Thanks-Giving Blog Challenge, Day #13

Today I am thankful for my bathroom scale.

Note that I didn't say I liked it. In fact, at the moment the scale and I are not on speaking terms.

However, just like a good friend who is always gonna tell you what you need to hear whether you want to hear it or not, that bathroom scale never lies.

And this morning it told me to quit eating so much junk.

Which is why I'm not currently speaking to that friend. I am, however, back on my diet.

"And so, dear brothers, I plead with you, to give your bodies to God.
Let them be a living sacrifice, holy -- the kind He can accept.
When you think of what He has done for your, is this too much to ask?
Don't copy the behavior and customs of this world, but be a new and different person
with a fresh newness in all you do and think.
Then you will learn from your own experience
how His ways will really satisfy you." --Romans 12:1-2 (nlt)

This is my first attempt at a blog challenge, something you might see friends doing on Facebook - "__ days of Giving Thanks." I thought this was a very fitting challenge to get myself back into a regular habit of blogging again. Feel free to join me, and post your own blog link in the comments below, so we can keep up with each other! Follow others that are participating HERE.

Thanks-Giving Blog Challenge, Day #12

Today, this is what I'm thankful for (emphasis mine):

"But despite all this,

OVERWHELMING VICTORY IS OURS

through Christ

who loved us enough to die for us.

For I am convinced

that nothing can ever separate us from His love.

Death can't and life can't.

 The angels won't, and all the powers of hell itself

cannot keep God's love away.

Our fears for today,

our worries about tomorrow,

or where we are --

high above the sky, or in the deepest ocean --

NOTHING

will

EVER

be able to separate us

from

the love of God

demonstrated by our Lord Jesus Christ

when He died for us."

-- Romans 8:37-39

This is my first attempt at a blog challenge, something you might see friends doing on Facebook - "__ days of Giving Thanks." I thought this was a very fitting challenge to get myself back into a regular habit of blogging again. Feel free to join me, and post your own blog link in the comments below, so we can keep up with each other! Follow others that are participating HERE.

Our Little Homeschool

I'd thought I'd share our little homeschool area.

Since we're living in a townhouse, we're limited on available space and we're limited in options. First, though most homeschoolers take over their dining room area for homeschool, I did not want to do that. First, we host a weekly Bible study in our home, and I like to keep "public areas" ready at any time so that we can share our hospitality when needed. So that cut out our living room and dining room areas.

The other rooms were the master bedroom and the playroom. Well, the playroom is out for obvious reasons, even though in some ways it would make the most sense. It is the biggest room in the house, but there are way too many distractions for my highly distractable kindergartner! And I would prefer to keep the master bedroom as a hideaway and sanctuary. 

So, our little homeschool is in our girls' bedroom. 

Above you can see our bulletin boards, and some of Abby's work I've hung up on the wall: her self-portrait showing her senses, her turtle, etc. To the left of her desk are my file bins, and to the right is a little garbage can (made out of a plastic coffee container- one day I'll mod podge or something and make it cute) and little shelves holding her Lil Carry All with all of her supplies, and the bottom shelf holds her Couisinaire rods that we use on a regular basis. Inside the desk cubby is construction paper and coloring books to keep Lily occupied when she's home with us. The rug is there to keep the chair from scratching our hardwood floors.

Here is the wall pocket hanger I got on sale at Staples. I use it to hold all of our "active" work, our math books and various materials, our library books, and unit folder.

Here is the girls bookcase (I just love this bookcase, it's one of the things we added when we remodeled this house). The square tote at the top holds all the math manipulatives. The basket on the third shelf holds of our Spanish flashcards, and the basket below that normally holds all of our Leapfrog Tag Reader books (I am a HUGE fan of those, by the way!) and all of our Spanish language books.

To the left of our bookcase is a new addition to our little homeschool! Since Abby is now progressing with her reading, I created flashcards with all of the words she has learned to this point. Now we can use those flashcard words to play our "word game" (i.e. make sentences).

And quite often we will spread out on the floor right in front of this area with our work, when sitting at a desk just gets to be too much for our antsy selves.

And here are my "teacher" files. Inside are the teacher handbooks, the big binder of Abby's work, record book, etc. The basket on top holds highlighters, pens, stapler, and the electric pencil sharpener (my personal toy). Also in this picture you see the trimmer and 3-hole punch. Seriously they should write on the front of the teacher's manual how much you need these things! I could not live without them.

And this bin is our curriculum organized in folders by unit. I've organized our books with the connecting unit as well, so all we have to do is grab the next set of books and folder and get started. That really takes a lot of the pressure and stress out of homeschooling, and I wish I could say this simple, brilliant idea had been mine. But nope, another homeschooling mom came by and mentioned her idea and I copied her gladly!

