Preparing My Heart to Homeschool

That's my little drama queen!

She sure is a handful, but what a joy! Almost 5 years old, growing taller every second, imagination that runs wild and free, legs that can't stay still and feet that have no concept of one in front of the other, not to mention she never ever puts her shoes on the correct feet. She'll dance like she owns the imaginary stage. My precious first-born... her first moments on earth were spent shedding tears with her mommy and daddy. I can't think of a day since where she hasn't cried! She sure keeps us on our toes.

As if her crazy dramatic personality isn't enough, next comes kindergarten. It scares me, but not like you may think... I'm not worried about sending my little girl off to a foreign place, the bus ride or the first day jitters of making new friends. I'm worried about me! It has been my prayer, desire, and determination since long before I had children to home school them. I have my days with highs and lows. I get so incredibly excited to teach her, then I panic and question what seems like an insane endeavor. I'm not a stay at home mom, and I'm not saying all homeschooling parents are but I work a full-time mostly 2nd shift job. If she goes to a school away from home I'll never see her! 

I still have an obligation to be her mother and reducing the amount of time I spend with her any more than it already is will undoubtedly be damaging to our relationship both now and even more fearfully, in the future. But how on earth am I supposed to manage work, a 1yr old, a house, a husband, AND teach my little girl??
 

Do I have the patience, organizational skills, or energy? 

I know I don't, not right now at least, but God does. 

I'll draw from Him!

After all, He is who I lean on to get through every other day.

I look forward to blogging about the ups and downs, ins and outs of how it goes. I want to be encouraging to other mothers in a similar situation. I have been encouraged myself by working moms who home school! 

In 3 short months the adventure begins.

~Lisa~

Traveling with Dogs: Tips for the trip!

I'm not a trip-taking pro but I thought I'd take a stab at helping folks prep for a long trip with a dog. I'm not going by some professional's tips, this is just what I figured out for our first ever road-trip with our 3yr old Labrador Retriever, Neha.

Over Memorial Day weekend we visited my Dad and his girlfriend at their lake house which is about 8 hours from where we live.

We have a Town & Country minivan so for now space is not really an issue with a 3-person family. We stowed away the back seats as well as the unused Captain's seat behind the driver to give us enough space since we'd have an extra "passenger" this time.

 

My big baby girl and I on the dock, our last day at the lake.

(She was not leashed most of the time on the lake but this was our last day and I didn't really want a wet dog in the van when we left later)

Here is my list of things + tips you may need for your trip!

- Make a list of extras:

        ~ Before you leave make a list of everything you know for sure you'll need or would like to have with you for the dog. Start the list about a week or so before you pack that way you can jot things down as you use them or remember them. I grabbed a few extra toys and her shampoo/conditioner since we were going to a lake.


- Potty breaks:
        ~ Please make sure you get your dog to pee & poop before you get on the road!! We got Neha to pee at the house before hopping in the van (early morning) but she wouldn't poop. She was overly excited about going with us. When we stopped for gas before we got on the interstate I took her out and let her try again and she had a successful BM. That eased my fears about van poop accidents (it's happened to me before and it smells absolutely awful!)
        ~ Since I am 6 months pregnant potty breaks were not really an issue in terms of remembering to stop. We were stopping every couple hours as it was so maybe every other stop we would let Neha out to try. 

-  Kennel, crate, or barrier:

        ~ We have a large wire crate we use for her in the house (kinda like this). Plenty of room for her and she is a very large in height Lab. This was a MUST to take with us. She is not a very mellow car dog especially if she has space to move, plus we don't want her trampling all over. The kennel was placed front-facing behind the driver's seat to where we could open the kennel door and she could easily hop out the passenger sliding door rather than it sit in the back of the van and have to be accessed by the back gate where shifted belongings could fall out upon opening.

        ~ Depending on your vehicle and situation you can also use one of those metal car barriers. A lot of people with cars or SUVs use these to allow your dog to roam free in the back but keep them from coming up front. 

- Comfort:

        ~ Make sure you have a good comfy blanket for furry friends to lay on... they'll be in there for a good duration even with potty breaks so you want them to be comfy.

        ~ Your dog's favorite chew toy or something they enjoy that will occupy their time may be handy. We gave our dog a rawhide bone which she normally loves to chew on for hours on end but honestly she didn't touch it this trip at all. It was so different for her I think it threw her off, but we were prepared JIC!

- Kennel cover: 

        ~I put a large sheet over her kennel leaving the front exposed so that hair didn't escape everywhere and also to help keep her calm by minimizing distractions that she would otherwise be able to see. Also, if you have a shedder like we do, lay a sheet down underneath the kennel and anywhere your dog may trek when exited the vehicle.

