Family Focused Friday

Today I will be focusing on a resource that I use EVERY single morning in my time with God. It is called the Checklist for Parents by Doorposts. I use lots of Doorposts' materials because they are most often based on the Westminster Catechism. They stay complete with a direct focus on God's Word being our basis for everything we do as parents and in our marriages.
As you can see, all this little book contains are questions based on the Catechism and scriptures to meditate on. It asks questions like "did I show love with my actions? (Examples: spending time along, etc.). They serve as a time for me to see God on all areas of parenting...allowing His Word to be the guide.

It takes some time to pray through these questions...since there are several different sections to go through. But, it is so worth it! It has helped me to see areas of weakness in my parenting. It has given me wonderful key verses to memorize and meditate on in those areas to rely on each day. It has focused my prayer time over the girls...instead of being generic.

Doorposts has lots of great materials. They stay firm in the Word...and they are very serious about parenting from it. Everyone might not care for their approach and may feel overwhelmed by it...but again...it's just a resource...NOT THE BIBLE.

It has really been a great source of encouragement and challenge in my parenting mindset...and it has guided me into a stronger prayer time over my children.

Homeschool Excursions Fun!

Last Wednesday, we had the opportunity to join a field trip hosted by The Homeschool Excursions. They were taking a trip to an organic farm about 45 minutes north of us. We were going to learn about organic farming and canning...the girls were SO excited! Anli LOVES to cook and she was in heaven all day long! The little cabin was very primitive. They didn't have any air conditioning, no indoor bathrooms (we used a little outhouse!), and it was quite small. The kids got to do everything! They made homemade organic spaghetti sauce from scratch. They peeled, chopped, and cooked everything themselves!

Christina took them out to their organic garden to learn all about fresh herbs. They learned about gardening and also how to harvest veggies and herbs. She was such a wealth of knowledge...we all learned so much!

Anli and Virginia had so much fun meeting some new friends too!

Virginia helped to boil the tomatoes so that we could easily peel and smash them for the stock of our spaghetti sauce.

Anli helped to peel all the tomatoes. She also had a hand in chopping all those peppers, onions, and garlic you see in the background. I was so scared because I hadn't taught Anli any knife skills yet...but she did great...and no cuts!

Virginia helped to smash the tomatoes! Her arm was really tired after that.

Look at the sauce!!! It was the BEST I have EVER tasted! She gave us some wonderful homemade bread to take a taste with...and every child loved it! Ragu will never be the same again!

Then, she got out the mason jars and we began the canning process. They used canning funnels and filled each jar.

Then, they screwed on the sealing tops and rings...then they went into the hot water bath to steam the tops shut.

There were LOTS of jars to fill! It was really neat to know how easy canning can be. We had a wonderful day and learned so much! My mom has an amazing garden and I took lots of notes to see if she wants to make some sauce of our own with all the tomatoes she has! It's a great way to use up a harvest of tomatoes before they go bad!

We look forward to our next excursion! I think it's tree climbing...Anli will again be in heaven! Never fear...my sweet Virginia had a blast and will begin her ballet classes in just a few weeks. She will love that!

Summer Reading Sucess!

This summer, the girls were involved in our library's Summer Reading program. We had a great time and read some great books! We are so proud of the girls for working so hard! The girls each got a certificate of completion, a free Chick-fil-a, and a free new book!Anli chose a really cute book by Beverly Cleary called Ralph S. Mouse. Great job Anli!
Virginia finished 9 chapter books too! They also participated in several of the fun programs they offered for free too. They went to a puppet workshop to learn puppetry arts, an art class, and puppet show. We love the library!

Girls, we are so proud of your commitment to reading and to finishing a challenging program! We are so proud that you worked hard and read some difficult chapter books! Great job!!

It's nothing personal...

Well, after many months of praying I am going to say goodbye to my beloved "Google Reader." This is a lovely feature that lets me know when all my bloggy friends update with new material. It comes right up on my Google homepage and it looms there enticing me to stop whatever I am doing and read those blogs.

Now most of you are WAY more disciplined in this area than myself. But, I have accumulated so many blogs that it seems I am enticed to read them for long periods of time...and frankly...I just don't have the time to spare this year.

Anli begins 4th grade...and Virginia 3rd and that is going to take more time than last year. We have signed up to begin attending a group called "Homeschool Excursions" where we have already enjoyed adventures and look forward to some AWESOME field trips that are completely out of the ordinary...for example...in September we are going to learn about tree climbing and canopy zip line!

We are also doing the Timothy Ministry co-op where the girls will be taking cool classes like Chinese brush art, multi-media art where they will deal with clay, chalk, charcoal, acrylic, and watercolor, Ballet, and a painting class for both.

Lastly, we are joining a homeschool group that will allow us access to another co-op on Thursdays, a yearbook, sports, clubs, field trips, parties, etc. And then there's CHURCH too!

So, all that to say I've so much in my own life I've got to get to living that I just don't have the time to read all the blogs I want to read. So...it's cold turkey for me!

