! This is the letter (with permission from Blaze):

"Dear Grandma,
Sorry I didn't write sooner, but I've been pre-occupied over Summer affairs. well i've had a great time for summer, i have some new friend's! I'm sorry for Sophie and your Dad, i bet your sad :( well it's not the end of the world, and i bet you will still be happy!
Your
loving,
Grand-daughter Blaze"

Flying Sober

2010-09-02T10:40:00.000-07:00

Maybe you've heard the saying: "There is nothing to fear but fear itself", well in my opinion that is a load of you know what. Without fear, we could not give God a proper response. Fear promotes a need for peace, and that is a need only God can really fulfill. It is only in moments of realizing our humanity... our mortality, can we really begin to rely on and cling to God fully. He speaks to us so tenderly in our moments of terror. He draws us in. He surrounds us. It is then that we feel His presence more fully than any other time.

Just recently I experienced this for myself. I am scared of flying. And really that is putting it mildly. Let's just say, when I am about to embark on an airplane, when I say "goodbye" to my friends, my husband, and my sweet little children, I am literally saying "GOODBYE... SAYANARA... SEE YOU ON THE OTHER SIDE... IT WAS NICE KNOWING YA... HAVE FUN AT MY FUNERAL". No exaggeration. When that cock pit door closes, I hear the creaking of a coffin and the pounding of the nails. Are you getting the idea? Well, in order to get to my Zumba convention, I needed to ride in one of these flying coffins. Usually I call up my mom, and ask her to loan me a Valium or two... or three. But she was out of town. So, I rode to my grave sober minded. And thank God that I did!

Before I left, my dear dear friend Rebekah and I prayed together on the phone. During her prayer, she was moved to pray for me that God would give me a thought that I could cling to that would bring me peace when I felt afraid. I am so thankful for my friend who listens so closely to God's Holy Spirit, and for God who has placed this dear person in my life.

At take off, I cried. Literally, there were tears pouring down my cheeks. No one noticed, because I did it completely silently (a skill I didn't know I had). I almost reached across the aisle a dozen times to hold hands with an old man. The really hot guy next to me was not an option. After we reached a "safe" altitude, they began drink service. Right after they gave me my coffee, the pilot turns on the safety belt sign and says "We are approaching some weather, I am sorry to have to interrupt drink service. Flight attendants please secure the cabin." Well, what I heard was "We are about to fly into a storm, we are all going to die. And oh yeah... all you chumps that didn't get anything to drink, so sorry". Before I left for this trip, I was reading with Shade a book for school all about thunder and lightning, and here is the picture that is permeating every part of my mind:

At this point the tears are streaming and the whispered prayers are pouring out. When all of a sudden, I am literally jarred by a vision. It is a baby, being held in the arms of someone, in heaven. And in that moment I knew that that baby was the baby I lost to a miscarriage some years back. I never think about that little soul. And here she pops into my head. Reminding me that I have so much to look forward to when I die. Lately I have struggled with heaven. It sounds so anticeptic and monotonous and boring. I know that this is a wrong view. But it is mine nonetheless. Heaven just got a lot more interesting. I prayed, clinging to that beautiful vision, that beautiful little baby. After a few more minutes, I opened my eyes and I cautiously looked out the window, and there boldly painting the sky, was a beautiful rainbow. A covenant. A promise. For what? A definite outcome of what I desired? No... a hope.

At this point I yell out to said hot guy/neighbor "LOOK a RAINBOW" (and silently... "we might live!!") The guy on the other side of him says "he doesn't speak english". We get to talking and I find out that these two are on their way to "rehab". At first I'm like "jeez... that's personal information", then they clarify they are ball players. When I ask if it's a team I would know, they were like. "The Atlanta Braves". They were very humble. And after that treated me like they would a little sister, and helped me find my way around the Orlando airport, and to my shuttle. I asked them if they had noticed how scared I was, and they hadn't, thankfully.

Fast forward to my next trip, my flight home. I had made friends with a lady at the convention. She was one of six people that were sharing two rooms, but we were not in the same one. Howerver we had run with the same crowd all weekend. She was also a strong believer. I hadn't got a chance to say goodbye to her, and I saw her at my gate at the airport and I ran up to hug her goodbye. We discovered that we were on the same flight. But then much to our total dismay and delight we discovered that we were sitting RIGHT NEXT to each other!! Yay! Someone to hold hands with. We prayed together, we shared our testimonies, we became solid. It was amazing. Only God could've orchestrated something so very perfect. And I am so thankful.

If I had done what I normally do, numbed my fears with a pill and maybe a cocktail, the opportunity for God to show up for me would have been lost, although it's true, I wouldn't have ever known what I had missed. Thank You Father for giving me the courage. Which, by the way, isn't absence of fear, but having fear and going for it anyways!

Hide it in your heart

2010-08-11T06:33:00.000-07:00

This morning during my devotional time, I came to Romans 8 in my Bible reading. It brought me back to high school, when I was only a year into my walk with Jesus, and I was studying for an event called "Bible Bowl" (like "knowledge bowl" just biblically focused). I had to memorize the King James Version of the entire chapter of Romans 8. I am pretty sure I got last pick of which chapter, because everyone else had twenty-something verses to memorize, and I had 39. As I read through the verses this morning, I was so moved by the message God wanted me to carry in my heart through out the very dark path I ended up taking. He wanted me to know that I wasn't condemned, He warned me about my flesh, He told me to hope in what I couldn't see, and that I was chosen. And finally He told me that nothing, absolutely nothing, could separate us.

I thought about the knobby knees on my teenage body, and how I thought they would carry me to the mission field. I thought I was satan's worst enemy and Jesus' greatest fan. I told everyone about Jesus that would listen, and even a few who didn't want to listen! I was on fire... a Jesus freak.

I could blame the turn on a boy, a bad childhood, no parental supervision, or low self-esteem. And those are partly to blame... well except low self-esteem, but I will get back to that. I can't say for sure why I did the things I did. But instead of finding myself in Africa teaching other missionaries children in a private school, I found myself, "playing house" with certain boyfriends, and eventually numbing the pain and filling the emptiness with a continuous stream of drug use.

I want to get back to that whole lie of low self-esteem. No where in the bible does it talk about needing to think MORE highly of one's self. As a matter of fact a complete opposite message is given. We need to be more humble, lowly, and put others interest above our own. We need to see ourselves in comparison to a holy, powerful, perfect, merciful, loving, majestic God. Compared to him we are but a vapor. Whenever I am struggling with depression and or anxiety, it is mostly to blame on being ungrateful, and self absorbed. The more we turn our thoughts outwards to others and to God, the less time we have to grovel and complain. If our whole strength, mind, and soul are loving God and others, we dont' have a lot of time to think "oh poor me".

Anyways, fast forward to today. That message that I carried with me through those very dark times probably never surfaced to the front of my mind, until this morning. And I was so overwhelmed with the truth that they held for me in that moment. I am not condemned, I am still chosen, I have hope in what is unseen, and nothing separates me from the love of God, because of my dear Christ Jesus.

I've often wondered if I would have gone to heaven if I had died during those years of walking after fleshly desires. I know that I had made a true decision to follow Jesus. I know that I had repented and asked Jesus to be Lord of my life. And I also know that we all fall short of God's glory. Does it matter how short? Doesn't Christ cover all our sins? Past, present and future? I mean, I still sin today. And all sin has the same consequences. Only God knows the true heart of a man. And underneath all of that ugliness, my heart still contained those words from Romans 8. And another favorite of mine: "being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus." Philipians 1:6.

I am so thankful to my God for not leaving me in that place. I am so thankful for not having the consequences that I deserved. And even more than that I am so thankful for the abundance of His blessings on my lfe, both temporal and eternal. He pulled me from that miry clay, gently washed away the filth, revealed my true heart, set my feet upon a Rock, and fanned the fire to my spirit once again.

E-mealz is da bomb!

2010-08-05T06:27:00.001-07:00

For quite some time now, I have had a very strange and even unhealthy relationship with food. What I thought was a quest for healthy eating, has really become a spirit of fear, and a need for control. I "fed" myself as much information as I could find, about eating healthy, thinking that I could avoid my family or myself ever getting sick. Thanks to a new and dear friend (B to the K) I was able to recognize my choices were being made out of fear... not love. And in such a timely manner, this same friend introduced me to e-mealz.

E-mealz, is a menu planning system that allows you to, choose the grocery store that you shop at, puts to gether a weekly meal/recipe plan based on what is "on add", and creates a shopping list for you.

The time it would take to make up a menu plan, based on sale items, and create a shopping list, is reason enough to join up! As a homeschooling mom of four, my time is precious. I need to use it wisely. In less than five minutes, I had my week of meals planned out, and my shopping list printed and ready to go! Plus, the store I chose is only 12 minutes away. I had been driving about 40 minutes to three different specialty stores (all three in completely different directions) to find specific items, buying only organic, and fixing elaborate healthy meals with only the best ingredients. (Which btw.. my kids would NOT be excited about, or appreciate the time, effort, and pain that went into preparing them).

As I have mentioned before, we are not rich (material wise), and so I have been forced to look at new ways to save our family money. I have (against my husband's wishes) habitually over-spent at the grocery store for many years now. On average I spent around $300 a week on just groceries! This is no longer a feasible option for me. So, I took all my fears and need for control, and I laid them at Jesus' feet. God has really honored my desire to please my husband, be a good steward, and let go of fear, and has given me peace. Oh... and btw, I spent only $115.00 on groceries this week! The cost of e-mealz is only $5 a month, and I saved twice that in gas on my first trip.

My first trip to the grocery store was interesting. I had never been to this particular grocery store. And if I had, I would've made a bee line straight for the "health food section". (Which they did have, and which, on this particular occassion I bought absolutely nothing out of). The grocery list was organized into the different departments, so it was easy to follow. Plus I didn't stand there comparing prices and reading ingredients. The choices were made for me! It reminded me a little bit, like shopping off of a wedding or a baby shower registry. Anyways, the first trip to Kroger's was marked as a success. And when I got home, John was impressed with the bags and bags of food, and the small number on the receipt.

I fixed our first meal last night, and I will chalk it up as a definite success! My four year old, usually wanders around at dinnertime, coming back to the table only when threatened with death. Well, last night, he sat in his seat the entire time, shoved as much of this food into his mouth and said, as food came tumbling out, "mooooaaaaah" (translation "more"). ALL FOUR of my kids ate their dinner, and there was enough leftovers for lunch the next day. There are also enough ingredients from this meal left over to create breakfasts, lunches and snacks all week. This was the least stressful dinner we've had in awhile!

