Trying to Find the JOY

A few days ago I wasn't having such a good day. Not quite sure what was going on...oh, I was cleaning and everyone else was...NOT. Well, I had been cleaning for two day and I'm sure doing it over and over again and I must have been snapping at everyone. Yes, I do snap when I am angry. I am assuming to make me FEEL better Steve handed me a book with a page opened and said "You need to work on this." WHAT I was so frustrated!!!! How dare he judge me. He gets to go to work and I have to stay home with HIS kids!!!! I was justified to be angry right? Well the book he handed me was by Malia Russell called From Chaos to Order: 25 Tools Bring Organization to Your Home. Now I bought this book to read it and implement everything it has to offer, which is a lot. But I guess Steve realized I hadn't done any of it yet.

That was Sunday night and I finally read what he "suggested" to me yesterday and I will say that the wisdom God has given him was right on, it was just his timing that I questioned. Anyway, The chapter was Tool 25: Practice Joyfulness, it is an awesome chapter. She helped me realize that I have chosen to stay home with my children. She translated Habakkuk 3:17-19, a modern day translation, "Though there is no food ready for dinner, and there is no money in the account, though the sickness gets worse, and the pain persists, though my children are out of control, and my spouse does not appreciate me, though I feel like I am buried in never ending work, and I cannot get through a single subject without someone interrupting, yet I will rejoice in the Lord, I will be joyful in God my Savior." Awesome job Malia!!!! She helped remind me that I am doing EVERYTHING for the Glory of God not mine. I have to rely on Him and give Him back my Joy.

I am going to work hard on remembering that I have chosen all that I am doing during this season of my life and if I can't find joy in it then maybe it isn't God's plan for me. I will take a moment and make sure that God is in all that I do. I will remember to give Him the Glory and Praise for all that I am doing!!!


From Chaos to Order: 25 Tools Bringing Organization to Your Home by: Malia Russell can be purchased from her website www.homemaking911.com

I Can't Believe How Old I Am!!!!!

~My Bueatiful Family~

~Jack's work~

~Sam's school work, she worked so hard~

~Our display table~ hey, I'm the teacher!!!!

~Our Graduates~

Yesterday was a wonderful day for us...and many other families. Samantha and Jack each graduated. Of course this is just Kindergarten and 5th grade, but graduation none the less. We had a super year of school. We started a co-op this school year and it has taken our school in a whole new direction. I finally figured out, to the kids delight, how to make school fun. It isn't "regular" school and I have to remember that. We don't have to sit at our desks all day. We can have school outside, Jack can sit on my desk, we can play with bugs, and school is about FUN.

I think that the joy on Jack and Samantha's faces shows the fun that we have. This is the best decision I have ever made, Wow, I can't believe I just said that. Usually this time of year I am trying to decide it I should keep them at home. The doubt is gone. Homeschooling is the way to go!!!! If you have ever considered I suggest, "GO FOR IT." Check it out.

My Addictions

I have a new addiction!!! I never dreamed, ever, that I would ever become addicted to something like this. I'm not quite sure just how to handle it...an intervention? My kids are even a little freaked out by it, Steve doesn't usually participate in this kind of activity, and it isn't something that I usually partake in myself, but maybe I should just see what kind of road it leads me down.
"Hi, I'm Dana and I'm addicted to making new friends and hanging out with them."
Do many of you have the same thing going on? I know that I am not the only one doing this.
I have always, or at least for the last 13 years, been the quiet,shy girl who never stepped out of my comfort zone. We have join our HFHG co-op this school year and it has really changed things up. The kids have made lots of friends, well Samantha and Tyler have, Caroline struggles to make friends. I guess she is some what like me.
Over the last few weeks I have gone to get coffee with a friend, to a friends house for a play date, Iroquois Park, Waterfront Park, and to a talent show with our new friends and it has been great! I can't wait to do more things with all of these awesome mom's who are trying to homeschool their kids too. What a difference it makes when you realize that you are not the only one going through this stuff. So I just want to give a shout out to the mom's who have befriended me over the last few months and say "God bless you." Thanks for coming to my rescue and the rescue of my kids.

not a fan

not a fan

http.//www.notafan.com

Can you define the relationship you have with Jesus? Are you just a fan: an enthusiastic admirer? Or are you a follower? Someone who will and does surrender all, denies self?

I am trying to be a follower, COMPLETELY. COMMITTED. FOLLOWER.

This is my take from Kyle Idelman’s sermon this weekend. He is so awesome. How, he makes me see what it is that I need to do!