I tell you all this because I subscribe to many of your blogs and you know that I visit daily. So...it's nothing personal...in an way. It's just not a season for Google Reader anymore. I LOVE to read blogs...too much I bet. So, God showed me time that needed to be given to other areas and ministry and God's plans for my day.

I'll continue to blog each day...and I can't wait to share my time saving tip on that...because this is my scrapbook now. I can't stop! So, thanks for letting me into your lives over the past 2 years, but I'm gonna have to check out for a while. Who knows...maybe next summer I'll have the time to enjoy them!

Family-Focused Fridays #2!

It's Friday and here is another amazing resource that I have found wonderful for our family. Each morning we have our family worship time together in God's Word and praying for the nations, but there always is a need for time alone too. So, after breakfast is finished and everything is ready for the day...the girls spend some one-on-one time with their Father! After teaching a Biblical Backgrounds class at our church, I was more convinced than ever that we are lacking the chronological understanding of the Bible. We have so many seemingly unrelated stories we were taught in Sunday School for years...but have no idea how they fit into God's overall story!

I have been working through the Chronological Bible at nights for a while (on and off) and about a year ago bought the girls this one. It is written for children and is a chronological Bible. Karyn Henley has always been a favorite at our house since she wrote the Beginner's Bible and lots of wonderful music for children. This is not a word for word Bible...but it is taken directly from the text in story format. You really have to see it to understand. It is similar to the Message in that it is more of a thought for thought format.

They girls use this to get the overall picture of God's story on their reading level. Each morning we read from our NIV and we memorize from it too...but to get the overall chronological themes of the Bible the girls use this.

Then, after they are finished reading for the day (it's a one year reading Bible for kids) they draw a picture (or pictures) to tell the story they read without words. This we put into a binder so that at the end of it...they will have a chronological picture Bible that they have made to tell God's story.

It is our version of a chronological Bible storying quilt that is used all over the world to overcome the language barriers and illiteracy. It will be a way for them to remember what they read for the day...and a way to tell the stories as they actually happened in history.

I love it because this Bible has a timeline in the middle that tells not only what is going on in the Bible at a certain time...but it tells about what was happening around the world too. It gives them a sense of context.

There are lots of sites on chronological Bible storying. Please take a few moments sometime to explore the beauty of seeing God's Word from beginning to end and the themes that run chronologically throughout it. It's an exciting and helpful way to study God's Word for anyone...especially children!

Enjoy your Friday!

Freer and Jordan's Wedding

The wedding was held at Elizabeth and Bobby's Yacht Club and it was truly an amazing place to be! They were married outside on the pier that evening just before sunset. The weather was overcast so it was perfect! Freer looked amazing and she was just glowing! Jordan is the only person she has ever dated...and they have been together for 11 years!

Freer and her dad Michael come down the aisle!

The ceremony was so sweet! Jordan's father passed away when he was just a little boy... his mom shared a reading...it was moving. Stewart, Freer's sister, was the maid of honor. She just got married this time last year...a busy year for my aunt and uncle!

Freer and my aunt Holly

Freer and I

Their reception was awesome! The band played the best music that we all danced to for hours. The food was yummy and the best of all...they had a PHOTO BOOTH in one of the rooms! The encouraged us all to get the photos talked (they even had the bride and groom's name on the photos) and then you took a set and the bride and groom got a set that you scrapbooked for them. It was the coolest things I have ever seen...and made for many great laughs!Mom and I had such a great girl's weekend!

My cousin Peyton and I...she is going to Auburn in just 3 weeks! War Eagle!
This is Rosemary...my godmother. She is also my grandmother's brother's wife...say that three times fast!

At the end of the night they got all of my mom's side of the family together...there were a LOT of us! We all wanted a photo and this was us waving goodbye!

We had the best time ever! At one point the band played "Sweet Home Alabama" and all of these crazy people you see above got out on the dance floor and sang at the top of our lungs! It was so sweet and precious to see how close our families are to even our extended family. That is such a gift! We danced all night to the best oldies music and laughed until we couldn't breathe!

Thanks to Freer and her family for inviting all us and giving us such a wonderful weekend. Thanks to the Hancock family for hosting us at their lovely home...and thanks to our Father in heaven for creating such a beautiful thing as marriage...and family!

Hilton Head wedding!

This past weekend my mom, my aunt and her family, and I headed to Hilton Head Island for my cousin's wedding! The girls and Jay stayed home due to the quick round trip...and that I would be gone over a Sunday. So...my mom and I decided that since we had not had a girl's trip away in forever that we would take ourselves a little road trip!

They came to Atlanta on Friday morning to pick me up...and then my aunt, mom and I jumped in one car while my aunt's family was in the other and we headed on to Hilton Head. We had a wonderful time catching up and laughing together. My family has GREAT sense of humors...so it's always crazy!

This was my first time at my mom's cousin Elizabeth's home on the Island...and let me just say WOW! My cousin Freer (who got married) lives in Chicago and wanted to do a destination wedding at the beach. So...Elizabeth opened her home for the rehearsal dinner and her yacht club for the wedding and reception.

