Gratitude Challenge---Day Seven---Family Integrated Churches

Today I am grateful for Family Integrated Churches. If you check out my "Sermon Sunday" post on FICs, you will see that while we do not currently regularly attend a Family Integrated Church, we do attend one sporadically in a neighboring city (an hour and half drive away). Our current goal is to attend this service at least once a month.

What is a Family Integrated Church? You can check out my "Sermon Sunday" post on the topic HERE.Why do I like it so much? Well, while I LOVE the small local church we attend, I will be honest with you and say that there is only one other family there that homeschools. Out of the many families who attend, there are really only three or four more who have school-aged kids. The rest of the families have raised their kids and many of their kids have raised their kids, if you know what I mean. There is something gratifying and encouraging about walking into a building that is bustling with young families, just like mine. That is filled with kids who are happy and not quietly happy, just like mine. That has other moms who stay at home, and many who teach their kids at home, just like me. That appreciates dads who value family over job, wife over boss, kids over money, just as we are striving for.

I am not implying that churches have to be filled with people who are carbon copies of each other, but I do appreciate being in a body where the other folks welcome my kids' presence during the entire service, and who understand (and sympathize) when my one-year-old gets fussy. I appreciate that it really doesn't impede anybody's ability to enjoy the service when I get up and walk around with my wee one, because many of them are jiggling restless kids on their knees, too, and we all just want to teach our kids the joys of worship and how to love the Lord by example, so we put up with a bit of noise and inconvenience.

I also love seeing other people's children worshiping God from the front of the church where they are playing instruments as part of the Praise Team with their moms and dads. Where families are standing together to worship, instead of parents off in one part of the church and kids in another. I love to see fathers gathering the elements and serving communion to their families, praying over each child in turn, and over their wives. I appreciate seeing the children walk with their fathers to place their tithes and offerings at the altar. I don't mind when other parents have to take their children aside to settle them, and I like when the pastor explains terminology so that the younger ones can follow along with his excellent sermon.

I especially enjoy fellowshipping with other families after the service who are walking a similar walk as I am. It is nice to hear that others struggle in the same areas as me, and to hear how the Lord answered their prayers. It is special to me when I can offer words of encouragement when I have traveled a similar road and to speak of how the Lord answered my prayers. I love to see my children happily playing with other children whose parents I trust to have similar values as my own: God first, family next, job last. Do you find that very often these days? Not much, if you watch any network television, most movies, or listen to secular music.I am not a prude, per se, but honestly, how much of the world's value system is uplifting these days? How often do you see the world's presence in your church? Should it be there?

Anyhow, I love my local church and the people couldn't be sweeter. But there is something special about a Family Integrated Church that meets me right where I am and lifts me up and encourages me, and for that, I am very thankful.

If you'd like to listen to some sermons about family integrated churches, you can listen to these sermons from a recent seminar the pastor of the church we occasionally visit attended HERE. You can also visit the church's website for some of their sermons and handouts HERE.

I hope you are appreciating your church today.

Blessings,

Heather

Gratitude Challenge---Day Six---A New Dishwasher

I have the best parents in the world. Today I am thankful that my parents decided to surprise my husband and I with our early Christmas present...a new dishwasher! My old one went on the fritz over a year ago. It chose when it would work, and leaked when it did. My brother and sister-in-law were kind enough to donate to us the dishwasher they took out of their recently purchased house when they replaced it (he works at Ferguson and got a great deal on a new one). Unfortunately, it worked about as well as my old one (minus the leak) and sounded like an airplane getting ready to take off when it was running. I have been "going retro" and washing my dishes by hand...and cheating by using paper plates and plastic utensils...for some time now. I have been trying to be patient and appreciative of the fact that we have such a nice sink and I really do like the way citrus scented dish soap smells...lol.

Today we discovered that a leak from the old dishwasher hookup had caused some significant damage to our kitchen cabinets and were contemplating whether to try to reinstall the old (less noisy) dishwasher (having thrown away the airplane one) or to plug up the hoses and put a curtain in front of the empty hole until we could afford to buy a new one when my mom (to whom I was talking) said, "Wait! Don't do either...I have to tell you something..." and the rest is the best surprise I have gotten in a long time.