I can't believe how much time, money and stress I've already saved using this program. And I had a pretty organized system, (considering my system was so extremely involved). Check it out, for yourself. I posted a link on my website. If you decide to join when you click on the link, I actually get credit! (To all my west coast peeps, the only grocery store you will recognize is Wal-Mart).

Bon Apetit!

There is Joy in the "Mourning"

2010-07-23T06:39:00.000-07:00

My sister and I have this long standing joke between us, that I think is pretty funny. It goes somthing like "Money can't buy you happiness, but it's alot more fun to cry in a Mercedes than a Pinto!" The strange thing is, I have looked back at my life and seen so much more happiness in the financially trying times, than the times of financial security.

Recently we have been going through a time of financial difficulty. And during my quiet time this morning, a lot of positive things came to mind. Things that probably would not have happened without the struggle. I cried out to God a lot more often than usual. I exercised and strengthened my faith and my hope in Him. I was able to put my trust in Him, and watch Him pull me through. I felt His presence. I was offered a P.E. job, that I am sure is His plan for me. And so I accepted, even though my qualifications are sketchy at best! I received an unexpected and perfectly timed gift of charity from a brother and sister in Christ. We cancelled our cable (HALLELUJAH!!!). And I experienced gratitude and thankfulness in what I would normally have taken for granted. For me without the sorrows in life, I really don't even experience the joy.

It's kind of like living in Arizona (stay with me), where everyday you wake up to perfection and sunshine, and you sort of get sick of it. For me, I need the sunshine to disappear for a time. I need the rains to come. The thunders to shake. The lightning to flash and confound! I need the seasons fall, winter, spring, summer, boredom, sadness, contentment, and joy. Dying, death, resurrection, new life.

I have heard it said that "it is easier to trust God in times of happiness and joy", and for me, this just isn't true. When the things of this world sustain me, I forget about God. And when the things of this world fail me, I turn to God to sustain me. I hope for a maturity of faith that is strong in both times of plenty and in times of want. Like Paul. Whenever I realize my faith is wavering or I am in a season of doubt. I know that times of trouble will come. It's a scary thing for me to pray for more faith. But I have to go back to the promise that this life is but a vapor. And that eternal life will outshine our pains and sorrows. I will never shed another tear. (Does that sound boring to anyone else?? That is a whole other post).

Oh that He will change the "joy in the mourning" to the "joy in the morning".

He will make your path straight

2010-06-28T14:00:00.000-07:00

Today as I drove to Heritage Hills Baptist Church to sign up my kids for their homeschool co-op classes, I asked God one last time "How am I going to pay for this?" Things have been really tight lately, and we have been barely getting by. My dear husband has been working so so hard, but with a commission only sales job in this economy, making ends meet is a challenge. I have been wondering if maybe God had forgotten about us a little bit. However, what has come out of this less than ideal circumstance has been so much more profitable than if I had been able to just cut a check without a second thought.

It all started in AZ when I was done with a Zumba class that a man named Seth came up to me and asked me to become a certified Zumba instructor myself, and pick up a class to teach. I got certified November 7th or 8th, can't remember, doesn't matter, and I started teaching at the Community Center nearby and I built a clientele that I loved and who loved me back.

I shortly thereafter packed up w/ my family and moved to Georgia, landing in a little place called Conyers. By now, I was in love with teaching Zumba, and I was hoping to find a gym that would take me on. I had invested a lot into it as well, and I didn't want all the time, effort, and money to go to waste. As I lay in bed one night praying about it, God put into my mind that I should call the local dance studios to see if I could rent space, and start my own Zumba classes. This worked out fantastically, and I found a wonderful place where they have been so very generous and helpful in getting my classes off the ground. My classes have been getting bigger, and I have met some wonderful people that are taking my classes. Recently one of the ladies invited me to attend their church.

Up until this point, we had been attending a Calvary Chapel that was fine, but not where we would land for good. I had known for awhile that we were led to that church so that I could find my dear friend Rebekah. And so I was now ready to look for a church HOME. I hate church shopping, and I equally hate the critical spirit it fosters in me, so I was avoiding the whole situation, until thankfully Bekah, (from my class) nvited me to her church. I had been invited by numerous people to church, but didn't really feel the desire to make the move from where we were... until this moment.

So, in total Chaundra fashion I did a little internet research on Rockdale Community Church so I could analyze the situation. It turned out that our kids 5 and up have to sit with us in church. Feeling a little deflated, I decided not to mention it again to John and pray. If God wanted us to go there, then John would miraculously bring it up himself. If any of you know me at all, this was virtually an impossible task. I got a little sneaky by mentioning this exciting new church to the girls, hoping they would bring it up to daddy, but strangely enough, it went in one ear and out the other. So, I just bit my tongue, and waited to see what would happen. Normally, I would be talking to John about it every five minutes and making him listen to online sermons and badgering him constantly, so John took this silence as me being no longer interested in going to this church. I was so frustrated!! Come Sunday morning, I got up extra early (this church started an hour earlier) and I got myself and everyone ready. John became puzzled by this and said "Don't we have like two hours 'til we leave for church?" Now I was stuck. I wanted this to be his idea... But I could stand it no longer! "Well.... we were invited to that other church..." And just like that he was totally on board.

The worship was inspired and simple, the sermon was MEATY!!! Almost TOO meaty! It lasted for over an hour! (The girls got pretty squirmy in their seats). However there was one very special moment. Before the sermon started, the church prays together corporately from their seat. Anyone that has a praise or a request just speaks up. Blaze nudges me and whispers to me "I want to pray" At first I almost say "No!" But thankfully I just nod my head like, if you want to. So as soon as the person praying finishes she starts praying. She prays for people's anger, their lost jobs, that the people in this place will know God. Her words are strong and clear and poetic. She speaks with such urgency and compassion. It is so real. I stifle a sob as best as I can. I am moved so deeply I am not even sure what I am feeling. How did this little girl become so brave and bold for Christ. I am sure of one thing, she is amazing... in spite of me... she is amazing. The whole experience here has been so wonderful, I am feeling like this is the place for our family. I am definitely excited to go back.

So, fast forward to today where I am wondering about finances. I had decided the day before that I was going to just move forward with my plan to sign the girls up for the co-op and trust that God will provide, or I will ask for a little more time to pay the fee. I was hoping that when I showed up for my Zumba class that morning, that I would have a bunch of new people, or returning people that were buying a new bundle of classes. When that didn't happen, I just trusted that there would be another way. But I still thought that "other way" would be something like a post dated check.

I arrive at the church, and the girls watch a super cool collie dog trick/stunt show while I acquaint myself with the facilitator Tracee. She lets me know that there is something she "needs to talk to me about". This always raises a red flag with me, because I am usually in some kind of trouble. But as Tracee starts talking I start becoming aware that God is answering my prayer... and I am now a PE teacher for the co-op, which entitles me to FREE tuition!! My heart is so overwhelmed with humility and gratitude. I am laughing from relief, surprise, and excitement. Never in a million years would I have volunteered for this position. But God had placed me on Tracee's heart, and she was hoping that I would consider it! Consider it? Where's my whistle??

After the initial excitement died down I managed to fill out my registration form and make some conversation with the lady standing next to me. Somehow the conversation flows to "what church do you go to" and I sort of gush a little about this new church that I tried out the day before. She asks me what church and when I tell her, a huge grin spreads across her face, that is where SHE goes to church. Her daughter and mine get on quite well, and she informs me that a really nice homeschooling family lives nearby us. As a matter of fact, the man that spoke on the Sunday is the husband/father of this family. And they also have a daughter near Blaze's age. I am almost unable to contain the deep gratitude I am feeling towards God. He comes through. He always does. And it's not always in ways that you expect... or even want Him to. But He comes through. He hadn't forgotten me after all...

As I drove away, I thought about the sermon I had heard on Sunday.. or rather a nugget of the sermon I had heard. God had just put the Egyptian army in the Red Sea. He had exercised His power over water molecules and had parted that vast body of water to let the Children of Israel through, and then had closed it back up again to swallow their enemies. Not long later the Israelites begin to doubt their ability to take the promised land as their own. The cities are fortified and the people are giant after all. What could God do to help them now? It all seems so silly to me, but I know I am like that too. Am I going to be like that now? Am I going to think that God miraculously worked out the details to bring me to this place and then He will just abandon me? Maybe, I will toy with that idea. I am after all human, and not even all that fancy and mature as far as humans go. But in this moment I am at peace. And since this morning, I have been able to think on the magnitude of this commitment that I have made. (PE TEACHER??) I need to continue to stand on His promises. God will equip me to do this work that he has called me to do! He will lead me to the right places, people, thoughts and websites. So.. again... where's my whistle??

Weego

2010-06-18T10:13:00.001-07:00

If any of you have ever had the pleasure of meeting Lock, than you have probably also met his sidekick, "Weego", the absolute LOVE of Lock's life. You might find it hard to understand his undying devotion to the blue stuffed whale, but for some mysterious reason, he wanted him at first sight. We were in line at Kohl's and he pointed at Weego and said "I want that" in a voice so sweet, I unquestioningly laid down my 5 bucks for him. (I know screamin' deal... right??)Normally, I don't give in to my child's every whim. But it just seemed right. And from that moment on, they have been inseparable. I , myself never had a favorite blanky or stuffed animal, and my other children didn't experience this level of devotion to theirs. I, basically, forced John's ugly green blanket, that was his as a baby, on Blaze, and she eventually was conditioned to want to sleep with it. But I had almost nothing to do with Lock and Weego.

Oh how does he love Weego? Let me count the ways:

Weego is Lock's sleeping buddy. Even if he accidentally falls asleep without it, we better sneak him in at some point, because Lock senses when he isn't there and wakes up screaming for him.
Weego is Lock's wrestling buddy. Yes, I said 'wresting buddy'. He actually wrestles him!
Weego is Lock's own personal clown. Not a day goes by that Lock doesn't tell me, "Weego is funny".
Weego is Lock's love. Now Lock has only told me he loves me once. And this was after I asked. But Weego.... Oh no... Weego is given daily if not hourly affirmations of Lock's love.
Weego is Lock's napkin. I wondered once why Weego needed to be washed so often, and then I noticed that Lock has him with him at meal times and wipes his face on him.

Numerous times in the day I hear Lock whisper in Weego's "ear" 'You are so cute' and then tells me, 'Weego's so cute'.

(I interrupt this post for a very important update!!! Lock just told me he loved me for the very first time... unsolicited! My heart melted. However, I am still no Weego).

John and I have had a few conversations about what life would be like if there was no Weego. (Not if we lost him, just if they never found each other. I know this is sounding strange, but this is what our conversation is about). They were so obviously meant to find each other.

