Food for thought:

Little words of kindness -

How they cheer the heart!

What a world of gladness

Will a smile impart!

~ Elaine Yus

Today we’re interviewing a 2005 and 2007 Homeschool Blog Award’s winner, The Common Room, and the Headmistress, zookeeper is joining us. She is a Christian homeschooling mom of seven living in the Great Lakes area, who enjoys being a SAHM along with the tasks of menu-planning, homeschooling, homesteading, and things that clean themselves!

 

1. Please tell us about you, your family and your home-life. Your profile says you’ve lived in three different countries as well as living in twelve different states.

My family growing up moved around a lot (dad was a preacher), and we lived in Canada for five years, as well as several other states.
I am the oldest of three children and the only girl. My husband is the youngest of three children and the only boy. My folks are still married to each other (46 years). His divorced so early he does not remember then ever being together, and he was raised by his grandmother.

He joined the Air Force and was in basic training for our first anniversary, and after that we moved around even more than I did growing up. When I have lived in one house longer than 5 years, that will be the longest I have ever lived anywhere.=)

When we married, I said I wanted six children, he said he wanted two. We have seven children, two by adoption and five biological, from 24-9 years old, two miscarriage- one at 16 weeks and one the same day I realized I was pregnant.
I have always been a stay at home mom, and never wanted to do anything else. My mother was a career woman- going back to work when I was 6 weeks old. She felt she had to financially, and I understand why she felt that way, but I did not enjoy daycare, and I can see as an adult that it really wasn’t best for my character or for our relationship.

2. What is an average homeschool day for you and your family? What gets you out of bed in the morning and helps you start your day cheerfully?

I am afraid we do not have an average day. Our oldest two are graduated, although they still live at home. Instead of rent, they do most of the cooking and a lot of the cleaning. I think if they TRIED to pay me rent I would not take it- this is very nice. Our third daughter is severely disabled, and her ’schooling’ is primarily practice dressing herself, keeping her out of the kitchen (she sneaks food), and taking her to the bathroom often.
Ideally, the way our homeschooling works is that our next two are high school students, and they do most of their schooling on their own. I write them a schedule and give them a book list, and they run with it. I do schedule certain things each day for them to do with me- these are all things they could do on their own, but this way they have to come talk to me.;-)
The youngest two have a combination of things they do alone and things they do with me. We curl up on the couch with two crates of books for two or three hours and work through them.

What gets me out of bed and helps me start the day cheerfully?

Lunchtime.=)
If not lunch, then at least a cup of coffee.
3. Why did you decide to homeschool? And why Charlotte Mason?

It was an extension of my desire to be with my kids, to be involved in their lives in a way my mother couldn’t be in mine. It was the way we wanted our family lives to work. We did put our eldest in kindergarten at a public school- I am not sure why, since we decided to homeschool when she was 2, the second I heard of it. It didn’t work- the teacher didn’t welcome our involvement, our child was bored, and there were activities incompatible with our Christian beliefs. Plus, we were military. One year the military would have had my (then 2) kids in four different schools! As our family grew, there were times when I would have had my children divided between a grade school, a middle school, a high school, and a fourth school for our special needs child. I don’t function well when my life is that incoherent and fragmented.

Charlotte Mason- because that’s the way we were already living our lives- lots of rich literature, art, music, and nature study. Basically, it’s a generous and rich liberal arts program for kids, and that’s a great fit for our family.
4. Your profile also says you like organic, gardening, and homesteading. Do you live in the country? Do you have any farm animals, and do you do a garden every year?

We do live in the country. We’ve had chickens, ducks, goats (both dairy and meat), pigs, and horses. Currently the only farm animals we have are horses- the goats are in the freezer. I want to do hogs, a grass fed cow, and chickens again this next year.

I do not do a garden every year- we’ve often moved at inopportune times. and I am not a very good gardener At All. But I am trying. We’re in a new house on new soil, and most of our land is shaded, so I tried container gardening on our deck last year- we made some mistakes I hope to fix this coming spring.

5. How long have you been blogging? Is it something you thoroughly enjoy or just something you do with spare time?

It will be three years in February. It was not only something I thoroughly enjoyed, but something I needed to do, the way an artist needs to paint. But I’ve been going through a dry spell this last couple of months.

6. If you could only read five blogs who would they be?

I really can’t answer that question.

