Tales of Glory toys at Dollar Tree

I am so excited that I found the Tales of Glory Toys at the Dollar Tree! These are great bible character toys that I got for Alex a while back. He keeps them in the tub and plays with them every single time he takes a bath, though they aren’t bath toys. I bought every single one they had and even went to another Dollar Tree hoping they would have them. I am going to give these toys out for Easter presents to the kids at church. I even got a couple of them that Alex didn’t have.

Marie-Anne

Christmas Lights

There is a man and his wife who for the past 22 years have totally decorated their yard for Christmas. It is free and open to the public. They go all out there is life size animated Christmas things all over and tons of lights. They even have a train ride! We went the day after Christmas. It was very nice, but also very cold. We bought hot coca and cappuccino. Sabrina was covered up with blankets so she missed the lights. Alex and Frank rode the train. Then we went back to the car, but Alex wasn’t ready to leave so while Frank and Sabrina waited in the car we went back through it again. We plan to go back next year.

Marie-Anne

Christmas Day 2008

Our Christmas was great and I hope yours was as well. We opened presents in the morning. Alex, of course, got lots of toys. It was so funny when he opened a box with clothes. He said, “oh, clothes,” (picture a look of disgust) then I pulled back the tissue paper and he saw the fire trucks. Alex’s face lit up. We all got some nice gifts. After Alex opened his last present, (and he got a bunch, after all, he has a bunch of aunts) he asked where’s the rest of my presents! Does any one have any suggestions on teaching a young child to be thankful?

We also had a very nice service where Frank read the accounts of Jesus’ birth and we sang Christmas hymns. (Frank already blogged about the service.) It was a wonderful day.

Marie-Anne

Christmas Day

Our Christmas was great and I hope yours was as well. We opened presents in the morning. Alex, of course, got lots of toys. It was so funny when he opened a box with clothes. He said, “oh, clothes,” (picture a look of disgust) then I pulled back the tissue paper and he saw the fire trucks. Alex’s face lit up. We all got some nice gifts. After Alex opened his last present, (and he got a bunch, after all, he has a bunch of aunts) he asked where’s the rest of my presents! Does any one have any suggestions on teaching a young child to be thankful?

We also had a very nice service where Frank read the accounts of Jesus’ birth and we sang Christmas hymns. (Frank already blogged about the service.) It was a wonderful day.

Marie-Anne

Christmas Eve

We spent Christmas Eve with two wonderful ladies. They invited us over for a wonderful meal and we had a great visit with them and their family. They gave Alex a toy fire truck, a crane, and a big brother teddy bear. They gave Sabrina a very cute outfit. And they sent us home with two boxes of holiday goodies.

Christmas Service

Instead of our regularly scheduled Bible Study on Thursday we had a special Christmas service. We had a lot of fun. We read a few scriptures from Luke 2 and then Matthew 2 and then sang a related Christmas hymn. Then we read a few more verses and sang again, repeating this process through the two accounts of the birth and early life of Jesus Christ on the earth.

Since becoming a Christian, those Christmas hymns are so special, and instead of growing more wearisome each year they are growing in fondness for me. Singing "Joy to the World" and "O Come Ye Faithful" is very enjoyable and edifying. It is shame we have to wait eleven months to sing them again. Hey! Maybe we can have a Christmas service in July!

--Frank

Yellow Squash or Zucchini

I cook yellow squash and zucchini the same.

Yellow squash or zucchini Johnny’s Seasoning Salt
Butter water

Cut the yellow squash or zucchini in small pieces. Fill the pan with about an inch of water. Add butter and Seasoning salt to taste. Cook on medium, to high heat until tender.

Marie-Anne

Christmas Fellowship

Today was our Christmas fellowship after church. We had a good turnout and everyone had fun. After church, but before the food the kids sang Joy to the World, but since only two knew the song everyone sang with them. The food was delicious. We are becoming like a family and it is wonderful to see all these people who, not long ago, were strangers laughing and having fun together. Sabrina wore a beautiful fancy green dress, (I wanted her to wear it before she outgrows it). We ended up with a lot of goodies to take home. The best part is that 2 prayed for salvation; God is working in the hearts of men and women in sin city.

Marie-Anne

Saving money on kids clothes

For Alex (when we lived in Washington) and Sabrina most of their clothes were given to us. My sister, Jennifer has a one year old so she sent me a lot of Amelia’s outgrown clothes. Since the cousins aren’t living next door or even in the same state no one will know that Sabrina’s clothes are hand-me-downs in excellent shape. When they outgrow the clothes I will pass them on to someone who can use them, sell them at a consignment shop, or donate them to a crises pregnancy center.

For Alex now I shop clearance sales in a size or two bigger than he’s wearing. I also bought some cute dresses in a size or two bigger than Amelia is wearing and when she’s outgrown them I’ll get them back for Sabrina.

Saving money on books

We use the library quite a bit, but I also love owning books. I rarely pay full price for books. I usually buy them from thrift stores, garage sales, Amazon (I include shipping in figuring the cost), or from the friends of the library’s sales. When we get rid of books we either sell them at a used bookstore, garage sale, or donate the kid’s books to the local pregnancy center or to an overseas military program to record deployed parents reading for their kids.

Marie-Anne

Early finance lessons

Wanting all of the Imaginext toys has made Alex learn about money. He may get some for Christmas, but if he wants more than that, he has to do extra chores to earn the money. He has already earned enough and bought the Treasure Keeper to go with his castle. Alex also has about half of what he needs to buy the next one he wants. We will also have him put part of his earnings in a saving account and, of course, pay tithe.

Marie-Anne

Cute Easy crafts

Homemade lacing cards- Color a coloring sheets then cut it out and glue it onto a cereal box (or print it on card stock). Cut it out and use a hole punch to make evenly spaced holes all around the outside edge. You can use shoelaces or even curling ribbon to be laces.

Color pictures of people using whatever theme you want then cut them out. Cut out the faces of pictures of your family then glue them in place of the coloring pages’ face. We used a royalty theme; Frank as a king, Alex as a knight, Sabrina as a princess, and me as a queen.

Marie-Anne

Cooking

I have been cooking more and eating at home a lot more. I have discovered that in addition to saving money and being healthier, I really do like to cook and I like to try new recipes. In the last few months we have had loaded potato soup, banana nut bread, peanut butter cookies, winter stew, apple pie, and of course, snowballs, chocolate balls, and pumpkin bread. All of these were new recipes to me and my family has enjoyed every one. Please share your favorite recipes- I’d like to try them!

Marie-Anne

Things I learned

· Babies don’t like it when you warm your hands on their backs
· My wife doesn’t like being charged for me babysitting our kids, when she is doing housework.

Frank

A snowball fight…in Las Vegas

Yesterday there was snow on the mountains and the other side of town got snow. Alex has been asking for snow so I was disappointed that we didn’t get any. Today has been rainy. My mom called after she saw a news report about snow in Las Vegas, I looked out the window and to my surprise the rain turned to snow! Alex and I immediately got ready and went out. He had a blast running back and forth through the snow.





When Frank got home Alex and I headed out back where some snow accumulated on his toys and we had a snowball fight. When my fingers got cold I traded off with Frank. Alex had mittens, but unfortunately the wetness soaked through and when he came in he was in pain. We’ll have to get him some better gloves.

Marie-Anne

Old Mormon Fort

We went to the Old Mormon Fort’s Pioneer Christmas on Friday. We heard there wasn’t much to the Old Mormon Fort, but it was only $2 for the whole family and it was something we could do after Frank got off work. The museum was small, but nice- I enjoyed it although Alex was in no mood to just slowly look, so I didn’t get to read much. We went outside to the Civil War era soldiers. I think Frank and I were more impressed than Alex was. The soldier we talked to gave us a lot of information about the weapons used during the Civil War. We saw Christmas trees decorated, as they would have been in the pioneer days. We watched a lady basket weaving and had some cobbler. It was fun.