That conversation usually leads to a related one about what if we did lose him!! And the thought of losing Weego was so frightening to John and I that we did an ebay search for one. We found him, and promptly won the auction. When he arrived in the mail, we were shocked at how different Weego looks now, from when he was brand new. Looks like we might need to run him over a few times if we ever needed to make Lock believe that this is the real Weego.

The new Weego came with a Dr. Seus book "If I ran the Circus". Apparently, Weego is the blue whale in the story. Lock carried that book around for two days, and no one was allowed to touch it. Finally the other night when Lock was asleep, I got a chance to read it, and was shocked to find out that one of the main character's names is "SneedLOCK". Crazy coincidence??? I think not. This is a match made in heaven.

Walking around in Darkness

2010-06-08T07:36:00.001-07:00

I recently joined this really cool website called "Splink". They send some super cool ideas on how to do family devotionals. This week we are going to learn about walking around in darkness vs. walking around in light. Trying to make our way w/ a blindfold on, vs. being able to see where we are going. There are some fun games we will play, and I'm really excited about it.

Not coincidentally, I am dealing w/ some family issues about letting some very dark areas in our lives come into the light. Is it ok to let those things surface if it is going to cause pain to those that are to blame? Have you ever seen those charts at the doctor's office that asks you to rate your pain? 1 being a smiley face 10 being a very uncomfortable crying face? My sisters and I have been walking through our lives at somewhere around a 10 most of our childhood and part of our adult lives. Well, I can say for myself, and I believe they feel the same, we are done letting the darkness live on in our lives any longer. We have gradually shed light in areas of ours lives until there is no more darkness remaining. Why should the innocent bare the pain for the guilty? Someday, my kids will need to make their peace with me, because I am not a perfect mom. And I will take responsibity. And I will do what it takes to make it all better, because I would give my life for my kids.

I am a person that needs truth. I am a person that needs to shed light in darkness. I will not be defined by the darkness of my past, but by the Light. The one True Light, my sweet Jesus. The truth will set us free. It will free me up to have authentic relationships. I'm not interested in any other kind. I care about how this whole process makes others feels, but that doesn't mean I will protect them from it. It isn't about revenge, it is about healing.

Family is such an amazing creation. What a wonderful opportunity to love people that you didn't choose. What a wonderful place to show grace and forgiveness. There is nothing that I can do to change the blood that runs through my veins. But by the grace of God I have been adopted into a royal family that brings me the joy and acceptance I never got from my biological one.

Thanks to my dear dear sisters. They are so much more to me than family. If we were not born in the same family I would choose you. If I could line up all the big and little sisters in the world, I would choose Yvette and Koreen.

I hope that what comes out of all these ashes is a new fire. A fire that will purify us all from the tarnish of our past, and make us like gold. And I hope that in the light that comes from truth, we will shine.

Dear Annonymous Homeschool Alumni

2010-06-07T07:51:00.000-07:00

As much as my own school at home does not reflect your own experience, I am not writing to invalidate you or your thoughts and feelings. They are yours, and they are real for you. I am sorry for you and for your parents. To be under authoritative controlling manipulative authority is difficult, especially when you are only a child, and those causing you pain are the people in your life that are supposed to be loving and protecting you. I'm sorry that your parents used discipline to manipulate you into behaving a certain way, instead of capturing your precious heart. Our parents are human, they make mistakes. I know this first hand. My experience as a child was filled with abuses of every kind. However, forgiveness is the only remedy for your pain. Bitterness will kill only you. And maybe, your parents, just like mine, did the best they could.

If you could meet my family you wouldn't feel sorry for us. My husband is anything but authoritative, and I am anything but a doormat. My role as the submissive wife is not my strong suit! My children are so incredible. My oldest, Blaze, is breathtaking, and I'm not talking about her physical beauty. Although she is not short on that either! Her passion for learning, and her insatiable love of reading plus her tender heart makes her the best big sister and oldest daughter anyone could ask for. Shade, my second oldest, may be small, but she has a large capacity to love. When she is in the room, everyone is smiling. Not only because she is cute as a button, but because she is a real commedienne. Making people of all ages laugh, is no problem for her. Then there is Echo. There is almost no words to describe him. He is Wild at Heart. The word "obstacle" doesn't exist in his vocabulary, not because he is four, but because nothing stops him. He is a born leader. And last but certainly not least, our sweet adorable little lock. He is our little prince baby to love and dote on. He is so very easy to love, he is so darn lovable!!!

As much as someone can take heed from an annonymous (and so obviously bitter) naysayer, I have. And my choice to homeschool was not born out of fear and won't be changed by fear either. My heart is ruled by peace. And now that I have discovered the fast rate that Blaze learns, the inability for Shade to focus, and the unusual methods Echo needs in order to learn, I am so so glad that I do school them at home. I know so much about the people that they are, and they are incredible individuals. And I am so sensitive to their incredible potential. I'm not sure I would know all of this about them if I didn't spend the day with them. I am so thankful just to know them.

Also, for a list of famous successful homeschooled persons, all you have to do is google it. The list is long and their successes are large. I actually have to look no farther than a few of my dear friends houses. Their kids have grown into these amazing human beings, that I would encourage my kids to look up to anyday.

I hope you can look back on your painful past experiences and see the blessings that they were to you. I hope you can take that pain that you felt from your parents' decisions and turn it into joy. I hope you find forgiveness. I hope you don't let anger rule in your heart.

Blessings to you annonymous homeschool alumni. My prayers are with you.

Home School Freedoms

2010-05-27T18:39:00.000-07:00

Well, I just discovered how much the Georgia government has got it's little hands in my sweet little school at home! I have to write a letter of intent every year, send in a monthly attendance record to the superintendant, my kids need to have "grades", and I need to have them tested every three years starting at 3rd grade. Testing and labeling.....

I have mixed feeling about all of this. The first one is, very overwhelmed! In AZ all we had to do was write one, meaning a SINGLE, letter of intent, at anytime, notarized. And that was it. Now that is freedom!

The second emotion I have is outrage. Homeschooling, when left alone, has proven over and over to be a wonderful form of eduction. It is so frustrating, when what we do naturally is structured to fit the form so many homeschoolers strive to get away from! Even though I myself am not an unschooler, I have seen that even that philosophy of learning can flourish.

The third emotion is, compliance. If the masses need to be mollified with proof that we are actually doing something productive with our days, then I guess that will have to be fine. As long as I retain my right to school my kids in my own home, and choose my own curriculum, I will comply! And since we aren't required to send in any other information besides a letter of intent and (I think??) the monthly attendance record, this will all just serve the purpose of seeing how well I am doing at schooling the Anderson clan at home.

For now, I won't revolt!

Resumen de Mexico

2010-05-04T07:55:00.000-07:00

Cancun Mexico 2010:

Valium and drool sleeping on the plane (there and back), a romantic dinner for two at a French restaurant with (ironically) the best food of the whole trip, getting a beautiful silver bracelet from a new friend, blow drying my hair in 15 second increments (overheating blowdryer, hotel issued), dancing in the hot sweaty club de baile (could they not invest in a single fan??), Mango Margaritas starting at breakfast, white silky sand (that somehow ended up in the bed... and everywhere else!!), water the color of imagination, our own (mostly) private pool on our back doorstep, cigars and menthols, standing in the ocean feeding wild fish tortilla chips, running for my life screaming my head off because said fish starting lookin at me like I was a tortilla chip, swimming in the ocean, sitting on Pancho the bewildered donkey with a bag tied to his bottom to catch wayward poo, rediscovering John, coatis and iguanas, loving the Lombardis, drinking the water (with much regrets), never once calling home (scaring the crap out of everyone... sorry), buying junk so my family knew I was thinking about them (even if they didn't get a single phone call), losing my giant diamond earring, never once leaving the resort, sunburns sunscreen and sunglasses, eating and eating and eating again (gotta love those all inclusive vacations!), lost luggage, having the time of my life and at the same time so glad to go home.

Poor Poor Pancho...

We seriously look like movie stars from the '60s!

We love the Lombardis!!

Me and John at the romantic dinner at the French restaurant in Cancun.

Me and John taking pictures of ourselves at the beach. Having no idea about the "zoom" feature on our Droid.

Our "back porch" at the Secrets Moroma Resort.

Me and John on the beach.

He is in the Whisper

2010-05-04T07:02:00.000-07:00

I am reading through the Bible in a year, and although it has been a challenge, it has also been more than worth the efforts. My love for God's Word has increased by much and I am reading things that never really get touched on in a Sunday morning service. Things that Beth Moore will probably never write a bible study about. There is so much I have never noticed or heard of before, and as a student of God's Word for the last 21 years, (minus a hiatus of about 4 to 6 years) that surprises me! Not that I think I am some sort of "Biblical Scholar", I certainly do not! I'm just shocked at the amount of stories I do not recognize AT ALL! So, I highly recommend this goal.

Today as I was reading about the "god off" (think dance off or sing off) between Elijah and the prophets of Baal, I asked God if he would perform a miracle like that today. I pictured me in my head, telling all my friends that are unbelievers that I could ask God to perform a miracle with fire. I pictured myself fretting all day, wondering if God would show up. I found myself sure that the project would fail. Then I wondered what this meant about God, not to mention my obviously complete lack of faith. Doesn't believing that God could and would do something earth shattering, make it happen?? The Bible says that the faith the size of a mustard seed could move mountains! Sounds pretty earthshattering to me. But it also says not to test God. And here, like in so many other ways, God is once again outside the reach of my human comprehension.

Besides falling in love with God's word, and finding out how much I have never heard, I am also forming lots and lots of questions. I am not, however, losing faith by questioning, I am gaining faith. In the book The Knowledge of the Holy, A.W. Tozer writes "These forget that their whole life is enshrouded in mystery. They fail to consider that any real explanation of even the simplest phenomenon in nature lies hidden in obscurity and can no more be explained than can the mystery of the Godhead". Or really any inexplicable mystery of God. He goes on to say "This world after all our science and sciences, is still a miracle; wonderful, inscrutable, magical and more, to whosoever will think of it..... We cover our deep ignorance with words, but we are ashamed to wonder, we are afraid to whisper "mystery."

So, back to my "god off". Would God make a showing? I don't know (and I'm not planning to test my theory). But I continued to wonder, and so I continued reading. And as is the case with God's Word, the majority of the time, the best commentary on the Bible is the Bible itself! In 1 Kings after the fire of God consumed the offering, God speaks with Elijah and this is what He says: "'Go out and stand on the mount before the LORD' And behold the LORD passed by, and a great wind tore the mountains and broke in pieces the rocks before the LORD, but the LORD was not in the wind. And after the wind an earthquake, but the LORD was not in the earthquake. And after the earthquake a fire, but the LORD was not in the fire. And after the fire the sound of a low whisper."