So, that's our little homeschool. I've seen other homeschool pictures that have amazing, ornate set ups -- but I am happy to say it IS quite possible to homeschool, even if you have only a little corner to make it work.

Thanks-Giving Blog Challenge, Day #11

Today I'm thankful for all those that serve our country to keep us safe.

I'm thankful for all of our military. My father was a Marine during Vietnam. Some of our dearest, sweetest friends are or have been in the military in some form or fashion.

But since the Foreign Service doesn't have a "day," I really want to put a shout out to them as well. For as much as Congress and certain idiotic presidential wannabeswant to complain about the Foreign Service, Foreign Service Officers serve our country as well.

These folks serve our country with words, not guns. They try to improve our economy by promote US products and goods overseas. They try to improve relationships with other countries, and increase understanding of our country abroad (and let me tell ya, those are two very hard jobs because there are many countries that don't like us and don't understand us). And most of all, they try to use words and communication (diplomacy) to keep those that serve our country in the military out of harm's way. They try to keep us from having to go to war in the first place.

Unfortunately, talking doesn't always work. And no one regrets more when diplomacy fails than the Foreign Service Officers themselves.

It's not a flashy, exciting job. It's often thankless, as most people don't have a clue what the Foreign Service is, much less what they do. You never hear about when diplomacy works, only when "talks break down."

From what I've seen it's a lot of meetings, a lot of talking heads, a lot of dinners of rubber chicken (or something less identifiable) that you smile through even though you've put in 50+ hours that week and are wishing you were home. It's mountains of paperwork and reports and bureaucratic nonsense. It's days and weeks and months and years of all of it.

Foreign Service Officers work in almost every single country around the world. They're not in only nice, cushy countries. (Though I'd like to say the "cushy" countries were some of the biggest pains to live in.) They're in third world countries. They're in the Middle East. And they are war zones like Afghanistan and Iraq as well.

I'm not in the Foreign Service. I married into this, and just like military spouses, I had to "marry" this life, in order to marry Joel. I don't regret this at all, because supporting him and his career is my small way of serving my country as well.

So today, I'd like to give a quick shout out to all those around the world, and say how thankful I am for all of you out there, serving your country, no matter how you might go about doing it.

This is my first attempt at a blog challenge, something you might see friends doing on Facebook - "__ days of Giving Thanks." I thought this was a very fitting challenge to get myself back into a regular habit of blogging again. Feel free to join me, and post your own blog link in the comments below, so we can keep up with each other! Follow others that are participating HERE.

Thanks-Giving Blog Challenge, Day #10

I didn't post last night because I was so tired and just went to sleep.

So I'm gonna day that yesterday I was thankful for sleep!

I have been fighting severe insomnia for several months now. Everytime I get myself "trained out of it," and think I'm over it, I'll have one bad night and start over again. I've always had a bad night here or there, but honestly, never to this extreme. And Joel not being home right now hasn't really helped.

So Tuesday night, I didn't sleep at all. And nothing I tried worked, including reading one full book, watching 3 TV shows and a movie. Wednesday I managed to get a two hour nap, but I spent the entire day just wired for no reason (and no, I don't drink caffiene at all ever, so that's not it).

But, Wednesday night and Thursday night I managed two full nights of sleep in a row! So, I'm very thankful for sleep!

This is my first attempt at a blog challenge, something you might see friends doing on Facebook - "__ days of Giving Thanks." I thought this was a very fitting challenge to get myself back into a regular habit of blogging again. Feel free to join me, and post your own blog link in the comments below, so we can keep up with each other! Follow others that are participating HERE.

Thanks-Giving Blog Challenge, Day #9

Today I am thankful for a working refrigerator and ice maker!

The ice maker has been on the fritz for a while, and finally the repairman came to check it out today. Seems the motor was fried, which was a 10 minute fix for him.  PLUS, the home warranty covered the repair! So, while it's not a nice, new, pretty replacement model fridge, I am very happy that we now have ice!


This is my first attempt at a blog challenge, something you might see friends doing on Facebook - "__ days of Giving Thanks." I thought this was a very fitting challenge to get myself back into a regular habit of blogging again. Feel free to join me, and post your own blog link in the comments below, so we can keep up with each other! Follow others that are participating HERE.

Thanks-Giving Blog Challenge, Day #8

Today I am thankful for bubble baths and a good book.

Today was a long day and the end didn't come fast enough. And even though the end came at 7:15pm (gotta love it getting dark and the girls going to bed earlier), I was creaking. Really. I can't be old enough to be CREAKING.

Which is why tonight called for a major bubble bath and a new book to read on my Nook. And some prune-y skin later, I almost feel  . . . less than old . . . again. A little chocolate helped too.

So that is it for today.