Marie-Anne

Parents Visit

We really enjoyed Frank’s parent’s visit. It was the first time they got to meet the new addition to our family! Also, they helped us usher in the Holiday Season: we put up the Christmas tree with them and baked holiday goodies like Snowballs, Chocolate balls, and pumpkin bread. Alva and I left the kids with the guys and went shopping for kitchen appliances, one such item is awesome: a chopper, a device you put food in and it chops the food up. We went to “Famous Dave’s” barbecue restaurant, and on the last day of the trip, we went to the Shark Reef. The Shark Reef a gigantic indoor aquarium that is really cool.

Alex enjoyed showing off his toys and having someone new to play with. I was sad to see them go. I love the chopper!

Guess what I am!

Guess What I Am! I saw this game advertised today and I love it. I went to the website:

http://www.guesswhatiamgame.com/

I am planning on buying this for my children and also for my brother’s kids. This is a game that I will enjoy playing with Alex and Sabrina, (when she’s old enough). It’s silly fun and think of the great scrapbook page you can make using the faces! This will make for a great family night!

Marie-Anne

Tuna Casserole

Here’s a twist on my grandma’s tuna casserole. Even Alex asks for seconds.

Regular potato chips
2 cans tuna
1 can sweet peas
2-3 cans mushroom soup
2 cans mushrooms

Crush chips in bottom of casserole dish. Drain and pour sweet peas, tuna, and mushrooms spreading them out. Cover with mushroom soup making sure to completely cover. Cook for 20 minutes at 350 degrees.

Marie-Anne

Hooked on Phonics works for Alex!

Alex is starting to read using Hooked on Phonics for kindergarten. In one day he was reading the words of that lesson. He is about to start the third lesson and already has read the two short stories that go with the lessons. After the next lesson Alex will read his first book! I have not been using the CD, just the workbook. We have used letter magnets and I just got two packs of letter foam tiles, (88 cents at Wal-Mart) to make it more interesting. Today we handed Alex the letters of the first lesson and told him what words to spell and he got them all right, until he started being silly.

Teaching Alex to read was one of my main concerns when we started homeschool, but using Hooked on Phonics has made it so easy. I do recommend Hooked on Phonics. It is available at our library and may be at yours if you want to try it. I bought the complete set kindergarten to second grade for $40 at Big Lots.

Marie-Anne

Children's museum with mom

Today is Alex’s b-day, but that’s not why we went to the Children’s Museum. We went so my mom could enjoy spending time with her grandson that she doesn’t get to see that often. This was Alex’s third time to go there, but mom’s first. Sabrina slept the whole time until right before we left. We took lots of pictures to go into his scrapbook and she videoed him playing.

Alex looks through his scrapbook over and over and relives the events and memories of the time spent with people. It’s a way of helping him stay close to family members who live far away.

After Frank got off work we went out to eat at Famous Dave’s (YUM!) and we had them sing happy b-day to Alex.

Marie-Anne

Small Changes for a healthier me

~ No eating after 9 pm

~ Drink water after 9 pm

~ When doing errands pack a water and fruit for me

~ Walk around the neighborhood a couple times a day

~ Wear ankle weights

~ Instead of going to McDonalds on shopping days pack a lunch and go to the park

~ Spend 10 minutes a day walking up and down the stairs

~ Snack on fruit rather than junk food (most of the time)

~ Cook and eat at home more often

~ Use hand weights daily

Marie-Anne

Life with a new baby

Life sure is different around here. That’s an understatement. We are adjusting to having a baby around. Alex loves his little sister, but sometimes resents the time we spend with her. We are going from having one child who can do a lot of things for himself to having someone who depends on us for everything and having to meet Alex’s needs also. Sabrina is so cute, but I think she’s much cuter during the day than at 3 am. I am thankful that my mom is here- she’s a great help. We are blessed.

Marie-Anne

Happy 4th b-day Alex!

We celebrated Alex’s b-day today. Mom, Alex, Sabrina, and I went to Toys R Us and she got him almost the rest of the imaginext city toys plus the helicopter. I got him the police horse. Tonight we (Alex, Sabrina, Frank, mom, and I) went to Peter Piper Pizza. Alex had a blast! He almost forgot he had more gifts. Alex also got a couple of shirts, a pair of pants, a Thomas book, a mirror, and a model solar system from Frank’s parents. He got a talking fire fighter helmet from Jennifer. From us he got a construction magnet set, a drill, and some Bob the Builder toys and books.

Marie-Anne

Fisher Price Imaginext

Alex got a gift card for being in the Toys R Us b-day club. He chose the imaginext fire fighters. Alex loves fire fighters- he is one after all. We later went back and got him the fire station set for a becoming a big brother gift. My mom bought him almost the rest of the city set for his b-day. I love these toys almost as much as Alex does. We will probably get him the last few in this set for Christmas. Of course he also wants all the other sets, but he can’t have everything he wants.

Marie-Anne

Shots hurt

Shots hurt- no duh, right? When it is your child they don’t just hurt the one getting them. Alex got his 4-year-old shots today. He got 5 shots and had blood taken from his finger. He was already scared before we got there. When the nurse pricked his finger he sobbed, “God, heal me!” I had to hold him down and even then he came off the table twice. Alex was so upset that several times on the way home he would burst into tears and tell me how mean the doctor was to him. I’m glad he doesn’t have to get them that often.

Marie-Anne

It's a Girl!

Sabrina Marie Rendla was born at 5:06PM Wednesday, November 5th 2008. She was a whopping 9lb 10oz of healthy baby. Mother and child are doing fine.

Induced

Sabrina Marie Rendla is scheduled to be induced on Wednesday November 5th, unless of course, she makes her grand debut before then. Poor baby isn’t even born yet and already I’m impatient with her: HURRY UP, SABRINA!!! I’m tired of being pregnant.

Marie-Anne

Collage idea

Tonight I was cutting out some cute pictures in one of the workbooks Alex already did to make a cover for his farm lapbook. Alex came in and started telling me where to glue everything so I cut out some extra for him to make a collage. He is having a blast making that! From now on instead of just throwing the workbooks away when we are done I will cut out the cute pictures so he can make collages any time he wants.

Marie-Anne

Saving on birthdays and Christmas

I shop for b-days and Christmas throughout the year. When I find toys that Alex wants or would love on clearance I get them without him knowing. Right now I have 3 sets of Bob the Builder tools that I got for less than $6 each and a Bob the Builder truck that I got for a dollar cheaper, among other things.

I also get the b-day party stuff, (plates, cups, table cloths…) on clearance or from the dollar store. Several times throughout the year I go to the party store just to see what they have and if anything that Alex would like is on sale or clearance. Last year I got Bob the Builder stuff for a dollar each on clearance. (Since it was just family for his b-day last year I’ll reuse the Bob the Builder stuff next year.) For this b-day I got dinosaur stuff from the dollar store and some more on clearance at the party store. Well, I planned to use the dinosaur stuff this b-day, but Alex asked for firefighter decorations. So hopefully I’ll be able to find some on sale.

How do you save on b-days and Christmas gifts?

Marie-Anne

Preschool websites

Alex has discovered preschool websites. He loves Barney, Thomas the Tank Engine, Bob the Builder, Clifford, Sesame Street, and fire fighter websites. He asks to be online 2-3 times a day. He is pretty good at most of the preschool games. He has fun and is learning at the same time. The bad thing is he usually throws fits when it’s time to get off.

More on lapbooks

We have completed 5 lapbooks and are working on the 6th. Since Alex is only 3 they are pretty simple using things like connect the dots, mazes, worksheets, coloring pages, and simple experiments. Alex loves making these and he shows them off to guests. Several have games included and he loves to play the games. We have done one on Rainbows, Nutrition, Ocean Animals, Zoo Animals, Knights and are currently working on Farms. Along with each lapbook we watch kid documentaries, check out websites on the subject, and read books.

Marie-Anne

Baby shower at church

Sunday was the baby shower and potluck at church. It was a lot of fun! We had over 30 people there and everyone had a good time. We got a beautiful baby swing, a bouncer, bottles, clothes, diapers, wipes, pacifiers, a beautiful blanket one lady made, toys… Everyone was so sweet. We brought Alex a big brother gift of a couple toys and a book about becoming a big brother. Not too much longer!

