School Days

I went to a jewelry party yesterday. The gal selling the product was very sweet but like most people her eyes popped out of her head when she asked how many kids I have. She nearly fainted when I told her I home school all of them also. This is a reaction I have grown quite accustomed to and usually find amusing. That is unless their reaction is less than kind. (Hers was kind)








There used to be days that I would question our choice to home school our kids. Those days seemed to come less and less often as time went by.









Spending days with these kids is a gift, a gift I fear I almost completely missed out on. I may not be the worlds' most perfect teacher but when it comes down to it the love that overflows
from my heart for each of these little souls makes me the best choice.








Today I am sick as a dog. My head is pounding, my throat is raw and I wish I could crack open my skull to scratch the itch in my ears. The kids got the basics of their education today and three squares with a snack thrown in. This is a great accomplishment in my book.








We even got a few chores done. The greatest accomplishment for me though was hearing my kids play together and cheer each other on while playing a much earned game of x-box.








To God I send a giant Thank You for the blessings of my six little sweet peas.

summer memories

Make a Smilebox scrapbook

Brother and Sisters

This is my little brother. Tony. He was here visiting us from TN for a month. It was the most time I 've spent with him since we were kids. I had forgotten over these 13 years what that connection to another feels like. That connection of a shared life. The memories we share how they are sometimes so much alike and other times so very different. The sense of loyalty we share is something I have always been aware of from my perspective. I however was humbled by the loyalty my brother showed to me while we were together. He has been gone a week now and I have missed him. It took everything I had to not cry when he left.
When people ask me why I have such a large family my response is usually that my brother and I hardly had time to grow up together after our parents divorced that it left me feeling much like an only child and I refused to allow that to happen to my kids. I wanted them to have lots of options of people who knew and loved them (even if that includes a slug now and again) . Now I haven't changed my mind about my kids having lots of love, I however have realised that I had it too and he is my heart. I love you toad.
P.S. Tony is moving back to michigan next week. Happy Day!!!!

Back to School

Well I survived our first week back to school. We added on new student, bumped one up from k to 1st grade and have a new baby to round it off. 4 grades in all plus the 2 year old and baby make for an incredible situation of chaos. My goal is to find an even ground of controlled chaos around here and Friday seemed to make a whisper of a promise that it was possible. I have followed Holly Pierlot's example of different kids doing different assignments at different times. This allows me to help in the areas needed while the rest do independent work. If it proves to be successful I might publish it here as an example for any of you. Until then I will be working on my prayer life so as not to go insane. Wish me luck:)

Something to ponder upon

I received this from a fellow homeschooler who lives in a nearby town. I was inspired to share this with you readers as I struggle to live this virtue and to lead my children to it.
God Bless you all.


JMJ From Our Church Paper........
Modesty
Modesty is one of those words that we often hear, but probably cannot formulate on our own a good definition. The Catechism of the Catholic Church describes modesty as "refusing to unveil what should remain hidden" (CCC 2521). This definition comes from the article detailing the ninth commandment; you shall not covet your neighbor's wife and it is expressly referring to the way we dress and the battle for purity. In the Sermon on the Mount Jesus says "Everyone who looks at a woman with lust has already committed adultery with her in her heart" (Matt. 5:28). It is notable that Jesus directly addresses men for he knows full well that men are attracted to women first through what they see. Women in turn are generally not as visually oriented in finding a man attractive. It is then a lifelong battle for Christian men to maintain custody of their eyes, for the devil uses images then thoughts to lead to the addictive sins of pornography and sexual immorality.
Sin affects the whole Body of Christ, the Church. We are all responsible for helping our brother and sister in the Lord to live moral lives. Unfortunately how women typically dress today does not reflect that love that one should have for her Christian brother. When clothing reveals more we should stop and ask why is that. We cannot blame the hot weather because typically it is only women who bear their midriffs, have low necklines, expose their back, or wear high slit dresses. It should be obvious that these are designed to attract the attention of men. Unfortunately what such clothing really says is "I am an object; and I want you to look at me." The truth is that women are made in the image and likeness of God and share in that dignity. To reduce oneself to an object to be reveled at does not befit the dignity of a human being.
We really have to be countercultural in our dress for the media and designers are bombarding us with images of the female body that do not equate with what we believe as Christians. We all have a responsibility. Women need to seriously examine what they wear. Husbands, fathers, and brothers, need to lovingly request of their loved ones, please do not wear that. I do not want others looking at you as if you were just a pretty object.
God Bless You, Deacon David Cybulski

M&M's- a mothers favorite tool?