It doesn't mean that God is absent if He doesn't perform earthshattering miracles in our lives. He is present in our lives like the whisper of a loving mother to her newborn child, like the whisper of a man to his young bride, like the whisper of the wind through the leaves in the trees. A whisper doesn't force our attention. However it does require stillness and quiet to receive it. So my question became, will I be still and hear His whisper?

Psalm 46:10 "Be still, and know that I am God..."

Atlanta so far...so good

2010-04-29T17:57:00.000-07:00

Well, we've been here a couple of months, spent two holidays here (Easter and Echo's birthday) and have almost completely unpacked. I wonder if I will ever get around to unpacking my scrapbook stuff before we have to move again. A lot has happened in the short time we've been here. Blaze learned to ride her bike, Shade made a new best friend (Echo), Echo turned four, and Lock was attacked by red ants! (which apparently are black?), we have found a church, I have found a soul sister, I have started my own private Zumba classes (successfully!), John has been kicking booty at work, we have made nice w/ the neighbors, spent quality time w/ my mom and Cedric, discovered the most wonderful Farmer's Market in the world, and have just been on the receiving end of good ol' Southern hospitality!! This place is like a cold glass of water when your thirsty. This place feels comfortable. This place brings a sense of contentment. This place is becoming home.

Capture Your Child's Heart

2010-02-01T16:49:00.001-08:00

I was driving home from Zumba the other night, listening to the radio, and I was reminded of literally the best parenting advice I have ever been given. This little piece of advice can spill over into any and all situations. It is simply "Pursue your little ones heart, until you take it captive".

Sometimes a person is blessed with a child whose conscience guides them. And those children will be compliant with you when you are there as well as when you are absent. But most times our kids have sinful natures that win the battle between spirit and flesh. Well, when our little sweethearts love us and remember our kindnesses, they are more likely to respect and obey us whether we are present or not. So, if their sweet little hearts are devoted to us, the things we teach them will reach places they wouldn't normally. And when they go, they will take the values, morals, and spiritual teachings with them. And the day will come when they go.

The Bible says that we love God because of His kindnesses, and because He first loved us. God pursues us and pursues us. And even when we act like a wayward wife.... He pursues us some more. So when can spank, fill out charts, yell, reason, ground, and create the most structured environment on earth, and if we do it all without the goal to captivate our child.... we are just a resounding gong to them. As much as having a child with a "perfect" outward behavior sounds wonderful, it is all useless if we haven't reached their inward parts. This isn't to say, ditch all discipline! Sometimes the kindest way to respond, is with a good ol' fashioned swat on the toosh! But with every act of discipline the Holy Spirit needs to be there along every step of the way to guide us and fill us with His Fruit. I was told once by a very wise mommy, "Camp out in Proverbs when your kids are little." (Meaning memorize as many Proverbs as you can, and integrate them in your parenting decisions ) And also "PRAY!"

Now I must include that the final goal is, of course, that they would be captivated by their Father in heaven. But we have been given the opportunity to play an integral part in that. And because we have been given the exact children we were supposed to. Or in other words, our children have been given the exact parents they were supposed to, we can be rest assured that we are the right ones for that amazing job! I have felt much conviction from this message. Pondering my every action, "Am I driving them away from me? Or drawing them near?" And there are definitely those moments that I know I have messed up. But I have also been encouraged that parenting can be dissolved into such a simple goal, just capture their heart..... their precious little heart.

"Clean Your Fridge Out" Spaghetti Sauce (and hide some veggies so kids eat 'em)

2010-02-01T16:38:00.001-08:00

I sneak a bunch of veggies in this sauce! And no one is the wiser....
2 Tbsp Olive Oil
1Tbsp Dried Oregano or several sprigs of fresh
1/2 Tbsp Dried basil and thyme or several sprigs of fresh
1 tsp red pepper flakes
2-3 Carrots
2-3 Celery1 Onion
4 Garlic cloves
2 Zuchinni1
Red Bell Pepper (or any color, but red makes the sauce redder!)
2 Cans of Italian Stewed Tomatoes
1 Can of Tomato Paste
1/3 Cup Red Wine
1 Tbsp Worcestershire Sauce
1 Jar of good quality Spaghetti sauc
e2-3 Cups of Beef Broth (veggie or chicken would work)
2 # Ground Beef or Italian Sausage (or both!)
Salt and Pepper (no salt with Italian Sausage... or to taste)
Process all veggies in food processor until well blended and like a sauce. Heat oil and add herbs to oil. Add veggies and cook for a several minutes. Blend can of tomatoes in processor and add to pot. Add the rest of the ingredients except meat. Meanwhile brown meat in separate frying pan and add to sauce when no longer pink. Cover and let simmer for 1-3 hours. Salt and Pepper to taste... and Yum! I make this last for a spaghetti dinner and a lasagna.

Just Some Tid Bits

2010-01-30T18:16:00.000-08:00

Here are some funny little happenings from today that I thought were worth sharing. I will tell them in order of how they happened.

First, while I was on the phone with a friend, I saw Echo inconspicuously walk into the kitchen with his pants and underwear around his ankles. If you are asking how anyone can manage to do that in any way but a conspicuous manner, my reply would be, you just have to know my son. When a few seconds later, I heard what sounded like water trickling into some sort of container. I decided to investigate the situation, only to find my sweet little man peeing into a drinking glass. He left the kitchen heading for the bathroom with his urine, which I assumed would be dumped into it's proper receptacle. However, later I learned from John that he had handed it to John. And John thinking it was water went to take a sip. Echo yelled "NO DAD!! It's pee!!"

At some point today I was having a conversation with Blaze about calories, and how they keep you alive. And I mentioned that I burn a lot of calories at Zumba, and I haven't been consuming enough. About an hour later, she asks me, "Does milk have calories in it?" and I responded that it does. And she brings me a glass of milk and says "Here mom, drink this." She is such a sweet sensitive spirit, and I love that about her. But she can also be a bit of a worrier. I have to be careful what I say to her. A few hours later I found her almost in tears in the playroom stressing about a cartoon that just revealed to her that watching TV will ruin your eyes. With some reassurance she is feeling much better now.

Lock has been walking around all day uttering, yelling, screeching, whining, or just casually saying his newest phrase, "NO WAY!" It's especially cute when he pairs it with what he now calls me, "No Way Honey!" He had a great time making "mud pies" today with Shade and Echo. The only problem was, as their water boy, he would come in the house to refill his muddy filthy cup, take several large gulps and head out the door to bring his siblings the rest. Can you say probiotics??

Shade just announced that she had to go to the bathroom. So she picked up the dog and started heading towards said direction. When I questioned her about what part the dog was playing in her trip to the loo. She simply said "He likes to come with me." She is quite the mystery that one.

So although I have been mostly bedridden with strep throat for a couple of days, I haven't been bored!!

This is just a little something Echo built me today. I was resting on the couch and he says "Mom, come and see this!" I was so amazed I had to take a picture. Notice the bowl of balls as the "finishing touch".

Zumba!!!!!!!

2010-01-29T19:40:00.000-08:00

One of the many reasons I believe God had us move here to AZ, was to have the fitness director at our community center convince me to become a certified Zumba instructor. This whole experience has enriched my life in so many ways. Zumba is great exercise, a wonderful creative outlet, a place to make friends, and uses two of my favorite forms of art- music and dancing. I have learned the rhythms of salsa, meringue, cumbia and reggaeton. I have also learned some African, hip hop, belly dancing, bollywood, and bhangra. I am so grateful to have found a passion that brings so many positive aspects to my life. I also get to inspire others to creatively express themselves, while at the same time they have fun, shed the stresses of life, and a few pounds to boot!! And as many of you know, I love fashion, and the fun clothes I get to wear is certainly a great big plus!

These are photos of me and my two "zumba pals" Carisa, and Rachel. We went to a Phoenix Suns game and did a master class together during half-time. We weren't the show or anything, so they really missed out!! :) I think the class would've went much better, except I had a beer, polish sausage, and giant cookie shake goin on in my belly!! UUGGGHHH!!! Friends don't let friends eat and zumba....

One of us is booty and the other is poppin'. From the looks of everyone else, I think I was doing opposite of what I was supposed to. But hey, look at those muscles... I was committed!!

To Blog or Not to Blog... Is this a title I used before??

2010-01-29T19:19:00.000-08:00

I never make the time anymore to sit down and do something I deeply love, write down my thoughts. I'm so very thankful for the many many journals I have filled full of poetry, stories, and thoughts of all kinds. I love the feeling of nostalgia. I love remembering. So why haven't I been writing more? Well, for one, by the time I can sit down and write I am dog tired. All I want to do is snuggle up to John on the couch, watch trashy t.v. and eat forbidden foods!! For another, where many words are present, sin is also. I love the proverb that says something like: even a fool is thought to be wise as long as he doesn't open his mouth. So many people blogging about what they think about this or that thing. Sometimes not even thinking about how their words can be affecting another. I know I have stuck my mouse in my mouth a few times in cyberspace!! And last, I just haven't really felt like I had anything to say. I have felt much like this desert place that I am living. Thirsty, dry, barren, and empty. Of course if you look closely there is much beauty here. And I haven't felt much like looking closely... at anything.

I think another experience I am having right now would be something of a limbo of sorts. We are moving again. This time to the other side of the U.S. We have pulled ourselves and our children out of almost all of our activities, packed up many of our possessions, withheld ourselves from committing to serving at church, and are barely doing a full day of school. I am going down to only three days of teaching zumba, to make the transition easier at the community center. And I feel a distance already with some of the friends that I have made here. All of this must, in some way, serve to protect ourselves from the pain of saying goodbye. But at the same time, we are missing out on so much life! I obviously can't sign the girls up for any dance classes, piano lessons, or choirs, but we can serve at church, spend our last days with dear friends, and be totally present to this day that the Lord has gifted us with.

That's my story... and I may or may not stick to it.

What we like (love?) about Arizona

2009-11-02T09:00:00.001-08:00

Sometimes I look at my life and I wonder "How the heck did we get here??" I don't mean anything so deep and thought provoking as, on this planet... just simply (and yet still mildly profoundly) our station in life at this time. Last year at Halloween or even Christmas time we had no plans of moving out of state, leaving everything and everyone near and dear to us. We had no plans of pulling up our roots and completely starting over. But apparently God did!! And so, here we are. And as difficult as it has been, I decided to compile a list of what we love about Arizona.

1) The Lichtenbergers. If we hadn't moved here, I never would have met Jeanna and the rest of her family. We love them... each and every one. 501 yo!

2) Trick or Treating without seeing our breath. I do believe it was a first for me. Most Halloweens growing up we were in a downpour. And who knew what you were dressed up as... we all looked like eskimos!

