Coon Dog Adventures

Our letterboxing adventures have landed us in many places that we would never have discovered or explored otherwise. One such place we visited almost a year ago now was the one of a kind Key Underwood Coon Dog Cemetery located near Tuscumbia, AL. We stopped here on our way to Ivy Green where another letterbox and adventure waited, but that is a post for another day.

Growing up in Toronto, I knew very little, it would even be fair to say nothing of coon dogs. When I saw an inconspicuous sign - you know the standard non-descript green and white marker type signs, on the highway on our way home from a previous trip, my curiosity was piqued. I did a little research and when I found out there was a letterbox there, I knew it was only a matter of time before we would make a visit there.Coon Dog Cemetery grew out of one man's love for his faithful coon dog named Troop. It is truly a unique place with a wonderful story that is rich in area history. While we were there we met a couple with a miniature poodle visiting the area from California (no coon dog cemeteries there either).

Recently we stumbled upon a movie about coon dogs and given our adventure last year were anxious to see it. Where the Red Fern Grows is based on a book by Wilson Rawls. We discovered the movie first and it was fantastic ! You can get it through Netflix. This is one of those great movies that has it all - values, morals and character all tied into a great story line that is tender and inspiring - watch this one with your kids !! Or better yet, read the book aloud then enjoy the movie with a big bowl of hand-cranked popcorn curled up together for family movie night.

You know, for us homeschoolers, this might just be a great summer break unit study - just a suggestion ;-)

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

Random Dozen

In keeping with my desire to get back in my blogging groove and re-connect with the community of bloggers that I have missed, I thought it would be fun to participate in Random Dozen hosted by Linda at 2nd Cup of Coffee. So without any further adieu here is this week's Random Dozen......

1. What is one really fast, know-by-heart, "go-to" meal to fix in a pinch?

The first thing that comes to mind is spaghetti, however that is not the only one - I don't use recipes much at all - I am a mood cook :-) Look out when I am angry - lol. This list would not be complete without pizza, soups, salads, stews and casseroles all based on whatever ingredients are on hand - the possibilities are endless!!

2. What is one item you won't leave home without? (Purse and license do not count) Cell phone, sunglasses - however both of these are usually located in my purse so they may be disqualified by a technicality......hmmm....typically WonderBoy is always with me - "My Trusty Side Kick" as I affectionately refer to him, but even he is not a for sure. Oh I KNOW!! I never ever ever go anywhere without wrapping myself in the love, protection and promises of my Lord and Savior, without who I couldn't begin to function in the least!

3. What is one place you never tire of visiting?

The country - rural America - the 'off the beaten path' places. This is where I am most content and at peace.

4. Share one factoid of your family's history.

My grandmother on my mother's side was a librarian. She was college educated which in her day was rare. She had 5 children including my mother but none of them had any post secondary education. I was the first of my generation to pursue any education beyond high school.

5. Complete this sentence. "Once upon a time I...."

dreamed I would marry my prince. I believed fairy tales could come true. Then for many years my dreams were shattered and I believed that fairy tales were just rose colored tales that never really happened. I am now married to my prince and know that fairy tales really do come true ;-) Of course that is only becasue God is good ;-)

6. If you could win one year's supply of anything, what would it be?

I would have to say groceries - how wonderful would that be ???

7. "One quirky thing you may not know about me is...."

I really like the smell of skunk......I know....but I do! Some of you like the smell of gasoline - that is my eewww!

8. You have one dollar in your pocket. What will you buy?

A cookbook at a yard sale or some other equally as wonderful treasure in book form.

9. "One thing that always makes me laugh is...."

Old episodes of Leave it to Beaver and I Love Lucy ;-) You know back when family entertainment really was for the WHOLE family and it was actually funny!

10. What is one thing you could do today to help yourself reach a personal goal?

Treat myself with love, patience and kindness - seems that should be a no brainer but that is not always the case - I am getting better at it though!

11. What is one thing you could do today to bless someone else?

Begin to get a letter/package ready to send Jeison, our sponsored child in Columbia. He is having a birthday soon!

12. What is one thing you're looking forward to soon?

Our move to the country - at least I pray it is soon ;-) Yes Darling, I added that for your benefit - lol.

Remember Me?

Well, well, well, she lives!! I have no single good reason for my extended absence. The best I can honestly offer is these four simple letters when combined explain a whole lot....L-I-F-E.

