Leah's Nap Gymnastics

OOHH, Snuggle Puppy of Mine

Everything about you Especially Fine!

I think she might need the Chiropractor after this one!

Is the book too loud, Leah?

Just plain worn out after swim lessons!!!

FPEA Homeschool Convention in Orlando, Florida!

I didn't take any pictures at the convention, so I took a picture of our homeschool library! We have recently started on ANOTHER large shelf and I LOVE IT!!! Bring on the books, baby! This year I attended the major homeschool convention for the state of Florida for the first time. In years past I have gone to a small scale one in Vero Beach and not even wanted to attend the BIG ONE. I like our curriculum. I love to spend money on books and temptation is real. I don't want to buy things that don't work for a family with 6 kids. It is hard to leave the kids for two days and one night. There are many reasons not to go! BUT . . . my sister-in-law Amy put the small push on me at the beginning of the year and I started to consider it. For the hotel, food, gas, toll fees and registration I figured I'd be losing a lot of book money! Well, it all comes out in the end and I really enjoyed the refreshment of attending.

Parenting has been harder than ever this year. I seem to be struggling to gain victory over habitual sins of "reacting, not proacting!" I know God is not pleased and I don't want to reap the fruit of THAT harvest six times over! So my first workshop was by Reb Bradley whose book I like to justify as too strict on parents, but really is true! (Tips on Parenting) His workshop was on Parental Control. Marc and I certainly are not walked on over here, but he just reminded me so much of scriptural reproofs to parents and I was shown the plank in my eye that needs to come out as I seek to counsel these little, foolish children's specks! I could have gone home at that point! The rest of the weekend was superfluous since I knew application of session 1 was enough for sure change! But I stayed. . .

Thanks to Gabriel having explosive intestinal issues while I was there, I did only catch 1/2 of 3 more workshops! (As I washed out his clothes over the bathtub in our hotel room, I felt downright pioneer woman!) The workshops I walked out of were O.K., but the last one I got to stay for the whole time because Amy took Gabe to get more diapers in our room! It was a session that reminded me of classes in college. My pen smoked as I took notes! It was on asking literary questions based on the Socratic method (doesn't the title alone make you feel smarter?). It was fun to hear the man read A Bargain for Francis with such inflection and then to pick apart the storyline with him-a picture book for goodness sake! It was AMAZING! I loved it!

The vendor hall is a bibliovore's heaven! I didn't even make it by all the stalls! I had a list of the ones I was interested in and then hit the other ones as I wandered by! One place I spent money at was a science aimed booth called Tobin's Lab. They had fun stuff that I wouldn't run across ordering my usual curriculum online. I felt that was worth the attendance, too! I got a birdfeeder attachment for a 2 liter bottle, mini soda bottle tubes with ideas for mini-tornadoes and magic wands, pocket volcano and weave your own basket kits! At my old friend Doorposts I got the pamphlet A Checklist for Parents (to check my attitudes and purposes throughout the day/week) and the 2-mini books of the catechism for kids for our dinner table. At my online retailer R.O.C.K. Solid Inc., I got 2 clearance books I WANTED because they were smudged! At Handwriting Without Tears I bought the preschool kit for a phenomenal trade-show price for Jacob. He will get to make his letters in clay and with big wooden letters and chalk. I think it will be good for his left-handed self! At the YWAM booth I found Sarah's request: Biographies! They also had a great trade-show price of 5 books for the price of 3 1/2. I got Sarah's request: C.S. Lewis, as well as: Nate Saint, Ronald Reagan, Florence Young, and Brother Andrew . . . At the FamilyMan booth they had homeschool comic books that had me rolling in tears after 3 comics! I bought all 4 books because they make me feel NORMAL and just like OTHER homeschoolers: we all act like we have it all together, but it is all a lie! By the way, that is a quote from the author, Todd Wilson! If you come to my house, you WILL get to read them!

Now you may be asking where are all the books I was talking about? Well, I already had them all in my online shopping carts at home, waiting to be ordered! I took a price list to the convention, but the only thing I had planned to buy that I found cheaper was the Handwriting without Tears set, so I did buy that there! I also didn't plan a spending budget for myself while there, so I had to be thoughtful about how much I was spending and how all the NECESSITIES were in those online shopping carts waiting to be bought!

Overall, I am truly thankful that I went to the convention. The Rosen Shingle Creek Resort was spectacular, though a lot of walking! Gabriel is an "angel" of a baby and did wonderfully, despite his intestinal woes. I am glad I went and even now, 4 days out, I am working on applying what I have learned to my parenting. More patience, more loving responses, less rushing around doing this and that and more listening! Soli Deo Gloria!

It occurs to me that some people may care to know what schoolwork and curriculums I use, so I think I will post that here, just in case anyone cares!

