Lessons Learned

When I picked up the boys from daycare today they were playing with a big plastic bat and ball.  You know, one of those huge ones that look like a flimsy plastic caveman club from the Flinstones.  As one of the older boys took the bat I warned Austin to back up so he did not get hit.  Of course, my dear 5 year old doesn't think Mommy knows what she's talking about.  So he happily stayed right where he was and in the next moment fell down holding his cheek screaming. 

After some comforting and an ice pack on his red cheek we had a little talk about listening to Mommy and about not standing close to someone when they have a baseball bat in their hands.  Imagine if it had been one of the t-ball bats they use for practice and games!

I told Austin to make sure in the future that he does not stand too close to anyone who is holding a bat.  He agreed and I told him to listen to Mommy next time so he does not have to learn his lesson the hard way.  It was quiet in the car for a few moments after this.  Then I hear Austin speak up.

"You know what I decided Mommy?  I think it is better to learn my lessons the easy way from now on!"

Now only if he would remember and live by this.  Someone I have a feeling this conviction will not be long lived though.

Time at the Park

Today we took a walk down to the park.  It is pretty close and we should do it more often.  The kids love it and it is a nice little bit of exercise.  I forget how much I actually enjoy being out there walking and watching the kids run around.

Was a little chilly today but within 5 minutes Tyler had her jacket off.  Jesse as usual climbed up things that I really believe a 3 1/2 year old has no business climbing.  Austin then tries to follow suit and part way up decides he is in over his head and I have to come to the rescue.  Maybe we'll go again tomorrow if it is nice!

Here are some pictures for my family and friends to enjoy.  Especially those of you who don't get to see them very often.  They are all growing up so fast!

Tyler trying to save Jesse from falling into the "Lava"

(we built a volcano today that we are going to set off on Monday if it is dry)

Oh NO!  I think Jesse's toes may have gotten burned off by the "Lava"

Tyler being dramatic and cheesy

Another "Lava" rescue - Jesse looks really upset here but in reality it was all acting.  He's pretty good!

Jesse climbing one of the things mommy thinks no 3 1/2 year old should be attempting.  I'm not usually what you would consider an overprotective mom but I tend to stand close by when he insists on climbing this to get to the top of the slide.  He's barley tall enough to reach from bar to bar!

Austin attempting to be brave like his little brother - he's a bit nervous here and Tyler is trying to help him.  He wants help but doesn't seem to trust her enough to allow her to do it.

This is the point where mom comes to the rescue and Austin practices his death grip on the bars and then mom - usually around my neck!

Notice the single tear under his right eye (on our left) - he had fallen down pretty hard and scraped up his fingers.  But here he is telling me it is all better - Mommy kisses heal anything!

Slide time - of course the only one Jesse will go down is the biggest one in the park.

Austin going down the slide - this was our second attempt.  The first just got a very small part of his head - he slides down this thing pretty fast!

Tyler being dramatic again - there is no real fear here for her.  She's been climbing this same thing making Mommy nervouse since she was about Jesse's age.

This was supposed to be a Smith Kid Train but Austin got a little impatient (and a tad bit scared) waiting for everyone to get lined up together.

Photos of my blessings

A friend of ours is going to be starting a photography business in the new year.  Right now he is building up a portfolio.  He is the reason why you now see a current picture of me on my proflie for Blogger instead of a 14 year old picture from my wedding day.

Here are some of the pictures he took of the kids that are my favorite.  I have more on facebook if you are my friend there :)

Pianos and Computers

These last two weeks my 5 year old has been on a creative roll (actually this is really just normal Austin).  Give him a piece of paper and a couple markers and he can make anything. 

Last week, he drew himself a piano.  He drew some piano keys on one side, some music above it and then letters down the other side which he told me was the words so he knew what to sing.  We were driving and he sat in the back with the piece of paper on his lap "playing" the piano.  A few minutes into his masterpiece I hear him say, "Uh oh.  The batteries died.  Mommy you can turn on the other music." (meaning the radio).  I start to hear paper shuffling and then a few moments later I hear "Okay, Mommy.  Turn off the other music.  I found some batteries for my piano!"  And the recital began again.

A couple days later he folded a piece of paper in half and made himself a laptop computer.  As we were driving that day he asked me what type of music I liked then proceeded to type his "secret" code in his laptop.  Not so secret anymore though, as he quite loudly announced each letter and number as he typed it in.  Then his laptop began to play music for me.  This consisted of him singing to the tune of the "Go to sleep" lullabye.

