Deanna

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Wrapping Up Week 25 (2014-15)

Posted on February 8, 2015 by Deanna

This week had one main focus, and pretty much everything else just got squeezed in. We kept up with Little Pilgrim’s Progress and Ian’s online math programs, as well as our literature from Ambleside Online, Year 1, and we started our final book in the God’s Design for Life series: The World of Plants. However most of our time was centered around our history/Bible lessons because all the kids loved what we were doing.

History Cycle

As a follow up to what we talked about last week, we kicked off our history lessons by watching Julius Caesar from the Shakespeare: The Animated Tales series. I wasn’t sure how well it would capture Ian’s attention, but he and Elijah were both into the whole thing. When it was done he asked me if I had any other movies about Julius Caesar and was disappointed I hadn’t been able to find anything else at the library.

I asked Ian to tell me what he knew about Jesus and the beginning of the church and decided to move on to the persecution of Christians under Nero. I read to him about Nero in A Child’s History of the World by V.M. Hillyer, and then pulled out The Complete Storykeepers Collection, a book of all the stories in the Storykeepers video series.

The thirteen episodes include stories about Jesus (a nice Bible review!), but mostly they provide a glimpse at life as persecuted Christians living in Rome at the time of Nero. I don’t remember how I first heard of these stories, but I started trying to track down copies of the videos a couple months ago to get ready for this part of our history cycle. Amazon had some used copies, but they were all more than I could spend. Several of the episodes are on YouTube, but I couldn’t find them all. Finally I tracked down a fabulous clearance sale at happybuys.com, where I was able to get the entire series on 3 DVDs for $8 (plus shipping). The only problem (as we discovered this week when we went to watch them) was that the DVDs aren’t Region 1 and wouldn’t play in our DVD player. Luckily they played fine on my computer, so I still think it was worth it. (It’s hooked up to our TV anyway, so it really didn’t matter except that I couldn’t use my computer while they watched.)

The kids LOVED these videos. I’m letting them watch two each day (one for our morning Bible movie, and one at lunch time) so we can get through the whole series before I want to move on with our history lessons. The Complete Storykeepers Collection is easy for Ian to read, and he gets excited about the stories before I let them watch the videos (which have a lot more details). Then as interesting topics come up we pull out other resources to go into a little more depth. This week we looked through a book I’d bought in Rome about the catacombs, as well as doing a couple pages in The Storykeepers Activity Book to learn about the ichthus symbol.

It’s going to be hard to go back to our regular routine after spending this week (and weekend) with the Storykeepers. Secret symbols, underground hideouts, daring adventure… what’s not to love?

Upcoming Reviews

We’re currently getting familiar with several products. Watch for reviews soon!

The Berenstain Bears and the Biggest Brag (book)
In Freedom’s Cause (audio drama)
emu oil products from Koru Naturals
Math Analogies, Beginning from Critical Thinking Co. (software)
GPALOVEMATH from GPA LEARN

Posted in Ambleside Online

Wrapping Up Week 24 (2014-15)

Posted on February 1, 2015 by Deanna

Last week we finished our 2nd term (of three) for school this year, which felt really good! Along with that came a milestone I’ve been eagerly awaiting. Ian is a good reader, but he’s never really gotten into it. He loves books if he’s being read to, but he just couldn’t be convinced that they were equally enjoyable to read himself. Then this week when we were at the library, he grabbed a Geronimo Stilton book as we were walking out, and for the rest of the day, he had his nose glued to that book. At home, in the car, in bed… I think he spent about 4 hours total, finishing up that night as Daddy went in to turn out his lights when we went to bed. That’s how I spent most of my childhood, and I’ve seen my nieces develop a similar love and wondered if Ian would ever get there. So this mama was celebrating at the sight!

Bible/Circle Time

Our morning Bible videos have become something all the kids look forward to, and I love how familiar they’re becoming with the stories of Jesus. Ian continued to create pages to go along with the two chapters we read from Little Pilgrim’s Progress each day.

Math

We made some major in changes in math this week! Last week I shared about how I was thinking of letting Ian take a break from Mathematics Enhancement Programme once we finished Year 2 so Elijah could catch up and I could teach them together. After praying about it more, however, I felt that we shouldn’t even wait to finish out this year. It’s not that things seem too hard, but I felt like we should just stop where we were.