We just returned from an outing to our local grocery. The children were so well behaved I let them each pick out a candy bar. I of course was especially well behaved so I got a bag of M&M's.
While munching on my delectable treat little Rose came by with her adorable eyes and gave me a sweet "pweese" while holding out a kiss ably chubby hand. So yeah I caved and gave her one. As I asked her to name the color of her prize inspiration struck and I thought of how valuable the M&M is to a mother when used wisely.
Use # 1 Teaching colors to a toddler.
A kid will always give you there undivided attention when your waving chocolate in front of their nose.

Use # 2 Teaching Math
Adding (kids love this part)
Subtracting(only if they are subtracting by eating them)
Counting (this can be suspenseful)

Use #3 Toilet training
I have used this bribery tool with all of my kids (love it)

Use #4 Therapy
Mom always gets to help herself when a chocolate emergency arises

Now if any of you parents out there want to condemn me for using sugar to "train" my kids well go for it but my kids will know their colors, math and use a toilet all thanks to the special candy that won't melt in your hands. While most importantly their mother will live to tell about it.

To hire help or not to hire help

My husband and I were fortunate enough to attend our states home school conference this weekend. It was filled with lots of books that inspired projects and excitement of next years new adventures. We picked out a new math program all together that I am super jazzed about and found some great catholic fiction for the kids to read ( I can't seem to keep enough books in the house for them at any given time)
There were some awesome speakers at the conference as well. I was hoping to attend all of them but only made it to two. I find that listening to speakers is always a source of great inspiration for me. It's great to get a fresh perspective on things and a bit of a kick start. One of the talks was Laura Birquest on Homeschooling from toddlers to teens. It was surprising to hear her say that the age group I am schooling is the most challenging. I don't know why I was surprised but it was weird to hear somebody say that. My kids are newborn to 9 years six in all.
This talk full of some pretty good ideas complied with both my husband and dad giving me the run down on how I need to hire help around the house has left me at a loss. I still feel like I should be able, with the help of my children , to take care of my house and other responsibilities. I have yet to read a book or a blog for that matter of a homeschooling mom that has hired help. For me I can't help but think its a lack of order in my life that has put me in the boat I'm in. Granted I have been trying to dock this boat various ways for 9 years but hey when you have kids as fast as I have life changes quickly. I am so conflicted.
Any feed back would be appreciated on this one girls. Especially by fellow homeschoolers that are or have dealt with this scenario.

He has arrived!!!!!

Hello Everyone!!
Baby Ethan arrived this morning at 6:04 am at 8lbs 6oz 20 in. with brown hair and blue eyes.
Pictures will be posted when I get home from the hospital.

Praise be to God!!!!

Expectations

I have been blessed with a group of women in my life that have taught me a great deal about God. Most importantly how my relationship with God is so apart of all the aspects of my life. We all have had struggles to fulfill our parts in said relationship but use each others experiences to learn and grow from them.
At my best (from my perspective) I spent my mornings with God. I would rise early, sit on my porch read the daily readings and reflections from my little book and spend quiet time in prayer and conversation with Our Lord. That was like two years ago. Ever since I have struggled to find some type of daily prayer and meditation that I could hold on to in my crazy schedule.
Strike that. I haven't made myself make that time a priority in my life.
Self discipline has always been a problem for me granted I have improved over the years but, there is still so much room for improvement. What I am really trying to accomplish is finding the line between realistic and unrealistic expectations of what I should be capable of.
Example...... is it realistic to expect myself to do a load of laundry every day. Now to some of you this is a no brainer, in either direction. Some would say duh, you have six kids how do not do a load or 4 everyday. Others may say duh, you have six kids how can you expect to have time to do a load everyday. This is a conversation I have had with nearly every person I know. I always get a different response but the one I receive most often is, "Kelli, your being to hard on yourself, you already have so much to do in your day its not realistic." or one of my mothers favorites is " you need to hire someone to help you out around here."
No I don't!!!! OK sure every mom says" if only I had another pair of hands around here.'
But when it comes down to it my friends this is my domain and I'm just to pig headed to let anybody in to mess up my (somewhat faulted) system. I know that everyone is just trying to be supportive and kind and really who wants to hear that " Yep, your right your a lazy bum." but come on.
So in short I am forever trying to find that balance that makes my life work best for my family and maybe by the time this little baby ( who has yet to come out) is a teen I will have found an answer to my riddle. What are realistic expectations for a homeschooling mother of six?

