Refreshing Reminders

Loved this newsletter and wanted to share! Good stuff! :)

My favorite quote:
"To me, homeschooling speaks of close family relationships, highly valued home and family life; happy children who love learning; meaningful traditions; simplicity; nurturing, mentoring relationships; restoration of excellence; freedom to pursue individual interests; entrepreneurship; recapturing meaning and purpose to life; and discovering one’s destiny."

Redefining........everything

Father God,
Thank you. Thank you for the amazing Father you are! Thank you for loving me enough to share your truth with me. Thank you for giving me repeated second chances to obey and follow and for not giving up on me while you've waited. Thank you for eyes that see and ears that hear in a way that feels like the first time. Thank you for the unavoidable stirring in my heart to change and the consistency of scripture as I wrestle with it all. Thank you for the difference it is yet to make in the way I live my life.
I am so thankful for the recent exposure to your Word and truths through the following series from The Church at Brook Hills in Birmingham, Alabama...of which, 2 weeks ago I had never heard of. Your sovereignty and timing delights me in a way that is overwhelming! I feel like every area of my life is being redefined, and finally, with only You as the author! What a newborn perspective of my personal smallness and inabilities of self-reliance in comparison to your greatness and possibilities when I allow you the rightful position of Leader, Owner of all. You Lord are faithful and the glimpses of your true and pure love for all people encourage and inspire me to confidently move towards the unknown. My prayer is that my efforts bring glory to you. ~Amen

In need of Alignment & Balancing

Being in a home with an automotive educator/lover of all things vehicle related, a car metaphor seems appropriate here. :) (disclaimer...attempting to impress hubby as well!) So bear with me a moment as I create an image for you of the Alignment/Balancing taking place in my life.

(alignment pics and info borrowed from carx.com/balancing pics and info borrowed from off-road.com) Ok, to start, a brief description of the importance of proper wheel alignment and balancing and how this influences the overall safety and function of your vehicle...I will update if I learn I am wrong. I am sure if I am wrong I will be informed! ;)

Alignment - "In its most basic form, a wheel alignment consists of adjusting the angles of the wheels so that they are perpendicular to the ground and parallel to each other. The purpose of these adjustments is to maximize tire life and set a vehicle tracking straight and true when driving." My simple analysis, when a vehicle is out of alignment it pulls away from the direction you are steering it and can cause excessive wear to tire tread and then cause out of balance tires. Dangerous and costly.Balancing - "Tire out-of-balance is usually in the tread area (A), see illustration, since the tread is the heaviest part of the tire and the part farthest away from the center of the axle. In the illustration, (A) represents the heavy spot. (B) is the area of the rim where weights are usually applied." Again, my analysis, when a tire or tires are out of balance the ride becomes bumpy and less controlled and requires extra weight to re-balance. And once again, dangerous and costly.
Still with me??? :)
I have found that one of my most common prayers, whether looking back through an old journal or considering my daily prayers, is that my heart be aligned with God's. In addition, I also find myself just as often asking God to bless my plans, whatever they may be at the time. I am realizing that this leaves me looking like the improperly aligned car in the first photo, with my well intentioned front wheels pointed toward God while my crooked back wheels are distracted by my own plans, steering me off His course. This creates imbalance in my life and often requires weight in the form of unnecessary burdens. It also places me outside of the safety of His will. Dangerous and costly. Instead, when praying for my heart to be aligned with God's I should remember that that means aligning my plans with His plans....not asking Him to bless my own plans. I am certain, if by nothing more than experience itself that His plans are far greater than mine! Always better than I could have asked or imagined! Oh to cling to this TRUTH more!

I just LOVE Junie B. Jones!!!

It's Read-Aloud Friday at our house and one of our favorite read-aloud friends is Junie B. Jones. We all LOVE her stories! She is absolutely hilarious and we can all instantly relate to her (and her dear caregivers!). Today we are being invited to her new little monkey...oh I mean brother. She's not so happy about the new family addition right now, but maybe that will change by the end of the story. Back to my very animated, enthusiastic reader (who secretly reminds me so much of Junie B. herself!) :)

White as Snow

We have been unusually blessed with a bit more winter weather than normal this year. While the temps and wind are blistery cold for our area, the snow that accompanies them is a beautiful sight. The purity offered by a fresh, uninterrupted snow is breathtaking. I love the way it covers over every blemish of the landscape equally and beautifully. The crimson cardinals seem to glow against the soft background and the almost instant cozy mood that is brought by the fluffy flakes floating by the window is a welcome comfort.

