Growth

A couple of weeks ago my boys and I planted some monster watermelon and pumpkin seeds. We weren't sure if they would grow or not because the seeds were bought about 2 years ago and have been sitting dormant since then. To see my original post, click HERE.

The boys have been taking very good care of their plants by giving them water every day, taking them outside for sunshine and bringing them back inside when there was a chance for bad weather. This is the result of their tender care:

In just 2 weeks, God took something that remained dormant for years and gave it new life! All it took was someone caring for it. 

This got me thinking about life in general. Have you felt like you've been in a rut? A funk? You just can't escape? I pray that God will send you the right person to show you His tender loving care. Sometimes we need another person to just love on us; to remind us that God hasn't forgotten us. Take comfort in knowing that it doesn't matter how long you have been going in the wrong direction, He can change your life instantly! Let me know how I can pray for you today!

Be blessed my friends!

CRAZY DREAM

Last night I had a dream; no, a nightmare. I was sitting upstairs on hardwood floors in this beautiful home. It felt like it was mine, but it's not anything like the home I have. I was reading a book and taking notes. I looked up from my book and stared out of this huge, glass window that was directly in front of me. I noticed the beautiful clouds as they rolled past. They really caught my attention. I was lost in the beauty of the bright sun mixing in with white, puffy clouds, and the prettiest blue color I've ever seen. In an instant the beauty faded. The wind picked up quickly and I noticed a black funnel forming and coming straight towards me. I've never seen anything like this before. It was like a tornado, but it was the blackest black. It was like oil being poured from the sky and being swept into a funnel with the wind. I was horrified. I started screaming for my family, but no one answered. I dropped my book and threw my pen on the floor and took off running down the stairs. I found my teenage son and asked him where his brother and dad were. My husband had gone somewhere in the car and my five year old son was outside. What? Outside? I was in a pure panic. I threw open the door and saw him walking away from me as the dark funnel was still headed in our direction. He was just calmly walking down a lane that was overgrown with grass. There was a barn off in the distance. I was screaming his name at the top of my lungs. He couldn't hear me. He just kept slowly walking away. I ran towards him, frantically screaming his name over and over. He finally heard me, noticed the fear in my voice, and started running towards me. I grabbed him, scooped him up and ran back inside. The wind slammed the door shut behind us. I looked behind me through the glass window in the door and saw the darkness going away from us and just like that, the funnel disappeared. The sky returned to the beautiful colors that I was first admiring from upstairs. And with that, I was wide awake.  

Be blessed my friends!

9th Grade Curriculum

As promised, here are the things we will be using this upcoming school year for our ninth grade son:

BIBLE
Most important to our family is Bible study. Last year we really enjoyed Wise Up, Wisdom in Proverbs by Positive Action Bible Curriculum. This curriculum goes deeper than just reading scripture and memorizing it. It really gets to your child's heart issues and takes their relationship with Jesus to a higher level. Since my son is entering high school, I asked for more of his input when picking out his curriculum. He obviously enjoyed Wise Up, Wisdom in Proverbs because he wanted to check out Positive Action Bible Curriculum again. I was very happy with his choice, The Life of Christ, Explore the life of our Savior through the Gospel of John.

This book takes your child on a journey through the Gospel of John. My hopes is that this book will not only teach my son more about the life of Christ, but take his relationship with the Lord even deeper. The Life of Christ features maps, photographs, and re-creations of biblical landmarks, and examines the ministry and work of God’s Son within Israel’s historical and geographical context.

GRAMMAR AND WRITING

Grammar and writing will be combined this year in a DVD program called Essentials in Writing.

What I like most about this is that it is not parent intensive. I love being involved in my children's school work but since I will have 2 boys doing school work and 1 baby to take care of, my teenager and I picked out curriculum that is very independent for him. Here is a video that highlights some of the benefits of this program:

MATH

Next is a curriculum that we have used for the past few years and decided to stick with it. It's a great CD program for math called Teaching Textbooks. This year we will be doing Pre-Algebra and if we have enough time we will move on to Algebra I.

Here are some of the features that I think makes Teaching Textbooks so awesome:

Automated grading

A digital gradebook that can manage multiple student accounts and be easily
edited by a parent

Over a dozen more lessons and hundreds of new problems and solutions

Interactive lectures

Hints and second chance options for many problems

Animated buddies to cheer the student on

HISTORY

History was a tough one to find. My son wanted a simplified version. He didn't want anything that had added fluff like timelines, cut out cards, or several different activities needed for each chapter. For the sake of simplicity and keeping his work independent, we chose ACE's 10th grade World History.

I like that ACE is a Christian based curriculum that my son can work through at his own pace. He will be learning about ancient civilizations, the Middle Ages, the Renaissance, Colonialism, the Age of Revolution, and the history of Europe between 1850-1990s. 

SCIENCE

We are both really excited about science this year for a couple of reasons. For starters, we haven't truly done science in a few years. It's not required in our state so unfortunately, it was the first thing to go when life got really busy with babies and moving. The 2nd reason we are so excited is because we found an awesome curriculum that provides everything you need (except for liquids). It's a very hands-on kit and is taught by an instructor on DVD. Our 9th grade science curriculum is Exploration Education Science.

Click HERE to watch a great video that explains the

advanced course that my son will be taking.

ELECTIVE

My son was so excited when I purchased his elective, that he has already started on next year's school work.  He is taking a course on Mod Design 1 through Youth Digital Online. He is learning Java programming by modifying Minecraft and creating his own Mod from start to finish. 

My son will also be reading a lot of great books this year and writing a few book reports. We will frequent the library often! I'm always on the lookout for fun things to do during our school year. We love taking field trips and exploring new places and things. Check back after August to follow us on our high school journey!

Be blessed my friends!