Favorite Family Pics of the Week!

This is Elias at the Tea Party that we went to today. He loved the flags

Janie, being "worn" by daddy at Fernwood!

My boys getting ready for the 4th festivities

I love this pic of Audrey and Lillian.

Once again, I couldn't pick just one picture this week. These are all from this weekend! Enjoy, and have a great 4th!

Loving Your Husband Friday- Sharing my Values

Good morning on this Friday morning! It's time to focus on our husbands today, and why we love them. This morning, I was thinking of some of the basic reasons why I love my hubby. I love the way that Rob and I believe in the same things.

Of course, there are times when we disagree on this or that, but overall, for the big stuff, we are always on the same page. We have always wanted the same things in life. To love and serve God, to raise a large brood of children, to homeschool, to live as simple a life as possible. We generally laugh about the same things (although, not always :-)), and we get upset about the same things. We share our faith, our political ideas, and our ideas of what a Christian family should look like. Even though we are different people in personality, he is definitely a Kindred Spirit. This may sound a little silly, but it sure does make life more enjoyable to be married to someone who shares the important views of life with me! Makes me feel very blessed that God introduced us.

Share today what you love about your husband. Join Shannon for more Loving Your Husbands Friday.

Happy BIrthday America....and many more??

Saturday is America’s birthday, and I have question marks, because I wonder if the America that has existed for 232 years, will have many more celebrations. I’m worried about America. You see, the United States of America is our child. Our ancestors gave birth to it, and it belongs to us. In the same way that I worry about my children, I worry about America. I often find myself worrying about a path that my children might be going down, and it’s time to sit them down and discuss with them how this path will bring bad things into their lives. In the same way, I fear that America is going down some very wrong paths. I fear that America is on it’s way to losing it’s relevency. We are gradually losing the spirit, the faith, and the power that we once displayed in the world. I loved the way that Ronald Reagan described America, as the city on the hill. Wow, what an inspiring picture. An America founded on biblical principles, setting an example to the world of Philippians 4:8. In the past we have been the example to the world of what is true, what is noble, what is just, what is lovely, what is of good report, and of what is praiseworthy. Now, does this mean that we have been perfect. Of course not, America, like any child born with original sin, has had it’s share of sins. But, we have always come through the fire, and come back a stronger country for it. Over all America has looked to do what’s right, and be a light in the darkness of the world. When another country is in trouble, who is the first one to their aid….America. When a people is struggling under oppression, who comes to the rescue with the prize of freedom from tyranny…America. We are, after all, the land of the free of the brave.

There really is no place in the world that compares to the United States of America, our lovely city on the hill. But, is our country continuing down the same path that will keep it strong, and free, and brave! It does not appear that way to me. I know I’m not the only one who feels this way. There are many of us out there, that think it is time for discipline. It’s time to get in the face of our “child” and tell them that they are taking the wrong road, and convince them to turn back…before there are consequences! When our child is in trouble, we mama’s fight to keep them in line. We will do anything to keep that child from having to suffer the consequences of their incorrect actions. As Americans, it’s time to do what we can to keep our country on the right path. Sadly I am aware that sometimes you can do all that you can, and the wrong choices are still made. God gave us our freedom and, like our children, we will often use our freedoms in ways that God never intended.

You may be asking, how is our countrie's free will taking us down the wrong path? The first step came during these last elections. Much of America chose to worship a man, instead of the God that gave us this country to begin with. Much of America voted for the men and women who made them all kinds of promises to better their lives, even though they don’t have the power to do so. We made our bed, and we are now lying in it. Many of us did not vote for these people, but what did we actively do to prevent them from gaining the power they now hold? In the same way we need to be proactive parents, and not reactive parents, we need to guide, correct, and purposely shape our country. If they choose to use their free will for wrong, well, at least we can say we tried, we did our part!