We headed off to the store where we had the nicest salesman named Larry. He was happy to show us everything and he was just plain friendly...not worried at all about doing anything but helping us (he even showed me a pressure point to help a migraine headache!). We walked around and looked at all the choices and my mom showed me what she and my dad wanted to get, and I was VERY happy.

Then we saw the one we both REALLY wanted because the controls are on the top edge of the dishwasher instead of the front, so little ones can't push the buttons randomly and mess up your cycles (you understand why this is important if your wee ones are still wee), but it was out of our price range...UNTIL dear Larry showed us one very similar to it that I also loved that was WAAAAAAY on sale, plus it had a great additional discount, making it just a tiny bit more than the one they planned to buy us originally. Since hubby and I have been saving bits and pieces toward a new dishwasher, we were able to add that to the gift and are now the owners of the beautiful Maytag dishwasher you see below. It is AWESOME! And I have the best parents you ever did meet! It is a perfect Christmas gift, and I will have a very Merry Christmas indeed since I won't have to wash all the pots and pans and dishes by hand...yipee!!

My new dishwasher will be delivered here (for free!) in twenty-six days (since I wanted white, not stainless) and I can't wait. I am going to make sure I am thankful for it every day until then, and I will even try to be thankful for washing dishes in my nice sink, with my citrusy dish soap. Really, I will.

Blessings,

Heather

Gratitude Challenge---Day Five---TOS Crew

Today I am thankful for being a member of The Old Schoolhouse Review Crew. Being a member of this group has brought me many wonderful, enriching things.

Tonight I signed in and discovered that we are on the list to review ALEKS, an online math program. Now, I haven't received the start-up email to give me all the details, but this is a timely review that meets a current need in our homeschool program, and I am sure it is going to be great! Getting just the right product at just the right time has happened to us several times this year already...it is definitely evidence of the Lord providing when there is a need.

The Crew also has a forum that has been an excellent place for me to connect with other homeschooling moms (who blog) and to ask questions about various topics. It has also been a way for me to stretch and grow through learning to manage my time better, AND has provided a way for me to feel like I am accomplishing something in the area of writing (which I love) and photography (which I also love), by spurring me on in my pursuit of this "blogging" thing...it gives me a purpose beyond just "doing school" and an outside accountability I need and enjoy.

So, THANK YOU to all the folks on the Crew who make this experience such a good one. Thank you, Brenda and Heidi and Old Schoolhouse Magazine for choosing our family to participate. Thank you to my Crew leader Kathy. Thank you to all my fellow crew members who make participating such a rich experience. And the biggest THANK YOU goes to all the vendors who are supplying such interesting curriculum items for us to review and enjoy.
God bless you all.

Blessings,

Heather

Gratitude Challenge---Day Four---Simple Pleasures

Today I am thankful for the simple pleasures in life. The simple pleasure that made me think of this was the one of watching my PARENTS play "keep the balloon from touching the ground" with me and the Four Amigos at Ladybug's birthday party today.

As a general rule, we keep birthdays fairly simple around here. Traditionally, we let the birthday girl or boy choose their favorite breakfast and dinner, put up simple decorations, enjoy cupcakes and a movie, play games, take a day off from school, and open a few gifts (then play with them). Sometimes, we wrap a special event into a birthday, such as a trip to a museum, or invite a friend over to play, but not this time.

This time we did all the things I listed above, though, and Ladybug LOVED it. She was very appreciative of being the "special Princess" of the day and excited that her Nanny and Poppy came over at lunchtime to share the rest of the day with us. One of the fun things we did to decorate was to blow up about twenty-five balloons and a half-dozen of those large balloons with the rubber bands on them to "boing" (okay, I really don't know what to call them, but you know what I mean) and toss them all in one room. Then we turned the little kids loose in that room and watched them have fun. It is impressive how much pleasure small children can derive from playing with air-filled sheets of colored plastic! And it is a joy to watch. It is even more fun to join in, and even MORE fun to watch your parents play "keep the balloon off the floor" for a good fifteen minutes. It is a memory I will smile about for a long time.

