The Difference a Week Makes

Just two weeks ago, we had our wonderful southern snowstorm. I posted pictures once before, but here are a few more, just for fun:

And then, exactly a week later, we had a beautiful glimpse of spring, with sunshine and a temperature of 65 degrees! We loved it!

I have to admit, I liked the almost-spring weather best! I am really ready for warm weather and sunshine - I think we're all going a little stir-crazy! Thankfully, living in Georgia, March is definitely the start of spring :-)

I Did It!

After having items in my Sonlight cart for weeks now, I finally pressed the "Submit Order" button! I ordered Core 3 for Isaac and Ezra to start this fall, and bits and pieces of Cores P 3/4 and P 4/5 for Joel and Nathan to enjoy over the summer as Joel starts learning to read with "Teach Your Child to Read in 100 Easy Lessons".

After placing my order, I went back to review it. The 10 items I had listed in my cart, broken down into individual pieces, book by book, amounted to 65 items! No wonder "box day" is such an exciting experience for Sonlight users! You can be sure I'll post pics when ours arrive!

I have high hopes that this will be a long, enjoyable homeschooling experience with Sonlight. I can't wait to get started!

By the way, if you use my link, or the banner to the left in my sidebar, to order something from Sonlight, you get $5 off your first order of $50 or more!

Works for Me Wednesday - Getting the Most from SwagBucks

This might be old news to some swagbuck pros, but I am relatively new to the swagbucks craze, so it was exciting for me to figure this out! In case you are also new to swagbucks, perhaps it will help you, as well :-)

First, what is swagbucks? Its a search engine that rewards you for using it. You earn points, called... "swagbucks" (not that complicated) that can be used in their "swag store" (there's a pattern here!). Personally, the only thing I really want swag bucks for is to buy amazon.com gift cards. Free books, people!! But they do have lots of other stuff, too. (And a *ahem* pretty cool referral program if you want to sign up using one of my links or the banner on my sidebar over there *ahem*)

I soon noticed that a $5 amazon gift card costs me 45 swag bucks, and a $25 amazon gift card costs me 315 swagbucks. Huh? I'm pretty good at math, but I think most of the general adult population can figure out that ordering 5 separate $5 gift cards at 45 swagbucks each (which would total $25) is actually LESS than 315. Almost 100 swag bucks less, in fact. Actually, for 315 swagbucks, one can actually get 7 individual $5 gift cards, which equals $35!

However, what I didn't know and had to figure out for myself is how to actually apply more than one gift card while checking out at amazon. I'd like to be able to apply more than $5 off each order, because then it's actually really like getting free books. So, here's the beautiful part!

Amazon has this wonderful thing you can do if you log into "Your Account" - I will include a picture for those of you who are visual like me and can't understand written instructions without pictures very well:

(click to enlarge if needed)

See the big blue arrows? The link they are pointing to says "Apply a Gift Card Balance to Your Account". If you click on it, you can enter in your gift card number, and it will apply that amount to your account (kind of like the link says). Here's the part I was excited about: you can do that with any quantity of gift cards! So if you gather up a bunch of $5 gift cards from swagbucks, you can enter each one in, and it will total them up for you. When you are ready to order from amazon, when you check out, it will ask you if you want to apply your gift card balance to your order. I love it!

Right now, I am about 4 swagbucks away from adding another $5 to my gift card balance, which will then bring it to $25... but I only spent 225 swagbucks instead of 315! The nerdy part inside of me that loves to get a good deal is thrilled about this - so I just had to share!

Join in for some more Works for Me Wednesday fun at We Are THAT Family!

A Song and Scripture for Saturday

The other day all of the children were singing this song as we did our afternoon chores. It got a bit loud, but what a beautiful sound a houseful of praise is! These verses came to mind as we lifted up our voices to the Lord:

From the lips of children and infants
you have ordained praise
because of your enemies,
to silence the foe and the avenger
Psalm 8:2

But when the chief priests and the scribes saw the wonderful things that He had done, and the children who were shouting in the temple, "Hosanna to the Son of David," they became indignant and said to Him, "Do You hear what these children are saying?" And Jesus said to them, "Yes; have you never read, 'OUT OF THE MOUTH OF INFANTS AND NURSING BABIES YOU HAVE PREPARED PRAISE FOR YOURSELF'?"
Matthew 21:15-16 (emphasis mine!)



Praise is rising, eyes are turning to You, we turn to You
Hope is stirring, hearts are yearning for You, we long for You
'Cause when we see You, we find strength to face the day
In Your Presence all our fears are washed away, washed away

Hosanna, hosanna
You are the God Who saves us, worthy of all our praises
Hosanna, hosanna
Come have Your way among us
We welcome You here, Lord Jesus

Hear the sound of hearts returning to You, we turn to You
In Your Kingdom broken lives are made new, You make us new
'Cause when we see You, we find strength to face the day
In Your Presence all our fears are washed away, washed away

Hosanna, hosanna
You are the God Who saves us, worthy of all our praises
Hosanna, hosanna
Come have Your way among us
We welcome You here, Lord Jesus

'Cause when we see You, we find strength to face the day
In Your Presence all our fears are washed away
'Cause when we see You, we find strength to face the day
In Your Presence all our fears are washed away, washed away

Hosanna, hosanna
You are the God Who saves us, worthy of all our praises
Hosanna, hosanna
Come have Your way among us
We welcome You here, Lord Jesus

Fitness Friday - Its a Love Hate Thing

Its been almost just a little over a month since I set out on my fitness goal of running 500 miles this year. I'm a little behind my goal of running 10 miles a week, but as I increase my distance, I think it will average out and I'll make up for lost time. I'm running 2.5-3 miles each run now.

