Adult Children Update

No, I don't plan to update daily. I realize that millions of youth are in college, ministry programs etc, and our situation isn't totally unique. I realize that the 70% who found my blog via SHS or email links may not be interested in updates, but the 20% who read the blog and are personal friends and family will be......So here's an update....

~The girls report that they met a delightful blog stalker at church on Sunday. ::snort:: Way to go, Candy! It brought home for BreAnne how easy it would be for someone they don't know to find them via info on the web (MC links, Church links, My Space etc).

~Krista has been given a 1980 Chevy Luv truck. Nicholas has helped her through the maze to get it registered and titled.

~The girls are staff this year and are busily preparing for 2nd and 1st year students to return.

~Nicholas (not a son but courting our daughter Krista) is preparing to move down to Eugene Bible College. Mom, he's been prepared that you and Dad will want to get to know him and is thinking of trying your church. Maybe it will be a good fit.

~Josiah attended his FIRST day of lectures at college. Keep in mind he is NOT taking political science but is taking a math, English, and history course. The topics of discussion were gay marriage, abortion, and why the troops should get out of Iraq. ::snort:: While he told us about the lectures, I kept thinking "He's PAYING for THIS?" but he'll be fine and is wonderfully able to sort through the junk he hears and compare it with the truth in the Word of God.

~Josiah reports that he's figured out the parking situation. You have to pull up to one of the buildings and then stalk a student who leaves, allowing you to grab their spot as soon as they pull out.

~Josiah came home last night with a pay check that contained a bonus, another $1 per hour raise, and some very nice kudos. I thought it was nice of God, through Tim O, to send him some affirmation as he begins a totally new venture, which can tend to bring a bit of insecurity - though Cy isn't admitting to feeling out of sorts.

~A funny at college (besides the lectures)? Josiah was standing nearby while someone went on and on about these "little freshman", then he bumped into Josiah, looked UP and said, "I'm sorry, excuse me." Josiah bit his tongue but had a great response ready about these "little freshman cluttering up the place". LOL

I thought that with so much of our blog taken up recounting daily activities here at home (which by very nature focus on the children still at HOME) it would be nice to include an update of what our adult children are up to.

Friendship in Proverbs 4 and 6

There are not a lot of specific verses in these chapters on friendship. There are lots of verses on various relationships. Here are two that could speak to friendships.

Prov 4:23 Watch over your heart with all diligence, for from it flow the springs of life.

Watch - guard - keep - be DILIGENT - does this relationship benefit my heart or is it allowing things contrary to God's will and plan into my heart?

Prov 6:12 - 15 presents a list of characteristics of a worthless/wicked man. I want to avoid these things in myself, and also in my close associates.

1. walks with a perverse mouth
2. winks with the eyes (deceptive)
3. signals with the feet (deceptive)
4. points with fingers
5. has a perverse heart that continually devises evil
6. spreads strife

Wacky Wednesday

It's SO much work to pull life together around here on some days! I don't know about all of you but there is this feeling of adrenaline in the pit of my stomach. It begins as I rush out the door to get a work out in, and doesn't end until the last child falls asleep. I think I used to handle it better. I've always been a fairly "high energy" person. I used to thrive on multi-tasking. I thrived on being around people. Now, I only want to have a clear plan and have it work for one day. ::snort::

It's about dying to oneself...and dying to one's plans for the day! I'm not sure I'm making a lick of sense here...but that is how I'm feeling tonight. I've been rushing and pushing from the very minute the alarm clock went off. Even my time in the Word feels "rushed" this week....."Hurry, hurry, get something out of this before Zander calls for breakfast." I know it's all about adjusting back to our school routine. Really, the "lazy days of summer" never materialized this year....but still I feel rushed and hurried as we adjust back to school.

I'm so thankful that God checked me when I planned to join more activities this fall. I simply can't keep up with "life" around here very well this week. I know that eventually Zander will adjust to doing school and Stacia will adjust to not having playmates....I've been on this road before....but just this evening, I am exhausted. I'm called to deny myself for this season of raising and schooling children - and it's good. It's just tiring on some days. ::snort::

What DID I do today? We all did math, phonics, and some reading. We began reading "Bill and Pete" - an old favorite of older kids who are now reading "Anthology of Ancient Egyptian Literature". ::snort:: We ate. I actually forgot to eat until I grabbed a roll at 6:00 p.m. I ordered more books. I searched for other books. I called Rosetta Stone and maybe, just maybe, they will send an upgrade for the discs that quit working...and maybe not. We shall have to see. I did get our TOG books ordered. We sat and talked about how we were organizing notebooks, vocabulary, and time lines this year. Jamin listed out for me the 20 topics he plans on studying - makes my head whirl. We organized Math U See blocks and books and discs. I FOUND a disc and a teacher's manual for Geometry.....YES. It pays to organize. I talked to Krista on the phone.

We ended the day by starting the sequel to Peter Pan and reading a chapter from a book on becoming men. Arielle wasn't so sure about this book choice - but it has to fit in somewhere. I told her to listen and learn what to look for in a man. I'm not sure she bought it, but really the chapter had good insights for all of us.