Other simple pleasures include:

1. A hot cup of Earl Grey tea (Lady Grey is a close second)
2. A good book
3. A soft, warm fuzzy blanket
4. A blooming rosebush (my favorite blooms come from my Abraham Darby bush)
5. A starry night
6. a porch swing
7. soothing classical music
8. chocolate ice cream, chocolate fudge, chocolate bars, etc.
9. my favorite "lip stuff" (Blistex Lip Medex)
10. Vanilla Bean Noel cream from Bath & Body Works
11. my childrens' laughter
12. a hug given or received
13. a phone call or card from a friend
14. sewing old quilts
15. rocking a baby

These are just a few of my favorites...the things that bring a smile to my face.

What are your simple pleasures? Whatever they are, I hope your day has been filled with them.

Blessings,

Heather

Where in the World? Wednesday

                                                 

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Welcome to Where in the World? Wednesday!

Thank you for joining us again on our trip around the

United States via postcards and the Internet.

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Welcome to our tour of the historic state of Massachusetts.

Here are the lovely postcards we received this week.

Thanks folks!

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Here are some facts about Massachusetts
you might find interesting:

State Capital: Boston

State Abbreviation: MA

State Nicknames: The Bay State

Origin of Name: Massachusetts was named for an Algonquian Indian word that means "a big hill place."

State Motto: Ense petit placidam sub libertate quietem," or "By the sword we seek peace, but peace only under liberty."

Name for Residents: Massachusettsans or Bay Staters

State Song: All Hail to Massachusetts

Largest City: Boston

State Tree: American Elm

State Bird: Black-Capped Chickadee (HERE is a pretty coloring sheet)

State Flower: Mayflower (HERE is a coloring sheet)
State Insect: Ladybug

State Beverage: Cranberry Juice

State Dessert: Boston Cream Pie

State Muffin: corn muffin

State Cookie: Chocolate Chip Cookie

State Donut: Boston creme donut
State Bean: Navy Bean (as in Boston Baked Beans)

State Berry: Cranberry
State Sport: Basketball

State Gemstone: Rhodonite

State Building Rock: Granite

State Dance: Square dance

State Colors: blue, green, and cranberry

State Children's Book: Make Way for Ducklings by Robert McClosky

State Children's Author: Dr. Seuss

State Artist: Norman Rockwell

State Poem: "Blue Hills of Massachusetts" by Katherine E. Mullen

State Horse: Morgan horse

State Cat: Tabby cat

State Game Bird: Turkey

State Reptile: Garter Snake

State Shell: New England Neptune

State Fossil: Dinosaur (theropod) tracks

State Fish: Cod

State Marine Mammal: Right Whale

Highest Point: Mt. Greylock - 3,491 feet (1,064 m) above sea level

Main Lakes and Rivers: Charles River, Connecticut River, Merrimack River, Quabbin Reservoir

Other famous geographic features: Plymouth Rock

Industries: textiles, electronics, publishing, education, tourism, fishing

State Folk Hero: Johnny Appleseed

State Heroine: Deborah Samson

Famous people from Massachusetts: Susan B. Anthony, Leonard Bernstein, Clara Barton, John Singleton Copely, Bette Davis, E.E. Cummings, Benjamin Franklin, Emily Dickinson, Nathaniel Hawthorne, Samuel Morse, Edgar Allen Poe, Leonary Nimoy, Paul Revere, Dr. Seuss, Eli Whitney, James McNeill Whistler

Presidents born in Massachusetts: George Herbert Walker Bush (picture to color), John Adams (picture to color), John Quincy Adams (picture to color), John Fitzgerald Kennedy (picture to color)

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Symbols of Massachusetts:

**Find more detailed information about the symbols of Massachusetts HERE .

Flag:

HERE is a printout of the flag to color from Enchanted Learning.

HERE is an interactive flag to paint online from apples4theteacher. You can also print it out to color it.

State Seal:

State Quarter:

HERE is an observation sheet about the quarter.

State Map:

HERE is a map/quiz ro print out and label from Enchanted Learning.

HERE is a simple outline map from Enchanted Learning.

