Monthly Archives: June 2012

Practical Tip Thursday: Fun CHEAP Summer Things To Do With Kids

21 Thursday Jun 2012

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Here it is officially summer. We’re all looking for activities to entertain and occupy the kiddos, while not spending a fortune and keeping our sanity. Can we do it? Yes we can!

Here is a link I’ve been saving since last summer and have been meaning to share with you!

14 Frugal Ideas for Spring and Summertime Fun

which led me to this post:

4 Ways to Find Free Activities in Your Local Community

Plus, here is a list of ideas I shared with friends last summer:

101 Things to Do This Summer

Fun Outdoor Summer Activities Ideas List

100 Things to Do Before Kindergarten (except many of them I think are great for any age!)

101 Things Every Kid Should Do Growing Up

44 Things Every Kid Should Do Before Turning 8

Dave Ramsey’s Fun Summer Activities for Kids

Finding Summer Fun Around Town

Here is a gal’s blog that I like, where she has written about summer planning!

Summer Planning

Summer Planning Worksheet

And if you actually really did another crafty thing to add to your to do list, here is a Pinterest Site, all about Summer Lists!

So there is my info and tip for Thursday: create a summer fun plan, to keep you sane. I personally prefer a calendar-style type over a list, but whatever floats your boat will work!

And if you are wondering about our family’s summer plan: SUMMER CAMPS. We are doing Church camp (VBS), a ballet camp, Spanish immersion camp, and soccer camp. For a variety of reasons, one of which being we are very new to the area, and are trying to help our kids get acclimated and make lots of friends, and then also, to get out of the house! We’ve been cooped up together far too much lately. And this mommy is very much looking forward to her mini mommy-vacation!

When we’re not in camp, we’ll be hanging with friends, going to the pool as much as possible, and pretending to get a bit more school work done (we are schooling year-round this year).

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Getting Involved With a Messianic Congregation

20 Wednesday Jun 2012

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One of the best things about homeschooling is how you can utilize the resources around you in your community. I’m a huge fan of this, even before my homeschooling days.

So, when we arrived in DC and began My Father’s World’s 1st grade curriculum. I noticed the first project was to talk about the history of the Bible, specifically about how it began by being written on scrolls. I thought, hmmmm, we’re in Washington, DC, and I just bet one of the Smithsonian museums has a scroll we can go see for real!

And would you believe it? There is not one scroll (available to the public. Only for scholarly study, and it turns out that one isn’t a “Jewish” scroll anyway.) So back this homeschooling mama goes to the Internet. I start looking at local Jewish synagogues, but I don’t want to offend anyone, and I’m not quite sure of the rules. Would we even be allowed to see one?

Then I remembered, back eons ago, when I used to babysit and I once babysat for the rabbi of a Messianic congregation in New York. (Messianic refers to Jews who believe that Jesus is the Messiah, but worship with their Jewish customs and traditions. Somebody correct me if I’ve explained that incorrectly.) And I thought, these folks might be less likely to be offended by a former-Southern Baptist gal bringing her kids in to see a scroll as part of a home school project.

Luckily, I found a wonderful congregation not too far away, that has a fabulously welcoming atmosphere (and actually had homeschoolers in their group, so they “got” that whole bizness.)

And it was amazing. The rabbi spoke so eloquently and both the hubby and I were spellbound by his “preaching.” (Question – is “preach” or “sermon” the proper terms here? Probably not, but remember I grew up Southern Baptist. I don’t know any better, LOL.) He brought out these tiny points of Hebrew (grammar and conjugations) that don’t translate well into the English Bible, explained them, and frankly we both felt like we were truly understanding the real meaning behind a very well-known verse for the very first time. It was awesome.

The service was also VERY child-friendly, and very open, with lots of audience participation! (Which might not mean much to you, unless you come from a “stand up, sit down, stand up, sit down” tradition and you have two very active young children with you.)

Plus, my oldest was able to see a REAL scroll. This particular one was over 400 years old, and was one of the ones that were smuggled out of Poland before WWII. It was beautiful. And I lot bigger than I expected!