7. What is a favourite Bible story and why? What is your favourite verse in the Bible?

Currently, when Jesus raises Lazarus from the dead. I’ve just been rereading it, and I have a whole new appreciation for Martha- she gets a bad rap, but Jesus LOVED her, and she is the one who raced out of the tent to greet him and meet Him on the road as soon as she heard He was around.
Verse- so, so many. Romans 8:18-21:

“I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us. The creation waits in eager expectation for the children of God to be revealed. For the creation was subjected to frustration, not by its own choice, but by the will of the one who subjected it, in hope that the creation itself will be liberated from its bondage to decay and brought into the freedom and glory of the children of God.”
8. Who would you say has been your biggest influence and inspiration?

I’m not sure. My grandmother. Two Sunday school teachers I had in 6-8 grade. My husband. Mary Pride (author of The Way Home and All The Way Home). James Dobson, where I first heard of homeschooling. Charlotte Mason.=)

9. I see you love Pride & Prejudice as well as Lord of the Rings and the Fiddler on the Roof… all are my favourites! Who is a favourite character from each one and why?

P&P- Eleanor, of course (I know I spelled that wrong, and my eldest girl will not be happy with me)- she has so much self control and decorum, and high moral principles along with a good sense of humour and the ability to laugh at herself.
LOTR- Faramir- Noble, full of integrity, kind. I hated what Peter Jackson did to him.
Fiddler: Reb Tevye or the poor tailor- Tevye makes me laugh, and, of course, he sings. The tailor is just sweet.
10. What’s your favourite food?

The kind you eat? I like so many things - Asian, Mexican, Tex-Mex, Thai, it would be easier to list the foods I do not like than those I do. Unfortunately.

Thank you so much for taking some time to answer my questions. It’s been a pleasure getting to know one of the writers behind The Common Room. Visit the Common Room daily for updates and great posts.

Thanks for joining me!

 

So you wanna win something??

Christina, founder of Bundled In Prayer, is hosting a giveaway for a custom handmade super-soft and warm afghan. But, there’s a catch! You must do it for someone else! Nominate someone you feel is deserving of winning a handmade afghan. These afghans are truly beautiful. We have two in our family, so we know! This is a chance to bless someone, so stop over there and leave a comment with your choice. You have a few days left! The giveaway ends on February 1st.

The Carnival of Homeschooling Images Contest, hosted by the Cates at WhyHomeschool, is moving into its second phase. Pop on over and look at all of the icon entries and dates and deadlines to vote on your favorites.

Deena of A Peek At My Bookshelf wants to let everyone in on her party, “It’s My One Year Bloggoversary!!!“. She has been reviewing books for a year now, and she has a giveaway all planned for her Blog anniversary.

There are a bunch of contests on the recent Memo Monday. You can win a Heart of Wisdom E-Book by Robin Sampson,Upper Grade Phonics from MamaArcher, or an opportunity to have their sports column published in an upcoming issue of The Old Schoolhouse Magazine.

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Or read something fresh?

Certainly you have heard of the new online magazine for homeschool moms, The Heart of the Matter, featuring articles written by wonderful homeschool moms just like us where you will find the Homeschooler of the Week, Forums, and Giveaways.

I want to direct your attention to another new online magazine, Growing in Grace Ministries. GGM is a mother-daughter ministry publication that desires to bring encouragement to relationships in the lives of women of all ages. It is especially an online magazine for girls and includes articles for girls about friendships, beauty, and growing in grace among others. Take time to check it out Mom! See if it is something you might want to share with your daughters.

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Visit a carnival?

Life on the Road will be hosting the Carnival of Homeschooling for the coming week.

The Charlotte Mason Carnival consists of topics that center around CM educational philosophy and the practical application of Miss Mason’s works. The current issue for Jan 23 is at The Educational Life. The next issue, on Feb 05 will also be at The Educational Life

The Carnival of Unschooling voices is a collection of posts by unschoolers, both seasoned veterans and those just starting out. Unschooling is a form of homeschooling that does not use a curriculum. The current issue for Jan 01 is up at An Unschooling Life. The next issue, on Feb 01, will be held at Relaxed Homeskool.

The Education Carnival is All about Education, HomeSchooling, Online Education, Online Degrees and Distance Learning. The current issue for Jan 28 is up at WhoLearns.com.

Have a great week!!!

Blessings!

James 4:10
“Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and he shall lift you up.”

I know that this is something I need to work on in my life. Obviously it is something God thinks is very important in His people because the Bible mentions humility a lot.