I need to bring this rambling entry to an end and go pull 36 pages from the SAP to send to Tapestry of Grace so that I can get my 50% off coupon for the redesign. Hmmm...if that sentence makes no sense to you, don't worry about it....It's homeschool mumble jumble.::snort::

Support 4 Home & School...


Or SHS for short is a yahoo email list that a friend, Cynthia, and I began on 25 September 1998. It's VERY high volume. Years into the adventure, Cynthia and I realized that we needed to not only run a homeschool list, but maybe school our children (JUST KIDDING OK?). We began to make changes to streamline the group - but it is STILL high volume. Y'all are warned. ::snort:: A few years ago we screamed for help and now have a prayer coordinator, a membership coordinator, five thread moderators, and a partridge in a pear tree...no make that two list owners (Cynthia and I). Membership fluctuates. We've been over 1800 and are currently at 1791. In a nutshell - we exist to offer support for Home and School to Christian women. There's a link in the sidebar if anyone wants to read more.

Here's the list description:

Our list has existed for over 8 years and was originally called *Sonlight*. We are a group of Christian Homeschool Women who teach our children using living literature.

Many members have chosen to use literature based curricle's or methods which might include the Charlotte Mason Approach, the Principle Approach, Sonlight, Tapestry of Grace, Cornerstone Curriculum, The Well Trained Mind approach, Ruth Beechick’s approach, the Classical approach, KONOS, Greenleaf, Five in a Row, Learning Language Arts through Literature, an eclectic approach, the Principle approach, Wisdoms' Way of Learning, or the unschooler approach.

We do not require you to use the above mentioned curricle's to join our group.

We require no proof of conversion to Christianity to join our list, though we will operate under the same rules of etiquette that we would expect of Christian women meeting in a living room.

Our mission is to give encouragement and help to women who are endeavoring to merge home and school into a lifestyle of learning.

In addition some join our list who are gathering information about possibly homeschooling in the future. We also have several on our list who have completed their "school" journey but stay with us to offer support as we homeschool and to be supported in the "home" aspect of life.

Confessions of a Scatterbrained Homeschooler (of 18 years ::snort::)

Or ARRRRRRRGGGGGHHHHH!!!!!!

I spent two days looking for a book that is out of stock EVERYWHERE. I was sure I recognized the book. That really doesn't mean a lot when you've homeschooled as many years as we have. I recognize many books from catalogs and such that we've never owned. I checked the shelves...several times! I couldn't find it. I decided I must recognize it from catalogs and websites.


Finally, I ordered it on the 3rd day. Immediately before several gracious folks on SHS offered me a copy at better prices. I paid full price for the book - AND had to pay shipping. I'm out $30 for this book. I already was feeling less than pleased with this purchase. ::sniff::


Today - I FOUND THE BOOK ON MY BOOKSHELVES - NOT WHERE IT SHOULD BE - BUT ON THE SHELVES. I can't cancel the order. WHAT am I going to do with two new copies of this book? I can't possibly sell a it for new price, plus shipping, only I would pay that much for this book. ::snort::


I'm fairly disgusted with myself over this. I'm thinking I WILL make it a priority to put those little Dewey numbers on my books and get them all into a data base....I'll make it happen before I order another year of books!

Now, if I find that I already own a copy of Norton's Anthology of Western Lit ($68+), I'll be forced to inhale an EXTRA LARGE BAG OF M/M's.

Want to BUY List...

Here's an email I sent to SHS but I realize that there ARE homeschoolers who don't belong to SHS and some of them READ my blog....so here's a list of things I'm looking to buy.
~*~*~

Ladies – Renee just reminded me about the TOG boards for finding books. I thought I’d check here first as several of you emailed me about that one ancient art book I was ltrying to find. I’ll give you first shot to earn my dollars. LOL

Any TOG books Year 1 – units 2 – 4 – if you have some you’ve been thinking of getting rid of, do contact me. I’m looking mostly for the rhetoric level but I DO have children in all levels and so as money holds out will try to buy for them instead of using the library. LOL

MUS – geometry

MUS – Gamma and Delta (they are going through the levels faster than I predicted)

Filmmaking Text – ok – it’s a long shot ::snort::

Movies as Literature

Understanding the Times

Rosetta Stone Spanish – that works ::snort:: I may still get this replaced….

Rosetta Stone German – will consider other similar computer based program (yeah – in TX – maybe it’s a sign that God is finally going to send us to GERMANY!!! Of course Bre took 3 years of Chinese and we never went to China – though we did meet several spouses whose native language was Chinese).

If you have any of these please email me - either at my personal email or the one in the sidebar - not2many9@yahoo.com let me know the title, condition, price and if it included shipping.

Thanks!

Friendship in Proverbs 2

2:20 So you will walk in the way of good men and keep to the paths of the righteous.

~If you have wisdom, you will walk in the way of good men and keep to the paths of the righteous.

~I NEED to be friends with the pre-believer. I also NEED to be close associates with those who are "good" and walk in paths of righteousness.