Home School Blogs I ♥!!!

So Sunday evening I went to my fave craft site for the kiddos and stumbled upon some awesome blogs of other homeschooling mommies. I havent had a chance to go through all of them, but what I have seen just makes my heart want to dance.

Confessions of a Homeschooler is AMAZING!!! She is so organized!! Has tons of free printables, lesson ideas for lil ones, preschool-2nd grade. I HIGHLY HIGHLY HIGHLY recommend checking this one out!!!

Here are some others that I havent had a lot of time to explore, but decided to follow cause they seemed a lot like me in one way or another! If you get a chance to explore any of these blogs PLEASE let me know what you think!

Sippy Cup Central
Weird Unsocialized Homeschoolers
Homeschooling in Heels
Homeschool Success
I Can Teach My Child :This is the next one I plan to explore :)
The Mantooth Family Story-Home School & Beyond

Dont forget to let me know what you think of them & if you've found any others you think I may like! Have a blessed day!

No time to worry!

Sometimes I let myself get overwhelmed and worry which isn't very uncommon for any human, but many many times I feel SO silly afterward! Truth of the matter is God says to cast our cares on Him and He WILL take care of us! So why waste precious time and energy worrying instead of praying and giving it over to the Lord?

Our house issueS: Praying they'll pay to fix them, if I cant come straight home from the hospital after Keller is born because they're working on it-NO BIG DEAL! I have a place to go & BONUS; my house will be fixed :) So what's the big deal if baby K doesn't have well painted, glammed up decorated nursery like all my friends' babies? Like one friend told me, he wont even know! Besides he'll be sleeping in the room with us for the first few months anyway. Grand evaluation-NO WORRIES!

Diaper expenses: NONE! No use in stressing having two in diapers, it wont change anything. Instead I'm praying for that too! Rylan has pee peed in the potty some and 2 of my sweet friends decided to throw me a casual baby shower so I can get some diapers & other things I need for baby K. And if I don't get any diapers and some how some way we cant afford any, another friend gave me a HUGE box of cloth diapers to try if I'd like...though I'll admit I'd rather be lazy & have the disposable ones & don't think I'll have to resort to the cloth ones, but my point is my kiddos bottoms will be covered!!! Grand evaluation-NO WORRIES!

Rylan in MMO: DROP OUT :D!! Yes that's right I let my 2 year old drop out of preschool LOL I cant help but laugh at that! I ACTUALLY love having him here!(No real surprise to me!) Even the days when he doesn't want to corporate while I home school Brady, Id still rather have him here than somewhere else he really doesn't want to be. It seems like Brady was just a baby not so long ago & now he's 5 1/2, reading, & becoming such a sweet young boy who loves Jesus, trains, cars, & has an INCREDIBLE memory & imagination! Rylan's already 2 1/2 & now #3 will be here soon! Time goes by too fast to stress about having my child in preschool. Brady loved it, Ry not so much, plus we are now saving $80 a month :) Most days Ry wants to color or draw while I'm working with Brady, he LOVES to read with us & even grabs books on his own to "read." Being the crazy momma I am, I am willing let him paint, draw, & do all the fun messy art & science stuff with us. We sit and play with blocks, Lego's, & puzzles together. He loves to sing along to Brady's Bible verse CD. So I feel incredibly silly for even worrying about taking him out of preschool. It just wasn't for him & he is getting so much from being home with us and getting to participate with the 2 & 3 year olds at our home school co-op. Grand evaluation-NO WORRIES!

I am sure something else will come up that I'll worry about before I really just stop & breathe & lift it up to God, and I'm very sure this will happen more often than not. But it is my hope instead of letting the worries get ahead of me that I get ahead of them & give it all to Jesus to help me through :)

Isn't it AMAZING to have a Savior who cares about all the silly things that make us worry! And it's even more amazing that He completely takes care of us in spite of our silliness.

Good News vs Bad news-Prayers PLZ!!

Good News: After MANY years of frustration with foundation issues we FINALLY have an agent from the Home Owners Warranty coming tomorrow to begin the process of FINALLY getting our foundation fixed!!! PTL!!!

