A Life of Gratitude

Can you read Dylan's answer to our Science questions? I just love it!!!!!! Why is our moon round? "That is the way God made it." Are the moons of Mars round? Why or Why not? "Because God made them that way!" Don't worry, he is learning the scientific answers to the questions too. He did this science activity independently today and when reading those questions, he wrote the answers that made the most sense! And he is right, ya know, God made them that way! Regardless of what the scientific answer may be, Dylan's answer is still correct. Today I am thankful for homeschooling. When I taught in a public school I had to teach exactly what the state wanted me to teach. It didn't matter that I believe Jesus Christ and that I know the ONE that made the big bang happen....I couldn't teach the students anything about the Creator of this world. But now, because of our freedom to homeschool our kids, I am able to teach my sons TRUTH and s...

Last week was a really rough week for me. I don't usually share this type of information but throughout the week I've felt God nudging me. I believe He wants me to share this struggle because lots and lots of young moms have this same hurdle to jump. I suffer from Postpartum Depression. I have dealt with PPD after all three of my children. I thought it was pretty embarrassing after my first child and even kept it to myself after my second child but as I've grown as a mother and opened up to ladies within my church and some precious friends of mine, I realize that this is NOT something that I should be ashamed of or try to hide. In fact, hiding it only makes it worse.  Postpartum Depression affects over 3 million ladies per year in the United States alone. It is a real. It is not something women make up. It is hard. It is debilitating at times. It does not mean the sufferer is crazy. It is common. It does not define the one suffering. It does not last forever. Althoug...

Adults are sometimes very good at making other adults feel less than important. They can even make you feel like you are waste of their time. They don't always mean to do it (at least I hope not) but adults often forget that people are the most important thing in their lives.  One thing I noticed today, or was reminded of, children are very different. They never, ever make you feel as though being with you or talking to you is a waste of their time. In fact, they absolutely love to spend time with almost any adult. My children will do almost anything if they get to do it with me. Maybe its puberty or the teenage years or growing old but somewhere along the way, people loose that.  Thankfully, my boys are full of that sweet trait. They have the ability to make anyone and everyone feel like the most important person in the world. Whether you dig for worms in the yard, bake a cake in the kitchen, or read a story in bed, they are just happy to spend time together.  B...

Today was "Teacher Appreciation Day" at LIFE classes. We thought it would be fun to make something special for Dylan's teachers and the sweet ladies that take care of Evan and Tyson while Mommy teaches. The boys and I made homemade Funfetti Cupcakes as part of their teacher's gifts. Dylan and Evan spent a lot of time making the cupcakes look just right! They were covered in sprinkles, each design made specifically for one of their teachers. They also made hand written cards. I'm always amazed by their desire to make their gifts "just perfect!" Its so cute. We had a lot of fun making Teacher Appreciation Gifts, but it never occurred to me that I would receive some. It's been 6 years since I taught in a public classroom and even then, I never received many gifts because I taught in a very impoverished community. So I was blown away by the gifts I received today. Gift cards, candies, lip gloss, tea, handmade soaps, a...

I fell down my steps about 4 months ago and my foot has been hurting ever since. I've been to 3 different doctors, had 4 sets of x-rays and a CT scan, worn a boot for 9 weeks, and had 2 injections in my foot. And....my foot feels exactly the same. Today the doctor actually said, "You've got me perplexed!" Those of you who know me, are probably thinking...again??? This is what happens with me every time. I can't have an MRI so that leaves the doctors with very limited tests to try to determine what is going on. Which means, it takes a while for them to figure it out. And usually, for a few months at least, they are rubbing their foreheads with very confused looks on their faces. About 8 years ago I had horrific, lightning bolt headaches in the back of my head. It took probably a year and a half, at least 4 doctors, multiple tests, way too many injections in my head, and finally a specialist at Duke for it to be determined that I have Occipital Neuralagia, whic...

Living in a house with 4 males can be very loud and exciting from time to time! The excitement is at an all time high right now because Tyson is SOOOO close to crawling. He gets up on all fours and is just about to crawl but instead, he goes backwards. He scoots all over the place, just backwards. So, Dylan and Evan have been trying to teach him. They just love the idea of him chasing after them! For the past few evenings they've been cheering for him, modeling for him, and trying to bribe him with toys and books. Tyson hasn't mastered the art of crawling yet but he sure is having fun with his big brothers! Ready, Set, Go! The Big Boys are teaching their Baby Brother! They left him behind...poor guy. I love this picture!!!! Just like every other day recently, the boys just had to work with Tyson on his crawling this afternoon. Evan was so cute, clapping and yelling, "Tyson, Tyson, Tyson!" I'm not sure how but this crawling lesson quickly turned into...