HERE is an outline map from about.com with bordering states.

HERE is a Label Me! Map from Enchanted Learning.

HERE is a dot-to-dot Mystery Map of Massachusetts.

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Other interesting printables for Massachusetts:

• An acrostic poem sheet for Massachusetts
• Scrambled vocabulary sheet from Massachusetts.
• Simple Word Search for Massachusetts.
• Cities Word Search for Massachusetts.

**A brief history of Massachusetts can be found HERE.
**other brief history of Massachusetts from InfoPlease is HERE.
**Some FUN FACTS about Massachusetts can be found here.

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Here are links to some virtual field trips available for fun locations in Massachusetts.

Doesn't November make you think about the Pilgrims and the First Thanksgiving? Visit Plymouth, MA where they think about those things all year long! This link has brief information and colorful pictures of the best-known sites around town.

 First, take a trip to Plimoth Plantation to find out about the First Thanksgiving courtesy of an excellent interactive activity. This journey back in time is a fun educational opportunity...and timely, too! It is completely guided, with plenty of colorful images and audio clips. See the reproduction of Plimoth township and meet costumed guides who will tell you about their ancestors who participated in the original celebration in 1621. This is a complete learning experience for your kids. Just turn them loose and watch them enjoy. **Don't miss this one.**


After visiting Plimoth Plantation, why don't you stop by the Pilgrim Museum to learn more about the daily lives of the settlers. There are some excellent learning activities available such as this completely guided and interactive activity about portrait painting, and this one about William Bradford. There is also tons of Pilgrim-related information on this site for you to read...everything from what utensils the settlers used to what they packed for their trip to the New World. On this next page, click on the links below the label "There is always something to do..." to learn more about whatever interests you. Discover more about Pilgrim history HERE and find out the "rest of the story" HERE (links to many source documents can be found at this link, including the Mayflower Compact, passenger lists, and the Treaty with Massasoit). For those students who really want to delve into who the Pilgrims were, try out this site for more information.

After Plymouth, step forward in time to the 1830s and visit Old Sturbridge Village. First, view this video tour of the town. Read this overview of 1790-1840 New England. Then, take an online tour HERE (this is a fairly simple "tour" using text and color photos, but if you scroll down, they often have a FAQ section that gives extensive info about the site and its activities...definitely worth checking out). Make sure you stop by the Kids Zone for some informative fun and games (be sure to try the EyeQ and Tools of the Trade activities) before you leave. Try some of these fun and (mostly) edible activies at home (from making a candle to a cake). For those interested in engineering, they have an interesting section on different forms of water power (with animations) HERE. Here is a "Life in Early America" lesson plan you might find useful for discussion this virtual field trip. Read the book Ox-Cart Man by Barbara Cooney and use the lesson plan HERE to supplement your virtual visit. For more videos like the one above, see the complete listing HERE. Also, you can view slideshows of many activities HERE. I got some great ideas for an apple (or pear) picking implement by watching the Apple Days slideshow...and to think I was precariously climbing our trees to get the ones at the top. Silly me! Upon completion of the day's activities, print up this old-fashioned certificate of merit for your students to add to their portfolio or notebook.

Learn about the Shaker Village in Hancock, MA by reading this brief history, then continue your tour by clicking on the links to the side to see pictures and information about their lifestyle, famous furniture, and religion. See what a Day at the Museum is like HERE.



And a few final brief stops at these popular locations:

Nantucket--pictures only
Cape Cod--pictures only

Lastly, travel to Boston and take a virtual GPS tour of the city, with many historic stops along the way HERE. Tour the city's major areas and events with articles and many photos HERE.


**If you find any tours I did not locate, please let me know and I will add them...even weeks later. Thanks.


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Thank you for joining us. I hope you will check back
next week for a fun and informative field trip
to marvelous Maryland!