Bad News: Was told we may have to move out for a week while the house is being repaired & Im already 6 1/2 weeks from delivery & I cant even paint the nursery until it's fixed :/

Prayer request: Pray that it all goes smoothly & that the house is fixed BEFORE baby K comes whether the nursery is painted or not! I dont need anymore stress during this pregnancy!


Good News: Gestational diabetes seems to be gone, protein in urine is gone, & blood pressure has been good!

Bad News: starting to swell, experiencing some tingling/numbness in fingers, had some contractions here and there & not Braxton Hicks, the REAL ones! I've had 3 sweet friends in the recent months who had their babies early which meant they had to stay in NICU for a few weeks & another friend who is currently on bed rest & after seeing what these mommas went through with their babies, I REALLY do not want to have Keller early!

Prayer Request: Pray the last of this pregnancy goes just as it needs to without any complications for me and especially my baby!

Thanks!!! I covet ALL prayers!!!

2 months left & NO diapers!

So it really hit me today that in 2 short months I will be a momma of 3 beautiful boys! THREE!!! I didnt freak out at first til I went into the nursery and started assessing the situation: it needs to be painted, I need to bring the baby clothes down from the attic to wash, which led to me realizing he doesnt have very many clothes since his brothers were both born in the opposite season so I really do need to do some shopping, which led to the other things we need to buy before he gets here, OMG!!! DIAPERS!!!

Diapers! Diapers! Diapers! Why havent I been buying diapers??? Oh yes I have been, but for Rylan! He started out doing good with potty training, but things got hectic and I stopped pushing it and now he doesnt't seem very interested at all. So am I doomed to have 2 in diapers!?!???

So from there fell a snowball of things we need that I didnt fully realize we needed and a list of all the things that need to be done which of course led me to the list of things I already have to do and other things that I need to buy....snowball rolling fast and getting BIGGER!!!!

DEEP BREATH!!! Ok, everything will be ok! I know this! I've never freaked out before, not even when I was pregnant with Brady and put on early bed rest and had NOTHING done, not a shower I could attend, or a nursery put together. But my sister-in-law and friends from our old church in Clifton, MS came to my rescue.

They gave me a shower in my house since I couldnt leave and even decorated the nursery for me. Stressing about it never entered my mind because I could only focus on trying to keep Brady in my womb for as long as possible. But now I'm feeling some pressure and a tad bit overwhelmed.

Three boys, two in diapers, won't be cheap! We still have a few things and clothes we need to purchase for Keller, and we are waiting for our Home Warranty folks to send the funds and get the ball rolling so we can FINALLY get our foundation fixed etc etc.

So I'm going to take a BIG DEEP BREATH again :) and trust without a doubt God is going to provide everything we need! I dont cling to Proverbs 3:5 & 6 for nothing! I know it's true & I know I can trust Him!

Freak out over....for now :P

Keller in 3D!

28 weeks 1 day gestation! I love this lil boy SO much! I cant wait to hold him in my arms!



All snuggled up inside
He was smiling a lot just like Rylan did during his 3d sonogram
Hiding behind his arm & leg
Resting

Christianity is a TEAM sport!

Well leave it to God to have me pour out my heart and then reveal His truths (well some of them) to me :) Almost immediately after my friend blog I received a text from a pal I hadnt really talked to in awhile & it was just a simple bit of encouragement. Which reminded me of a saying that I love, "The smallest deed is better than the greatest intention." Her little text gave me such peace that night which led me to praying for her and her family.

The very next day in what would seem to be random, except I dont believe in random things cause God orchestrates everything, I ran into another gal I hadnt seen in a while we just began chatting and she just asked me to pray for her because she had been in a funk lately, not wanting to go to church even though she loved it but everytime she saw certain people she just felt discouraged. She really couldnt explain her feelings but I was able to share with her what God had been working on me in the last few months. That it isnt PEOPLE we wrestle with. That Ephesians 6:12 says For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. Even with ourselves, we are constantly in a spiritual war where we constantly have to fight against our own sin nature and others. Satan would love nothing more than to keep this lady from church and from other Christian women. I was INCREDIBLY excited to see her at church last Sunday! :)

I could write about EVERYTHING and EVERYONE God has put before me since I poured out everything on here, but I wont...I'll just say that I see what God needed to do in me.