Today it reminds me of the sufficiency of Christ and the price He paid to make me appear as pure and white as the snow. I am grateful.

Jesus Paid It All
I hear the Savior say,
"Thy strength indeed is small,
Child of weakness, watch and pray,
Find in Me thine all in all."

Jesus paid it all
All to Him I owe
Sin had left a crimson stain
He washed it white as snow

Lord, now indeed I find
Thy power and Thine alone
Can change the leper's spots
And melt the heart of stone

And when before the throne
I stand in Him complete
Jesus died my soul to save
My lips shall still repeat

Oh, praise the One who paid my debt
And raised this life up from the dead

For all you Educators...

...public, private or home, I share this email to encourage your heart and make you smile. :)

What do teachers make?

A Teacher Answers...
The dinner guests were sitting around the table discussing life.
One man, a CEO, decided to explain the problem with education. He argued, "What's a kid going to learn from someone who decided his best option in life was to become a teacher?"
To stress his point he said to another guest; "You're a teacher, Bonnie. Be honest. What do you make?"

Bonnie, who had a reputation for honesty and frankness replied, "You want to know what I make? (She paused for a second, then began...)

"Well, I make kids work harder than they ever thought they could.

I make a C+ feel like the Congressional Medal of Honor winner.

I make kids sit through 40 minutes of class time when their
parents can't make them sit for 5 without an I Pod,
Game Cube or movie rental.

You want to know what I make? (She paused again and looked
at each and every person at the table)

I make kids wonder.

I make them question.

I make them apologize and mean it.

I make them have respect and take responsibility for their actions.

I teach them how to write and then I make them write. Keyboarding isn't everything.

I make them read, read, read.

I make them show all their work in math. They use their God given brain, not the man-made calculator.

I make my students from other countries learn everything they need to know about English while preserving their unique cultural identity.

I make my classroom a place where all my students feel safe.

I make my students stand, placing their hand over their heart to say the Pledge of Allegiance to the Flag, One Nation Under God, because we live in the United States of America .

Finally, I make them understand that if they use the gifts they were given, work hard, and follow their hearts, they can succeed in life.

( Bonnie paused one last time and then continued.)

Then, when people try to judge me by what I make, with me knowing money isn't everything, I can hold my head up high and pay no attention because they are ignorant. You want to know what I make?

I MAKE A DIFFERENCE. What do you make Mr. CEO?

His jaw dropped; he went silent.

So, to all you teachers, even all you personal teachers like mothers, fathers, brothers, sisters, coaches and spiritual leaders/teachers. YOU ROCK!!!

A profound answer!!!

Choosing to protect our children as we believe best

I understand fully how sensitive a subject childhood immunizations can be. While I certainly have an informed opinion in the arena, what I ask you to consider and support today is simply a parent's right to choose what they believe is best for their child(ren).

S. 1376 Title: A bill to restore immunization and sibling age exemptions for children adopted by United States citizens under the Hague Convention on Intercountry Adoption to allow their admission to the United States.

In simple terms, this Bill allows an internationally adoptive parent the right to decide when, how and by whom their child(ren) is immunized upon entering the US.

This is a decision that I take very seriously my responsibility as a parent to make. I encourage every parent, whether adoptive or biological, to be informed and make this, as with all decisions regarding your child(ren), prayerfully and carefully.

It takes only minutes to send a quick email simply requesting those that represent you in our government to represent your views and concerns.

Link to find contact information for your Senators.

And Representatives.

Aubade

hmmmm....

In a house as active as ours, sometimes the hours of "bedtime" don't always provide a rested and refreshed body in the morning. Often I find myself being drug from the warmth of my bed by nothing more than the knowledge that if I don't get up and get started, regardless of how exhausted I may be, the mess that will await me will be even bigger! lol! :) So, the idea of "aubade", while romantic and lovely, just doesn't seem so realistic sometimes.

Aubade - a song greeting the dawn

However, our awesome Creator deserves nothing less. Just as the birds outside my window welcome the new day with a song of praise, so should I. A praise full of genuine gratitude and enthusiasm for the gift and possibilities this day holds. So, Father, I pray that while my body may be weary, my concentration a bit muddled, that my heart will offer an aubade that is pleasing to you.