March 21, 2017

Good morning everyone! We are up and somewhat ‘at it’ this morning. I was so lazy yesterday! I did the basics like feeding the kids and washing up the dishes but not much else. I did finish up a load of laundry last night because it was sitting on my bed but the clothes are still sitting in a basket waiting to be put away.

Yesterday was just one of those ‘off days’ for me. I had been pushing myself a lot the past couple of weeks and it finally caught up with me. Well put that with the time change and dealing with kids who are exceptionally tired and cranky too and I was due for a lazy day.

I didn’t even make it to my closet yesterday morning. I did take a few moments here and there to talk with God but it wasn’t the same as my usual devoted time and I really needed that. So last night I stopped in the middle of folding laundry and headed to my closet for a bit. It was just what I needed. Each of the devotions and verses I happened to read last night were talking about the importance of rest. This really helped me not to feel so guilty about being so ‘lazy’.

Mark 6:31 (KJV)

And he said unto them, Come ye yourselves apart into a desert place, and rest a while: for there were many coming and going, and they had no leisure so much as to eat.

One of the verses I read was Mark 6:31, it helped me to see that rest is just as important as work. It is also important for us to remember to take some quiet time to be with the Lord. He will refresh us and give us the strength to keep going, even on the toughest days.

Psalm 119:44 (KJV)

So shall I keep thy law continually for ever and ever.

This was another verse I read from ‘Starting Your Day Right‘ by Joyce Meyer. She reminds us that we don’t have to go into a private room to have time with God. We can talk to Him anytime, anywhere, about anything! Take every opportunity to spend time with Him and I guarantee you will see changes in your life.

I know how hard it is to be a parent, a single parent at that, and I know how busy life can get. I know how tough things can get and just when you’ve about reached the end of your rope the 3 year pulls the cereal out of the cabinet and pours it all over the kitchen floor. Or you decide to mop the floor instead of taking a nap only to have someone walk in with chicken poop on their shoes. I could go on and on but I won’t.

No matter what you are going through right now. God can help! He is there, waiting, just talk to Him. It doesn’t have to be fancy, it doesn’t have to be out loud, just talk. Tell Him about your troubles and ask Him for His help. He is there and He will help. All you need to do is ask.

Matthew 11:28 (KJV)

Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.

I want each and every one of you to know that I do pray for you and for whatever your circumstances are, I pray that God will supply your needs and bring you rest when you need it.

Have a blessed day!

Character Training Starts at Home

One of the benefits of homeschooling my children has been that I can focus more on character training. I will use this page to link to various resources that I have found and/or used in our homeschool.

Please feel free to add links to your favorite resources in the comments.

Honesty

Other Links:

Large Families on Purpose: Character Training For Children

Doorposts – Biblical Character Training

Teaching Character to Your Kids | Focus on the Family

Kids of Integrity: Free parenting resources for teaching kids Godly …

What Is Character? – Thoughts On The Importance of Good Character

Character Traits Kids Can Develop | DiscipleBlog.com

Christian Character Traits for Kids | Parenting Like Hannah

Joyful Heart Character Overview — Hubbard’s Cupboard

Teaching Character Qualities | – Preparing the Soil

49 Godly Character Qualities | Grace Online Library

100 Kids Activities To Build Character – Moments A Day

Character Building Activities for Kids – Kids lovetoknow

Character Building Activities for Kids: Ready-to-Use Character …

Also check out:

Homeschool: Character Training on Pinterest

Honesty

Honesty is an important character trait that we all should have. April 30th is the day set aside to remind us about the importance of being honest. Click here to learn more about this holiday.

Below are some of the activities I found to celebrate this day:

(Use at your own discretion.)

1000+ ideas about Honesty Lesson on Pinterest | Honesty lesson …

Teaching Children About Honesty – Simple At Home

Fun Activities for Kids on Telling the Truth | LIVESTRONG.COM

Honesty | Teacherplanet.com

Over The Big Moon An Object Lesson for kids on Honesty

Hands-on options | Honesty | Kids of Integrity

Teaching Kids to be Honest – Kids Activities Blog

4 Fun Ways to Teach Children about Telling the Truth – Moments A Day

Also check out:

Homeschool: April on Pinterest

Homeschool: Character Training on Pinterest

honesty for kids on YouTube

March 18, 2017

Good morning everyone! I was so exhausted this morning I slept through my alarm so I’m still sitting around in my ‘bump around’ shorts and a T-shirt… not the norm for me at all. That’s OK though. Everyone has had a yummy breakfast and some of the kids are reading, one is playing with legos, and another couple are watching some Saturday morning cartoons.

