CAUSING ANOTHER TO STUMBLE

I was "talking" with someone tonight on another's blog about the "causing another to stumble verse". I went back and read the entire chapter (Romans 14) and realized something I'd never noticed before. Most of the chapter isn't talking about what you cannot do but about NOT JUDGING and exhorting us to "make every effort to do what leads to peace and to mutual edification." Also that we are going to someday answer to God for our actions, so there is no need to judge each other.



Let's just take the example of drinking here. Notice I'm not debating whether it's right or wrong. It's just an example. When some Christians hear that another Christian drinks in small quantities (say wine after dinner or a beer with the guys) they automatically pull out the old "you should never do that because you could cause another to stumble" argument. If we were painfully honest many of us would realize that this argument is usually used to judge someone's behavior, not as a genuine concern for the weaker brethren. I am NOT saying that we should use our freedom to do whatever we want without any regard for others but let's not use our weaknesses (or strengths) to judge someone else's behavior either. If you are truly having a hard time with something another brother/sister is doing then approach them lovingly, respectfully, in humility and talk with them about it. Don't scream "I am offended by your behavior so you should just stop it." Um, no. Your offence is your problem. You are offended about something that doesn't really concern you. It's between that person and the Lord. Again, if you are truly concerned about this person's witness being jeopordized then talk with him/her. Find out where they are coming from. Explain your concerns in humility.

"If your brother is distressed because of what you eat, you are no longer acting in love. Do not by your eating destroy your brother for whom Christ died." If you are truly distressed by another sister/brother's behavior then tell them. However, make sure that you are really distressed; not irritated, offended, perturbed, etc. Romans 14:19-"Let us therefore make every effort to do what leads to peace and to mutual edification."

Romans 14: 1-4 "1 Accept him whose faith is weak, without passing judgment on disputable matters. 2 One man's faith allows him to eat everything, but another man, whose faith is weak, eats only vegetables. 3 The man who eats everything must not look down on him who does not, and the man who does not eat everything must not condemn the man who does, for God has accepted him. 4 Who are you to judge someone else's servant? To his own master he stands or falls. And he will stand, for the Lord is able to make him stand."



If you are truly making someone stumble or distressed then, by all means, "If your brother is distressed because of what you eat, you are no longer acting in love. Do not by your eating destroy your brother for whom Christ died" (Romans 14:15)

"Do not destroy the work of God for the sake of food. All food is clean, but it is wrong for a man to eat anything that causes someone else to stumble. It is better not to eat meat or drink wine or to do anything else that will cause your brother to fall." (Romans 14: 20-21)



In closing I'd like to say:

Romans 14:22&23-"So whatever you believe about these things keep between yourself and God. Blessed is the man who does not condemn himself by what he approves.But the man who has doubts is condemned if he eats, because his eating is not from faith; and everything that does not come from faith is sin. "



If you have a clear conscience to "drink alcohol" (remember just an example) then do it. If someone is distressed and they tell you- stop. However, don't tell someone to stop doing something because it simply offends you. That's not a good way to live at peace. Strive for unity. Think of others better than yourself.

That's all I have on that. Hope it came across clearly. It's late and I must go to bed. Blessings!- Angela :)

Last Game

The boys had their last game of the season last night. They both tried really hard during the game. The other team was really on top of things though so our team didn't have a chance. Judah took about 2 steps and got surrounded by the other team. Most of the other boys had the same thing happen to them. Thomas did get a break away and went for a touchdown. He missed it by 10-20 yards though. He is the second smallest boy on our team so it was great to see him get such great yardage. I think the small thing worked to his advantage. They couldn't tell who had the ball until Thomas busted through the line and took off down the field.