Blessings,

Heather

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Gratitude Challenge---Day Three---Nice People

Today I am thankful for nice people. There are a lot of people out there. It seems that everywhere you go these days, you run into people...you just can't get away from 'em. LOL. Seriously, though, have you noticed that where you used to find that folks out there who were in service industries were inclined towards politeness and helpfulness, today you are more likely to find folks who are working in them and feel put out by having to assist you at all? I know that many of my friends and relatives, especially the older ones who remember when being in a service industry meant "the customer is always right," lament the loss of the positive service attitude and rue the development of the new one of "Hurry up and leave, I'm busy (talking to my coworker, chatting on my cell phone, resting my eyes)." From big-business icons like WalMart to small-town churches (seriously, I had an elderly, invalid friend who was treated rudely by a church deacon last week when she asked for help), it is getting more difficult to find people who are just plain NICE and eager to please.

That is why today I am thankful whenever I am blessed to run into nice people. For example, today I had to go back again to the lab to get blood drawn for the same test for a THIRD time. Now, the errors that led up to this necessity were not mine, but nor were they those of this particular lab. However, all of the ladies at the lab I went to were WONDERFUL and very helpful to me, especially when it came time to try to straighten the mess out. They even expedited the results, and enabled my nurse practitioner to call me today. My nurse practitioner was also nice, in that while most of her office was leaving early today, she stayed long enough to obtain my results and call me to tell me what action we needed to take because of them (apparently, I am hypokalemic, or experiencing low levels of potassium). I mean, that was NICE of her. And very responsible and caring. Most folks would have made me wait until tomorrow. They wouldn't have cared. But she did. Thank you!

We ran into other nice folks as we were out shopping for Ladybug's birthday today. In fact, nearly everybody we met today was nice. Now, you may think that this is the complete opposite of what I just said a few paragraphs back. I know. It sort of is. But let me explain. The truth is, I hear from many other people all the time how awful people are getting today. I see it in action quite frequently. I experience it occasionally. I see evidence of the downfall of manners and nice-ness on television and in movies. But truth be told, I usually find that I am blessed to run into fairly nice folks, whether they are at a check out counter or on the other end of a telephone line. Why am I so blessed? I really think it is this: I am nice to them. In general, I go into most situations with a smile for the other person and a kind word. I assume they will be nice to me and they just ARE. It seems to work that way sometimes, a lot of the time. I've seen grumpy gusses for the customer ahead of me be nice to me because I SMILED at them and asked how they were doing, or because I said I thought their bracelet was pretty. It doesn't take much to be nice. It takes more muscles to frown than smile, after all, so it goes to figure it probably takes more effort to be a grump than to be sweet. I am not saying that this method works ALL the time. There are just those folks who can't be won over, and so you just have to hold your ground and stand up for yourself (nicely) with them, but the rest of the crowd...you should really give this theory a try.

Think about it...how NICE would this world be if we ALL practiced being nice to each other? Would each day be harder, or easier? Would difficult circumstances be worse or better? Would work be more pleasant or more unpleasant? Just think about it. Then act on it. Thank God for all the nice people He made and purpose to make yourself be one of them. You will be glad you did.

Blessings to you today,

Heather

Gratitude Challenge---Day Two---I Voted!

 

I voted today. How about you?

                                     


Today I am thankful that I live in a country where I have the freedom to vote. Even if I am not always happy with the way things turn out, at least I had a say in it. Even if things go in a direction I don't like for a while, there is always the opportunity for ME to do something about it by VOTING. I also have the freedom to do more than just vote, like helping a candidate who is running for office, spreading the word about important issues, educating my children so that they will be informed voters, or perhaps even being the mother of someone who runs for office someday.

I think that living in a country where we have the freedom to look at issues, ponder them, and make choices (instead of them being made for us) is great. I just wish more folks made their choices using the Bible as their measuring stick of right and wrong instead of Hollywood and pop culture...things would be so much better if they did. But at least I live in a country where I am (usually) free to tell folks when I disagree with what they think and why I think it is wrong...and I also have the right to try to correct the wrongs I see.

I hope and pray that things stay that way. We all need to work together to make sure that our children retain the same rights and privileges we have grown up with, and we need to educate them in the correct ways to exercise them. Let us never take the freedoms for which our forefathers and grandfathers fought for granted.

Blessings,

Heather

Storytime!