Getting past the tough part

The end to our school year is still a few weeks away as we started later in the fall and waiting for baby Ethan has distracted me from our normal routine. For all the ease I should be having birthing my 6th child he seems to enjoy building up the anticipation of his arrival. I spent the entire day yesterday in labor and maybe dilated 1 cm. Usually I start and finish within 4-5 hours. So I'm not exactly the best candidate for teacher right now. The kids have been spending lots of time with my dad and step-mom (God Bless them) while I have been wandering around trying to distract myself. Today I hope to hit some garden centers or farmers markets.
So this is the toughest part of this pregnancy that otherwise has been my easiest. I just keep trying to remind myself that when he does arrive I will have forgotten all of this part. Then its back to school.

God gives a little pat on the back.

Every now and then I feel God give me a little pat on the back just to let me know I'm doing a good job with His kids. Its a nice feeling and he always seems to know when I need it the most.
Last Wednesday I had to take all the kids with me on a marathon visit to wal-mart. We had lunch at the subway inside then went looking for shoes and finally had to get all the boys haircuts for the wedding. All told I think the trip took us about 2.5 hours. That's not the interesting part though.
As we sat in the subway people started walking up to us at separate times to comment to me on how well behave the kids were. One woman was convince they couldn't be all mine I must run a daycare. "No, these are all my beauties" I replied. She went on to say what a beautiful family I had and what a good job I must be doing. Mind you I am 9 months pregnant also and its way obvious. So many of the comments started out with how much longer I had and are the other kids excited about the new baby.
One of the best compliment I received that day came from a retired school teacher.
"You must home school your children. I can tell because its obvious how well they get along with each other. Home school kids just do better with their siblings." I told that lady that it meant the world to me to hear that from a school teacher.
All told that day 7 or 8 different individuals or couples stopped me to make a positive comment on my family. I was nearly brought to tears every single time.
(of course I am 9 months prego) It was truly a gift that they all took time out of their day to hand to me some of the kindness that I am always trying to hand out in the same store. The Holy Spirit inspires us all to be Christ to others I just thank those people for being Christ to me and my kids on that day.

A Holy Celebration

Our oldest daughter celebrated her first Holy Eucharist this weekend.

What a blessed day it was.