Now, we are seeing the consequences. There are many things on the table now, that make me fear that we are going to lose our “child” altogether. There is the Freedom of Choice Act, the ratification of the UN’s Rights of a Child, Cap and Trade, Universal Healthcare, the movement to keep citizens from being able to sell homes if they are not in regulation with someones idea of Eco-friendliness. There are bailouts of incredible proportions, there are broken promises and there is a general attitude that America should no longer be a powerhouse, but should silently fade into the “international community”. What about our city on a hill? What about our national security? What about our pride, and bravery? Where has it gone? It is slowly being chipped away. The unborn and the elderly in America are no longer important, the authority of parents is no longer acceptable. Many in this country who have died for our freedoms, now have a different eulogy, one that says they shouldn’t have bothered because who needs freedom? Soldiers will no longer die for their country, they will only die for their government to have the right to oppress their people. Other countries around the world will no longer look at us as the powerhouse, that they don’t want to mess with, they will look at us as just another one in the “global community”, that can be threatened and pushed around. When has America ever allowed itself to be pushed around?? The answer to that is…. NEVER! Now, our president is going around asking the very people who would behead us all, to forgive us, and be our friends…why? Because we are no longer a Christian nation!!! My Jesus died for the sins of all men, men who then laid down there lives for my freedom and the freedom of my country, and now we must be ashamed of not only our freedom but the Savior himself! You don’t speak for us, Barack Obama. You don’t speak for those of us who love freedom, and who love God. You don’t really speak for America. My “child”, my America, was founded because of the thirst for freedom, and the thirst to worship the God that created us all! My America does not make excuses for itself, and it’s core beliefs! My America values life…ALL life. My America believes in the rights of its citizens to make their own decisions for their families and their children. My America is One Nation under God! My America is being taken away from me, in ways I hoped it never would. It is being forcibly turned down the wrong paths. We need to pray dear Christians, we need to be involved, and active “parents”. Let’s not just let them take our child away from us without having something to say about it. I want to still be singing Happy Birthday to the same America that I have always known many years down the road. I want to still have to crane my neck to see our beautiful city on a hill, when I am old and gray. If my boys choose to serve their country and they lose their precious lives, I want to be able to say to everyone, my boys died for your freedom, not the governments!

I will now step off of my soapbox, and get back to my regular life, but I will keep my armor on. I will need it in the coming years. I will fight to keep my “child”. Although, I will accept what God allows to happen in our country with faith, because God is always in control, I will not stand by and do nothing. If all is said and done, and the America I once knew no longer exists, then at least I can say, I tried. Perhaps we are no longer a “Christian nation”, but I am still a Christian, and I will fight on the Lord’s side. The Lord who wants us to value life and individual freedoms!

Happy Birthday to you, Happy Birthday to you, Happy Birthday dear America……Happy Birthday to you….and many more…

Thinking Healthy Thursdays

Most of you have probably seen those commercials that say, "I'm thiking Arbys"...well, this is a little different, and hopefuly not as annoying as those commercials are! Some of you may know that I started a Weight Loss Wednesdays on my homeschool blog. To supplement that, I will be passing along a Healthy Tip on Thursdays on this blog. I have a couple different sources that I receive health tips from on a daily or weekly basis. I will be passing some of those along, as well as anything else that I have learned over the years about health and fitness! These will not neccessarily be simply eating healthy tips, but also anything that involves our health. Health is important, although we should never let wanting to be healthy take the place of God in our lives. Even our desire to be healthy, can sometimes become an unhealthy obsession. If anyone wants to join me in talking about our health of Thursdays that would be great! If not, than just enjoy the tips that I pass along, and hopefully they will help everyone take one more step forward to being healthy!

My first tip is one of the most simple. Drink lots of water. Most people know this, but knowing and doing are two different things. Drinking water does a lot of different things for our bodies. It keeps us hydrated, it gives us energy, it helps us lose weight, it nourishes our skin, it keeps our bowels regular, it helps fight infections, it keeps us from feeling thirsty. There are so many benefits to drinking water on a regular basis. Water is better for us then pop, juice, coffee, tea, or even milk. Without it, we can't live. I have heard that we should drink at least 8 glasses of water a day. What I have done in the past to help me get my water drinking in, is to fill up a 4 quart container of water, and put it in my fridge. I commit myself to drinking all of it by the end of the day. This way I don't have to count how many glasses of it I've had, I just know that when that container is empty, I have had at least an adequate amount of water for the day. So very important for us. I personally know that drinking water can help with weight loss, and help you stay energized during the day. Try going a few days drinking the amount of water that you should, and see what kind of difference it will make in how you feel!

If you are joining me in losing weight, I also drink extra water before and after a workout, or any strenuous exercise. This is in addition to my 4 quart container! And, if you are a nursing mama right now......this is essential to helping you keep up a good quality milk supply. So, as the Wiggles would say...."gulp, gulp, drink some water, it's so good for you!"

