Goodbye

I really like blogging! I like making friends from all over North America, and learning about their families! I like being able to debate issues and seek prayer with just a few key strokes. I like to keep in touch with friends that I've moved away from. With all these positives, you'd think I'd like to blog forever... and I would. However, now that our school year has started, I feel like I just don't have the time to write as often as I'd like, so I start to feel guilty. On the flip side, when I take time out to blog, I KNOW I'm neglecting things that are more important. I am great at procrastination, and blogging seems to feed this "talent".
I'm sure y'all know where this is leading. Yes, it's time to shut the blog down for awhile (metaphorically speaking). I may come back at a later date, but for this season, the computer is going to remain off (except for online Gymboree sales, he he). I will miss all of you very much, but my family needs me right now (as does the laundry, and the pantry, and the garden, and the ..... you get the picture).
With all my love and warmest prayers for my beautiful blogging friends, AND their beautiful families. ~Karlie

Harvest, Sectionals, and Church

Thank you all so much for your prayers! We were all quite healthy for the gymnastics meet. My daughter did very well, and scored mostly in the 8's (which I hear is good for a first meet). She qualified for sectionals, and I guess that must be a good thing considering her coach was smiling when she said it ( I really know nothing about gymnastics... yet). Anyway, we are SO proud of her!

This week I imagine homeschool will be put on hold. Our garden has decided to "ripen" everything at once, so my week will be spent canning tomatoes, beans, corn, and pickles. My apple tree decided to ripen as well. The tree was quite fruitful this year and I lost count after 200 apples (seriously). That means canning applesauce, baking pies, fruit leathers, etc. While I love "domesticating" for the fall season, I always put on a few pounds. I feel like I'm barely maintaining the weight I lost over the Summer, and it might only take a few pies to put me over the edge. Oh, to be blessed with self control. Could I make a pie and not eat it? Nope... not possible.

We have found a church!!! YEAH! It was actually right under our noses the entire time. We had dismissed it because the worship is not to our liking. Still, we had seen so much "fruit" coming out of the body that we gave it another look. No church is perfect, and it is very difficult to find one that encompasses all the elements we desire, so my husband and I took a long look at what we could compromise.

We could NOT compromise doctrine. It had to teach the scriptures. We also HAD to have a safe, solid place for our children to grow in the Lord.

Now what seems to vary so much between churches that met these MANDATORY criteria was
1. The worship
2. The preaching
3. The body (or community of believers)

What area would we except mediocrity?

What could we get elsewhere?

Good worship is not hard to find. Whether at a Saturday service in our neighboring town, a Christian concert, or with the Newsboys Devotion CD in my own living room.

Preaching can be found on TV, the radio, in books... no shortage there, so as long as the preacher was teaching God's word... we could forgo the entertaining charismatic preacher.

Now we come to the church body. If we had a need.. a real need, would my Devotion CD pray for me? Would Joyce Meyers bring me dinner??? NO. The body was the one area of the three that was the most important... it's the body that makes up the church!

Once we looked at what the church really is (a body of believers, not an entertainment committee) it was easy to find our home.

Already we have been blessed with godly relationships, personal spiritual growth, and a renewed love for church (remember my I hate church post?).

So once again I rejoice in answered prayers. Once I let go of my personal expectations and let God lead the way, I found true happiness in unexpected places.

A Better Week and A Prayer Request

Thank you all who commented words of encouragement on my last post! I'm glad many of you had a nice laugh at my expense ( ; .
This week has been quite a bit better. We only had one major breakdown (it's Thursday), and I've not heard much along the lines of "PLEASE let me go to school." Although during prayer time this morning my 5 year old prayed that he could go to Kindergarten.
Academically I couldn't be more pleased. I can't believe how fast we are progressing. Our morning conversations have really made my children's minds come alive with opinions and ideas. I have had more thought provoking conversations this week than the last 6 months combined!
We have diligently followed a (loose) schedule every day and that has been VERY helpful. We have a set time to wake up, set times for chores, and a set time to start school. We then do bible and science as a family. At that point our schedule loosens up a bit as we finish our school work up (anywhere between 12:00 and 1:00). By 3:00 our numerous activities start, but the business has really helped my kids feel like they are not missing anything socially (which is a HUGE answer to prayer).
We are doing a "bit" of P.E. Mostly push-ups, sit-ups and running laps (which I do with them). They get quite a bit of exercise from sports and dance, but I'm kind of weird about health, so I've got them working out anyway.
Tomorrow I clean! Morning chores take care of the laundry and surface stuff, but I need to do some detail cleaning and scrubbing! I think I may need to take every other Friday off to make sure my fridge doesn't grow mold and cupboards don't attack (my son was hit in the head with a bottle of Torani syrup yesterday due to cluttered cupboards.... he was fine but I had to mop the floor 4 times to get all the sticky goo up).
On a separate note. I have a prayer request. My daughter has her 1st gymnastics meet this Saturday and there has been a lot of sickness going around. My first prayer is that she stays healthy as this meet means the world to her. My second prayer is for my health and the rest of the family. We all want to be there to support her on her special day! I have had a headache and light headedness all day, and just recently got a runny nose. Not good signs, but I am trusting the Lord to keep me able to attend her meet (I'd have to be unconscious not to go, but I'd much rather feel well). Oh, and you can pray she does an awesome job at her meet too! THANKS!!!
Well, I'm off to read a few of your blogs... and see how the new school year is treating you! I think I'll make myself a cup of Echinacca tea, then go to bed early! ~Karlie

Week One

Well, we made it through the first week.

