The Letter "I", Tomatoes and Pulleys

So, we are in the swing of things as far as kindergarten goes. However the fact that school begins in the weeks when the gardening harvest is at full tilt is kind of tricky.
I've got tomatoes coming out of everywhere, along with string beans, carrots, and peppers. And I'm still in the beginners category when it comes to knowing what to do with it all!


And I have no interest in learning that right now because I'm having a blast focusing on teaching my firstborn his phonics and math! I'd never in a million zillion years have predicted that I would enjoy this teaching stuff, but I'm LOVING it! Now, almost twenty years after I should have known what to major in at college and possibly pursue career wise, I may have figured it out! How's that for a little late! :)

Anyway, like my mom told me the other day, the Lord may have just planted this new love and desire in my heart in order for me to do my best teaching my little guys! My mom always has an insightful and very encouraging word for me! Love her to death!

Here's my kindergarten guy practicing his letter "I" all on his own. :)


And here the boys are consuming themselves with discovering everything you can do with a pulley. Thanks, Daddy, for a little science lesson. :)

Follow My Blog

Hey, friends, I just added the Google Friends thingy on the sidebar, so please feel free to add yourself and follow my blog effortlessly! :) Don't everyone rush now all at once to be the first! :)

More Great Books

I found a couple of helpful books at our local library this summer. The Organized Home Schooler by Vicki Caruana and The Ultimate Book of Home Schooling Ideas by Linda Dobson. I keep renewing them because they are just so chock full of useful information. Definitely books I would like to add to my bookshelf permanently!

I was really encouraged by the first book, The Organized Home Schooler. The author packed in so much scripture that I felt refueled for this daunting adventure facing me. Here are just a few of the verses she shared.

Of course, Philippians 4:13 "I can do everything through him who gives me strength."

2 Timothy 1:7 "For God did not give us a spirit of timidity, but a spirit of power, and love and self-discipline."

I Corinthians 14:33 "For God is not a God of disorder but of peace."

Joshua 1:9 "Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be terrified; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go."


All very familiar verses to me, but when applied to a specific area of one's life, they encourage immensely yet again! I think I will be laminating some of these verses on little cards and plastering them all around my laptop screen and around the window above my kitchen sink. (The two places I seem to spend a majority of my time.)

Have you read any great books lately? About homeschooling, or anything else, for that matter. I'm always up for a great book recommendation! I LOVE books! Can't wait to see my son actually reading a book all by himself!

I thought potty training was going to be an insurmountable task. This is definitely a bigger mountain to climb. But I know we'll climb it, and we're looking forward to the challenge! :)

A Change of Scenery

I need a change of scenery occasionally to jump-start my creativity. So I'm trying plaid out on the blog for a while!

And things are about the change around here! It's been five years of minimal schedules and roughly outlined goals and deadlines since I've been a stay-at-home mom. But we are about to enter the world of reading, writing, and arithmetic, requiring a bit more structure and schedule for our daily activities. I'm excited, but a little anxious.

Definitely looking forward to watching the little one grow and learn! And I'm hoping the 3 yr. old will pick up some of what his older brother is learning along the way. :)

Just Hikin' Around

One of the things we love to do as a family is take a long drive and go exploring! The hubby usually has a place in mind and me and the boys just ride along and see where we end up. It's lots of fun! This past weekend we spent some time checking out a state park and campground area. Great scenery, beautiful weather, and so relaxing just to be outdoors!

July is Flyin' By

I always have good intentions about blogging daily, but then life gets in the way! So here's a glimpse of what we've been up to the last few weeks!

July 4th, we had a family picnic at the Moyer farm. These times are so precious because I'm not sure how many more years we will be able to share these times together! My mind is flooded with so many childhood memories whenever I'm at the farm. The memories are especially poignant when I'm there watching my own children enjoy the farm the way I did at their age! I'm so blessed to have my children know their great grandparents!



We had a church picnic July 5th and the kids wore themselves out for a second day in row! This over-sized ball kept the kids busy for quite a while!














Garrett playing kickball with the kids who live across the street from our church and came over with their mom for the picnic. They seemed to enjoy getting to know the church people better, so hopefully they will visit for a service sometime soon.














Carson playing a little catch with Daddy.














Jeff proving he can still keep up in a game of volleyball! (I believe the married men team soundly beat the teen guys team!)