2 Chronicles 7:14
If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.

This verse is my very favorite one. If we as a people would just realize that all we need to do is call on Jesus, turn to Him, and humble ourselves, our land may be healed.

Here are some scriptures on being humble for you:

Proverbs 16:19
Better it is to be of an humble spirit with the lowly, than to divide the spoil with the proud.

Humility has a lot to do with laying down your pride. You cannot be humble unless you give up your rights and pride.

Proverbs 29:23
A man’s pride shall bring him low: but honour shall uphold the humble in spirit.

If we are humble we shall be honorable. I think that is really powerful.

Isaiah 2:11
The lofty looks of man shall be humbled, and the haughtiness of men shall be bowed down, and the LORD alone shall be exalted in that day.

Matthew 18:4
Whosoever therefore shall humble himself as this little child, the same is greatest in the kingdom of heaven.

Being humble is like coming to Jesus as a child. He welcome us with open arms. He wants to be like a father to us.

Luke 14:11
For whosoever exalteth himself shall be abased; and he that humbleth himself shall be exalted.

1 Peter 5:6
Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt you in due time:

This is like the verse about pride going before a fall. Our pride will reduced to nothing by the Lord if we don’t do it ourselves. I would rather be exalted by the Lord than be reduced by Him. I don’t think He wants us to be reduced either. He does not like to correct us, but it is necessary sometimes.

I hope you have been encouraged by this post. I remember being a little girl in church and hearing this song. Although at the time I didn’t understand the real meaning, when I sang it I knew that it was very important to my Jesus that I was humble in all I do. As I grew up I think I have strayed from that thought too much. It is time to go back to the basics of just doing what the Lord wants me to. One of those things is to:

HUMBLE THYSELF IN THE SIGHT OF THE LORD
Humble thyself in the sight of the Lord
Humble thyself in the sight of the Lord
And He shall lift you up, higher and higher,
And He shall lift you up.

For more encouragement, stop on by Seeking Rest In
The Ancient Paths where my Mom has her Saturday Psalm and Praise up. This week she did one of my favorite hymns: I’ll Fly Away This is a meme she does every Saturday.

Prayers and Blessings,

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Amanda Dixon The Daily Planet Metropolis, IN US	missamanda@kconline.com http://superangelsblog.com
Visit MyBlogLog and get a signature like this!

Over the holidays my 93 year-old grandmother handed to me copies of her mother’s and uncle’s memoirs. My great-uncle and my great-grandmother emigrated from Finland in 1904 and 1913, respectively. In their memoirs, written independently, they recount their lives from earliest memories up to present day (early 1970’s). Reading them has been a most fascinating journey into the past – into the minds and hearts of these two ancestors of mine whom I never really knew and about whom I’d never really asked.

Finland, in those days, observed a strict caste system. My family was of the servant class. In such a society, there’s no working your way up the corporate ladder, or building a better life than your parents had…whichever class you were born into, there you lived, worked and died.

Here’s an excerpt from my great-grandmother’s writings:

It wasn’t long before the village wives began to notice that girl who was big enough to [work as a maid]. Thinking that I was older because of my height, they remarked that such a big girl shouldn’t be eating her parents’ food. Before long, Mother allowed me to be taken to a cottage where an old man lived with his daughter. They had a roomer with a small child. I had to rock this child but sleep usually overcame me. One evening, as I was unsuccessfully fighting sleep, the woman nudged me, commanding, “Don’t sleep! Rock the cradle!” But she allowed me to eat, reasoning, “She’ll stay awake after she eats.” She was mistaken, for the food got left in my mouth and the spoon fell to the floor as sleep took hold of me.
Just then, Father happened to come by and as he picked me up he stated, “You are still too much of a child, too young to work. What can a four year-old do as a maid?” And he carried me home.

Imagine! A four year-old being accused of mooching off her parents! I’m convinced that I don’t assign my 7 and 9 year-old boys enough chores!

The pages are filled with similar accounts of their lives as bond-servants. Despite the hardships, their voices are not filled with bitterness or resentment. Rather, they are full of hope: first, in the Lord as their Shepherd and second, that there was a better life waiting for them across the ocean – in America.

As I read through their manuscripts from the comfort of my climate-controlled home with its full pantry and Tivo, I felt proud of my heritage, but, at the same time, humbled and ashamed. My great-grandmother suffered greatly to build a life in America; a life which was, by no means, a rags-to-riches story. It is a story of strength and endurance of faith, as well as the reclaiming of freedom and dignity as a human being.

