Prayer Box Sunday

Well - I feel a little like Mary Tyler Moore......you remember she used to have these parties and they ended up being duds? My great anticipation for a wonderful outpouring of Prayer Box participants was....well, let's just say ended quite sadly. Alas, I will not be discouraged, this is not about how many people connect to the post or even how many choose to participate, rather sharing what God is doing in this time together each Sunday in the hopes of being a blessing and encouragement to just one. SO in the spirit of sharing and encouraging I will press on.....I will continue to post the Mr. Linky each week just in case someone does want to share their post and also because I spent the money to make it available so why wouldn't I do that right? For those of you who are not yet familiar with what Prayer Box Sunday is you can get the details here. Get your Prayer Box ready and join us!!

Today we had a wonderful devotional time as we dug into a new resource that we hope to use a few days a week and will include in our Prayer Box Sunday time as well. If you are looking for a good straight forward tool for Character Training may I suggest Character Building for Families. A dear friend in Maine sent me her copy of Volume 2, a ' pay it forward' act of kindness with the intention of blessing our family the way it had been a tool of blessing to hers. I ordered Volume 1 which is reasonably priced and it came very quickly! This is a great resource which can be used any way you want to use it. It is ideal for families of any size and can be used as a daily homeschool curriculum or as a devotional tool, which is how we plan to use it -as many or as few days per week as you chose to use it. I would love to hear your thoughts or experiences with it if you are familiar with it!

SO......on to what the Prayer Box held for our family this week. We have some great prayers this week and I am really looking forward to what God does with them!! Our family prayer focus this week is directed at me.....we will all be praying for my character (feel free to join us - I welcome these prayers as God helps to mold me into who He has called me to be!!), The Principal is praying for me too as his prayer is to pray for my writing - a deep rooted and long dreamed of desire which coincidentally I just this past week committed to on a level that I have not done in many many years. Are you seeing the pattern here? My character, my writing, all on the Sunday of the week that I made a commitment to myself and my writing. I used to believe in coincidences - I no longer do - God is the Master Weaver, He knows every thread He weaves, He knows where it will go and what it will look like when all the threads are woven together! This will be a tapestry I will look forward to seeing the results of ;-) WonderBoy has a pretty awesome prayer focus for this week and it will hopefully get him thinking outside the 'traditional' prayer request mind set just a little. He is praying for Generational Curses this week. We spent a little bit of time talking about what that meant and how it can manifest in families and individuals. My prayer for the week really blesses my heart, I am praying for our Family Time ;-) I love to have my family together sharing an activity, game or project so this is something that I will roll up my sleeves and jump into gladly!

Please feel free to share what was in your boxes, bags, old lunch boxes or any other prayer holders you may have used. Mr. Linky is here and I would be tickled if you used him!!

Learning as I go,

Leisha

School Starts Monday - 4th Grade Line Up

Yes, we are starting early this year. We did this in 2nd grade and it worked out great. I am always interested to see what other families are using, what they like and what works for them, so in that spirit I wanted to share our 4th grade plans.....

Language Arts

We will use Language Arts Through Literature for the first time. This is a complete program with reading, grammar, writing etc. but I do plan to supplement with Spelling Power, which will only take an additional 15 minutes per day and will be so worth it if I turn Wonder Boy into an ace speller!!

Math

Singapore Math 4A & 4B will be out math curriculum this year. We used Singapore for 2nd grade and Wonder Boy and I both loved it. We took an SOS detour for 3rd grade and are going back to what suits us better for 4th grade.

Bible

We will continue on with Bible Study Guide for All Ages. This is a great flexible program that you can work at your own pace and go as deep as you desire. They sell activity books that correspond with the lessons in various levels to make the program work for various ages at the same time. We use this in a modified approach and make it work for us. We will also be doing Charlotte Mason's Scripture Memory System - this is a whole family not just school element.

Character Training

From a Mom perspective I am very much looking forward to the learning and growth of character that will take place as we begin our journey through The Book of Virtues by William Bennett. Netflix offers the video adventures which we will use and I found a great resource for f-r-e-e (f-r-e-e- that spells free - sing along won't you) - a complete unit study with lesson planning done for you.

History

Wonder Boy and I are both pretty pumped about our new history curriculum - The Story of the World, Volume 1 Ancient Times. I wish we had started with this as it looks fantastic and seems to be a great fit for us.....I will report back later ;-)

Geography

This year we will focus a little more specifically on geography as a separate subject than we have in the past where it has been typically tied in with history. Our 2 areas of focus will be individual state studies which we will do by working our way through each state in order of statehood, and then individual countries of interest. This will be a relaxed approach that will be 'delight driven' and will continue throughout our homeschooling journey.

