Friday, October 24, 2008

frank and friends

We got this idea from Family Fun magazine. We don't usually actually make these ideas we see, but I told myself 'since we're homeschooling, we have time for this, and it can be a little art project.'

So we did it, and they turned out great. The kids had a great time, and are very proud of our creations.


Oh, so Ben's is Frank (notice the bolts in his neck!). Matthew's is the Count. Abby's is the Witch. And Emily's is the Mummy (we did hers for her).

Tuesday, October 21, 2008

one heartbeat at a time

ok, so, we're homeschooling this year.
It's the hardest thing I've ever done.
It is stretching me and pushing me in ways I hadn't imagined. Which is probably why God placed it on our hearts so heavily. I'm sure He's using it in myself in ways I hadn't imagined also.
Anyhow, I've been having to remind myself daily, that this is a choice we've made, and that the sacrifices being made to do this will one day reap benefit in my children's lives. At least that's my prayer.
so then today I got in the car to take Abby to preschool (she still goes because we can accomplish alot without her lurking and waiting for them to be done!) and my Steven Curtis Chapman cd starts playing and it's a song I've never listened to called One Heartbeat at a Time. As I listened to these words the tears started rolling down my face. I'm sure my kids think I'm a lunatic.
Anyways, I so appreciated God's timing for me to really hear this now. Today.

One Heartbeat at a Time
You're up all night with a screaming baby
You run all day at the speed of life
And every day you feel a little bit less
Like the beautiful woman you are
So you fall in bed when you run out of hours
And wonder if anything worth doing got done
Well maybe you just don't know
Or maybe you've forgotten
That you, you are changing the world
One little heartbeat at a time
Making history with every touch and every smile
Oh you, you may not see it now
But I believe that time will tell
How you, you are changing the world
One little heartbeat at a time
With every "I know you can do it"
And every tear that you kiss away
So many little things that seem to go unnoticed
They're just like the drops of rain
Over time, they become a river
You're beautiful, so beautiful
How you're changing the world
One little heartbeat at a time.

Monday, October 20, 2008

5 things I hate to admit...

I've been tagged by Deb, so here goes....

1. I am NOT a morning person (same as Deb), and while I used to do exactly what Deb described; feed my kids breakfast and go back to bed, or even worse, let them get their own (now that they're big enough they can do this) while I was still asleep. It happened all summer. It was sweet, but not my best mothering moment. It's gotten better though. Now that we're homeschooling we're all up and eating together. Not always showered, but up.

2. I am CRAZY about losing stuff. Like, seriously OCD about losing stuff. All other activity ceases until said item is found. Knowing that it's somewhere in the house makes me nuts and usually everyone gets recruited to help find. It's something my kids will definitely remember about me one day. ??

3. I joined Facebook. And am totally freaked out by it, and consequently recently deactivated my account. There were legitimately about 3 people I wanted to connect with from high school or college, and then people I used to know were coming outta the woodwork. It was creepy.

4. I love to shop. I'm good at it, (even my husband thinks so) as I don't make purchases unless I'm getting a deal. well, ok, sometimes I splurge. but only on deserving item. It's one of my few talents.

5. I have an almost 9 year old. This is hard to admit for several reasons. One is that this means I too am getting older. Also, he's now the 'big kid' among several of our friends. Another, which I recently shared with Jason, is that we've had Ben for (almost) 9 years and it has flown. In another 9 years, he'll be close to moving out to college, which right now the thought of breaks my heart.

alright, that wasn't too painful. Now it's your turn......Laura, Amy, and Alicia.

Wednesday, October 15, 2008

another fall tradition

Each fall, we all look forward to Hawkeye Homecoming weekend so that we can go downtown and stake out a spot hours beforehand, and then eat dinner curbside while waiting for the parade. Lots of friends show up to join us; The kids usually play a little catch in the street, as it's all blocked off, and we all dress in Iowa gear and have someone take a family shot to commemorate the year.

It's good times, and I love creating memories like these for our kids. Here's a few of years past....


Sunday, October 12, 2008

fall sports

Ok, so since having kids we've been waiting, and dreading the crazy busyness that life in sports brings. It's really a double-edged sword. It's fun to see your kids enjoying sports, but the runaround it brings is less than thrilling.

Anyways, this year, both boys wanted to try soccer. Sure, that sounds good, and it's always good to try new things right? Well, flag football is also in session and we should have stuck to the preexisting rule. We've had this rule to only have each kid participate in one sport per season, so as to eliminate some of the craziness. Well, I decided to go out on a limb and ignore the rule to let them try soccer. And when signing up, I thought I had it figured out that soccer would be on Saturdays, and football on Sundays. I didn't even think about practices for both, and then after it started I discoverd the mix-up. Only Ben plays soccer on Saturdays. Both football games and Matthew's soccer games are on Sundays. It's my own fault, I brought it on myself. I ignored the preesisting rule. And so now, with just two weeks remaining, it seems bearable. But last Sunday, it all seemed worth it when at football, Ben scored a touchdown, and at soccer, Matthew scored a goal. It was also cool that then on Monday, the verse we were learning about taught about humility and not boasting. A nice reminder to them that "by the grace of God, I am what I am." (1 Corinthians 15:10)

Tuesday, October 7, 2008

what's that?

I got another package yesterday. This time, though, it was something I bought for myself. Mail is still great.

I bought this custom made for me necklace from etsy. "What's that?" you say? yeah, I did too. My friend, Sara, introduced me to it. Actually, she introduces me to all things internet that I now frequent. My husband probably wishes she'd have refrained from sharing this one, as this is the second necklace I've purchased for myself since discovering the site. In any event, the site is very cool. It's all things homemade, for sale. Crafters of clothes, jewelry, you name it, are on this site and they all have their own 'shops' from which they sell their creations. So this is what I have to show for my discovering it....one of two fantastic necklaces. This one is my fave. Of course, it's got my children's names wrapped around it. I love it! It's handstamped. Oh, and on the back, a particularly meaningful to us verse. Deuteronomy 6:5-7, which reads, "Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength. These commandments that I give you today are to be upon your hearts. Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up."

Wednesday, October 1, 2008

how cute is this!?

I got mail the other day! Sara made and sent this scrapbook page capturing our recent trip to CO. It's so cute! It's already framed and hanging in the entryway. I love it! Thanks Sara!