In any case, I have felt the stirring recently to take up keyboard and re-connect with you - so here I be.

How are you? What have you been doing? PLEASE leave a comment and let me know you came by! I have a desire to make some changes and breath some new life into this place of mine here and I really would love your input. What do you want to see when you visit? I have an amazing story to share about a personal victory but that is not something I am prepared to do today....soon.

There are all kinds of adventures going on around here as usual. We have baby bluebirds!!! Some of you may remember the beautiful blue eggs of a spring now past and the sad fate that they met.....well God is faithful and as Matthew 6:26 teaches us - He cares for all living things. It has been a joy to watch these sweet birds build their nest, lay their eggs and now we are enjoying the symphony of little ones as they are fed continually all day long.

We are within days of finishing 3rd Grade - it has been a rough year ! I recently attended a homeschool convention not too far from home and was so blessed and encouraged with some timely words and fellowship. I feel so ready and equipped to begin planning 4th Grade now I almost hate to take a summer break - I did say almost. I met some wonderful homeschool Mom's at the conference, one of whom I see has already stopped by for a visit ! You know who you are ;-) It was a real pleasure meeting and talking with you and I would love to stay in touch but as I was not forward thinking enough to get your information please make sure you send it my way. I want to come and visit you too!!

So, back to the task at hand - tell me what you want - encouragement, homeschooling, cooking, crafting, daily life, how to's, sustainable living, frugal living - do tell !! Input, ideas - bring it on!!

I have missed this point of connection and look forward to re-establishing it.

Learning as I go,

Leisha

Plain Pursuit by Beth Wiseman

Time for another book review friends...... Plain Pursuit, A Daughters of the Promise Novel is the first by Beth Wiseman that I have read - it is unlikely that it will be the last. I love a good Amish story and this one certainly met the standard of a "good Amish story". Although somewhat predictable in places, which I guess happens after reading too many Amish works of fiction, it brought pleasant mix of modern day life and old time Amish ways and wove them seamlessly into an enjoyable read. There were a few unexpected twists and turns which always earn extra points on my scorecard ;-) The characters are real and believable. I found myself cheering them on and celebrating their victories as well. This book is the second in the series but stood alone well enough that I did not feel I was missing anything critical not having read the first in the series.

An easy, enjoyable read, I would recommended this book for when you just want to read something to enjoy that does not require a whole lot of effort on the part of the reader. And of course if you like a "good Amish story" all the better!!

And by the way - there are a few recipes at the end of the book just in case your feeling Amish ;-)

Learning as I go,

Leisha

These are a few of my favorite things.......

Merry Christmas Eve !! I am up alone this morning - a rare treat ;-) I have a freshly ground cup of Jamaica's finest here beside the tree and just wanted to take a minute to wish you the best of the season.

We are having our family meal today around one-ish so I have plenty to do this morning other than coffee drinking and tree gazing, but there was one thing I promised I would do and I strive to keep my word as much as possible.

A few weeks ago I had dinner with the two original "Mama Leisha Girls" to celebrate Jenny's birthday and to exchange our Christmas gifts. We took a road trip to Nashville in November to start our Christmas shopping and had a little too much fun - who knew trying on hats could be so much fun!! I share this picture only because of the fun factor - it certainly isn't to show off how good I look in a hat !!

Forgive me, I digress, it was during this fun filled adventure that I got the idea of what I wanted to do for my girls for Christmas. We looked at several cute aprons and I thought that would be a great thing to build a gift around - so I came home armed with my plan. I found some cute festive aprons and made some homemade goodies to go with, found some monogrammed recipe cards and I was ready. The night we met we opened our gifts from Hannah first - a cookbook, a monogrammed Christmas ornament, Christmas kitchen towels and....an apron!! How fun - I LOVE aprons !! ;-) Next we opened the gifts from Jenny - decorated with a beautiful rhinestoned monogrammed ornament (hmm...) we opened our boxes at the same time and went into fits of laughter - monogrammed aprons !! Well needless to say when they opened the packages from me we were just plain silly- everyone went home with two new aprons !! The best part of course is knowing that we are like minded and obviously know each other pretty well!! Jenny really went above and beyond in her apron giving by having them embroidered - she told me she wanted me to post a picture on my blog of me in my apron so.......notice the "H" over my shoulder.....hmm. Can I tell you how much I love this apron?? I mean it has polka dots for goodness sake - big ones!! And I have to be honest with you y'all - in the midst of all the girlie giggling - I was choked up - I love my girls so much and this apron really blessed me because I felt the love that was put into giving it. Jenny Pooh I will never put this on with out being reminded of how blessed I am to have your friendship!! It is truly an honor to be your "Mama Leisha" - one I pray that I will enjoy for many years to come!!