Giving Birth

With the anticipation of giving birth again so close to fruition, I am left with the thoughts of why I chose to give birth naturally. The births of my children have been as different as they are. I started out with my first child's birth as many women do. The doctor scheduled a induction with pitocin. I was still positive I wanted no pain medication as I usually respond poorly to it but I was a week over due and very uncomfortable. (Duh, show me a pregnant woman who is comfortable at 9 months in June) It took 11 hours just to get me to 4 centimeters from the 2 I was at when I arrived that day. I finally caved and had an epidural. Slept for an hour then woke up and pushed for 20 mins and then pop he was out. Yes the ultimate goal of giving birth was realised. However, experience has taught me that letting nature do its thing makes for a much easier and quicker delivery. Baby number two was another induction however before the epidural had time to work she was crowning. By the time #3 was ready I was determined to avoid the pitocin and epidural at all cost. (#2 epidural was incredibly painful) The doctor however had other plans. I won't go into the horrible details but I was bullied into another induction. I however would not take the drugs. Nobody was gonna poke me again. 12 hours of intensely painful labor (the pitocin increases the strength of the contractions but does not help with the effectiveness of them) and a boy was born. #4 came with a new doctor and a promise I would never have to see the old one again. He (the baby) arrived in his own time . I had an appointment that day so the pains I was having seemed like something I would just as the doctor about. Well I drove myself there and found out I was already at 7 cm. He was born about 45 min. later. That delivery was ideal.
When we found out about #5 I discovered a local midwife. No more OB's for me. Baby #5 had what I call the perfect delivery. I woke up in the morning about 6 am the contractions were 7 min apart. My husband drove me to the hospital at a leisurely 100 mph. He was hoping a cop would stop us and give us an escort. We got the hospital were the midwife was waiting and we began with the rhythm of delivery. I had found in my past labors that water is an oasis to be taken advantage of. Hot showers and baths literally wash away the pain of contractions. I had showers and a bath, used a rocking chair, walked the halls and finally hung on to my husband for support and dear life. The baby all but came out on her own. I only pushed for a second. Yes, I screamed and moaned and took lots of deep breaths. There were even a few moments when I almost let the pain lead me into a panic. But, I have found that control and focus are key to getting through this marathon. Her labor lasted about 5 hours almost 6.
The differences between my childrens births for me is drastic. The lessons I have learned from them however I consider profound. Women are powerful beings. We can withstand so much that our counterparts cannot. Please do not mistake me. I do not belive this makes woman better than man. On the contrary, we each have roles to fill that make us unique. For woman the greatest of these is the ability to bring life into this world. Our bodies were designed for it. Whether you belive in God or not you can not deny this. Take the time my dear women to discover how your bodies work. Look past the establishment and what it wants you to deny your body with pills and medications that make you not feel your strength and ignore your natural femine abilities. Embrace being a woman and all that it entails. Love that God made you strong. Strong of heart, mind, and body. Empower yourselves not with denying what you are and trying to become something else but by recognizing what a beautiful gift you are to mankind. God makes no mistakes girls. We are the way we are on purpose.

Some fun with my camera

The best of intentions

The most basic of responsibilities can be a challenge when pregnant. Add to that homeschooling and getting caught up with that damn laundry and you can forget it. I'm dragging so bad right now. The laundry is still piled high but my kids got an education today. Each of them actually received a monumental amount of my attention with their studies. So I can at the very least look back and say hey they got smarter today even if they are half naked. JK!!!
My oldest daughter will be receiving her first communion in two more weeks so we have been really discussing the Eucharist and what It means to us. During this conversation we touched a little on the institution of the rest of the sacraments. Baptism came up and I asked her when Jesus gave that sacrament to us. She stood up and quoted scripture verbatim. Down to the clouds opened up and God spoke. The girls got it down. I was brought to tears. Its those rock awesome moments that remind me that I can do this and hey I'm not to bad at it either.
The rest of the kids all had remarkable moments like this today in various subjects. What a gift God has given me. Even the baby has been making sure he gets my attention with lots of wiggling. I think he got my dancing genes.
Now I'm off to shower and changed so that my husband recognizes me when he gets home from work today.
Chow

The perfect mother

The perfect mother. Who is she? How does she handle the everyday situations of her motherhood? What does she do in those tense situations when the child just won't obey? Or is it that the perfect mothers children always obey?
As a woman who loves Mary the mother of Our Lord I often ask myself " Did Mary ever raise her voice at the child Jesus when he did something naughty?" Did Jesus as a child do things that were naughty? Hum, this is a puzzling question for me.
I am not a perfect mother. I fear there are those in my life who think I am. I really don't want to be thought of as something I am not. It puts in place all kinds of expectations that I know I just can not live with or up to for that matter. I yell far to often at my kids for my liking and I know it is so because I hear my tone and frustration in their voices when they are correcting each other. I hate that part of myself. I know in my head the better way to handle the situation. Get up from what ever task it is I am performing, go to that child, and direct them with my full attention to what I desire to be done. Now most days that is easier said than done. I do have 5 little bits running around right and the little guy in my belly has slowed me down considerably now that he is 8 months along. I still can't help but believe their has to be a better way though and that like in all things in my life, I can do better.

