Warning: When Teaching Your Child How To Swing A Golf Club...

...do NOT stand directly behind him!



Sweetie was helping Handsome learn how to keep his head still while swinging a golf club and told him to practice swinging from '3:00 to 9:00' (position of the club, NOT practice for 6 hours...LOL). Sweetie was standing directly behind him to help him get the feel of how to keep his head.



However, Handsome didn't stop at 9:00. He swung to 12:00, and well, you know what the rhyme says about 'striking 12'? Yep, he STRUCK 12 alright. (Note to self: add 'work on hands of the clock with Handsome' this next school year!).



It looked like someone had scalped Sweetie! He was COVERED in blood... his head, his entire face, all down and around his ear, most of his shirt... it looked really bad. But he didn't want to go sit in the emergency room all night and besides, "they'll shave my head in that one spot"! (For the record, from what I could tell I don't think it requires stitches. Just a lot of blood).



So, he has a 3-inch line of matted hair where it bled some more after he got in the shower (another note to self: shampoo STINGS on an open wound!) and a massive headache, some queasiness when trying to sit at the computer, and a lot of feeling nasueas (how DO you spell that word?). Having experience with them from his football days, he thinks he probably has a mild concussion.



Handsome cried for half an hour because he worships the ground his daddy walks on and it killed him to see him like that, bless his little heart.

Sigh... there's never a dull moment with our family!

Praise Him in ALL Things!

I heard a story today and wanted to share it with you.



Have you ever heard Tony Evans preach on the radio? I hear him often while I'm in the van and I really enjoy listening to him.



Today he was talking about how we should praise God in ALL circumstances and he told the story about how John Wesley was once robbed. Afterwards he got down on his knees and said, 'God, I thank you and I praise you that I was the robEE and not the robER. I thank you and I praise you that all he took was my wallet and not my life. And God, I thank you and I praise you that all I had wasn't much anyway'!



Now, I don't know about you, but I have to be honest and admit that there are many days when I find it hard to thank the Lord for much, let alone ALL things. But the Bible says... "Giving thanks ALWAYS for ALL things unto God and the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ" (Ephesians 5:20). ALL things. Not 'some' things. Not 'only the good things'. And not 'only when He does what you want Him to do'.



It says to give thanks for ALL THINGS. I tend to take the Bible pretty literally and when it says all things I take that to mean all things, good and not-so-good. In my Bible study helps it defines the word 'always' as "at all times". There's that word 'all' again!



Hearing that story has really made me look at some things differently. Sweetie went to a meeting yesterday that we were hoping would turn out a different way than what it did. Naturally I was disappointed and chose to listen to the voice of the enemy telling me how bad everything is and always will be and how nothing ever goes our way and how it's all my fault God never hears and answers our prayers. But you know what? Weeping endures only for a night and JOY comes in the morning!! Praise God!!



I feel much better today and I thank God and praise Him that my Sweetie still has work and his own company. I thank God and praise Him that Sweetie got a chance to sit and visit with an old friend and that this friend has so much faith and confidence in the knowledge and ability Sweetie has. And I thank God and praise Him for what He's doing behind the scenes on our behalf. The night before this friend called Sweetie up out of the blue and wanted to meet with him, God gave Sweetie a dream about this man so we know He's up to something. I can't wait to see what it is!



How about you? Are there things in your life that you can look at a different way and instead of being worried or discouraged you can find ways to be thankful and praise your Heavenly Father for? Have you ever heard the song 'Voice of Truth' by Casting Crowns? Since watching Facing the Giants (which I HIGHLY recommend for everyone to see if you haven't yet), this has become my life's theme song. Here are the words to it...