3) Monsoons and lightening. Monsoon season is over, and it wasn't a very active one. But we got plenty of lightening and man is it ever awesome to see over 200 strikes of lightening in a five minute period.

4) Hot Air Balloons. There is just something magical about seeing those things floating through the air practically every morning.

5) Sunshine. (Of course this could also go into the dislike category. Waking up every day to sunshine can be a little "Groundhog Day" ish. But) I also love that we get to spend so much time out of doors all year. And the kids love it too. And don't forget about all that Vitamin D we are exposed to!

6) Poiema Church. I didn't think we'd find a church that we liked as much as Imago Dei. But we have! And we are making new and wonderful friends! Can't wait to get more plugged in.

7) The Sunsets, here are phenomenal.... breathtaking.

8) Location we are close to the Grand Canyon, California, and Disneyland!! Just a hop skip and a jump, really.

9) John's New Job. Things are going very well for him there. He is their superstar! Now if only he could get that same status at home....

10) The Homeschool Laws. There really aren't any!! :)

11) Our Community. We have an amazing community center with a fitness gym, (where I will be teaching a zumba class!), a water park and lots of other fun stuff. People travel from all over to play on our ginormous playground! Plus we have great neighbors and our little playground in our own development that is a place that we go and connect. We have had two fun fairs and a block party since we moved here in April. Plus a Fireworks show that was nothing to sneeze at, that we could see from our driveway!

There is more.... like Kohls (there might have been one back in OR, but I didn't discover it), palm trees, cacti, and finding cute little lizards in your house. For the first several months it felt like we were on vacation! And after awhile I wanted to go home from that vacation, so now, we are making it home.

Don't hold your breath for a list of what I hate about Arizona. There is one.... and I'm afraid it isn't short. But I need to focus on the loves, and move forward!

Day One of A Child's Geography

2009-09-28T17:16:00.000-07:00

Well, so far so good. As a matter of fact... so far so great! I love this curriculum. The read aloud part was the best ever! The activities helped to engrave the new information in their cute little brains. The copywork is fantastic. The post cards home fun and easy to do. I am giving it the chuck two thumbs up! The curriculum is so well rounded, it's almost a unit study of sorts. There is Bible, Writing, Reading, Narrative, Copywork, History, Literature and fun fun fun family projects. The first project will incorporate some sort of compassionate volunteer work for the homeless. I am excited!

We ordered both books for A Child's Geography. But the one we started is called Explore His Earth. The other one is called Explore The Holy Land. The jury is still out on the second one. I haven't even cracked it open.

I can't say what I think of First Language Lessons for a Well Trained Mind. The Teacher guide didn't come, and you need it in order to do the lesson. Stay tuned for my opinion on that curriculum. The Teacher guide won't be here for one to two weeks....

We did receive Blaze's vocabulary curriculum Which she sat down and did about ten pages because it was fun. So if your child is good with worksheets, this one is excellent. It is called Daily Skill-Builders Vocabulary.

Both of the Language curriculums can be ordered from the learning things link on my website....

A Child's Geography

2009-09-28T11:03:00.000-07:00

Hi all... just a quick word. If you are in the market for a geography curriculum, check out "A Child's Geography". I found it through Cathy Duffy's website. http://www.cathyduffyreviews.com/ Where she lists all of her favorite curriculum, and a description of said curriculum. Also a very good resource. I read through the first lesson, and was actually moved to tears. It hasn't arrived yet, but I will definitely post our experience after we have used the curriculum. Let me know what you think!

There's the doorbell now! I wonder if it's my new geography... Or else it's the Language Arts Lessons by A well Trained Mind. I will let you know what I think of that one as well. Stay tuned!

Head Coverings??

2009-09-25T21:01:00.000-07:00

Not too long ago, I met an acquaintance that attends a Plymouth Brethren church. I had been looking for a church to attend, and so I looked into this denomination to see what they were about. As I was reading I found that the women all wore head coverings to church. Their reasons were based mostly on the scriptures found in 1 Corinthians 11. The verses are as follows:

"2Now I commend you because you remember me in everything and maintain the traditions even as I delivered them to you. 3But I want you to understand that the head of every man is Christ, the head of a wife is her husband, and the head of Christ is God. 4Every man who prays or prophesies with his head covered dishonors his head, 5but every wife who prays or prophesies with her head uncovered dishonors her head, since it is the same as if her head were shaven. 6For if a wife will not cover her head, then she should cut her hair short. But since it is disgraceful for a wife to cut off her hair or shave her head, let her cover her head. 7For a man ought not to cover his head, since he is the image and glory of God, but woman is the glory of man. 8For man was not made from woman, but woman from man. 9Neither was man created for woman, but woman for man. 10That is why a wife ought to have a symbol of authority on her head, because of the angels.11Nevertheless in the Lord woman is not independent of man nor man of woman; 12for as woman was made from man, so man is now born of woman. And all things are from God. 13Judge for yourselves: is it proper for a wife to pray to God with her head uncovered? 14Does not nature itself teach you that if a man wears long hair it is a disgrace for him, 15but if a woman has long hair, it is her glory? For her hair is given to her for a covering."

Now it seemed to me at this point that the scriptures were very clear. We are supposed to wear a head covering! But when? What does it look like? What exactly IS this head covering!!?? If God wants us to wear it.... where are all those details explaining clearly the guidelines of this head covering?? And so I did some searches online, to see what others had discovered about these verses and I listened to a pastor that does vs. by vs. bible teaching where I used to attend church, and I wasn't satisfied with their reasons why women don't need to wear a physical head covering. Some important facts that I did learn in my search were that, historically, a prostitute would wear her hair short (shorn or shaven) and that if you assume the head covering is a woman's hair the verses no longer make sense. So, the reason to have long hair was probably to distinguish a woman from a prostitute. However, long hair all by itself isn't the covering the verses are referring to. Still, I felt like I didn't have a clear answer.

I let the whole subject go, for the most part. But every once in awhile I would think on it, and wonder if we were mistaken to be seemingly disregarding scripture just because it didn't fit into our social mores and comfort zone. Is scripture no longer relevent to us if it isn't culturally relevent? I hope not!

Once, a long while back, I heard a pastor say that the best commentary on the Bible, is the Bible itself! And in this situation, that really proved to be true! I was reading in 1 Peter 3, not too long ago, and I came across these verses:

1Likewise, wives, be subject to your own husbands, so that even if some do not obey the word, they may be won without a word by the conduct of their wives, 2when they see your respectful and pure conduct. 3 Do not let your adorning be external—the braiding of hair and the putting on of gold jewelry, or the clothing you wear— 4but let your adorning be the hidden person of the heart with the imperishable beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which in God’s sight is very precious. 5For this is how the holy women who hoped in God used to adorn themselves, by submitting to their own husbands, 6as Sarah obeyed Abraham, calling him lord. And you are her children, if you do good and do not fear anything that is frightening. (italics are mine)

I saw so many similarities in the verses that I could not ignore! I was very excited, because I felt like God was really giving me an answer to something that had been weighing on me. I truly felt like the Holy Spirit was communicating something very special to me.

Here I want to say that when reading scripture, be sure not to miss the main point that the verses are trying to make. The main point of these verses is submission, a wife's submission to her husband, and her husband's submission to Christ. If we replace the physical "head covering", with a spiritual covering of our heads... meaning our husband is our cover over our head, and Christ is the covering over our husband's heads, the verses still make sense, and the main point is not lost. As a matter of fact, the point is driven deeper, and the verses make better sense.

I looked up the original word for "adorn" in 1 Peter 3, in the greek lexicon, and that is exactly what it means: to adorn, embellish. But interestingly it also means to "put in order". Which supports this idea even further. We are to put ourselves in the proper order. Now in 1 Corinthians when it says that a woman might as well shave her head, they seem to be saying that you might as well be a prostitute if your husband isn't your head, or if you aren't submitting to him. And when the verses refer to a man covering his head being a disgrace to his head (his head being Christ), it is possibly referring to a covering other than Jesus... such as his wife! Or anyone/thing else for that matter.

And what about this "symbol of authority" that should be on our heads from 1 Corinthians 11:10? The King James version is more accurate, and leaves out the word symbol and has only the word "power"and the original word is actually "exousia" and it means, authority, jurisdiction, liberty, power, right, strength. The original greek simply says "Therefore, it is our duty as a married woman to wear this authority on our head because of the angels". Well, that's my crude translation of the original Greek! But of course, I am definitely not a learned translator of the Bible! And I wonder what the angels have to do with it all?.....We'll leave that for another time and blog!

So, when a woman is covered by the proper "head", her husband, she is his glory. Just as when a man is doing the will of God, submitting to Christ, he is the glory of God. How would a physical hat or covering of some sort glorify her husband? And how would a hat or head covering for a man be a disgrace to Christ?

Now I am not saying that wearing a physical head covering to show submission to your spouse and obedience to the scriptures is bad or wrong. It very well could be a physical outshowing of a heart response. However, I don't really believe that it is what the scriptures are asking of us. We could wear a head covering until we are covered like a muslim in a burka, but if our hearts are wrong.... it is useless. Our hearts are what matter. We must have a gentle and quiet spirit. We must submit to our husband's as our head.

I would love to hear anyone else's thoughts, opinions, hearts, research, etc, on the matter. But please no haters! I am on a lifelong journey of seeking the will and heart of my Father. And I don't claim to be wise or have it all figured out. I was just excited to share a piece of my story. :)

Another year goes by

2009-08-21T00:12:00.000-07:00

Every year, on New Year's Eve, our family has a tradition to watch the previous year's library of family home videos. We laugh and sometimes cry at the images, longing to relive some certain moments, and feel a poignancy that can only be awakened by a stroll down memory lane. When I look back at those babies of mine, one year ago, I wonder where did they go? The changes in their behaviors and faces were so subtle. Too subtle to be noticed. I am deeply saddened by how much I miss my little babies from one, two, or three years ago. But what is the solution? More videos, of more moments? More photographs? More journaling? I believe that by just being thankful for every moment that I am blessed to be their mommy is a start. By being grateful just to know them another day. Sometimes when my ungrateful heart takes hold of my mind, and I forget that this is only a season, a short one, in my life, I even wish for a time of the future to be here already. By being glad to snuggle and kiss them today, because I will never get those moments back from last year, and by resolving to live every moment today to the fullest, I can live without any regrets. I can also be encouraged by the fact that who my children are becoming is nothing short of spectacular and beautiful. And that sure helps to let go of who they used to be. Just this week Echo said "I love you Mommy" for the first time, and completely unsolicited. This was amazing for two reasons. I normally have to ask him over and over if he does love me, and he normally doesn't even give me an answer at all! And secondly, he has never called me mommy, or even mom before! He called me "nina" from the very start, and nothing else. It was a moment that literally took my breath away! And Lock says "no" for EVERYTHING, including, and especially for, yes! His favorite phrase is "Stop it!!" with a hand out for emphasis. And yesterday Blaze said that she smelled something but she just "can't put a fingernail on it". And she said this sweet statement through her adorable and giant grown up teeth! And today, Shade came toddling halfway down the stairs with Lock in her arms. She had rescued him from her crib, when he woke up crying. Don't ask me how she wrestled him out of there... I have NO IDEA!! These moments are what will put a smile on my face tonight when I rest my head on my pillow, and wonder... "What will tomorrow bring me anyway?"....