- Jug of water (ab $.89 or so) & a dog bowl: 

        ~ The water jug came in super handy along with our "travel" bowl that's made out of waterproof fabric. We made sure to offer a little water at each stop and if any was left over we just put it in the kennel with her. If anything spilled it just got on the comforter she slept on, no biggy!

- Dog food, of course:

        ~ Make sure you have enough accessible during the trip if your traveling runs in to a regular feeding time, but also make sure you have plenty for while you're at your destination, unless you'd just rather buy some when you get there. I placed dog food in a couple gallon Hefty bags. You can also now buy 2.5 gallon Hefty bags. Or you can use a small plastic container with a lid... whatever you have handy.

        ~ We don't do treats, she usually gets leftover fruit, but if you do treats, don't forget those!

- Leash: 

        ~ Unleashed animals are a no-no in my opinion when it comes to public places. You never ever know their temperament especially in a new place and you never know how well they will listen to a return command. We took with us a 15ft long leash with no retraction or anything. It was something I purchased as part of her obedience training. Leashes with length can give you a good opportunity to let them explore a little more than you may be willing to walk when you stop for potty breaks. We also took a regular 6ft leather leash.

- Medication:

        ~ Obviously you don't want to leave any medication your dog regularly takes behind so be sure to grab that. If your pup has high anxiety in the car check with your vet about something you can give to relax them. We were going to go the Benadryl route (check with your vet on proper dosage!) but opted not to since I had none in the house. I figured if we needed it we'd buy it but we didn't so we saved money!

- Air Freshener:

        ~ Yes, I'm serious. We could have used it a couple times. Our poor girl had a few nervous stinky farts on the trip down and it meant rolling down windows at 75MPH to air out the van. A little air freshener would have been nice. Not to mention her breath was stinky and she had periods where she would breathe very heavily and we could smell it, Blech!

 

 Neha and my husband on Neha's first ever boat ride.

Ultimately my biggest tip is don't spend money you don't have to! If, once you get to your destination, you realize there is something that you just have to have that you didn't have at home to bring with, then get it, but otherwise save the money for your vacation. Your dog surely won't die as long as you at least have food and water for them but some of the above listed things will help make it more comfortable for them (and you) if you are able.

There was nothing I didn't list that I thought "Shoulda brought the whatchamacallit!" so for most people, I think this should suffice and cover pretty much all bases!

~Lisa~

It's a....

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Our little guy giving us a smile!!

 

April 20th, at 18 weeks and 2 days, my husband and I decided to celebrate our birthdays a little early and went for an elective 3D ultrasound. We never had the opportunity to do anything like that with our daughter and we were itching to find out the gender and do something a little special. What an awesome experience! 

I strongly recommend you go for one if you can and never have before. Maybe not necessarily as early as we went because they did look a little alien-like at 18 weeks, but maybe around 30 weeks. It was amazing to look at photos of 3rd trimester ultrasounds and then see a photo of the baby after they were born and see how much exactly alike they are. Our hope is to go back later in the pregnancy. 

Mr. Maddox was definitely asleep when the ultrasound started. I work 2nd shift so 4pm is nearing the end of his night time. I always notice he is awake later in the evening. After some jumping up and down and bouncing the ultrasound wand-thingy on my belly we finally got him to move just enough to see between his legs, and voila :) I admit, I anticipated a girl and I knew deeeeeep down that the Good Lord was going to toss me this sort of curve ball lol. It's exciting though because it's a whole other experience from what we are used to and I'm so up for the challenge!

It has been fun finally being in a position to where I can get the decor going in the bedroom that Jaiden and Maddox will be sharing. I will definitely be keeping you all posted on the many projects going on in there!

Oh no, I'm Really Embarrassed

Say what you will when you see this but I'm joining the

 

I saw Rachael's post (over at Lovely Crafty Home) this afternoon and the second I read through it I felt her pain and can sympathize 100%. So I got up off the couch, took my phone to my sewing/vanity room, snapped a picture, and am now putting myself in the FIGHT to get this room organized! The first step is admitting you have a problem... right?!


Ohhhhhh *nervous*
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Ok, I'll do it... here you go >_<





Yeah, it's for real. This is where I sew, where I get dressed (the closet is worse with my clothes and other fun.. things..), where I do my make-up, ironing, coats when the living room hooks are overloaded, where we hang Bryan's guitars (and my scarves haha), where we put extras and things we don't have a home for. Oh it's so sad! I used to keep it so clean but I swear, one little project will cause the room to go in to disarray and I get so excited about the project that I forget about the room! It's a down hill spiral!