Halloween, halloween.
You must give us some candy
We dressed up,
It's Halloween
It's Halloweeeeennnnn timmmeeee!

When we got home he had to set up his laptop in his room to play music for all his stuffed animals while we did school.  Every 15 minutes or so he would take a break from school to go change the music for his animals because he said "they like variety Mom!"

A Weekend with Austin

I have two adorable little boys. They really are good kids, but they are exhausting! So here is a little peek into life with my middle child (my eldest son). He'll be 5 next month - a bright boy if I do say so myself (yeah, yeah - I'm a little partial) and full of drama! I just know he'll be on stage someday.

Saturday morning my three year old comes running into our room, crying and babbling. The only word I can make out is "Austin". Right behind him comes Austin, saying over and over again "I said I was sorry, Jesse!" This is my first clue that he did something that probably is not an accident. My daughter does the same thing when she does something to Austin and is trying to keep him from telling us.

I finally get Austin to tell us that he "accidently" knocked Jesse over. As he says this Jesse starts going crazy again. He has a ticked off look on his face as he says something over and over again. Once again all I understand it "Austin" but his gesture is clear. He looks like he is hitting himself in the neck with his arm. Jesse has a habit of tattling on his brother, but is usually so upset that he can't talk clearly. So he proceeds to demonstrate on himself what Austin did to him. I think he usually inflicts more harm upon himself with his demonstrations than Austin ever does.

I look at Austin - "So, you hit Jesse in the neck with your arm and knocked him down? And you say it was an accident?"

Austin looks at me for a moment and I see the wheels spinning in his head - how can he get himself out of this one. Finally he looks at me, sighs deeply and then turns around and walks out of our room. As he leaves I hear a dejected mutter, "Fine, I'll just go put myself in my room now then."

I wish they were always that easy to punish!

Then on Sunday we were in Target, shopping for school supplies when all of a suddent Austin very loudly announces - "Oh no Mommy! I have to go poop REALLY bad!"

In the past I would have been mortified, especially when I noticed the couple near me start giggling. But this is just pretty much normal for Austin. I tell people that he has no volume control, no on/off switch and no filter between his brain and mouth. We are working on installing these things but it is a very lengthy and arduous process.

Since I know he has a tendency toward dramatics as well, I calmly ask him if he really has to go right this instance or if it can wait until we get checked out.

He looks at me for a moment, rolls his eyes up like he is thinking and then says "Yes, I have to go right . . . oh wait a minute mommy." (pauses while reaching back and touching his bottom) "Yep, my poop went back in, we're all good to go now Mommy."

At this the couple beside me can no longer hold back and they both double over in laughter. I just smile and push my cart on to the next item on our list.

Then later that night (Warning: this might be TMI for those with a sensitive stomach!) he walks in and announces to my husband and I that he has finally learned to wipe his bottom all by himself.

"Great job Austin" we tell him.

"Yep, I only use three squares and then I use my finger to check to make sure I have it all."

I looked at him for a moment and then asked, "You use your finger to check your bottom?"

"Yep!"

"Okay, Austin. We're not going to do that anymore. Don't touch your bottom with your finger. Use another piece of toilet paper to check, okay?"

"Okay"

Then I had to ask - "Um, do you wash your hands after that?"

"Yep! Oh. . . um, I mean nope! I don't!" He smiles at me.

"Okay, so from now on please use four pieces of toilet paper, don't touch your bottom with your bare hands and please always wash your hands afterwards, ok?"

"Ok, mommy!"

Ughh! Boys!!!!!

Antagonizing?

So, last night as I was finishing up some stuff for our homeschool co-op my eldest son (will be 5 in Sept) was sitting at my feet playing with some toys. I hear him say:

"Tommy, you must sit over here so you don't antagonize the others."

This boys concerns me at times. This is not the first time he has used a word that I consider over the head of a child his age. And he uses it correctly! And he pronounces it perfectly!

I'm a little worried that this child is a little too smart and my husband and I are in for some trouble in the future!

My Crazy Family

Just the kids and I having some fun today.

Halloween Week in April?

I've been disturbed lately with things on television and tend to be very aware of what my daughter (almost 8) watches on television. Disney channel is the "in" thing for most girls her age. I'm a bit leary about many of the shows - on the surface they may seem harmless but I see them as teaching values I don't want my daughter to grow up buying into. There seems to be a huge emphasis on material things. Of course that is just the world in general right now and I can't shelter her to that extent. All I can do it limit her exposure and make sure I discuss these things with her so she understands my concerns and reasons for them.

