Sunday, 14 November 2010

Wednesday, 28 July 2010

  • Homecoming Princess

    I take care of a 15 year old girl who is wheelchair bound due to Cerebral Palsy. Last year, she was voted unanimously as Freshman Attendant for Homecoming at her high school. I thought this was so awesome that the students in the Freshman class were so kind and giving to her. We hear so much about all the "bad" things young people do... I wanted to give these high schoolers some well-deserved good press! I am a little late in sharing because it took me this long to get these pictures from my cell to the computer. However, here they are! I think you can tell how much it meant to her just by viewing the expression on her face!

    Wheeling out onto the gym floor during her introduction:

    File0202

    Out on the floor with some of the other attendants for the night:

    File0198

    A photo with the male homecoming attendant afterwards:

    File0193

    Down Home Mom is going to start doing better about sharing our adventures. I have a video camera now, so no excuses right?

    :D

Saturday, 09 January 2010

  • Currently
    Biblical Parenting
    By Crystal Lutton
    see related

    A Misbehaving Child is a Discouraged Child

    This is an article I wrote several years ago. It is copied from my site at: http://www.freewebs.com/suffer-the-little-children/whychildrenmisbehave.htm

    Why Do Children Misbehave?
    Jane Nelson: "A misbehaving child is a discouraged child."

    Does this hold up to the light of God's Word? What does God say about discouragement?

    Colossians 3:21 says: "Fathers, provoke not your children to anger, lest they be discouraged."

    First let us look at the Greek definitions of anger and discouraged.

    Anger- anger, the natural disposition, temper, character movement or agitation of the soul, impulse, desire, any violent emotion, but esp. anger anger, wrath, indignation anger exhibited in punishment, hence used for punishment itself of punishments inflicted by magistrates

    I found it interesting that this type of anger is associated with punishment. This anger is necessary to punish! Isn't this an interesting thought when considering our premise as PD parents that punishment leads to anger?

    Discouragement- to be disheartened, dispirited, broken in spirit, dismayed

    Dictionary definitions for:

    Discourage- To deprive of courage, dispirit, dishearten

    Dispirit-To cause to lose heart or hope; weaken the spirit of; depress

    Dismay-To put at a loss as from surprise, fear or disappointment; cause to lose spirit or confidence

    Dishearten-To weaken the spirit or courage of

    This means that any action we take with our child should promote encouragement, tend to and nurture their spirit. Any other action leads to discouragement.

    What are the definitions for the words which are opposite of discourage?

    Encourage-To inspire with courage, hope or confidence. 2. To help or be favorable toward.

    Inspirit-To fill with spirit or life; exhilarate

    Hearten-To give courage to

    More Scripture for thought:

    Proverbs 15:1 A soft answer turneth away wrath: but grievous words stir up anger.

    Proverbs 19:11 The discretion of a man deferreth his anger; and it is his glory to pass over a transgression.

    Colossians 3:8 But now ye also put off all these; anger, wrath, malice, blasphemy, filthy communication out of your mouth.

    Colossians 3:12 Put on therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, bowels of mercies, kindness, humbleness of mind, meekness, longsuffering;
    13 Forbearing one another, and forgiving one another, if any man have a quarrel against any: even as Christ forgave you, so also do ye.
    14 And above all these things put on charity, which is the bond of perfectness.
    15 And let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to the which also ye are called in one body; and be ye thankful.
    16 Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom; teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord.
    17 And whatsoever ye do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God and the Father by him.

    Yes, this Scripture even (most especially)applies to the parent/child relationship! So, if we want to encourage our child, we will put off those things of the old man, put on the things of the new man and do everything in word or deed as unto the Lord Jesus! We would not seek to anger or discourage the Lord. Therefore we must not do this to our child. Teach them; admonish them with Scripture, sing songs about Him, and let GRACE permiate your home!

    So… it appears that "A MISBEHAVING CHILD IS INDEED A DISCOURAGED CHILD!"

