I am here.

Just a picture in case you didn't manage through all the links for our trip. I did a slideshow for some pictures of our trip but I can't figure out how to get it to show up on this goofy blog thing.

Well, I have to admit I get alot more done in life when I am not blogging or coming to check blogs every few hours. Can you believe it had gotten to that? Crazy!! I did have difficulty staying away from everyone's blogs. I have to check JTSETSMA's blog everyday. I am praying for that dear sweet baby and his family so I mean I might as well check everyone elses why I am there right? Anyway...I did find that I could check blogs only once a day. I also stopped thinking about my experiences through the day in terms of how I would write them on a blog. Ha, ha! Most of those ideas don't get posted anyway because I can't get to the computer before I have forgotten what it was I was going to say.

A few things this week...
I have discovered we don't do well to sit down for 2 or 3 hours at one time and do school. We need to do it in smaller blocks between housework, chores, playing and eating. Much better.

I had a girls night out with Heather (texas aggie in florida). It was her idea to go shopping and I didn't even think I would buy anything but I should did. I needed shoes and a new Sunday dress. John is now the interim youth pastor for a church about 100 miles from here. We will be attending there one Sunday a month and he will be going over a few Wednesdays a month. Anyway...I guess I was so excited to be out that I wasn't paying as much attention to shopping as I needed to. I got home and realized a pair of shoes I had purchased was actually 2 different sizes. Now I tried both of them on but the little security thing Ross puts on their stuff was inside one of the shoes so I thought that is why it was tight. NOPE...just a half size too small. Ha,Ha!!

We are going to the UCF season opener today!!! Off to dress everyone in Black and Gold! GO KNIGHTS!!!!

literature on the web

OK...I said I wasn't gonna blog. I made it 24 hours but I was online anyway to set up the online story for my kids. I have found this site http://etc.usf.edu/lit2go/index.htm that has audio books. Layton has listened to 2 chapter books written 1913 by Laura Lee Hope. They are part of 2 different series...The Outdoor Girls in Florida and The Moving Picture Girls Under the Palms or Lost in the Wilds of Florida. These books inspired me to start the kids on some facts about Florida. I am hoping one day Layton will read them in the future when we do a Florida History unit and go visit St. Augustine. Even Elijah has listened to them. You can read each chapter before you allow your child to listen to it to make sure it is something you would allow them to hear.

Now we are moving to a chapter book: Curly and Floppy Twistytail is about the adventures of the two Twistytail pig brothers. Source: Howard R. Garis, Curly and Floppy Twistytail, the Funny Piggie Boys (New York: A. L. Burt Co., 1918)

I just thought some of you would enjoy having this resource at your finger tips. There are LOTS and LOTS of stories and poems to listen to on this site. We are using this at naptime for a quiet rest period for the older two kids while the youngers are resting AND so I can have a break. They really look forward to it. I found myself folding clothes in there with them during this time so I can listen to the stories too. It was lots of fun to go online and find pictures of cars in the early 1900's and talk about St. Augustine and real historical places there. Now we are going to take a trip into the world of make believe. See you when we get back!

Unplugged

Well, as much as I am attached...or perhaps because of this...I am going unplugged. No email...no blogging...no facebook...no myspace and no TV. I think I am going to unplug the cable box until John needs the TV.

I have too much to focus on here in this house. If you need me you can call me. I am sure I will miss you but I just need to refocus. We'll see if and when I come back to the blogosphere.

Thanks.

Consider me a little slow... I need a teacher's manual for most things. Remember I used to be a school teacher in profession. So thanks for letting me share my insights with you. Most of you that read this have already figured this out. But if you needed a little help in this area...look at the websites I have listed.

Moms- Think about how Moses was protected by his mother and then how she spent the first 3 or so years nursing her own child for Pharaoh’s daughter. Can you imagine how she must have spoke into him God’s truth while she nursed him and then with confidence in God’s providence passed her son back to Pharaoh’s daughter trusting GOD to watch over him? What FAITH!!!

