Gratitude Challenge Day 4

Today several things have been on my mind. I think today though I am really most thankful for my husband. We have SO much history together (which I love!) We have been together since we were both around 16 years old :0) We were high school sweethearts.We married and had children right out of high school. There have been ups and downs in our marriage like any other and we have grown closer and stronger as the years have gone by.

One of the things I love the most about my dear husband is how selfless he is.He works so hard to take care of us and is still always willing to help out around the house. Sometimes its just the small things that really mean a lot. Like tonight for instance.We went to a buffet for dinner and after I helped the kids get there food I sat down and told him to go ahead and get himself something.He said no and let me go first.It was just a simple thing really, but it just made me feel so nice.He is always doing things like that and I just love him so much for it :0)

Doubting myself

Today I have been focusing a lot on the negatives and not so much on the positives in our homeschool journey. I have been feeling very inadequate. Thoughts like “I’m not good enough.” and “I just can’t do this.” have been in my head today. But I KNOW beyond any doubt that this is exactly what the Lord wants me to be doing. After praying it through and talking it over with my sister Tristan I am feeling much better. I just have to remember that I can do all things through Christ. If I look to the Lord for strength and guidance while we are traveling down this path of homeschooling HE will make me able.

We all have moments of doubt.About many different parts of our life.I’d love to hear how you handle it when you are doubting yourself.

Gratitude Challenge day 3

I was feeling a bit off today.Do you ever have those days?When your  feeling moody and emotional for any number of reasons? Well that was me today! Then something happened that brightened my day.My sister called! She is a fellow wife,mother,Christian and homeschooler. She is my big sis and always willing to listen and talk me through my bad days. I love her so very much. Since my husband is in the Army we don't live near family.Being far from my sister is hard for me.I am very thankful we both can keep in touch with the dial of a phone or a quick email :0)

When I think about my sister and how close we are,she really is my best friend  I have to chuckle a little!For it was not always so! As teenagers we fought like cats and dogs!We honestly couldn’t stand each other. One time it even came to blows!We were fighting over the thing all teen girls fight over,who got to use the phone!LOL  If someone had  told me then that now she would be my favorite friend and my closes confidant.I would have laughed.I am so thankful for my sister and the closeness we have developed over the years.

Gratitude challenge day 2

Today I am thankful for a body that works and is in relatively good health! It is 5:30 a.m. and I am up getting ready to go exercise. I do NOT enjoy getting up early and I don't particularly enjoy exercising either. That aside I am very thankful that I am healthy enough to be up and going and working out.

As any normal women who has had multiple children there are things I don’t love about my body. I have a little extra padding here and there.Things are a little less firm and a little less perky than they were when I was 16 :0) I tend to dwell on those things far too much.Today I want to focus on all the things this old body of mine does right. I am capable of making meals to feed my dear children. I can hug,tickle,carry and play with my children. I am able to be up and working.Cleaning,organizing and making my home a comfortable place to be. I can work along side my husband and share in the daily duties of life.

I am really very thankful for this body of mine and all that it makes me able to do :0)

Gratitude Challenge

I’ve been meaning to sit down and write a blog post for some time now. In fact I have sat down at my computer several times with the intention of writing.For one reason or another though a post never got written! Sometimes it was the kids interruptions.Sometimes there was just nothing in my head to write! That's why I am so glad I came across  the Gratitude Challenge over on Garden of Learning.

In life we too often focus on the negative.We are so focused on what we don’t have that we miss seeing just how  blessed we are. So the basis for the challenge is to post every day of November.Blog about what your thankful for. I think this is a great idea and I’m hoping it will help me get past my bloggers block! :0)

Today is day one and it took me a minute to decided exactly what to write about.Kids,family,hubby.All of these came to mind. Then I decided that I wanted to start at the most important place.

I am thankful for the knowledge I have of my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. I am thankful that through His atoning sacrifice I can be forgiven of my sins. That I have a loving Savior always looking out for me.Always waiting to welcome me with open arms and forgiveness.

I am thankful that I know I am a daughter of God and that He loves me. We all have  days when we feel like we  are not pretty enough,thin enough,smart enough,organized enough,crafty enough,lovable enough or any other. When I am having one of those days it is such a blessing to me to know that I am the daughter of a King. A Heavenly King who made me in His imagine. I am weak, I am not perfect.But I am loved and I am worth while.

I hope you all will join in with me this month on this challenge. How have you been blessed today?

Such A Cool Guy

That right there is my hubby and I have to say,he is such a great guy! He is faithful,hard working,loving,has a great sense of humor and loves the Lord as much as I do. The other day when we sat down as a family to have our daily(well Mostly daily) scripture study he did a little impromptu lesson with the kids that I thought was so neat.

He told them that he would whisper in their ear a scripture one time.After he whispered the scripture to each of us in turn he said “Ok now I want you to tell me what that scripture said word for word!” Needless to say not one of us could.

Then he told us that this is why we are so blessed to have the scriptures and why reading them every day is so important.If we want to follow God we need to know what He says.If we want to know,remember and live His gospel we have to be familiar with it and read it often.

I just thought that was a cool way to 1.Get the kids attention and 2.Help them realize the blessing the scriptures are to us.

I’ve Been Tagged!

Jeanine over @the Peel Academy is playing a wonderful game of tag as a way to get to know other bloggers and she has tagged me!Thanks Jeanine!She had some questions and here are my answers!

1.What do you love most about homeschooling? This is a hard one for me to answer because I love pretty much EVERYTHING about homeschool! Today I think I love most that we can live a family centered life.My kids still value their parents opinions more than their peers and I think that's saying something!

2.What is your favorite way to socialize?OOHH Good one Jeanine! I love to get together with other families and have game nights.There is nothing better than food friends and fun games!

3.What is one of your attributes that only other homeschoolers understand? Its not necessarily an attribute,but I get excited over all the things we study and the different resources I find and library book sales!LoL Other homeschoolers understand that!

4.What makes you human (i.e. less then perfect)? I lose my patience. I always hear from non homeschoolers how patient I must be and really I’m not!I figure God knew I needed something like homeschooling to show me my failure in patience and humble me :0)

5.What are your strengths?I’m a good planner and organizer. I enjoy having a plan and following through with it.

6.What books are you enjoying? I just finished re-reading the “Love Comes Softly” series by Janette Oke.A very uplifting series!

7.What charitable or social cause would you devote your time to if time was not an issue? That's a good question! If time weren't an issue I would love to be more involved with learning to live more “naturally” and helping others do the same.As well as fighting the obesity epidemic in America.

Last but not least 8. What do you want to be when you grow up? :0) I want to be a career student. I want to get my masters in library science and go to culinary school and study art(because right now I know nothing about art!) and become a sign language interpreter.I just LOVE to learn!

Now I get to tag a few of my favorite bloggers and ask 8 questions of my own!

I’m tagging :

Tristan@OurBusyHomeschool

Another fellow homeschooler@Almost Unschoolers

Mrs.Regan@Regan Family Farm

And last but not least Kris @WeirdUnsocializedHomeschoolers

This is what I’d love to know!

1.How has your homeschooling philosophy changed over the years?

2.What is one of your favorite “guilty pleasures”?

3.Favorite childrens author?

4.Favorite homeschool resource?

5.What is one of your secret ambitions?

6.What is your favorite place you have lived?If you have only lived in one place what is your faorite thing about that place?

7.What are your top 2 reasons for homeschooling?

8.If life were simpler ;0) what would you like to spend more time doing?