    Jane Nelson is the Author of books on Positive Discipline. You can find her books at Amazon or any other major bookstore. Although I do not agree with everything Jane Nelson says, I find a lot of what she has to say very helpful.

    Here are some other helpful resources on this topic:

    http://www.mb.com.ph/articles/202435/why-do-children-misbehave

    http://www.enotalone.com/article/4471.html

    http://www.positivediscipline.com/articles_teacher/PositiveTimeOut.html

Monday, 04 January 2010

  • Did You Hear About the Morgan's? or Night Out with the Girls

    I took my youngest daughter (11) and one of her friends to the show last night. They wanted to see "Alvin 2: The Squeakquel"‎ and I wanted to see "Did You Hear About the Morgans?" Before we went to the show, we went to eat at IHOP and then to Wal-Mart. The only redeeming aspect of this weather is that the perishables will last in the car while we do other things.




    For some odd reason the girls acted as though they were relieved when I informed them that I wanted to see a different movie. Imagine that! The kids always complain about my nose being buried in the computer (I do work full time online for one of my jobs, after all) then this daughter was thrilled to separate from me at the theater. I am documenting this here so I can remind her of it next time she catches me playing Scrabble on Facebook complains about the fact that I don't spend enough time with her.

    I have done my best to brainwash teach my kids to believe that family is more important than friends. Regardless of the fact that I have isolated them from society , homeschooled them, they are social little creatures. Well not so "little" anymore. *sigh*

    So.. back to the movie.  The girls' movie started about 35 mins before my show.  What is it about the show that I always have to pee twice before it starts?  Yes I did.  And I still found myself waiting for the last hour and a half of the show needing to go again. 

    This was my first time to view a movie at the theater alone.  I have always wanted to try it. The advantages to being alone are that you can sit where you want and no one else is there to tempt you with their fattening buttered popcorn. I sat in the best spot which was directly facing the center of the screen.

    The show started with the typical advertisements and previews.  I liked the military theaters better when my ex was in the Army and we went to the show on post.  For one thing, it was cheaper and for another it was patriotic to go to the movie. Instead of ads and previews, we watched scenes of Americana as we listened to the national anthem.  We stood with our hands on our hearts and showed respect to our country and our troops.  It always brought tears to my eyes.

    Enough sentimentality.. back to the movie...

    The previews included "From Paris with Love", "Kick Ass", "The Bounty Hunter" and "Dear John."  Out of all of those I definitely want to see "Dear John."  It is based on a novel by Nicholas Sparks and I really love his books.

    "Did you hear about the Morgans?" was predictable from start to finish.  It had very little offensive language, no crude humor and no sensuality.  It was a cute movie which offered a positive and refreshing view on the sanctity of marriage (unusual from Hollywood).  I really hope people go and watch this show so they can show support for a clean flick.  There were some funny parts and it did not have one of those crappy endings where you are left with no closure about the characters.

    Overall, I enjoyed watching the movie alone.  Going with other people is fun too, but I might just do this movie thing alone more often.

Thursday, 03 December 2009

  • Currently
    Scammers Among Us Beware: Scammers and Frauds
    By Leon Carey
    see related

    Warning! Scam Alert!

    scamalert I kept getting these calls on my cell from +331 which is fishy enough in itself right? I finally decided to answer it. This guy with a South African accent says "I am calling to let you know about a credit card with 0% interest with a beginning credit limit of $3500."

    redflag2 RED FLAG GOES UP!

    For one, I have less than pristine credit and for two I am wondering where in the heck these people got my number from? So, I decide to play along for a bit. I ask, "What is the annual fee on this card?" To which he answers, "There is no recurring fee, there is just a one time activation fee of $97 and then you get a $100 gift voucher to make up for that." "Then you can purchase anything from our catalog for up to $3500."

    redflag2 MORE RED FLAGS!