That’s a beautify legacy.

At lunchtime recently, I fixed myself a bowl of soup, sat down with a magazine, and proceeded to enjoy my meal. My boys weren’t yet hungry, deciding to eat later. As I finished my soup, my oldest son came in to prepare some scrambled eggs for himself. I was in the kitchen, so I pulled out the skillet, bacon, and non-stick spray. He didn’t ask, I just stepped in and helped. When his eggs were done, I got a bowl and fork out for him, in addition to pouring him a glass of milk. He never requested it; I just did so. He very often does the same for me. He seems to read me, know what direction I’m going, and jump in and help. When we mesh like this it’s a beautiful, harmonic thing.With my younger son, it’s sometimes more like sandpaper and wood. We bump into one another and it’s rough. As we try to move, there’s a coarse rubbing that takes place. I make a request or a comment, and he bristles, adopts a bad attitude, and responds inappropriately. In turn, I react with anger, frustration, or irritation. There’s a brusque sanding that takes place. After a time, apologies are given, hugs abound, and love is shared. This is the smooth, polished part that comes after sanding.Does that mean that my eldest and I never have rough patches? Of course not. And there are certainly times that my other son and I coast the same path together.

While you might think that one type of relationship is better, I submit to you that both are valuable and necessary. Both aspects are present in my relationship with God. There are times that I flow right along the river of God’s will, reading His mind, and jumping in without being asked. These are glorious and holy moments. But then there are the times that I bump into God and His way is different from the one I had in mind. His “touch” seems rough and uncomfortable, even harsh at times. During those difficult interactions, I have a choice. I can pull away and remain in my jagged, unfinished condition, or I can allow Him to refine my imperfections, lovingly fashioning me into His image.

May you learn to embrace both concepts in your relationship with Christ. You will find a holy balance when you can relish in the refining work of the Lord as much as in the glorious harmony of walking in His will.

“Now no chastening seems to be joyful for the present, but grievous; nevertheless, afterward it yields the peaceable fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it.” Hebrews 12:11

“As the Father loved Me, I also have loved you; abide in My love. If you keep My commandments, you will abide in My love, just as I have kept My Father’s commandments and abide in His love. These things I have spoken to you, that My joy may remain in you, and that your joy may be full.” John 15:9-11

At this time of year it’s easy for me to get antsy about our homeschooling. It’s the time when the blahs can set in. I’m not sure if that’s because of the weather or just the non-newness of our school days. In either case, I find that if I start thinking about how I can tweak things here to make life easier, it can help me re-focus and get excited again.

There is a great post on organizing schoolwork and taming the paper monster (always a struggle here) from Lisa at Koinonia Academy. One of the best things about this post is that it has a link to the new the new on-line homeschooling magazine The Heart of the Matter. (Or you can just use that link. But don’t miss Lisa’s post!)

Another thing that helps is to start thinking about plans for next year. I try to get as much curriculum used as I can, so it helps to have time to look around. This means that I need to know what we’re doing many months advance. Plus, it’s just fun to pull out the curriculum catalogs!

Tami at Ambleside Classical Academy has a great method for planning and some forms to share here. A place to visit for lots and lots of planning ideas is By Sun and Candlelight. A real treasure trove there!

Fun stuff is good, too. Here’s a neat world geography game - Traveler IQ Challenge. Just don’t ask me how I do on it. I think I need a course in world geography as much as my kids do. The Heart of Harmony has a Sketch Tuesday challenge every week. It’s an easy way to add in some art and a great way for your kids (and you!) to get to show off their work. For a more craft-y approach to art, check out Hearts and Trees. She offers some great art kits for those of us (raising my hand here) that are craft-challenged.

I find that with just a little effort, we can get through this time of year and actually enjoy it. I hope you’ve found something here that can do the same for you.

P.S.

Oh… and The Homeschool Blog Awards has finally been added to Technorati: HSBA Technorati Profile. Go and add us to your favorites!

Carnivals:

–> The Carnival of Homeschooling will be hosted here tomorrow.

–>The Charlotte Mason Carnival will be hosted @ The Common Room. You can submit an article here.

–>April @ ElCloud Homeschool is hosting The 34th Homesteading Carnival, submit an article for new week’s.