We loved our experience there. We have attended a few times, and since we are now living here for a while, we plan to get involved whenever we have a chance. (Just a FYI, the service we attended was long. At least two hours. So if you have small children, bring snacks and drink, perhaps some crayons to keep them occupied if they get restless.)

A few pictures from a service:

If you are using My Father’s World 1st grade curriculum, or any Christian-based curriculum (that specifically studies the history of the Bible), then I would strongly encourage you to investigate your area and see if there is a Messianic congregation or perhaps a regular Jewish synagogue nearby that might be open to visitors. I personally loved the experience of worshiping very similar to how Jesus might have when He was on the earth.

Here are a few links that can give you more information:

What is Messianic Judaism? – very good, detailed explanation

Kehilat Sar Shalom Congregation – this is the Messianic congregation we visited.

Heart of Wisdom’s Biblical Holidays Page – Awesome, awesome resource for helping kids understand Biblical holidays. Lapbooks, coloring pages, games, etc.

Chosen People Ministries – umbrella organization, with lots of good information on their website

What I’ve Learned After Being Married For Eight Years

19 Tuesday Jun 2012

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Today is our anniversary. Hubby and I have been married for eight years. Somehow, that seems odd, how in the world has it been eight years ago we just walked down the aisle?

And also, it feels like it should be a million years.

We’ve lived a lot in those eight years. We’ve lived in over TEN different “abodes” – three of which were hotel rooms for a few months each. We’ve lived in four/five different countries (including Afghanistan for the hubby), and visited over seven on top of those. We have dealt with movers at least fourteen times (and I know I must be forgetting some in there somewhere). We’ve had four different cars. We’ve also had two kids; which means dealing with potty-training two different times, food allergies twice, multiple preschools, and two sets of terrible twos, threes, and fours. We’ve had multiple “short” separations, and one war-zone deployment, several surgeries, sicknesses, and a few hospitalizations. We started homeschooling. We bought a house, and now are long-distance landlords with a renter.

It’s no wonder I constantly consider buying stock in the hair-dye I use!

So, because I am now an expert, (HAHAHAHAHAHA) here is what I’ve learned in my eight years of marriage:

  1. Marriage is FRICKIN HARD. Sure, everyone tells you that before you get married, but this isn’t the “he leaves the top off the toothpaste” kinda hard. It is HARD WORK. Both of you have to accept that, and show up every frickin day and give it all 100% all the frickin’ time.
  2. Marriage needs GRACE AND FORGIVENESS on the table EVERY SINGLE DAY. Because it’s humanly impossible to bring 100% to the table every single day. Cause neither of you are even close to being perfect all the time. Marriage can also open great cans of worms. Everyone comes with their own set of baggage, and marriage is God’s way of opening your eyes to your own suitcase of it, if you’re willing to look and deal with it. So, giving grace and forgiveness to each other while dealing with that suitcase of junk is necessary.
  3. Marriage is FRAGILE. I believe you have to handle your marriage with the same care you would a priceless rare piece of art. With a lot of care. It is so easy to break and destroy and be left with what fragments of what was once great.
  4. Marriage is ENDANGERED. No, this is not the regular political debate I’m going into here. But I do believe “successful” marriages are becoming few and far between and the exception to the norm nowadays. I have personally seen just too many dear people ripped apart by marriages ending and what comes after. And well, it stinks. My heart just breaks and breaks for them, often there is often nothing more I can do. So I’ve come to treat my marriage like it’s an endangered species, needing special protections to keep it safe.

And finally:

Marriage, to the right person, is PRECIOUS. I am so thankful, that even in our very very worst times, that I found that right person for me. We all have those times where we think “What in the world have I done?” – but over and over God has confirmed to me that I found and was found by the exact person He chose for me. And I am so glad that I can consider my life-mate my closest friend.