Instead, Ian is doing all of his work on the computer using various programs we have subscriptions to thanks to reviews I’ve done in the last year. We still have a little time left on CTC Math, and I’m using that as his main lesson source since it systematically works through the curriculum without any distracting game options. Ian really enjoys it and has been completing multiple lessons each day all on his own initiative. I’m hoping we can finish the 1st grade curriculum before our subscription expires in March.

$CTC Math$

A couple days I had him do some activities on Mathletics, but since he really enjoys all the “extras” on that site I prefer to save it for a reward. (He earns time on Mathletics by scoring well on his xtramath.org flashcard work.) He’s also been enjoying a trial of GPALOVEMATH. We’re about to start officially reviewing this program, so it will probably become his primary math curriculum in the weeks to come.

Ian is LOVING this change. He’s thrilled to have time to work on the computer, and it’s no longer a struggle to get through math each day. I do want to go back to MEP eventually (at least that’s my plan at this point), but I’m hoping that this break will help Ian finish building a really solid math foundation.

Literature

Ian is continuing to love the Just So Stories by Rudyard Kipling. This week we read the chapter about the first letter, and he was cracking up at all the confusion. He’s also really improving at narrating things back to me, particularly the Aesop’s fables. I’m glad he’s enjoying the literature selections from Ambleside Online, Year 1 so much.

History Cycle

We finished Our Little Roman Cousin of Long Ago by Julia Darrow Cowles. It wasn’t my favorite book in the series, but maybe it was just because the Roman culture didn’t seem quite so distinct as that of Athens and Sparta. We continued learning about Rome by reading about Roman builders and gladiators in Story of the World, Vol. 1 by Susan Wise Bauer, and we read the chapters about Julius Caesar and Augustus in A Child’s History of the World by V.M. Hillyer.

Then for fun, we started reading See You Later, Gladiator (from the Time Warp Trio series) by Jon Scieszka. It’s a great one for Ian and I to take turns reading to each other.

Science

With the end of the term, we finished our second book in God’s Design for Life, getting through the last few lessons The Human Body. There were several great videos we watched about the immune system:

Ian was an expert by the time we finished all of that! We also watched Bill Nye the Science Guy: Genes, which both boys found fascinating. Elijah was rather indignant that he’d never heard about genes before. (He loves going through See Inside Your Body, and he couldn’t believe it didn’t include a section on genetics.)

As a little extra, we’ve been watching some caterpillars go through metamorphosis, and this was a big week. On Monday most had already entered the chrysalis stage, though we had one late bloomer who was still crawling around. By Friday we had several butterflies! We’ve been wanting to get caterpillars for years so we could watch this whole process up close, so we were excited to get a butterfly habitat from Grandma for Christmas!

Upcoming Reviews

We’re currently getting familiar with several products. Watch for reviews soon!

The Berenstain Bears and the Biggest Brag (book)
In Freedom’s Cause (audio drama)
emu oil products from Koru Naturals
Math Analogies, Beginning from Critical Thinking Co. (software)
GPALOVEMATH from GPA LEARN

Posted in Ambleside Online

Every Life a Blessing

Posted on January 29, 2015 by Deanna

The last few months have been a roller coaster of emotions for me. In October we were overjoyed to find out we were pregnant with our 5th child, only to lose her later that month. (It was too soon to know the gender, but I strongly felt she was a girl, so we went with it.) My miscarriage left an ache in my heart beyond anything I could have imagined.

Within a few weeks, I found out that two close friends were expecting, and I discovered that it is possible to feel elated and devastated at the same time. As I rejoiced with them, all I could think of was the months ahead, passing with empty arms the day when our sweet Promise Rose would have been born and then watching their precious babes join these families we love like our own.

The empty ache I felt lessened a bit when I found out God had blessed us with another baby, but that made my emotions more jumbled than ever. Part of me felt guilty that I missed Promise even a little bit less. Part of me was just so relieved to have some respite from the pain. And part of me was excited that my friends and I would get to walk through pregnancy together.

And then this morning, one of those friends lost her little boy, Isaac. It sent me reeling. The sorrow and shock I felt with my own miscarriage came flooding back, and all I could do was cry, just as my friend had cried with me after Promise died.