Oh,what I would do

To have the kind of faith it takes

To climb out of this boat I'm in

Onto the crashing waves

To step out of my comfort zone

Into the realm of the unknown

Where Jesus is,

And he's holding out his hand



But the waves are calling out my name

and they laugh at me

Reminding me of all the times

I've tried before and failed

The waves they keep on telling me

time and time again

"Boy, you'll never win,

you'll never win."



but the voice of truth tells me a different story

the voice of truth says "do not be afraid!"

and the voice of truth says "this is for my glory"

out of all the voices calling out to me

i will choose to listen and believe the voice of truth



Oh, what I would do

to have the kind of strength it takes

To stand before a giant

with just a sling and a stone

Surrounded by the sound

of a thousand warriors

shaking in their armor

Wishing they'd have had the strength to stand



But the giant's calling out

my name and he laughs at me

Reminding me of all the times

I've tried before and failed

The giant keeps on telling me

time and time again

"Boy you'll never win,

you'll never win."


but the stone was just the right size

to put the giant on the ground

and the waves they don't seem so high

from on top of them looking down

i will soar with the wings of eagles

when i stop and listen to the sound of Jesus

singing over me



But the voice of truth tells me a different story

The voice of truth says do not be afraid

And the voice of truth says this is for my glory

Out of all the voices calling out to me (calling out to me)

I will choose to listen and believe

I will choose to listen and believe the voice of truth



I will listen and believe...



The key words in this song are 'I will CHOOSE to listen and BELIEVE...'. It's a choice. Out of all the voices speaking to you, who are you going to CHOOSE to listen to and believe? And are you going to choose to complain and be down about things, or are you going to choose to thank Him and praise Him in ALL things?

My Opinion on Ratatouille

We took our little ones plus a neice and nephew to see Ratatouille today so I thought I'd pass along my thoughts on it.



We have always loved Pixar movies. The animation is just SO unbelievable and life-like! We love, and own, Toy Story I & II, Monster, Inc., Finding Nemo, A Bug's Life... but, I don't know that we'll be adding Ratatouille to the collection. Let me rephrase that. We probably WILL own it one day because of my mom who loves to stock us up on DVD's every Christmas but I don't know how often I'll be watching it.



The story was ok although it seemed a bit slow and didn't keep the littlest one's attention like the other Pixar movies did, the animation was awesome, of course. But you know, there's just something about a bunch of RATS running across a kitchen that make you want to turn your head and pick your feet up while screeching EWWWW!! The one little main rat in the story I could handle, I guess. But when the whole gang came scurrying out, NO THANK YOU!



As far as anything offensive, there was only one instance of a word they could have very well left out. The mean little short chef says, 'Welcome to he**'. I don't know WHY they do that in a perfectly good movie (ok, well, besides the rats thing). But that's a whole 'nother blog entry.



So, was it worth seeing? Well, the kids enjoyed it but I think I would have rather saved our money and taken them to a water park or something a bit more fun and much less rodent-y!

The Perfect School

Did you ever hear of a school that:



Has 100% literacy,

Has no drug or alcohol problems,

Doesn't cost the taxpayers any money,

Tailors curricula to each child's needs,

Teaches work skills along with academic skills,

Views each child as a unique individual,

Carefully monitors character development,

And emphasizes parental involvement in the children's education?



This may sound too good to be true, but it's not-

it's a home school!

Did You Know...

Mount Rushmore, the world's largest stone monument, is a tribute to four Presidents - George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Abraham Lincoln, and Theodore Roosevelt - who stood for the most honorable principles and highest ideals of America.



Besides being great Presidents, what does each of these men have in common?



As children, none of them had any regular, formal schooling. They were all self-educated and learned at home!

You Must Be Homeschooled If...

You Must Be Homeschooled If...



...Someone asks what grade you're in and you're not sure.

...You sometimes go to school in your pajamas.

...You sleep till 9:00 am on school days, but get up early on Sundays.

...Your favorite author is Jane Austen (girls) or Robert Louis Stevenson (boys).

...You own the entire series of Saxon Math books.

...Your birthday is an official school holiday.

...You don't get to stay home from school when you're sick.

...You are unaware of the current fads, fashions, and slang terms.

...Your favorite activity is reading.

...You know what a unit study is.

...Watching a movie means you'll have to write a report comparing the film to the book.

...You dress up as historical or literary characters for Halloween.

...You exchange e-mail Valentines with your homeschool pen pals.

...Your room looks like a science lab.

...You can get science credit for going to the dentist.

...You go to the park for P.E.

...You check out at least ten books every time you visit the library.

...You have ever attempted to teach yourself physics.

...You have no idea what rock bands are currently popular.