Marie-Anne

Baby Shower at Frank's job

Today was the baby shower at Frank’s work. It was wonderful and a lot of fun. One lady made a beautiful and yummy cake. We got so many things for Sabrina that I couldn’t list them all. We got a Pack N Play, Diaper Genie, high chair, baby bathtub, clothes, gift cards, rattles, bowls, hooded bunny towel, diapers, wipes, swaddlers… One lady made an absolutely adorable rag doll that I’ll keep for Sabrina’s kids when she outgrows it. Another lady made a beautiful sweater, bonnet, and booties set.

Alex wasn’t forgotten either. He was the life of the party in his fire fighter costume. We got him a toy pump action fire hose that’s made like a backpack. He also got two puzzles and a fire truck that makes sounds and came with a fire fighter.

(On the way home we visited a church member who gave us a crib.) Isn’t God great?

Marie-Anne

Alex the fire fighter

I got Alex a fire fighter costume so he’s been a (very cute) fire fighter, (even more than usual) most of the afternoon and evening. I was planning on waiting until after Halloween, but it was only $5 and Frank had given Alex some money so Alex agreed to give me his money to pay for it when we got home.

Our red car has been a fire truck almost every day for months. We are fire fighters who are going to fight a fire almost every time we go somewhere. And Alex gets calls on his toy cell phone from people whose homes are on fire. “Hello. Is your house on fire? Ok. Is everybody out? Ok. We’re on our way, bye.”

For the past few days Alex has played games in the kids section of a fire fighters’ website. When we were in Phoenix I took Alex to a fire fighter museum and he still talks about it and asks to go there. I am planning on scheduling a time to tour a real fire station in a few weeks when we start the firefighter lapbook.

Alex says he has to grow big and strong so he can be a fire fighter when he grows up.

Marie-Anne

Las Vegas Zoo

Today I took Alex to the zoo. Las Vegas’ zoo is the smallest zoo I’d ever been to. It didn’t take long at all to go through it, which was fine with me because I was hot and tired.



We went inside the gift shop to rest in the air conditioned building and then walked around again, this time going into the goat’s pen. This was our second time being there.



Marie-Anne

Lapbooking

I recently discovered lapbooking- using manila folders as a portfolio of a child’s work on a certain topic. To see an example of a lapbook go to- http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/SchoolinRhome/Lapbooks/

Alex and I started our first one yesterday on Rainbows. Yes, I got the idea from the blog I mentioned, but since I’m new at this I’m making it simple. I’m only using one manila folder; on one side I have the water cycle, on the other side are some worksheets that I shrunk to fit, (two are the color wheel, one is a color by number, and the other is tracing the letter R with a picture of a rainbow. In the middle I have a mini book on Noah’s Ark and a Bible verse. I’m still trying to figure out what to do with the rest of it.

It’s fun, but takes some planning. I’m already looking for ideas for other lapbooks, but we will finish this one before we start another one.

Marie-Anne

New Creature Butterfly craft

Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new 2 Corinthians 5:17

For Sunday School our craft was a butterfly mobile. I found some cute butterfly coloring pages that I copied and pasted into a Word document to get 4 to a page. I printed them on colorful paper and had the kids color them with markers. I used long lollipop sticks from Wal-Mart’s craft section as the cross. Then I used embroidery floss to tie the lollipop sticks together and to tie the butterflies to the sticks once I hole punched them. All the kids loved them.

Marie-Anne

Louisiana

While Frank headed to Florida Alex and I went to Louisiana. Monday and Tuesday we mostly visited at Mom’s. I thanked them several times for getting electricity back just in time for my visit. The hurricane came through the week before and they just got electricity back as Mom was driving us from the airport.

On Wednesday we went to lunch with Dad and a few minutes from the house we saw a box turtle crossing the highway so we stopped to get it. Alex had never seen a box turtle, (though he has seen a desert tortoise). He was very excited and watched it crawl around in a box for a while and kept picking it up.

After lunch I took Alex to Adam’s Pest Control to see their amazing collection of bugs. Alex was very excited and ran from display to display and back again. You would have thought it was the greatest museum in the world instead of a lobby. I was impressed with their collection too. I had never seen so many butterflies.

We left there and headed to Colfax to visit my Nana and Jimmy (my dad). While we visited Alex let the turtle crawl around on the floor which was fine until he decided to push the poor thing like it was a toy car. The turtle’s traumatized for life. When Courtney got home from school she drove Alex in her dune buggy. I told her not to go too fast, but what’s too fast to a 17 year old? She came right back and said Alex started crying. He said it was so fast he got dizzy. Then Alex kept going on and on about on the way home until I told him he’d be in trouble if he mentioned it again.

After we showed the box turtle to Mom and Mamaw we let it go near one of Mom’s flower beds.

Thursday Mom, Dad, Alex, Amelia, and I met my friend Tiffany at Chuck E. Cheese.This was Alex’s first time there and of course it was Amelia’s (she’s one). Both of them were excited and really enjoyed every bit of it. Alex even ate some pizza, (unlike at Peter Piper Pizza).

Later Mom and I took Alex to the Louisiana Maneuvers and Military Museum at Camp Beauregard. We didn’t actually go inside the museum, we will do that next time. Outside they had tanks, a helicopter, a plane, hummers, and several other pieces of military equipment that I’m not familiar with. Alex of course loved every minute. We didn’t stay long just long enough to see it all and for Mom to get some pictures.

All in all it was a real good trip, but I’m glad to be home.

Marie-Anne

Zacchaeus craft

This craft is very cute, but time consuming. Be sure to give yourself time to cutout the leaves and people.

Have blue construction paper as background. Trace each child’s hand and part of their arm for the tree. Draw in a few clouds and glue cotton balls to it. Print simple leaves on colored paper, (I used fall colors). Have kids glue leaves on tree.

Copy a Zacchaeus coloring page to a Word document and shrink it to the size you need. Do the same with a coloring page of Jesus and a crowd. Print as many Zacchaeus and Jesus pages as you need. Cut out Zacchaeus and the branch he’s on. Cut out Jesus and the crowd. To be sure Zacchaeus can be seen you may want to add him last.

Marie-Anne

Labor Day

We were going to go to the fish hatchery, but they were closed so we decided to go to the Valley of Fire. We turned at the sign and drove forever without seeing another sign- kinda weird considering it’s a state park. We ended up just stopping at a closed boat launch and hiked to the water. Alex had fun throwing rocks in the mud and Frank and I threw them in the muddy water. It was a nice little hike, though not at all what we had planned.



On the way back we stopped at a pullover next to some red rock formations. We got out and took a few pictures. We were going to stay longer, but as Frank took a picture I noticed 3 hornets flying around him. We decided we were too close to their nest and we left. Though nothing worked out quite as planned we enjoyed getting out and doing something different and just being together.

Marie-Anne

One of life’s hard lessons

Today Frank saw a little boy in our back yard taking one of Alex’s toys. Frank went out and told the boy to put it back, which he did. Then he had Alex move all of his toys away from the fence so they can’t be seen from the street. As Alex did that he realized that his toy digger is missing. As you can imagine he took it quite hard.

We are learning about the 10 Commandments in Sunday School so we used this as a teaching point on how stealing hurts those who have been robbed. And how we should not steal.

Good news is Alex got an even bigger digger from K-Mart when we stopped to buy a lock for the gate.

As we were pulling up to our driveway the same boy was sitting by the road with another of Alex’s smaller toys that Alex overlooked. Frank told him to return it. He did, but came back with his grandma. He claimed it was his, but I knew it wasn’t and she knew it wasn’t. So both boys got a lesson.

Marie-Anne

Documentation

Even though I won’t be officially homeschooling Alex until he’s almost six, because he wouldn’t enter kindergarten until then, I started documenting our preschool. I started documenting coinciding with the start of the school year. I’m doing this for several reasons; there’s a push in some states to make preschool mandatory, we may move to a state that requires more documentation than Nevada does, (though we have no plans of moving), it is good practice for when I do have to document our lessons, and it’s a way to keep up with what Alex has learned.