    I say (still playing along) "What is your website address so I can take a look and consider this?" He says "www.internationalplatinum.com." I have to have him repeat the part after "international" about 3 or 4 times because I can't understand him. Each time he says "ok, I will repeat it one more time." LOL Like he is doing me a big favor. I am still cracking up over that. Anyway, I get to the spammy looking site and I say, "OK, well I will take a look at it online and if I decide to do it, I see I can apply right here." He then says "Oh no! You can't do that, I will just wait on the phone while you look so you can apply now on the phone."

    redflag2 RED FLAG AGAIN!

    High pressure turns me off immediately. (Not that I was ever turned on to begin with.)

    I then tell him, I really have to have a lot of time to consider this offer and he proceeds to try to keep me on the phone so I hung up. The guy immediately calls back; needless to say I did not answer.

    If you truly want to confirm a scam, do a google search as follows: International Platinum Credit Card Scam. Make sure you include the word "scam" in your search. Here are the Google search results for that phrase:

    http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&safe=active&rlz=1C1CHMA_enUS352US352&q=international+platinum+credit+card+scam&aq=f&oq=&aqi=

    Check out Rip Off Report and Who Called Us as well as the Better Business Bureau.

    It is a ploy, scam, spam and a bunch of hooey. It angers me that they prey on people with bad credit and especially during the holidays when people are most vulnerable.

    I don't care if it is a shady used car salesman standing right in front of you or some foreign sounding voice over the phone. Never let someone pressure you into a scam of any kind! Don't fall for it!

Saturday, 28 November 2009

  • How to Get Ready for the Holidays: Part 1

    Warning: details of a monumental task ahead! Today... Are you ready for this?  We... we....we combined cleaning out our shed with Christmas decorating. There! I said it! Whew! I hope you don't think I am crazy?

    The holiday season is the perfect time to de-clutter; especially if you are going to entertain family at your house (which we are this year). Some of the stuff we went through today had been packed for 3 or 4 years or more. When I say monumental task, this is no understatement. We had enough daylight to get about halfway through the task today.

    We divided stuff up as follows:

    1. Donation – Given to individuals or taken to Goodwill ASAP

    2. Trash – Already taken to a dumpster

    3. Keep – Brought in the house and put away immediately

    4. Store – Try to keep this to a minimum and put back in shed in a labeled and organized manner

    So far, we trashed and donated more than we kept or stored, which is the goal! It is going to feel so great to get all of the decluttering done. Decluttering your physical space does something for your emotional and spiritual health as well. It is freeing and makes life seem less burdensome. It is not always “there” just hanging over your head as some project you are procrastinating about continuously and it also makes it a lot easier to function on a day to day basis.

    I got some tips from a book called “The Queen of Clean Conquers Clutter.”


    This book is awesome. The Queen of Clean teaches you how to be a clean QUEEN

    Q- Question

    U- Unpack

    E- Evaluate

    E- Eliminate

    N-Neaten UP

    This book is for even the most devoted pack rat. She shows you how to start small and then eventually you will want to tackle every nook and cranny in your home.

    There was a time that I would have waited to start that shed knowing I could not finish it in one day. However, thanks to the Queen of Clean, I know it is better to get started and get some of it done and then do the rest later. :D

    I will keep you up to date on my progress.  More to Come....


Thursday, 26 November 2009

  • Currently
    Homeschool Your Child for Free: More Than 1,400 Smart, Effective, and Practical Resources for Educating Your Family at Home
    By LauraMaery Gold, Joan M. Zielinski
    see related

    But, I Can't Afford to Homeschool

    This is the first of a series of articles about common homeschool objections. A lot of people assume that it costs a lot of money to homeschool effectively. Most public schools receive approximately $8,000 to $10,000 per child from state and federal funding and private schools can run anywhere from $3,000 on up to $20,000 or $30,000 per year. People automatically associate higher spending with better quality.