I used to be a professed loner but had gotten too attached to needing people. It's sometimes easier to call up your best friend and vent or brag about what is going on in your life than to lift it up to God first. I had even began relying on my friends to share my feeling with over my own husband. My thought was, "Well they understand me better cause they are women and he is a man." And I know my gal pals can relate to my feelings better cause they're women too, but my husband should know me better than them. I need to share stuff with him so he can pray for me too and know what's going on in my lil woman universe.

Ephesians 6:12 has really helped me not to take things too personally. Also listening to John Piper talk about making war against your own sin. Yes people say and do things that hurt us, but we have to remember they are also in their own spiritual battle and instead of getting too angry with them, we have got to PRAY for them and the battle they're in. This has also taught me PATIENCE! Slowly and surely anyway ;P

Instead of making an immediate decision as to why certain things happen or don't happen I just have to lift up these things to God, pray for the other person, for myself and for the battle we are in. Satan has already been defeated so there is no need to allow him to sneak in and make me are anyone else stumble.

Bro David said something VERY profound Sunday night, "Christianity is a TEAM sport!"

We are not in this world alone! He has made us apart of ONE body, the body of Christ. HE has blessed us with brothers and sisters to sharpen us, to pray for us, to even be our hero when the time comes. Bro. David spoke about King David and how when he went to kill Goliath he had 5 stones, but he only needed to use one.

Later on descendants of Goliath came to kill David and David being a mighty warrior with 4 stones left could have taken them out! But God had a plan for 4 of David's friends to be his hero and kill these descendants for David instead. This probably strengthened their relationships.

So God began to remind me of some ladies who had been my heroes in the last few months. During the most HORRIBLE time of my pregnancy weeks 7-9 when I couldn't even get our of bed or leave the toilet God sent a sweet neighbor to watch my kids for me, my husband missed work and my niece gave up her personal time @ college to come & help me. Others checked in a lot and sent me texts reminding me they were praying for me. And I must say, it wasn't as bad this round as with my previous pregnancies.

One night I was at church feeling completely alone and down trying to put on a happy face at TeenMops when God would orchestrate this AMAZING lady who I had never met before to be my prayer partner. She was my hero that night! I was able to cry to her & felt completely free to just be open and she has been an incredible prayer warrior for me since and God keeps using her and her husband to encourage me at various times.

God also shown me how I have been able to be a hero to others as well. All the while I think I was fighting one battle, it was something else, and God was bringing new people in my life through various things and teaching me so much more about myself and His Word. And He is still teaching me which is how it should be :)

I am so grateful I am not alone in this battle! God is always there and He has blessed me with some amazing brothers and sisters in Christ. All I have to do is reach up to Him, reach out in prayer for others and keep my armor on when enemy tries to lie to me and make me stumble.

Rylan's 1st day of MMO

Well my lil fella is 2 & getting to go to Mom's Morning Out at our church 2 mornings a week. I'm very excited for him to get to play & learn with other lil kiddos his age. I'm extremely grateful that he has my friend Danielle for a teacher! She's a former elementary teacher & a momma of 2 boys so I know without a doubt he is going to learn a lot from her!

It is a lil bittersweet for me. He never throws a big fit when I leave him somewhere but he always gives me these pouty faces like he's saying, "I'd rather be with you mommy!" But I know he is going to love it and Brady & I need the lil break to focus on homeschooling. Plus when baby K gets here Im going to be even more thankful for those Tuesday & Thursday mornings with one less child to have a little break.

Mrs. Danielle told me he had a good day and was very sweet & even sang the Itsy Bitsy Spider for her. His only glitch was when he saw his cousin Britany who is also teaching MMO, out on the playground. Apparently he threw a big fit when he had to leave her, but otherwise had a great day.