Language Arts Laughs!

I just have to report a few funny things going around here during school hours!

Connor was learning about adverbs last week and had a writing assignment to write some sentences using them and this is my favorite...

My mom helps me with my schoolwork goodly.

This just made me chuckle, doesn't sound right to me. Honestly, that day during our read aloud time of Red Sails to Capri, there it was again used in a sentence. After some quick computer research looks like it is a word, though obviously not used often these days, and I don't think it should be used as an adverb. (Mom, I'm sure you will advise me more on this!) I am thrilled however that he sees my help as a positive thing!

Brody is really fun to do language arts with as well. In order to keep him interested, I try to put each spelling word when used in a sentence in some sort of sheep context! Not easy, but definitely keeps me on my toes! He will write about sheep in any way and any time that he can. When studying homonyms last week, he had to write a sentence for 4 different ones. Here is what he came up with...

know - I know I want more sheep.
no - No, Sheepie is mine.
their - Their sheep are running.
there - There were a lot of sheep.

As long as he gets it, I don't care how he gets it! Now, that is tailoring an education!

To Indulge or Not to Indulge...

For some reason on my parenting journey I am super sensitive to NOT indulge my children. I'm not even sure where it comes from. I'm sure if I felt I really need to know a few hours in some sort of therapy would pull out some buried emotional instance from my past, but truthfully I just don't care. I want to give my children good things and I love giving them gifts, I just don't want them to feel entitled, I want them to be grateful and appreciative.



The definition of indulge is... To give free rein to; To yield to the desires and whims of



I am wanting to raise boys that care more about the needs of others and don't enjoy being around kids that get everything they want or think they need. I was bound and determined to be able to walk through a store with my kids not kicking and screaming because they want a toy or some other item. It has taken discipline on my part but has paid off!



But I have to share a story...



A few months ago, the boys and I ran into TJ Maxx looking for some pictures to decorate a wall with. We ran into this stuffed dog, a huge stuffed dog and my boys just fell in love with him. They carried him around the store and talked of getting him. When we added up the money they had between them they were $5 short. At $3 a week each it would take a week of waiting. Brody was very encouraging to Connor explaining that next week they could afford to get the new beloved item, but Connor struggled a little more. He reasoned that if I would give him the money they could get him now! It took every ounce of willpower on my part to not shower this gift on them, but I felt I just couldn't! So, we hid him in the store (boy did I score some serious points with that one), and I told them we would talk to daddy and we would see. They both walked out of that store, not the least bit upset and I was so impressed with their behavior! Anyway, after talking with daddy we decided to "lend" them the money because there was only one of him and we didn't know if we would be there the next week. So, we made the exception and went back the next day.

Wow were they excited. They took that whole night to really decide if this was something they wanted to spend ALL their money on, if they could share him, where he would go in the room and what they would name him.

He was there and we brought him home the next day. They bought their first thing on credit! I can't find the picture but they slept for 2 nights in our guest bed with that dog in the middle so they could share him properly. They wrote journal entries on him, played with him every day and were just so thrilled.

So, I have to report two months later that "Paws" is still at the top of the favorite list. They absolutely adore that silly dog. They dress him, switch off sleeping with him, and even have created books for him when he attending their "school". It is so precious!

Looking back, I am so excited about the way it turned out. I love to say yes to them! Truthfully, I'm not even sure if they did pay me the money because it isn't about that..it is about the life lesson! It is about raising adults who can wait...It is about raising adults who can think through a decision, and raising adults who are grateful.

The Heart of a Servant

I am so incredibly proud of my Brody. He has worked SO hard over the past few weeks and I have been witness to a huge attitude change in his life.

It started a few weeks ago....we were out running errands with Aldine. She is a friend of ours that lives at Wilson House. She is unable to drive because of her disability which has her bound to a wheelchair so we take her out a few times a month to run errands with her. We were taking her home, carrying in all sorts of things and I was pushing her when I asked Brody to get the door to let us in. He was upset because Connor got to carry something bigger than him and so he made up an excuse about not having a hand to help. He did the same thing moments later when we arrived at her room. I am always working with my boys to open doors for people, especially women and anyone with their arms full and certainly anyone in a wheelchair!

After getting her settled, I had a long talk with Brody about being a servant to others and being helpful to those we care about and to strangers. I told him I was a little saddened to see him act so selfishly.

I also had to sit back and realize my part. By habit, I usually ask Connor to help by opening those doors, and doing all sorts of other small tasks for me. I'm sure it just has to do with him being the oldest. Well, I realize that this has not been helpful for Brody to see how significant he CAN be and what he can do. So, that day I started consciously asking him to do little things and most of the time it was received very well.