We went out to dinner after the game. We just went to Quincey's but we had a great time. Eating out is not always relaxing because of the boys but last night was surprisingly pleasant. Nobody had to leave the table. They all ate well. Gideon didn't fuss. It was very nice. The boys like when we eat at buffets because they can pick which food they want. Plus, there is an ice cream machine so they try to eat pretty decently. :):)

Today was a horrible day but I won't lament about it tonight. I'm just glad it's OVER! PMS! (truly) Just when I thought it couldn't get any worse (really) Gideon found a bottle of Clorox Clean-up I forgot to put away and turned it over in my bedroom. The carpet was already an offwhite so the bleach stain wasn't such a big deal. I was horrified when I saw what he was doing and that he had ruined one of the only outfits that fits him well right now; but I was REALLY horrified when he pointed to his mouth like he had drank some. I smelled his mouth. He had. Probably not much from the looks of the saturated carpet but I did call the poison control people. They said not to worry unless he developed sores around his mouth or vomited unnaturally. (they said a little was normal) All night he acted fine and drank milk (poison control suggestion) and ate some so apparently he didn't burn his esophagus. sigh. Thankfully they are all in bed now- TOMORROW IS ANOTHER DAY! Goodnight everyone! Blessings!- Angela :)

BUSY BUSY BUSY!!!

Sorry, that it's been over a week since my last post. Things have been a bit busy here; plus we all have colds. :( It's not really a bad cold overall so I really can't complain. It just makes things move a little slower.
Here's a short recap pf what we have been up to, besides all the housecleaning and regular stuff. Saturday October 20th we had a family outside work day. We put mulch around some trees, spread wood chips under the kids' playground, and some other things I didn't help with. I'm not sure what else they did after I went inside with Gid. Sunday (th 21st) we went to church and then hung out. It was a really nice family weekend. Mon-Friday was a little rough. I don't know what it is. I am in the typical homeschool slump. I have the homeschool blahs. So, we did a couple of fall crafts last week. We gave history a break for a few weeks (I kept overlooking it.-oops) but we will be putting it back in this week. It will work out ok I think. We are about to start learning about the Pilgrims so that will coincide nicely with Thanksgiving. I am hoping to write a SUPER SHORT skit for them to do for Daddy one night close to thanksgiving. One of them can be the Indian and one can be a pilgrim. We are also going to do some leaf gathering in the next couple weeks. We have several crafts we can do with leaves. Every year I find fall more and more fun. I think it's the things the boys and I can do together that makes me appreciate it even more. Anyway, back to our update. So, last week was a blah week in the homeschool dept. but we did manage to get the housework done so that was good. Last Wednesday evening (as I was stepping into the shower before church) a pipe broke near the well. We had no water. I took the boys to church and went over to Walmart to buy about 6 gallons of water. The plumber was supposed to show up Thurs. AM but you never know so I wanted to be prepared. He did show up Thurs morning but he just glued the pipe and about 6 hours later (when I was about to step into a much needed shower) it broke again. SIGH. Michael took a look at it and fixed it for us- and it's held ever since. YEAH! Good man! This past weekend was another family oriented weekend. (We really love those. They don't always happen because of the business.) We went to the Martin fall festival. I almost finished my Christmas shopping there so that was GREAT! The boys had a great time and so did we. After the festival we took a drive up to the Cleveland/Helen area to see the trees. They aren't as pretty this year but we're so far behind on water I didn't expect them to be. It was still a nice drive. We got out at the Smithgall Woods Conservation place and did a 1.6 mile hike. That was really nice. Then we headed back home and had dinner and cake. Judah won a cake at the cakewalk they had at the festival. He was really excited about that! Really excited!!Yesterday we skipped church because of the colds and tried to rest, as much as you can with 3 young boys. LOL I made some homemade potato cheese soup for dinner. YUM YUM!!
Today is going pretty well. We had leftover bread pudding I made last night for breakfast, then we did English. We will do some read aloud later this afternoon. We started taking the wallpaper down in the dining room. All the boys helped. They had a blast. I am now removing the glue part but it's slow because some IDIOT didn't prime the drywall before hanging the wallpaper. Grrrr. Oh well. I figure I'll do a little bit every day this week and maybe next Monday I can start painting. Yeah!!
Gotta go get some laundry put in the washer. Have a wonderful week. :):)
Blessings!- Angela :)

FASTING

I thought I would do a post on fasting. I am by no means an expert on the subject and I'm not actually going to talk about theology here. The Lord has just been calling me, for the last several years, to incorporate fasting into my lifestyle. I am talking about fasting and praying here, not fasting for health reasons; although I know people who do that too. :)



Before a few years ago I had not fasted much. There was a reason for it. It was not a purely selfish one.