Science

This is probably the one thing we are most excited about this year.....we will be doing Apologia Science for the first time Exploring Creation Zoology 1 Flying Creatures of the Fifth Day. Wonder Boy loves science and this particular curriculum has a companion notebooking activity book - big fun!!

Music

Wonder Boy is continuing piano lessons with Miss Jenny. We loved the Folk and Hymn Studies that we did with Ambleside Online and are looking forward to getting that groove going again. We also use a modified version of the Composer Study.

Art

Life is art - or at least it should be and we continually get caught up in the urge to create. We do not have one set resource for Art. We will pull from life and work on various handicrafts and hobbies. We will paint, draw, build, do papercrafts with our Cricut and be inspired where inspiration finds us!!

Nature Study

Our love of nature will continue this year with a subscription to Nature Friend Magazine. The monthly publication comes with a study guide feature that we have opted to try - looks like another fun resource!!

American Sign Language

Wonder Boy has taken an interest in learning to communicate through sign language so while this will not be a structured daily study it is our intention to have a working skill in this area by the end of 4th grade!!

OK - that about wraps it up - I don't expect that we will be bored often and hope that I have put together enough variety and hands on fun to keep Wonder Boy interested, learning and growing into the amazing young man God has called him to be!!

I would love any thoughts or input you may have ;-)

Learning as I go,

Leisha

What the Teacher Learned.....

Last weekend I attended a conference with a sweet friend from church. We are about to begin our 5th year of homeschooling and this is my first conference, but is should come as no surprise that the timing was exquisite!

I have talked with moms who have gotten wonderful unit study plans and ideas, been inspired by new teaching methods and come home with a trunk load of great deals on new curriculum. I did not have my mind directed to any one path and was anticipating that God would meet me there at my greatest point of need - which of course He was clearer on than I was ;-) Well, I was not at all disappointed! I did come home with a few books - none of them curriculum mind you. I came home refreshed by the wonderful fellowship that we enjoyed and feeling that I had made some new "mom" friends - can never have too many of those. I came home tired and a little weary - sleeping on a camp bunk bed was not restful in any way shape or form. The thing that I came home with that took up no space in the car and cost nothing but that I believe will transform our homeschool experience from this day forward was completely unexpected but was of course what I needed more than anything and didn't realize it - FREEDOM!! A big beautiful, customized just for us, tied up with a gorgeous bow, dose of FREEDOM!!

Now let me tell you a little about me and my homeschooling methods, I am by nature, a rule follower - always have been. If a worksheet has 30 math problems we should complete all 30 regardless of how easy/hard they are, and we are not done or ready to move on to anything else until all 30 are done. Cross those T's and dot those I's - I am all about do it right and do it well!!

My paradigm got an extra large and less than gentle shift and oh my - Wonderboy could not be happier ;-) When I left to attend the conference we had about enough work to fill a week left to complete, when I arrived home Saturday night I announced that 3rd Grade was officially done, much to the delight of all involved parties.

Let me share with you the simple truths that brought me to this glorious place called Freedom. The beauty of this is in it's simplicity. Light drives out darkness. What matters most to us as parents who are raising our children for God is who they are not what they know right? Success in our eyes as Christians does not look the same as it does to the rest of the world. Sure, I would love for Wonderboy to excel at his chosen path and earn a good income, have a good life and not live in want, but more than that, I want him to be a man of godly character and wisdom, a man of heart who reflects Jesus in all he says and does - this is not any measure of success in the world in which we live. In the United States today, we educate based on a system that was/is designed to provide an abundant, compliant workforce that would bolster the economy and keep the machine operating at maximum capacity. We are not producing thinkers, we are telling our kids what to think. For more on this - and there is more, I would challenge you to read Dumbing us Down: The Hidden Curriculm of Compulsory Education by John Taylor Gatto.

Andrew Pudewa was one of the keynote speakers at the Annual CHEF State Conference. I found him to be an engaging and inspiring speaker with an ability to cut away all the excess and get right to the meat of things. A homeschooling dad of seven, he is well equipped to share from many places within the homeschool journey and provide living examples of what he was 'ministering' to the audience. I always trust someone who has walked it out and can sight real examples over the long haul -several of his children are now grown and functioning adults. One of the things that he talked about that hit me smack up the side of the head was that if we are having character issues with our kids that we should deal with these before any academic training takes place. He spoke of one of his children that was struggling in various areas and how they chose to put all academics on hold while they focused completely on getting the areas of character where they needed to be. The result he says is a child who is self motivated and has a God given desire to learn because they want to learn not because they have to. This was a remarkable idea to me!