When Bryan and I made the decision to homeschool our children almost 4 years ago, it was a really big deal for us. We spent a lot of time praying and weighing the pros and cons. It was abundantly clear to us that this was indeed the path God was leading us down. We were still very concerned about how we would afford the curriculum but I felt as though God was telling us that He would provide a way. There was no reason for us to worry about it. So, we have tried not to worry and God surely has provided! Every year we have been able to purchase our homeschool materials with money that has not come from our regular budget. I wasn't sure what God was going to do this year but I was sure He would provide. Almost 2 months ago I was introduced to KEEP collective. It is a brand-new, beautiful, personalized jewelry collection. I like jewelry as much as the next girl but there is just something special about this jewelry! I love how meaningful it can be. I love that everyone can make so...

I heard many words of wisdom at our Neighborhood Bible Study this evening but one thing just keeps coming to mind. Beth Moore made a simple suggestion. She suggested that when we pray, instead of saying, "I love you Lord, " we should say, "I love you too, Lord."  1 John 4:19 says that we love because God first loved us. So when we pray, we need to remember that God loved us first. So, we can say in response to His love, "I love you too, Lord!"  It's easy for me to tell my children and even a stranger that God loves them more than they could ever imagine but for some reason, I just never seem to believe it for myself. I know of God's amazing love, His mercy, His grace, and His desire to have a relationship with His children. I know in my head that Jesus loves me and died for me. Why can't my heart truly believe this? Why is so hard for me to "feel" loved? I could list one hundred possible reasons but truthfully, I'm not su...

We're having  a "spring break" from homeschooling this week so instead of relaxing and resting (like I should be doing) we've been doing all sorts of fun stuff! Today we made homemade oatmeal cookies and planted tomatoes, cucumbers, strawberries and blueberries in our garden box. The boys enjoyed digging in the dirt and eating yummy cookies! We also painted butterflies on pots and planted flowers in those pots. My kids absolutely love to paint and I love anything with an adorable foot print! So, obviously, these butterflies pots were a must for our house! I am so pleased with the final product!! They are just too cute! Tyson LOVED getting his foot painted! Evan spent a lot of time making sure his pot looked perfect! Dylan loves to paint! Evan picked out these flowers specifically for his pot! Dylan might have green thumbs! They turned out SOOOO cute!!! Aren't they just the sweetest flower pots you've ever seen? If you come to m...

As you can probably imagine, there is never a dull moment in our home! Having an (almost) 7 year old boy, a three year old boy, and a 6 month old boy makes for an interesting day, everyday! Three little boys have sooooo much energy and talk a whole bunch and bring an incredible amount of joy where ever they go! That is true whether we're at home, at the grocery store, at the park or even at Lowe's Hardware store!  Tonight we decided to take a family trip to Lowe's to buy some supplies for some projects we're doing around the house. The boys enjoy "helping" with the projects so we let them help pick some things out. It took two carts to tote our kids and our supplies through the store. Our caravan was large and LOUD! As I pushed the cart through the isles, listening to my kids make up songs about the different items they saw in the store, I just had to smile. Even if they are noisy, those boys might be the cutest things I've ever laid my eyes on!  ...

Every afternoon and every night I rock my sweet Tyson in the rocking chair in his room before putting him the crib for nap or bedtime. And every afternoon and every night, Tyson does the same thing. He stares at the cross that hangs on the wall above the rocking chair. He just cannot take his eyes off of that cross. I love watching him as his eyes focus on the cross and then fix upon it. As I watch my baby, I am reminded that I too should have my eyes fixed upon the cross.  Since we have been preparing for Easter all week long, I have been thinking a lot about fixing our eyes, hearts, and minds on the cross. What Jesus did for us there, well, there is nothing more deserving of our gratitude! My prayer for myself, and for my family, is that we would truly see the sacrifice that Jesus made. That we would honestly understand how desperately we need Him as our Savior and that we would never forget how much He loves us. My boys and I have spent some time making crosses, discuss...

After family devotions tonight we decided to make a special treat! If you've never made Resurrection Rolls, please do so immediately! It is a wonderful teaching tool for little ones plus, it's fun! We used crescent rolls, marshmallows, melted butter and cinnamon sugar. As we made each roll, we discussed how Jesus' body would have been prepared and placed in the tomb after he died on the cross. For each roll we covered a large marshmallows (aka "Jesus") in melted butter and cinnamon sugar. These are symbolic of the oils and spices that were customarily used during that time period. Then we wrapped the marshmallow up in the crescent roll and made sure it was sealed tight. We placed more "burial spices" on the crescent roll and then placed them into the oven. Even Tyson wanted to participate! My hard worker! My and my little buddy enjoyed making the rolls together! "Mommy, don't forget the burial spices!" After cooking f...