...You get books and science kits for your birthday.

...You know what Latin roots are.

...Your board games all have names like "Bookworm", "Scrabble", "S'math", "Game of Knowledge", and "Name The State".

...Your home library is arranged in Dewey Decimal order.

...Your favorite place to study is outside, under a tree.

...You can quote lines from Shakespeare, but not from South Park.

...You memorize math formulas for fun.

...You never get nervous on the first day of school.

...The only bully you ever run into is your big brother.

...You don't have to remember a locker combination, just your computer password.

...It takes you less than a minute to walk to school.

...You don't have to worry about forgetting anything - you can just run back to your room and get it.

...Your school bus is a nine-passenger van.

...There are only nine students in your class - but all of them are your brothers and sisters.

...You have a 12-year-old, a 6-year-old, and a 2-year old in the same class.

...You can get extra credit for cleaning your room.

How does a homeschooler change a light bulb?

Q: How does a homeschooler change a light bulb?



A: First, mom checks three books on electricity out of the library, then the kids make models of light bulbs, read a biography of Thomas Edison and do a skit based on his life. Next, everyone studies the history of lighting methods, wrapping up with dipping their own candles. Next, everyone takes a trip to the store where they compare types of light bulbs as well as prices and figure out how much change they'll get if they buy two bulbs for $1.99 and pay with a five dollar bill. On the way home, a discussion develops over the history of money and also Abraham Lincoln, as his picture is on the five dollar bill. Finally, after building a homemade ladder out of branches dragged from the woods, the light bulb is installed. And there is light. ~Author Unknown

Training Their Hearts- How NOT To Do It

Today was a bit of an emotional day for me.



First, a meeting Sweetie had that we were hopeful would go one way went another.



Second, my mom has been done wrong at her job and has been moved into a position she doesn't like and where she is completely alone AND it's 3rd shift which is hard on her and she's so hurt and discouraged. That's just so hard for my heart to handle. And all of it is because of one person who is very two-faced. I don't mean that judgementally. It's just true.



When I pulled in the driveway from the hospital this afternoon (where I take the newborn's pictures), Handsome met me outside with a cute little homemade invitation to 'Mommy's Day' where I got to relax and do whatever I wanted! He was speaking very proper and said, 'Follow me, if you will'. Isn't that precious?



As I followed him in the door I noticed right away a much cleaner house than when I left just a few hours earlier. The dishes were done, the counters cleaned, the living room all picked up, and THEN!! The kids showed me their rooms and they looked better than I've seen them in weeks! Even the bathroom was sorta cleaned!



I was so surprised and happy! What a wonderful thing to come home to!



As I walked from the boy's room to the girl's room Handsome says, 'Granny's gonna pay us each $5 for doing it'! To which he promptly got a dirty look and a slap on the back of the head from his 11-year-old sister.



Now, I admit, I did not handle this exactly as I should. Yes, I was thankful that my usually messy children had worked so hard and accomplished so much in such a short amount of time. However, I was not too pleased that it came about only after my well-meaning mother-in-law had called and bribed them to do it.



What did I do, you ask? Well, I guess the 'mommy-look' came on my face. The one that shows disappointment in her young chickies. I felt the need to give them the speech about how we should help keep our home clean because we're all part of a team and we help each other out and take care of the home God gave us and when we see something that needs to be done we should do it, etc. etc. etc.



I asked each of them if they would have done all that cleaning if Granny had NOT offered to pay them and each of them said no. Instantly Handsome and Reece Cup started crying. When I mentioned telling Granny that she didn't need to pay them Princess laid face-down on her bed and started crying. Baby Girl, after trying to convince me that she had actually forgotten about the money and the cleaning actually became fun once they started, also had a tear or two come out of the corner of her eye (or else she just rubbed her eye to where her 'secretly-applied-I'm-a-big-girl-mom-will-never-know' mascara left a streak down her cheek).



Sigh...



Why did I have to go and break their little hearts and deflate their excitement over all the hard work they had done for their mommy? They really did work very hard and got a lot more accomplished than I have lately. Shoot. If I were them and someone offered me $5 to clean I would have done it to... in a heartbeat!