The idea is this - pray for your child and seek God's will for their life, allow Him to birth and direct their passions and be obedient to encourage and facilitate them. By allowing our children to pursue what they love we equip them with a love of learning that will last a lifetime and extends far beyond what is considered to be 'school'. This was huge freedom to me - and yes we will still do bible, math, science, language arts, history and geography BUT we will do it with passion and pleasure and not the 'have to' mentality which robs all joy from the journey.

Somewhere recently I heard/read that as we seek God and home educate our children that we walk completely in the center of His will. I want to be there and lead by example that this will be the way of life without question for the generations that follow.

Wonderboy is a complex and wonderful child, God has privileged me beyond words by trusting me with his care and upbringing. I so want to bring a smile to His face and be told "well done, good and faithful servant" when I answer to Him for our homeschool years. Seeking Him and allowing Him to guide our steps is the key to it all and although that is not new, the perspective is - Freedom Academy is now open with an enrollment of one.

That Saturday night when I returned from the conference, I told Wonderboy I had one last assignment for him to complete 3rd Grade - a list of things that he would like to learn about in 4th Grade. He sat a moment and launched into a list which I told him he would have to write down (you understand - it's an age thing ) the list included - Lewis & Clark, Sacajawea, The Titanic, China, The Salem Witch Trials, Slavery, Klu Klux Klan and several more that escape me at the moment.

I am so looking forward to 4th Grade - I certainly have plenty to learn!

Learning as I go,

Leisha

Wonder Boy & Planet Earth

Wonder Boy entered the poster competition for the annual science fair at our homeschool covering last month and I am just now getting around to blogging about it - everyone in unison "Bad Mommy".

I received a phone call a few days before the deadline from a woman at church who works with Wonder Boy in the children's ministry and whose family belongs to the same homeschool covering as we do - she was calling to encourage Wonder Boy to get a poster entry ready in time for the contest. She said she had felt a leading from the Lord to make the call. The theme for this year's posters was "Our Wonderful Universe". The older kids 4th - 12th grade do real bonafide science projects - K through 3rd grade are encouraged to participate by building a poster. Wonder Boy chose to do his poster about Planet Earth.

We made the obligatory trip to the library and picked out several good looking books which I fully expected to see in the back seat of my car until they were due to be returned. Wonder Boy has never tackled anything of this magnitude and I really didn't expect him to see it through to completion mainly because, well, he is just so busy from one moment to the next - staying on task just isn't his strong suit - I certainly struggle to keep up with him (if you see me and notice the twitch please don't feel awkward - hugs help).

A few hours after we got home I thought I was seeing things - the books had made their way into our living room and Wonder Boy was on the couch completely engulfed in them. He tore his gaze away long enough to notice me in the room with the confused look on my face and within seconds began launching into facts he had learned about Planet Earth - to say I was impressed was an understatement - I had been in the kitchen making dinner and as it was so quiet in the living room I thought he had fallen asleep and went in to check on him ( all Mommy's know silence can be dangerous!!). He then proceeded to tell me about all the cool and super fantastic ideas he had for building his poster - they were good ideas - even cool and super fantastic.

That night I went in to check on him before I went to bed only to find him still awake in the bed with the book light and all his library books spread around him - when I asked him what on earth he was doing he answered very matter of factly "reading about the impact that humans have on the planet". He had me hooked from this point forward and we lived and breathed "The Poster" & Planet Earth for the next few days. We did online research and made a trips to Walmart & Hobby Lobby to get all our supplies. Wonder Boy worked hard and put an effort unlike anything I had ever seen into his poster. The day of fair arrived and we dropped the poster off at the alloted time to be judged - with the results to be announced that night at the science fair open house.

It was an exciting day, a much anticipated evening and what a thrill when they called out Wonder Boy's name as the overall 1st place prize for the K through 3rd grade posters !!! Sometimes they get it and then sometimes - the library books are in the back seat until the due date.......but we love them either way.

Thanks Mrs. T for listening to the leading and making the call - I cannot tell you how much good it did this mother's heart to see a little boy who so often struggles with the day to day things have such a sweet victory.