So here it is, I have until the end of January. *I plan* to make this room cost me zero dollars in the organizational process. Maybe in the future I'll sink a little money in to it but not this month. We HAVE to get the laminate down in this room before I can get started. Already have that stuff on hand. Not worth reorganizing on the ugly carpet if I'm just gonna have to pull everything out and start over. 


My biggest issue is getting hubby on board to tackle the flooring in here by the end of the month. If we can even get it done by the 29th I can totally make this room beautiful again in a couple days... just in time to report the results over at the Party. Maybe I'll win the $15 Starbucks card Rachael is giving way!


I think I'll have to be in a constant state of prayer in order to salvage my little junk hole here... But it CAN be done!!! I have FAITH!!!




See you at the end of the month....
~Lisa~

My Husband's Anniversary Gift To Me

I am going to finally share with everyone what my handsome husband did for me on our 5yr wedding anniversary in September!

I already shared with you what I did for him which was NOTHING compared to the amazing thought he put in to my gift. The blog world probably does not have much of a male following but maybe this can inspire someone to try something different!

A couple of months before our anniversary I asked the hubby to come up with a fun surprise for me so we could start planning ahead for some time alone and a special evening. I really expected a nice night out to eat somewhere and possibly a little outing of some sort. I had no clue he was going to plan one of the most awesome weekends we'd ever had! While our anniversary approached he would give me little hints here and there; It would be a 2 day getaway, in Kentucky but not near by, would start out as a scavenger hunt (?!)... the hints were KILLING ME! I was so confused! My mind raced for weeks trying to think of what it possibly could be, and I could tell poor hubs was bursting at the seams trying not to spill the beans.

 GeoCaching, anyone?!

September 9th is our wedding anniversary and the day we started our adventure! Bryan gave me a packet of papers which were from www.Geocaching.com. It really is very neat! Basically people all over the country place little "caches" in different spots which usually consist of a container ranging in size from very small to large and easy or hard to find. Each cache has a log in it, then the "owner" of the cache links it to the website with a clue on where to find it along with the coordinates. When you find it, you log your screename from the website on it and put it back. Some of them have little things in them that you can take and replace with something different.

So we started out very close to home with Geocache #1:

It took a while to find since it was our first try. We were ALL over that field lol, I could only imagine how strange it looked to anybody who might have seen us. This one was just a warm-up... you'll see as it goes on that we could have used a few more warm-ups lol.

He was so organized with this trip that he already had every destination we were going to entered in to our Garmin, so all he did was pick the next destination and we were on our way to Geocache #2!

He comes bearing gifts!

While we hunted through a corn field, down in a sink hole and across the ball field, we never found the cache :( Even with using the GPS on our phone we just could not pinpoint the coordinates and find any sign of the cache! We did find a snake... and 3 days later would reveal we found a lot of chiggers, too!

Oh yeah, and we did find a weird wrinkly tree trunk!

Anyway, at this stop is when I started getting little presents so even though both of us failed to find the cache I still got rewarded so-to-speak hehe! When we first started dating back in high school somehow we came in to an odd obsession with frogs. Usually on my birthday or another special occasion he would get me a frog stuffed animal. For this stop I got a frog Pillow Pet and another little adorable frog. I was thrilled! It was SO awesome, and right then I knew he was taking me on an adventure through our relationship, not just to our final destination!  

*heart slowly melting away*

On to Geocache #3! Mr. Garmin pointed the way and off we went. Sorry, no photos... and we didn't find this one either! We really worked hard on it, too. (We realized it had not been logged online as having been found for several months and we think, based on where the GPS coordinates hit, that it was probably washed away during some heavy rains we had earlier in the year. Bummer!)

Either way, I still got my gift and that is what counts! After high school we were super broke. We had no cable TV and any real form of entertainment so on pay days we would buy a board game of some sort. Over time we built quite the collection of Uno games, Pictionary, Boggle... So once we realized we were defeated by the cache we sat down at a picnic table in the park and played Scrabble Slam. It was amazing that he remembered those simple times in our life. I whooped his butt (as usual) but it was another memorable moment and I loved it!

FINALLY!

Geocache #4 was a success!! We found this one! But yeah, again we were so in to it that we didn't take pictures! Argh on me! It was hilarious though because we drove right past it by quite a distance not realizing it and then I ended up walking across a plowed corn field with the phone GPS back towards the cache. The farmer on the tractor stared at me haha. This is the one time in life my husband got away with driving while making me walk! For this cache he gave me a bag FULL of chewy Sprees... oooh how I love chewy Sprees! It was perfect, and made a great snack for weeks!

Lunch break!

