Last Day of September

Here it is the end of September..........where does the time go????? Sometimes I just want time to STOP!!!!! Maybe then I would get something done :)

Today we had soccer games. At overlapping times. At fields on opposite sides of town. I watched the first quarter of Lee's game, took Greg to his game and watched the first quarter. Then I drove back across town and watched the very last of Lee's game and picked him up and then we went back across town, watched the last 5 minutes of Greg's game...went to IGA and then HOME!!!!!

I finally got so sick of the kitchen being a cluttered, disorganized mess that I worked on it. It took about 1.5 hours but the kitchen is in pretty good shape now. I still need to get something with a long handle so that I can get the dustbunnies that live near the ceiling but other than that it is very livable. I might tackle the living room tomorrow. Out of exhaustion I finished knitting Aunt B's shawl. All I need to do is put on the fringe. I personally don't like fringe, but she does so fringe it is. I started working with some new yarn that I just got this evening. It is cool!!!! I can't tell about it because at least one of the recipients of the gifts it will become read this blog............so everyone will have to wait until Christmas :)

I am eagerly anticipating my new Knit Picks catalog....and my new Vision Forum catalog.....and my new Urban Homemaker catalog.........where, oh where are my catalogs :)

Tomorrow will be a typical Sunday....services in the a.m. and then maybe we will go to Grandma's in the afternoon. We will see.

Have a blessed Lord's Day!!!!
Carie

You Can Win.....$700 Worth of Vision Forum Products

This is a great contest!!!!! All that you have to do is go here and read the rules and details....one little email and you are entered!!!!!

Happy guessing!
Blessings,
Carie

Wednesday

Good morning!
Sorry that I haven't been around much lately....life tends to get in the way of blogging :)

We have been busy. Adding speech class and soccer to our already hectic schedule is almost more than I can bear. I guess that it will all be over soon. We are halfway through both. We have a tournament coming up in Evansville for taekwondo and I don't know all of my form....well, I know it, but not good enough for a tournament. In front of all those people I would definately go blank. So I really, really need to work on that.

Aunt B's first shawl is almost complete. I think that there are only 5 more, and a pair of socks to go. I also made up my list of things that I want to knit for Christmas gifts, so I will need to work on those sometime. I guess that I am going to have several projects going at a time for a while.

I went to a different dr. yesterday. He said that the first dr. didn't do the right bloodwork to test me for PCOS. So more blood was drawn. I started my first round of Clomid today. I am hoping that the side effects aren't too bad. It almost seems like I am in a dream. I never thought that I would have fertility problems. Please pray with us that this will work, without anything more invasive. Also, please pray that the insurance will cover the procedures....we are waiting on approval for most of them. I am scared and worried about the whole deal, but I am trying to remember to give it to God. He is bigger than infertility and insurance HMOs.

Thanks to Laura, I have found a wonderful new site for free knitting patterns. Like I need more patterns. (rolling eyes), but anyway, there it is.

Sitting in the doctor's office has given me loads of time to read The Latin Centered Curriculum by Mr. Drew Campbell for the review for TEACH magazine. I will post the link when I am done with that.

Greg's toe is healing nicely. It is still tender, but we aren't having to pad it anymore.

I guess that is all that I have for now. I will try to keep up more regularly, but I didn't really have much to post.
Have a good weekend!

My child in pain

We had to take Gregory to the doctor yesterday. He had dropped a concrete cinder block on his toe Sunday evening and the blood was beginning to spread up his toe. It was really swelled up and looked a lot worse on Wed. morning than it did on Monday. We thought that they would just drain the blood...........we were wrong. :(

First they stuck a needle under his toenail to give him some novacain. They said that this would hurt really, really bad (and for the dr. and nurse to say that.....well it was horribly bad). But the novacain was supposed to keep him from feeling the horrific part. They had to take a skinny pair of pliers and tear his toenail off. The novacain didn't work. I have never heard screaming so intense from anyone in my life. I tried to comfort him as Norman held him down. I was so glad that he was there.....I don't know how I would have handled it without him there. Lee, eager to watch the proceedings, had to turn away....he couldn't watch. When they were done, they discovered why the novacain didn't work.....he had a gash all the way across his toe in the nail bed. That is why there was so much internal blood pooling....the blood couldn't get out and it is still bleeding. Needless to say Greg is getting the royal treatment at this house. No school today.....for anyone.....