Here's a little glimpse into what my mornings are like lately:

At 5 am, the alarm goes off. I hit snooze and think about how much I hate getting out of bed, especially since I have usually been out of bed at least once already to nurse a certain baby who has not decided that sleeping through the night is worth his while yet.

Between 5 am and 5:20, I hit snooze several more times, still thinking about how this whole "rising early" thing is really just a dumb (bad!) idea - doesn't a mommy need her sleep?

Finally, I grit my teeth, roll my eyes, and heave myself out of bed. Actually, I just go ahead and decide to get up, but there's alot of internal moaning and groaning to myself. Boy, how I hate getting out of bed!

By 5:45 I'm generally downstairs, freezing (our basement is a bit on the chilly side), and starting the treadmill. The entire time, I'm thinking "Why am I doing this?! I hate this!"

As I warm-up and begin to run, I steel myself for the fact that the next half hour to 45 minutes is going to be mind-numbingly boring and physically challenging. Despite the fact that I listen to good sermons* on my ipod while I run, it is still... boring. I think again about how much I hate this. I count down mileage and the minutes as I go.

A little over one mile into it, and I'm starting to forget how much I hate it. I'm getting into the rhythm of my feet and legs moving, my lungs taking air in, letting it out, and I feel... good. I play a little with the speed of the treadmill, check my calories burned, think hard about the message I'm listening to, and praise God.

Suddenly, I'm done, and I don't want to be. I want to keep running, keep pounding away, sweating, breathing, moving. I don't hate it. In fact, I love running. I have always loved running. Why do I ever think I hate it?

I cool down, towel off, go upstairs and log my miles. Hop into the shower and feel refreshed, healthy, and energized. I make myself a snack, and settle down for some time in the Word before the house begins to stir. I'm so glad I got myself up and made my way through another early morning workout. I can't wait to run again tomorrow!

...that is, until the alarm goes off the next morning, and I start the same scenario all over again!

*here are some podcasts I listen to while running:

• Revive Our Hearts
• Desiring God
• Mark Driscoll
• Christ Church of Metro Atlanta
  

A Year

Its been a year since she went home. This is a picture of the last time we saw her smile, shared her laughter, hugged her hard to say goodbye. But not hard enough. We didn't cherish the moment like we could have, we didn't linger and express the love we should have. How could we have known?
Something about this picture is so touching to me - the way she is elusive... there, but not - looking toward something else, somewhere else, just as she is today.

This past year has been one of such... change for me. I've known death before, through the loss of grandparents, aunts, uncles, parents of friends... but this was my first real taste of mourning. My naivete was stripped from me, and I was laid bare to the harsh realities of this world. I have, at times, felt foolish, for the way I never knew how much loss hurts.

Its hard to believe an entire year has already passed. So many memories are still so fresh, and still painful. Over time, I am trying to replace the last memories... the ones of that night, when the phones rang, that week of tears, food, people everywhere, that day of sunshine and wind when the earth was opened and the casket was lowered down.... with earlier memories, the memories of her life - her laughter, her voice, her smile, and the love she freely poured out on everyone. But even those memories are bittersweet. We miss her.

Here is a photobook I made to try to capture some of the memories - it is but a small portion.

I thought I had many more things to write, but I think for now, I will leave it as that. Thank you to all of you who have upheld us in kind words and deeds, prayers and love, in the past year.

Gratitude

Bless the LORD, O my soul,
And all that is within me, bless His holy name.
Bless the LORD, O my soul,
And forget none of His benefits

Psalm 103:1-2

123. the freedoms and privileges that come with living in America

124. the convenience of modern appliances

125. squishy cheeks to kiss

126. tiny hands that reach for mine

127. snow storms in Georgia
128. the fact that snow storms in Georgia happen only once a year or less!

129. neighborhood snowball fights
130. teenagers who don't think they're too cool to play with younger children
131. food in my refrigerator and on my shelves

132. an afternoon of fellowship with good friends

133. the gospel

134. the freedom to share the gospel openly with those in need

To see more of my gratitude list, go here. Consider joining the Gratitude Community and begin your own list! Also, for a wonderful jumpstart to help your heart grow in gratitude, check out Revive Our Heart's 30-day Gratitude Challenge!

A Song for Saturday

Oh, to see the dawn
Of the darkest day:
Christ on the road to Calvary.
Tried by sinful men,
Torn and beaten, then
Nailed to a cross of wood.

Chorus:
This, the power of the cross:
Christ became sin for us
Took the blame, bore the wrath—
We stand forgiven at the cross.