    There is a wide range of curriculum options available. Self-contained curriculum like Weaver, Abeka, Sonlight, Alpha-Omega, ACE and others can run as low as $350 or $400 per year, per child and go up as high as a person can afford to spend. There are reading curriculum options that can run as high as several hundred dollars per program and there are those which run as low as $15.00.





    Time4Learning offers an effective and inexpensive online learning option. I use this for my kids. They supply lessons for history, science, reading, language arts and math. This program is good for challenged, average or gifted learners. It is only $19.95 per month for the first child and $14.95 for each additional child in the family. They currently offer courses for age 3 to 8th grade students. I hope they expand to high school some day. My kids look forward to the lessons each day, I can log in anytime and see what and how they are doing, they can work independently and it provides a record should you live in a state where you are required to keep records. For the low cost, can you really ask for anything more?

    There are also free options. The library is free, you can borrow resources from friends and family, you can find a wide range of resources for free online and you can be creative and use what you have.. whether indoors or outdoors. Don Potter offers a ton of free education resources for free on his site at Don Potter.net.

    The best thing about homeschooling is that you can teach your child for free or spend as much as you want to spend. If you choose to cut corners on curriculum costs and your child has an interest in some extra curricular activity, you can afford to spend more on their other interests and activities and customize it all to the individual child.

    With all of the low-cost and free options, anyone can afford to homeschool! :D

    Do you think it is possible to give a child a great education with little or no money? If so, why or why not?

Wednesday, 25 November 2009

  • The Twisted History of Thanksgiving

    thanksgiving-pilgrims

    The first official Thanksgiving in the US took place in 1621, the pilgrims provided most of the meal, they ate sweet potatoes and ham, the Indians and pilgrims were great friends, ... at least this is what we have always been taught.

    School children are taught a lot of things as historical fact when indeed the reality is found to be much different upon further study. According to a colonist by the name of Edward Winslow in A Journey of the Pilgrims at Plymouth, the pilgrims had already gathered their crops for harvest and hunted fowl when king Massasoit and 90 of his men came to them with concerns that the pilgrims were preparing to war against them. The Indians wound up killing 5 deer and many turkeys to share during this 3 day feast.

    Wild Turkey and venison are the only items we know for certain were on the menu. Other items which may have been on the menu include goose, swan, seal, eel, clams, lobster, cod, wheat flour, Indian corn, pumpkin, peas, beans, carrots, radishes, onions, plums, grapes, acorns, walnuts, chestnuts, olive oil, leeks, dried currants, parsnips and liverwort. There were no pies, no cranberry sauce, no corn on the cob, no mashed potatoes and no green bean casserole. ;)

    It would be interesting some Thanksgiving to try to emulate the menu of the pilgrims as closely as possible. Sounds like an interesting school lesson! hmmm?

    tgiving meal

    Thanksgiving today has evolved into a gluttonous day of feasting and there is absolutely nothing wrong with that! My friend Keith at Almighty Dad wrote an awesome article on this today. The name of his post is Thanksgiving Healthy Eating Tips: Never!

    Other Thanksgiving Day traditions include:

    1) Football
    2) The Macy's Day Parade
    3) Football
    4) Gathering with family
    5) Did I mention football?
    6) Wearing stretchy pants! :D
    7) Tryptophan drunkenness induces an obligatory afternoon nap
    8) Devising a Black Friday Battle Plan

     

    Other Thanksgiving Resources:

    Grampa David offers a great Thanksgiving story called: Thanksgiving Baby

    The History Channel offers a full expose, videos and more about The History of Thanksgiving

    Judy Dow (Abenaki) and Beverly Slapin Deconstruct the Myths of "The First Thanksgiving"


Tuesday, 24 November 2009

  • You Don't Have to be Rich to be Grateful

    During this holiday season, the United States is in a recession. The official unemployment rate is above 10%, but some are reporting that as many as 17% of US workers are currently without jobs. What happens to the mentality of an individual or family or nation during times of economic hardship? How do their priorities shift and how do their spending habits change?