For now our lessons are very short and normally end when Alex gets bored. He is three after all. Some of our lessons are things I plan out and some of our lessons are answers to questions Alex asks or based on his interests.

Marie-Anne

The Twitch

I have never gotten a diagnosis on the twitch. Thank God, for the most part it’s gone though it still happens from time to time. It’s not the all day every day occurrence it once was. Sometimes I even go months without it now. For those of you who don’t know, when I was 22 the twitch started in my right leg only at night. Originally we thought it was restless leg. Then one day it was continuously twitching during the day. After months of this sometimes for a few minutes sometimes all day it progressed to the other leg, arms, hands, feet, and head. Now it can be any combination of these at any time.

Unfortunately it has come back since I’ve been pregnant, though not as severe as before. If it continues I’ll get it documented. I really do not want to go through all of that again, so for the most part I ignore it and hope no one notices.

Marie-Anne

3rd trimester!

I’ve now entered the third trimester! WHOOOHOOOO!!!! Okay, too much excitement- I need a nap.

Marie-Anne

1 Year Anniversary!!!!

On Sunday we celebrated our one year anniversary of being a church in Las Vegas! We decorated with balloons and streamers. We had ice cream, cup cakes, fruit, and cakes. There were 25 people there to celebrate with us. Everyone had a good time. And tonight we had 20 people in attendance, which is the most we’ve had for a night service.

Marie-Anne

Fishy Family time

During the day while Frank was at work I decorated the dining area with the fish cutouts and the coloring page of an empty fish tank. I decided that wasn’t decorated enough so Alex and I made fish out of coffee filters. We scribbled on the coffee filters with markers then wet it to blur the colors. After it dried we cut it in the shape of a fish and added eyes and hung them from the ceiling near the vent.

When Frank got home we went to the library and got books and a kid’s documentary on fish. We went to PetSmart to get a fish. Alex chose a reddish blue beta he named Alex. At home Frank and Alex set up the fish tank and fed Alex the fish while I cooked.

We played put the fish in the fish bowl, which is the same as pin the tail on the donkey. We each took turns and all had fun. It was Alex’s first time playing anything like this. Frank and I took turns reading the fish books from the library.

http://www.first-school.ws/activities/crafts/animals/ocean/five_fish_bowl.htm

Marie-Anne

Cheap, but good curriculum

Today my wonderful husband watched Alex while I went wherever I wanted-so sweet! One of my stops was the Dollar Tree where I found some great pre-k and 1st grade workbooks. Unfortunately, a lady just got the last pre-k workbook, but I did get 2 copies of all of the 1st grade workbooks.

Later I went to the other Dollar Tree and was able to get all of the pre-k workbooks. They also had some awesome Planet Earth workbooks and flash cards. I spent over my budget getting the other workbooks so all I got was a pack of sea animal flash cards. I prayed that they’d still have them when I go back. And I will be back ASAP!

I’ve looked at some packaged pre-k and Kindergarten curriculum and I decided that I can give Alex and Sabrina a quality education using the dollar store workbooks (among other things) until 1st grade for a whole lot cheaper. Then I’ll look into the packaged curriculum again and decide if we will use it.

Marie-Anne

Seven pounds

My doctor told me she only wants me to gain seven more pounds. I gained that much in the last month! Well, if I’m to only gain seven pounds and if I’m serious about losing weight once Sabrina is born I need to make some changes. I need to give up the junk food that I’ve been eating lately and start exercising again.

Today I walked on the treadmill for 15 minutes, I did 20 reps of 10 with my five pound weights, and I used the exercise bike for 10 minutes. I have to confess I also ate junk food.

Marie-Anne

Family Night

Why is family time so important? It brings us all together for the purpose of enjoying one another. Family night creates lasting memories of good times we share. It brings us closer together.

Our family nights a lot of times consist of us going to the park, watching documentaries, playing games, putting together puzzles, or picnics. I am trying to come up with more ideas like playing in the sprinkler I just bought, camping out on the backyard, or having a family carnival.

I looked up “family nights” on the internet and got some really good ideas that I’ll be trying. I will be sharing our family nights on the blog. Please share your ideas! What have you done for family time? What are you planning to do?

Marie-Anne

Mini daycare

I had to have lab work so I knew I’d be there a while (always are). At first I thought of asking a friend to watch Alex, but I ended up just taking him. Of course, I packed his backpack with books, flash cards, lacing cards, a coloring book, fruit snacks, and a drink. There would be no way Alex would be able to sit still that long.

There was a little girl who was terrified and screamed in the waiting room. I had Alex give her the crayons and coloring book- that totally calmed her down. She came over to where we were sitting with her brother then two other girls got coloring sheets too. Alex was happy and told them they were his friends. Although I hadn’t planned on it I was running a mini daycare in the waiting room. I didn’t mind at all and the kids were happy, but I did wonder why the parents brought nothing for them to do with such a long wait.

Marie-Anne

My husband is my best friend

I am so blessed to be able to honestly say that my husband is my best friend. Frank is a wonderful man and a wonderful father, but more than that he is my wonderful husband. I thank God for him. He’s only gone for one night and yet I miss him terribly. It isn’t as if we are newlyweds, after all, we’ve been married for almost 7 years. I love him more and more as time goes by. I am truly thankful to be his helpmeet. I love my husband!

Marie-Anne

Children’s Museum

On Saturday Josie and I took our kids to the children’s museum. They all participated in the library’s summer reading program and got free passes to the Lied Children’s Museum. The kids had a lot of fun. They also took turns throwing fits. Alex got really really mad because London and Serena kept trying to do things for him that he can do for himself. He actually jumped up and down and screamed. The older kids had the most fun at the 5 and younger section, which is Alex’s favorite too.

Marie-Anne

Miracle of the Tribute Money (Matthew 17:24-27)

Lesson: I concentrated on the fact that both Peter and the fish were obedient even though they didn’t understand why they were to do certain things.

Craft: Find a couple of cute fish coloring pages. Copy and paste to a word document to make them smaller. Have the kids color and paste them onto blue construction paper. Use brown yarn for the fishing line and glue a penny in one of the fish’s mouths.

Object lesson: Put string or yarn through a straw and tape the string from one end of the room to the other. Use tape to hold a blown up, but not tied balloon to the straw. As you hold the end of the balloon shut explain that at first Peter had complete faith in Jesus, but when Peter began to question Jesus his doubts came faster and faster. When you let go of the end of the balloon it will shoot across the room. (Try it first before class and have extra balloons because after doing this a time or two the balloons pop.)

Snack: Goldfish or gummy worms

Marie-Anne

Pregnancy Etiquette

Let’s discuss the proper etiquette for talking to a pregnant woman by a pregnant woman.

I know pregnant women are supposed to gain weight and that is a good thing, but telling me or any pregnant woman repeatedly how big she is and that she’s going to be huge is not smart and does not endear you to her. Example: I was talking to a lady at church who met just met me and she told me 3 times how big I am and what a big baby I’m going to have. Now how in the world does she know what I looked like before I got pregnant? And does she think I have hearing problems or that I have short term memory loss- is that the reason she told me three times?

If you ask a pregnant woman if she wants a boy or a girl and she states she just wants a healthy baby why should you insist that she wants a girl because she already has a boy. First of all she doesn’t get a choice. And if you already “know” what she wants why ask?

Why do people insist on telling pregnant women their labor horror stories? Are they trying to frighten the expecting mother? Do they think she doesn’t have enough to worry about?

I have come to accept that people I barely know will rub my belly. I don’t particularly like it, but I know it will happen. Why is a pregnant woman’s belly considered public property?

Marie-Anne

Visitors from a Far Country

This past weekend Reverend and Sister Wright, the World Missions Director, came to visit and had special services with us and the church. We enjoyed their stay and it was a blessing to have them preach and play the keyboard during the worship services. They were so hospitable that sometimes I wasn't sure who was the host and who was the guest!

I hope to see them again sometime soon.