After feeling lower than slime under a snake's belly I gathered them around me on the couch and loved on them and told them how very, VERY proud of them I was and how much I appreciated all their hard work. I told them I would have done the very same thing if I was them and that I wasn't upset with them at all. I tried to explain to them that all I wanted them to remember was that we all need to work at keeping our home neat and cleaned, even when we're not getting paid for it simply because we're a family, a TEAM, and that's what God expects us to do... to take care of the things He blesses us with.



And I guess I can let my mother-in-law off the hook with her bribe because it really was well-intended and straight from her heart. She knew that I was having a rough day and she just really wanted to bless me, which she did.



But just for the record, grandmas and grandpas can bribe their grandchildren. That's one of the many priviledges earned when you become a grandparent.



But moms, I say this with a chuckle... I really don't recommend it for us. Let's work at training our children's hearts to do common, everyday chores as if they were doing them for the Lord. Isn't that what the Word tells us? To do everything as if we were doing it for Him? It's never too early to start teaching this to our children.



But even when they do it just to get their little hands on some money, albeit 'hard-earned' money, please tread carefully and don't do as I did today and crush their little spirits. Train, yes. But do it ever so carefully.



On second thought, train another day. There will be plenty of opportunities. Just for today, I should have simply lavished on the praise and left it at that.



Their little hearts are so tender. Please think before you react or speak. I sure wish I would have.

The Evolution of Education in America

While visiting Amy's blog this morning I found this cartoon. How very true, and somewhat funny, is it? Think I'll print this one out.

Uh Oh... I've Got The Itch!

I recently helped a friend set up her blog and in the process I totally undid mine! What a goofball I can be sometimes.



Thankfully it wasn't too hard to get it back to how it was, except I decided to make all of my text bigger. What do you think? Should I keep it bigger? Is it easier to read, or does it look worse overall?



Anyway, all that playing around has really got me itching to change the look of my whole blog! If you ever visited my old blog at homeschoolblogger you know that I really like changing it from time to time, usually with the different seasons.



When I set this new blog up I just copied the look my old one had at the time so I've been looking at these colors and such for a while now. I do really like it, but oh how I'd love to change it to look more summer-y!



Guess I need to wait though, until my REAL house is clean first, and until the kiddies are in bed. 'Cause once I get started there's no-telling how long I'll be at it. It's so much fun!



Yes, I am a bit corny. It doesn't take much to bring me joy!

We Are All Sheep... Do You Know Your Shepherd?

Thanks to another sweet FIAR mom, I read this devotion today from Proverbs 31 Ministry and it really touched me. I wanted to share it with you in hopes that it might bless you as well.



And just in case you are interested like I was, there is a link to sign up for daily devotions such as this one. Finally, maybe I'll have something worthwhile in my Inbox now that I've signed up for this!

Encouragement For Moms

Thank you to Angie, my dear FIAR sister, for sharing this.



Loving Jesus

by Megan Breedlove



Jesus DIDN’T say, “Whatever you do for the least of
these, I appreciate it.” HE SAID, “Whatever you do
for the least of these, you do FOR ME” (Matthew 25:40)



I started my day early,

Before the room was light.

I lifted my son from his crib

And wished it was still night.

But as I held him close and said,

“Hi Tyler, precious one,”

I knew that as I greeted him,

I greeted too God’s Son.



When my daughter woke up later

Calling, “Mommy! Mommy! Down!”

I picked her up and hugged her

In her worn Elmo nightgown.

I know she felt the closeness

That a mother’s touch affords.

I welcomed not just Danielle,

But so, too, the Lord of Lords.



That day, I mixed some formula

And opened jars of peas.

I fixed some “pizza butter” bread

When she grinned and said, “Pleeeeease.”

I heated up some leftovers;

I had to nuke them twice.

And when I fed my children,

I was feeding Jesus Christ.



I made some funny faces,

And “played pubzzles” on the floor.

I dressed kitties, ran around outside,

And played with them some more.

We laughed and jumped and tickled,

Making memories to be stored.

When I spent time with my children,

I spent time with my Lord.


I wiped up sticky cereal

And washed the dishes clean.