I don’t understand why these little ones’ time on earth was so short. I suppose I won’t this side of heaven. But Isaac’s life was a blessing, not just to his family, but to all of us who love him and had looked forward to meeting him. And while we’ll have to wait a little longer for that day, I’m comforted by the thought that Promise was there to welcome him into Heaven, and that the two of them are experiencing more love, joy, and peace than they ever could have known on earth, because they are with the Lord. Someday, they’ll have a lot to share with us.

All the time, God is good.

He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away. Revelation 21:4

Posted in Personal

Motivate Your Child (Book Review)

Posted on January 27, 2015 by Deanna

Do your kids do what needs to be done without you having to remind them? Yeah, neither do mine. At least not yet. But after reading Motivate Your Child: A Christian Parent’s Guide to Raising Kids Who Do What They Need to Do Without Being Told by Dr. Scott Turansky and Joanne Miller, I am optimistic that we’re heading in that direction. This has been one of the most helpful parenting books I’ve read in a long time, full of practical ideas and strategies for reaching children’s hearts as we prepare and equip them for life.

At a Glance

Motivate Your Child is about helping children grow and mature so that they can choose what’s right. Throughout the book Turansky and Miller refer to three levels of thinking. “Level one” refers to kids’ ordinary, everyday thinking about themselves and their activities. “Level two” thinking requires a bit more responsibility, focusing on other people and things outside of oneself. “Level three” goes even further, considering God’s hand in a situation. As we train our child’s conscience, we help enhance the higher levels of thinking so they consider more than just themselves when making choices.

I have found so many helpful ideas in this book that go against the typical parenting advice I’ve seen (and put into practice). “Internal motivation develops in children when parents focus on the heart instead of simply using reward and punishment to get their kids to act” (p. 43). That seems contrary to so much of what I’ve thought was the normal way to parent, and yet it makes so much more sense. Rather than encouraging our kids to focus on external rewards, we need to reach their hearts.

For example, in the chapter on “When Kids Make Mistakes,” the authors give three questions to ask when talking with your child after they’ve made a bad choice:

What did you do wrong?
Why was that wrong?
What are you going to do differently next time?

By walking through this process, parents can help their children really consider the choice they made at a heart level, rather than simply dealing with the external circumstances.

This is just a glimpse at the wealth of helpful ideas for reaching your child’s heart. I especially appreciated the many examples from other families and the chance to see what has worked for them. Motivate Your Child left me feeling better equipped to teach my children about integrity, compassion, and honor, all qualities I hope to see in them as they grow into adulthood.

The second half of the book focus on children’s spiritual development, particularly through the “Family Challenge,” an intentional time for the family to spiritually connect once a week. While the first section helped me see a lot I wasn’t doing well, this part was encouraging because I think we’ve already established many of the ideas given here, like having a regular family time, teaching our children Scripture, and showing our kids faith in action. There are plenty of ideas for helping us continue to grow in those areas, as well as encouraging conversation starters for talking to our children about making their own commitments to Christ.

In Our Family

I have read several books that emphasize the importance of reaching a child’s heart, and all of them have left me frustrated to a certain extent, because it’s really hard to talk to young children on a heart level. Now that my oldest is elementary age, I’m finally starting to see some comprehension when I address the attitudes and motivation behind his behavior. However, after reading Motivate Your Child, I feel encouraged to keep trying with my younger children practicing the words that will mean more in the future, even if they don’t fully understand now.

As I read through the first section, I saw many areas where things haven’t been working for me and I’ve started to make the necessary changes. Too often I try to motivate my children with rewards, rather than helping them develop a desire to do the right thing. I’m also working on tightening my “action point” (when they actually respond versus when I first tell them to do something). I tend to give the older boys instruction and then go help the little ones, only to come back and get frustrated when I find the boys playing rather than accomplishing whatever it was I told them to do. Just these two areas have given me plenty to work on already, but I’ve seen positive results, and I look forward to putting some of the other things I’ve learned into practice, especially as my children get older.

Special Offer for the Book’s Release

If you’re interested in reading Motivate Your Child yourself, you might want to act fast. The National Center for Biblical Parenting is offering an amazing Bonus Package for anyone who purchases the book before January 31, 2015. It has audio and video resources as well as helpful tools for implementing many of the ideas in the book.

If you’ve followed my blog you know how much I love books and how our house is almost overflowing with them. I’ve been thinking about culling my shelves for treasures and clearing out the rest. Motivate Your Child is definitely a book I’ll be saving and reading again. And once I’ve made room on my shelves, I’ll be looking to the National Center for Biblical Parenting for more resources to help us as we disciple our children.