Hooked on Phonics Update

I bought the basic set, but I found the books that come with the kindergarten deluxe set at the library’s store for 10 cents each. The librarian didn’t even charge for the Abeka book. What a deal!

I haven’t been using Hooked on Phonics regularly, but Alex has been able to learn most of the letter sounds with it. In about a week, maybe sooner, I’ll start teaching him to read. He’s just got to get those last few letter sounds down first. If I’m consistent it won’t be a problem.

Marie-Anne

Alex the wonder boy

Alex the wonder boy strikes again. I bought him Blue’s Clues opposite cards and to my surprise he knows most of them. We only did them once, but Alex got all but about five right. I knew he knew some, but I did not know he knows that many opposites. I’ve never gone over opposites with him except for in some books.

Marie-Anne

Our first revival

Our first revival is this weekend! Rev. Wright is coming to town. The church we are renting from is letting us have Saturday night and Monday night. We are going to be super busy letting everyone know and inviting new people. I’m glad my Sunday School class is already ready to go! This is so exciting! It’s hard to believe we’ve been in Las Vegas for a year now. Since we won’t be going to the fall Conference- it’s a week after my due date- we need this revival and fellowship just as much as the congregation does. I can’t wait to see what God’s going to do! Please be in prayer for us!

Marie-Anne

Customer Complaint Pays off

I recently bought a box of Little Debbie fudge brownies that I was greatly disappointed with. The picture on the box shows them covered in walnuts, but only one pack of brownies had half the walnuts in the picture the rest had even less. I emailed Little Debbie to complain, which isn’t something I normally do. About a week later I got a full refund and an apology in the mail.(Of course they had nothing to fear of me not staying a loyal customer.)

I learned from this that next time I’m not satisfied with a product to take a minute to email the company. It may get me a refund or coupons on my next purchase. I’ll also email a company if the product exceeds my expectations.

Marie-Anne

Going green and saving green (money)

I’ve been reading up on ways of going green and saving money at the same time. I went on several power companies’ websites for some of this information. I haven’t tried all of this yet, but it seems to be good information.

During the day I don’t use lights, besides in the bathroom. Thankfully the way our house is set up there’s no need to turn on lights until it starts getting dark. I also try to enforce the turn the light out when you leave a room.

Turning off or unplugging appliances when not in use also helps. Especially things like the computer and unplugging cell phone cords that aren’t in use. I have a friend who even unplugs her washer and dryer and other appliances. She said she saved $13 in one month by doing that.

I bought some energy saving lights at Wal-Mart that are supposed to cut our electric bill down. My mom and a friend both recommended them. Our house has recessed lighting and I’ll have to check to see if I can get that type of bulb as energy saving.

I normally use the cold water setting on the washer and only run the dish washer when it’s full. Keeping the dryer lint free not only helps prevent dryer fires, but saves money. Run the dryer, washer, and dish washer after 8 at night.

On thing I have not tried yet is putting a brick or a half gallon jug of water in the toilet’s tank to reduce the amount of water used. I’ve read about it on several websites.

Although it isn’t saving money I also bought some reusable grocery bags. I bought them after Alex put a plastic bag over his head to keep the number of that kind of bags in our house down. I do use the plastic grocery bags as trash bags for the bathrooms and for Frank’s lunch so I need some. I haven’t seen my reusable grocery bags since we moved so I guess I’ll look for them tonight.

I want your tips on going green and saving green! Please share!

Marie-Anne

Peter Piper Pizza

My parents sent money to take Alex to Peter Piper Pizza. At first I was extremely disappointed because it seemed that most of the games were for much older kids and several machines took our tokens. Alex, however, was having a blast in a smaller version of McDonald’s tunnels and on an ice cream truck ride.

We ordered a Chicago pizza and I think that was the best pizza I’ve ever had! Frank even suggested that we get it to go in the future. Alex was too busy to eat and even told us he doesn’t like pizza- a BIG lie.

After we ate we found several games for younger kids. Alex hit the hammerhead sharks with a hammer about 3 times and he played a basketball version of skeeball. Alex had trouble rolling the ball hard enough and several times he threw it into the next lane, (I’m glad nobody was there). With lots of help Alex got 42 tickets and was able to get 8 toy soldiers, I know we could have bought a bag of about 30 at the dollar store, but he had a lot of fun.

What started out as a big disappointment turned out to be a lot of fun. Thank you Mom and Dad!

Marie-Anne

Marjorie Barrick Museum of Natural History and playlands

Today I NEEDED to get out of the house. Alex and I went to Marjorie Barrick Museum of Natural History at the university. We got lost on campus. It was totally confusing even with a map. Finally we found it. It was okay, but I don’t think we’ll go back. To call it a natural history museum is misleading because it was mostly Indian artifacts and pictures of birds. Alex flew through the museum, but he loved the tortoise and snake in the lobby. He watched them for quite a while. The gardens were nice and Alex had fun running over the bridges. Alex took his first pictures there and I’m looking forward to seeing them; especially the one he insisted of taking of dirt.

After we finally found our way off campus we went to the mall for the sole purpose of going to the indoor play area and the bookstore. Alex climbed on the house and declared himself to be Buzz Lightyear before leaping off. After Alex played for 30 minutes I read 8 books to him.

Next we went to McDonald’s. I had to make Alex eat before playing or I knew he wouldn’t eat. I did NOT like the demonic looking toy so I tried to exchange it. I didn’t care if he ended up with a toddler toy or a girl toy, but that was all they had so I left it. Another mom was trying to exchange it too. I got bored while Alex played for over an hour. (I wish I’d brought a book, but I wasn’t planning on going there.) Alex, of course had a blast- we normally don’t stay that long.

Next Alex wanted to go across the street to Barnes and Nobles because they have a Thomas the Tank Engine train set. Alex played for a while then I read 5 books to him. Right before we left Alex was choosing books for me to read from a spinner rack. He spun it a little too hard and books flew everywhere. He didn’t expect that and I couldn’t help laughing as we picked them up. Needless to say he fell asleep almost as soon as we got in the car.

If you ever hear Alex say we don’t do anything with him or for him have him read this post!

Marie-Anne

On-line Kidergarten Readiness test

I took an on-line kindergarten readiness test for Alex. A raw score of 58 is the goal for reading readiness. Alex’s score was a 72 and he’s only 3! What do parents teach their kids?

• 65 - up Begin now! Capitalize on your child's superior motivation and readiness.

• 58 - 64 Congratulations! You are ready for Covenant Home's Kindergarten!

• 48 - 57 Proceed with Covenant Home's Kindergarten, adjusting the pace to accommodate student's maturation, OR

• 47 - below Proceed with Covenant Home's Pre-School curriculum.


http://www.covenanthome.com/kready.htm

Marie-Anne

Lowes

Today Frank, Alex and I went on an exciting field trip; actually we stopped at Lowes for an outdoor trash can. Alex was soooo very excited! It was the first time that he remembers being in Lowes. Frank showed him the power tools and explained what they do. Alex ran from one thing to the next. He loved the door display and kept inviting us to come in with him. I let him get a couple of samples and that made his day. Alex can hardly wait until we go back.

Marie-Anne

Baby update

Sabrina Marie has been Very active for about the past week. Alex laid his head on my belly and said, “She’s kicking me.” I replied, “oh, really?” Alex said, “But its okay.” He’s getting excited about becoming a big brother. Of course he thinks our baby won’t cry and will be able to play with him from day one. He’ll soon learn.

Marie-Anne

Alex the Builder...

Alex loves Bob the Builder very very much. He will watch Bob the Builder DVD’s all day if we let him. Alex also has a lot of the Bob the Builder toys and books. Right now Alex is upstairs singing the Bob the Builder theme song while he helps Frank put together a book shelf.

Marie-Anne

My dad, Jimmy and sister, Courtney's visit

We went to the Natural History Museum, (one of Alex’s favorite places). Alex suggested it. He’s been there 3 times. I am planning on getting a membership. Alex insisted that Courtney and I get in the submarine in the kids section with him and showed off being a paleontologist. And he gave Papaw Jimmy a tour.