Marriage is a SAFE HARBOR. I know, that no matter what, my husband is in my corner, supporting me in my wild-brained schemes and ideas. Even when he disagrees with me, he is always on my side. Hubby created this “inside joke” about us being “Team Mendez” (he’s surrounded by girls and is a sports nut – it’s his coping mechanism, haha). Except now the inside joke is more like a family motto. We are a team. Heck, we even have our own cheer!

Marriage is an ADVENTURE. Look at all we’ve done in the past eight years. Would either of us have done all of that on our own? Heck to the double no. And even through the crazy; keeping adventure in mind makes us LOOK FOR THE FUN and enjoy life, doubly appreciating what little bits of sanity and calm that come our way!

Marriages is GOD’S REFINING FIRE. Remember what I said above about all that baggage? Well, being married, and also becoming a parent, has taught me more about myself that I thought possible. It has taught me about prayer and more about God’s love and grace and mercy than I ever knew existed. Being married has made my walk with Christ better than it could have been without it. But please note: that does say fire. Fire is not always fun. But it is often a tool to make things stronger than before.

Marriage is LOVE. Marriage has taught me more about love than I could have ever learned in a book. Living love, accepting love, giving and sharing that love with others. Even though when we first married I knew about love and felt love, I think it took the passage of time to truly understand love and the depths of love.

Yeah, we haven’t had a picture of us together without kids in it in quite a long time!

So, Happy Anniversary to my hubby. I love you. May the next eight years be even more wonderful and fulfilling, though hopefully slightly less chaotic???

Yeah, I got quite a chuckle outta that one, too. Ah well, one can dream, right?

MFW Homeschool Highlights

18 Monday Jun 2012

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I have these cute pictures of our “science class” from when we were staying in the hotel that I just had to share.

That week’s lesson was on flowers – how a flower grows and the parts of a flower. So, after reading our “lesson” we walked across the street to a nursery, bought a flower and brought it back to dissect it!

After pulling the plant out of the soil and knocking all the dirt off, we used our magnifying glasses to identify the different parts of the plant:

And well, we played with the magnifying glass quite a bit too!

Be sure to check out what others are doing in MFW by heading on over to 2 Ladybugs and a Lizard.

First Things First: Steady My Heart

11 Monday Jun 2012

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Wish it could be easy
Why is life so messy
Why is pain a part of us
There are days I feel like
Nothing ever goes right
Sometimes it just hurts so much

But You’re here
You’re real
I know I can trust You

Even when it hurts
Even when it’s hard
Even when it all just falls apart
I will run to You
Cause I know that You are
Lover of my soul
Healer of my scars
You steady my heart
You steady my heart

I’m not gonna worry
I know that You got me
Right inside the palm of my hand
Each and every moment
What’s good and what gets broken
Happens just the way that You plan

But You’re here
You’re real
I know I can trust You

Even when it hurts
Even when it’s hard
Even when it all just falls apart
I will run to You
Cause I know that You are
Lover of my soul
Healer of my scars
You steady my heart
You steady my heart

And I will run to You
You’re my refuge in Your arms
And I will sing to You
Cause of everything You are
You steady my heart
You steady my heart

Even when it hurts
Even when it’s hard
Even when it all just falls apart
I will run to You
Cause I know that You are
Lover of my soul
Healer of my scars
You steady my heart
You steady my heart

I’m not gonna worry
I know that You got me
Right inside the palm of my hand

I finally got around to updating my iPod and ordering Kari Jobe’s newest CD. And man, was this song timely and so needed! I just keep listening over and over, kindof like my mantra these past few days.

The weekend was good and it was cool getting to go to a home school convention. Yet at the same time, it was very hard because my husband wasn’t there and I really wanted to share that experience with him. I am not handling this separation as well as I did the past ones, I’m afraid. And then, coming home and thinking Sunday would be better because we would be home, and well, it just wasn’t. Not that anything bad happened, it was just one of those “overwhelmed” days. I think honestly I just just been trying to be “supportive” for too long and it had just built up and been bottled up for far too long, and listening to the speakers over the past few days just shook it all loose. Have you guys ever gone through that? Please tell me you have, so I’m not the only crazy one!

