In Remembrance....

My mom and I took off last Friday for a whirlwind trip to Knoxville.  We had a wonderful day, and the twins really enjoyed the break from "school".  As we were coming home, mom was telling me about somebody that they eat breakfast with regularly, and the conversation turned to a boy (her words) that I went to high school with.  After 20 years, I don't consider him a boy anymore, but to her he still is.  Apparently, mom and dad had gone to a car show as a promise to this "boy"'s father (the breakfast buddy).  When my mom walked up, he looked up at her and said, out of the blue, "you're Anita's mom, aren't you?".  When she replied "yes", he proceeded to tell his mother that I was the one that took him under my wing and helped him out in high school.

Well..... after about 20 minutes, I am fairly certain I know who she's talking about.  Even though I now know Rodney's name, I still have no memory whatsoever of taking him on as a class pet!  Apparently, we had lunch together and I took him around the cafeteria and showed him where to go, how to pay, what not to eat, and let him sit with me and my friends.  Folks - I have no memory of this.  None.  Nada.  Nothing.  But that's not the important part - Rodney does.

That was my lesson to pass on to my future generations.  That was my 'ah-ha!' moment for the week.  It is so important that L and S learn now that how they treat others has a profound impact on their memories.  How easily he could have had bad memories of me.  He could have remembered how I was mean to him, pushed him down the stairs, etc.  Now ... am I tooting my own horn?? Goodness no!!!!! Like I said - I have no memory of doing/saying anything to Rodney.  And that's the point.  He has a good memory of me, but does everyone in my past???  Nope.  Nada.  And that breaks my heart.  I have bad memories of childhood bullies, and to be honest, I'm not fond of them to this day.  I remember the youth group at the church where I grew up.  They were all 2 years older than me, and they never included me.  I know... wah wah wah Anita.  It didn't ruin my life, but it did shape it - I hope for the better.  I remember how it feels to be left out, even to this day, and I don't like it.  And I'll be honest, I don't like Richard - he was the ring leader.  He went out of his way to make my life miserable.  I hated church because of him.  I don't hate him, but I don't like him, either.  See where I'm going with this??  I could have been a Richard to someone.  I don't want to do that.  I don't want to be that.  I don't want to be the one that people try to hide from in the grocery store.  I don't want to be someone that people avoid, or roll their eyes and breathe a sigh of relief when they walk away. 

A good friend that I used to go to church with was teaching our youth class during VBS and everyone had to say something good about someone else.  I haven't had an abundance of nice things said about me during the course of my life - at least none I could hear.  Imagine my utter shock when she picked me, and then said that the thing she liked about me was that I was the same, no matter where I was or who I was with.  I treated everyone the same.  I've never forgotten that.  I try to continue to live up to those words, although I fail miserably at times!!!

I want these lessons to sink in, while their brain is still flexible enough to absorb them.  I want them to realize that the world doesn't revolve around them.  I want them to know that their actions today affect tomorrow's outcome.  I want them to grieve when they hurt someone.  I want them to embrace "I'm sorry", because they need to say it often.  I want them to love the unlovable.  I want them to forgive.

I want them to be better than me.

Well... You knew I would...

I must address this election, but from the standpoint of the education of my children (since this is their blog). 

We voted yesterday - I say "we" because "we" three went to vote.  They stood beside me as I talked them through the process.  I had told them the importance of voting, how many people suffered and died for our freedom to vote (and to Shelby, the women that worked hard for us).  We voted for Mitt Romney.  I'm not ashamed of that, or afraid to tell you.  If you voted for Obama, I don't care.  We made that decision together, based on the knowledge of a 38 year old mom and two 9 year old students.  I based my opinion on one simple thing: Is America better now than 4 years ago?  To me - the answer is "no".  They agreed, although Shelby said it didn't matter to her who won.  That's just who she is.  My sweet, kindhearted Shelby.

We voted, and went on with our day.  Tuesdays (as you know) are Zoo days.  They went to mamaw's house afterwards and I came home to do all my mom stuff.  They came home last night, got ready for bed, we read part of "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory" and then it was off to bed. 

They never asked about the election, and I never mentioned it.  It's 10 a.m. this morning, and they STILL haven't asked about it.  To be honest, I'm afraid to tell them.  I think they will be extremely disappointed that 'their' person didn't win.

Now really - can't we all learn a lesson from these two children?  They did their job, they voted (well.... through me) and then they moved on.  They are more secure than we as adults are. 

Of course, they don't have the worries that this world offers.  They don't have to worry about insurance, or the price of milk, or gas, or a house payment, or their job in this shaky economy.  They're children. 

Would you go back and read that last paragraph again?  Would you listen to what's being said around you?  How sad God must be.  When He said in Phillipians 4:6 "Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.",  He meant that.

Do you really think that He didn't KNOW what would happen last night?  Did anyone stop and think that this might actually be in His will??