On Independence Day we moved into a 2 story 3 bedroom house. Jimmy and Courtney went sightseeing that day. That night Alex and I watched fireworks from his bedroom window. We really enjoyed that and Alex pretended to eat the fireworks.

We went to the Mini Grand Prix, go-karts and an arcade. Alex had a blast riding with Papa in a go-kart, with Papa and Papaw Jimmy on the roller coaster, and riding in the airplane ride and on the giant slide with Aunt Courtney. It was soooo funny when Alex drove the kiddie go-kart. His feet barely reached the pedals and he didn’t even try to steer! After about the 5th time of getting Alex back on the track the attendant finally got on the side of the go-kart and helped Alex. Alex played Mommy at air hockey and skeeball. Alex also got to play different games in the arcade. He got 60 tickets, (with some help) and got a blue Kazoo and 45 toy soldiers.

On Sunday we had a potluck and a children’s award ceremony at church. We had 29 people there! That is the most we’ve had for a service. Alex got awards for attendance, participation, learning the memory verse, and giving in the offering.

Monday we went to see them off. Alex was sad and kept asking why they had to go back home to Louisiana. It was a good visit and I’m glad I got to know Courtney and that Alex was able to get to know them both.

Marie-Anne

The Good Shepherd

Our Sunday School class on the Good Shepherd worked out really well. It could also be used for the Lost Sheep. For our game I hid a sheep puppet in the room while the kids had eyes closed and heads down. Since our room is small I made a lot of noise all over the room. After I hid it a few times the kid who found it got to hide it. We had ages 3-10 so every few times I had the older kids let the younger ones find the sheep.

I found a coloring page of a sheep without a lot of detail. I copied and pasted it to a word document so I could have two to a page with the memory verse on the back. The kids were very creative with washable markers. They all created masterpieces then covered it up with cotton balls.

We only have Sunday School on Sunday mornings, but I had left the supplies out and that night the same kids made the craft again on their own.

Marie-Anne

Comments please!

I appreciate your comments! I don't even know who's reading this.

Marie-Anne

Father's Day

On Father’s Day we gave Frank a huge pink with orange polka dots clown tie. He wore it for the congregation. Since Sunday is our busiest day we celebrated Father’s Day on Sunday and Monday. I baked cookies, made a cute picture frame that says I love Dad with a picture of Frank teaching Alex to ride his bike, gave him a foot massage, and we let Frank relax (sorta).

Here’s the link to the picture frame: http://www.dltk-holidays.com/dad/mdadframe.html I used two sheets of colored paper. Frank liked it so much he left it hanging on the front door.

Marie-Anne

In Stride Cycle

We got an In Stride Cycle which is like a bike’s pedals. I can sit on the couch and “ride a bike” while I read a book. Frank and I both love it. Even Alex uses it. It can also be used for arms, but I haven’t tried that yet. We got it because it doesn’t take up much space at all and we still get a workout. It was less than $25 at Wal-Mart.

Marie-Anne

Happy Flag Day!

Don’t know much about Flag Day? Neither did I until I checked out some kids books on Flag Day for Alex. I also checked several web-sites. Here’s what I found out:

The Flag Act of (June 14) 1777 created a national flag with 13 stars and 13 stripes, but the law did not state how the stars were to be arranged. Many historians believe that Congressman Francis Hopkinson designed the first flag. There is debate on whether or not Betsy Ross sewed the first flag. The Second Flag Act of 1794 added two stripes and two stars. The Third Flag Act of 1818 changed the flag to 13 stripes and added a star for each new state. In 1949 President Harry Truman declared June 14th National Flag Day.

Now you know.

Marie-Anne

Yoga-who me?

I got Heather Seiniger’s Yoga Pregnancy from the library. I tried it today and I like it. I was only able to do about 10 minutes, then it got harder than I can do right now, so I did the first 10 minutes three times today.

With Alex I gained about 50 pounds, but this time I am not gaining too much. In fact I talked to my doctor because I wasn’t gaining, but she said it’s nothing to worry about and I am to gain 22 pounds. I am a lot more active than when I was pregnant with Alex and I’m eating more fruit. After Sabrina is born I am going to exercise and change my eating habits so that I get back down to what I was when Frank married me.

Marie-Anne

It's a....baby!

We had an ultrasound earlier this week and Alex isn’t too disappointed that he’s getting a sister. That’s right folks, Sabrina Marie is scheduled to make her debut in November right about the time Alex turns 4. My sister already mailed some things that Amelia (her 1 year old) has outgrown. I got them today and I love the bunny slippers and the cute bibs. Elexa and a friend from church are planning on making baby blankets.

Marie-Anne

In God We Still Trust

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_PLwsDvaURY&feature=related

I love this song!

Marie-Anne

Marie Day

My wonderful husband proclaimed today “Marie Day.” He got me a giant Hershey with almonds bar, a romantic card, three scented candles, bubble bath, and a bath scrubbie. I am so blessed!

We saw a comedian who got his wife a card with double loopy hearts, but didn’t read it. When his wife read it she burst out laughing because it said to my husband. So Frank got me one like that on purpose.

We went to the library and for a walk. Then we enjoyed Alex going to sleep super early for him. Frank and I had pizza bread and watched a documentary. All in all “Marie Day’ has been a wonderful day spent with my wonderful husband and best friend. It’s easy to appreciate Frank.

Marie-Anne

Gilcrease Wildlife Sanctuary

Alex and I took some friends to Gilcrease Wildlife Sanctuary. Alex and I had been there before when Cassandra was here, but Josie and her kids had never been. This time they had little bags of carrots for a quarter a piece so I bought some for the kids to feed the animals. Serena and London were scared of the animals, but not Alex. At least Alex wasn’t until he saw them acting scared, even then he wasn’t afraid to feed the goats, cows, llamas, and donkeys. The kids had a lot of fun. They LOVED the baby pigs- I had never seen pigs so tiny!

After that we went to Cityview Park and had a picnic. Josie’s tuna sandwiches were awesome! I’m going to have to find out what she put in them. The kids played on the playground for a while then we fed the ducks. To me that was a little scary because they went on a dock with no railing. Alex kept getting near the edge. After the second time I just held his hand- of course he didn’t like that, but I was taking no chances of him falling into that water. We were all tired when we left and I am amazed that Alex didn’t take a nap, but he’s still going. He’ll probably sleep through Bible Study tonight.

Marie-Anne

A girl with a Jeep

Monday we went to a nice park about 20 minutes away. After we walked the path twice Alex got to play at the playground. A girl with a Barbie power wheels jeep came. Alex was in love- with the jeep. He almost immediately abandoned the little girl he was playing with to follow the girl with a car. She let him ride with her for a while then he took turns with some other kids.

As we left Alex said that her jeep was something to drive around on a farm and that he and the girl were farmers. He said that when he gets older he’ll get a tractor and she’ll drive him around the farm in her farm thing.

Marie-Anne

Dinosaur Discovery Site at Johnson Farm

On Memorial Day we went to St. George Utah to see Dinosaur Discovery Site at Johnson Farm. Thousands of dinosaur tracks were found on the farm. We drove about 2 hours to see fossils of dinosaur tracks. I thought there would be more to it than that, but we were disappointed. Most of the fossils we couldn’t make out what they were even with signs saying things like “tail drag” and “mud cracks.” The highlights were the 8 minute video, gift shop, and the sandbox outside.

Alex loved the sand box and did not want to leave. He wanted Frank and me to be paleontologists with him. The sand box was an Eagle Scout project and under the sand were dinosaur tracks for the kids to discover. It also had shovels, pails, shifts, and brushes.

The drive was nice. We really enjoyed being together. Alex also enjoyed a couple of new dinosaur toys. Despite our disappointment with the Dinosaur Discovery it was a real nice day.

Marie-Anne

Who is God?

Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God almighty. Not just holy or some shadow of perfection, but he is pure, pure and pure, without spot or blemish or smudge. The Bible never says God is merciful, merciful, merciful or loving, loving, loving, but holy, holy, holy.
Nothing unholy, nothing that is imperfect, nothing that is marred can enter His presence. He is perfect. The Bible says that heavens and earth will flee from His awesome presence. The heaven is His throne and the earth His foot stool.
And us? Who are we, compared to His power and majesty? He is God.