So today, with some sleep and some coffee, I am determined to try yet again. One thing that came up for me yesterday during my secret cryfest during naptime, was that I think I need to forgive God. I know, right? God doesn’t need forgiveness, at all, and at first the thought felt preposterous. But, I realized that I am ANGRY still, angry that my life isn’t going the way it was supposed to be, that my decisions (so very carefully thought about and tested and prayed about) have worked out so very differently than they “should have.” And I’m still working my way through that resentment and “ticked-off-ness.” I kept asking for forgiveness for those feelings, but I need to accept and “forgive God” for not making any sense right now before I can release them and be free. I need to be able to trust that this all makes sense to Him, and He does have control of the situation and there IS a point and there IS a purpose. I am trying. I am going to go back to the Breaking Free book by Beth Moore and just start over, trying to work my through those verses again. And again. And again. And I’m going to just repeat the words of this song until finally it just sticks, and it all “works.”

Beyond that, this week is going to be filled nonstop. The girls will start their round of summer camps next week with two weeks of “church camp” (VBS is thrown in there as well). So I’m trying to get in as much school as I can this week before the melee starts. Then add in finishing unpacking, laundry, groceries, work, and just cleaning up the mess of this place, and I’m going to be a little gerbil on the wheel this week. Next week should be easier, with the girls and I have a MUCH NEEDED break from each other and I hope to get a lot of my writing and business work caught up and done in my free time then. I would really like to reward myself sometime soon with the chance to organize my scrapbooking stuff and possibly even scrapbooking???? Well, we’ll see if we can get to that point.

PS. If you are looking for how to imbed YouTube videos into WordPress, here are the instructions. And to format the song so the lines are spaced so far apart, look here. I’m mainly adding this here so I can find it again later! It’s amazing what you can find in the help section, LOL!

Lessons Learned From My First Homeschool Convention

09 Saturday Jun 2012

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Well, here I am – just returned from HEAV’s (Home Educators Association of Virginia) conference. This is my first chance to attend a home school convention and here are a few of my lessons learned.

1. Pack half of what you need, and then cut that by half. Really.

2. Don’t expect to actually to get anything done afterwards in the evenings in the hotel. You’re going to be brain-dead. Or exhausted from hauling your loads of junk around. So why pack it in the first place? Just leave it all at home.

3. WEAR COMFY SHOES WITH LOTS OF SUPPORT. Trust me, no one here is going to look at your feet and no one will care if your sneakers match your outfit in the least. In fact, they will probably be looking very longingly at your feet, wishing they were wearing comfy sneakers too. And remember, you’re talking of two days of walking around carrying tons of junk.

4. There is a reason that they recommend you bring a cart on wheels. ‘Cause you will be carrying lots of junk. I had one of my new Thirty-One Gifts Large Utility Totes, and about killed myself. First of all, because the bag will just hold too much stuff and I am apparently a wimp. But also, because I had it up over my shoulder all day long. Even my “briefcase purse” that I’m using today is tiring. (Gots lots of complements on them though! And being a girl, I did enjoy getting complements on my bags and my purse!)

5. Labels with your contact info. That was recommended on a blog post I read, and I’m so glad I did this. This is great for filling out all those “Enter to Win” forms. Peel, stick, and you’re done. Saves a lot of writers’ cramp.

6. Business cards with contact info on it to share with other people. I learned this eons ago from when I used to go to conferences with another direct-selling company and it was wonderful. However, I was completely SHOCKED at how many people were so surprised when I was able to hand them my contact info after we met. AND, by how many didn’t even offer to reciprocate. Like every single person I met (that wasn’t trying to sell me something in the exhibition hall). No one even offered to write down their email and exchange that.

7. MEET NEW PEOPLE! Don’t only talk to the people you know! Please, please, please, step outside your pretty little comfort zone box and talk to someone new. Because that someone new might have come by herself with two small children, might be new to the area and not know a soul, and might just be STARVING for friendship. Take a chance, and go a step beyond the polite conversation in the Starbucks line! That “nice gal I briefly met” might be a wonderful encouragement to you, or perhaps be your chance to be God’s arms and give her a huge hug after an emotional session!