Holy Mother,
Pray to your loving Son that he will grant me the patience and the graces necessary to be a good mother to the little children he has put in my charge. I desire to please Him in all things.
Amen

Abortion

So I have mentioned that I will soon be the mother to six children in late may. Actually I hate wording it that way. I am the mother to six children and have been since I found out last October that I was pregnant with the six child. I feel and immediate sense of responsibility and protectiveness to the children in my womb. This may help explain why.
I have worked hard to be educated on the issue of abortion. But, having that knowledge has made me distrustful of the medical community at large. I have exposed myself to things that most people I know openly admit they don't have the stomach to know let alone see. The reality of abortion is terrifying to me. I have seen pictures of an actual abortion as it was performed, looked at the dismembered remains of the fetus' little bodies. Talked with and read the stories of the woman who have had abortions and how it affected them. This for me has always been more that a simple political issue.
After my second child was born I believe God reached out to me in an unusual way. Anytime I was in the quiet I could hear something. At first I thought maybe it was my imagination or the neighbors TV. After a while it grew louder. They were screams. The screams of women and babies. The screams I heard weren't normal 'oh you scared me screams' or ' I'm a hungry baby cries' these were the screams of brutality. Screams that make your hair stand on end and your stomach turn . It was so bad I left the TV on all day. I finally went to church to ask my godfather a Augustinian monk for his advice. He told me to pray for those in pain. God was giving me a job. God was calling me.
Abortion has so much more to do with how our society has failed these women and their children. I have offered on occasions that have presented themselves to adopt unexpected babies in each situation the parents decided to keep them. My dream is to one day open my home to women who need help getting through their pregnancies and helping them learn how to care for themselves and their babies while getting educations and employment. Until then I pray. I pray for the women, the babies, the nurses, the people who work at the abortion mills and most especially the doctors who perform them. I can only imagine how badly their souls must need the Lords hand.
This issue has called for much stress in my family life. My husband has been teaching me over the years the value of being able to discuss it without becoming upset or being judgemental. I have to say that although I have made improvements its very difficult to know so much and still remain calm. To those of you who may feel differently than I, or who simply would like to know more I recommend that you look into medical journals that give details about the developing fetus or just go to a website that offers a play by play of a pregnancy. Then go to the some medical journal and look up the descriptions of how each of the different types of abortion are preformed. The Internet is full of information, there really is no reason why anyone shouldn't know the realities. http://www.priestforlife.com/ is a good place to start if you want to get very specific in your information. Be warned however that they saved a large number of disposed bodies from an abortion mill dumpster in Chicago and documented each child. They have a link with a warning included if your not ready for that. I know that this issue is one that is a hot button but I can't help but feel that unless we talk about the problems in our world it is impossible to solve them. So this is me reaching out to you.
Christ peace be with each of you.

Good Friday

For me Good Friday has always been both the saddest and happiest day of the year.
At church today we will read the Passion of Christ and the entire assembly will participate. Then Father and the alter boys will bring down our rather large crucifix and place it at the front of the church. One by one each person in the church will line up and kiss the feet of Christ on that crucifix. Every year without fail I want to weep and wail like the woman at Calvary did. I want to stomp my feet and fall prostrate in front of His most holy cross and cry out, " Why Lord why did they have to do this to you? Please let me wipe your face as Veronica did. Let me pull you down from that cross and wrap you in my arms like your sweet mother did." Alas, this was Gods will. That one should die for the sake of many.
Christ has given us all a most precious gift. This is a gift like no other we will receive. Like no gift could ever compare too. His love for us is boundless. His desire to rest next to Him in heaven for all eternity made His passion worth all of our sinful souls. Come to Christ today. Rest in His unending love. Find comfort in the peace that only He can offer.

May the Peace of Christ be with you and may you take the time today to walk with Christ to Calvary.

Holy Thursday

Tonight we will attend Holy Thursday Mass. In the Catholic Church the priest will commonly wash the feet of 12 volunteers to re enact Christ washing the feet of His apostles. I have seen this done many times since my conversion to the church. At first it seemed odd and uncomfortable. As my faith has grown, I have learned to better appreciate where
Christ was coming from and what he was preparing his followers for. I am in awe of his love for them and for us.

The institution of the Most Holy Eucharist is however the main attraction of the night. In our church we believe that Christ was literally telling his friends that they must eat his flesh and drink his blood in order to have life with in them. When I converted to the faith this was a sticking point for me at first. Its when I realized how appalled they were at his words that I seen he truly meant what he said. They actually left him there. Christ would not relent. He wouldn't explain his analogy like he had before in other teachings. There was no story to teach the lesson here. It is what it is. God has no boundaries. There is nothing he can not do. Why then could he not do this?

