summer schedule

As you know, summer break (summer vacation) is in full swing around here. Normally it is just that, a vacation...for the first day, that is. But it is never long before I hear, "I'm bored." "There is nothing to do." "Can we go to mamaw's?" Then our "vacation" ends and the arguing begins.

I had decided awhile ago that I was going to do things differently this summer. I feel like after 9 months of getting up early, going off to school for 8 hours and schedules that summertime should be a time where we can ALL (that includes me) relax, maybe sleep in some, do a little bit of nothing (especially after the year I had with Hannah). But who am I kidding? Is any of that even possible with three kids? I'm finding out it isn't. So I started thinking about schedules, chores, and activites we can do this summer to keep us all busy with fun things but also get the things done that need done and maybe get alittle relaxation in also.

Normally our schedule is made for us bc of school. So scheduling the days' activities is a new thing for me. I like just going with the flow but for my kids that would involve sitting in front of an electronic all day. And I'm not having it. But I didn't really know what to do. I knew the things I wanted in the schedule (chores, worksheets, quiet time, a bike ride (yes, that is on the schedule every morning), outside time and even a crafty time (the kids have been begging me to get out the moonsand) but that was about it.

But the Lord has a strange way of helping us out when we need Him. This morning I was up quite awhile before the kids and since Abigail has been sick, I decided I better get a head start on the laundry that was piled in the chair in our room. So I pulled up my Focus on the Family app (which I HIGHLY recommend) and scrolled through the recent broadcasts to find something to listen to while I did laundry. I ended up picking "Summer survival tips for parents." What a help it was! I got a lot of great ideas. So now I am pretty excited to start a schedule and not hear "I'm bored" every single day.

Happy summer!!

Just one thing

SCHOOL'S OUT FOR SUMMER!!!!

Carry on.

What would YOU do?

Uh oh! I've been thinkin' again! =)

What would you do if you were suddenly given the news that you only had a short time left to live? Or even worse, if you were given news that your spouse or child only had a short time to live? Would you beg for God not to take the person away from you? Would you beg not to be taken? I know I would. I don't know about you but as much as I hate this old sinful world, I really want to see my kids grow up. I really want to be their mom forever. I want to be that 80 yr old couple with Brad sitting on the front porch holding hands all day. I don't want Brad to have to explain to our kids why I am gone.

There has been a lot of sickness and pain for a lot of people around me lately. I can't help but wonder what it would be like to loose a family member. I can't help but wonder what I would do, how I would handle it (if I wasn't the one dead, obviously).

All this thinking reminded me of a sermon I heard on the radio one day within the past couple of months. I don't remember the preacher or much about the sermon except this one statement: (in my own words) if there is anything in this world that makes you not want to go to heaven, that thing is more important to you than God or you could say your priorities are messed up. That has stuck with me. I think of it often. I don't want my priorities to be messed up but I have to admit, I can't truthfully say I would rather go to heaven than be here with my family.

This is something I need to work on. Thoughts, my friends?

What's up?

Here's what's up:

Brad worked in Columbus Monday-Thursday last week. Ryan cried just about every night at bedtime bc he missed his daddy. I'm learning more and more about that crazy little boy every day. He is so sensitive and caring under the rowdy exterior. =)

We managed to make it thru four days alone. Surprisingly, I don't remember much about it. On Thur I got the house cleaned up and packed everything for an overnight stay in Cols. We met Brad up there, stayed in a hotel so the kids could swim and went to the zoo on Friday before heading home.

Oh yeah, Thur was also Ryan's last day of preschool. For awhile he said he wasn't going to kindergarten but I think the idea is warming up on him.

Brad has to spend the week in Cols again this week. I don't like to brag but I am going to get off subject for a mintue. I am so proud of my husband. He has such amazing work ethic that I can't wait to see be instilled in our son. I don't know the specific details about this job he is working on in Cols but I know they wanted him to come work on it. They didn't just ask for someone in our office, they wanted Brad. That has to mean something. He is working on an elevator in a 23 story building, something we don't have much of around here. Every elevator job is dangerous but this is even more dangerous. Pray for his safety this week and that he uses the wisdom God gave him to do his job right. Also to get it done so he doesn't have to go back next week. =) On top of that, he called me this morning to let me know he was feeling sick; fever, sore throat, body aches. But he is pushing on and not letting it slow him down.

