Focus

My son Sean came home from church today with a really neat story and visual aid. He got a piece of paper and started telling his story as he folded the paper into the things he mentioned. It started something like this. "There once was a very wealthy man who was unhappy so he decided to buy himself a big boat and go sailing all around the world." Sean proceeded to fold the paper into the shape of a boat (you get the idea). "But the boat did not make the man happy" he said. "So he bought himself a big house, but that didn't make him happy either. So he decided to buy a jet plane. The plane did not make him happy, so he bought himself a rocket." Sean tore parts of the plane off and made a rocket. "The man was still not happy. What will make me happy the man said." Then Sean proceeded to unfold the rocket and it was a cross. He said, "the man realized that only Jesus could make him truly happy".

What a wonderful lesson. Something that we seem to forget so easily these days. With all the stuff available to use it seems like we are always wanting something. Whether it is the big screen TV with surround sound or the nice car. It could be something as small as a Lego Bionicle or as big as a house. What's you weakness? For some it could be electronics, others jewelry. These things don't make us happy. Sure they can make life nicer and I am not saying that it is wrong to have these things. But when we start putting our stuff before what is more important, that is when it becomes a problem. Jesus and only Jesus is what can make us truly happy. The things of this world will pass away. Jesus is there forever. Without him we are lost. At the end of the story there will be no remake, no going back, no second chances. There is no reincarnation. That's it. We live our life right today following Jesus or we spend eternity in a very unhappy place.

It isn't going to be easy and we will all struggle. The key is to keep our eyes fixed on the eternal one, Jesus Christ. It's like in the gospels when we read about Jesus walking on the water during the storm and Peter having faith to step out on the waves. As long as he kept his eyes focused on Jesus he did not falter, he did not sink. But as soon as he took his eyes off Jesus and started looking around at the waves and the world around him he started sinking. That is what happens to us. When we focus on the world and don't keep our eyes on Jesus we start to sink. Let us keep our eyes focused on what will make us truly happy and one day we will live with him in eternal glory.

The Nail in the Coffin

What do you call it when a homeschool mom talks to herself? A parent/teacher conference.=) I thought you would like that. Has life changed around here. I've always been the kind of parent to find an educational opportunity in whatever my kids were doing at the time so I guess homeschooloing was the next step.

For those of you who don't know, I homeschooled our oldest Sean for half of his 1st grade year and all of his second grade year when we lived in Washington. We decided to do it then because he was bored. He was a very difficult child to homeschool though. To say that I was stressed would be an understatement. Matt would come home and I would be in tears on some days. So then when we moved to Texas we decided to put Sean back in public school. The elementary was in our neighborhood and was the best in the county. Sean got a great teacher for his first year back. Third grade was great. On the state mandated tests Sean scored 100's Then fourth rolled around and my little Joshua went into Kindergarten and got Mrs. Corn who was the best kindergarten teacher. She really tried to understand Joshua and really helped him excel. Joshua loved school and being with all his friends. Sean did well in fourth grade too. Scoring high in all his classes and scoring 100's or high 90's on all the state mandated tests. Do you know how much time they waste in public schools preparing for those state mandated tests? Did you know that they only teach our kids what is necessary for taking those tests. It's absurd and a waste of time.

Sean never did give up on being homeschooled. Usually on a weekly basis he would say something about it. I started thinking more and more about it. Talking to Matt more and more. He wasn't to thrilled with the idea at first because of what had happened last time. And I didn't blame him. I was worried about it too. I didn't want to pull the kids out again and it not work out. So I did what any christian mom would do. I started praying about it. The more I prayed the more I knew that this is what was best for the boys and our family. Matt was still afraid that it would turn out like last time. I didn't press him to much about it. I just sat back and let the public school do it's work.

You see when we started talking about homeschooling again. I mean really talking about it Sean was starting to do all the "testing". I don't know how many times he would come home with no homework. We would ask him what they did at school and the answer would be "we watched a movie" or "we played games". You see when they would finish the testing for the week, instead of continuing with learning they would just watch a movie or play games or have a party the rest of the week. That really started to frustrate Matt and I. We couldn't believe how much educational time was being spent on useless activities. It wasn't just with Sean. Even in Joshua's class they would watch cartoons like Peep for learning. I remember Matt making a comment like "he can watch stuff like that at home". Needless to say Matt came around to the idea.

We decided to let the boys finish out the school year. I started looking for curriculum and getting ready to teach my kids. I was excited and worried at the same time. I wasn't really concerned with being able to teach them. I am an educated women and very capable of teaching them. It was more about it being to much. Would I be able to be a wife, mother, teacher and worker in the church all at the same time. Where on earth would I find the time. Let's just say I had to come up with a plan and get organized. I'm still getting organized. But it is funny. The house stays cleaner now than it did before. I am still involved at church. I'm starting my 5th semester of Sign Language this next week and I even find time for Matt.;)

I've heard it said that we are slaves to time. I don't agree. The key is to make time work for us. You have to tell time what you are going to do with it. We spend so much time wasting our time that we seem to think we don't have enough time. So I just decided to stop wasting so much time. That is one of the reasons I don't blog very often. But it is a good thing to do, from time to time. Especially if you enjoy it. So, those tests were what finally shall we say broke the camels back and were the final nail in the proverbial coffin (public school). Testing was the kicker. At least that is what I think. So what do we do all day now? What makes homeschooling better? In my opinion. I think that is for another time. See you again soon.