The sacrament of The Eucharist is the most beloved of all our Sacraments. (gift from Christ) It is in this sacrament that Christ feeds our bodies. He becomes a literal part of our physical beings not just a spiritual part. The spiritual connection to Our Lord is found all around us. In our prayers, the wind, the flowers, the faces of our loved ones. The Eucharist is the only time he comes to us Body and Soul.

Heavenly Father,

I thank you for this most precious gift of your Son. I pray that I will be made worthy to receive Him in the most Holy Eucharist. That in receiving Him I will be molded into what you want me to be. That I will be transformed into a light of Your love to this world. It is my prayer Lord that I will be worthy of the promises of Christ and one day kiss Your feet in heaven and fall before Your glory for all eternity.

In the name of The Father and The Son and The Holy Spirit,

Amen

Miracles do happen

A miracle occured in our home last night.

Easter Eggs were decorated before Easter. Thanks to my mom kits and eggs were bought and plain old white eggs became beautiful works of art. Now Holy Week can proceed into the Easter Sunday it should be. Thanks be to God.

Its a cold, cold day

I live in Michigan. The saying here is," If you don't like the weather wait 5 minutes." This winter truer words could not be said. Yesterday it was a high of like 48 degrees. I woke up to melted snow and and bare flower beds. Oh, spring fever resides in my heart. So I went outside to visit all of my flower beds and see what they are doing. I however decided to do that today when the temperature has dropped to 25 degrees. All things are frozen, and I pregnant and clumsy fell on the ice in my yard. Ouch!!! No worries though baby and I are fine. Any way I took some pictures of my sleeping garden and will share them and a warm cup of love my husband made for me last week.

Why Homeschool? II

I of course would have to say my main reason for home schooling was Gods insistent calling. There are many more however. One giant reason for us to come back to homeschooling was my children's frustration with the amount of time lost to them each day. Between transporting them to and from school, then the long day at school and the homework that followed. We never had time to relax or play or to simply have time with each other. Devin my oldest said to me, "Mom we never have time to play." They would get home, change, do their homework, eat, and maybe have a half hour of playtime before bed. If it was bath night that was gone too. I am sure if any of you have children at school this is a familiar scenario to you. Our frustration was most pronounced because we knew what a home school day entails. Of course the day for a Kinder garter is much shorter than a third grader. However my kids still have recess, lunch , music, gym, and all basic subjects between 9 am and 2:30 pm. Scheduling has become our saving grace and if they don't finish a subject within the allotted time frame they have homework that eats into their free time. It has proven to be an effective schedule that all of us have thrived under.
I read a book that was a great help to me many years ago however it wasn't until this year I found a effective way of executing it. A Mothers Rule of Life by Holly Pierot

http://mothersruleoflife.com

Why Homeschool?

This is a question I get pretty much once a week. " Why home school? " The follow up is always... "Aren't you afraid they won't be socialized?" The first is always the more difficult question to answer. Sometimes because you don't want to offend them in what works out to be a lengthy explanation that you really can't spill out in the grocery store line. Other reasons can simply be that I believe in accomplishing something for my kids that goes away from what they have chosen for their own children. This is a very personal decision. I am a person with very strong beliefs in what I feel is right and wrong for my kids. I can't say that life hasen't forced me to re evaluate them on a regular basis. (ie. what tv shows are ok or what type of education they should recive) Either way, its the dance we call life that brings each of us to our own conclusions.
So here is my attempt at explaning why we home school.
Reason #1 God told me to. Now I know what your thinking, Jesus Freak, nut job, religious fanatic. I'll take doors one and three. The second although true to some degree is not what we are talking about. I prayed. I prayed and prayed and prayed for God to help me out with this one. The kids went to private school last year and I had gotten settled in the idea that this was going to be our life. I would ship all the kids off to school until I was alone and then I could go to school. I'd let the 'professionals' handle it from here. The problem was we (the family) weren't happy. So I asked God. He told me point blank......"Kelli, this is God speaking. Your mission should you choose to accept it is to HOME SCHOOL my children and raise them up for me." -God
Ok it might have been not so direct and little less 'holywood' but you get the idea.

