GOD'S LITTLE REMINDER

God’s Little Reminder

This is one of the many songs I have written.
Finished on March 12, 2008 while waiting on the birth of our 2nd son.

I was down and out

all worried about

all the bills we had to pay

I wondered how we'd make it

in this little home

with a baby on the way

I hung my head down

and I started to cry

All I could do is ask

God...why?

In a moment when

all hope seemed gone

that tiny little baby

started kicking up a storm

and I knew right then...

that it was God's little reminder

to cling to HIM a little bit tighter

   And He will see us through

Six years later

he overheard me talkin

on the phone one night

saying I was a horrible mom

and a worthless wife

I hung up the phone

and I started to cry

All I could do is ask

God...why?

In a moment when

all hope seemed gone

my little boy hugged me

and asked, "mom what's wrong"

And I knew right then...

that he was God's little reminder

to cling to HIM a little bit tighter

   And He will see us through

   Yeah, He will see us through

Thank God for little reminders.

1st Grade Curriculum

We went to a homeschool convention in April where I was able to find my children's curriculum for the upcoming school year. I will share in a later post what I chose for my 9th grader because his curriculum was put together, piece by piece. Each subject is from a different company.  For my 1st grader though, we decided to go with A Beka Book. 

A Beka Book is a Christian based company that seems like it will challenge our son the way we feel he needs to be challenged. They teach cursive handwriting from the beginning and they learn phonics very early on as well. I love that the 1st grade kit has everything we need and then some, like science, health, and history. Here's a list of everything I got in the child's kit:  

*You can click on the numbers to see a picture and better description of each item.*

• 94951 Fun with Pets
• 94986 Tiptoes
• 95001 Stepping Stones
• 95036 Secrets and Surprises
• 95052 Bridge Book
• 95060 Kind and Brave
• 95087 Aesop's Fables
• 95109 Strong and True
• 94943 Primary Bible Reader
• 94927 Handbook for Reading
• 95125 Letters and Sounds 1
• 95141 Letters and Sounds 1 Test Book
• 95184 Language 1
• 95206 Spelling and Poetry 1
• 95230 Writing with Phonics 1 Cursive
• 95249 Cursive Writing Tablet
• 92185 Arithmetic 1
• 92207 Arithmetic 1 Tests and Speed Drills
• 34851 Community Helpers Activity Book
• 95265 Discovering God's World
• 95281 Health, Safety, and Manners 1
• 95311 My America and My World
• 113867 Child Kit ABA DVD Insert Card (FREE)
  

I also ordered the following support materials to help me teach him to the best of my ability:

• 96946 Homeschool Phonics, Reading, and Spelling 1 Curriculum
• 95168 Letters and Sounds 1 Test Key
• 95354 Basic Phonics Charts (8.5 X 11)
• 96962 Homeschool Writing and Seatwork 1 Curriculum
• 92231 Homeschool Arithmetic 1 Curriculum
• 92215 Arithmetic 1 Tests and Speed Drills Key
• 151459 Arithmetic Drill Cards Set A
• 75434 Homeschool Arithmetic 1 Charts and Games (8.5 X 11)

I hope you will follow along on our 1st grade journey. We will start back to school in August.

Be blessed my friends!

AWESOME FRIEND PICTURES

These pictures and the family pics in my previous post were taken by a great friend of mine who is starting her own photography business. I think she did an awesome job. The pictures were definitely a blessing for our family.

The first picture is of me and one of my best friends, Sharon. I met Sharon on Craigslist of all places. I had just moved from a different state where I was previously state certified to babysit. Although I had just had our 2nd child, I was ready to babysit more children in order to help provide extra income for our family. I placed an ad on Craigslist and Sharon found me. I began watching her daughter when she was around 3 years old, and Sharon was pregnant with a baby boy. It's hard to believe that such a solid friendship was formed from a babysitting ad. We attend the same church and both sing on our praise and worship team. We have so much in common and continue to make many memories along the way. Sharon is definitely one of my friends for life!

This is Sharon's son (on the left), and my little Stinky Face. These guys are best buds for life! Their personalities really shine through in this picture. I love it!

INDOOR FISHING

Each day I read a devotional story to my little Stinky Face and then there is an activity to do on the next page. Today's story was about being prepared for when Jesus comes again. I have to admit that I was kind of shocked by this lesson. I've never told my 5 year old that Jesus is coming back some day. The more I thought this over, the more thankful I became of this devotional lesson. It is something that we should be teaching our children, because it is a part of God's Word. 

It used a story of a little boy who wanted to play and eat until the very last minute, when his dad had told him to be out in the van, ready to go to preschool. This lesson taught my son that the little boy wanted to do other things first and put off getting ready. In the same way, many people put off getting ready for when Jesus comes. We need to be living our lives the way Jesus wants us to so that we'll be ready when He comes again no matter when that is.

Then it was time for our activity. The directions said that this is an activity that we need to be ready for before we could start. We had to gather all of our materials and then construct a fishing pole and some fish. My son had a blast! I drew a couple of fish for him and then he did the rest of the drawings and cutting them out all on his own. Then we put paper clips on them.

Then it was time to make the "fishing pole". All I did was tie some string around the end of a yard stick and tie it in a knot. Then we took two magnetic rocks that we had and clipped them onto the end of the string. 

 

















Now we were ready to go fishing. When the hook (magnet) of the fishing pole touched the mouth (paper clip) of the fish, he caught fish! He thought it was so awesome and really enjoyed it when he caught more than one at a time.

Stinky Face's New Style

As afraid as I was, I cut my little Stinky Face's hair. He had such beautiful hair, but combined with his long, pretty eyelashes, he could've easily been mistaken for a girl. I was also getting a little tired of his older brother harassing him. Stinky Face said he was ready for a short cut. I have cut my boy's hair off and on over the years, but this was a major change so I was extremely nervous. Honestly I lacked the confidence on the inside, but just faked it on the outside. Little by little, the hair fell to the floor (and on him and the chair). What a mess we made! It took some serious getting used to and at first I really didn't like it, but now I love it. He looks like a totally different kid. I'm trying to take on a completely new attitude about things too. It's just hair! It will grow back if I really don't like it. So what do you think about it? Should I keep on cutting my boy's hair and saving that money, or should I take them to a professional next time? 

BEFORE

AFTER

Be blessed my friends!

My Little Basketball Star

 

My little stinky face started basketball. He absolutely loves it and has the best attitude. The basketball rim is set at 8 feet high. That's SO high for these little guys. Stinky Face is getting closer and closer to it though. He made it about a foot short at his last game. I know that by the end of the season, he's going to be one of the best players on the team because he practices all the time and he's so determined to get better. He runs down the court with a smile on his face. He's made this momma super proud! He got to pick the number he wanted for his jersey and he picked #1. He's definitely number one in my book!

Be blessed my friends!