     

    Let's face it, during times of plenty, most people become spoiled brats. They expect to have all they need want and have it yesterday. They run up credit cards, buy homes and vehicles they cannot afford, don't save money and just live with the mantra “Eat, Drink and Be Merry.” They become self-absorbed and consumed with accumulating material goods.


    Back in 1986, I spent 3 months in Brazil. I met a 14 year old boy who had lived on the streets of Brazil for most of his life. He started asking me questions about my life, home and belongings in the US. Once he found out I owned more than one TV, he was convinced I was rich! I gave away 3 meals at McDonald's in Sao Paulo before I finally ordered my food to go so I could eat in the car. These were children who were begging for food and not for money or other goods. How many times have you sat down in your local McDonald's and had some child come up and beg you for your food? I dare say if you have had this happen, the child was quickly reprimanded by his parents if you were here in the US. ;) I went into a home where a woman just had dirt floors, scrap wood for walls, a makeshift stove and one mattress on the floor where about 5 people slept. I did not even grasp the meaning of poor until I met these people.


    It is sad that so many people are out of work and it seems that we may be headed for inflation with the price of goods rising faster than the per capita income. However, there are many things we can gain as individuals, families and a nation during this time. People have already started eliminating frivolous spending and services and products they once thought necessary. People are starting to feel more pressured to save for the storms of life because the rainy days are already here. We are spending more time with family and friends doing inexpensive activities. Building relationships has become more important to us than in past years. I have even noticed neighbors who are starting to know one another again. During the economic boom, we because so self sufficient instead of being inter-dependent with others.

    Have you shifted your priorities and spending habits? If so, how? Are you thankful for anything that has taken place as a result of this shift in our economy? Are you planning to do anything different this holiday season as a result of having less cash to spend? Maybe start a new tradition?



Monday, 23 November 2009

  • Are You Anti-Homeschooling?

    Often times I run across those who are absolutely and unequivocally, anti-homeschooling. They have some highly misperceived conceptions about homeschooling in general and then try to stereotype all homeschoolers based on their perceptions. Invariably they have heard of one or two families who did not teach their children well.

    Consider the views of Dr. William Bainbridge from the Schoolmatch Institute who said on Laura Ingraham's Fox News Show that it is impossible for "uncertified" parents to teach their children subjects like Japanese or Advanced Chemistry and that children should have a 14th Amendment right to choose whether or not they want to be homeschooled.

    It is obvious that Dr. Bainbridge is living in another century because he does not seem to realize that there are curriculum options that are so easy to utilize that children can even do them independent of their parents. This most especially applies to secondary students who should have already been grounded well enough in foundational subjects that they can teach themselves about anything. Not only that, but there are classes at community colleges, technical schools and friends of homeschoolers who will gladly convey their knowledge to kids who are interested in something they already know about.

    Dr. Bainbridge and others like him come across as snobbish, bureaucratic know-it-alls who are very condescending and patronizing.  If you don't believe me, watch him here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cQskaSukin8

    Homeschool statistics which have been carefully compiled and publicized by organizations like HSLDA and NHERI show that, on average, homeschooled students perform well above their public schooled peers both academically and socially.

    Have you ran across anyone who is totally anti-homeschooling and closed minded to the point that they won't even listen to reason?

    In the next few days I will be addressing commonly held homeschool objections and myths. 



Friday, 13 November 2009

  • It's For the Birds!

    Sometimes while I am working, I run across some great Internet nuggets. I want to quickly share one of those with you this morning! Yesterday I wrote about Christmas shopping and homemade gift ideas. Today while mining blogs for Aviva Directory, I found this jewel from Northern Minnesota. The author shares information about birding and included this homemade peanut butter feeder. I am linking to the blog so that the author gets proper credit. Check it out and make a few.. the birds will love you!

    Peanut Butter Feeder at Crane Lake Nature Blog

    yellow rumped warbler

    Let me know if you make one! I am thinking this may be a nice gift for my son to make for some people.