–>The next Carnival of Principled Government will be on February 11th @ The Daily Planet, so submit an article.

–>This week’s Carnival of Space is up at Dynamics of Cats.

Contests:

*COH Icon - Graphics Contest at Why Homeschool*

• Don’t forget the Cates are holding a contest for icons for The Carnival of Homeschooling! Why Homeschool’s Carnival of Homeschooling Graphics Contest

*Dianne asks, “Ready for a Contest?” *

• and challenges you to participate and enunciate something great to shoot for as a goal in 2008. You can even abbreviate, and please don’t be late. Contest ends 12:00 midnight on Thursday, January 31, 2008.

*“Write Like Mike” Homeschool Writing Contest *

• Calling all homeschoolers who think they can “Write Like Mike.” Know any sports-crazy children between the ages of 8-12? Get them to write a sports column about a local or national event (250 words or less) and have them enter Walden Media/The Old Schoolhouse Magazine’s “Write Like Mike” Contest for an opportunity to have their sports column published in an upcoming issue of The Old Schoolhouse Magazine! SUBMISSION DEADLINE: February 14, 2008

*MamaArcher Book Giveaway*

• MamaArcher is having a giveaway! To enter, leave a comment. If you want a second entry, please post about his on your blog & link back to this post. Please leave a comment HERE with the url of that post. The last day for entries is February 3rd. The winner will be announced on Feb. 4th. Good luck & spread the word! She is offering the following book: Upper Grade Phonics by Joyce Codesa, Sarah McFadden Fornara, Jan Martin, and Norm Sneller

*Seeking Rest in the Ancient Paths Contest: 4 sets of The Comeback Kids

• Jacque Dixon of Seeking Rest in the Ancient paths is giving away 4 sets of The Comeback Kids by author Mike Lupicia (each set is 2 books). To enter the contest to win the books, all you have to do is leave a comment. You will need to link your blog or your email or both in your comment. If you want an extra entry, blog about the contest or link the icon in your sidebar and leave a second comment with the direct link to your post or that it is in your sidebar.
  The contest will end Jan. 26 at midnight EST, so leave a comment now!

*Heart of Wisdom E-Book Contest*

• I have not yet even blogged about the HOW E-Book I won in this contest! A Free Book Random Drawing will be held every Monday through the months of December and January starting December 10. Each week, THREE Heart of Wisdom subscribers will be randomly selected to receive one FREE Homeschool Book from Homeschool-Books.com. We will offer a new title each week. 1st place will receive the tree book 2nd and 3rd place will receive the Ebooks.

The Winter Reading Challenge

Trish’s Winter Reading Challenge is from Jan. 7th - March 17th, 2008. It’s not really a contest, but Trish is giving away a $25 Amazon gift certificate to one participant!
You need to read her original post so you know what to do, like sign Mr. Linky with a direct link to your post once you’ve had a chance to make a list of the books you intend to read between January 7 and March 17, 2008. Also, As an added incentive, she will be sending one lucky participant a $25 gift certificate to (where else?) Amazon.com. She’ll do a random drawing from the names of everyone who posts both an initial list by Monday, February 11, 2008 and a post about their results at the end of the challenge. The drawing will be held Monday, March 17, 2008 sometime in the evening. The winner’s name will be posted after the drawing. :)I am making a list of books I want to read this year. I will be adding to it as I go, and I will try to complete as many as I can in the WRC time. Please go to her original post to get all the details!

Homeschool Hilarity:
Need a good laugh? Or wanna share another’s homeschool hilarity with everyone? The HSB Company Porch has a new column, Homeschool Hilarity.

Welcome to Homeschool Hilarity an experimental new column here on the Porch that will highlight a homeschool blog post that has made me or someone else laugh.

If you know of a hilarious homeschool blog post e-mail me with the blog permalink and I will take a look. If I think it’s pretty funny too I will post it here on the Porch! Let’s share the fun of homeschooling and help brighten up some of those days for moms who really need the chuckle.

You know you’re a homeschooler if…

You know you’re a homeschooler if:

-you’ve ever been accused of being unsocial.

-you’ve ever worn a jumper (and/or white keds)

-you’ve ever worn homemade clothes (particularly those that dont match)

-you’ve questioned if you are ever going to graduate (or go to college)

-You find dead animals and actually consider saving them to dissect later.