I was anorexic for part of Jr. High and most of High School. I got better before college but still had some eating issues until about 3 years ago. For the last 12 years or so I have been attaining freedom in the body image area. While I was focusing on freedom, through Christ, I had a really hard time fasting because lots of old habits and old mindsets would come back up. During that time I felt that the Lord understood why I couldn't fast (food) and knew that my heart was such that if I could I would. Since attaining much freedom the last 3 years have been rich in the fasting area. I don't always enjoy it. I don't always come out of the experience on a spiritual high. I DO know that, many times, fruit from the times of fasting comes up at a later date. :) I LOVE FOOD! (I always did. Even when I was starving myself.) So, fasting is not easy for me although I used to be a pro at not eating. I remember one fast where my appetite was out of control crazy and I said something like, "FOR HEAVENS SAKE! I used to fast for purely selfish reasons surely I can go a few days for JESUS!"

I have been participating in the Bridegroom Fast this year. (I was on and off in the last couple of years.) For those of you who are unfamiliar with it, click here http://www.ihop.org/Group/Group.aspx?id=1000012476

for some great info on it. I have found my bride/bridegroom relationship with Jesus getting deeper and deeper and I LOVE IT! It gives me a chance to focus on HIM and NOT on ME! It's not always fun (though at times it's a BLAST) but it's always fruitful.

Here are some funny things I've thought regarding fasting lately:



YOU KNOW YOU'RE FASTING WHEN:

1. You really look forward to brushing your teeth because at least you get to taste the toothpaste.

2. The crust of your kid's peanut butter sandwich, that has fallen on the floor, looks amazing.

3. Your family wants to know how many days until the fast is over so they can enjoy foods that smell again. :)

4. Your family wants the fast to last forever because they get to eat things you would never eat, such as Macaroni and Cheese mixed with hotdogs. :):)

5. Your kids look at the special juices in the fridge and ask when they can fast too. (That would be when I'm doing longer liquid fasts.)

GOOD THINGS THAT HAPPEN WHEN YOU'RE FASTING

1. You get SO MUCH more done than normal because you aren't stopping to eat; or trying to figure out how to eat with all the kids around.

2. You spend more time in Worship, Prayer, and Scripture.

3. The out of control sugar cravings cease during a longer fast.

4. You feel more in tune with the Holy Spirit. You spend more time listening to His voice.

5. You get to deny your flesh. (This one doesn't always, or hardly ever, feel good but it IS GOOD!)

I'm sure there are more but those are the ones I can think of now. :)

Gotta run. Probably won't post till Monday. I sing at church tomorrow morning, then we have a Sunday School Picnic in the afternoon, and it's family time till bed. :) Hope that everyone has a WONDERFUL weekend!

Blessings!- Angela :)

Non Confrontational Post

This is for those who only want to keep up with my life and not my thoughts. LOL

Saddle up DeeAnn...cuz this one's for YOU baby!

Tonight our boys had their first football game. The season (games) actually started the day after we left for Cali, last month, but this is the first one our boys have gotten to play. Their team, the Raiders, had 4 games while they were gone. The boys were REALLY upset about this by the way. They wanted to be here for the games. (Hopefully that whole team spirit and responsibility to commitments will stick with them as they get older. ) I'm tending to babble tonight...bear with me.
So, after we returned to Georgia, their first two games were rained out. BIG BUMMER for the boys. They almost cried, both times.
Today, they suited up as I bit my fingernails because the sky looked like it could open at any minute. However, it didn't rain so they got to PLAY. Judah got a touchdown for his team and Thomas ran some amazing yardage, just barely missing a touchdown, at one point. They were both proud of themselves and they had so much fun!! I WISH WISH WISH I had brought the video camera but I was afraid that it would rain and then I would have brought it for nothing. :( My bad.
The funny part of the whole thing was Thomas' reactions to stuff. This was part of my and Thomas' conversation as we were putting on our shoes to leave for the game.

Me- You have to play REALLY well tonight. Be TOUGH. Play hard. You're playing another team tonight.

Thomas- Why?

Me- So you can see who will win.