Thursday, 12 November 2009

Monday, 09 November 2009

  • See How Easily You Can be Duped!

    wicked heart I have always been a trusting person.  I like to think the best of people until and unless they give me a reason to not trust them.  Consequently, I have been burned a few times.  Ok..  A LOT of times.  However, I have been burned as a result of my own sometimes, gullible ignorance in being a very open person more than I have been burned by others.  After all, at 44 years of age, I should have long ago realized that people will take information which I provide as an open book and twist it around through their own filter to justify their own perceptions, experiences and heart.  I have also burned other people and disappointed them because of my human nature.  My human nature which gravitates toward comfort, instant gratification and ease.  The Bible says in Jeremiah 17:

     5Thus says the LORD,
             "Cursed is the man who trusts in mankind
             And makes flesh his strength,
             And whose heart turns away from the LORD.
        6"For he will be like a bush in the desert
             And will not see when prosperity comes,
             But will live in stony wastes in the wilderness,
             A land of salt without inhabitant.
        7"Blessed is the man who trusts in the LORD
             And whose trust is the LORD.
        8"For he will be like a tree planted by the water,
             That extends its roots by a stream
             And will not fear when the heat comes;
             But its leaves will be green,
             And it will not be anxious in a year of drought
             Nor cease to yield fruit.
        9"The heart is more deceitful than all else
             And is desperately sick;
             Who can understand it?
        10"I, the LORD, search the heart,
             I test the mind,
             Even to give to each man according to his ways,
             According to the results of his deeds.
        11"As a partridge that hatches eggs which it has not laid,
             So is he who makes a fortune, but unjustly;
             In the midst of his days it will forsake him,
             And in the end he will be a fool."
        12A glorious throne on high from the beginning
             Is the place of our sanctuary.

    The sad truth is that we live in an "information age" and traits such as "integrity" and "confidentiality" are quickly disappearing.  I have told many people something along the lines of "keep this between the 2 of us and it should go no further."  Only to find out later it went further.. much further.  Wagging the tongue is part of human nature for all of us.  (The tongue can no man tame... courtesy of the book of James.) I am guilty of it and you are guilty of it and if you say you aren't, then you have a lying tongue on top of it!

    So now, I am adjusting my paradigm.  I was a little sad about it at first.  The fact is that we should realize man is basically not trustworthy so that we conduct our own speech in a way which is honorable, graceful, respectful and worthy of the trust of others.  You see, if we approach others as if they cannot maintain a confidence, we will not be so willing to give them our information or the information of others. 

    In the Old Testament, very few people were allowed into the holy of holies.  When it comes to our lives, we might allow more people into our sanctuary; however very few should enter our sacred space of confidentiality.

    confidentiality

Friday, 09 October 2009

  • Currently
    We're Not Gonna Take It
    By Twisted Sister
    see related

    I'm Not Gonna Take It Anymore!

    When women reach their mid 40's to 50's, then not only their enemies, but their friends and family members often begin to refer to them as "bi***es."  Some refer to it by it's technical name "peri-menopause" or "menopause."  I like to refer to it as a time of special enlightenment!  A gift straight from God. 

    As women, we are nurturers by nature.  We give and give and give and we don't even notice how much we are giving or sacrificing because it just comes so natural to us (if we are normal).  However, there comes a time when our mental health, physical health, spiritual health and pocketbook start to be effected in a very negative way if we continue to stretch ourselves beyond our boundaries.  We cave to our husband, we cave to the kids, we cave to friends, we cave to family members, we cave to bosses (if we are not fortunate enough to be stay at home moms) and we even cave to people we can't stand sometimes!



    I am tired of always caving to what everyone else wants, takes or expects from me. I am only one woman.  I am not Wonder Woman.  I don't even have super powers.  I don't have a money tree in my back yard.  I am frankly a bit tired.  I have been working 60 hours a week+ for the past 5 years and I am going to set some serious boundaries on my time, my finances, my energy and anything else that needs to have a boundary line put around it.