My new friend

2009-08-19T15:30:00.000-07:00

At the risk of sounding like a stalker, I need to tell you that I have made a very special friend. She is a friend sent directly from heaven. She is funny, beautiful, stylish, (yes you are!), charismatic, creative, godly, intelligent, honest, kind, generous, transparent, mothering, and just plain wonderful!

We both just moved to Arizona, we both have four children, we both love the Lord, we are almost exactly the same age, we both homeschool, we both have husbands that work mostly from home, we both blog (she introduced me to it actually), and we are both searching for a church home. (The list goes on actually). And eventually we will both join the zumba cult.... (you know you want to). Of course, she does listen to country music....

She has lessened the pain in my homesick heart, and has made this new place so much more my home. As iron sharpens iron, let us be true and real friends to one another. Let our conversations be pleasing to Him. Let our lives be transparent before one another, confessing our sins and also our praises to each other. Thank you God for my new dear friend Jeanna.... Amen!

Moxie Girls

2009-08-19T15:13:00.000-07:00

Don't you hate Bratz?? Well, I do. O.K..... I strongly dislike them. Those are the craziest looking dolls ever!! And why is anyone so into them? To me they look like drag queens or street walkers. Should I tell you how I really feel? LOL!!

I guess I just don't ever want my girls to think that they need to show off their goods in order to be appreciated. As women we need to remember that our value is from somewhere else. (And taught that at a very young age). I also don't want them to think that they need to look a certain way in order to be considered beautiful. Especially when that look can really only be achieved through multiple surgeries!

So the good news is there is a decent alternative to those Bratz dolls! And they are called "Moxie Girls". We found Moxie dolls at Target. They look a little like the Bratz, with less botox, lip injections and almost no make up on. Most of them are dressed modestly, and ALL of them are dressed more modestly than the Bratz!

The girls are happy.... and so is their mommy!

My Muse

2009-08-16T19:07:00.000-07:00

With God as my Muse, I will mold like clay
my child's heart to love Jesus.

I will paint the picture
of a family that serves the Lord.

I will dance with grace
a marriage of sacrificial love.

I will write the prose
of a life of Kingdom living.

My soul will sing
the joy of my salvation.

I will draw
the end and die to gain....
everything

With God as my Muse.

God in a box

2009-08-15T10:02:00.000-07:00

Recently while visiting a new church I was introduced to the latest and greatest "method" of evangelizing, called "Praying for You". Sounds benign and even great... doesn't it? But something didn't sit right inside of me. I kept thinking how much we are always trying to fit God, and His Kingdom into a nice little package. All clean and self explanatory... wrapped up in a bow even! But that isn't the God I know. God's ways are above ours.... His thoughts are Higher than ours. We can't do 3 steps to a better new improved Christian living, and call it good. God isn't into 5, 7, or even 12 step programs.... He is into a lifetime of transformation, living IN His Spirit, renewing your mind by His Word. Of course, there is good in those programs, systems, and steps. Because God can use anything and anyone to do His will. But I still squirm in my seat everytime they start to surface in the body. We are all different. We all have different gifts. We all have God's Holy Spirit to guide us. He will give us the right words to say, and the right moment to say them. And He will change us to a better wife and mom. But these things are meant to take time.... a lifetime. I think it is because He likes to spend time with us. We are His children! Just like we like our children to talk to us, love us, spend time with us, and listen to our Words, He feels the same. There is just something about having to depend on the Holy Spirit at any given time, that just feels real! I'm tired of the packaged God they are trying to serve me at so many churches. Don't get me wrong, I love to hear how God is working in other's lives, or what God's Word did to transform them. But God is a personal God, and our stories are all different. Isn't that part of the miracle?

The Heart Butt Connection.....

2009-08-09T07:55:00.000-07:00

This morning I got a text from John asking me how it was going. My response was basically a list of how many of our kids have needed spankings! Needless to say, it was a trying morning. But thankfully, doing the hard thing has proven to be the right thing as well. My children were testing the boundaries, and I let them know exactly where I stood. They are all behaving nicely and feeling secure and loved. Now I can expect my children to hear my voice before it becomes loud and irritable. There is peace in this house.

In my conversations with other parents, I have often felt the passion in me rising anytime the subject of spanking came up. I can say, with complete transparency, that if I hadn't been given the proper tools to discipline my kids, I myself would have become abusive. The victim.... becoming the victimizer. I am so completely humbled by the mystery and beauty and wisdom of God's Word. In Proverbs alone God strongly directs all parents to spank a child 26 times. I don't know about you, but anytime God says something that many times, it must be important to look at and take seriously. Would God tell us plainly to do something that is wrong, or won't work?

As a child, I was mistreated. As a parent, I was scared. I wanted to be a good mom. I didn't want to ever damage my child and I also didn't want to be overly permissive.... which would also be damaging to my child. I am so thankful to God, for, by Divine Appointment, He directed me to a ministry called "Hearts at Home". And I am so thankful to God for the transparency, wisdom, and boldness of the women on the "discipline panel" who answered our anonymous questions, and gave us a huge dose of godly wisdom on parenting. They were the starting point on the journey of parenting that I badly needed. Pray for women in your life with children in their teens or later that have obviously succeeded at parenting them. Women who were obedient to God's Word, and are reaping the benefits.

Everything I know about the mystery of spanking is due to the books that I've read and the women that God put in my life. He put some amazing friends in my life that were living the chapters right before my eyes. Thank you God for Heather Holland, Jenni Lenc, Kalen Bringle and Kathy Cates especially. No three women could be a better example to me of godly discipine and love to their children than these!! I am overwhelmed with how much they helped me along.... thanks so much guys!

The books that were the most helpful to me in making choices about my parenting techniques and style were "Don't Make Me Count to Three" by Ginger Plowman, "Sacred Parenting" by Gary Smally and "Shepherding a Child's Heart" by Tedd Tripp. (I also got some good nuggets from "To Train Up a Child" by Michael Pearl, but that book needs to be read with caution). I love sharing things that I learn with others and passing on parenting advice that has proven to be useful and important in my journey as a mom. So here I blog.... a condensed version for a healthy and effective swat on the behind.

I am absolutely aware that there are abusive ways to spank your child. And there are appropriate and loving ways to do it. I was taught several excellent ways to be sure that this form of discipline remained effective, loving, intimate, and right. First, and absolutely foremost, there cannot be any emotion attached to the spanking besides love!! If you are angry, and will get any satisfaction out of spanking your child ("That's it!!! Now you're gonna GET IT!!) then it is not an appropriate time to give them one. The key is to make a choice of whether or not you're going to be a parent that spanks, decide what offenses will result in one, and then just do it.

Next, decide what offenses are deserving of a spanking. I have decided that I wasn't concerned with the behaviors of my children, so much as I was their heart. And I also decided that spanking won't work if they are used every time your child is just acting silly and childish.... or showing immaturity and irresponsibility. For those times I would use a different method that helps with behavior modification, like our tally system, or taking things that they like away. So, in other words, choose your battles.... in advanced! I also ask the Holy Spirit to direct me, to tug on my heart, when a spanking was necessary. Who better than God Himself knows your child? NO ONE!! And then be ready to live out what you have decided. If you have no plan, the situations you find yourself in, will just escalate ("I said don't do that..... Johnny stop it!!.... STOP ITTT!!!) And then the teachable moment is lost, because you are irritated and even angry.

I made a rule with my children and myself that if I felt they were being disrespectful, defiant, or unsafe, they would get a spanking. An example of direspect would be rude faces, sticking out their tongue, hands on their hips, stomping their little feet, turning their back, and anything that they say that is short of respect and honor to me or their dad. (Notice how there are ways to be disrespectful with body language alone??) A three year old that sticks out their tongue at you, without consequence, could very easily become a 16 year old that gives you the finger!! When they are in their younger years, excessive whining and temper tantrums are considered disrespectful in our house as well.

Defiance is a refusal to obey, (only ask them ONCE!!! then sit there quietly and wait for it). I expect them to respond very shortly after I ask something of them. I ask them in a nice voice. I don't want them to ignore me until they hear in my voice that I'm about to crack up. I want them to hear my sweet voice, so that is the one I can use all the time. By the way, I am far from perfect. And these are my ideals. When I end up yelling or getting really irritated I tell my kids I'm sorry and ask them to forgive me. And they are very gracious and forgiving.

Disobedience is also when they don't do something ALL the way. Partial obedience, isn't obedience at all. Sometimes little ones need some more encouraging, and some reminding. But as they get older I expect total obedience... ie, the playroom needs to be all the way clean, not just partway clean.

And finally, if they obey, but they do it with a poor attitude. That is showing rebellion in their heart. Which is total rebellion to me. When I remind them of what obedience is I say "Please do it, right away, all the way and with a happy heart". Of course, there are times when I show them grace.... lots of times. God, the perfect Father does the same for us as parents. He is the model that we should follow. So, once again, pray! pray! pray! Ask for that wisdom from God, He will always give it to you.

Another point I wanted to include is, every child is different. Not only in different families, but within the same family. Be sensitive to that. Know your child. Know their heart. Find their gifts and their desires. Be supportive. Love on them the way they need to be loved. (People need to be shown love in different ways. Read The Five Love Languages by Gary Chapman) In Proverbs 22:6 "Train a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not turn from it." the word "way" is originated from an archery term that means to bend, as in an arrow. You want to bend that arrow to be on it's path, but you don't want to break it. Find the way your child needs to be bent. Find the ways your child is already bent. Every child is bent differently. Like an arrow, aim them in the direction they are meant to be in, bend them just so, and they will get there. God's Word says so.

So, after you have established when you feel it's appropriate to spank your child, be sure to practice the how. Lashing out at unexpected times, while screaming and chasing after them is not a picture of a loving adminstering of a spanking. The whole thing needs to be "an event" in order for it to be effective. It needs to be controlled. It needs to be expected and not a surprise. Tell them how many swats to expect, and then count them out loud. Three is enough in my opinion. It should sting like crazy, but NEVER leave a mark. Some people use a "rod" of some sort, and some use their hand. It is a personal preference, and should be prayed about.