8. Come ready for God to speak to your heart and stir your soul. Really. PACK KLEENEX PACKETS. Bring extras to share to bless the gal next to you. Bring extra pens to share, and paper (cause I forgot my pad in one session and had to scribble on a scratch paper). Pray for those around you. Look for God working in the room, and offer up prayers and praise in support. And set aside a few minutes of quiet time partway through each  day to just deal with what He is bringing up in your own heart. Trust me, you’re going to need it. And plan some alone time after you get home to just process all that you took in while there. It’s just an overload of stuff.

9. Take copious notes. And then buy the convention recordings.

10. SLEEP. Don’t worry about anything else in the evenings except showering and sleeping. You are going to need the extra sleep to deal with all the emotional energy you are going to be expending. And carting around of stuff like heavy curriculum books and impulse purchases. I wish I was kidding! (Surely, I’ll behave better next year, right? As all this won’t be so new???? Oh well, I can dream.)

11. Check the room before you leave. Have someone else check it, then wait five minutes and check it again. I did all this and still left my nice Tempur-Pedic pillow there. Doh! I was losing things all weekend. I blame it on the sleep deprivation.

12. Take extra bags to bring stuff home in! My Thirty-One Gifts Large Utility Totes came is so handy when it was time to come home! Everything I got – books, brochures, whatever, was easily shoved into one tote, the girls toys and pillows in another, etc. The collapse completely when not using them and take up almost no room. So that’s why I like them. Well, that and they’re cute.

13. Okay, I know I’m supposed to say something about staying on budget, blah blah blah. Coming with your list and your money and sticking to it. Well, I didn’t follow my own advice, so I’m definitely not going to be the one to tell you to! HA! At the very least before you go, make a list of “must haves” and review what you already have so you don’t buy duplicates.

14. Take advantage of the experts there! While there, I was able to sit down and talk to several different ladies about my children and their educational/ developmental needs. I got some fabulous advice and information that really helped me feel like we are now in a position to conquer the dreaded math facts instead of them conquering us! Plus, I talked to several people about missionary work around the world, legislative work at both the state and federal level, and what science kits would be appropriate for our current age levels. Soak up the knowledge of the pros while you can!

15. Use childcare. At the HEAV convention, the “kids room” started at age five, and I didn’t want to split up my girls. Plus, there was absolutely NO WAY I was taking a three year old into lecture hall sessions with me for eight straight hours! That would have been pure torture for both of us. So, I bit the bullet, worked my contact list and found a college student babysitter. My girls were thrilled, and I got to really focus on the task at hand. It was a pretty price to pay, but worth it. I am hoping by next year I have figured out a cheaper option, but for this weekend, it worked out well for us. The moms/parents who were hauling around multiple toddlers and older kids and still trying to listen to the speakers while keeping the rug-rats happy and quiet — I honestly don’t know how they heard or concentrated on a thing. (I am not talking about breastfeeding infants.) I hope that next year HEAV creates a (potty-trained) preschooler room, where at least they can go and play safely, even if the parent has to go with them.

 
So there ya’ go. My 15 lessons learned from this weekend. And now, I am going to go crash in my very own bed and sleep like a rock until the chickadees wake me up at the crack of dawn tomorrow!

Please Forgive Me for Being Silent Lately.

06 Wednesday Jun 2012

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Please forgive my absence lately. Hubbie is out of town, again, which is leaving me to do the single-ish mom thing, again, and by the time I sit down to write, I’m either brain-dead or unconscious in bed. Homeschool, dealing with a new house, visitors, business picking up, having to get groceries and throw food at the kids occasionally – it all adds up into one busy me.

That is not to say there isn’t a lot going on in my life that I don’t want to share with you. In fact, I often write posts in my head as I work things out thinking about them. It’s really too bad I don’t actually ever write them down for real, because I think some of them were quite brilliant before I forgot them!

Also, God is working in my heart and telling me something. I hear it, I just haven’t figured out exactly what He is saying or what it means yet. But I’m trying.