    People are not going to like it.  They are going to call me "selfish" and a "bi**h" and "mean" and no telling what else.  I just really don't care anymore.  I can only do so much for myself and so many others and that is as much I am willing to do.  Most of all, if I am pleasing God with my actions... I don't really care what anyone else thinks and I promise it is not just because I happen to be having a PMS moment right now... if indeed I am. 

Wednesday, 19 August 2009

  • Growing Up is Hard (for Mom) to Do

      

    I am experiencing some firsts this year.  First of all, my oldest child turned the big 1-8 last Dec. 20th.  He left home in May.  Yep!  He got on a plane and flew 1000 miles away from me.  Here he is at the airport ....



    At the time, I thought it was not so bad because, after all, he was going to live with my parents and work for my dad.  I felt a mixture of emotions that day that he got on the plane (flying for the first time alone.)  I felt apprehension, excitement, fear, happiness, sadness, sentimental, like time had flown by, like time had crept by, like it was the truly the beginning of mid life, confusion and most of all a desire to pray for God's protection over him.  

    However, he has now decided to move out of my parents home and he is staying with a friend and trying to get on his own.  Now all of the emotions I felt that day in May are returning, only to a much greater degree.  The world can be a scary place you know?  It can also be a great place, an exciting place.. with all of the options and possiblities... but there are lions and tigers and bears... (oh my).

    To top it all off.. he is ill.  We don't know what is wrong with him yet.  I want to run to him and be by his side, but he wants to be a man and does not necessarily want or need mommy there holding his hand (just yet anyway).  

    Then, I think back to what it was like when I was in his stage of life.  The idealism, the confusion, the anticipation, the need for independence, the options that were open to me and I connect with what HE must be feeling.

    I never thought I would be one of those sappy women who would experience "empty nest syndrome."  No "syndromes" for me, I thought.  But now that my 2nd child has graduated from high school at 16 this past April and my third is getting ready to graduate at 17.5 in December (some of my children were adopted so they are closer in age than normal), a little bit of the syndromatic feeling is starting to set in.

     
    Seven  years from now, when I am 51 and the last one has graduated, maybe .. just maybe, I will be used to this and I will actually be like I thought I would be to begin with... happy for some time to pursue the things I enjoy for a change?  Nah.. I will probably just get more sappy with each one!


Friday, 14 August 2009

  • Writer's Block, Brain Fog or Both

    I have not posted here much in the past several months.  Mainly it has been due to writer's block.  I have had terrible writer's block.  I am open to any and all suggestions as to how to rid myself of this malady and start the creative juices flowing again.  What to write about?  HMMM?  It seems my brain is filled with things to say, but I just can't seem to organize my thoughts and convey them.

    Thanks... Joan

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What Theologian Are You?


Which theologian are you?
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The daddy of 20th Century theology. You perceive liberal theology to be a disaster and so you insist that the revelation of Christ, not human experience, should be the starting point for all theology.

Karl Barth

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Anselm

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John Calvin

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Jonathan Edwards

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Charles Finney

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Friedrich Schleiermacher

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Paul Tillich

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In Memory of My Grandpa

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In honor of Harmon Maggard
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    • Name: Joan
    • Location: United States
    • Gender: Female
    • Member Since: 1/15/2006
    • True

About Me

  • I am a child of God, A wife, A mother of six children, A freelancer, A daughter, A grandaughter, An aunt, A niece, A cousin, A sister, A friend, A misunderstood person at times, A person who prefers peace over conflict but will confront injustice and try to resolve issues even if it means a little conflict to attain TRUE peace and not contrived peace, A flexible person, A truthful person, A person who actively pursues adventure, A forgiving person, A homeschool educator, A theologian, An avid reader and researcher, A professional Googler, A woman with PMS at times, A person who hopes to leave some lasting positive mark on this world, A person who cares more than most people know, A person who has learned not to be so concerned with what other people think as I am with being authentic.