He is exactly who God made him to be and I am humbled that God chose me to be his Mom not just on the days like this but all the rest of them too - he truly is my Wonder Boy - Thank You Lord ;-)

I love you son - big love..........always

Learning as I go,

Leisha

Biblical Community for Our Kids

About 2 years ago in my online travels I came across something called the Daily Audio Bible - it turned out to be a podcast produced out of Nashville by a guy who works in the recording business - God had laid it on his heart to read through the bible in a year and share it with whoever came forth to listen. Well over the last several years it has become a thriving community and this year, Brian Hardin has brought his 11 year old daughter China on board and together they are serving up the Daily Audio Bible for Kids. The vision for this is to bring the bible alive to kids in a safe environment where they can share their thoughts, prayer requests and help each other grow in Christ through the online forums set up for kids as well as a toll free number that they can call and their calls can be included in the future podcasts. The podcasts can be download daily through iTunes or you can listen in daily online. We have started listening in the mornings as a great starting point for our school day. Attention spans are not too stressed as the podcasts are short at 10 - 15 minutes, they are well done, professionally produced and the camaraderie between father and daughter is a sweet addition - it's wonderful to hear the pride and mentoring that this dad is imparting into the ministry being birthed out of his 11 year old daughter. China is sweet and does a great job in her own right - Wonder Boy and I are really enjoying these as a great part of our homeschool day and just couldn't keep it to ourselves!!!

Learning as I go,

Leisha

Are You Ready For School to Begin?

Ready for the New School Year?

Check out Cindy Rushton's New Organized Mom Super Set!
Great ebooks Audio Mp3's Planning Pages
Plus! When you purchase your set you get MORE help with record-keeping, organization, and setting up your home to learn--you also get access to Cindy's Organization 911 Seminar Set and her newest seminar set, Let's Get Organized for the New School Year. Yep! Both! Complimentary! Get your set here: http://www.cindysaffiliates.com/go.php?offer=hisgrace08&pid=2

If you are anything like me - you welcome all the help you can get when it comes to being organized and on top of things for school !! Cindy has so many wonderful resources that will bless your homeschool and your life - visit her website and look around, you will see many goodies to add to your wish list I'm sure!!

Blessings,

Leisha

Breakfast For Two / Breakfeast Pour Deux

We had a lovely little(petite) breakfast this morning I just had to share with you because it was so much fun and I would not ever want to be a fun hog!! First of all, we started French the other day and what fun we are having - my poor little boy - French with a southern accent is going to be a little bit of a challenge. I took French all through school growing up in Canada that is just what you do ;-) So this is a refresher course for me and I pray I am able to impart some of the pronunciation that I was always good at in my younger days - I am a little rusty and a little southern myself at the moment but have no fear I will parlez vous francais like an old pro in no time!! OK - on to the breakfast. This was our last morning alone - we pick The Principal up in just a few short hours (WOO HOO - I have missed him terribly and have been praying and thinking about all the wonderful things that he contributes to our lives - just by way of a side note - hee hee), so anywho, I wanted to make this morning some special Mommy & Wonder Boy time. I had a DVD that I borrowed from the library yesterday with several of Robert McCloskey's books on it - Make Way for Ducklings, Blueberries for Sal and several other classics and I wanted to make a living room friendly breakfast that we could nibble while we watched the DVD. I saw this somewhere in my travels and really don't remember where, but it was in the memory banks somehow and I was able to retrieve it this morning to make for a lovely and memorable time for Mother (la mere) and son (le fils).


This gastronomical delight included red (rouge) and green (vert) grapes as well as fresh peaches, cheddar cheese chunks, golden delicious apple and raspberry yogurt for dipping. This would also be great for lunch, with veggies and dip, cheese and crackers, nuts, dried fruits - the possibilities are limited to your imagination only. It would be a fun way to put salad toppings on the table so everyone could customize their own salad - kind of like a portable salad bar. This idea would also lend itself well to picnics - all kinds of great little munchies would work great in here! I'm thinking if such a thing as a pretty muffin pan exists and I'm sure it does this would be a fun way to serve appetizers at a casual type gathering - but what I think would be wonderful, really is ice cream toppings for your next ice cream sundae party - not only will you win favor with the party theme but you get extra points for cute presentation!! Just a thought or two - these things swim around in my brain and every once in a while I need to release some pressure - that done I feel better !! Please share any muffin pan plans that you may have - no telling the creative, wonderful ideas that are out there and because of this post I now have some room for more!


Bon Appetite !