I have to say...I hardly recognize this kid! Just tonight as one example, he heard Connor mention that he left his book out in the living room and he bolted on his own and went and got it for him. Actually, I don't think a day has gone by that he has not jumped up and done something for one of us without being asked to do so. He has shown us how thoughtful and caring he truly is and I love that he is sharing this side of him! God has blessed him with so many wonderful gifts and I love being a small part of nuturing those in him. What an awesome journey I am on with him each and every day!

Before and After

In our church bulletin this morning there was a little green card.

On one side it simply said.."Before I met Christ" and on the other side it reads "Now that I know Christ." At the bottom is a place for your signature.

It really got me thinking about how I would fill this out. A few years ago I gave my testimony at a MOPS meeting and it was a very tearful cleansing experience. However, I look back and think how different it would be today. I have moved so much farther past "my past" and although I don't want to forget that person, I hardly recognize her or relate to her. I have been the new me long enough in my adult life that I am now more used to this version of myself. However it was still easy to fill out the before part and on the other side I just wanted to write...BETTER! I thought it would be good though to complete it...

Before I met Christ...

My "moral compass" was broke..no clear direction on right and wrong.
I lived a very selfish life which is the wordly standard.
I had no real hope of anything better.
I filled my life with destructive behavior to feel loved and fill any void I felt in my life.

Now that I know Christ...

I look to God's word for direction on right and wrong in my life!
I try each day to live out God's purpose for me. I realize that living for the moment is a very lonely place!
I know this life is temporary and believe with all my heart that heaven is real and amazing and I want to go there!
The deep hole in my soul has been filled and I know I am loved by God no matter what!

So, that is basically it in a nutshell. Not quite as complicated as I thought.

Just BETTER!

No More Tears

Ok...just a few, but the title sounded better with the whole Johnson ad idea, hopefully I didn't infringe on some copyright title!

On Tuesday we took Aunt Lara to the airport after a fun filled extra long weekend visit! It seems that we have gotten into a good enough routine that Connor no longer gets overly upset when she leaves. I brought up on the way, our plans to see her in July to make sure he had a time frame in his head. He explained that if he knows when he will see her again, he doesn't feel the need to be so sad. So, a few deep breaths, some red eyes...and a few tears..then smiles on the way home:)

This visit was also very efficient because we made a list on the way to pick her up this time. It seems that after every visit Connor and Brody both had things that they wanted to show her, or do with her that just didn't get done. As we were loading suitcases, she watched them both kick off the new football tee which marked off the last thing...success! Some other things on the list were....

Swimming at the Croc Center

Chuck E Cheese

The Lambing Barn at OSU - Aunt Lara and Connor left to get some "fresh air" after a few minutes...Brody would of stayed all day and remained true to the fact that to him..."sheep smell isn't stinky"

Our new favorite game, Blokus

There were many other things I didn't get pictures of such as showing her Owen the cat, playing the Wii Fit which she got us for Christmas, and reading the adventure story that Connor is writing.

We did have a great time and my boys have a terrific aunt that they love dearly. I am blessed to have such a wonderful sister too!

It really is THAT good!

I have heard from many people how good this book was and we finally read it!! I know they made a movie a while back and maybe one day we will tackle that, but it can't be as good. Are they ever really? We have found the book is always better and the few that we have watched after we read have fallen way short of our expectations; Trumpet of the Swan, and Lassie come to mind.


The boys and I finished reading this book last weekend and it was SO good that I just have to share...just to make sure that if you haven't read it...you do. It is a wonderful read a loud; short chapters, fun characters, and easy voices (remember my Lassie fiasco?). We could hardly put it down and read through it very quickly. Connor and Brody would beg for more each day, at every meal and and again at bedtime. The best part was that I enjoyed it too. We read a lot of great books through our school curriculum, but I always have an extra read aloud going as well. I borrowed this from a friend but went and bought it the day after I finished because I knew we needed to own this one. Sure enough, that night Connor started reading it on his own at bedtime. (I just knew he would do that)

Every time we read a good book, I usually think to myself; I hope I remember these characters and these situations when I need them. I hope that when I can use them in life lesson teaching around here, there they will be on the tip of my tongue and luckily because God knows me very well, He brought one quickly.

I was helping Connor to log onto the computer to play some Webkinz when I got a notice of a possible threat to the computer so I ran a quick scan and had to shut down and restart. He was absolutely stumped by all of this, especially when I introduced him to the term "hacker". He just kept asking me..."why would someone do that mom?" So, I thought of Botticelli who explained that a rats purpose was to bring other people suffering and we talked about how sad it is for some people that live in the "darkness of a dungeon" without light in their lives. They don't have a moral compass, and they block out God's voice that offers guidance on right and wrong.

So, thank you Kate DiCamillo for such wonderful characters...I just wish the comparison between the rats and people was much harder to get to!