-you’re the head of your class, the worst in your class, the average grade, AND class president

-spending too much time with your family actually happens. (it doesn’t happen for those who are at school 8 hours a day)

-If you get drugs at school, it’s probably Tylenol.

-You can’t make it through a movie without pointing out the historical inaccuracies.

-You live in a one-house schoolroom.

-Science was picking and arranging wildflowers, or making bread for dinner.

-You can (could) take ‘field trips’ to the greenhouse to buy garden plants, or downtown to run errands, or to the park to ride bikes and walk the dog.

-Someone asks you what school you go to, and you can look them in the eye, and smile, and say: “I’m home-schooled.” But you know that only other home-schoolers will understand what that really means…And then, not even all of them.

HOAC Continents Project Packs

Lapbooks -

They are such a great, hands on way to learn together as a family. So I am always excited when we add new lapbooks to the Store. Here is something that is now on my wish list! We now offer ALL 7 of the Hands of a Child Continent Project Packs! You can find all our Hands of a Child Project Packs HERE.

-Jamin @ HWTB

FreeKids Music - Freebie Finder

Here is a great music site called Free Kids Music. It is a site that has a lot of different kids music that is free to download. They are the complete songs and there are a LOT of them. Here are some titles that would make a great Educational CD! Here is an Artist that has several Christian songs to download.

Pray for Homeschool Families:

Heather, who is beating brain cancer. Read her testimony at Especially Heather.

Tristan Irwin, a two-year-old with Leukemia, and his family.

Lindafay’s family is being forced to leave their beloved home in Turkey. This is the land their children know as home. Please pray for them as they leave this land and people who hold a special place in their hearts, as well as their safety as they travel.

I hope you’ll check out the links I’ve listed here today and have some fun! Don’t forget to enter the contests as well!

Here are some tips and tricks that might make your blogging more fun! I know that they will specifically work for Blogger blogs; I can’t guarantee for any other blog platform.

Strikethrough Text

Do you really like love it when you see that strikethrough text effect, you just don’t know how to do it? Now you can! Just enclose the word or words you want to strike through between the following tags:

<strike>like</strike> gives you like
or
<s>like</s> will also give you like

Those brackets are on your keyboard under the letter “L.” Just don’t forget to include the / on the end tag; that lets your browser know to stop this effect, or else it will just keep striking through everything you write.

To my knowledge, this will not work when leaving comments. Have fun, go forth, and strike away!

(Some of you - such as WordPress users - have the ability to create strikethrough text as an option in your post editing. Others, such as Blogger users, don’t.)

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Using Google’s Picasa for Uploading Photos

If you have a Blogger blog and like to post photos and graphics, then Picasa is the program for you! One of the greatest things about uploading photos to your blog with Picasa is that you don’t need to resize the files - Picasa does it for you. Select up to four photos and put them in your “tray” and then click the “Blog This” button! Go here for an online tutorial. (Blogger users are the ones getting to utilize this great feature because Blogger and Picasa are both owned by Google.)

Even if you don’t blog with Blogger, you can enjoy other benefits of Picassa, such as organizing, editing, sharing, and printing or ordering prints of your pictures. My kids love to open Picasa and scroll through our family photos; it’s also great for finding photos you’ve “lost.” Picasa Web Albums are a great way to share your photos with friends and family.

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Sometimes you need a little fun to break up the monotony of a school week. Not to say that homeschooling is boring - far from it. Yet… when the occasion arises, we should jump on the chance to get some R&R. I’m one of those people who really enjoy a good party and a piece of cake; especially when it comes to kids! I’m a big kid at heart. I especially love a slumber party and lots of little toes to paint and silly giggles.

This weekend we are having a party for my daughter and we are going to eat unhealthy hotdogs, drink grape soda, paint our toes, do some crafts with paint and rhinestones, paint faces, and stay up giggling past midnight. The photos here in this post aren’t from this weekend’s party, obviously… they are from my niece’s birthday party last year. I was the designated artist auntie with the face paints. What a blast we had! It almost makes me feel like a kid again to go to slumber parties.

Isn’t that what life is about: to be enthusiastic about learning, living, loving… to be filled with joy and thanksgiving for this journey we are all on? I think Jesus was a dynamic person who was fun to be around. I think he laughed loud and smiled big. I think you could see the joy and passion in his eyes. I want my life to be about sharing the joy He gives me with my children.

Because I am thankful for them… and hopeful for their futures… and praying for the day all of us are enjoying an eternal party together with our Savior.

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