Leisha

Setting Up Your Home to Learn! By Cindy Rushton

Homeschooling? Thinking about Homeschooling? BUT…do you have to turn your home into a school? No, my dear friend, you do not need to turn your home into a school. Your home can still be a HOME. A home ready to learn! Ready? Ready? This is EASY as ABC...
--> Find a good nook! It does not have to be huge. Certainly does not need to be expensive. All that is needed is a place that invites your children (and YOU!) to think, work through the studies (writing, reading, studying, proofreading, projects, experiments…). Ask yourself, “Where do they gravitate toward to read...to research...to write...to print?” Keep in mind that each and every student in your family will be very different during the learning process, but most will appreciate having all of the supplies and equipment in a safe, quiet, comfortable place to study. When deciding on a spot, make sure that the spot has good lighting and a good, solid, clean, work surface. Make sure it is a good spot to think AND work on lessons.” Set up the area with a nice table or desk with plenty of work area...comfortable chairs...limited distractions…shelves for books and notebooks...space for a computer and printer...convenient power supply...space for you to sit down and work with them during their lessons…and a specific spot for organizational bins that will hold supplies.
--> Get supplies together! You probably have supplies ALREADY in your home. Use our list to remind you of which supplies you will need to gather for homeschooling. Gather them and organize them so they will be ready to use when your children can snatch time to dig into their studies.
--> Give easy access to materials and supplies! Don’t just gather supplies, give your children easy access to those supplies! Nothing else can encourage your children to dig deeper into studies like having the materials needed to learn AND free reign to use them. Gather the supplies you will need and store them in clearly marked plastic bins and containers. There are SO many options available. Find what will work for you and your family. Get paper and printable pages together. I have always stored ours in our school materials so the children had their materials on hand as they needed it. A quick glance can remind me that we need more. I buy all of our paper, ink pens, pencils, 3-ring binders, etc in bulk at Sam’s Warehouse. During the school breaks, many stores have supplies and paper in bulk for better prices than all year round. That is when we also stock up. We store it on our school shelves and have what we need as we work.
--> Invest in the best tools! It may seem to be an added expense, however tools make all of the difference in the world! For example, you can buy a cheap stapler for under $5.00 OR you can buy a long-arm stapler for $29.95 at an office supply store. The difference? Well, we have bought SO MANY cheap staplers. They simply do not last. Plus, they are limited in what they can do. Now, contrast that with the long-arm stapler? They are built to last. You can use those for making any size booklet and for regular stapling. Just watch your most reluctant writer when they figure out ALL that they can do with one stapler! $29.95 will be the best investment ever! J Buy the best as you can. The investment is more than just for equipment, it is investing in your child’s education!
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Need MORE Help? Check out our Ultimate Homeschool Expo! When you purchase your ticket you get MORE help with record-keeping--you can immediately download two Bonus Gifts that will help you today:
Let's Get Ready for the New School Year Super SetA Quick Start for Notebooking Mini-Set!
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I have purchased my ticket and plan to soak in all that is available to finish out this homeschool year well and prepare for the best year yet in the year to come !!! Hope you can join me!!

Blessings to you in your homeschool endeavors,

Leisha

Three Hearts & The Walls of Jericho

Ok - can I be honest with ya'll ? I think my husband tried to kill me on our anniversary!! Can we talk about The Walls of Jericho?? OH MY WORD!!! That was by far the most physically challenging day of my life ! 7 miles + 1000 ft. elevation drop + 43 yrs. old & out of shape = ouch!!!

In all seriousness, we had a wonderful day but it was exhausting !! We found a great spot for our letterbox and got it planted and yesterday I got it posted online for all perspective finders. So here was the plan - The Principal carved a stamp which we chose to call "Three Hearts" in honor of our 3rd anniversary. We had fun putting this box together and have decided that we will find a new spot to adventure and plant a letterbox for as many anniversaries as The Lord allows us. We hiked all the way in to the end of the trail before deciding where the box was going to be planted. We chose a spot about 2 miles that I think will be a great hike for those who are interested. This is what it looked like for those of you that may be interested.

Wonder Boy was with us and did a fantastic job of "Hanging with the Big Dogs" for the day. There had been some light sonwfall in the area the day before and a light dusting remained on the ground so Wonder Boy was able to make a few small snowballs and have some fun - he seems to be a pretty good aim by the way ;-)

It was cold when we started out and here is a little evidence of just how cold it can get in the sunny south..... Wonder Boy loved this - kinda pitiful really that a child of a Canadian should be so worked up about a little snow & ice - but alas - Wonder Boy is Southern born and raised....a taste of his roots was in order I suppose - literally!! I ate many icicles in my youth in the Great White North !

The hike itself was beautiful - it truly is a gorgeous tract of land and we were not disappointed for our efforts - the views were spectacular and really even though it was a little on the chilly side it was a perfect temperature to accomodate our efforts - easy to cool off when we got overheated!!

There were a few pretty cool adventures that we can add to the memory book fo r the day as well as eating icicles, Wonder Boy & Co. were able to drink from a mountain stream and swing from a huge vine over an open gulley - Wonder Boy & The Principal were the vine swingers - someone had to be able to go for help if need be after all - so I of course felt led to sacrifice for the greater good - that's what Mothers' do right?

The last thing that I want to share with you my bloggy friends is this - God gave us an anniversary gift that day - as we strolled along at one point in one of the few level areas, The Principal looked down and saw this "Heart Rock" , which we have brought home with us as a keepsake of a beautiful, wonderful, God given day filled with love, learning and God's beauty and abundance - Thanks for taking a few minutes so that I could share it with you - God is good - all the time!!