We have a spanking place. That way it is never a surprise, to either of us! Once we find ourselves in the laundry room, I have a conversation (or just one sentence, depending on the age and maturity of the child). I try to use the same words God does, because no one can say it better! "You were disrespectful to mommy when you.... and that is not honoring your mother" or "You need to obey mommy... and it was disobedient when you...." When I have explained their offense, I give them their three swats. If your child wears a diaper you should move their diaper. If you feel uncomfortable with spanking a bare bottom, put a wash cloth over it. And afterwards, hug them until they are done crying. When they are calm enough to hear your voice, pray with them. Pray as the Spirit leads you. God knows what words they need to hear.

Some days my wildest child will need several spankings. And sometimes my kids will go weeks and weeks without one. When they get a spanking, they don't feel offended, they feel loved. They trust my word, because I follow through. They have boundaries and feel safe by them. They know the difference when I have failed to live by my convictions and have "flown off the handle". They prefer a calm spanking over a crazed and yelling mommy anyday. This isn't meant to be a way to intimidate a child into listening. It is mysteriously, like my blog title states, connected to their heart.

If you have never even considered spanking an option, and are now thinking of giving it a try, be sure to have a conversation with your child/ren about what to expect from you and what you expect from them. Then pick one or two behaviors that you feel has gotten way out of hand, and concentrate on those one or two. Once you see improvement (consistency is KEY!!!) than tell them about the other behaviors that will now result in a proper swat.

I hope these words have been helpful to someone somewhere with the questions I found myself having all those years ago. Thank You Lord, for You are my strength in my many weaknesses. Thank You Lord for Your Holy Spirit to guide me. Thank You Lord for the wisdom in Your Word. Thank You Lord for the promises you will keep. I offer up my beautiful children to You, for they are not really mine. Please help me to be sensitive to the way each one is bent, and please help them to soar to heights and distances in spite of any mistakes I might make along the way. In the precious Name of Jesus is my prayer. Amen.

A Story of Redemption

2009-08-05T07:48:00.001-07:00

Mikvah

A storm eats

away at the ground,

the foolish one, stands on the sand.

I am

the foolish one.

The rain above, the river below,

I stare into the cold

darkness of the water.

Turmoil, danger, blackness, fear, my worst

nightmare, draws

me in.

Over the roaring, I hear You

whisper my name,

deep calls to deep.

Promising to meet me,

there, in the darkest, coldest

shadows.

I have to let

go.

Eyes closed, face lifted, mouth screaming

I jump.

I am pierced

with knives of cold water,

tossed about, I fight, I struggle,

I sink.

Surrendering with lifted

hands and heart,

a living sacrifice.

I am dying.

I open my mouth

to drink, it tastes of life.

The water caresses

me. Carried away, still

and waiting. Listening

to Your voice.

There is still pain,

Bruising

rocks, sometimes even tearing.

But You don't leave

me,

You are with me.

You have been here before,

You know

The Way.

I reach a quiet

place, able to rise.

I rest beside the still

water, shivering.

I find The Rock

to stand

upon, my face lifted, warmed

by the Sun.

My soul sings

a new song, a song

I never knew before.

I am free.
My life

surrendered, washed

clean,

made new.

Baptisto.

by chaundra

I wrote this poem during a very difficult time I recently had, facing some terrible issues of abuse that I endured as a little child.

To redeem is to trade something with litle or no value for something very valuable. He has redeemed me. God is so good.

Also, Mikvah is the ceremonial bath that a Jewish girl/woman would take before her wedding. It is the foreshadowing of the baptism in the New Testament. And baptisto is the greek word for baptism.

The Joy of Waiting

2009-08-04T07:18:00.001-07:00

Recently I came up with a "tally system" to help eliminate some of my constant reminding (nagging) of the kids to complete their responsibilities. Unbelievably, I was having to tell them to dress themselves, brush their teeth, and EVEN flush the toilet!! I knew I was going to have to motivate these kids to start taking their hygiene and chores into their own hands... and fast. Or I was basically becoming a screaming machine around here! So, I put up a white board and started explaining to them the ways in which they could earn or lose tally points. It has been extremely effective!

As I was coming up with the rules to this tally system, I realized that this was a moment that I could teach my kids about delayed gratification. So without confusing them too much I put a new twist in the game. They could earn a small prize with a meager amount of tallys... a better prize with a little more.... and a wonderful prize with a large amount. At first Shade wanted to redeem her tallys for the dollar aisle at Target (the prize for 15 tallys). But when I said "ok..." and started to erase her tallys, she said "Wait!". She didn't understand that she was going to have to start all over.... and the delaying began! She had her eye on the prize!!

For me, one of the hardest parts in life is waiting. However, as I thought about what life would be like if I didn't have something that I was looking forward to, I realized that it would just be a series of moments passing me by. How boring!

We live in a world where all we do is try to eliminate the waiting. It is up to us to teach our children the joy in it! The art of delaying gratification. If we don't teach them to wait for small every day rewards, how do we expect them to want to wait for things like sex inside the bounds of marriage? If they never learn the feeling of a triumph in a victory that followed a short period of waiting, they will never understand the reason for it. If they don't experience the richness that waiting brings to their lives, they will spend their whole life trying to please themselves NOW... TODAY! When ultimately they will always be longing. And no matter what they fill their lives with, they will spend their lives in a state of incompletion. Because we are all waiting And what we are waiting for is an entirely different place, because this isn't our home.

Last night Shade shared with me her fears of dying . With tears in her voice she asked me, "Mom does it go in slow motion to get old?" And when I didn't understand what she was getting at she posed a new question, to help the grown up get it, "Mom am I going to die?" It was a hard question for me, for this is one of my struggles. I am also afraid to die. Strange for a believer, I know. But I know that God will grow this part of my faith in time. So I told her about heaven, and our heavenly bodies. And she said "Mom, will you read the Bible to me?" She had never before ASKED me to read God's Word to her, and my heart just swelled with joy. I was so exhausted and ready to kiss her goodnight, but I was not going to pass up this opportunity. So I went to the online search and typed in body and found the verses in 1 Corinthians 15 that I was looking for, our glorious Resurrection Bodies. I switched the translation to The Message. Usually I like to read the kids that version, but this time it was for me! These verses are incredibly difficult to understand!

The analogy was awe inspiring.... awesome.... incredible.... amazing!! Our dead bodies are like a seed verses a plant. If you look at a tomato seed it doesn't resemble a tomato at all. But if you plant it in the ground, a glorious tomato plant comes out of it. Whoa.... and just think of an acorn becoming an oak tree!! Just another way that His creation is screaming out His name. (I love it!!) And the Bible goes on to say that each heavenly body will be different, as is the birds in the air, the creatures of the sea, the sun, moon, and stars!! What an adventure this life and ultimately our death and immortality truely is!!

As I long for Your Kingdom to come, I praise You Lord Jesus, that life is anything but a series of moments passing us by..... I praise You Lord for the adventure... I Praise You Lord for the wait....

Date With Daddy

2009-08-02T20:47:00.000-07:00

This year Blaze's birthday was really hard. We had just moved, and when the time came to plan her party, there wasn't anyone to invite over to have a party. Some neighbor kids came over for a half hour after dinner to eat a cupcake was all. I think the whole ordeal was much harder on me than on her. And I think that if I had kept my mouth quiet about it she wouldn't have noticed a thing.

Since I wanted her to have a special day, the day before her birthday I took her shopping for a special outfit, and let her accessorize, and buy shoes to match. This was her "date with daddy" outfit. Except that she wore the dress for a week straight. I am not exaggerating!!

The afternoon of Blaze's birthday, I took her, Shade, and Echo to go see "Up", which, by the way, is the best animated film I have ever seen! Love love loved it!! I think I got all weepy about five times. But since I'm always down for a good cry, I didn't mind. We didn't get to see the film in 3D, which probably would have been cool. But I was glad that we got to see it on the big screen! I give it two thumbs up! Echo actually quite well at the movies. He didn't even ask to go to the bathroom once, and he didn't go in his pants either! Which is good, since he doesn't wear a diaper or even a pull up! He kept talking really loud to me whenever he liked what was on the screen (every 30 seconds or so), and I kept giggling and shushing him. He was just so excited! It was, after all, his very first movie. (That he didn't sleep through).

Later that day, Blaze redolled herself (probably not a word). And John took her to P.F. Chang's for dinner. I wasn't there and he only took one picture with his phone. (Looks like we know who the photographer is in this family!) But she was absolutely glowing when she got home. Dates with daddy should become a regular thing. A daughter's relationship to her dad is so vital to her purity and her sexuality. Girl's with poor or no relationship's with their father quite often become promiscuous. Some statistics will say that girls/women with eating disorders attribute their self image to their dads. I doubt there is a porn star or erotic dancer out there with a strong and healthy relationship with their father. I don't care what they claim! And since we are going to be setting our standards much higher than adult film and promiscuity, we are going to be nurturing this oh so important dynamic from the get go.

I have been dismissed as crazy when I talk about this with some of my friends, but we are even going to discourage our girls and sons to date at all. We are going to encourage them to include us in all of their opposite sex relations. And we are going to pray for a great outcome. I want my kids to save even their first kiss for their wedding day. Can you imagine??? There is a book called "The Princess and the Kiss" by Jennie Bishop. (And there is one she wrote for your little prince as well, but I don't know the title yet). These are good books to get the conversation started. Plant the seed. I understand that at some point my kids are going to be making all of their own decisions, but does that mean that I shouldn't teach them to reach for the highest standards? And I will always love and accept them no matter what they ultimately choose. Hopefully they will always feel that.

I started reading this other book recommended by Focus on the Family called "A Chicken's guide to Talking Turkey with Your Kids About Sex" by Dr. Kevin Leman. I haven't gotten far, but I really liked the beginning. The author recommends that you start having open dialogue starting with the neck up.... which is to say acne, greasy hair, bad breath, kissing etc. And be compassionate about these changes... no making fun!! Dr. Leman also advises to never lie to your kids and get the conversation started early. Like, don't show up one day when they are 13 and give them a 15 minute "birds and the bees" conversation. How awkward! No, they advise answering their questions truthfully and clinically as early as they ask them. If they are ready to start asking, they are probably ready enough to start getting some answers. If you don't tell them someone else will. Maybe not that day, or even that year. But don't you want to be the one? Not very long (within days!!) after I picked up this book Blaze straight up asked me "mom what is sex". I layed there (we were suntanning.... Arizona y'all!!) quiet for a second, and then I told her. "Well Blaze, sex is where a man puts his...." (you finish the sentence) Don't stress, I included marriage in their as well. Well, Blaze got up and walked over to the porch swing without saying a word. She started reading her book for a few minutes, looked up at me and yelled "That.... isss .....RIDICULOUS!!" I am hoping her opinion of that doesn't change for a long... long time...