In addition, I've always been a bit disturbed about the shows that pop up around Halloween. As the years go by, Halloween is a holiday I would rather avoid and I don't care for the way many things associated with it are glamorized now. Disney even has a show about a wizard family on their normal line-up right now that makes it all seem okay. I've watched a couple episodes and found myself chuckling along with it at times. I'm concerned what we may be teaching our kids though, what we may be passing off as harmless that in reality is not so harmless. (I already posted awhile back about the vampire shirt I saw at Target)

Now I've found out that Disney is doing a Halloween in April week. It is to be this week (started yesterday). Beginning on Palm Sunday, through Passover and Good Friday - through Saturday, the day before Easter.

Maybe it is just a coincidence, but I find the timing disturbing. The older my children get the more sensitive I am becoming to things in this world and the way they subtlely influence our children. As I said I don't want to totally shelter them as they need to know how to function in this world. But I definitely want to equip them. What are your thoughts?

Correction: Halloween Week in April on Disney is actually starting on April 12th, Easter Day. I think this is just as bad if not worse than having it during the Holy Week which includes Passover. They are starting this on the day we are all celebrating our Savior's resurrection. Once again, I must wonder if this is just a coincidence or not.

Ambitions of a 4 year old

Today on the way to daycare my 4 year old informed me of his future ambitions.

"Mommy, when I get big I want to be a Polar Express man!"

At first I thought he possibly meant he wanted to be a train engineer or something. But I quickly scrapped that idea.

"Then when I get even bigger I'm going to be Cat in the Hat. And then when I get really big I'm going to be the Grinch because the Grinch is really really big!"

I guess it could all come true though. I see a stage and bright lights in his future!

Choo Choo Train

My husband worked today so I was home with the three kids. I ended up feeding them a snack of cheese, crackers and oranges. At one point my 4 year old says "Mommy, look! I made a choo-choo train!"

I started to scold him for playing with his food but then I looked over and saw his "train". I had to admit I was pretty impressed that he had come up with that all on his own. He is definitely my most creative child, always coming up with things that nobody else would ever think of!

So we took a picture, I told him how creative he was and how that was really good and then I encouraged him to demolish his train and eat it. We did have a picture now anyway!

So here is my son's choo choo train with cracker wheels, a cheese body and oranges for steam. (I guess this was a steam engine!)

Day at the Park

Prior to the visit to the supermarket today I spent most of the day with all three kids. We picked up a $5 sub at Subway and headed for the park. I've not spent time at the park with the kids for quite some time now. I'd forgotten how much I enjoy it and how much it wears out the kids which means better naps!

Here's some pics from our day!

Lying & Punishment

Tonight I came home from work to find out my daughter had lied to my husband. Now, don't get me wrong, she is no angel and she has her faults, but lying is not usually one of them. She tends to feel really guilty and gives herself away pretty easily at even the smallest white lies.

Today, part of her schoolwork was to do her Typing Tutor. When my hubby got out of the shower she told him that she had done it while he was in there. He believed her but said he was going to look and see how well she had done. Apparently she did not realize we could check on her in this way and asked if he could really see that and he said yes. Even after that though she sat down right next to him and did not say a word as he checked the program and found out that she had not been on it at all!

When I came home tonight I was upset that she had lied, but even more upset that she had done so when it is so out of character for her. I asked my hubby if he had decided on a punishment yet and he said no. I think he was even more upset than me.

One thing I often worry about is how well I'm raising my kids. I want to keep certain things from them and avoid exposure to certain things. But at the same time I want them to not be so sheltered that it is a culture shock when they see what the "real" world is like. So while I do try to keep my kids from certain things I also try to explain to them why I want them to avoid those things that may be considered "okay" to the rest of the world. Now I was worried about some of the influences on my daughter since it seems she had flipped so fast.

I thought about it awhile and decided on a punishment for her. I sat down to speak with her about it. She admitted that she had lied and did seem really upset about it and sorry. She apologized to her dad. When I said something about punishments though, she looked at me and said, "I've already grounded myself Mom."

That stopped me short. So I asked her what the punishment was, thinking it was probably something like "no dessert tonight" or something else that was not very severe. But her answer surprised me. Her punishment was even harsher (but not too harsh) than what I had in mind. So I decided to let her punishment stand.

So while I am a bit dismayed and concerned at the ease of her lying today which is so out of character for her - I'm happy that she realized the seriousness of her actions and decided to handle things on her own. The rest of the evening was quite pleasant after that exchange and we actually got through quite a bit of her history and reading and we both had an enjoyable time!