And to you Sweetheart........I look forward to the adventures that The Lord has for us in the years to come - I love you so much - Thanks for Three Hearts of Love!!!

Basking in His Goodness,

Leisha

Letterboxing Lessons 101

I love how God can take a simple day and turn it around into an extraordinary one without warning don't you ? We had a field trip with our homeschool group last week to the Hands On Science Center in Tullahoma, TN (which was a wonderful surprise that the kids really really enjoyed by the way).

At the conclusion of the field trip we said our goodbyes to head off in search of hidden treasures ;-) The Principal had plotted out 3 letterboxes hidden relatively close to where we were going to be - the first 2 boxes were hidden in the same wooded area on two separate hiking trails. It was a beautiful crisp winter day and we hiked along talking, laughing, sometimes having to get on to Wonder Boy for attacking an innocent tree - you know what I'm talking about. Toward the end of the hike, after successfully adding 2 more stamps in our logbook, we were on our way back to the trial head, I was in the lead and everyone was quite - I was thinking about how blessed I was to be here doing what I was doing. Hard as it is for me to imagine, it had only been a little over 3 years ago that I was a single Mom, working full time and doing the best that I could to keep things together from day to day.......and now.....hiking on a beautiful winter afternoon - a Friday - a work day no less and with my wonderful heaven sent Husband and Son, whom I am now blessed to be homeschooling.
God has been so faithful in my life even in the times I did not honor Him as I should have because I was caught up in my own "stuff". Moments later Wonder Boy whizzed past challenging the Principal to a foot race - I smiled and gave Thanks for the bond that has been established between Father & Son as the two of them raced past me and the silence dissolved into laughter and testosterone.
Back in the car we warmed up and made our way to the last site for the day as we followed the clues in hand. We were on a back country road and could not imagine much of anything being where we were - the above picture was taken at the trail head where we parked and look at what we found as we followed the clues that led us to the final box of the day......

There she stood at the edge of the cliff overlooking the water below - we approached from behind her and had to climb around her to see what she looked like. She seemed to welcome us and watch over us as we climbed down the incline to the hidden treasure below. This was such a beautiful place and I can only imagine how pretty it much be when things are green and lush - we will likely visit her again - she just made me happy ;-)










So, what started out as an ordinary day doing the "field trip thing" turned into a small glimpse of God's Hand in my life and a precious reminder of all the wonders He put here on this earth for us to enjoy and behold each day - and the best part of all is that He orchestrated it just for me because He loves me so much - I can't think of any reason it could get any better than that!!

Wrapped in His Blessings,
Leisha

100th Day of School

We recently celebrated our 100th day of 1st Grade !! Wonder Boy had really been looking forward to it and since this was my first time dealing with it I was a little unsure of what to do. I over planned and probably won't have to prepare anything else until he starts High School now, but we had such a wonderful day that I wanted to share it.......

The day began with Opening Ceremonies - what kind of "Whiteboard Mom" would I be without a little opening whiteboard ceremony........Wonder Boy awoke to the annoucement bright and early that this was the 100th day of school !We started the day off with Science by putting 1oo ice cubes in a dish and "guesstimating" where the water line would be when they melted. It took until dinner to get that mystery solved but Wonder Boy was not too far off ;-)

The we moved on to Art with The Great Paper Chain Event - this was good fun - took a little longer than I had anticipated and it was certainly much longer than I had thought it would be - from the bottom of the stairs all the way up and halfway into one of the bedrooms!! What a chain it was - we liked it so much I have it hung up in the office until it gets too faded or dusty to continue to bring any pleasure ;-)

By this point in time we were a little peckish and decided it was time for Math with The 100 Day Trail Mix Extrodinaire Project - we built ourselves a bag of yummies with ten each of ten items - quite nice - all healthy too except for the chocolate chips and there were only 10 afterall!!
We geared down for the day with a History lesson about what was taking place in Alabama 100 years ago. Our final subject of the day was P.E. when we headed out of the house to see how far 100 steps took us from our home both by walking, running and just counting to 100 and walking.

And that was our day - great fun and a nice change of pace - I can't imagine not being able to homeschool - the Lord is blessing us so much in our efforts and we are continuing to celebrate wonderful successes as we journey with Him.