This is my first attempt at a blog challenge, something you might see friends doing on Facebook - "__ days of Giving Thanks." I thought this was a very fitting challenge to get myself back into a regular habit of blogging again. Feel free to join me, and post your own blog link in the comments below, so we can keep up with each other! Follow others that are participating HERE.

Thanks-Giving Blog Challenge, Day #7

Today I am thankful for our country.

We've lived in four countries so far on three continents. Living overseas has made Joel and I more patriotic and appreciative of "home." It is pretty common to hear one of us say, "God Bless America" over just about anything. Grocery stores. High school football games. Basically anytime we find something easily and/or when things work the way they should. Heck, a trip to Walmart and I practically break out in song. 

I know many of you guys won't get that. I understand. But after getting used to two-hour grocery trips that cost $200 for what we'd get here for $50 (without couponing, because that does not exist overseas) where the bulk of those two hours are spent attempting to read product labels in a different language (am I buying canned peas or canned tomatoes?), yeah, shopping in the US is pure joy.

And there are parts of life that are taken for granted here that we revel in. Small town parades. High school football games. Good Chinese food. (No lie- we have yet to find decent Chinese food in any of the other countries we lived in or visited.) Libraries filled with books in English! You guys seriously don't know how good you've got it. We do, and we're loving that we've got to spend the past year or so "back home."

And just as soon as it all seems like "old news," we'll head back out to start learning to appreciate the good ole' USA all over again.

This is my first attempt at a blog challenge, something you might see friends doing on Facebook - "__ days of Giving Thanks." I thought this was a very fitting challenge to get myself back into a regular habit of blogging again. Feel free to join me, and post your own blog link in the comments below, so we can keep up with each other! Follow others that are participating HERE.

Thanks-Giving Blog Challenge, Day #6

Today I am thankful for a sense of humor.

My children crack me up. I know, I'm the mom and of course everything I think everything they say is hilarious.

But they are!

Lily, at the age of three, is the biggest comedian. She loves making up jokes. Three year old jokes aren't always the most complicated in the world, but I love them anyway.

Maybe it's really the pure pleasure she takes in telling them that I love so much. She has so much fun telling her jokes, that sometimes she will literally fall down on the floor laughing too hard. And her laugh is infectious, partly because she's so quiet and reserved in public and rarely shows that side of her personality.

This afternoon she asked me if I was going to stay in my pajamas forever. (Umm, I'm in a pair of yoga pants. No need to be uncomfortable if I'm not leaving the house, right?)

And may I point out she asks this as she is wearing her Cinderella princess costume? Complete with tiara, heels and jewelry? And she's been wearing the exact same outfit for two full days?
My yoga pants are apparently not up to her standards.

She also likes to tell me, "Yes Sir," instead of "Yes, Ma'am." (We've been working on manners.) She knows exactly what she's doing. But in three-year-old humor, there is nothing funnier than using boy words on your mom, and girl words on your dad. She actually slapped her leg when she cracked herself up with that one.

And tonight at bedtime she had me laughing so hard when I was trying to be stern. I was giving the girls the nightly, "GO TO SLEEP" (with the implied "OR ELSE") talk, and Lily told me she needed to give me a kiss. I go over to her bed and say, "Okay, give me a big one then."

She promptly blows her mouth up with air like a huge balloon so she can give me the biggest gift possible. And blew a raspberry. On My Face. I had to leave the room.

So yes, I am thankful. Thankful I have a sense of humor, or at least one that loves preschool jokes.

This is my first attempt at a blog challenge, something you might see friends doing on Facebook - "__ days of Giving Thanks." I thought this was a very fitting challenge to get myself back into a regular habit of blogging again. Feel free to join me, and post your own blog link in the comments below, so we can keep up with each other! Follow others that are participating HERE.

Thanks-Giving Blog Challenge, Day #5

Today I am thankful for a great shower. No, really.

You moms know exactly what I'm talking about, don't ya?

This morning my girls woke up early. TOO EARLY. Which is of course nothing new.

But they actually played quietly in their room until a respectable hour. And then went downstairs to the playroom to play. So I decided to take a shower.

And they were still playing happily.

So I decided to go ahead and get dressed. IN REAL CLOTHES.

And they were still playing.

So I did my hair. REALLY. I pulled out the flat iron and straightened my hair.

About that time, they came and started asking for food. (Sigh. I know, right?)

Thankfully, I was able to distract them for about five minutes.

AND PUT MAKE UP ON!

Seriously, when does that happen? It's like a Mommy Miracle.

Too bad I didn't have anywhere to go with my great hair day.


This is my first attempt at a blog challenge, something you might see friends doing on Facebook - "__ days of Giving Thanks." I thought this was a very fitting challenge to get myself back into a regular habit of blogging again. Feel free to join me, and post your own blog link in the comments below, so we can keep up with each other! Follow others that are participating HERE.