My Birthday

Yesterday was my 34th birthday and it was wonderful. My kids most of all made the day amazing.

The day started off with me getting ready for work. My hubby and the kids were staying home for the day so I got up quietly and got ready to go. I was actually almost out the door without anyone waking up when my 4 year old came stumbling out of his room. He asked me where I was going and I told him I was heading to work. At this he started sobbing, "But its your BIRTHDAY, Mommy!!!" My hubby spoke up at that moment though and asked him if he wanted breakfast. Immediately the tears dried up, a smile lit his face and I was forgotten. He is only 4 and his stomach already rules that boy!

Work was pretty quiet as I had expected. I did not mind being there though as I'm working on documenting processes for the new hire that is starting next Monday so I can move on to a new and better position myself. At lunch I had two co-workers "kidnap" me and take me to the Cheesecake Factory for lunch and then to a movie.

After this I went home and was greeted by my little angels. My youngest who usually greets me with a loud "Mommmmmyyyyy, Mommmyyyy!" and a hug, saw me come in through the garage. He immediately ran away from me yelling "Mommmyyyyy!" while pointing behind him. Obviously my 2 1/2 year old was the "lookout".

Then my 4 year old jumped out and yelled "Surprise!!!"

They had gone out during the day and picked out frosting, cake mix and ice cream. My daughter then made me her very first cake. My hubby said all he did was get out the ingredients and measuring cups for her. She did the rest. Then each of them signed their names in frosting on the cake. Even my youngest (if you look really hard you can make out the yellow frosting squiggles in the middle of the cake).

They had 34 candles on it so the first ones had melted quite a bit and were dripping wax by the time the last were lit. After they sang "Happy Birthday" and more wax had melted onto the cake, I had all three kids help me blow out the candles. It is a good thing there was not a smoke detector right above the kitchen table. It would have gone off for sure!

All in all, it was not a birthday with tons of material gifts, however, it was filled with the best gifts of all. Lots of love and joy. My friends and family made me feel like a Queen for the Day and made it one of the best birthdays I've ever had!

From the Mouth of Babes

Jesus told us we needed to be as little children to know Him. I find it amazing how my children understand things so much better than I do at times. Today we were in the car and I was angry at someone for how they had been acting towards me. I know I need to let things go, but today I wanted to hang onto that anger. I wanted to wallow in it for a bit.

My four year old son asked me if we could sing. I told him Mommy did not feel like singing but he could if he wanted to. He started singing in his sweet voice a song I recently taught the kids that goes like this:

Be careful little eyes what you see,
Be careful little eyes what you see,
Cause the Father up above
Is looking down with love,
So be careful little eyes what you see.

He then started the following conversation:

A: Mommy, who is the Father up above?
Me: That is God.
A: Good Job Mommy! You are right. And who is his Holy Son?
Me: That would be Jesus.
A: You are right Mommy!! God our Father sent Jesus because He loves us! And they are always watching over us.

Then he began to sing again, and this is when I realized God was using my 4 year old to remind me of how much He loves me and has forgiven me and that He wants me to do the same -

Be careful little heart what you feel,
Be careful little heart what you feel
Cause the Father up above
Is looking down with love,
So be careful little heart what you feel.

The funny part is that I never taught him the heart verse,, he came up with that himself. We had sang verses about eyes, ears, mouths and even our mind - but never about our heart. That is what I needed right then though. I needed a reminder that what I let my heart dwell on, affects me spiritually. I need to stop wallowing in my anger and bitterness and start to let my heart feel God's love and forgiveness.

From the mouth of babes!

Link between Hiccups and Talking?

My middle child (my eldest son) likes to talk. He talks all the time about whatever he can think to talk about. He even talks when he is sleeping. We've asked him on multiple occasions why he talks so much and his answer is always the same:

"Because I don't want to get the hiccups!"

He says this with a very serious look on his face and very matter of factly, as if this is the most obvious thing in the world. He is convinced that talking will keep the hiccups away and he definitely does not want to get the hiccups!

Harvest Wreath

Last week my daughter brought home a note telling us to start collecting items for a fall wreath they were going to be working on in Art class this week. We were told to collect small pine cones, leaves, seed pods and acorns.


I had mentioned a couple times to my daughter over the past week that she needed to start working on these things. She collected two "small" pinecones from a friend's house - small being about the size of my open hand!