Thomas- Why?

M- Just try to score as many points as you can.

T- Why?

M- Because that's what you do in a game.

T- Why?

Me- (giving up and laughing) Just have fun and play hard, okay.

T- Okay!

LOL- After he almost got the touchdown he didn't even seem like he realized it. He turned around, stuck his finger in his mouth, and walked the ball back to his team. It was hilarious.
Judah, who is much more competitive and tends NOT to have his head stuck in a cloud somewhere, was STOAKED after his touchdown.

For those of you who are concerned... I'm not teaching my boys that winning is everything. BUT, if you play- PLAY TO WIN! If you lose but you gave it everything you had then that's perfectly OK. If you lost because you didn't try, then that's not good because you weren't giving something your all. :)
Don't everyone flame me. I also talk about having FUN!
Winning is FUN! LOL Just, Sort of, Kidding!!
Ok, at this point in the post it is OBVIOUS that I need to go to bed. Goodnight, Sleep tight, and don't bite the bedbugs!- Angela :)

One Last Thing

I feel I'd be remiss in not posting this since I have posted things I have come across on the other side. So, this is the last one on this for awhile. I said in my last post that "The sad part is that a lot of the blogs from the EC don't hold the Scripture as relevant to "today's culture" and are putting strange spins on the Word of God. "

Here is an EC church's web site I found tonight that laid out their creed as well as some other really great stuff. Here's the link...check them out. http://thenakedchurch.net/ You can click on WE BELIEVE to read their creed.
I SO much respect their desire to meet people where they are at (Like Jesus when he ate in the homes of the tax collectors, etc.). I also respect their desire to reach out to the poor (Another big thing I see God telling us to do.).
I love authenticity so I thought the whole NAKED thing was great too. :) Click on the NAKED link. It's worth reading.
Also, since I am a very creative and artsy person by nature that side was neat too. :)
My point here is to not only be fair (to them) but also to be selective in adopting something. I wouldn't go for the EC church as a whole because they/I have great differences in Biblical interpretation but I WILL say that their lifestyle of being the church where they are at, building relationships, reaching the "unlovely", and the humility in their speech when they say that they are on a spiritual journey and don't have the Bible all figured out yet seems, to me, to be right on the money. :) In fact, reading the website reminded me a whole lot of... Jesus.

OK I'm done! Blessings everyone! Love, Angela :)

Sorry Y'all

Sorry that it's been a few days since I posted. I have been reading the blogs I normally read though. I just wanted to think some things through before putting in my own opinion on the matters. Also, it was going to get long (I know y'all are SHOCKED at that-LOL) so I thought I'd post on my own blog.



First of all I am still researching the Emergent Church so this is not all written in stone. I am coming to some conclusions but they are not permanent ones.



The post that Catrina put up here: http://travelstocertainty.blogspot.com/2007/10/im-at-it-again.html is actually the second post on the subject. Scroll down to read the first one first. :)



This post by Tonya http://thekissackfamily.blogspot.com/2007/10/seeker-freindly.html



could have totally been written by me. In fact, for a second, I thought I wrote it!! Just kidding but it is REALLY along the same lines that I am currently thinking. HOWEVER,

Christy's comments on Catrina's posts got me to thinking too about how there are so many different branches in different denominations. Let's take the label Charismatic Christian for example...some people would get a picture of a community of believers who are passionate in worship, devoted in lifestyle, believe in the gifts of the Spirit; while other people would get a picture that looks more like: shallow, flighty, passion without character. It all depends on the experiences you've had with those who may fall under that label.

One reason why I do not like labels. :):)

The one thing I REALLY like about the emergent church is their missional style of Christianity. On so many levels I think that they are nailing that area.

The sad part is that a lot of the blogs from the EC don't hold the Scripture as relevant to "today's culture" and are putting strange spins on the Word of God. I'm sure that that does not apply to all who classify themselves as emergents. Do I think that all of us are ever going to agree on every aspect of Scripture?- Nope! Do I enjoy having discussions, or "conversations" with others regarding Scripture- yep! However, for me, the basis of discussions on Scripture have to begin at the place where the Word is held as the inspired Word of God, not whether it is culturally relevant for today's people.
I just want to put in some Scripture that I read yest that really JUMPED out at me and I want to preface this by saying- THIS IS NOT aimed at any person as a dart. I am not saying that anybody is not a real Christian. That is for God to decide. I just wanted to put down what is in my heart regarding the subject.