So a few of my favorite things......my girls - those mentioned here and those who are not - you know who you are and I LOVE YOU SO MUCH - can't imagine where I would be without each and everyone of you!! Thank you for allowing me to be Mama Leisha in your lives (boots and all). The good looking cake I am holding is our dessert today - Italian Creme Cake - another one of my favorite things. And last but not least aprons - did I mention I love aprons!?! This one has one more feature that you MUST see......

a ruffle.....it has a ruffle - I am pretty sure it doesn't get any better than that !!

On that ruffly note, I bid you adieu and wish you all the very Merriest of Christmases - hug your loved ones and treasure the moments of memory making - count your blessings and you will feel rich regardless of the recession - The King is still on the thrown!!

Thank You Jesus for all you do in our lives and Happy Birthday Eve - I love You like crazy!!

Learning as I go,

Leisha

ADD/ADHD - I have something to say to you.......

OK......I am wound up. It has been a long time brewing but I think I have hit that magic 212 degree number and I am ready to let off some steam - join me won't you ?

I have not spent much time on here discussing the struggles in our home with Wonder Boy and those letters that I have always preferred not to use in connection to my son. First let me say we have no "official" diagnosis - it is unlikely that will ever happen to be honest, I just don't see the need. However, for the sake of quick/concise explanation those letters will help you to better understand where we are.

Now here is my confession - I have been an ostrich. My head has been firmly planted in the sand and I have been unwilling to pull it out and look this problem square in the eye (if the eye would stay still a minute that would be easier, but I'll manage). Well NO MORE - my head is out, I have shaken the sand off my curly locks and I am rolling up my sleeves to deal with the adversary that has intimidated me for way too long !! Can I get an Amen Sister from someone out there - a gal in battle needs a little encouragement I dare say!! By the way have you ever seen an ostrich fight?? I'm just saying......

The purpose of this post is to make myself accountable and transparent even - a scary thing to do - but it is time. I have a loving Father who guides and protects me and I shall not walk in fear of things over which I have no control, in fact, I have gladly turned this over to my Lord in prayer and the answer I have received is that I am to fight - Ephesians 6 equips us with a battle plan. The other thing I am intent on doing by opening myself up here is to shed some light on the darkness - living with the challenges and struggles that we have over the past few years has caused us to stay in the shadows - darkness cannot exist in the light, it is time to expose this to the light and send the darkness packing!!

I have read a little here and there and we have tried various "techniques" over the years to manage the challenges that we have faced. Sadly, I cannot report any great success for the long term. Many things worked well for short periods of time but overall nothing has "stuck". With each failed attempt, I have accused myself of being at fault and failing my son, oh the enemy has been having a hay day with us!! SO......I wanted to take a minute to invite you to join us for the journey that lays ahead. I have no idea what the points of interest will be along the way, but one thing I am pretty certain of is that it will be filled with adventure and intrigue!

In my quest for understanding, I have been continually disheartened by the lack of support out there for families walking through this valley. I want to offer to be that kind of place - if you know someone who is going through these kind of struggles in their family - send them a link and ask them to stop by. If we link arms perhaps we can make the road a more direct route for those coming behind us - wouldn't that be awesome? I really don't have a clear plan or direction right now and that is why I wanted to start this now, there are so many families that this issue touches, I would go so far as to say we probably all know someone. The figuring it all out is part of the challenge and journey we take as parents - I will share some of where we have already been and be open and honest about where we are. It is my prayer that this be a blessing to just one ;-)

For today I want to share this.....I stayed up late last night after church to start a book that I have been reluctant to read Ritalin is Not the Answer by David B. Stein. I read only the foreword and first chapter, but have to tell you that my gut instincts about not medicating were so validated that I continually thanked God for his leading on this hot button issue as I read some things I had never really been aware of previously. We have chosen to not medicate, we did considered it very briefly at one point in time, but never had a peace about taking that route. I am so thankful that we listened to the still small voice that was guiding us! I am excited at the prospects of what this book may offer......for now - it's out there and I will keep you posted. Prayers as always are welcomed and please please please - get involved - lets be that example of iron sharpening iron!

Learning as I go,

Leisha