a good year

Well today was the official end of our school year. We had a final party at our co-op. It in itself was bittersweet. I am so looking forward to a break so I can get some stuff done around here. But I will miss the fun and anticipation of Wednesday. The ladies in the co-op are my sisters in Christ and in education. They are my friends. My goal next year is to get to know someone I didn't know this past year.
My oldest will be 16 in November. Where did the time go. Here I have a young woman in my home and an infant and in between two other young boys. It boggles my mind how God trust me with raising all of them. I am so inadequate for the job, yet Christ calls me to train them up in the fear and admonition of the Lord. Lately I have been challenged in my parenting attitudes and philosophies. I do not want my children leaving my home needing years of therapy but knowing that they are loved and cherished. I want them to have the confidence that they will become what Christ has set out for them. I feel like this summer is a time of refreshing and revitalization. Last summer, we were preparing to move, to have a baby and start a new curriculum. I am praying that we will all prepare our hearts and lives for what God will bring.

todays fun

The older two, left, are going to the movies with my mom, they are most likely going to see the Sentinel with Kiefer Sutherland. Oh yeah, there are some other people in the movie but they are going to see Kiefer.
We are all big 24 fans here. Ok, fan is light. Last year we bought cable tv and the dvr so that we can see it. They changed nights on us and we had to chose Scouts. But we got both by doing the cable and such. Well this year, we didn't do the dvr through the cable. But we did buy a dvd recorder so that we could actually get the whole season on dvd. Of course we are missing the first four hours. But we are waiting for our friends to buy their dvd burner so we can get it off of their dvr. I guess if we get desperate we could take ours over there and burn them our selves.
I want to go see the Sentinel as well, but maybe Barry can take me later before it goes out of the theater. It has been so long since I have been to the movies. It would be nice to go some time soon.

Here is an interesting personality quiz. It talks about my parenting personality. I find it true to a point but a bit too flattering.

Your type is: esfp —The “Totally There” Mother

“I like to give my children an immediate response. It’s not like there’s one time for hugs and another to make sandwiches.”

• Energetic and people-oriented, the ESFP mother lives in the moment, “totally there” for her children — totally focused on them when she is with them. She enjoys being with her children and can respond to their needs “on the spot,” ensuring that they feel loved and cared for.
• Fun-loving, friendly, and outgoing, the ESFP mother actively engages her children in a wide variety of experiences. They can count on her to strike up a conversation with a fellow shopper at the market or with the bus driver, introducing them to the joys of people everywhere.
• Devoted and practical, the ESFP mother also enjoys doing for her children. She is attentive to their feelings and is deeply touched by every joy or hurt they experience.

The thing about striking up a conversation with a fellow shopper brought a smile to my face because I have been known to do this very thing. You can take this quiz as well. Let me know what your parenting personality shows.
http://www.motherstyles.com/quiz.asp

Wednesdays are such busy days but oh how I love them. We are about to wrap up our first year in a co-op. What a challenging blessing it has been. A challenging blessing you ask? Well we completely changed curriculum, nothing new here, but we added the co-op as well. Our co-op uses Tapestry of Grace as the base of what we do. We also use the best science program we have ever seen. If you haven't checked out Apologia Science, you need to check out their books. My kids have learned so much and are so excited about this wonderful science curriculum. I don't know how to add links so please forgive me.
Tapestry of Grace is a classical based History/literature/world view/writing/... curriculum. It covers from the beginning of time up until the current times. It allows all the children in your home to study the same time period at the same time, just on different levels of the learning trivium. What is even more wonderful, you only buy that time period once. All in all, you buy four years and you have it all. Of course there are books to acquire but that can be done through the library, used books, friends and book fairs. There are many possibilities. And what home schooler do you know that doesn't love acquiring books.
Back to why I love Wednesdays. Our co-op has something special that takes it beyond meeting together to learn. We hold the kids and the adults accountable for the work that week. We look out for one another. It is hard to put my finger on it, but I know that God has his hand on this group of families. We have had a few issues that could have blown up in the face of the ladies but instead God used it to bind us together and grow. Our leader had to take a sudden leave of absense and though we missed her dearly, people came up to the plate and filled in seamlessly. God is good, God is very good. As we wind down for the summer, we look forward to a break in work. But we long for the new year as we know God has wonderful things in store for us all individually and as a group. And we even plan on getting together during the summer because we just can't imagine going a whole three months without seeing each other. What a "spiritual" thing we have going. It is just hard to put to words.
Blessings to you all, tog_mom

Lion King

The Lion King movie has been resurrected in our home. Only now we have it in the Platinum DVD version. Ethan is totally into it. Their Dad took his older sister and brother to the travelling Broadway show here in south Texas a few weeks ago. Their grandmother was suppossed to take them but she accidentally brok her leg and ankle so she wasn't able to do so. Well Ethan Evan and I watched the movie while they saw the real thing. Since than Ethan is literally memorizing the movie and is bringing in interactive motion into it. He is rather amuzing to say the least.
Having a toddler in the house can be challenging, especially one who is high maintenance as Ethan tends to be but he is soooo cute and funny. He is quick as a whip and has a rather amazing sense of humor. I thank God often for my little ball of fire. Going from two to four so quickly after having two for so long has been quite an adjustment for us all. But I know our lives are all the more blessed. As I say often, "it is never boring" some times said in a self calming pacing phrase to keep me sane ;-D

Ok, I think I figured this out. We shall see. What and why do I want to blog? Well one of my dearest friends blogs quite often and I feel like I know what is going on in her life. And she has no clue about me. So that is my inspiration. Of course her life is always so exciting and there is always a new thing. So I will try to be more consistent even if it is short and sweet.
If you haven't seen my hubby's blog, you can visit there. He has pictures of us. I haven't gotten that far.
Grab a cup of coffee or your favorite drink, pull up a chair and join my day.

Blessings,
tog_mom