I had planned this past weekend to take her to a local park so we could find some pinecones and possibly acorns. Maybe some large leaves as well in fall colors. However, things got busy and I completely forgot until last night on our way home from church. By then it was dark and she needed these things for this morning.


So last night about 8:30 she and I searched the backyard and the front yard with a flashlight. My hubby has one of those heavy duty flashlights - looks like ones the cops carry - long black handle, heavy and bright. I'm sure my neighbors must have wondered what in the world we were doing last night in our front yard with a flashlight pulling leaves and seed pods out of the trees.


But in the end I think the project turned out pretty good. What do you think? It is our fall version of the Charlie Brown Christmas tree. Maybe we'll go out this weekend and get some more stuff to fill it out a bit. Either way I'll keep it as long as it stays together! I think it will be fun to pull it out each year.

In the News - Kids & Porn

As I get older and I've had children of my own, one thing that concerns me more and more each year is the whole "sex sells" attitude that it seems you just can't escape any longer. Sometimes I feel in order to keep my children's innocence I need to lock them up with no television, radio or computer access.

I'm not going to this extreme, but I am seriously concerned not only about how prevalent this attitude is in our culture, but also how so many don't seem to give it even a second thought. The lack of concern regarding this by many parents concerns me just as much as the attitude itself.

Here is an article that you might find interesting, I think I might just be checking out the book as well...

The Pornification of a Generation

The idea for a book about porn culture came to Kevin Scott the day his daughter decided she absolutely had to have a Bratz-doll pony. For months, the 5-year-old had begged him for a Bratz doll—clad in spike heels, fishnets and miniskirt, enormous puppy-dog eyes protruding from her oversized head. Her sexy look seemed a little too sexy for a preschooler, so he and his wife bought her a different doll, which she was happy with. Except that a few months later, Bratz came out with Bratz Babyz. "If Bratz had looked like Barbie hookers, these looked like baby hookers," Scott says. Again, he convinced his daughter that My Little Pony was just as cool—and for a moment, the conversation ended. Until, of course, the Bratz came out with Bratz Ponyz. And then, says Scott, an English professor at a small college in Georgia, "I realized porn culture and I were in a death match for my daughter's soul."

In a market that sells high heels for babies and thongs for tweens, it doesn't take a genius to see that sex, if not porn, has invaded our lives. Whether we welcome it or not, television brings it into our living rooms and the Web brings it into our bedrooms. Read more

My Daughter the Activist

It started out as me informing my 7 year old daughter about the issues in the upcoming elections so she could pray for this nation and the elections during her Friday "Prayer for the Nations" class. Now I've created a monster (a good one though!)

I've posted here already regarding my discussions with her about these issues (focus has been on Prop8 and abortion). Since then I've had more than one adult approach me and tell me how amazed they are in how mature my daughter is in regards to her discussion about the issues. They said that my daughter who is normally a bit shy is very confident and mature and speaks the facts very clearly. They've told me that she has had discussion with other children and with adults and handled herself in a way that is more mature than most adults! That warms my heart so much and I just have to praise God that He has imparted this wisdom to her. I know it is Him as there is no way I could have given her that type of understanding on my own. In many ways she is taking a more firm stand for the Lord and His Ways than I am.

When I first explained to her about California law allowing for same sex marriages and what Prop8 was about she immediately told me that God had not created marriage to be anything but between a man and a woman. It was so clear to her and she could not understand how others did not see this. She immediately told my husband and I that she wanted to put a sign in our front yard, make signs to put up all over the neighborhood AND she wanted to go door to door to tell people about Prop8 and God's plan for marriage. Then she added that we also need to tell people though that we still need to love those who may not be obeying God, just like Mommy & Daddy still love us when we do bad. I was amazed.

Then last night I came home and noticed what you see in the picture above. Apparently she got her hands on this sign from the church where the homeschool co-op meets on Fridays. My husband told her that she could put it up if she wanted. He said as soon as they got home she took the sign and put it up. And she did not put it up next to the house where it would be "safe" from the vandals that have been stealing and destroying signs lately. No - she put it right up front where anyone driving by will be able to clearly see it.

I truly believe the Lord sent this precious angel to me as an encouragment and an example of how I should be standing for His Truths!

Explaining Prop 8 to your kids

In my previous post I had mentioned that I've been talking to my daughter (she's 7 yrs old) about the upcoming elections. I was surprised at how interested she is in what is going on and how eager she is to be part of it and pray for the upcoming elections.

I prayed before I spoke to her because I wanted to explain the issue to her adequately but at a level that she would be able to understand. This is the same way I had approached the issue of abortion with her when she asked me one day why I wore a red Life bracelet.