Day one... My husband came home to me crying, saying I was putting the kids in school.

Day two... My husband came home to the kids crying, saying "PLEASE DADDY, PUT US BACK IN SCHOOL."

Day three... I yelled at the kids, did all my laundry, ran around town like a mad woman.

Day four... The cats pooped in the fire place, my tire went flat and I spent 3 hours in Les Shwab waiting for them to fix it. Meanwhile my 5 year old son made friends with a Hispanic family and informed them it was OK that they didn't speak English, because he speaks Mexican! Then he proceeded to say Hubala humuna humuna. They didn't look too amused.
THEN I lost my 7 year old son. He said he was going to the bathroom. 10 minutes later, he's still gone, so we look in the men's bathroom... EMPTY. I look all around the tiny little tire store with no luck. I'm ready to lose it so I yell out his name. A grunty reply comes from the WOMEN'S bathroom. " Yeah mom, I'm in here pooping, and it's a big one". (He failed to read the sign on the door I guess). Well another 10 minutes later he comes sauntering out with his shorts crooked, patting his belly, with the biggest smile possible ( you know, the smile that says I just accomplished something great).
A few men who had greasy shirts and a little too much crack action thought my son was just great.
Then, an Asian family walked in and guess what! Yeah, I found out my 5 year old speaks "Chinese" too. Who knew?
My oldest daughter spilled popcorn all over the floor, my nine year old had gas. What do you do in that situation? Do you say"That terrible smell is coming from my cute little daughter, not me" Or do you just ignore it and pretend it doesn't exist? I never learned the answer to that in etiquette school. (Yes I DID go to etiquette school when I was 13, and NO I obviously don't apply any of it).
Finally the tires are done and as we leave I get the question "Hey? why aren't your kids in school." "Uh, yeah, we uh... homeschool." People of minority and men sporting crack everywhere have now joined in the anti homeschool movement thanks to me.

Day Five... We had our homeschool dessert picnic (I brought Oreos, because I'm so domestic and all). My sons introduced the homeschooled boys to the word "nuts" (I am still dying of embarrassment as I write this). My daughters openly said the the homeschoolers in this town are "so weird". (More embarrassment). I got signed up to head publicity for the group. Now admit it... THAT'S funny. Oh and I cheated on my "diet" and ate 2 lemon bars and a "few" cookies ( I lost count after 3).

Today... I got my hair done.

Tomorrow... We are going to our new Church! (The details in another post)

Monday... Still homeschooling. I'm not throwing in the towel just yet. We DID cover Communism, the Taliban, Afghanistan, the fall of Rome and how that relates to America thus proving the pertinence of history lessons, early Chemistry (my kids laughed every time I said "gas" so we focused a bit more on liquids and solids), the shifting of continents, Albania, the Azeri people, Islam (and why they hate us), PLUS 5 lessons of math, English, and reading for each child.
You have to admit, with the week I've had, I kicked the school's butt in the education arena. Now if I can just keep myself from loosing my mind, I may make it though week two. ~Karlie

PS. My son wants to be the Grim Reaper for homeschool harvest party. Since they already think I'm awful I think I'll let him go for it. I'll just say he's a bible character....Satan.

Starting Homeschool Tuesday

Tuesday is the big day! We start homeschool again. I am not actually ready to start, but figure I better get going. We have Math and English curriculum for the kiddos, but decided to not use a curriculum for Science, History, etc. It should keep it pretty relaxed... I hope. We are going to study the Solar System as a family and end with a night time field trip to an observatory. Honestly, that's all we have planned outside of the basics, but I'm OK with that.
Soccer has already started for the boys, and next week we add fall gymnastics team practice for my 9 yr dd, ballet (on point... had to add that 'cause I'm just so proud) for 11 yr dd, homeschool band for 11 yr dd, and Awana's for the boys (only because we are already in town that evening). Is that a crazy schedule or what? Oh and before I get posts telling me to tone down my schedule, let me state for the record, we LIKE it this way. After being home all day, by 3:00 my kids are begging to get out of the house. I am usually a bit burnt out by May... if only activities ended mid April, oh well.
I imagine I won't have too much time for blogging until I get our routine down, so if you don't hear from me for awhile, that's why. I really want to put my focus into a positive start for our year these next few weeks. Ah.... priorities.
I'll catch up with you guys in a few weeks when things settle down (unless something REALLY cool happens that I just have to share, or I get an uncommonly deep thought). I pray you all have a great start to your homeschooling / school year too! ~Karlie