This whole experience reminds me of how God must have felt watching Jesus die on the cross for us. The agony for him must have been horrible as Jesus cried out in pain. I can't imagine. I know how I felt yesterday. It makes me ever the more thankful for the sacrifice that was made for me.

Blessings,
Carie

Some final thoughts this evening

In catching up on my reading, I worked through Chapter 4 of Teaching the Trivium by Harvey and Laurie Bluedorn. What follows is some thoughts on the subject matter that I thought I would share with you.

First, the Bluedorns describe the Trivium. "First the Grammar of the subject (is studied) - the facts - the who, what, where and when. Second, the Logic of the subject - the theory - the why. Third, the Rhetoric of the subject - the practice - the how."

The Bluedorns (and I for that matter) believe that the classical Trivium is rooted in our created nature. I was so impressed on Sat. at the science workshop (the title of which was Science and the Attributes of God) that the speaker was able to correlate so many parts of nature to the attributes of God. For example, 3 things make up the universe....space, time and matter. There are three dimensions to an object....length, width and height. God is in 3 persons....the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. Our speaker refered to this chemical that we were using and in the presence of a alkaline substance it turned one color and in the presence of an acid it turned another color....always. The rule never changed....just like God and his love for us never changes. I believe that this is what the Bluedorns are trying to explain here.

The learning process for almost everything falls into three categories: Knowlege, Understanding and Wisdom. There are many bible verses that refer to these: Proverbs 2:6 For the Lord giveth wisdom: out of His mouth cometh knowledge and understanding.
Proverbs 3: 19-20 The Lord by wisdom hath founded the earth; by understanding hath he established the heavens. By his knowledge the depths are broken up, and the clouds drop down the dew.

"""Our Creator worked the fundamental structure of the Trivium into the very fiber of our natural being. We come to know things in the natural world through our natural senses. We come to understand these things with our minds. We put our understanding into wise practice through our muscles."""" pg. 88

The Bluedorns go on the explore the problems with modern education.
"""Our first observation is that modern education majors on the minors. It pursues Trivia, not Trivium. True education should not be like filling an empty bucket. It should be like lighting a fire."""" pg. 93

This reminds me of a favorite book of mine....Ignite the Fire by Teri Camp. This was such an important book in explaining how to nurture the interests of my children. I still refer to this book often.

And continuing: """Our second observation is that modern education interrupts the natural progression of learning.""" pg. 94

And finally: """A true liberal arts education is the mastery of those skills which liberate us from our teachers so that we can learn on our own.""" pg. 99 I couldn't agree more. My goal as a parent/teacher/mentor is to give my children the basic skills and the love of learning. Then I can set them free to learn the things that they need or want to know. This doesn't mean that I don't teach them anything, it means that we leave room for the things that interest them. We follow the "rabbit trails" and see where they lead us. I will never know how the study of a subject will impact my children. God may use my children's special interests for His kingdom. What a shame if I passed by on an opportunity to explore the world that interests them.

In case you, like me, didn't receive a classical education, here are some tips that the Bluedorns give to get us started in the right direction (all taken from pgs. 102-103)
1. Kick the entertainment habit
2. Start reading
3. Ask the Lord to give you an inquiring mind
4. Build vocabulary
5. Have discussions with your children
6. Make sure your children obey you
7. Establish family worship

Happy learning :)

Daily happenings

Today has been a normal day...after a fairly normal weekend. We were very busy this weekend, which is fun for the boys and nerve racking for me :) We went to Lincoln Log Cabin on Friday and had a lovely tour visiting the home of Abe Lincoln's father Thomas Lincoln. On Saturday we went to a science workshop by David d'Armond. They boys had such a great time! They were thanking me the whole rest of the day for taking them. That could be partly due to the fact that I bought the next 2 volume's of Jonathon Park :) Norman had to take my van to work yesterday evening so that he could have the CD player. He hates when he gets behind us in the story :)

I started my Latin studies yesterday. I am using Henle Latin, First Year. It is tough, but very logical so far. I am hoping that it stays tough but logical. I can handle tough as long as it is logical :)

Tonight I will begin rereading The Latin Centered Curriculum by Drew Campbell for a review for TEACH magazine. I learned so many things from reading that book and recommend it heartily. I will save the rest of my opinion for the review :) Don't want to spoil the ending.