If you have any other thoughts on water, please share them, and join me next week for my next Thinking Healthy tips! God Bless!

Thousand Words Thursday

I had to use two pics this week. I wanted to use the picture of Elias with the baby bird, but I also just had to put in the close up the bird. We think this may be a baby hawk. My boys spent an afternoon babysitting this baby. We didn't realize that they had found it, until it was too late to tell them that they probably shouldn't mess with it. Our fear is that the mother would reject it, with human smell all over it. We hope he/she is still alive. They took him/her back into the woods and left it (with much tears from Ethan). We have so many animal adventures at our house!! Go here for more Thousand Words Thursday.

Weight Loss Wendesdays-Intro

Ok all, I'm starting something new on my Living, Learning and Organizing blog called Weight Loss Wednesdays. I would love for anyone who is wanting to also start losing weight and getting healthier to join me, or if you just want to give some encouragement that would be great too. There is a better explanation in my introduction post. Let's encourage one another! Click this link to read the intro, and follow me on Wednesdays for this journey over there.

Thanks all! I hope to hear from some other moms out there who are wanting to get healthier, and thinner!

In His Word Wednesday- Partiality

James 2:1-9 My brethren, do not hold the faith of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Lord of Glory with partiality. For if there should come into your assembly a man with gold rings, in fine apparel, and there should also come in a poor man in filthy clothes, and you pay attention to the one wearing the fine clothes and say to him, "You sit here in a good place," and say to the poor man, "You stand there," or "Sit here at my footstool," have you not shown partiality among yourselves, and become judges with evil thoughts? Listen my beloved brethren: Has God not chosen the poor of this world to be rich in faith and heirs of kingdom which He promised to those who love Him? But you have dishonored the poor man. Do not the rich oppress you and drag you into the courts? Do they not blaspheme that noble name by which you are called? If you really fulfill the royal law according to the Scripture, "You shall love your neighbor as yourself," you do well: but if you show partiality, you commit sin, and are convicted by the law as transgressors.

I read these verses this morning, and I couldn't help but think of what is going on in this country in recent weeks. It made me think of Jon and Kate. It reminded me of what we watched last night about Michael Jackson. Celebrity is a powerful thing in this world. If you can act, or sing or play a sport well, you become a celebrity, and you make LOTS of money. I would say that the world most definitely shows partiality to celebrities. To the point where they completely ignore the negative things that the person has done, and will fill the streets in anguish over the death of that person, even though they never met them! Partiality to the rich, wealthy, and talented is definitely prevalent in our country (and all over the World). But, we as Christians are called to be set apart from this World...do we show the same partiality? Do we show preference for someone who is on TV, or the richer, or more well known members of our church congregation? We can see from the verses above, that this is not pleasing to God. God wants us to treat all people with love and concern, and to give the poor the same attention ( and perhaps more attention) then the rich! This obviously goes against what our World teaches us in our example!

My thoughts go back to Jon and Kate. Jon and Kate are a good example to me of the fact that Jesus told us that the love of money is the root of all evil. No, not money itself, but the love of money. I don't believe that when Jon and Kate started out, it was all about the money. But, it does seem to me that at some point, they crossed over. The love of fame and money took over.

I had only seen the show a couple of times (we don't have cable), but everyone I know would talk about the show, especially Christian women. So many people watched them religiously, and would never miss an episode. They became stars, and they were becoming very rich. It was this partiality, that, I believe, destroyed their marriage. This modest, Christian family, couldn't handle the stardom, and everything that went along with it. Now, am I saying that it was our showing partiality to them, that caused their downfall...not exactly. They still made their choices, and I believe that could have recognized that they were sinking, long before they sank, and pulled the plug. However, the fact that so many brothers and sisters in Christ chose to follow their every move, and give them some kind of extra grace in their downfallls, that may have contributed to their pride, and inability to handle their fame. Just a thought.

So, lets propose together, to not show partiality. Let's love all men the same, rich or poor, "celebrity", or common man. Everyone needs our love and compassion. We need to spend more time serving the poor man, than worshiping the wealthy, and popular. If there is a wealthy, or popular Christian, than it is still our job to admonish them in the sin we see in their lives, in love. As much as we would the average person sitting in our church congregation.

God doesn't like partiality, and as we are called to be set apart from the world, maybe we should think about how we can keep from displeasing God in this way. If you have any further thoughts about this, I would love to hear them, and please join Megan today for more In His Word Wednesday.