I straightened, picked up, put away,

And dusted in between.

I did six loads of laundry

And folded it like new.

When I cleaned for my children,

I cleaned for my Savior, too.



When my children were both crying,

I held them in my arms.

I cuddled them and whispered

That I’d keep them safe from harm.

I told them how their Father saved them

With His perfect Lamb.

When I comforted my children,

I comforted I Am.


Later on that evening,

I put them in the bath.

I washed their little bodies

As they kicked around and splashed.

I dried them in soft towels

And put their jammies on.

When I washed my children’s feet,

I washed the Holy One.


I cooked and cleaned and rearranged,

Made beds and taught and played.

I made sure that we had food to eat

and that we often prayed.

I died to self.

I made a home from ordinary things

But when I served my children,

I served the King of Kings.


To some, I have done nothing,

But to two, I’ve done the world.

I made eternal differences

To my precious boy and girl

And to the One who watches over

Every pathway that I’ve trod.

For when I’ve loved my precious children,

I’ve loved Almighty God.

I'm in Rainbow Resource Heaven!

So, have you gotten yours yet?! How many pages do you have dog-eared already? What's on your wish list for this up-coming school year?



If you don't know what I'm talking about then you need to check out Rainbow Resource and request a catalog.



But let me warn you... if you have never seen a Rainbow Resource catalog, be prepared to sit for hours upon hours, ignoring your home, hubby, and children while highlighting, dog-earing, and praying for your sweetie to increase your homeschooling budget by A LOT!



This catalog is nearly two inches thick and contains over 1300 pages of everything you could ever dream of that relates to homeschooling! If you can't find it in here, honey, you probably don't need it!

Fishing With Moses

Message From the Kids

I found this message on our refrigerator tonight, left by one of our little ones ...

What We've Been Up To...

The past month or so has been so busy for us. Here are some pictures I wanted to share with you to show you just what we've been up to...












First of all, this was Princess on Mother's Day. Doesn't she just look so sweet?

















Next, we had to make a trip to Illinois to take
my brother home since his car broke down on
him while he was here visiting. This was Reece Cup sleeping in the van on Princess while she brushed his hair and
watched a movie. R.C. LOVES for someone
to rub his head while he goes to sleep.
Looks like sissy knows her big brother.












And this is how I found my three littlest ones one day... they told me they were 'Pod racing'.















Memorial Day weekend we attended our nephew's
wedding at a beautiful horse farm and Reece Cup was a perfect gentleman for his little sister.


















Baby girl loves to do Before Five in a Row with Princess, and this time Reece Cup wanted to hear the story also. Blueberries for Sal is one of our all-time favorites!














And then, of course, the girls had to make blueberry pancakes!















We had a night of karoke with all of sweetie's family. What fun! This was our first time with karoke, but we loved it and hope to get our own karoke machine some day! Here's our boys singing their little hearts out.



















We went fishing with all the cousins and, without saying a word to anyone or asking for any kind of help, Princess reeled in her very first fish! She was so proud!


















Reece Cup had his 7th birthday, and loved getting presents AND money!




















And last but not least, we just finished up Vacation Bible School last week where I taught for the first time since before I became a mommy. I really enjoyed teaching and my room won for 'Best Decorated Room'! My prize? A $25 gift card to the Cracker Barrel!

Ok, I Just Had To Tell

I know I said that I'd be blogging about my weight loss journey over on my Spark People blog, but I just had to give a quick update because I still can't believe it! And besides, we're not doing any formal schooling right now, so what's a homeschool momma to blog about?



As of this morning, after only 4 days of Kimkins, I have lost a total of 12 pounds!!! I am SO excited! If I just didn't have so much more to lose I'd be bouncing off walls! (Hubby has lost 8!)



I'll be the first to give a completely honest opinion on something I've tried or use and I have to be honest here. For a carb/chocolate addict like me, this is not exactly the easiest thing I've done, but you know, it also hasn't been nearly as hard as I thought it would be either. I guess seeing the pounds come off so quickly and easily helps keep me going and keeps me motivated. I didn't even cheat ONE SINGLE TIME this whole week at Bible School! And tonight was our carnival night and I had cookies and other chocolate goodies and hot dogs & chili staring me right in the face and I never touched any of it! Now let me tell you, THAT'S a modern-day miracle!