You now get to witness what happens when two very hungry people wait nearly 30 minutes for Pizza Hut in Beaver Dam, KY to bring out your pizza... and this isn't even half of the distorted pictures we took! I'll spare you ;)

 

 Come what may...

I won't lie, Geocache #5 was the absolute most beautiful thing I've ever experienced. Coming from a man who is terrible at surprises and not the overwhelming romantic type (sorry baby, but I still love you just as you are!), he actually made not only ME cry, but HE cried too! You know a man is doing it right whenever he does something so sweet for you that he himself sheds some tears! We found #5 on a fairly secluded back road (yaya, we found another one!). Hubby then took me to the back of the van and let me open my gift. It was a ring box with ear buds in it. I figured I'd have to listen to something but never expected what happened next. I put one in my ear and he used the other, plugged them in to his phone and next thing I know we're on a country road DANCING to our first dance from the wedding reception! OHHHH MY!!!! We could have ended the trip right then and there and gone back home and I would have been the happiest woman on the planet... wait, I already was!!

Here is

~Our song~

Ok, ok.. that wasn't everything. Yes, the man who just danced with me on the side of the road has more! Back on the road with Garmin and I'm told we have 1 more Geocache stop before our destination! For Geocache #6 We get off at an exit off the highway and stopped on the overpass hunting for the cache. What a hoot... we're wandering up and down the bridge looking under rocks, in the grass, next to railing posts, walking across the roadway from one side to the other, you name it. Apparently we suck at this Geocache thing. But wait, I found it!! Yay me!  

Geocache - 2, Bryan&Lisa - 4!! We ROCK, just sayin'

 

My gift for this stop was a full body massage "coupon" that I could cash in whenever I want. I already cashed it in.. hmm, I need to find a way to duplicate that booger :p

On the road again

Back on the road we go to the final stop! Eeeeeee! That evening we end up in Henderson, KY. I'm slightly confused trying to figure out what on earth could possibly be in this city. My last gift?! Tickets to see Josh Turner in concert! Yayay!

Coincidentally he was having a concert the next day on the 10th within short driving distance from our house so hubby planned everything around that! I don't listen to a lot of mainstream music, mostly Country if I do have the radio on, and even then I'm really picky about what I'll listen to but Josh Turner is the exception. He is the one music artist we have in common to the same degree lol. What a way to round out day #1!

The next day we had several hours to kill from hotel check-out til the gates opened for the concert. We decided to go to the Evansville, IN Zoo which turned out to be the perfect filler. All I cared about was the giraffe! I really enjoyed the peaceful time we had together there knowing the concert would be loud and crowded. It was a beautiful lead-in to the night. With the clear sky over head and watching the beautiful storm clouds in the distance things just couldn't have been any better!

Overall it was the most amazing 2 days! My husband poured so much effort in to this to make it a meaningful and exciting surprise anniversary and it truly did mean the world to me. I STILL have butterflies thinking about it and wishing I could go back and do the whole thing all over again. The Lord truly has blessed me with him in my life! 

Thank you, Bryan, for everything you do for me!

The Zoo




The concert

5 years ago when I married my high school sweetheart :)




 Charity suffereth long, and is kind. Charity thinketh no evil, rejoiceth in the truth, beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things, endureth all things...
Charity never faileth.
(1 Corinthians 13)

#3 Most viewed post of 2011

2011 In Review - 2012 So Much To Do!

The Wise Woman

My handsome husband & I 
September 2010

Last September my husband and I joined our new church after about a month or two of attending. It truly has been an incredible blessing to our family, our spiritual growth, and our spiritual strength! We hit a rough patch in our lives and our marriage last year before we joined that was a complete eye opener. (It was important for us to get right with God before we committed to joining a church and the whole situation was a testimony to how God's timing is always the right timing!) I'm not going to share every little story or problem we encountered, it's a private thing and we all should keep our private lives private, but please heed my advice. I do give it with love and a little smidgen of experience! What I will say is it's simply amazing how disobeying the Lord can tear you apart piece by piece while simultaneously tearing apart your home. Proverbs 14:1 tells us "Every wise woman buildeth her house: but the foolish plucketh it down with her hands." I was doing just that; foolishly, selfishly plucking my house down one brick at a time, letting the devil sneak right through the threshold of my front door to freely roam.