Homeschooling

I have not been on here in forever. I am going to try to make a post on a weekly basis now. Hopefully I will find the time to do this. There just seem to be so many other things that are of greater importance to do than sit down in front of the computer and spend half an hour or longer writing. But I will try. I will start today but not right now. I have to go and get ready to start language arts and math at 10:30. Later.

To Homeschool or Not To Homeschool

For the past couple of month homeschooling has been on my mind again. I know I've been there done that before. I just can't seem to knock the feeling that it is what I should be doing. Have you ever had that nagging feeling deep down in your gut that you should do something? Well that is what I have been feeling lately. I never could get over the bad feeling of putting the boys in public schools again. Lately that feeling just seems to be getting stronger. The boys are both making great grades in school. Actually they are both at the top of of the kids in there class. So that is not the issue. There are several reasons I am considering homeschooling again. First, I just plain miss them. I admit I have enjoyed having some time to myself but most of the time I just miss having them around. I can't wait for them to get home. I know some of you probably think that is crazy. Second, I miss being involved in there learning. Helping Sean with his homework just doesn't cut it. I want to teach them. Which leads me to reason three. I don't think either of the boys are learning to the best of their abilities. I can't help but think of all they could have learned this past year and a half. I was talking to Joshua's teacher this last week. He is the top reader in his class. He is such a bright child. They are both highly intelligent. With homeschooling I can tailor their schooling to fit their individual learning styles. Public school just aims for that middle ground. Slower kids are not the only ones that get the short end of the stick. The really bright ones do too. Fourth, with homeschooling the schedule is more flexible. We don't have to schedule our vacations around school. I remember that was always nice. Schooling is just more fun. The kids enjoy it more. Which brings me to the fifth reason. Sean still wants to be home schooled. He has not given up on the idea. He brings it up on a regular basis.
Finally, I don't like the influence that public school has on my children. Sean recently came home and asked me what it means to show your middle finger to someone and if it is bad. I know he is going to get that other places but at least I can influence him more when he is with me more.
I recently finished a book called Boys should be boys. I must say that this book is probably one of the major reasons I am seriously considering homeschooling again. It talks in this book about how the most important thing parents can do for their boys is be with them as much as they possibly can. I want to be the major influence in my boys lives. Not a public school teacher who doesn't know my child the way I do or have the same goals and aspiration for them that I do. Not their friends that they have made at school. I want my kids to grow up to become men of integrity, courage, humility, meekness, and kindness. I want my boys to grow up and become men of God. The more time I have with them the better chance they will have to become those kind of men. They are not going to learn that from the public school system. I know that kids grow up and become wonderful christian people that have gone to public schools. All the kids in my family went to public schools. We didn't turn out to bad. But I also know some of the things that I had to be a part of that I just don't want for my boys. And it is worse now than it use to be. Things are changing in the public school system and I don't want to be a part of it. One of these days in the not to distant future more things will be taught that will go against the very fiber of what is to be Christian. There are already enough things for me. I am going to give myself the rest of this year to think on it and pray about it. But I believe that my mind and heart are already together on the matter.

Credit Card First Not the Car

Those of you that know Matt and I well know that we have been following Dave Ramsey's get out of debt principles. We are finally nearing the end of our battle with debt and will be debt free by the end of the summer. We have two more big debts to pay off. One of them is our fleece on our Toyota Sienna minivan and the other is a chase credit card. They both are within a couple thousand dollars of each other. But the plan states that you pay off least to greatest. So the minivan was next on the list. Notice I said "was". That's right, "was". This next week we were going to pay off our remaining balance of approximately $15,000. I know that is a lot. But recent dirty activities of JPMorgan Chase Bank have changed our plans.

In January Chase decided to start charging a $20 monthly fee to credit card holders that have a fixed low rate of 2.99%-5.99% for the life of the balance on their card. They are also doubling the minimum payment on those cards from 2.5% to 5% of the balance. So far this has not happened to us. But we have decided to go ahead and pay off Chase first just out of principle. We think what Chase is doing is wrong. So, all the money that we have been saving up to pay off our van is now going to Chase. As of next Saturday our last credit card will bite the dust. This will in no way change our busting debt deadline. We will still be out of debt by the end of the summer.

We have also decided to change banks too. Yes, we bank with them too.

Wow, What a Book!