Sarah (going into 5th grade) and

Daniel (going into 4th grade):

AWANA

Explorer's Bible Study: Job, Psalms and Proverbs

Prudence and the Millers family read aloud/Bible

Sonlight Core 4: History(American History and ABEKA state report,

Language, Science(electricity & magnetism),

Readers(S: 4 & 5--D: 3 & 4), Read Alouds

Saxon Math 6/5

Easy Grammar and Daily Grams

Christian Liberty Spelling

A Reason for Handwriting (Daniel)

Lizzy (going into 1st/with a touch of 2nd)

AWANA

Prudence and the Millers family read aloud/Bible

Sonlight Core 1: History(Ancient History), Language, Science 4,

Readers(2 intermediate), Read Alouds

Saxon Math 1 continuation and then Math 2

Explode the Code books 4-6

A Reason for Handwriting-Transition to Cursive

Hostess of all things outdoors and bug related

Jacob (preschool)

Leapfrog Letter Factory

Handwriting Without Tears Pre-K 4

May begin Teach Your Child To Read in 100 Easy Lessons midyear

Developing the Early Learner visual/spatial workbook

Leah (pre-preschool)

Leapfrog Letter Factory

Mighty Mind pattern blocks

Obedience

Blanket time

Gabriel (one year old all year)

Read to by older siblings, Dad and Mom, Papa and Grammy

Nature exploration

AWANA Retreat in Vero Beach

This year half of our family was able to attend the AWANA retreat in Vero Beach. There is a Life for Youth campground there that rents out its facility for such events during the off season. We have use of the cabins, a chapel and lifeguards, etc for the Saturday activities. They also have a full cafeteria where they serve us 3 squares a day! Last year we were in California when the Retreat took place so we were unable to go. Thanks to scholarships, I was able to take Daniel, Lizzy and Gabe with me while Marc stayed home with Sarah, Jacob and Leah. Lizzy was 2 1/2 the last time she went, so she didn't remember it. I was so excited to spend the weekend with her, experiencing it all for "the first time" through her eyes. We always make sure Dan can go, though it is usually with Daddy. I ran into him at meals, in chapel and off and on Saturday, but he was a busy guy, off with his friend! Since there are boy cabins and girl cabins, Dan stayed in a boy cabin with some other Dads to keep him in line. I stayed in a cabin with 3 other moms, 3 other boy babies and 3 little girls. It was wonderful to spend time with those moms, just talking and relaxing over the course of the weekend.

Here are some highlights of our weekend!

Daniel is in the far back, waiting to play a ping pong and jar game before chapel.

Daniel fishing at sunset.

Lizzy and Mommy before our go-cart trip.

The waiting and watching crowd at the go-cart track!

Such a stunning smile from my Bean. We were looking at the chickens with friends Marrian and Mikaiah. There were also pigs, a donkey, emus and a llama!

Gabriel and a true camping toy-a plastic cup!

Mommy and Lizzy had SO MUCH time alone(with Gabe) together! It was wonderful!

Daniel climbed the rock wall for the first time! He was awesome-almost 9 years old.

Dan and Mommy by the cabins. Two years and I'll bet he'll be catchin' up with me!

My one ride down the waterslide! Thanks for taking the picture, Suzie!

My Week

*Started the week with a sore tailbone, threw my hip out Thursday

*Sorting weekend camping stuff to clean or put away

*Shop for Jakey's 4th birthday presents

*Swim lessons every morning from 10-12 with fun swim till 1:30

*Tuesday afternoon luncheon with Wragg women x7

*Farewell party Tuesday night where:

*Lizzy hurt her ankle on the in-ground trampoline

*Wednesday 7:45 a.m. Pediatrician visit and xray

*Growing radish seed experiments

*6 butterfly chrysalis hatchings

*20 chomping caterpillars

*Me burning my eye/cornea with the caterpillar milkweed

*One dead betta fish . . flush!

*Gabe cutting his top tooth

*Prep for yard sale

*Prep for Homeschool convention

*Clean-up before cleaning lady

*Drying towels everyday so not much laundry done

*Presents to wrap, cake to make. . .WHEN?????

. . . .what am I forgetting??

Monarch Caterpillar to Chrysalis HERE!!!!

Our Pets

Our Premier Female Feline: Domino

Our Reptile: Carron

(She used to be Franklin when we thought she was a boy)

A sample of our insects: Caterpillars all named Slow

(I think we currently have 20 monarch caterpillars and 2 chrysalis'.

Two of our 4 fish: These used to be in our pond out front, but since I tore it out, they are now in this lovely aquarium! Can you see the eye of the second one peeking out? We stopped naming pond fish years ago when egrets starting eating them. We also have two Betta fish named Cotton Candy and Dory-both boys, of course!

The End of an Era, And A Decade

I bought this Boppy pillow used at a consignment store in Valencia, California when I was pregnant with Sarah. I used it through all 6 of my kids! It looked just like this for the first 4 kids, then got a purple "cover" for it with Leah and a light green velour "cover" for it with Gabriel. When I took the green cover off to wash when Gabe and I didn't need it for nursing anymore, this is what I found!! My oldest child is 10 and my youngest child is 7 months with 4 others in between. Unless God intervenes over surgery, there will be no more little Wraglets. My "childbearing" time has come to an end-the Boppy pillow has given out, but served me well. I will miss the joy of having babies and nursing them, but for the first time in my cognitive life, there is no more "baby to come." I dreamed of having babies since I was a little girl. I loved being pregnant and all the thoughts of another. I thrilled at each new baby's cry. I did not resent changing diapers or long for when they were all potty trained. I loved having babies. That season of life has now come to an end. For the first time I am actually ready to say, "On to the next stage." I never thought I would come to the place of being ready to move on, but here I am!!! My weak back and excessive weight are ready to move out, too, Lord willing!

So, here's to my childbearing years:

Thank you for all the joys, tears, blessings and burdens.

It was a ride!!!!

Now on to the rest of this journey called parenthood!