I've read the end of the book - we win.  However, there are things that must transpire.  God KNEW what a state our country would be in.  He KNEW that we would become a Godless nation.  He KNOWS what events will happen in the future, in what order.  I would LOVE to say that we as Christians could rise up together and take this nation back for the Lord.  In all honesty, we could, if we wanted to.  But, God KNEW all those years ago that this wouldn't be the case. We don't want it bad enough.  Hence - the last book of the Book.  Events must happen to bring about the end.  That's simply the way it is.  I firmly believe that we must have a Godless, spineless jellyfish in office to turn power over to the face of pure evil.  Am I predicting the future?  No.  Not even Jesus knows the hour of His coming.  I'm simply saying that this country will continue to decline.  It's scripture.  It will happen.

I'm not looking forward to the possibilities of the next four years, but I will tell you this one thing.  I would rather live here for four more years of Obamarule than to live here for seven years of the tribulation.  My house is in order.  And now it's time for me to make sure my neighbor's house is in order, too. 

So - who will join me?  Who will decide today that this world is temporary, and not worth the effort to worry over?  Who will focus on the souls to save and not the Dow Jones Industrial Average? 

I am much less in FaceBook and much more in THE Book.  It's the only way any of us is getting out of here alive. 

Beezy, Beezy, Beezy!!

It's Thursday, and and I think we might be getting back into our routine, just in time for the weekend.  We've been learning, but outside our little classroom.  I can tell you that 3 field trips wrapped around an extremely busy weekend do tend to make mommy a little tired.  In facet, I'm yawning right now!

I was with a homeschool mom/friend on Tuesday and we were talking about - you guessed it - homeschool.  She and I have come to the conclusion that life is a really good classroom.  Now - don't get me wrong.  I am a firm believer in learning from a book.  I think children should memorize their multiplication facts and be able to write in cursive and know a noun from a verb.  I also think that they should be allowed creativity and freedom of expression in their writing and art.  I think silence is not golden and noise is ok.  I think it's ok to talk during a test, as long as you're not giving out answers.  I don't think the government knows better than I what's best for my child.  I knew things about these two the second they were born because I already KNEW them. 

I find that I am spending less time preaching to my children and more time teaching them.  It's important that they do their science workbooks (which is what they're doing now as I watch) but it's just as important that they learn to put their best work into their workbooks.  Cut the lines straight, glue everything the right way, follow the directions, and learn to find the answers for yourself in the book. 

I must keep reminding myself that, as much as I would love to keep them this size (or smaller!!) forever, my job is to grow these two into productive members of society, able to take care of themselves and able to stand on the faith that we have instilled in them.  They must be able to live in this world while not being IN the world.  They must be able to get a job and keep that job.  They must be able to play well with others, and they must be able to keep their mouth tightly closed most of the time.  I hope that during this process, I teach them things I wish I had known.  I hope they learn to pray about decisions before they make one.  I hope that they talk to God more than they talk to other people.  I hope they always pray before they eat, no matter who is around. 

Children do come with a manual, you know.  It's a very, very old book.

A surprise for mom .....

This is really all the blog I need to post today - it makes it all worthwhile!!

Blogging in the Rain

No... really.  I wasn't trying to be cute with the title.  It's raining outside.

A good friend sent me a message last week (eek!) and with much kindness told me that she missed my blog posts and was eagerly looking forward to another.  It's been a month!  I didn't really think anyone liked them, so thank you.  Thank you for finding my life more interesting than I do ;)

I hate to admit it.  Really - I HATE to admit this - but I have become one of THOSE people.  I have read many, many blogs over the past few months/year.  Most of these blogger moms talk about putting aside a specific time to write, and even make notes during the week so they won't forget.  I used to think "man! what a goober!", but now I now understand!  I also have a note of things I've written down over the past month so I wouldn't forget.  Guess what?  I would have forgotten if I hadn't written it down.  *sigh* I love getting old.

I now wonder how we had time to go to public school.  Our days have been super busy with life, and living it.  We took a grandparent field trip to Biltmore at the end of September for homeschool days.  It was a long and exhausting day and we loved every minute of it!  We also went to Andrew Johnson's home in Greeneville.  If you've never been, I highly recommend you go, even if you have no children to take along.  I am learning more since starting this school adventure than my children are!  Ok, maybe not MORE, but definitely as much.  History is coming alive to me now, in a way that it never did from inside a textbook.  And, more importantly, it is coming alive in the eyes of my tots.

From the non-school side, we've still been busy.  L and S have learned to ride their bikes - FINALLY!!  I have found papaw to be the best teacher in matters such as these.  We also participated as a family in the great garage re-do.  Frankly, I was just sick and tired of having to eject myself through the moon roof of my car to get in the house.  I cleaned up, paired down and re-organized.  I've also re-arranged my bedroom furniture and cleaned the windows.  I've always been an odd duck (and you don't have to verbalize your agreement) but I'm the only one I know that does her spring cleaning in the fall.  I think it's just a matter of I can't stand the thought of being cooped up in this house all winter looking at junk. 