Galatians 1:
6I am astonished that you are so quickly deserting the one who called you by the grace of Christ and are turning to a different gospel— 7which is really no gospel at all. Evidently some people are throwing you into confusion and are trying to pervert the gospel of Christ. 8But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach a gospel other than the one we preached to you, let him be eternally condemned! 9As we have already said, so now I say again: If anybody is preaching to you a gospel other than what you accepted, let him be eternally condemned!
10Am I now trying to win the approval of men, or of God? Or am I trying to please men? If I were still trying to please men, I would not be a servant of Christ.


11I want you to know, brothers, that the gospel I preached is not something that man made up. 12I did not receive it from any man, nor was I taught it; rather, I received it by revelation from Jesus Christ.


My point is this: Are we trying to please man or God?



The idea of being culturally relevant and authentic and just plain real to people is GREAT! The pitfall can happen when we get so caught up in making things relevant that we forget who we are. We forget that the BOTTOM line is that we are living for God. We belong to Jesus. We are His servant, heirs, children, and bride.

The Bible and God's ways are foolishness to those who are perishing. They won't always get it. God is the one who opens our eyes and hearts to the gospel. John 6:44- "No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him..."

We don't need to live like the world to be culturally relevant. The Bible is always going to be relevant because it is a love letter written to us by God. In it, we can find His heart. Of course the Holy Spirit also helps us do this. People will always need a Saviour and always need hope.

I'm not going to go on and on about this. I just wanted to throw in my 2 cents.

Please, no more arguing about head coverings. Keep that over at Catrina's.

Oh and DeeAnn if you ever decide to punch Tia you should probably be wearing a head covering!! :):):) LOL LOL
(for those of you who are lost just read the comments on the links in Cartina's blog.)

I will try to put up a non confrontational personal post later today or tomorrow. Love y'all! - Angela :)

Interesting Part 2

I am preaching to the choir for the most part but I still wanted to record my thoughts on the last post. I don't claim to know everything. These are just my observations.





I hardly know where to start.


First of all I have to put a homeschool plug in here. I don't think that homeschool is the ONLY way to go to get the job done but, you have to admit, it does help...To Escape the Neverland thing. People are, all the time, saying that homeschoolers are sheltered and it's not the real world, etc. I don't know how much more real it can get then learning how to function in day to day life plus getting an education at the same time. My boys know what it takes to run a home. They also know some of what it takes to run a business because they are immersed in them while they are educated in "book learning" here at home. Do I think that if you don't homeschool your kids you are not going to be able to teach them to live responsibly- HEAVENS NO!! But you must admit there are definite perks to homeschooling and the responsibility real world thing. :):)





OK back to regular home life.





We try to keep our boys with us and not shove them off into their own little corner somewhere to do their own thing. In the early years the tendency is to get things done quickly and not to involve the toddlers because it makes more work. If you wait until they are able to do jobs, well then, you're starting too late- IMHO. Our 5 year old, 4 year old and even our 21 month old all help around the house. It's just part of being a family. They are learning to work together, to prefer others, and how a household runs at a young age. I have them do almost everything I do, with me, except when using harsh chemicals like bleach. They unload the dishwasher with me, fold towels, unload the dryer, try to sweep floors, wipe down things in the bathrooms, make beds, etc, etc. They were THRILLED when they were told they could learn to dust. They don't (usually) look at chores as just work. They look at them as time to hang out together and make our house a comfortable place to live. (most of the time- LOL) I believe they are starting to understand how to run a household. My husband and I own a small garbage company so the boys help there too. They wash out garbage cans, help Michael load them onto the truck to deliver them, go on routes with him, etc. Make NO mistake... They have plenty of time to PLAY and just be kids. However, they are learning to be responsible around the house and how to run an efficient business. We are also teaching them about putting others first and learning about God and His ways. I think that's equally important.


