Ok.  We didn't put him in public school.  We talked about it and told him he had to do better to be able to stay home (which is where he wants to be).  Thank you for your help and comments.  I have been praying, and I am having a rough year in general.  He is doing a tiny amount better this week.  I have tried everything with him.  Every day I try to just not give up.  The No Greater Joy ministries is good for most kids.  but it just doesn't work well with him.  We used it many years, and he did not change.  Even when he was 3, 4, 5 and he did not do any better.  I still use many methods, and prayer.  So, he is 8 now, but maybe this year he will change and mature alittle?  I hope.  I can't  type many posts like I would want to, because my hands and wrist start to ache.  But I love the blog forum and also love the input from other moms. I will try to update when I see some progress.

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Well, I would love some input.  We are considering putting our child in public school.  I really don't believe in it, but I don't have many other options.  His behavior is difficult and our family is suffering.  My husband thinks that it would help him improve. If you have an opinion, please comment.  He is 8, and has always been homeschooled.  I believe this attempt will be a flop. What do you think?

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PLEASE HELP LOOK FOR THIS LITTLE GIRL!  WWW.HELPFINDCAYLEE.COM  THE GRANDPARENTS THINK THAT SHE IS IN GEORGIA OR NEAR THERE.  THERE IS A REWARD.  PLEASE PRAY FOR HER AND HELP FIND HER.  THANK YOU, GOD BLESS CAYLEE.

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Blessings to you all, in our Risen Lord Jesus Christ!

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I guess blogging really is not my thing.  I mean, in person I have plenty to say.  I believe it is probably because I am much more verbal, and do not prefer to write?  Also, my days are so busy, all I seem to want is sleep.  But, I will keep this blog, in case I need a place to go, that is mine. 

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America Essay Contest

A s part of our centennial celebration, the editors of America are pleased to announce the America Essay Contest, open to writers of all ages and occupations. At a time when atheism and religious belief have become prominent issues of discussion and debate in both our nation and our church, the editors have chosen as a general topic for response the following theme: "A Case for God.”

Through a generous bequest from an America donor, the author of the winning essay will receive $3,000, and their submission will be published in a future issue of the magazine. Submissions must be original, unpublished work of no more than 2,500 words, and must be received by June 16, 2008. The winner will be announced in October, 2008. Submissions should be sent to writingcontest@americamagazine.org, subject line: America Writing Contest. Or mail to America Writing Contest, 106 W. 56th Street, New York, NY 10019.

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Well, I tried to put our Greek Fest photos on here, but they are always too big.  So I put two on the guest book.  The kids did great.  I was a very successful festival.  We are trying to rest  up alittle now. DS has a small cold.  We are spending lots of time reading this week.  Last night we played "Mystery box" .  They liked that!  It's fun to try to guess what is inside! 

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My head gets confused, my thought stray.
my body is tired, old age stay away.

The stars are so bright, and the moon beams too,
the blue sky, an owl in the tree
the egret's wings, grasshoppers in the sun
the frogs jump, we observe them all, with wonder of creation.

when we set together,
not saying much at all
just listening to the birds
hoping to hear a whisper, maybe see a glimpse,
or smell a rose from heaven.

then we look into our loved ones' eyes,
 and lo, what do we see?
The glimpse of love.
A smell so familiar,
the sound of our children's laughter, an embrace from our true love,
holding our husband's hand in the sun.
 all along, here it is, blessings from heaven abound
the Lord's whisper is calm, soft, yet clear.
Paradise is near.

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Sometimes I wish to win a lottery,
some days, I wish for more time,
but there are times and money enough,
and even too many wishes for one day.

So tomorrow I won't wish for much,
but I will remember to set a while,
smile for a time,
count my blessings,
and hug my children. 
Tomorrow will be more than a wishing day,
it will be a wish come true.

By: Genevieve Davis

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Since my little girl is becoming a little lady, a friend sent me this great "checklist for Girls".
I'm so thankful, and will use it often at  home too!

MODEST CLOTHES CHECKLIST:

Start with your HEART:
-What statement do my clothes make about my heart?
-In choosing what clothes to wear today, am I seeking to please God?
-Is what I wear today modest and respectable?
-Do I respect the opinion of my parents in evaluating my wardrobe?