A lot of the area schools have been on Spring Break here. We did do some school work this week but it was kind of hit and miss as some storms and bad weather had our internet on the fritz. That’s a downside to living out in the country. We did however get a surprise visit from a friend we haven’t seen in awhile.  It’s always a joy to have old friends come and visit. I find it amazing how kids can just pick right up where they left off months ago.

This past week has been a bit busy as Momma had 3 dances to go to! Monday, Tuesday, and Friday. It has all been so much fun! Monday was my first ‘away’ kind of event and there were a lot more dancers than I normally see. They had the chance to earn a ‘dangle’ for dancing a tip while holding an ice cream cone! There are so many interesting things that they do at these dances!

Tuesdays are the normal class nights and it is amazing to see how far everyone has come as a class. I am so looking forward to graduation and learning new calls and styles. There is so much to learn I have said it is almost like learning a second language. The great thing is that you don’t have to learn it all and you get as advanced as you like or feel comfortable with. Personally I want to learn as much as I can and I want to learn the fancy stuff that goes along with the basic stuff too. I find square dancing so fascinating!

Then Friday night was a St.Patrick’s Day dance. I love parties, especially decorating and putting them together. This time, however, I only brought a few decorations and some Key Lime Cookies (Betty Crocker box mix). I also wore one of the vintage dresses I found on Etsy. It was so cute! Everyone wore green and brought all kinds of green refreshments. Most importantly though we all had a wonderful time. There was a new class starting up also and we are hoping to have more people come next week. I encourage anyone and everyone to check out the classes that may be offered in your area.

17264269_10212138969093074_1416374281935333012_n.jpg  17155247_10212138968893069_7702254246389683777_n

Today we are planning a small cookout with family and a few friends. I need to get my lazy self into the shower so I can get to the grocery store and pick up a few things. I am so glad I did that big monthly grocery shop earlier as my weekly shopping trips have been sporadic.

God is so good! Try to remember that He makes no mistakes and He has a plan for each and every one of us. If we will only let go of the plans we have and let Him take control He will bless us and work wonders in our lives that we could never have imagined! I try my best to thank Him everyday, several times a day, for all the blessings He has poured out on us and for all the ways He continues to work in our lives. I pray that each and everyone of you can look back on your week and see how God has blessed you and touched your lives.

May God bless each and everyone of you!

March 6, 2017

Hey there everyone!

It’s been a little while since I’ve been able to work on any new posts, other than recipes and meal plans, but I do have some drafts that I will try to get published soon. Life has been busy, so very busy, but so very good also. I can’t say how thankful I am for the blessings that God continues to pour out on me and my family.

I have been trying to savor every moment here lately. Storing up some wonderful memories for when I may have trying times to come in the future. Not only that but also for future trips down memory lane. Now is the time to stop and cherish these moments instead of wishing I had later on.

My kids are all growing so fast and learning so much. I have been trying to just spend as much time with them as I can and encourage them in their daily adventures. Momma is still square dancing, and I say this with a big grin on my face, and loving it! We have still been doing our rock painting and the kids are loving that. They are really enjoying church here lately too. School is going well for the most part. I haven’t been posting a lot to my Instagram lately as I have had to devote more one on one time to the two girls who are learning multiplication, division, and working on lots of word problems. While the boys are still so very interested in dinosaurs!

Well, I probably need to finish this up as I am trying to multitask while making dinner. We are having Chicken Stir-Fry, Chinese Fried Rice with Veggies, egg rolls, and steamed veggies with Japanese White Sauce. Oh my does it smell good in here right now. The stir-fry was a bag mix that I got from my Sam’s Club grocery trip (I will do a post here shortly on that) as were the egg rolls and the frozen veggies.

Let me tell you all that I am still recuperating from that shopping trip! It was well worth it though as I was able to get the majority of the groceries we need for the whole month. Talk about planning! I was so out routine that it seemed to take me forever to get that grocery list and trip planned out.

I’ll check back in with everyone soon. Gotta go call the kids in for supper!

I pray that you all have a very prosperous and blessed week!