While shopping online for ideas for Ladybug's birthday on Thursday, I happened across Barnes and Noble's Online Storytime. Apparently, they change the story once a month and this month's featured story is a favorite of ours, The Mitten by Jan Brett. It is read aloud by the author and accompanied by many of the book's illustrations. Head on over there for a fun five-minute break with your kids for a good story, then hunt down some of her other titles you might have on your shelf and cuddle together for a fun evening of reading.

The Mitten by Jan Brett

Blessings,

Heather

2010 Gratitude Challenge---Day One---God is Good

Today I am thankful that even in the tough times we can know that God loves us and wants what is best for us. It is hard to understand why things have to happen the way they do sometimes, but if we trust in the Lord, we can rest secure in the knowledge that He is there and He knows what is going on, why it is happening, and how to make it work for our good, and for His glory. Thank you, Lord, for being so good to us. Never let us lose sight of that, even when we can't see or understand the "bigger picture" they way you can.

Blessings,

Heather

Puppy Love and Broken Hearts

Friends,

Please pray for my oldest son today, if you have a few moments. You may have noticed that he got a new puppy, which he named Copper, a two weeks ago. In the past fourteen days, he feel very much in love with his precious new puppy friend. They were inseparable, sharing walks outside, enjoying couch time watching football, relaxing contentedly during computer time, romping happily in the yard, and playing with my children (and everybody else). Copper was the PERFECT farrier dog wanna-be, always staying close by Bubba's side, and friend to all.

Unfortunately, this last week, Copper became gravely ill, and Bubba took him to the vet several times, then to the Emergency Vet on Friday, only to find that his kidneys were involved, and for some unknown reason, shutting down. The vets did all they could over the weekend, treating him for suspected leptospirosis, even though the bloodwork had not confirmed that yet (though all the symptoms did), for severe dehydration, and for hypothermia. Copper showed some improvement once put on fluids and a heating pad, but would not eat due to nausea and vomiting, and the medicines they had him on did not appear to be helping at all.

Sadly, I woke up this morning to a phone call from Bubba (he lives with his grandparents one town away), saying that the vet called and felt that there was no hope for sweet Copper, and that Bubba should go to the office as soon as possible and say his goodbyes. It was a difficult position for him to be in, feeling that surely a puppy could get better from anything, after all he is so young and their time together has been so short, but also knowing the pain Copper was in and the truth that without kidney function improvement (there was none), the puppy would never get better. So with much regret and sorrow, he and my folks went to the clinic to hug the most amazing puppy Bubba ever met one last time and to tell him goodbye.

I am crying as I write this because I feel my son has lost a dear, dear friend and the promise of many happy memories together over many years. But the truth is that nothing is promised to us, and we need to cherish ever moment we are given because each one could be our last, or our friend or loved-one's last. I know Bubba feels that he gave his all to his dog for the two short weeks he had him...he appreciated every lick and wiggle and cuddle that puppy gave, and will have the memory of that dog's unconditional love for him to carry in his heart forever. He may have to do without his company here, but he can remember him and share what he has learned...to cherish every moment you are given...with others.

For the rest of us, I hope we will all hug our loved ones a little closer, a bit more often today, and make sure you tell them how much you love and appreciate them. Most of all, I hope and pray you will tell them about their Heavenly Father's love for all of us, so that should something happen and you never see them again on this earth, you will know that they knew of God's unconditional love for them and accepted His gift of eternal life by asking Jesus to be the Lord of their life.

I like to think that Copper is waiting for my son up in the mansion that the Lord has prepared for him in Heaven. I think he is standing alongside Bubba's childhood canine friend, Gabby, wagging his tail eagerly, looking up towards the horizon with his huge, beautiful puppy eyes, awaiting that day when Bubba will enter the gates of Heaven to receive his gift of eternal life (hopefully, that will be a long time from today). I know not all people believe that pets will be in Heaven, but I don't know, and it makes me feel better to imagine it that way, so please bear with me today, and please, say a prayer for my son. His heart is broken.

Copper, thank you for bringing such precious, unconditional love into Bubba's life, even for such a short time. You were loved. You still are.

Thank you for your prayers, friends. Any comments you leave in condolence will be shared with my son.

Blessings,

Heather