I simply explained to her that some people believed it was okay for a boy to like a boy and a girl to like a girl the same way that Mommy and Daddy like each other, and that those people have tried to make it legal in our state for a boy to marry a boy or a girl to marry a girl. I explained that we had voted a few years ago and the state had decided that was not right but there were some judges that did not agree and had made it legal. I then explained that the State had a constitution just like the US did and that Prop8 was being voted on to add wording to our constitution that would say that marriage is only recognized between a man and a woman.

When I explained how marriage right now is legal between a girl and a girl or a boy and a boy, I was suprised to see the look on her face. It was a mixture of disgust and confusion. She looked at me and said,

"But Mommy, I don't think God would like that. He made Eve for Adam, he wants weddings to be for a boy and a girl. That is how He made it!"

It warmed my heart that she recognized that the highest authority in all of this is the Lord.

We then went on to talk about how how babies are made (at a very high level) because she asked if two boys or two girls could make a baby. This also got us on the topic of having babies when you are not married.

In the end we talked about how we all sin and even those who sin in these ways are still people that God loves dearly. We compared it to when she does something wrong. Mommy & Daddy don't like what she has done but we still love her. It is the same way with grown ups and God. We all sin and God hates that, but He loves us still. So even though we need to stand up for what is right and what is God's Truth, we still need to love the people who are doing those things. We would want the same thing if it was us doing the wrong thing.

Part of this conversation started because my daughter had noticed the Yes on Prop8 signs that are popping up in the lawns of our neighbors. After our discussion, she told me that we needed to let everyone know about this issue and we needed to get a sign for our yard. And then she said she wanted to make signs and put them up all over the neighborhood and knock on people's doors and let them know about this.

I encourage everyone once again to talk to their children. You may be surprised how much they understand and how excited they are to be included. Especially if this proposition does not pass. Just look at Massachusetts and you'll see where this state will be headed if this Proposition does not pass. No matter what they are saying now, we will end up on the same path. Same-sex marriage being taught in schools at a very young age without the parents being allowed to object. Being told what morals we must teach our children. Read this article if you don't believe that is where we are headed - Proposition 8 - Who's Really Lying?

A good friend of mine just told me a few months ago about a friend of hers who called her in a near panic. Her young daughter (just about my daughter's age) had come home and told her Mom that she was a lesbian. When her mom asked her why she thought that she replied that it was because she liked girls better than boys and some people who had come to talk to them told her it meant she was a lesbian (this was at a diversity day event). Of course a girl at that age likes girls better than boys, at that age boys have cooties! If we don't talk to our children, others will (even if Prop8 passes they will still hear about homosexuality). I for one want my children's morals to be shaped by me in line with God's Word, not by what is considered to be P.C. in this world of ours right now.

Homeschooling Update

We are about halfway through the fall semester now and we are both still LOVING the homeschooling. We have a field trip planned for next month to the Capital Building in Sacramento. I know my daughter won't get as much out of the tour as she will in a few years, but she is very excited and will still get plenty out of the trip.

I received a note from her Math teacher last week from the co-op talking about how wonderful she is doing and then yesterday they gave out awards and Tyler received an Outstanding Student award for Math. Mommy and Daddy are so proud of her. The teacher had mentioned about how she was very focused and quiet in class (my daughter!?). She said even so she had no problem speaking up in class and described her as having a "quiet strength". It is so wonderful to hear that from others about your daughter.

We are loving Science and have started getting more into History as well. Those are not covered at the co-op. We are making weekly trips to the library now. We've found some wonderful little state books. She picks out 2 or 3 each week, reads them and then journals about what she has learned about that State. We also have a map of the US on her bedroom wall where she is putting a sticker up for each state she learns about.

Another thing that excited me yesterday was to find out that in their Friday co-op class "Praying for the Nations" they will be concentrating on praying for the US and the upcoming elections beginning tomorrow and will continue to do so until after the elections. On my other blog one thing that has been very important to me and on my heart has been praying for our nation, leaders and the upcoming elections. I'm so excited that the kids will now be praying for this as well. I truly believe that the Lord listens even more intently to their prayers.

Her teacher has asked that as parents we discuss the election issues with our children. I've discussed abortion with her briefly in the past but we will be discussing that along with other items such as Prop 8 in the next weeks.

Regardless of the age of your children and whether or not you homeschool I think discussing the issues is a wonderful thing to do and then having them pray for our nation. Our nation definitely needs to be interceded for right now!