Memorial Day

We decorated for Memorial Day today. I hung a banner that says “United we Stand,” and hung up some American flag cutouts. Alex told Frank where he wanted the patriotic bows. I also got some American flag picture frames that I will put pictures of the family members who served in the military.

Frank and I are both veterans. His sister Cassandra is in the Army. My brother Paul is in the Army, my brother Michael is in the Navy, and my brother-in-law Barron is in the Army National Guard. Frank’s Aunt Jeannette was in the Army(?). We both have grandparents who served in the military also.

We want to make Memorial Day (and other Patriotic holidays) more than just a time for BBQ for our family. Yes, we will use Memorial Day for a family day, but we will also teach our children about the sacrifices of the military and the true meaning of the holiday.

Marie-Anne

Bob the Builder Workbook

Today Alex completed the entire Bob the Builder workbook Colors and Shapes. I was surprised that he did all 31 pages in a very short time. The only problem he had was tracing the shapes. We added the certificate to his picture book and Alex had fun adding some Bob the Builder stickers to it. He was quite pleased with himself as he showed off his work to Papa.

Marie-Anne

Little soul-winner

During soul-winning we walked by two boys sitting in the shade. Alex asked my husband for a flyer to give it to the boy. Alex turned it over and said, “There’s a map on the back, see.” I turned to see Alex pointing at the map just like he was showing the boy how to get to church. Then Alex asked for another flyer to give to the other boy.

Marie-Anne

Baby names

We have decided on baby names. If we have a girl she’ll be Sabrina Marie. If we have a boy he’ll be Ethan James. In a few weeks we will have an ultrasound. Alex still insists on a brother because sisters are no fun.

Marie-Anne

Family Day

Today Frank, Alex, and I walked the Wetlands Trail. It paralleled a river, but until we walked down the ridge the wetlands part seemed like a joke because it was in the middle of the very dry hot desert. We were thankful for the wind. By the time we got back to the car I was out of breath. (I’ve got to get in shape.) We really enjoyed it.

We also went to Clark County Heritage Museum. It was nice. Outside on the walking trails we saw rabbits, chipmunks, a jack rabbit, several different types of lizards, quail, and hummingbirds. There was a replica of a ghost town, a train depot, and several houses that were set up for certain time periods. We had a really good day.

Marie-Anne

Companies that support our troops

My brother Michael is a Navy Chaplain’s assistant serving in Kuwait. He said the service men and women were requesting tuna, slim Jims, sunflowers, and granola bars. Michael also requested kids books for the service men and women to read to their kids via DVD.I e-mailed companies asking for either coupons or donations.

Del Monte has a "Tuna for Soldiers" program in which units that request it are sent StarKist Tuna pouch products.


Quaker sent coupons for Gatorade that the service men and women can use at the BX.

Bumble Bee Tuna sent coupons.


I haven’t heard back from the other companies yet. It took about 10 minutes to e-mail 5 companies. I will be e-mailing other companies too. If you know of service men or women who are deployed let them know about these great companies that support our troops!

Marie-Anne

Mom's Visit

My Mom got here Friday and left yesterday. Alex called her, “my Nana,” of course she loved that! Alex loved all the attention from her. On Sunday, Mother’s Day, we had a potluck at church and everyone raved about Mom’s chicken and dumplings, (but they were not as good as Mamaw’s).

Monday we went to Hoover Dam and stopped at Lake Mead to let Alex throw rocks into the water. He had a blast. Alex got his shoes and pants soaked. We all enjoyed it. It was very windy and I brought bubbles that Alex chased, but couldn’t catch.

Later we stopped at a park near our house. Frank got Alex’s kite out, but Alex wasn’t really interested, (he had a friend to play with). Frank had a blast with the kite! I thought I was buying it for Alex, but I was wrong. Frank thanked me for spending that dollar. It was the best dollar I spent.

When we dropped my Mom off at the airport Alex asked why she had to go and he kept asking her if she liked his house. Every plane he saw on the way home was Nana’s plane.

Marie-Anne

Prayer Request

Tonight we watched a documentary on Billy Graham. As I reflected on his amazing life and the awesome movement of the hand of God in his ministry, I wondered, “Why can’t God use my husband that way?” I prayed for Frank as I never had before. I asked God to share His vision for Las Vegas with us so that we could make it our vision too. Picture the millions of souls in this city being saved. Picture the broken hearts being mended. Picture what God can do if only we stop limiting Him by our unbelief and our disobedience to His perfect will! Imagine sin city becoming a city of God. Pray that we will allow God’s vision to become our vision. Pray that we storm the very gates of hell. Pray that God uses us to set the captives in this city free. Pray that God touches hearts to help us. Pray that we lift Jesus up so that all men will be drawn to Him.

Marie-Anne

Something in the water?

In February 2004 we went to Phoenix, AZ. Nine months later Alex was born.
In February 2008 we went to Phoenix, AZ. Nine months later ____ will be born!

The due date is one day before Alex’s birthday. Alex says it has to be a brother because sisters are no fun.

Marie-Anne

Children's festival

Yesterday was the Children’s Festival. When we arrived at Alex’s surprise we saw crowds of people, inflatable fun houses and rides. The first thing Alex ran to was the playground! We just laughed and let him play for a few minutes then asked if he wanted to ride a pony. Alex rode a brown pony. He loved it! Alex fought a knight and won! It was so funny to watch, and I guess all that light saber training paid off. He played in an inflatable play place that was set up as an obstacle course. He went through that three times. Next Alex rode a plane ride. He was having so much fun that he didn’t even notice us waving. Alex and I rode a train. We all got snow-cones as we left.

Marie-Anne

Tales of Glory toys

Today I was pleasantly surprised to find Bible toys at Wal-Mart. The Tales of Glory toys are from Focus on the Family. They were on clearance for $3 each. My mom bought Alex all except Noah’s animals. After I showed them to my husband I bought all except Noah’s animals and Jesus Feeds the Five Thousand (I bought the last one for Alex) for the church.

Tonight Alex acted out the Bible stories as I read the books that came with the toys. Then I read some of his other Bible stories and he acted them out as well. Frank and Alex are playing with the toys now. I am so very glad that we got these! Instead of being Buzz Lightyear Alex is playing with Moses and Pharaoh.

The Jesus has long hair, but He also does in most coloring books, puzzles, and books.

http://www.one2believe.com/

Marie-Anne

Conference

It’s that time again! Conference is next week! Every year we go to Missouri for New Testament Christian Church’s annual Conference. It is always a wonderful time of fellowship with friends and growing closer to God. It always comes right when we need it. I can’t tell you what a blessing it is. While we are in service Alex gets to play with friends.

This year is a little different because we don’t know if we’re flying or driving. We have tickets of course, but American Airlines has been cancelling flights all week. All I know is one way or another we are going. If we fly we are planning on going to the St. Louis zoo on Friday.

Marie-Anne

BOOKS!

I love to read! Growing up I read mostly fiction. Lately I have been reading more and more nonfiction. Some books I’ve read recently include Courtship After Marriage, The Total Money Makeover, Created to be His Helpmeet, Home Sweet Home School, The Proper Care and Feeding of Husbands, and The Witch of Blackbird Pond (I didn’t say I was only reading nonfiction).

Some books I will be reading in the next month or so include The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People, A Love Worth Giving, The Millionaire Next Door, Confessions of a Happy Christian, The Treasure Principle, Jane Eyre, and The Home School Journey.

I’ve passed my love for books on to Alex. He’s constantly surrounded by books. He owns hundreds and we go to the library at least weekly. We read fiction and nonfiction. I sometimes get books that are slightly above his level- that’s why his vocabulary is so good. We let Alex see us reading books, and of course the Bible too. Alex has several Children's Bibles that we read from as well. Reading is very much a part of our family activities.