In John 6:2 it says that people where following Jesus because of the miracles. Is that what we are doing following after Jesus to see what he does next? Jesus draws a lline in the sand to separate His fans and follows. Are you ready to step over that line? To surrender all? After Jesus weeded out the fans from the followers in John 6, in verse 66 it says many of His followers turned back and no longer followed Him. They were not ready to surrender all, to give it all to Christ.

“Then he said to them all: “If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me.” Luke 9:23

A decision to follow Jesus is to deny self above all else; family, money, freedom, and whatever else gets in the way of us following Jesus whole-heartedly.
Be apart of this movement….go to www.notafan.com and see what other people are doing to show that they are trying to be a follower not a fan.
I’m praying that we all try and find the area or areas in our lives where we are in need of following whole-heartedly.

*My Personal Statement of Faith*

My personal statement of faith:
I believe that Jesus Christ is the son of God, born of a virgin, died on the cross and arose from the dead. I believe that the Bible is the Word of God and that it is all truth. I believe that my sins are forgiven and eternal life is given through the resurrection of Christ Jesus. I believe all things through faith in Jesus Christ.
“Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see.” Hebrews 11:1
I believe I must raise my children the way God has ordained me: to honor their Father and Mother, teach them obedience, and teach them the Word of the Lord.
“Honor your father and mother, so that you may live long in the land the Lord you God is giving you.” Exodus 20:20
“Children obey you parents in the Lord, for this is right.” Ephesians 6:1
“Train you child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not turn from it.”
Proverbs 22:6
“She speaks with wisdom, and faithful instruction is on her tongue. She watches over the affairs of her household and does not eat the bread of idleness.” Proverb 31:26-27

Do you have a personal statement of faith? I'm going to suggest you write one. I wrote mine this week and am so glad I did. It is very enlightening. I think next I am going to tackle the Family Mission Statement.

My Beloved Classroom!!!!

This is the "kids" book shelf. So many of them are books they don't care anything about.

OK My desk is a mess. I don't always clean up the end of a Tuesday morning. The kids like to go down and "make" stuff on my desk too.

I am planning on taking down all the charts and calendar in order to put up a large dry erase board. I use Mighty Putty and it works.

This is "mine" bookshelf. I bet I don't use 1/4 of the stuff on there. I am moving that bookshelf to the other side of the room.

That is our computer. We do use it a lot. Then we have a very tiny dry erase board (put up with Mighty Putty). I will put all our charts, maps and calendar on this wall.

I am a pack rat. I kept so much stuff over the years and have bought stuff I never even used. Well its time to get things together. I want to end our awesome school year cleaned out and organizes so begins my newest project. I am on a mission the next few weeks to organize my classroom. I have way to much stuff filling up my bookshelves! My mom has given lots of stuff over the years (she was a 1st grade teacher once upon a time). I'm going to start this weekend (since we are going to have rain) and clean off book shelves, clean out desk drawers, and straighten up filing cabinets. I am hoping that I have alot of stuff to give away to someone who would love to have it.

Once I get all of that clean out I am going to rearrange the furniture to see if I can make thing more comfortable for the students.

So those are the before pics. Check back later for the afters. That my take me a few weeks as we are trying to wrap up the last three weeks of school.

College Fair at Christian Education Consortium

A college fair at CEC next Tuesday night for ALL home educators.

Home Education COLLEGE FAIR at CEC
Tuesday, MAY 19, AT 7 PM, At BETHANY BAPIST CHURCH,
2319 TAYLORSVILLE ROAD, LOUISVILLE, KY 40205
ALL interested home educated students and their parents are welcome to attend.
Free Admission applies to both the workshops and the college representative hall with 13 regional colleges represented.
2009 CEC College Fair Workshops
1. Preparing for College Scholarships & Mission OpportunitiesState Representative Tom Riner and Claudia Riner
2. Financial Aid: Kim Dolan, KHEAA (the regional KY representative)
3. College Admissions Process: Josh Shoulta, Georgetown College
4. College Student Panel Discussion with CEC graduates
5. Moving to the College Years: Preparing for Independence: Malia Russell
6. Writing a High School Transcript: Anne Jones
7. Asbury College Honors Institute: Shawnee Fleenor( a new program specifically designed for college bound homeeducated students)
The following college representatives will be in attendance to talk to home schooled students and parents interested in up to date college information:Asbury College; Bellarmine College; Boyce College; Georgetown College; Hanover College; Indiana University SEast; Midway College; Sullivan University; Taylor University; Union University; University of the Cumberland; University of Kentucky; University of Louisville
Questions? Please contact Beverly Clark at HYPERLINK "mailto:clark895@insightbb.com" clark895@insightbb.com