It's True!!!

So..... I have gotten behind in my Bible reading and the Power of a Positive Mom.

I have had a very bad day.....WEEK; with my attitude toward my children. They have not been acting good toward each other or doing their work diligently like they should.

I've been wondering why I am so short and ugly with them. Then I picked up my Power of a Positive Mom book yesterday and began to read.
I realized, I haven't been reading the bible or praying in the mornings. It's funny how I was behind on my reading, but I needed the Positive Mom chapters this week, not last.

I never thought it would really make that big of a difference,but Oh my Lord; it's like someone else has taken over my mind this week.

So starting tomorrow, I'm going back to my reading the bible in the mornings. I'm going to test this theory out. Let's see if by Monday my attitude is better. I bet it will be. I know my kids hope it will be.

I know my children need to be disciplined, but I want to do it in a loving way. I'm not saying that I abuse my girls, so don't go calling the authorities on me. LoL

When I walk away from them after I have gotten on to them; I don't want to feel bad for the way I acted. That bad, isn't it? How can I expect them to act right when I can't.

So, great things are to come.

Weekly Wrap-Up

This week I have been trying to figure out what my oldest daughter is going to do for high school.  It's hard to try to figure out what she will be doing four years from now.  So much can happen between now and then.

This is Baylee being stubborn at Walmart.  So, we thought we would just walk off any leave her.

Baylee has had a pretty good week using the new Abeka materia.  She is still struggle in Spelling, but I think she just needs to study more.  Her reading comprehension is great.  She got A's on both her Language and Reading Quiz for this week.  Yippie!!!

She had her first History Test with Abeka, also.  She did good on it too; she got an 88.  She seems to be really enjoying the textbook method.  It just seems like she is getting so much more from her school work.  We also started covering the Ancient Middle East.

She never has any trouble in Science.  She has been reading about insects.  She also went to Sci Quest this week, and they studied cells.  Here are some pictures

:

This is a cell.

Baylee is making good grades in math as well, but I think she needs a little more work on her multiplication.  I am thinking about using Math-U-See over the summer to give her a little boost.

Molly has had a good week too.

She continues to do good in her physical science class.  I hope she likes chemistry as much as she does physical science, next year.  She is studying about electromagnetic waves this week.

Molly is still working in the Analytical Grammar book.  Grammar use to be her weak subject, but she seems to really be catching on now.  This week she is working on helping verbs.

She has started reading To Kill A Mockingbird.  At first she did not like it, now it is just okay.  This coming from a girl that LOVES to read.  When she gets grounded, it is from reading.  I hope as the book progresses she will enjoy it more.

She also took her first history test, and made a 90.  Woohoo!!!  Once again, she is loving the textbook method.  She is now covering the Fertile Crescent.

She is moving along in Algebra 1, but sometimes I am afraid she is not retaining everything that she is learning.  I may use Math-U-See's Algebra text for her this summer just to make sure.  I have heard a lot this week about making sure that their Algebra facts are firm before moving on.  It has me a little worried.

Molly is making oatmeal cookies for a party tonight.

Finished Product

Guess who gets to clean up the mess?

We have our spring piano recital coming up, and the director over the school has asked Molly to sing at it.  The recital is in May, and Molly is already getting nervous over it.  

Baylee has been asked to do an impromptu speech with 2 other girls at the Debate / Speech Parent meeting. 

It is so funny how ones weakness is another ones strength.  Baylee loves speech and performing in front of people, and it terrifies Molly.  Molly has gotten better since she has started taking Speech, but she still has a long way to go.
Both girls are reading Mark in the Bible.  We are also working on the suggestions from the Doorpost Blog.  They have been great, and I could really tell a difference in the girls last week. 

To get back to the Weekly Wrap-Up ........

Progress!!!

I did okay this week. 

1.  I got up at 8:00 most days.  Sometimes it's just so hard to make myself get out of bed when there is nothing pressing to do.  We can always do school work later in the day...right?  That is until someone calls and wants us to go do something with them.  But, I did make some progress :)



2.   My sink was clean most nights too.  Last night I didn't get to it before we went to bed, and my husband said, "One night won't hurt ya." 

3.   I have been doing great on reading 3 chapters a day in the Bible.  Some days I read more.  I really hope I can stick to this one.  I want to read with B90Days in July. 

The Power of a Positive Mom - Ch. 1-2

I am reading the Power of a Positive Mom with Jenn from Daze of Adventure at The Homeschool Village.  If you want to follow click on the book.

The first week, we are reading the introduction - Chapter 2.  There are questions and Power Points to along with each chapter.

I am reading this book, because I feel like I can be negative and hard sometimes with girls.  I can definitely use some improvement.  I hope when I am done reading that my girls can see a difference in me.....that I can see a difference in me.

So here is what we went over this week:

• The influence of a mother; the worth of a mother = $507,000......priceless
• Being a mother broadens our worldviews and opens our hearts to a deeper compassion and love for others.  It constantly exposes us to new challenges and stretches us to learn new skills.
• The day to day "job" of being a mother may not be glamorous, but we are achieving an important end goal:  raising the next generation.
• We are essential in our children's lives.  Our job has more than monetary value; it has eternal worth!
• Create a job description for ourselves and a Statement of Belief and Purpose.  I have not created my job description yet.  It's not as easy as it seems.