Oh, to see the pain
Written on Your face,
Bearing the awesome weight of sin.
Every bitter thought,
Every evil deed
Crowning Your bloodstained brow.

Now the daylight flees
Now the ground beneath
Quakes as its Maker bows His head.
Curtain torn in two,
Dead are raised to life;
"Finished!" the victory cry.

Oh, to see my name
Written in the wounds,
For through Your suffering I am free.
Death is crushed to death
Life is mine to live,
Won through Your selfless love.

This, the power of the cross:
Son of God—slain for us
What a love! What a cost!

We stand forgiven at the cross.

Why We *Heart* Math-U-See

We've used Math-U-See for our math curriculum since the beginning of our official homeschooling years (3 years ago, now). We requested the free demo DVD from their website - I believe now instead of getting a DVD, you can watch it directly on their site. When it arrived, Michael and I sat down and watched it together, and by the end, Michael said "Wow, I might have actually been good at math if it had been explained to me that way. Let's use it!"

Admittedly, there was a period of a few months when I was tempted by the color of the grass elsewhere, and tried something different. Those few months of math were filled with frustration, tears, and discouragement, on both the part of the student and the teacher. It was a very short-lived jaunt to the other side of the fence, and one that won't be repeated!

Needless to say, we are Math-U-See fans through and through! As I was going over math with the boys today, I thought I'd go ahead and expound a little on why we like Math-U-See so much.

• The most obvious reason - it works. The boys get math. They are challenged, but are learning, retaining, and mastering.

• The older boys (9 and 7) are already able to do their math independently. Of course, I check their work and meet with them over any difficulties they might be having, but overall, they watch their video, do their lessons, and it doesn't take up alot of my direct time and energy. Always a plus in a large family homeschool!

• We're able to schedule the lessons however works best for us. Usually the boys do a lesson a week, watching the video on Monday and taking the lesson exam on Thursday. If they've had some struggle with a concept, we can stretch it out as long as we need to until they really grasp it.
  

• The littles can be entertained with the blocks, too! Are they toys? Are they school materials? The blurrier that line is, the better, sometimes!

• Mr. Demme is the father to 4 boys. I feel like he knows what our days are like, lol!

• The super-duper handy resources available on their website. We frequently use their online drill site as well as their worksheet generator. The drill site is great for making sure they have the basics down, and the worksheet generator is perfect for when they need just a touch more practice before moving on to their next lesson - and they're both so easy to use! There are other resources, too, but I haven't used them yet.
  

• The boys love the videos, and think Mr. Demme is really funny. We'll hear about his jokes at the dinner table. Even Michael (king of all corny jokes, besides my dad) tells the "Unique Rabbit" joke frequently, or at least his numerous variations of it.

• I only recently stumbled across Steve's ministry blog, "The Family That Stays Together..." but after reading it and listening to and watching his messages, I am thankful all the more that we support his company. Hearing his personal testimonies about raising up sons in the Lord is so encouraging! His wisdom definitely extends beyond just the math realm.

(Disclaimer: I received no compensation for this glowing review... in fact, Math-U-See doesn't even know about it! ;-) The only true reward I can claim is children who enjoy math, and that's a pretty good one, if you ask me!)

Wordless Wednesday - Like Father, Like Son

Stay Tuned...

Treasures of January

"Legalist Hunters" and the Hypocrisy that Empowers Them and One Way at Your Sacred Calling

Do You Have Your Child's Heart? Part 1 and Part 2, followed by Your Child's Heart: How Do You Gain It? Part 1 at Raising Olives

Three Ways to Hear God Today and The Real Secret to Happy Homemaking at holy experience

What's Your Occupation at Sprittibee

Drenching Love at Large Family Mothering

The Corner at a path made straight (bittersweet - have a tissue handy if you've ever enjoyed the beautiful relationship of breastfeeding your babies!)

If you have eyes to see at BOOKS and BAIRNS

Motherhood Isn't for Dummies at Raising Arrows

The Two Lists at InsideCatholic.com (HT to Mrs. Parunak at Pursuing Titus 2)

Lowly Gentleness at A Wise Woman Builds Her Home

Early Risers at Woodland Tales (too cute to miss!)

Why Men Don't Lead at Femina - Yikes! Convicting!

Devoted Love or Distracted Togetherness at Large Family Mothering

Se7en Practical Ways to Say Yes at se7en

"Patience" is not "Putting Up With" at Pursuing Titus 2

Gratitude

"...be filled with the Spirit, speaking to one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody with your heart to the Lord; always giving thanks for all things in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ to God, even the Father..."
Ephesians 5:18b-20

110. puzzles

111. a boy who likes to make yummy treats

112. encourgaing ministries

113. a soft, warm bed

114. the roof over our heads, and the space inside

115. homeschooling, have I mentioned before how much I love it?

116. owning a treadmill

117. owning several Bibles, when so many go without even one

118. God's bountiful provision

119. being humbled

120. finding a raw milk provider that delivers nearby!

121. my breath, as I run, for I have been without before

122. a new 3 year old in the family!

The rest of my growing gratitude list can be found here. Consider joining in the Gratitude Community at holy experience, and allow gratitude to transform you.