I would like to enjoy a nice big brownie or a plate of lasagna right about now, but you know what? That would only provide me with temporary satisfaction and I'd be right back in the same boat I'm trying so desperately to climb out of.



I've allowed myself to give in to any and all cravings for far too many years and now I'm paying the price for it. I'm sure those who attend AA meetings would love to take another drink, especially during those first few days or weeks. But they know they have an addiction and if they don't get that addiction under control it will probably eventually kill them.



It may sound silly, but it's the exact same thing with food. As a society, we are addicted to food and it's slowly killing us! Yes it's painful to change the way you eat, but it's our own fault. I've enjoyed my food too much for too long and now it's time to pay the piper.



Change is never easy. Think of road construction. Doesn't that just drive you crazy?! But usually, 98% of the time, in the end it's worth the time and frustration it took to get that nice, pretty, smooth new road. Right?



Yes, this is a lot harder than dealing with road construction, especially when my flesh is throwing it's own little temper tantrum... 'give me chocolate...I'm STARVING...you can't do this, it's too hard...whaaa whaaa whaaa'! (Read that in a real annoying whiney voice for full effect). But it's the same thing. The end result is going to be SO worth all the time and hard work it took to get there. And at this rate, I could very possibly be there by the end of summer!

Dropping the Pounds FAST!

It's only been 3 days since sweetie and I started following the Kimkins way of eating and I am SO happy to report that he has lost 7.4 pounds and I have lost 10.2!! AND... I started my TOM the day AFTER I started Kimkins, so I consider it a miracle that I've done so well!



I'm telling you, it is a stricter way of eating, but I want this weight gone SO much more than I want the food. It is SO totally worth it. I just have to keep my eyes on the goal and that food doesn't seem so appealing anymore. My favorite saying is... "NOTHING tastes as good as THIN feels!". That is SO true.



Since this is supposed to be a homeschooling blog I'll be posting about my weight loss journey on my SparkPeople blog, so please come visit me there!



And if you'd like to check out the Kimkins plan and read amazing success stories (with before and after pictures...my favorite!) just click here.

FINALLY! The Pounds Are Coming Off!!!

In case you missed the issue of Woman's World magazine a couple weeks ago, there was a lady on the front who had lost 100 pounds in only 5 months! The headline said, "Better Than Gastric Bypass". So naturally I HAD to find out what in the world this lady had done!



What I discovered is a new way of eating for both my hubby and I. It is based off of Atkins, only it doesn't allow the fat that Atkins does.



The success stories are PHENOMENAL! Hubby and I were excited and ready to see if this really did work the way all these people said it does.



I'm happy to report that ONLY after two days of being on the 'Kimkins' diet, as it was named by a faithful follower of the plan, I have lost 7.4 pounds and hubby has lost 6!! We both feel great and our hunger has drastically diminished! What a great thing!



I never had a weight problem all through school and on up until I got married. I'm 5'5" and always weighed 135. I had our first baby right before our first anniversary and by the time she was 18 months old I had some extra weight to lose.



I joined Weight Watchers and within a span of about 5 months I lost 36 pounds to get back to 135.



Then I got pregnant, and got back to 148 afterwards.



Got pregnant again, and got back to 162 afterwards.



Got pregnant again, gained a whopping 57 pounds, had my tubes tied, cut, and burned, got back to 163, hubby lost his job, started his own business, 3 years of HIGH stress, and well, now I weighed in at 214.8 two days ago.



I have tried going back to Weight Watchers (which DOES work, but I wasn't consistent because of having to work so hard just to lose a few pounds), I've tried different diet pills, I've exercised... but here's what I have found out about myself.



Since having four children AND a tubal ligation AND being 31 AND being under enormous stress for such an extended length of time, well, the weight just doesn't come off me without extensive daily exercise and I have to eat very strictly and NEVER waiver. If I do, the weight is right back on. If I don't exercise a LOT, the weight doesn't budge.