DO A MODESTY CHECK:

From the TOP:
-Do I have on the proper undergarments?
-Can anyone see my bra when I lean over?
-If I am wearing a button-up top, do any of the buttons pull because
 the shirt is too tight?
-If I am wearing a sleeveless shirt, can anyone see my bra when I move
 around?
-Is my shirt too tight? Too short?  Have I outgrown it?

The BOTTOMS:
-Does my underwear show when I bend over or lift my hands?
-Is the garment too tight? Or too short?
-If wearing short (to bed or work) do they who too much leg? At least
 half-way to the knee or longer to be modest (even when sitting).
-Skirts, coulotes and dresses need to be at or below the knee.
-Give your skirt a sunlight check and see if you need a slip.

-Wear a robe over your p.j.'s while in the company of your family.

*If you have outgrown something, pass it along to someone who could get
 some use out of it.  Talk to Mom and Dad about replacing that item.
  Every year you are growing beautifully and you are going to need bigger
 clothes!

for Moms: This is a checklist that I adapted from www.SovereignGraceMinistries.org
 which they printed from a book entitled "Girl Talk: Mother-Daughter
 Conversations on Biblical Womanhood" by Carolyn Mahaney and Nicole
 Whitacre.  I found that their list was too worldly (maybe too mature) for my
 family, so I adapted it for our uses.

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Some days I am super organized, and know my goals, etc.  And then there are days I just get lost!  I don't like when that happens.  I am trying to open a little gift shop.  Do you ladies think that homemade items are a good idea? 

Also, we love Fraggles!  Don't you?  The baby likes them too!

Today was rough in the morning.  I tried SO hard to be very patient and still my DS had trouble.  I just hope all goes better tomorrow.

We are really excited about Greek Fest this weekend!  We have been dancing and working hard to prepare.  Yesterday I rolled "dolmathes" for the first time, and it was great!  Our group rolled 12, 500 dolmathes!  I wonder if there is a record  for that? 

I am so thankful for my good friends.  Have a great day! God bless,

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EVERYONE REMEMBER TO VOTE THIS YEAR!  This  race will be an important one for us homeschoolers!
Choose wisely!

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We have been in a drought in the south for a long while.  As I sit here looking outside my window, I find God revealing to me more about Him.  I am reminded of the Psalm, "my soul thirsts after Thee like a waterless land".  The rain came today, and so did the tears, after still holding back so much problems that I should let go to God.  Yet, in His love, He brings the rain for us not only for the earth, but also for my soul.  He is our source of life, and we spend so much time in the world walking in a spiritual desert.  So, my heart is calm, and rejoices.  There is none as Holy as Our God, Jesus Christ.  Thank you Lord for everything today, and for the wonderful rain.

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Sunday, afternoon we attended a funeral for Helen Georges, prima ballerina with the Russian Ballet in Shanghai China. She was born in 1918 in Russia, and was a resident of Florida since 1988.  It was very unexpected.  She was killed in a car accident last Friday.  I could not believe that this lovely lady was killed so suddenly.  The accident was very bad, and they had to cut part of the car just to retrieve her body.  I believe that family members are interested in compiling a book about her life, which would be very interesting.

So, maybe you all have heard that country song, "Don't blink".  Well,  some relatives were saying how quickly the time passed, like the just blinked, and then her life ended.  I am reminded that we never know the time or place of our death, and pray that God will find us "watchful and faithful" to Him.

May the memory of Helen Georges be eternal.

To all my online friends, I thank you so much for your friendship. HUG   I am sorry I don't blog as much anymore, but I am sure you know how there isn't as much time for computer with the little one now.  She is really active and crawling lots, maybe to walk soon.  She says cute baby talk and words like "wow"  sometimes.  Our lives are very happy now, and I thank God for them.

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We are just cruising in a fast lane, and going too fast for me.  I can't believe how the time flies.  I am sorry that I haven't blogged lately. There's just been no time.  Mom is visiting, and we are enjoying her company.  she will be going home on sat.  Little one is very active, cruising the house by crawling, and sometimes holding on to our fingers while trying to walk.  Today will be a cleaning day again for me, and mostly just spending time with mom.  Our valentine's day was so nice.  I have probably put back on a few pounds from nervousness and just tired of dieting.  And I didn't have much time to get to the gym.  I am so glad that we are all doing ok, and been able to keep up our health pretty good.  There is a flu break out at Ft. Myers Beach, and we plan to take extra precautions to not get it.  I do believe that it is a 2 week flu.  I also think that we went for our flu shots this year, and most of us got one.  So, we should be able to avoid it.  I am concerned about how I will be able to homeschool this year, and how to make sure learning gets done.  The schedule is kinda weird with the baby.  I have trouble assessing what my son needs, because his behavior is so poor on some days.  So, sometimes I am just in survival mode.  I just really would like to see more improvement in his behavior.  I keep trying to be consistent, and hope it will work.  Also, I think I had forgotten his new Omega supplements, and maybe that is the problem?  So, I will make sure he gets the supplements this month every day, and keep trying.  His uses so much energy to cause problems for us, and doesn't realize that  it wastes time, energy and my brain gets so stressed, that we can't plan as many fun outings.  Yet, he does get outside enough.  So, I hope to plan a special outing as a motivator soon.