I have a dozen books that I am in the middle of reading :) Wouldn't it be nice to finish some up? But then what would I do with my precious spare time???? LOL I am going to start carrying all of my unfinished books in my bag and get to finishing them :) The yarn from my aunt should be here any day and I will have to get to knitting. Maybe I will look into some books on tape.....or I can just listen to more re-runs of Law and Order :)

Have a good week!

American Family Association

Please go over to the American Family Association and see how Walmart has joined forces with a homosexual coalition that promotes gay and lesbian issues. I think that every family needs to determine if they are willing to continue to support Walmart with their purchasing power. Every day I hear something more disturbing about Walmart.

Thanks!!!!!

To Mrs. B at Be Not Conformed for telling me how to do these hyper links. I am such a computer moron :) I need all the help that I can get. Thanks Mrs. B.!!!!!
Blessings,
Carie

September 11

I wasn't going to post about Sept. 11, 2001. I just wasn't going to. It isn't that I want to forget, it is just that I live with the panic and anxiety everyday....I don't generally go out of my way to rehash it. But other bloggers have been encouraging everyone to remember where they were and what they were doing on Sept. 11. So here is our story.

On Sept. 11, 2001 we were at a Day's Inn motel in Metropolis IL. The funeral of my dh's grandmother had been the day before. I got up and switched on CNN (after 9/11 I started watching Fox News) and there was smoke rolling from the first tower. It had just been hit and nobody on the news knew what was going on. Lee woke up also (he was 4) and I remember saying to him "look Lee, some idiot flew a plan in to the World Trade Center, you would think that they could miss that!". We were watching when the second tower was hit. I can't begin to describe the panic that I felt. I was so upset as I woke up Norman. He probably initially thought the hotel building was on fire. Imagine his attitude when he found our that he was awake so that he could watch the news! But quickly his irritation dawned into understanding of the seriousness of what was going on. He woke up his mom and step-dad in the next room and urged them to watch. They left almost immediately.
We watched the pentagon get hit. And wondered how many more plans there were. We watched the towers fall. I was so upset I was sick.....just sitting on the bed and bawling. Then I remembered.....my uncle is a pilot for United Airlines. So the phone calls to my parents began.....they weren't home. Panic turned to terror. Norman walked down to the lobby to get some doughnuts and was told that the Allied Chemical Plant in the area was shut down due to security threats. That was the final straw......we had to go HOME....NOW. I don't think that I have ever showered and dressed and packed so fast in my life. I wanted out of that place and back to the safety of my home and family.....about 3 hours away. We checked out and met up with my sil and got the kids some lunch from McDonald's. And hit the interstate. There was a lot of traffic. We stopped for gas around Rend Lake. It never occurred to us that the prices were raised and thankfully they weren't there. When we arrived back in Effingham though all kinds of problems awaited us. Gas prices had been inflated all over the area...by several dollars. Walmart was the only place that had the same price up and the lines there were snaking all over the parking lot. Thankfully we didn't need gas and hurried home........safe in the country. I got a hold of my parents and found out that my uncle wasn't flying that day. All of my family was safe.

I watched the news for weeks....all day long. It was my constant companion. Finally someone told my dh that the news was probably the cause of all my anxiety....I just couldn't get past my fear. And I think that they were right, when we quit watching the news I was able to control my fear and give it to God.