Someone who is taught that they are not the center of the universe will overall be more responsible than someone who is taught that the world revolves around them. Practically speaking I plan on giving my kids more and more responsibility as they age and show that they are capable of handling it. My parents did that part of my upbringing very well. They just kept letting the rope out gradually as we proved trustworthy and responsible. If we showed that we were immature or not trustworthy we were reigned back in a bit. :):)


Also, like others are doing, we are training them to tithe, save, and give with any money they make. I figure that anything that is taught from an early age is just easier to accept when you are older. Of course, teens and young adults make their own decisions eventually and that's why I'm starting as early as possible on habits I want my boys to have for life; living God centered, others centered, being helpful, being grateful and thankful, LOVING OTHERS, kindness, contentment, PRAYER etc. etc. etc... Now, if I could only model all of those things better. LOL Thank-you LORD for giving my kids your Holy Spirit and for continuing to teach us no matter what age we are.

My wise husband wanted to weigh in on this one so these are his edited thoughts. :):)

Regarding the "kids" who are 25 and are at the "end" of their adolescence... (this is me again- How can you read that and NOT laugh or roll your eyes. It just sounds so ridiculous to me!) Back to Michael, sorry honey-

Michael said that you have to remember that those 25-30 year olds that are still living adolescent lives and are still living in their parents' houses are children of those who grew up in the 60s and 70s. Remember the 70s?- drugs, sex, "freedom", hippy lifestyle etc. Those are the PARENTS of these "children". Is it any wonder that they are saying, "oh, it's OK that you still live at home. No worries, man. Have another joint. (He's NOT saying that every 25 year old "adolescent" is smoking pot. )

I thought it was a valid and interesting point.

Gotta stop now. I must think about making dinner.

Interesting!!

I found this post to be interesting. I just discovered this blog a few weeks ago. I haven't read everything she has written but what I have read...I like a lot. Here is the article. http://terrysoapbox.blogspot.com/2007/10/living-in-neverland.html

I will post my comments on it tomorrow.
Love, Angela :)

Completely Random Information

2 quick leftover stories from our California trip.



Michael and I went to the hot tub (in Mom's gated community) while Judah and Thomas were napping one day. (Michael's mom stayed home with them.) We took Gideon with us and he sat in the stroller while we soaked for a bit. He wasn't completely happy about not being in the water but he was a sport for a little while. OK, so we get in the water and Michael is all excited about the temp and the jets. He said it was one of the best hot tubs he'd ever been in. The temp was nice but while I was talking to him I discovered something that meant MUCH more to me... the acoustics in the room were the BEST I'd ever heard, even in a concert hall. Oh thy were AWESOME!! I "treated" Michael to a solo performance of Pie (that's pEEAA) Jesu from Andrew Lloyd Webber's Requiem. (I did that solo my senior year of high school) I don't do that much classical singing anymore. Anyway, Michael actually liked it. I sang other things too but that song was the BEST in that little echoing room. Oh, and the jets and temp, they were nice too. :):)



Darn! What was number 2...Oh well, maybe tomorrow.



In other news I got to MOW THE LAWN TODAY!!!! Well, part of it anyway! I actually like to mow the lawn for several reasons; #1- It's GREAT exercise, especially on the hills. (uh, I use a push mower. ) #2- I love the smell of freshly cut grass. #3- I love to watch my boys sit/stand in awe of me as I operate a loud "tool". #4- I enjoy the finished product. #5- It's GREAT exercise. It's been awhile since I got to do it because Michael really likes to do it and not just do it but do it THOROUGHLY!! (weed eat, edge, blow the grass off the driveway when you're through, the whole nine yards) He bought a zero turn when we moved here last year. He enjoys it. I, on the other hand, am NOT ALLOWED to use the zero turn. If anyone wants to know why I'll be happy to share why. It's pretty funny. So, I decided to get out the push mower and mow the grass that's closest to the house. (we have at least 2 acres of grass. The rest is woods.) While I was mowing Michael came out and got on his toy, oops, I mean the riding mower and helped out. Now, mind you, I usually try NOT to run over anything with the mower but when I saw the baseball I didn't want to stop to move it, I was on a hill, and I figured that it would go over it anyway because I was cutting on setting 3. OOPS. Not only did it hit it but it got caught, half sliced, on the blade of the mower and the engine cut off. I got the ball off OK with a little work but when I restarted it there was the terrible sound of metal hitting metal. YIKES. Michael was none too pleased. HE came over to take a look. He got a sledge hammer and fixed the metal. I told him what happened. He was pretty upset. I apologized and he told me not to run over anything, "NOT even a piece of PAPER!" (direct quote) before going back to his mowing. The kids were watching the whole exchange and since we are working on their respect with us I tried to say as little as possible. I was trying to appear humble, etc. :):) After Michael walked away Thomas, who was sipping on his water next to me, looks over at me and says,