 

My Personal Statement of Belief and Purpose

I believe I was created by God for a purpose.  I believe my purpose is to worship and love the Lord.  I believe God has created me with unique gifts, talents, and abilities that he can use to bless and enrich my family and the people around me.  My strengths include:  My love for the Lord, my love for learning.........

I recognize that I also have certain weaknesses, yet I know that when I am weak, God is strong.  I trust him to do a great work in my family.  My hope for my family is:  to put the Lord first, to have a happy life, to love each other and be kind to everyone, and to love to learn.

Okay the statement is a work in progress, but hopefully the more I read the better my statement will get.

Not my will.....But HIS

So many different verses stuck out to me.  Maybe this won't be a long post.

S - Matthew 2:12;  Matthew 2:13; Matthew 2:20 & 22

• "And having been warned in a dream not to go back to Herod, they returned to their country by another route"
• When they had gone, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream. "Get up," he said, "take the child and his mother and escape to Egypt....."
• Get up, take the child and his mother and go to the land of Israel.....Having been warned in a dream, he withdrew to the district of Galilee.

O - Once again complete obedience.  Of course we don't know what they were thinking, but they still did as they were told.  Just imagine the relationship they must have had with God.  

A - Okay, two days in a row.....the same message.  Maybe the Lord is trying to tell me something.  These people did as Jesus told them, without murmuring, complaining, or questioning him.  At least outloud.  I would have done all three, and I would have definitely questioned him on my return.  I would have wanted to make sure it was safe before I returned.  I want that kind of relationship with the Lord.  When he tells me something, first, I want to hear it; and second I want to act without murmuring, complaining, or questioning Him.

P -   Lord, please help me to draw closer to you and hear your voice.  Help me to “Do all things without murmurings and disputing” (Philippians 2:14).  And help to give thanks in everything: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you” (1 Thessalonians 5:18).

Just a few other verses that stuck out:

• Matthew 3:8-9   "Produce fruit in keeping with repentance. And do not think you can say to yourselves, ' We have Abraham as our father......"
• Matthew 3:17   "And a voice from heaven said, " This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased."

Schedule Rebellion - Homemakers Challenge

 A schedule has always been a challenge for us.  I love make one out, getting it all typed up, and color coded.  But, we never followed through;  we have so many outside activities it's hard to stay on schedule.  

So this is a great challenge at JoyfulMothering.net.  I am doing the 3in30 challenge also and getting up at 8:00 is one of my goals, but the one task I want to do for this challenge is my personal devotions / bible time in the morning.  It seems like the day would be so much better if I could do this first thing in the morning.   

But, I usually stay up late therefore I sleep late, and I usually don't have time to read the bible in the mornings.  EXCUSES....no good!!!

Monday: I read and reflected; I loved the quite and reflecting time with the Lord. 

Tuesday: I read and did the SOAP Method.  I feel like I am getting so much more from my reading by doing this method.


Wednesday: It was more mid-morning before I got done with this.  But I am still going do it and loving it.  I feel like I am getting so much more out of my reading.  I am not sure if it is making my days better, but I know if I stick to it; eventually it will.


Thursday:  I usually read 1 chapter in the morning with momstoolbox, and I read several in the Old Testament before I go to bed.  This has been working out pretty good for me this week.


Friday:

Check back to see how my week is going.

Matthew 1 SOAP

I am Blogging thorugh the Gospels with MomsToolBox.  Hopefully this will help me when B90Days rolls around again, and I can finish this time.  If you are interested in seeing what SOAP is all about click on the soap button.  If you would like to follow along on the reading click on MomsToolBox.  I am not sure I will have time to blog everyday, but here is today's.


S - Matthew 1:24   When Joseph woke up, he did what the angel of the Lord had command him and took Mary home as his wife.

O - WOW!!!  He did what God told him too, the first time.  He must have really known God and had his praying done.

A - I would love to have a dream from God that I absolutely knew was from him.  I need to draw closer to God, so I can truly hear him and know HIS voice and act the first time he tells me something.

P - Lord, help me to set aside time each day to pray and read your word.  I want to live right, draw closer to you, and put you first in my life.

Weekly Wrap Up

 A few weeks ago  we switched from a classical approach to textbooks, and the girls love it.  It is not the way I wanted us to learn, but if that is what works best then we will stick to it.

I found Abeka 6th grade Language Arts for Baylee, so we started on it this week.  She seems to be enjoying it too.  She has always done good in grammar, so some of it just seems like review.  But, the reading part of it has been wonderful.  She is practicing her cursive writing, which she doesn't like.  She is also working on memorizing the poem "The Pasture".




In Science, she is covering Mollusks, Echinoderms, Anthropods, and Insects.  She loves it;  it seems like she can remember all the facts that she reads.  She just enjoys it so much that is sticks with her.
 In history, Baylee is studying the ancient middle east, the Phoenicians, Hittites, & Lydians.  I don't think she likes history as much as Molly and I do, but she likes it enough.


Molly has been studying helping and linking verbs in grammar.
I just got her To Kill A Mockingbird, so she should start on it next week.
 In Physical Science she is studying the applications of sound.  I have no idea what is going on here.  She goes to a class at our homeschool covering, and her dad helps her.  She is working on a bridge project.  Here are some pics of the bridge.

Molly absolutly loves the new history textbooks.  She is using the 9th grade Geography book from Abeka, so she covered latitude and longitude, map studies this week.

Both girls are reading Matthew in the bible, and practicing their piano.


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