Abigail is getting another tooth. You have probably heard me complain about this before. She becomes a monster when a new tooth is trying to come in. So she has been a grouchy, whiny mess the past couple days.

Hopefully the next few days will go by quickly and painlessly for all of us!

P.S. Did you notice I have paragraphs now? I am happy to report I figured it out all by myself. (it is under options) =)

Offically offical

Well, I have debated for a long time about writing this post. I want it to be out there but never knew the right way to go about it and didn't want to be judged by all my home school friends who read this. Now that the school year is basically over and things are official, I guess it is time to get it out! We have requested that Hannah repeat 2nd grade next year. She had a very hard year this year. I am blaming a lot of it on her teacher but I also know that I should have initiated more communication with her. After we put her on ADD medication (after thorough testing) she made a remarkable turn-around in her ability to focus and get her work done. Her grades didn't improve much but her ability to work made great strides. For the first half of the year we didn't know what was going on. Once we found out she was spending half an hour of extra time working on her papers every day and still hardly getting her name wrote on her paper, we decided we had to do something about it. She was loosing recess everyday and the work was just piling up, therefore she was getting horrible grades. Homework took us hours and included lots of crying from her and I. All she would say was, "I can't." For the first 5 months we thought she just wasnt' trying. After further questioning and proding from her dr we found out she really couldn't! Her mind was constantly racing and she just couldn't get anything down on paper. I felt like a horrible mother for not knowing something was wrong. I was against medication at first but realized quickly that there was no other answer for her. Her teacher obviously wasn't going to change anything to help her, Hannah was already going to special classes to get one on one help from other teachers and there just wasn't anything else to do for her except let her fail or try the meds. Praise the Lord she didn't have any reactions and they didn't make her a zombie or anything crazy like you hear. It has been the best thing for her. She never has homework bc she finishes in class. Like I said, her grades didn't improve that much and she is still a slow reader. That is why we decided it would do more harm than good to send her on to third grade. I had the final meeting earlier this week with the principal and her teacher. Her teacher said that in 30 yrs of teaching she has never had one parent request to have a child held back. I believe that bc it was such a hard choice! I was undecided for a long time. I was in earnest prayer about it for probably a month. I never felt the Lord telling me what was right. I talked to other teachers and parents and even got advice from my parents! Brad and I talked about it more than once. He really wanted her to go on. I didn't but went with his final decision since he is the leader of the house and I know he had been praying about it as well. I just kept asking God why He wasn't telling me what was best. So I sent the note to school saying she could go on. I knew while I was writing it that it was the wrong choice. For a week I fought with myself about it. And then suddenly I knew God had been telling me what we should do just through my gut feelings and insticts as Hannah's mother. I said to Brad, "I have to change my mind. Going on is the wrong choice." He wasn't mad or anything. I think secretly he knew it was the right choice also. You don't know the feeling I had after our meeting was over the decision was offically offical. =) It was like a huge weight lifted off my shoulders. A burden gone. I learned to trust my instinct as a way God talks to me. Of course, I don't think every time I have a feeling, it is God saying something to me. My gut can still be wrong but in this case I don't think it is!!

I can't do it, man!

Someone please tell me how to get back to my dashboard. I can't see if anyone I am following has posted anything!

today

First of all, can I just say that I don't like the new blog layout. It took me forever to get to my "dashboard"." Also, I use my phone a lot and now when I am typing a new blog post (like right now) I can't see anything I am typing without going back a screen. ANNOYING!!! Anyway, that was not the reason for this post. There is no true reason, I guess. I like to think someone out there cares about my busy day but Im not surprised if no one does. So here it is, in a nutshell: Went on a bike ride with the baby Got the truck stuck in the yard Mowed grass, not including the area under above mentioned stuck truck (wish mower style) Fed myself and baby Picked up Ryan from school Picked up Hannah from school an hour later Took kids to mamaw Took dog to vet Came home, dropped off dog Went out to get the kids Hung out and ended up sorting thru pool toys while the kids swam Came home and are subway Put kids in bed and here I am. I'm glad that's over!