Carson and Garrett ganging up on Caleb, one of our pastor's sons. :)
















Then we finally got the boys some sand for the sandbox! Don't ask me why there's never any sand left by the end of the summer, but, they are now using the sandbox for what it was intended once again!

Of course, helping Pop Pop mow his yard with the riding mower is high on their list of favorite things to do! :)

And Mom Mom had some new gadgets for blowing bubbles, which was tons of fun, too!

All in all, July has been lots of fun! Whew! I think I'm just about caught up for now. FOR NOW! Ha, I'm sure I'll be falling behind again quickly. It's just the story of my life! :)

Swimming Fun!

We had the opportunity to spend the afternoon at a friends' pool the other day, and the boys had so much fun! I have a feeling their little kiddie pool at home will not provide as much excitement for them from now on! :)

Boys n' Baseball

Our boys get a wee bit excited about baseball. They love the Phillies, but will settle for watching any team play. This past weekend we were able to take them to watch the LV Iron Pigs play curtesy of my hubby's company. What a picture perfect night for baseball! Last year we went and it was 98 degrees at 8 o'clock in the evening! This time we could have used a sweatshirt by the end of the night. It was gorgeous!

The boys had a great time, of course! I was able to relax and enjoy the atmosphere of the ballpark, but I'm afraid my sweetheart didn't get to do the same for all the trips for food, the bathroom, and the playground. He was a dear, and I was able to get a few pictures of it all!

Unfortunately we didn't make it to the end of the game and the fireworks display. Our 3 yr. old and 5 yr. old would have been a little grumpy for Sunday School the next morning. :) Hopefully in another year or two, we can get it all in on a Saturday night. Plus, I'm sure we'll be able to see some fireworks this coming 4th of July weekend! Ahhh, great family memories.

Rain, Rain, Rain

This has become the standard weather scene around here lately! Hmmm, I know I should never complain about too much rain. But. . .

I would certainly enjoy seeing the sun shining brightly on my flowers again sometime soon. And I'm sure my veggie garden would appreciate basking in some warm sunshine for a few hours!

Ahh, well. Maybe tomorrow? :)

Teach Me to Number My Days

Teach us to number our days, that we may gain a heart of wisdom.

- Psalm 90:12


Each day, with the gift of a whole, entire, precious, and priceless day before you, ask: "Lord, how do You want me to live this day? What is it You want me to do with this one day You have given me? What is the work You want me to accomplish today?"

- Elizabeth George


Nine-tenths of wisdom consists in being wise in scheduling time.

- President Theodore Roosevelt


(all of the above is noted in the book Small Changes for a Better Life, by Elizabeth George)

We May Have Turned a Corner

My three year old little man has always had a difficult time when it comes to being separated from mommy. Specifically at church for his Sunday School class, or Junior Church, or the Wednesday evening kids' program (Truth Trackers). We finally decided to scale it back to just Sunday School, figuring we needed to take baby steps with this boy! Alas, even just a 20 minute Sunday morning class seemed more than he could or would handle. He is always very good sitting in "big church" with us (for a 3-yr. old), but we really felt he should be able to attend all his classes without crying through the entire hour.

However, this past week, it was like a light switch flipped on in his brain, (or his will), and he attended Sunday School and morning Junior Church on Sunday with a smile, and then Wednesday evening, he did the same for that class! I'm still in shock. I'm just praying that it's a new beginning and not a fluke! :) What a blessing to be able to sing and pray with my hubby, and listen to the pastor's words from scripture minus a child's whispers and wiggles. It was like a date! So, I'm very hopeful that my "baby" boy is starting to grow up a little! It's definitely about time!

Little Boys Fishing

I haven't had more fun in recent memory than when we took the boys fishing for the first time! They were obsessed with fishing before they even knew what it was really all about!

The time finally came a few weeks ago. The boys waited all day for daddy to come home from work! They couldn't think of anything else to do with so much anticipation building inside them, so they sat with their tackle boxes on the back porch waiting, and waiting for daddy.

Finally he came and we loaded up the truck with all the gear and headed out to the lake at the gun club where daddy knew all the good fishing spots to keep impatient little boys busy reeling in fishies! :)

I had camera duty, of course, and what great opportunities for photos they gave me! I had almost as much fun snapping pictures as they did fishing!

So we went again on Memorial Day, and the boys enjoyed another great day of fishing! I had to force them to stop to eat! It's in their blood, I guess! They are definitely all boy and I have a feeling there are years of outdoor fun ahead of us! Oh what adventures we will have! I'm so blessed to have my precious family!