Posted in Book reviews, Parenting Resources

Wrapping Up Week 23 (2014-15)

Posted on January 23, 2015 by Deanna

This was one of those weeks where I’m amazed we managed to get any schoolwork done at all. In addition to our regularly scheduled activities (ballet, gymnastics, music, park day…), three of the kids had to go in to the doctor for their regular check-ups. Then you throw in the fact that I am in the blessed throes of first trimester nausea (we found out 3 days after I wrote about my Word for 2015!), and you can understand my amazement that we somehow got anything accomplished this week.

Bible/Circle Time

Ian is really enjoying Little Pilgrim’s Progress, and it I weren’t having him write a little for each chapter, we’d probably read a lot more than two each day. Still, I think it’s good to pace ourselves, as it’s giving him time to really think about the story. I found a Pilgrim’s Progress game on eBay, which Ian was really excited to set up and play. Some of the characters and places are from parts of the book we’ve yet to read, and he’s eager to find out more about them now that he’s seen them in the game.

Math

In our continued attempts to help Ian master his addition facts, I decided to try listening to songs from Mondo Math that cover the facts from 1-12 using various fun musical styles. I’m not sure if they’re going to help Ian, but Elijah absolutely loves them, especially the second half of the songs, where they don’t say the answers and he gets to call them out himself. I can guarantee that Elijah is going to have his facts memorized long before first grade. Hopefully Ian’s natural competitiveness will help push him to learn them as well, rather than being outdone by his little brother.

He’s doing pretty well with his daily practice on xtramath.org, though some new facts were added in this week, which threw him for a loop. When he scores well, he’s rewarded with free time on Mathletics, which ironically he’s been choosing to spend in the section with songs for learning his times tables. I pray that will be a less painful process for him than the addition facts!

Through it all, he’s still working through MEP (Year 2). I adore MEP, but it definitely requires quite a bit of teacher involvement, so I’m wondering if it’s going to be the best choice for us next year when we’re adjusting to a new baby. I’m considering letting Ian take some time off MEP to do something he can work on more independently while letting Elijah catch up (he’s about halfway through MEP Year 1). Then they can move onto Year 3 together so I’d only be teaching one math lesson each day. This idea has been in my head for almost a year, but the new baby is making me think about it more seriously. My main hesitation is simply in not letting Ian move forward when he’s been doing so well. But it would probably do him good to just sit on what he’s learned for a while.

Everything Else

Apart from math and spelling, our week was pretty thin. We managed to keep our heads above water as far as our Ambleside Online, Year 1 readings. We got through a few chapters of Our Little Roman Cousin of Long Ago, and covered lessons 29-31 on skin in The Human Body (including fingerprints, which led to a messy time of exploration), but we didn’t manage to do any notebooking or extras of any kind.

Upcoming Reviews

I’m currently reviewing several products, especially now that the Schoolhouse Review Crew is back for 2015. Watch for more about these soon!

The Berenstain Bears and the Biggest Brag (book)
In Freedom’s Cause (audio drama)
products from Koru Naturals
Math Analogies, Beginning from Critical Thinking Co. (software)

Posted in Ambleside Online

Theo: God’s Love (video review)

Posted on January 23, 2015 by Deanna

God's Love (Volume 1) Home Edition - DVD

I recently heard a mom talking about the Theo Bible story videos her kids had been enjoying, and since I’m always looking for resources to help teach my children about Scripture, I headed over to www.theopresents.com to find out more. Right away I noticed the company’s emphasis on teaching children God’s Word, and I was delighted to get a chance to review the three episodes from the DVD Theo: God’s Love.

The main characters are two mice, Belfry and Luther, and the old pastor with whom they live, whose name is Theo. Each episode follows the same basic formula: Belfry and Luther face a problem, then Theo explains a basic doctrine that addresses that problem, followed by a Bible story to illustrate the point.

Quick Summaries

In “Saving Faith” Theo teaches about the meaning of “faith,” whether it be in false things such as superstitions or true faith in God. Then he tells the story of Abraham and Sarah following God to the land of Canaan.

In “Loving Obedience”, Theo teaches about ways we can please God by obeying His Word. Then the Bible story of Jonah.

In “Forgiveness,” Belfry, eats the special treats Luther has been saving. Theo teaches them the meaning of the word forgiveness and then tells the parable of “The Unforgiving Servant.” He shares about how our sin puts us in debt to God, and how God forgives us.