The repercussions are still here in my family. Sept 11 was my first panic attack. They are frequent companions now. I still watch the news, even for just a few minutes, every single morning. If there is news of a plane crash, I am glued to the TV. Fox News Alerts make my heart jump. And I cry when I watch the specials on TV....but I watch them, over and over.....because I can't forget. I talk to my children often about what happened. Lee doesn't remember that day anymore. Sometimes he will say that he does, but I know that he doesn't. Greg was just a baby. I don't want them to forget either. Nothing will ever be the same again.

I would love to read your 9/11 story. Please post in the comments section a link to your blog. Be Not Conformed has a wonderful 9/11 post and links to othes if you are interested.

Shawls, socks, reviews and kids....Oh My!!!!

Suddenly I have become a very busy woman :) My aunt, from Seattle, WA called and commissioned 3 shawls and a pair of knitted socks from me. She is sending the yarn for the shawls priority mail, last night or today, and wants the first one done ASAP. The other 2 and the socks (for which I will get the yarn) are to be done as I am able. I have another review due in Oct. I have read the book for it, The Latin Centered Curriculum by Andrew Campbell, but I will need to reread and get the review done. I love doing these reviews. I always have an opinion about something and it is great to have a venue to express my opinions :) I also just picked up another kid to babysit. It is only half days and he is a cousin so we are all familiar with each other. He has stayed here many times before, just nothing regular. I know that we will love having him here.

School is going good. Lee is really liking Latin. He is calling it our secret little language :) Hopefully we will have some phrases down so that we can actually talk to each other and keep the excitement going. Greg is wanting to join in the fun, but I told him that he needed to finish his phonics books first...he should wrap that up by Christmas at the latest. I never dreamed that Latin would go this smoothly. Lee grumps a little about the written exercises, but he jumps at the oral ones. And he is a flashcard junkie, so that is going well also. If you would have told me a year ago that Lee would like Latin I would have been on the ground laughing. I never would have believed it. It certainly pays to expand our horizons :)

Also on the homefront, I am beginning my first round of fertility treatments with Clomid in the next week or so. I am hoping and praying that one round is all that it will take, but trying to keep the disappointment level low. How often does this work on the first try anyway??? Prayers are certainly appreciated it you feel led.

That is about all for now....the boys must be awakened so that school can commence. Have a good day!

Praying for the Godfrey's

If you feel led please pray for the Godfrey family. I only know of them online, but they really need prayer right now. The following is taken from http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/DandelionSeeds

Quote from Susan's
Blog on Sept. 6th: "This morning has been really rough. We are now
less than 1 week away from the baby's birth and on the way home from taking
Marty to work, it hit me pretty hard. I had to pull over and cry and pray for a
bit. I'm feeling better, but the tears are still just under the
surface..."Please join in prayer to uplift this family during this tough
time. Susan Godfrey (former blog
at homeschool blogger) will be induced on September 12th, with a potential
c-section if things don't go well. Because the baby has potter's syndrome,
it will die within hours of being born. They have known about it since the
beginning of June and her blog has contained many heart-wrenching posts about
the life alive within her that's safe until it enters the world

This just breaks my heart. Please pray if you feel led.

Blessings,

Carie

.

And now there are 2

Socks that is :) I finished the other one and amazingly it looks just like its mate. Life is good :)

On the downside, blogger has done something to my blog. I updated my links, etc. before my last post and previewed my blog and everything looked good and then I saved the changes, wrote the last entry and logged out. When I came back just now my whole side-bar is at the bottom of the page!!!!! ARRRRR!!!! I have no idea how to fix this. I have only enough knowledge of HTML to get myself in trouble (current problem is proof of that). If anyone has any suggestions, please let me know.

Have a good evening!
Carie

A Meek and Quiet Spirit

Do you have a meek and quiet spirit?

I struggle with having a meek and quiet spirit. I complain....a lot. I fuss at the kids....a lot. I lose my patience...at everyone...a lot. I don't feel that I have the kind of attitude that God would want me to have.

I am working on this. If this is a problem area for you as well, I would encourage you to look at a few verses with me.

Philippians 4:13
I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me.

