The 7 Habits of Highly Effective Families

The 7 Habits of Highly Effective Families by, Stephen E Covey

The Strong-Willed Child

The Strong-Willed Child by, Dr James Dobson

Hero Tales

Hero Tales by, Dave and Neta Jackson
A family treasury of true stories from the lives of Christian heros.

It is Official

We are going to homeschool Paisley beginning this fall.
The Lord put it on my heart for a few months... and I ignored it. It was the last thing I wanted to add to my plate. For about a month now the Lord has been showing me different and new angles that have totally changed my heart about it. This is my season to pour into my children God blessed ME with, so why not make the most of it. After praying about it, researching curriculum online and talking with other homeschooling Moms/families I respect and admired, I narrowed it down to one. Plus we are adding LOTS of our own as well.
Who: Paisley Liv
What: Sonlight P3/4 curriculum http://www.sonlight.com/newcomer-p34.html
In addition we have a schedule that will include: homemaking, art, crafts(seasonal and holiday), games, literature, music, cooking/baking, serving others and field trips. For keeping her socialized we are part of two different MOMS groups with plenty of peers for her to play and be around, until she gets to the 1st grade level. At that point we will join or create a co-op that will offer science and PE on a level we can not offer her along with peer interaction.
When: starting this fall when all the other kids go back to school
Where: At home of course
WHY: This is a BIG one... so here it goes.
(Here are our reasons and not in any particular order)
-To keep Christ the center of our home.
-To teach Paisley to seek God's kingdom above everything else.
-Raise her with a Godly heart for the world.
-To nurture Paisley's enthusiasm to learn and a desire to discover.
-To teach her to listen well to others.
-Teach her that listening to other views won't destroy her faith.
-We as her parents, want to be the primary influence in her life.
-We will be able to keep up with Paisley and a pace that will continue to challenge her.
-We will have more freedom to control her curriculum and give her everything she needs and not have to sacrifice due to budget cuts.

Thank you for taking the time to read all of this. We are very passionate about this, and the Lord has continued to bless us with tools and resources and we trust He will continue to through the years as we follow His guidance on this matter. We are looking forward to showing her progress and all she is learning. If you have any questions or comments on the matter feel free to ask! It has been and will always be a learning curve for Jason and I, so prayers are more thank appreciated. Specifically wisdom patience and guidance along with opportunities to further His kingdom together as a family.
PS here is the desk we bought and are refinishing to be her special spot. She wakes up every morning and goes straight there drawing smiley faces, stick figures and LOTS and lots of the letter P! Gotta love it.

Cont Missions Trip

This trip was a blessing. God choose me to go on this missions trip very specifically. He made the path to get me there smooth. The Lord provided the funds using my amazingly generous aunt Teri. And he used my wonderful husband to so kindly take care of the kids in my absence. The hard work and sweat that I was able to offer and the bonds and friendships that will last a lifetime are priceless. The Lord blessed me more than I can explain and take in at the moment. I was honored that the Lord let me be His hands and feet to bless a family and ultimately bring glory to God! I am in the process of learning spanish and praying about the next trip. The Lord has very clearly put on my heart that "You did a good job my obedient servant, but you are not done yet." I am listening God, open the doors and lead the way, I am willing and I LOVE YOU so much and more! Thank you for this opportunity to serve you in such a real and tangible way. Fill us up and send us out, Lord!!!

Cont Missions Trip

And the finished product. A photo of the family that will occupy the home once the next group stuccos it for them. And then a grand finale picture of our group (minus, Mike, Kelly, Vanessa and Clint, they left just a few hours before the end of the work day, they needed to be home) and the owners of the home. We all stood inside with the family (even though they could not speak english) and prayed over the home and the memories that would be made there. We did not just built a a home. We TOGETHER as a team built a place for them the children to grow up and memories to be made. A place to learn about God and for God to show them in a very real way His love, power and grace. We prayed that the children of the home would grow up to glorify God and lead others to the Lord through their testimony. God bless this home.

Cont Missions Trip

My oh my this is so much fun reminiscing over the trip and all of the memories made... so in the window Jessi wrote my quote of the weekend. I would wave to everyone that went by (I was so excited to just be there, I could not help myself and for once could care less what they might have thought about me... it was very freeing and powerful for me) so I would wave and of course flash my smile at everyone. Then if I had a chance to speak with them, I would say "gracias" or "adios." But then I would add to the end "Vaya Con Dios" (back story) when I was growing up we would say to one another "vaya con dios" but in english we said "Jesus be with you" So to be fair I KNOW that "vaya con dios" translates "God with God" but to ME when I am saying it, in my heart I am telling them "Jesus be with you!" All of mexico probably thinks I am "LOCO" but oh well!!! Everyone in the car had a good laugh when I explained this to them... it makes sense to me though :)