I just finished a book that I would recommend to anyone that has boys. The book is titled Boys Should Be Boys by Meg Meeker, M.D. But I warn you. This book will get in your face. It speaks to both mothers and fathers on the things we should or shouldn't be doing to get our boys to become the men that we all know they can be. Men of integrity, courage, humility, meekness, and kindness. Men of God.

This book speaks strongly on the impact that media, friends, family and God has on them. How we as parents and God are the most important thing in a boys life. As mother and father we each have a different role to play but each are just as important. This book will make you want to take everything media out of their lives. It will scare you and give you hope at the same time. It will make you laugh, cry and worry. It will make you want to be a better parent. I strongly urge you to ready it.

My new toy

OK so my last post wasn't long ago. I didn't want to leave my blog with such a sour note. I wanted to tell you about my new toy. Not everything this week has been all bad. Last Thursday Matt took the day off work to spend with me. It was very nice. We went to lunch together and he took me shopping for my valentines gift. Didn't buy anything though, just looking. That night we went online and looked around some more and read some reviews. Finally he ordered it for me. I know you guys are probably thinking I should just tell you already. I will. I'm getting there. So Matt leaves Friday morning early to go to Yuma, AZ and I am left to wait patiently for my gift to arrive. I get a notice via email saying that my shipment has been shipped and that it should arrive Friday sometime before 3. So I stay home waiting. Afraid to go anywhere because I might miss the delivery that I have to sign for. I don't go to curves and I even skip going grocery shopping. Its a good thing to because it would have come when I was at the grocery store. I have been playing with it ever since. Matter of fact I am using it right now to write this blog. Ok I will tell you. My darling husband bought me the new BlackBerry Storm and I love it. So there you have it. Something good did happen this week. Thank you Matt for my new toy.

The worst week

I think this has been by far the worst week I have had in a long time. Matt being gone is one thing, but then both of my boys getting sick was the icing on the cake. Why do they say that? The icing on the cake is great. At least the icing on my cakes. Maybe I'm using it wrong. Anyhow, this week has really stunk. It all started Saturday with Matt leaving for a week of work in Yuma, AZ. So, I am missing him terribly right. Then Sean gets sick and starts running a fever of 102.3-103.4. So all day Saturday Sean just laid around not wanting to do anything. Not even play Wii. Poor guy.=( Then to top that off Sunday night his fever was replaced with vomiting. Which he continued to do through Tuesday. So Sean starts feeling better and I am very happy about that. Tuesday afternoon I go to pick up Joshua from school. I am talking to his teacher. I had asked her to keep an eye on him since Sean had been sick. He was fine all day she said. We get home and Sean and Joshua played and ran around outside the rest of the afternoon. Both of them seemed to be fine. That night (Tues.) Joshua woke me up coughing like you would not believe. He was having a hard time even getting enough breath. It really scared me. It scared him to because he said "I'm going to die". Really he said that. It was so sad. I think he really thought he was going to die. We got some water and that helped some. His throat was really hurting him. I put the humidifier in his room and he settled back down. I think our dog Lily was worried about him too because she did something that night that she had never done. She slept with him in his room. He woke up several times that night coughing. I finally ended up moving him into bed with me. That was a very long and exhausting night. The next morning (Wed.) I called and made a doctors appointment. It turns out he has a really bad case of the flu and the croup. No school for him the rest of the week and no going anywhere. We made a quick run to the grocery store after the appointment and then back home. I had already missed my Sign language class on Monday night. Now I have to cancel my ladies bible class for this week. Which I am teaching and I had to cancel FPU(financial peace university) for Thursday night. Matt will be back on Saturday and by then I will probably be sick so the next week will probably stink too. But I will still have to function and take care of the boys and the house and Matt and Lily and the Cats. That's what mom's do right. I know this blog probably sound like a big complaint and maybe it is. I think I just needed to vent cause right now I'm just feeling, well...I can't put into words how I am feeling. There are just to many. I hate it when my little ones are sick. I hate it even more when they are both sick back to back and Matt is not here to share in it with me.=( I guess that is all for now.

The Stillness After the Storm

Well, the holidays are over. Today is the was kids first day back to school after 2 1/2 weeks of winter break. The house is quiet again. I hear some parents are joyful at the return of their kids to school. I work at the school a couple times a week and before break I would hear parents complaining about their kids being home so long. I just don't get it. I loved my two boys being home. I love spending as much time with them as I can. I know that they will not be around forever and I don't want to miss any of it. We had so much fun over the break. Sure we had some arguing at time but we would always make up. We played games, made cookies, wrestled, went for walks and read many stories. I miss them when they are not home. I miss the times that I could be spending with them. I am happiest when they are here. I meant for this to be an update on what we did over Christmas but it turned into something else. To those of you that are reading that have children. Take advantage of every minute that you have with them. Forget the rest of the world. It's not going anywhere but your children are. Spend time with your kids. One day we will wake up and they will be all grown up and we will wonder where all the time went. God bless you all and have a Happy New Year!!!