 The end of this month is our Greek Fest in Fort Myers, where DD will be dancing. She is doing great with it, and keeping up in her studies too.  We all have alot of work to do to help with the festival. The church makes a donation each year from the festival monies to the Children's hospital here for new equipment.  So, it's fun and helpful for the community too!

I can't wait for our evaluations to be done this year.  I plan to get them done in the beginning of May, or even maybe the middle of April, so we can just relax for the summer, and take some trips. I would love to take a mini vacation to Sea World.  I don't think dear son has been there. 

All is well, and we are waiting for results from a job interview that my husband went to recently.  So, I've been alittle nervous, and anxious.  I am trying to wait patiently on the Lord.

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Why do we ((sleep)) in [[church]],
But stay ((awake)) through a [[2 hour movie]]?
Why is it so ((hard)) to talk about [[God]],
but so ((easy)) to [[Gossip]]?
Why are we so ((bored)) when we look at a [[Christian magazine]],
but find it ((easy)) to read [[Playboy]]?
Why is it so easy to ((ignore)) a [[Godly]] Facebook Wall Post,
Yet we ((repost)) the [[nasty]] ones?
Why are ((churches)) getting [[smaller]],
But ((bars and clubs)) are [[growing]]?
Think about it, are you going to repost this?
Are you going to ignore it, cause you think you'll get laughed at?
Would You Have Opened This if it Said.... Read This In Gods Name.

80 % of you wont repost this.

Jesus Christ said:
"If you deny me in front of your friends I will deny you in front of my father


This is from Kayla at crazy4jesus.  I loved it, so, here it is! :)
Glory to Jesus Christ Forever.

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Well, Dear son received Snap Circuits and Knex Levers & Pulleys for Christmas!  So, of course, he loves it!  He does a project hands on every day, with out needing much supervision!  It is so great!  We are looking into some critical thinking books for extra fun about History and Math Detective.  I anticipate a good year.  Dear Daughter (11), is giving a children's sermon at church on Sunday!  I am so excited for her, and I am sure that she will do well with public speaking.  My mom will be visiting in a week, and I can't wait!  Maybe we will get ahead with some things.  We are hoping to sew together while she visits. 

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Wow!  We are at 50 degrees now, and expected to have temp of only 26 degrees tonight.  That is probably a record low for us in South FL.  I just pray that the orange groves around us don't suffer.  It's weird because it was in the 80's almost all week. 

We had some guests this week, and had a good time.  I am just sad that it had to end way to soon. 

Have a great day!

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Today Dear Daughter N and I went out alone.  It was nice.  She was very happy to have mommy all to herself, and asked if we could do that more often.  I am so tired, we really were gone a long time.  I do look forward to the next time we can go out together alone and just do girl stuff.  Also, she met a new friend this week, which looks promising.  The little girl is the same age, and also loves horses.  I hope that they will be good friends. 

We aren't doing "official" homeschool, but I notice lots of learning still going on around here.  She loved "A Christmas Carol" by Dickens, and I can't wait to start another classic together.  It's nice to just have time to live, and not worry about doing workbooks.  Maybe I did too many workbooks already this year.  I hope to do more exploring, and reading, writing etc.  We will see how things go. 

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Good King Wencelaus looked out,
on the feast of Stephen...

Yesterday we remembered  St. Stephen, Archdeacon and First Martyr

Apolytikion in the Fourth Tone
For the struggles you endured for Christ God, a royal diadem crowns your head, O First Champion of Martyrs. For you refuted the folly of the Jews and beheld your Savior on the right of the Father. Ever beseech Him, therefore, for our souls.

 Acts of the Apostles 6:8-15;7:1-5,47-60

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