Our Thoughts

I loved the beautiful animation and solid teaching. It is rare to find such a well thought out resource for teaching theology to children. The characters were fun and likeable, and I loved the way Theo was often singing through an old hymn. My children were immediately drawn in, and their only complaint was that they wanted more to watch. Each episode is about 9-10 minutes long, with three episodes on each of the five DVDs currently available.

In addition to the videos themselves, I was impressed by the free parent guides offered on the website (in addition to coloring and activity pages). For each episode, the parent guide gives Scripture references for the verses used in the video, as well as discussion questions, a “family activity,” and 6 days of family devotions. These would be a wonderful resource for families looking for ways to spend time together in the Bible.

If you’re interested in checking out the Theo series, the 5-minute bonus episode “Good News” is available to download for free. Other episodes are available for purchase on DVD or as downloads from the Theo website. I hope you enjoy Theo as much as we did!

DISCLAIMER: I received the digital downloads of the three episode from God is Love for free in exchange for my honest review.

Posted in Bible lessons, Homeschool Resources, Product reviews

Wrapping Up Week 22 (2014-15

Posted on January 18, 2015 by Deanna

This week felt more like we were mostly back into the swing of things after the holidays, and we’ve fallen into a workable routine.

Bible/Circle Time

The kids are making their way through the Animated Stories from the New Testament videos first thing each morning as they eat breakfast. Then after they’ve gotten through their morning responsibilities we continue reading through two chapters from Little Pilgrim’s Progress each morning, with Ian creating pages for his book. His pictures were all starting to look alike (two stick people), so I told him he needed to put a little more effort into making sure the pictures helped tell about each chapter. I did see some improvement after that discussion. Now we need to work on making sure every word gets written. (He narrates back to me and then helps me come up with a sentence, which I write down for him to copy.)

Math

This week we worked on learning the 3s on the times table. While I didn’t push Ian to memorize them at this point (though the lesson plans do suggest it), he was definitely becoming familiar with them. Since he’s still working on this addition facts on xtramath.org, however, I’d rather he save his multiplication facts for later. I don’t know of any other curriculum that expects 1st graders to know them, so I’m not too worried about it.

Literature

So far in our readings for Ambleside Online, Year 1, Ian hasn’t been too fond of Rudyard Kipling’s Just So Stories, but this week I realized that the problem may have been that I had him listening to an audiobook as we drove. This week we read about the Armadillos, and he didn’t want me to put the book down. Kipling does have a unique style of writing, and I think perhaps the accent of the reader made it hard for Ian to understand.

History Cycle

We continued reading Our Little Roman Cousin of Long Ago by Julia Darrow Cowles. Ian enjoyed looking through pictures from my first trip to Rome many years ago, and especially seeing the same places I told him about when we watched the first episode on Imperial Rome from Kid’s Animated History With Pipo and the first episode on ancient Rome from Drive Thru History.

Science

This week we talked about the respiratory system (lessons 27-28 in The Human Body from God’s Design for Life). Ian like the activity comparing our lung capacities by seeing how big we could blow up a balloon using only one breath.

These lessons sent Ian running to get our copy of one of his favorite books, See Inside Your Body. He also enjoyed catching up on the pages about circulation and respiration in The Usborne Human Body Sticker Book.

Upcoming Reviews

I’m currently reviewing several products, especially now that the Schoolhouse Review Crew is back for 2015. Watch for more about these soon!

Theo: God’s Love (video)
The Berenstain Bears and the Biggest Brag (book)
In Freedom’s Cause (audio drama)
products from Koru Naturals
Math Analogies, Beginning from Critical Thinking Co. (software)

Posted in Ambleside Online

Wrapping Up Week 21 (2014-15)

Posted on January 12, 2015 by Deanna

I’m a bit late in writing about last week because life got crazy as we approached the weekend. Between two family parties and then a Sunday morning trip to urgent care with two sick kids, I just couldn’t find time to write about our first week back after the holidays until now.

Bible/Circle Time

As I mentioned last week, I’ve given up trying to do a morning Bible time in addition to what we do in the evenings. Instead, I’ve been putting on a Bible story video each day while the kids eat breakfast.

We started our school time reading two chapters of Little Pilgrim’s Progress each day that we were home. On Monday as an introduction, we watched the video The John Bunyan Story from the Torchlighters series.