"Since parents have conferred life on their children, they have a most solemn obligation to educate their offspring. Hence, parents must be acknowledged as the first and foremost educators of their children. Their role as educators is so decisive that scarcely anything can compensate for their failure in it. For it devolves on parents to create a family atmosphere so animated with love and reverence for God and others that a well-rounded personal and social development will be fostered among the children. Hence, the family is the first school of those social virtues which every society needs."
- Pope John Paul II

Reason #2 Morality
Our society is saturated with sex. Sex in all its abused and misused forms is readily avalible to any child at any age just by watching an hour of afternoon tv. All they have to see is the commercials. Ok take out TV. Lets go for a family shopping trip for new clothes for Jr. "Mommy, why is that woman in her underware?" Thank you Victoria Secret. So much for the secret. My daughter looks at me to ask why a woman would be nearly naked in a picture.
Move forward to the school system.
Ok deep breath. This is a big subject for me. What I am trying to say is I know my kids better than anyone. I also am very aware of what is out in this world. I refuse to live with my head in the sand and fully intead to make sure my kids walk out into the world with the knowledge they will need. But, I'll be damned if some stranger is going to make those choices for me.
The majority does not always rule.

Ok I'm wore out. I will write more tommorow.

God Children

These are my newest children. No I didn't give birth to twins. However I could love them no less. These little dolls are our Godchildren.

Meet Thomas James and Rachel Bea.

God be praised!

Gods Gift

I suffer from anxiety. Not being on any medications while pregnant was a nerve wracking idea to me. However baby comes first always in my book. So far so good. I have noticed some of my old symptoms showing their face every now and again but I must admit God has been giving me little gifts. Most days, not all, I experience these moments of elation or euphoria. These moments almost always have to do with my kids (other times its that hunk of a husband of mine). These moments remind me of why I absolutely love having a ton of kids and am madly in love with homeschooling them. This is a long way to travel for me in many ways. There can be so much guilt as a parent in every decision we make. I am very versed in beating myself up about it. And yet these little gifts from God, these moments of what I think must be a taste of the joy He finds in us, revive me. They give me endurance and determination. My job has so many requirements but the most important of them all and the one I strive for everyday is to love my kids like God would want me to.

Smile at your kids. Smile at them with the knowledge of how much Christ loves them let them see that love in your face.

The Begining

My kids with the Holy Family. What more could you ask for.

So I'm a convert to the faith. I was raised with a sense that their was a God and He loved me and if I wanted to go to heaven I had to be a good girl and say I was sorry when I wasn't. Pretty cut and dry. I was taught that there were some "churches" that taught bad things and they were to be avoided. The biggest one mentioned at my house was the Catholic Church, along with a few others I'll leave out. I even told a friend in high school I was sorry for him that he had to be Catholic. Fast forward to senior year and in enters a new guy. I fell for him like a brick. In fact when we decided to be 'boyfriend and girlfriend' after 2 weeks of dating I told him I wanted to marry him and have his babies. Talk about premenition. I found out later he was Catholic. Not just a C and E Catholic (thats easter and christmas only church goer) but one that was in the process of really getting to know his faith and living it. We had issues. I still have the note where I wrote that my kids would not be raised Catholic and that could be a problem. I recently found out he almost ended the relationship at that point. Boy am I glad he didn't. I started to go to church with him after a year kicking and screaming. Still I went. It was when we decided to get married that I really had to think about what I wanted. RCIA (Religious Ed. for adults) soon followed. The things I learned took my breath away. No matter how hard I was on our priest he was ready and willing to answer my questions with out pause. I joined Christs' Church soon after.

Fast forward 13 years. I am a Catholic Homeschooler. I use only Catholic Curriculum. I teach my kids about their faith every day. I am doing what I can to end the tragady of abortion in our world. I am fighting for the poor and neglected through prayer until a time comes when I can be out there in the world phycially doing something. Most of all I am striving to be Christ to not only my husband, children, family and friends, but also to the nameless faces I see in this world.

Well I suppose thats enough for an opening.