"It's OK Mommy. It was just an accident."

I replied, "Yes, I saw the ball but I didn't think it would hurt the mower."

Thomas takes a sip of his water, looks back at me and says, "You don't need a spanking mom. You're big now." I almost LOST it!!!! ROFL. I think Michael may have disagreed with him had he been in the vicinity. LOL Anyway, nothing else traumatic happened. I got a great workout. Oh, wait ..Judah did get something in his eye while Michael was blowing the grass off the drive. Whatever it was scratched is eye and for those of you who've had that happen to them you know HOW MUCH it hurts! It hurts to be in bright light, to open your eye, and it FEELS like there is something in it even though there isn't. Please pray for him. He has a football game tomorrow night that he DESPERATELY wants to play in. Pray that God heals him QUICKLY.

Gotta get some sleep.

Blessings!- Angela :)

I Had a Clever Title...

but I have forgotten what it was. sigh.

This weekend we accomplished these things:

1. Michael got a canopy put up over one of the storage doors in the back that will hopefully help keep out rainwater. (the boys "helped" him with that)

2. We worked A LOT on respect with our boys. We knew we had some probs in this area and have been working on them but we had to step everything up about 3 notches. Hopefully, with consistency, we should see some drastic changes soon; quicker obedience, less back-talk, etc.

3. We made it to Sunday School. We were shooting for church but we were having a training session with Thomas at that time. :):):)

4. We went fishing as a family tonight. That was fun except that the fish weren't biting. I usually don't like to fish when nothing is happening but I spent the time watching the boys enjoy themselves, looking around at God's beautiful creation, breathing the fresh air, watching my sexy husband fish, etc. So, I had a good time despite the disappointing fishing.

5. We got the house remotely straightened in preparation for the week.

6. The kids did their Book It reading both yest and today. Yeah!

And, that's about all folks.

Funny little story about the fishing time...
You know that fake "tan in a bottle" stuff. The stuff that turns your skin orangish? My feet look like that only I haven't used the fake tan cream.
The lake is about 8 feet down. So, that means, it has pulled quite a bit away from the shoreline. We were fishing near the edge but the sand/mud was soft in places. We were trying to stand on the firm stuff but Thomas yelled to me that his pole was in the water. Of course I took off running to help him, lost a shoe in the mud, sunk down 1- 1 1/2 feet as I was running to help him, and managed to cut my foot on a shell or something at that time. Turns out, his pole wasn't in the water but his line was tangled around a tree root and he couldn't get it out. I guess he meant that his LINE was in the water and he couldn't get it out. LOL Anyway, my feet are stained from the red clay/sand/mud I sunk down in. Lovely. I would get a pic but I'll spare you the details. You'll just have to imagine it. The cut didn't end up being any big deal.

Gotta get some sleep.

I'll write more this week. Blessings everyone!!- Angela :)

Pics from School Today

Thomas' coloring for today. He finished his Indian and then decided to add some more color...interesting. He also let the "baby" help him color which I thought was sweet till Gideon started to eat the crayon.

Judah's coloring for today.

Just thought I'd share. :):) Have a great weekend y'all!!

BOOK IT!

Judah's rainbow colored fish. This is how he likes to color most of his pictures. I think it's beautiful!!!