I'm looking forward to fall.  I like pumpkin and cinnamon smells in the kitchen and sweaters and falling leaves.  I like putting my blanket in the dryer to get snuggly warm before settling down in front of the TV with a good book and a cup of coffee.  I like socks and sweatpants.  I like the quiet of moonlight.  I like that my children are still small enough to wear those cute little pajamas to bed.  You know the ones I mean?  The ones with cuffs at the hands and feet.  I don't care that they're 4+ feet tall and weigh 65+ pounds each - when they wear those pj's, they still look like toddlers to me and I get to remember. 

Alas... life does go on.  Today is a big day in the homeschool world.  We are headed to the Knoxville Botanical gardens to tag Monarch butterflies.  I'm sure I will have some good photos to go with these memories! 

This morning, S asked me how much the moon was worth.  Thinking I was about to have a great philosophical debate, I started to sit down.  That's when L pips up and says "A dollar?"  I started to say "no" when he continued with "you know?  because it has 4 quarters??" -- Insert rolled eyes here.

A good friend and I have been having several discussions lately about James 3.  When you get a chance, I suggest you read it. 

I also highly recommend "Sun Stand Still" by Steven Furtick and "Jesus Calling" by Sarah Young.  Who needs Barnes and Noble when you have me?? ;)

Happy October 9th everyone.  Remember to smile, remember to laugh, and remember to never take life for granted or too seriously - ain't none of us gettin' out of here alive!!

Nothing Lasts Forever..

I knew it was bound to happen eventually.  I mean, really ~ how long did I truly expect this streak to last?  Roads and good intentions... you know the saying, right?  I tried - really I did.  Unfortunately, this usually happens at least twice a year. 

I made a mistake.

Ok...ok ... if you know me at all, you can hear my voice and the silliness dripping from this!  Mistakes?? Oh my word ~ by the HOUR!!

I admit it.  I told my students something in error.  Blame it on lack of sleep, too much to do, looking forward to Friday... pick your poison.  The fact remains that I made a boo-boo!  I'd been doing so well, too ...... insert starry-eyed gaze here.

They took it well, especially since I offered to help them fix my mistake.  Fortunately, it was comma placement and not life-altering. 

Ah.... alas.  I shall not win teacher/mother of the year.

I knew at the beginning of this venture that I would learn more than they did.  I guess the proof is in the pudding, huh?

Each day is a new opportunity .... What I do with it is up to the choices I make... and the blessings God gives me.

I cannot change the world, but I CAN change me...

O.O

Bug-eyed.  Some days, that's just how I feel! 

Perhaps it's the lack of sleep I've had or the silly giggles I've been involved in recently, but this particular lesson just can't be done soon enough!

The entire idea of homeschooling is being able to teach your children in ways that suit their particular learning style.  I have a logical learner and a literary or language-oriented learner.  I thought today would be a good day to drag out the legos and build a ziggurat.  You don't know what that is?  No worries - neither did I. We were learning about the Sumerians and their civilization, and the had built ziggurats.  Google it.  It's good reading.  If you need help falling asleep.  Sorry - truth!

I can't say that this went as planned.  You would think that, with a box of 9 MILLION lego pieces, there wouldn't be any arguments... right?  I mean, that's 4.5 million for each child.  Well.. guess what?  Yep.  There was only one of a particular piece and they both wanted it.  Enter bug eyes!

Some days seem endless -

My patience grows thin.

Why was I chosen

To be mother of twins?

Kudos to mom for not flushing them both down the toilet.  Crisis was averted with a calm voice (pat my OWN back!!), and as I type this, they are working together to help each other's ziggurat be the best it can be.  I don't think the Egyptians have anything to worry about.  Apparently engineering isn't in the future of either of my students....  I'm not laughing - I swear I'm not.  BUT .... somehow they got it in their head that a ziggurat was a church.  It wasn't exactly a church.  They believe these structures were "houses" for the gods.  Although we talked about that some, they are still building Sunday School rooms.  Lukas is also pondering the thought of a Smurf choir singing gospel songs in the basement.  Now he's looking for speakers.  Ok - ok!  So I'm laughing just a LITTLE.  Eh.... oh well. 

I don't know if they will remember the word ziggurat at their graduation ceremony.  My vote will be "no".  However... I hope ~ scratch that ~ I pray that the lesson they learned here today will be teamwork and forgiveness, as well as a good dose of "don't get frustrated". 

Which reminds me ~~ My bible study this morning included a story from Kay Strom.  She was talking about signs and wonders.  They still happen, you know.  How hard do we look for those signs and wonders?  We need them stored in our memory banks.  When times get tough and the going gets rough, we need to look back at those items in our past to gain some knowledge and strength.  It's important to have memories of "Remember when God ....(fill in the blank)" ... I know I have been accessing those memories lately.  It's important to remember that He did it before, so we can stand secure that He'll do it again.  That brings me back to "don't get frustrated".  He's still working on me ~ and you. 

Lessons.  They hurt sometimes, but aren't you glad we have them??