"I" can do "all" things....everything....through Jesus Christ......He strengthens me. God will never give me anything that I can't handle. When I am stressed out the main reason generally is fear. I am afraid that I won't get everything done. I am afraid that I will be late, or that everything won't be prepared. I fear failure. But in Philippians we have this promise that God will be with us, standing with us, helping to bear our burdens. And lets face it, what is more important, being on time for another practice or the character/training of my children? I think that my children should come before any outside activity. My boys have been given to me by God to raise, they are my ministry. I should not neglect my ministry.

Teri Maxwell writes in her book Homeschooling with a Meek and Quiet Spirit (www.titus2.com) that the key to our meek and quiet spirit is time with the Lord Jesus. Do you get the time you need to refuel your heart from God? I know that very often, I don't. I always think of a million other things that I can do with that time. God's word and time in prayer with Him is the most important thing!

Psalm 119:105 reads "Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path." How can God's word lead you if you are not receiving it daily? How can Jesus come into our hearts everyday if we are not talking and listening to Him?

2 Timothy 3:16-17
"All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteous: That the man of God may be perfect, thoroughly furnished unto all good works."
---Look at what the word of God can do for us! It leads us, guides us, corrects us, teaches us. From God's word we learn the importance of having a meek and quiet spirit.

Philippians 4:6
"Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God. And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus."

Prayer and study of God's word can aid us in having a meek and quiet spirit. Teri Maxwell says "Plan to read your Bible each day.......I like to record what I read each day, plus copy out one verse that has personal meaning to me. Then I take it a step further and write out why I chose that verse.........A prayer journal is important too."

I have been reading my Bible many days. I find that the days that I do, I am calmer and more able to accept "interruptions" as they come. I feel less anxious and there is joy in my heart. I don't have a prayer journal right now, but I have kept one in the past, and feel the Lord leading me to start another one. I like to see my prayer requests written out with their answers beside them. Many of my prayers have been answered, but sometimes we forget! It is wonderful to have a remind of God's grace and mercy in our individual lives. I have a PINK highlighter that I am using to mark the verses in my Bible that seem to be "speaking" to me. God uses His word to speak to us.......I think that it is about time that I listen!!!!!!

Discussions at our House

We have had some interesting discussions here at my house lately. Greg has become fascinated with everything to do with babies. Where do babies come from? How did they get in there? How do they get out???? Don't you know mom?????? Yes, of course I do. Does dad???? Yeah, I told him :) He has also started singing our cocker spaniel to sleep in the afternoons. He is convinced that she can't take a nap unless he sings to her. And boy is he mad if someone accidentally wakes her up! So now that I have explained (in the least detailed way possible) the answers to all of his questions, he want to know what babies do while they are here. How much do they sleep, when and what do they eat, what do they wear, can they talk, etc. Now, this child has been around babies, several different babies, but I guess that maybe he never paid attention. Since he is the "baby" at our house, he doesn't have 1st hand knowledge of a lot of these things himself. ATTN: I am not at this time pregnant. I would love to be, but I am not. I am hoping that maybe this is some kind of prepartion for a surprise that God has for us :)

Also, we are studying history chronologically starting with Genesis this year. After 4 weeks, we have got to Noah (I am worried that ancient history may take as long to study as it did to occur). Anyway, Lee decided that people who believe that the flood was a localized event must be nuts because God promised never to send another flood and we have localized floods all the time.....and God never lies so He must have been referring to another WORLD WIDE flood. Fabulous thinking!!!!! I was so proud. Most of the time they just sit there and don't like to discuss anything. I always wonder if they are listening, but today they were!

I am liking all of this discussion here at our house, but I would like to set some rules if you don't mind:
1. No questions about babies before 8:30 a.m. I am just not awake enough before then.
2. Discussions of all kinds should be limited to days when my brain is actually up to it. We should not sit like dummies on the days that mom is at peak brain production and then expect to have an intellectual conversation on the day when I am brain dead....Fair?
3. In retrospect, I think that I have had my fair share of baby questions, go ask your dad. He knows all the answers, I told him.

Have a wonderful weekend!
Blessings,
Carie