God has recently re-impressed upon my heart the importance of our influence on our children as mothers. In listening to www.reviveourhearts.com , on Friday August 22nd and Monday August 25th. The title for Friday was Parenting under Providence and can be read or listened to at http://www.reviveourhearts.com/radio/roh/today.php?pid=10003I would encourage you to listen to both these programs.
This encouraged me to take every opportunity to speak God’s truth into our children even as babies. For some reason, I never thought of having a “curriculum” of sorts to build into my babies like this. I have found a website that has a curriculum for babies that includes educational goals but also scripture to read to your babies as they develop. If you, like myself, want to build God’s truths into your child but need some guidance I encourage you to look at this curriculum and see what this mom/educator has created to get some ideas of how to do it. http://www.letteroftheweek.com/nursery_age_0.html
The home page that this curriculum is found on is at http://www.letteroftheweek.com/Preparatory.html I have found it to be a valuable resource in thinking about how I can prepare my children educationally for school but now also how I can purposefully build a spiritual foundation for my children and trust God to work in their hearts. DON’T be intimidated by this outline of information that she encourages mothers to do with her kids. You can just read aloud the scripture that you are reading in your daily quiet times to your children. GOD promises HIS WORD will not go away void.
I hope this encourages you ladies!!! Love in Christ, Kathryn

link to see my missourri pics

http://www.rockyou.com/show_my_gallery.php?source=ppsl&instanceid=121051277

Missin' Missourri

Well, we missed the family reunion in Missourri on our trip because of car troubles. But we did get to experience a watermelon grown by my Grandpa in his garden. My sister sent some pictures to me of their fun in Missourri. It brought back memories of trips to Missourri when I was a kid. There was always fun in the garden and barn. Lots of fun outdoors and LOTS of good food! Oh...there is a pic of my neice and nephew next to an Indian carving. If I remember correctly the Trail of Tears runs on the corner of my Grandpa's property. Too cool!

We got to eat Grandpa's watermelon at my sister's house in Tennessee. We ate the whole thing. IT WAS SOOOO SWEET!!! The sweetest I have had in years. Seriously! John was speaking at the Nashville Rescue Mission that night. He doesn't eat watermelon, anyway. You have to check out Nathaniel eating watermelon in the slideshow. He loved it! My sister is going to have watermelon vines coming up under her deck before she knows it. We had fun teaching the kids how to spit their watermelon seeds.

Rain, Rain, go away!

Well, the rain has stayed and stayed and stayed. Don't get me wrong I am so thankful it is just rain and not hurricane force winds. I am also thankful that we aren't just 35 minutes more west and where it is flooding. There are so many people who have been affected by this storm and are still being affected. My prayers go up for them.

John has had to postpone the 3degrees fundraiser golf tournament that was scheduled for tomorrow until September 12th. We are hoping this doesn't mean a drop in attendance but an increase. We know God has awesome plans for using John's gifts and talents to reach young people. God keeps providing opportunities for John to minister and keeps reaching students through him. He has provided for us over and over and over when it just didn't make sense. In the 3 years since we stepped out in faith to begin the non-profit 3 degrees, inc. God has continued to provide for John's travel to events and also provided for us as a family. We will pray for a great day of golf and beautiful weather on September 12th so people can be introduced to the ministry that is 3degrees and seek God for wisdom in joining us in this faith venture.

My boy...that is John my hubbie, was built for reaching out to young people. I am always blown away at how he connects with young people. He walks into a room and is able to assess a group spiritually very quickly. It is truly a GOD-given gift. He builds relationships with people in five minutes that I would never even be able to cultivate in years. Seriously! I am so proud of him. God even built him with this amazing sense of style. I definitely don't have it. And honestly...sometimes style helps when you are talking to teens.

Recently he has made a change in his hair style. One with which I was somewhat saddened at first but it has grown on me. I guess he may even look younger bald...is that possible? I do miss the golden spiked fohawk though!!! (not shown in the before picture)

Before: (with hair and mustache)

AFTER: (shaved head or no mustache just the chin thing...Is that considered a beard or a gotee(sp?))