The Lord Bless You & Keep You,

Leisha

Letterboxing Season 2008 Begins

In September of last year, I was flipping thru a magazine and came across an ad for a SUV that mentioned Letterboxing and gave a web address. I had no idea what that was but was curious and so I looked it up. That was the beginning of what was to become a wonderful family hobby. We have had adventures like you can't imagine!! First of all, for those who have not heard about it, Letterboxing is best described as a "treasure hunt" type of activity. There are a few websites where Letterboxers (LB's) can post the clues and let others know that they have "planted" a box to be found. As the seeker you choose the boxes you wish to find, print the clues and set out on the path of adventure - it's great fun!! We have 59 boxes stamped in our "Logbook" and have had a fantastic time in the process of finding them. The planters create a hand carved stamps (which by the way can be incredibly intricate and beautiful artwork) and each seeker has a "trail name" and a signature stamp which they use to record their visit to the box. When the box is found it must be done discreetly so that passersby are not aware of it, lest any harm come to the box and it's contents. Once found and safely out of sight you stamp your logbook with the stamp located in the box and leave your stamp in the box's logbook to record your visit. When stamping is completed, the box is re-hidden as it was found and left for the next seeker.

Before I go any further, let me say that Letterboxing has not only been great family time and wonderful fitness (many boxes are hidden on beautiful hiking trails), but it has been an awesome addition to our homeschool curriculum. We have studied Lewis & Clark, walked the Natchez Trace, given Wonder Boy an incredible opportunity to learn about those who have served our country in war by visiting one the most amazing war memorials that I have ever seen off the beaten path in Birmingham, AL. We have visited 2 Civil War Battlegrounds, some of our areas most beautiful views and camping areas that we would not have known about had it not been for our Letterboxing adventures. It has given us a hands on classroom, to teach nature, science, chemistry, history, geography and life skills. Letterboxing has opened doors to things we may not have otherwise encountered and it has definitely led us to places which would be otherwise undiscovered in our day to day lives. God shows up on our adventures regularly and allows us to sow seeds into Wonder Boy's life in ways that would not be possible around the family meal table. We take regular field trips with our homeschool covering around AL & TN and always try to squeeze a Letterbox or two into these outings. We are going to Tullahoma, TN this week to visit the Hands On Science Museum and have located 3-4 boxes near by - guess what we will be doing when the field trip portion of our day is done??

These pictures were taken at the 270 foot long Clarkson Covered Bridge in Cullman, AL where a box was hidden. This bridge was constructed in 1904 and is 1 of 11 covered bridges still remaining in Alabama. This was out in the country and we would never have known about it had it not been for our Letterboxing adventures - one more item to add to that list ;-)

If I have intrigued you to find out more please visit http://www.atlasquest.com/ or http://www.letterboxing.org/ to get more information on getting started. Please let me know if you pursue anything - we would love to hear your stories!! Get out there and adventure and enjoy God's beautiful world ;-)

In His Grace,

Leisha

White Board Wisdom

In Wonder Boy's room is a white board which I write on every night after he falls asleep - I don't remember now exactly how this grew into what it has, but I think it started when we were teaching him to read and write and we ended our evenings with a game of hangman on his white board right before lights out and prayers. Many of you may have heard some of the white board stories - they are really gathering a following of sorts it would seem. A friend from church came by our home for the first time the other day to pick up her daughter and said "so this is the famous white board" when getting the tour of Wonder Boy's room. In any case, this has really become a fantastic Mommy tool as well. I use the white board to reward and acknowledge good behavior and jobs well done, to leave gentle loving Mommy reminders in areas where we are praying for success, to count down to big events, to announce surprises, to help encourage A's on spelling tests, to allow God to speak thru scripture and of course to let Wonder Boy know how much he is loved.

SO....the other night I was doing laundry and folding socks and Wonder Boy was asking me one of the many million questions that he typically asks in a day when we got on the topic of prayer - I am a little fuzzy on the starting point of the conversation to be honest as it was probably only at this point that I fully tuned in. In any case I was explaining to him that you did not have to pray only for the "usual things in the usual ways" that you could pray in the shower, when you are washing dishes and I started giving him some examples of some of the not so usual times and places that I pray. I told him that I pray over food when I am preparing it especially if it is for someone in need or ill. I told him that I pray for people in the grocery store when they look tired and in need of a lift. I told him that I pray over laundry all the time, when I am hanging shirts on a hanger, I will pray that the wearer will be blessed with energy to do God's work each day, I told him that I pray over his socks, that God will bless his comings and goings and that he will walk with God throughout his life. Well this just tickled him that I would pray over his socks....so that night when it came time to do the white board here is what I did.

God gives each of us many opportunities each day in the midst of the ordinary and mundane to make a difference in the lives of those we love through prayer. I have found a calling with a white board and a package of dry erase markers - I invite you to look at what you do each day and be encouraged that God has a white board for you to use. Wonder Boy got up the next morning and came running downstairs giggling and gave me the biggest hug and said "Mommy I LOVE my board today".

It doesn't get much better than that !