For more information on courting (dating from another century) a good book to have is "I Kissed Dating Goodbye: A New Attitude Toward Relationships And Romance Joshua Harris. Don't knock it until you've had a good look at the teenagers around you today. And I don't really see things getting better... do you?

No Church to Call Home

2009-08-02T13:23:00.000-07:00

I think the hardest thing so far about moving away has been looking for a new church. To put it plainly, it really sucks! And it sure has brought out my critical spirit: the pastor wasn't sincere enough, the worship was corny, if I wanted to watch preaching on a screen I'd a stayed home, they lost my kid. (Okay that last one, I had a right to complain!!) And to top it off, poor Blaze and Shade having to be the "new kid" at church every Sunday is taking a toll on them... and me too actually. It is breaking my heart.

What is this time of wandering in the desert (literally.... we live in the desert now!) supposed to be for? I am thirsty for fellowship, longing for a church to call home. Lord, I pray that You lead us to that place of refuge, and until then that You will be my sanctuary. Isn't that the way it's supposed to be anyways? Aren't you supposed to satisfy our thirsts and longings? Aren't you the Sanctuary? The perfect Sanctuary?

I know that you are true to your promises. And you promise to give us a hope and a future. Thank you Lord for knowing everything, for caring, for being powerful enough to handle it all, and for being with us in our times of thirst. In a dry and weary land, You are my water....

But the fruit of the Spirit is love

2009-08-02T07:38:00.000-07:00

So, God says to love our neighbor. Literally that would mean, if someone is next to you, you should love 'em! However there are more than one kinds of translations of love in God's word. Which love should we have for the human race?

Did you know that Inuit Eskimos have hundreds of words for snow and we have just one? Talk about lost in translation! Well, we also have only one word for love and yet there a several words for love in the Greek language. So I did a little word study on the word love and here is what I found. Brotherly love, or philadelphia, is just that, the love we feel for our brother and sister. Or very similar in translation and origin is philadelphos, the love we feel (or should anyways!) for our brothers and sisters in Christ.

There is only one time in the Word that the word philoteknos, the love we feel for our children, is used. It isn't surprising to me that there would be a specific word for the way we should (and usually do) feel about our children. When mine were born, I had no idea my heart could love that much or that way. There is another love translated only one time and specific to one person, philandros. This is the love reserved for our husbands. (Both of these types of love are found in Titus 2:4).

So this is brings us to agape and agapao love. They are similar, but agapao is the sort of love we are commanded to give to our neighbor.... and actually, our enemies as well. The definition of agapao love is, to welcome, to entertain, to be fond of, to love dearly. Did you notice that there are not only actions, but feelings involved here?? So we don't only get to "play nice", we have to "FEEL nice"! Has God MET some of these humans around here?? We are supposed to love every last one of 'em? Even the ONE? you know who I mean.... the one that did that thing (or two or three or MORE things) to you? How is this possible? Are we supposed to reach inside and "muster up" some love by our own strength? That doesn't work for me. But there is good news, and it starts with the fact that we can't do it. God is asking us to do something we can't do on our own.

God's love is higher than the heavens, and deeper than the ocean. But more than that, God is love. (1John 4:16.) That verse always blows my mind. It's supposed to. God is bigger than our minds! We can not wrap our minds around Him. His ways are Higher than ours and so are His thoughts. If God had no mystery, no unknowable greatness, He wouldn't be worthy of our total affection, praise, and wonder. But He doesn't leave us just to wonder.

The word for love that is translated in 1 John 4:16 (God is love) is the agape love. It is the love described with perfection in 1 Corinthians 13 starting in verse 4: "4 Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. 5 It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. 6 Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. 7 It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.
8 Love never fails." Now go back and read that verse and put your name in it, instead of the word love. Do you live up to that standard? I know I don't! There is only One that lives up to that standard our sweet Jesus. Read it again, and this time put the name Jesus in there for love.

I know that in my every day life, I do not live out this command perfectly, and therefore, I am so grateful for the mercies and grace that are new to me every day! But I also know that when I spend time with Jesus I am changed.... people are changed by Him. The world just seems to fade away when you set your mind on Him.

You know that saying WWJD? I actually don't like that saying at all. It is so focused on our behavior. And my God is a God of relationship. He isn't a list of do's and don't's. We are to live in Him and He in us. It's a daily walk.... hand in hand... with Him. So the love He pours into us from the time spend with Him will overflow into our lives and spill onto our neighbors, and even our enemies.

So, go to Him. He is always waiting, wanting to hear from you. He longs to break down those walls you've built, heal the wounds you've suffered, and cover all your fears. Those are the barriers that keep us from loving.... It is with His love that we can love others. His love......

So You Think You Can Homeschool?

2009-08-01T12:33:00.000-07:00

Actually, it should say "So You Think You Can't Homeschool?". I wish I could tell you how many times I've heard people say to me with amazement in their voice "You homeschool?? I could never do that! I just don't have the patience! And my kids would never learn anything from me." I find this so amusing because you can and you do homeschool. Every parent does! Who taught your kid to potty in a toilet? Who taught your kid how to put on their socks? Who taught your kid to share? (okay so you're still working on that one!) YOU DID! Every parent is a homeschooler. Some do it full time, and some do it part. This isn't an attempt to convince anyone to be a homeschooler (since we've already established the fact that you already are!). It is just a sneak peak into the life of homeschooling as me and my sweet family see it.

Most of our day consists of just being. Yup, you read that right. We are just being mom, being sister, being brother, being daughter or son, being wife or husband, being friend or neighbor, being HUMAN. The rest of our day we do some reading, writing, and 'rithmetic! (And some other electives) We have fun curriculum, using what I call "real books" to learn history, science, geography, spelling, grammar, and all the rest. The only textbooks we use are to practice handwriting and to do math. But when you use Math U See, even that can be fun!

But the real beauty of schooling at home is, this is a picture of our school. Go to any other homeschoolers house and they will do things differently. Their schedules will reflect the personalities and needs of their family members. There are people that range from unschoolers (no structured learning at all) to the most structured school imaginable, to everything in between. And even more wonderful.... you have the option to school each one of your children differently. So if you are blessed with a son that you can't get off the top of the refrigerator to show him his letters (as I am), than you can unschool him until he shows some readiness to sit quietly and learn something. Amazingly, my "jungle boy" Echo, has learned a LOT. But on his terms is all.

When you get started things seem overwhelming. But they will all fall into place. My first move was to get Cathy Duffy's "100 Top Picks for Homeschool Curriculum". She walks you through your own Philosophy of Teaching, and your own child's Style of Learning. Then you can use the chart to find Curriculum that will work for you!

However nothing is more important than other warm bodies that are going through the same thing. Find a homeschool support group near you. They are usually very warm and inviting, have a wealth of knowledge, and know all the resources in your area to be a successful homeschooler! In our area I am a part of Desert Hills Christian Homeschoolers. So far it has proved to be a fantastic group. We just went on our first group field trip with them to the Arizona Science Center, which, surprisingly, our OMSI passes from our Oregon museum of science got us in free!!

All this to say, we love our little school at home. And their is nothing special or amazing about me at all. If I can be a full time homeschooler, anyone can, and I mean that with all sincerity. The only good that comes out of me is from my sweet Jesus! He is the only reason that I make any right moves. He turns my meager attempts at parenting into glorious and meaningful teachable moments. All of the glory goes to Him and all of my thanks as well.

Blessings to you and yours

Welcome to the World of Anderson's

2009-08-01T07:41:00.000-07:00

What sort of a mom lets their three year old son lick his melting popsicle off of the neighbors garage floor? Who would let their kids run around naked so often that some of them don't even have tan lines where the "sun don't shine"? And who, upon discovering a baby with a bag of flour would get out a camera instead of a broom?? Well, that would be me! However I am that same mom that makes their meals from scratch, keeps them home for school, and doles out a good ol' fashioned spanking when necessary! (There is a right and a wrong way to spank a child.... stay tuned).

I am a stay at home mom of four wonderful kids (one of whom I am convinced was actually raised by a pack of wolves when i wasn't looking). We just moved away from the lush and green Pacific Northwest (and by lush and green, I mean rainy and gray 8 months out of the year) to sunny and bright Arizona (and by sunny and bright, I mean SCORCHING and .... well.... SCORCHING! I hear the rest of the year is very temperate and comfortable, and we are definitely looking forward to it).

Thankfully i haven't yet ran into any scorpions or rattlesnakes. But I have also been having a hard time making new friends, which is strange for me. I am thinking this is a time for me to grow spiritually. And a time to lean closer to my Father. Speaking of which, we still haven't found a church home either. It's hard for us, since we (john and I) have never really felt like we fit into the christian mold, and yet we certainly don't want to blend right in with the world!! However, back in Portland we had found the best church for those kinds of Jesus following types that never really "fit in", Imago Dei Community Church. What an amazing place. Check them out if you are ever in the neighborhood. You will not be disappointed. Or listen to Rick online at http://www.imagodeicommunity.com/ . Rick has this unusual ability to tell the beautiful story of God's truth with sincere love and grace. Or read the book Blue Like Jazz, by Donald Miller. It is my personal favorite non-fiction. He is really good friends with Rick Mckinley (pastor at Imago), and goes church at Imago as well. Of course, one thing I have noticed during my search for a church, is that EVERYONE, thinks that their church is something special. And why shouldn't they.... they chose it!!

So the purpose of this blog is for me to share some fun personal stories, pass on homeschool resources/advice, share parenting tips and blunders, post recipes, laugh, and encourage others with the love of Jesus. So thanks for joining me!

Here are some recent pictures of the family at the Grand Canyon. I didn't much get a chance to enjoy the scenery. I was way too preoccupied with keeping my kids from falling off! But we got some awesome photos!

Here is sweet Blaze staring off into the abyss! She may be 8, but I still had to watch that girl like a hawk. She has been known to trip over the color in a carpet. Don't get me wrong, she moves like a gazelle. And someday, she will probably run like one, but for now, she is more like a gazelle on it's first day of life, just learning how to use those things called "legs". My beautiful Blaze!

My jungle boy, thankfully kept two feet on the ground. He may be fearless, but he isn't about to take on the grand canyon....

Shade is always looking the part for the camera. I always have a dozen good shots to choose from with her. She loves the camera, and the camera loves her!!

Sweet little Lock. He's the baby. And even though he is no longer a "baby" he will probably always be treated a little bit like one. I know this is probably not a very good idea. But how can you help it when he is the last one?? He sure is adorable and cuddly!

Blessings to you and yours :)