I am a true believer that a wife should reverence her husband, build him up, and show him you love him, always. Not easy to hear when WE THINK he's being less than perfect, not helping around the house, or working too much. I'm speaking from experience when I say criticism (even if you think it is constructive) and a bad attitude (even if it is not his fault.. just you having a lot of bad days) can and will slowly bring your husband down to a whittled twig that you casually and unknowingly step on during your daily walk. I'm not saying don't have a bad day. Your husband should be there for you on your bad days, but don't drag it out. It won't happen over night but give it 6 months, a year, 10 years. Eventually he will grow tired of your lack of respect and foolishness. Tell him you love him every day he walks in the door. Give him a hug and a kiss whenever you get the chance. Don't complain around him about anything that he has done wrong or failed to do. Focus on all the positive attributes, even if only a few, instead of the negative.... And watch him flourish knowing his wife loves him!!

When I look back on what is written above I can't help but think of my Mamaw, Daisy. What a beautiful example of a virtuous woman. I wasn't very proficient on Bible knowledge growing up but she was the light of my Papaw's life, and he hers. I never heard my Mamaw say an ill word to my Papaw. She always had a smile on her face and you could see the love they had shared for years was blossoming even in their frail and old age. When Mamaw passed away in May 2011, a year and a half after my Papaw passed, the preacher at her funeral said "If I could sum up the life of Sister Daisy it would be this verse.. "Who can find a virtuous woman? for her price is far above rubies." (Prov 31:10) He was so right. She was the most humble and virtuous woman I had ever known. An amazing example of a woman who merely wanted to please her Lord by pleasing her husband.


Mamaw and I at my wedding, September 9, 2006

In 2010 after joining our church my husband and I attended the annual Couple's Retreat hosted by Shawnee Baptist Church at their beautiful Indian Creek Baptist Camp, a ministry of the church. We made it a very serious and necessary point to go to the retreat. It was important to our marriage that we surround ourselves with Christian couples in an environment that would focus on marriage. What an incredible, and I mean IN-CRED-I-BLE blessing it was to us! During one sermon the preacher went verse by verse through 1 Corinthians 13, telling us about charity (Christian love). Here is a short post I published that has the verses listed for quick reference if you wish: How do you describe love...

There was a period during the first evening that the ladies and men got separated so the preacher's wife could speak to us, and the preacher speak to the men. That was a wonderful blessing also (speaking from my experience... hubby said he thoroughly enjoyed the men's part but I can't speak too much for him)... Just to hear her personal story and her wisdom and advice on how we can be better wives... could not have asked for more!

What I loved from last year was when I looked around, I knew that all of the couples have experienced a little, or even a lot, of turbulence. We have endured struggles of all sorts, arguments, fights, maybe separations, some even divorces, remarriages, learning to raise our children, not being able to have children... the list just goes on. What made it just a joyous fellowship was knowing that we were all children of God, saved by His grace and forgiven of our sins. What better way to spend two days out of your year, completely surrounded by Godly people who want nothing more than to please Him, and what better place to let it start than with our marriage. 

 

I just want to be a blessing to ladies around me. I'm young and learning my way through life and still have a lot to learn ahead of me. I am so thankful for the Christian ladies who have inspired me through their blogs, speakings, and even the ones who inspire me visually through their mannerisms and modesty.

Couple's Retreat - October 2010

I'm praying you will Be Inspired!

Home Improvement: Kitchen Finished Result

I just realized I never came back and posted the finished results of our kitchen makeover! 

I won't go in to much detail about what I did since I spotlighted most of the plans in the Home Improvement post, so here are finished photos for you to enjoy! Hubby and I did almost everything on our own except cutting and installing the counter tops, and the rewiring of the dishwasher. 

What you see when you enter the kitchen:

Sink area... new dishwasher and freshly painted cabinets with new hardware!

New sink and faucet:

Inside wall that the table is on. That is the pot rack I made from a shelf that my Papaw made years ago. Just added hooks!

Back door area. New mini pantry thing we bought to replace the big ugly plastic shelf:

I don't have a photo of it, but we were able to get the dishwasher actually wired to the house instead of having to move a plug around! How exciting! No more ugly plug above the counter, and we don't have to worry about one below it either. 

 My favorite parts are the new dishwasher, deep sink, brighter lighting fixture (It was impossible to see anything with the old tiny bedroom-style fan and light), my pot rack, and the extra little chunk of cabinet and counter space to the right of the stove. It was one crazy week to get this kitchen done, and we were flat wore out, but it was SO worth the final product! 

Bryan said the worst part was the plumbing. We had a terrible time getting the pipes to fit one badly threaded sink drain but thankfully he was able to get it to work without having to return and wait for a new drain. Oil-rubbed bronze drains are very hard to find! 

I love that man of mine! I couldn't ask for more than what the Lord has already given us in our beautiful new kitchen!

Be Inspired!

#8 Most viewed post of 2011
2011 In Review - 2012 So Much To Do!