I am/was addicted to sugar (carbs?). I HAD to have chocolate every day! I had even taken to hiding what I was eating, stopping on my way home and getting a couple candy bars or a box of Little Debbie Fudge Rounds and eating them before I got home so my family wouldn't know.



I knew I had a problem and even though I knew I needed to change I felt defenseless. Even though I hated the way I looked and the way my clothes fit (or DIDN'T fit is more like it), it was like I was addicted to a DRUG! It was that bad.



I have learned that I'm a very emotional eater. And what better time to pig out than when you're under heavy stress? Little Debbie became my very best friend.



When I would try really hard and lose a few pounds I would feel good about losing, but also very discouraged that it took so much time and hard work just to lose those few pounds. And if I wavered one bit, forget it. Those few pounds plus a couple more were right back on, undoing all the hard work I had done.



It was all very discouraging, so I'd give up.



And so, I've stayed overweight for far too many years now, putting on more and more pounds every month.



But with Kimkins I have lost 7.4 pounds in two days without even exercising! Now, I do think exercise is great for our health and our bodies, and I do plan on getting back into doing it 5-6 days a week starting next week (just started TOM and very involved in VBS this week, so next week I'll add the exercise), but I'm just amazed that the weight is falling off so easily!



For a reality check: I don't plan on being a low-carber for the rest of my life. I know that's not for me. Once I have reached my final goal weight I will slowly start adding carbs back in and I will faithfully get on the scale to keep my weight in check. But my prayer is that by the time I reach my goal that my appetite and how I view food (i.e. the intense cravings) will have diminished, or hopefully disappeared!



I know myself. If I don't see immediate and quick results I won't continue. I also need deliverance from the addiction I have to sweets/sugar/carbs. Having so much extra weight on me has affected every area of my life. I won't let my husband 'see' me. I won't stand up and praise the Lord at church from fear of someone seeing how bad my clothes look since I no longer have anything that fits comfortably (or, heaven forbid, a piece of my clothing has wedged itself in one of my many 'extra folds of skin' while I was sitting and I don't notice is). I don't have the energy to play with my kids. I don't enjoy talking with people like I used to. My outgoing, friendly personality has turned into one that would rather just stay home away from everyone so I don't feel even worse about how I look.



Some may argue with my choice, but keeping all this extra weight on is far worse than losing it and I have found what's going to get it off!



Want to check out the Kimkins plan? Just go here.



Be sure to read through the success stories. You'll be amazed! That's what sold us on Kimkins... and it looks like hubby and I just might have our own story to share some day soon!

Top Ten Answers You Should NEVER Give to the Question "What?! No School Today?"

I've had this hanging in our school room for years and thought I would share it here. I don't remember where I got it from, but it's GREAT for some 'inside' laughs amongst us weird, unsocialized homeschoolers!


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Top Ten Answers You Should NEVER Give to the Question "What?! No School Today?"




*Well normally yes, but this time of year I need help with the planting and plowing.



*Goodness, no!!! I graduated 18 years ago, but thanks for the compliment!



*No, we homeschool. We're just out to pick up a bag of pork rinds and some Mountain Dew, then we gotta hurry home to catch our soaps.



*What?! Where did you guys come from?! I thought I told you to stay at school! I'm sorry. This happens all the time. (sigh)



*There isn't? Why, you'd think we'd see more kids out then, don't you?



*We're on a field trip studying human nature's intrusive and assumptive tactics of displaying ignorance and implied superiority. Thanks for the peek!



*On our planet we have different methods of education. (Shhh! No, I didn't give it away . . . keep your antennae down!)



*Oh my goodness! I thought that today was Saturday . . . come on kids, hurry!



*Noooooope. Me 'n Bubba jes' learns 'em at home. Werks reel good!



*"What? No Bingo today?"



~Author Unknown

Our 5 Year Old's Version of a Beloved Old Hymn!

You know that song, I Shall Not Be Moved?



"I shall not be, I shall not be moved.

I shall not be, I shall not be moved.

Just like a tree planted by the water,

I shall not be moved."



Well, here's our funny 5-year-old daughter's rendition...



"I sha bop be, I sha bop be boo

I sha bop be, I sha bop be boo

It's planting by the waters

I sha bop be boo."



Don'tcha just love kids?!