Leisha

ADHD & Psalm 139

As much as I dislike labels it simplifies things to say that Wonder Boy has ADHD. Now, having said that let me go on to say that although the letters "simplify" the explanation they certainly do not simplify living with ADHD. The past 3-4 years have been pretty challenging. We made the decision to become a one income family and homeschool primarily because of the challenges that Wonder Boy was having in school, but now, I believe that even if we felt he was able to handle a traditional school setting (which we do not) we would continue our homeschool journey! Wonder Boy's Pediatrician offered medication last year just before Christmas to help Wonder Boy succeed at school. We chose door number 2 - and just yesterday went to see the Pediatrician again a year later just to assess where we are and how we are doing. In the past year I have not discussed much with Wonder Boy about "ADHD" I feel like I do not want to offer him a ready excuse for poor behavior or lack of self control so until recently we had not spoke of it much in our home. Well, for some reason that I am not even now sure of, I feel that God has given me a release to use those letters in association with our situation - because you see - Wonder Boy does not have ADHD alone - it's a family thing. Anyway....to shorten the story a little - no meds were offered at this visit (my respect for the good Doctor has grown a measure) and he suggested a few different options, one of which was a counselor. Wonder Boy was with us of course and was privy to all the conversation that took place. This morning when Wonder Boy got up and came down to snuggle with me while I worked on my bible study I asked what he thought about the appointment yesterday - he only said that the Doctor did not ask him very many questions and he wanted to know what a counselor was.....our conversation meandered a little as it usually does and I turned to The Word to share with him what God says about his ADHD. I told him that there was not anything "wrong" with him, God made him the way he did for a reason and although we may not always understand why things happen the way that they do that we must Trust in God that He knows exactly what He is doing and that His ways are wonderful. I got my trusty NIV and read to him from Psalm 139 about how he is fearfully and wonderfully made, how God knit him together in my womb, I shared the picture that I always have of God's Mighty Hands knitting with the Yarn of Life and how God knew exactly what He wanted to create when He created Wonder Boy - he is just the way he is supposed to be!! It then hit me - we already had the Counselor we needed and could make an appointment with Him anytime !! Our insurance not BC/BS but the Blood of The Lamb would give us the access that we needed anytime of the day or night week days, weekends or holidays !! Can you even imagine how much of a burden that lifted from my Mommy shoulders ??!! I have made the mistake that so many of us frequently make (and this probably will not be the last time I make it) I was working to find all the answers on my own rather than turning it all over to our Father who created all that we are!! SO even though it is the 4th of January I am going to resolve to do something this year - turn to my Heavenly Father to help with the four letters that our family has been struggling with for several years now. He is my Wonderful Counselor, He will lead me where I need to go to help Wonder Boy live the life that he has been destined for since before he was created in the depths of the secret place. Why is it that what is so simple and so obvious is sometimes so impossible for us to see ? I know that God has a plan (Jer 29:11) for our family and for Wonder Boy in his adult life and I know that it is a great plan - so instead of worrying I will celebrate and enjoy the journey and the sights along the way.
Resting in His Goodness,
Leisha

Let The Games Begin.........

If you blog you know that getting started is the hard part - or so it seems to me at this point in the process. I am rarely at a loss for words but when I sit at my laptop with the "OK - it's time stance", I freeze. This morning I decided rather than be distracted away to some other "important" project I would "just do it". SO....in spite of myself I am going to get this blog going - any prayers to that end are most appreciated! Introductions are probably a good starting point - being the manners police that I am ;-) I am Leisha, 43 yr. old Mom to Wonder Boy, the 6 yr. old apple of my eye. We have been homeschooling for a year now after a tragic 3 months in the local public school system. The transformation in our child and family in the past year has been one of the richest blessings in my life! When we decided to withdraw our son from public school and bring him home, I asked The Lord to give me wisdom to handle the situation. He has done that and more - what He has also given me has been an over pouring of complete joy in the process that I didn't anticipate - my heart is captured and I am so grateful that we took the leap of faith that we did !!
OK so that is a little foundation - the rest will come out as the stories unfold I suspect - but just to give you a little more to chew on for now - my Husband aka "The Principal" is a wonderful wonderful man that literally rescued Wonder Boy and I from a sad and pitiful existence ;-) We will celebrate out 3rd anniversary in February 2008 and it seems like we have already shared a lifetime of love. That we are living the life we are living is truly by His Grace Alone......it is my prayer that a day does not pass that I am not mindful of where my Heavenly Father has brought me from and the endless blessings that are a part of our daily life.
Well, there, I guess I have officially thawed......Stay tuned - the plot thickens !! ;-)
Be Blessed By His Endless Goodness Today !