I’m having Ian put together his own book telling the story, so we first did a page “About the Author,” and then I hope to have him do one for each chapter of the book. (Some days we combined both chapters on one page.) Once we’re finished (if we keep it up), he’ll have his own book of the story. This week he finished four pages:

I’m also requiring Elijah to stay with us while we read the story each day, though he doesn’t have any written assignments for it.

Math

Ian started into multiplication and division this week with lessons 91-95 in Mathematics Enhancement Programme (Year 2). I was surprised at how quickly he caught on. It almost seemed easier for him than addition and subtraction. He’s back to working on xtramath.org each morning to keep trying to master his addition facts.

Literature

We didn’t quite get caught up on our literature selections in Ambleside Online, Year 1, but we did make some good progress. For the first time, Ian really got into our story in James Herriot’s Treasury for Children. We were just supposed to read “Blossom Comes Home,” but he wanted to keep reading, so we went a head a little. He also requested the stories as we were driving since I keep the audiobook CDs in our van. It’s always hard to win him over to new audio resources at first (he loves his favorites too much to risk branching out), and I think sitting with the book helped him realize what great stories these are.

History Cycle

We finished up learning about Alexander the Great before Christmas, so we started moving on to the ancient Romans this week. I introduced Rome by reading the story of Romulus and Remus from Story of the World, Vol. 1 by Susan Wise Bauer and Chapter 30: “Picking A Fight” in A Child’s History of the World by V.M. Hillyer. Then we started Our Little Roman Cousin of Long Ago by Julia Darrow Cowles.

Science

In The Human Body we covered lessons 24-26 on the circulatory system. Ian added the heart to his life-sized chart of the body from the My Body unit from Teacher Created Resources. (I downloaded it from CurrClick, but it’s also available as a book from Amazon). We also watched two episodes of Bill Nye the Science Guy: Blood and Circulation and Heart.

Posted in Ambleside Online

The January Revamp

Posted on January 8, 2015 by Deanna

As we headed back to school on Monday, I realized I’ve made quite a few changes in what we’re doing. Nothing major, but lots of little things added up to this feeling that we were starting something new. I think I did the same thing last year when we came back from Christmas break. This year I’m making an intentional effort to lighten things up and make things easier for both the kids and myself.

We’ve dropped a lot of extra history reading, and we’ve added Spelling You See back into our regular day schedule. (I don’t even really remember why we’d dropped it. I think it was because of the holidays.)

I’ve stopped beating myself up about not doing Bible lessons first thing in the morning. Our kids get plenty of Bible in the evenings with our family. So instead of trying to do something academic related to the Bible in the mornings, I’ve decided to put on a Bible video while the kids eat breakfast so they start their day thinking about the Lord, but without trying to fit in a second Bible time each day.

I’m also trying to make it a priority to go to the library each week so my preschoolers can enjoy story time, and we’ve started doing a park day with other homeschool friends right after that.

I don’t know if this is just going to be the way things are every year, doing a total revamp over the Christmas break, but think the changes we’ve made are good. I’m looking forward to settling into our new routine and seeing how the rest of our school year turns out.

Posted in Uncategorized

Word for 2015: Blessed

Posted on December 31, 2014 by Deanna

As I consider the coming year, my mind first jumps to the things I hope will come to pass. While I think it is important to hope and dream, I do not want to do so at the cost of overlooking the abundance with which the Lord has already blessed me. I considered “gratitude” or “thankfulness,” but in the end, I decided there was a more appropriate “Word for 2015” for me: Blessed.

Ever since we lost our fifth child early in my pregnancy last fall, I’ve been hoping we might still have another. Yet even if 2015 closes without any new members of our family, I don’t want to forget that I am blessed.

I dream of moving to a house with a big yard so my kids can spend more time outside each day. Yet even if we head into 2016 still in our mobile home, I am blessed.

Life is fragile. I know too well how quickly things can change, as our family has lost several loved ones over the last few years. If in the next twelve months we have to say good-bye yet again, we are still blessed.

I want to to walk through 2015 with this word at the forefront of my mind as I go about my daily life. I don’t know what this year will hold for me, but I do know this:

And in Your book were all written
The days that were ordained for me,
When as yet there was not one of them (Psalm 139:16b)

The Lord alone knows what is ahead, and whatever happens, I want to remember that I am …