These are the views of the water from her family room! This place was like a 10 star hotel...and it's their HOME! The water was amazing and the ships passing were breathtaking! We stayed at her house so we had the perfect place for all the gatherings.

This is the porch right off the living room!

There were threats of storms that night...so it was nice and overcast. If not...the heat and humidity would have been terrible right on the water. But, the night was gorgeous, the food was amazing...we had a low country boil, and it was such fun to see all my family!
Mom and I had more fun than I could every write! We shared a room at Elizabeth's house here and just felt like we were in a spa retreat all weekend!!

On Saturday morning, my mom and I had the scary job of getting the dress to Freer and her mom Holly...yikes! We got it there perfectly and then had a great lunch with them. We loved getting to chat with her once more before all the festivities began! Freer and her GORGEOUS dress!

After helping out Holly and Freer that morning and a great lunch...we headed over to where the rest of our family was staying at a beach home right across the island. We took some time to walk on the beach, watch the kids ride waves, and just relax together.
The weather was still overcast and the water was rough...perfect for Fletcher to ride the waves!

Mary Frances is one of my favorite cousins! She and grew up going to the beach each summer with our family. We have so many memories of the Litchfield Inn where our family owned condos. My grandmother has only one brother and they both had 5 children...so there are lots of us! We would go to the Litchfield Inn for 2 weeks every summer and have the BEST memories!

We loved catching up! We are already planning a reunion soon. I'll share the wedding photos tomorrow...it was just an awesome place to get married!

l

Learning another language...

For the past few weeks, our family has begun to learn a second language together. About 3 years or more ago, we ordered the Swahili Rosetta Stone software because we had been to Tanzania twice and were praying about moving there to minister for 2-3 years.

Since God's timing is not for us to be in Africa right now...we just sort of forgot about learning Swahili. But, now is the time! We have had a BLAST together learning as a family. The girls are doing amazing and they remember so much.

We introduce the lesson all together one evening and take turns answering the questions. It is total immersion, so there is not ANY English at all. You have to figure everything out. But, it works! We are trying to work on it a little each day with the girls and then moving on to a new lesson each week. We really want to get it and not just fly through it!

We've had an awesome time together learning this language. And since we homeschool...we can pick any language we want to learn! Africa has always been such a huge part of our lives over the past 7 years...so Swahili just makes sense for us...and it's just a really cool language too.

Here is a little preview of what the girls are learning:

Ultimate Adventure Fine Arts Camp!

This past week we had Ultimate Adventure Creative Arts camp at our church! It was AWESOME! We all had so much fun and learned so many creative ways to worship God all week. Jay and I worked at the camp while the girls enjoyed attending...another reason I just LOVE being married to the Children's Pastor!
We had amazing times of praise and singing every morning to start our day off focused on God. We learned about worship and bringing pleasure to God.

Mrs. Molly was our fearless director for the week. She also is the director of our weekly Ultimate Adventure time each Wednesday. She was a fantastic leader and has such a passion for God and kids! Thanks Molly for being available and willing for God to use you to lead our children!

We made lots of new friends. We had several children from families who did not attend church...so it was a GREAT outreach event!!! The girls loved having a week to spend with new and old friends! The camp was from 9-2 every day...so we got to know each other very well:)

There was lots of time for singing, singing, and more singing!

As part of the creative arts camp, we learned about set building! We spent time each day working on the set and learning about different kinds of art.

Virginia LOVES all kinds of art! She was in heaven all week!

Mrs. Laura (an art teacher) came 2 days to help us learn and build the set design. She was awesome! The kids really took ownership of the set and it's so much better than having adults do it! They had a great time and did a great job!!

The painted, cut, made posters, did the publicity posters and much more!Anli helps paint the rock wall for the park where the musical takes place.

Both of the girls got a speaking and singing part in the musical. So, during part of the day the speakers would work with Mrs. Molly on lines, blocking, and memorizing. They both almost know all of their lines already! Anli is Jazz who is an over the top girl who loves to sing...perfect! Virginia plays Taylor who is a precious girl who has an amazing heart...bingo!

They worked in pairs to learn lots of lines.

I did the daily devotion times with the kids. We took the whole week to focus on the fruit of the Spirit. We learned that our heart condition is key to the overflow of ministry or performing. We had a great time with "Farmer Fred" videos, making fruit and baskets, and our fruit of the Spirit awards at the end of the week!

Their favorite part was learning the Fruit of the Spirit song! I learned that song years and years ago...and it is the only way I can remember all 9 fruit! The kids LOVED the song and they all learned the fruit of the Spirit by memory.

There was time on stage for all the kids to get a feel for where they should stand and how it is to be on stage.

Here is my Anli during her solo part! This picture says it all.

We had the best week! The girls loved every single part and though we were exhausted at the end (think VBS for 5 hours!)...I wouldn't trade one minute of it for anything in the world. I treasure these moments with my children. I love getting to see first hand how they are growing into amazing young women of God. I love to see their strengths grow stronger and their weaknesses mature. I love that Jay is there every minute too.

What a blessing and what a week!