For those of you who are wondering what the Book It program is and how to enroll (and for those of you who didn't particularly care-LOL) here's the scoop...or the slice...heehee

Pizza Hut has a great reading incentive program that has been used in the public schools for YEARS. You read a certain amount of books or minutes per month (amount set by teacher) and if the student completes their required monthly amount of reading they get a coupon for a free personal pan pizza. I remember that my mom used to drive me and my brother 15-20 minutes away (depending on traffic) to get our award pizza. We really lived in the sticks. :):) I used to get SO excited about getting my own personal pan pizza. (Till I got old enough to still be hungry afterwards-LOL) It was a really special reward for me and since I read WAY above the limit when I was a child I always got my monthly pizza.

Anyway, Catrina asked me how homeschoolers could do it too. I found out a few years ago we were now eligible so I signed my boys up this year.

Here's how you do it...

1. Go to: http://www.bookitprogram.com/

2. Click on enrollment and follow the easy directions.

You should receive your packet in the mail shortly.

They also have so great reproducibles on their website. I printed off a calendar that has a leaf on it for every day in October and when they get their required reading done they get to color the corresponding leaf.

The pizza doesn't cost anything and you can get it to go. What a great deal huh?

oops...I just clicked on the info and it looks like the 2007 registration is over. It started October 1st.

Well, all you homeschool moms can still check out the program and can send away for info for next year's program.

Today was a VERY light and fun homeschool day. The boys colored 2 pics. One was a very easy Teepee pic and one was a much more detailed American Indian pic.

They use the best colors. Judah likes to make his "rainbow" colored.

Still Kickin'!

We are still dealing with jet lag here but other than that things are pretty normal. :)
The house is a little cluttered but that's because I've been trying to relax and not stress too much. At least it's reasonably clean. LOL

We have done school every day this week (although it's been a bit brief) and we unpacked and went monthly shopping. So, I consider this week a success. :) We made a "dugout canoe" out of a loaf of french bread this m0rning. We have been studying Native Americans in history and the boys enjoyed the little project. We also started the Book It Pizza Hut program. I am REALLY EXCITED about that. I did it when I was in school so I'm glad that they still do it and also that they have opened it up to homeschoolers. I printed off a calender that they can color in every day the accomplish their required reading. I set it at 15 minutes for each of them. I am mostly reading to Thomas but Judah is reading to me. I love listening to him read (although the jet lag has made it challenging). He is not picking the easiest books. I like that. He reads what he can, sounds out new words, and I help him with the really tough words. Plus, I get to cuddle with them for 15 more minutes a day. LOL Actually they really could count it for 30 minutes. They stay and listen to each other. Neither one wants to be left out of any reading time at our house. Gideon doesn't sit still to be read to. He likes when I hook him up (to nurse) while we are doing our reading but usually I ask him to go play because I want to snuggle exclusively with the big boys...who are growing bigger by the day.
Well, gotta run. Have a great day!
- Angela :)

QUESTIONS

I was reading a post by a friend and LAUGHING tonight. this is a part of her post...

The reasons I do not have children
Current mood: annoyed

I will never answer this question again. The following are the basic reasons, and I do not want any further investigations into the matter. Do not try to deduce anything beyond or underlying these reasons. They simply are what they are. I am not hiding anything, or implying anything. This is all that you need to know. I should know, as I would be the person into whose privacy you are prying. Without further prelude, here they are:
1. I have never been pregnant.
2. I have never looked into adoption.

Now stop asking.Love,Me

I laughed and laughed and laughed. I laughed because I have been asked some really rude things since I started having children. I no longer ask this question of people unless I know them well because I have known too many people who had/have a difficult time TTC.

This got me to thinking...

What is the most rude/ annoying question you have ever been asked?

These are some of mine...

When you're 9 1/2 months pregnant the LAST question you want to hear is "Have you had that baby yet?" This is usually asked by a person who is standing next to you and can see for themselves that you haven't been delivered yet. :) What I wanted to say back was something like, "Yes, moron, but I loved this look so much that I decided to buy a pregnant suit and wear it full time!!!" LOL

The most annoying question I am asked on a regular basis is this: Are you going to try for a girl?

My response is usually this (said with a smile), "No, we didn't try for girls with these three either. We tried for a baby."


Your turn. :):):)

Not sure

why the newest post ended up UNDER the William Tell thing. Just scroll down for the latest.

Love, Angela :)