Marie-Anne

The Rejected Accepting the Rejected

My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?
In ancient Sparta, every new-born male baby was brought to the elders of the village, in which it was bought for inspection. The elders determined whether or not the child was physically strong enough to endure the rigorous and intense adolescent military training mandatory for all Spartan males. If the baby was found defective the parents would take the child to Mount Taygetos, which translates to the Mount of Rejection, and abandon him to die. On occasion, a Helot, a sub-citizen, who was only a little better than a slave would find these children and take them home, adopting them as sons.
We too, in our natural state, are found defective, for there are none righteous before God. All have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God. Our sin separated us from our Father, without hope, and rejected and exposed to death. O wretched man that I am! Who shall deliver me from the body of this death?
Yet, our only hope is in Jesus Christ who was likewise rejected, for Hebrews tells us, that which beareth thorns and briers is rejected. We can be scooped up out of despair and rejection but only from the Rejected. He willingly was rejected: endured the cross, despising the shame. The best part is that He has brought us home and adopted us, making us joint heirs with Him and made us presentable to God His Father.

Help Needed With Unwanted Nannies

How do you handle it when church members and friends take Alex’s side- all the time? I can tell Alex something as simple as to ask before attacking their candy dish and right in front of him they say, “Oh, he’s fine.” When I explain that I’m trying to teach him manners they usually say something like, “Don’t worry so much,” or “don’t get onto my baby.” This of course does not escape Alex’s attention and he repeatedly forgets to ask, probably because he knows they will stick up for him. This happens frequently even when Alex does something wrong.

Marie-Anne

Kumon First Steps Workbooks

My sister-in-law, Elexa gave Alex two of these wonderful workbooks for his birthday. I am so glad she did! Alex is almost done with his fourth book. He’s done Let’s Color, Let’s Sticker and Paste, More Let’s Sticker and Paste, and he’s working on Let’s Cut Paper. Since he’s almost done with it and he’s so excited about using scissors I already bought More Let’s Cut Paper. Alex asks for these workbooks. He has been more excited about each one than with any other workbook.

At the end of each workbook is a very nice certificate of achievement which I put into Alex’s scrapbook with examples from each workbook.

I also flipped through the Kumon workbooks for older kids and I will continue to use them as Alex grows. They have a lot of subjects. They are sold at book stores and at Target. Check it out at http://www.kumonbooks.com/catalog/catalog_firststeps.aspx

Marie-Anne

Saving Change

I have two water jugs that I save change in. In one I keep pennies and nickels. In the other I keep dimes and quarters. I am saving the pennies and nickels for Alex. When it gets full I’m going to put it in a savings account for him. The quarters and dimes can be used at any time for any thing. We’ve used it for anything from washing the car to going out to eat. Yes, I also pick up change. In one day just around our apartment complex I found $ 0.85. The only work I did was bending over to pick it up.

Marie-Anne

Out of the mouths of Babes

I was reading the David C. Cook Children’s Bible Story Book story Isaac’s Neighbors Pick a Fight to Alex. “When Isaac found out what happened, his neighbors said, “Go away from us. You are too successful, and we don’t like you.” His neighbors weren’t very nice!” Alex interrupted, “I know why his neighbors weren’t nice. They didn’t love.”

The next night I read the story Jacob Tricks His FatherI . I asked Alex what the story was about. Alex’s reply was, “Esau is stupid.” That about sums it up.

Marie-Anne

Homeschooling a 3 year old

I use a combination of workbooks, DVD’s, Leap Pad, the internet, library, field trips, Hooked on Phonics, and Alex’s interests to teach. We go to the library at least weekly and get a combination of about 20 fiction and non-fiction books for Alex. We don’t have a set time for lessons, but I am working on making it a little more structured. Our lessons are generally short unless his interest lasts a long time.

Today Alex watched some educational DVD’s, and then we worked on telling time. I have a magnetic clock and use flash cards with it. After that I read 10 Henry and Mudge books. Alex worked on puzzles and listened to a CD of kid’s songs while I typed this and did some housework. Alex played with play dough and practiced using a butter knife to cut it up. While waiting for Frank to get off work we played a game running in the empty parking lot to the numbered parking spaces. I’d call out, “Where’s number 12,” then we'd race to it. I read several Bible stories to Alex. We also read the first chapter of Bill Nye the Science Guy’s Big Blue Ocean, though we didn’t have the materials needed for the experiment. We used the Hooked on Phonics CD to teach him letter sounds, (it would have been easier to teach it at the same time he learned letters.) Of course Alex also had plenty of time for play. Alex also watched part of a documentary on Japan with Frank and me, (he fell asleep about half-way through it).

If you don’t know any homeschoolers you may wonder about socialization. Alex is very social. He goes with us when we go visiting for the church so Alex is perfectly at ease talking to adults. Every time we go to the park or McDonalds’ Playland Alex makes friends with the other kids. I also take him to the library’s story time and to a play group so he can be around a lot of the same kids from week to week.

Marie-Anne

Homeschooling unconstitutional?

“California parents without teaching credentials cannot legally home school their children, according to a recent state appellate court ruling.”Parents do not have a constitutional right to home school their children," Justice H. Walter Croskey wrote in a Feb. 28 opinion for the 2nd District Court of Appeal. Noncompliance could lead to criminal complaints against the parents, Croskey said.” CNN

When I saw this on the news I was outraged. Public schools are failing to teach the kids, failing to prepare kids for the “real world,” and failing to protect them from abuse both from other students and staff, yet parents who cannot afford private school are going to be forced to send their kids to these schools. You read in the news how public schools hire teachers that aren’t qualified, but in order to home school, parents are going to be required to be more certified than teachers. It doesn’t make sense.

I understand that there may be concern that uneducated parents have difficulty teaching certain subjects. With co-ops, the internet, library, and home school programs parents have all the available materials to teach their own kids. Not only that but in some states since parents of homeschoolers still pay school taxes they are entitled to take advantage of certain public school resources.

This will be appealed and I pray that the ruling will be changed. If not, I can’t help but wonder if other states will follow California’s lead. I certainly hope not, but won’t be too surprised if they do.

Marie-Anne

Ma and Pa Rendla in Town

On the weekend of the 17th of Feb we got the pleasure of spending time with my parents. It was a blessing. They brought Marie a birthday present of a flower pressing kit, Alex a puzzle and Dad drew a cool picture for Alex's scrapbook.
On the following Tuesday we all travelled to Bullhead City, Arizona to celebrate grandma Donna's 80th birthday. Bullhead City is known for it's view of Laughlin, Neveda just across the Colorado river. All and all is was a pleasure visit.

Christian Duty

I find it sad the number of people who are amazed that a pastor and his wife go door-to-door inviting people to church. People are amazed when we visit them in the hospital or give them a ride to church. Isn’t that our reasonable service? Isn’t that just obeying the Great Commission? And he said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature. Mark 16:15 Why then are people amazed? What do they think a pastor and his wife should be doing? Don’t they realize that the Great Commission isn’t just to pastors, it is to every Christian?

Marie-Anne

Decision Made...Almost

We have pretty much decided on homeschooling. Well, we've sorta unofficailly started. Since Alex is only 3 it's not very structured yet,we just get non-fiction books on whatever subject Alex is interested in at the moment and the lessons are short. We also are using Hooked on Phonics, Kumon workbooks, Joyful Life (Abeka's Sunday School department), Leap Pad, DVD's, the internet, read a lot,and field trips to museums, the zoo... We are also teaching Alex to tell time.

Marie-Anne

Hooked on Phonics

I am so excited about what I got the other day at Big Lots. I got the complete Kindergarten through 2nd grade Hooked on Phonics set for only $40! We have checked out the kindergarten set from the library several times while I was teaching Alex the ABC’s. Alex and I started using it to learn letter sounds. He loves books and wants to learn to read. Once he learns the letter sounds I don’t think it will take him long.

Marie-Anne

Phoenix Part 1

Sun Feb 10th

Happy b-day to me! We left for Phoenix from church. We arrived shortly before their night service. It was a good service and Alex enjoyed Sunday School. After church we stayed for fellowship.



Alex had friends to play with; the kids raided the church’s costumes for Sunday School. Alex dressed as a knight, a soldier, a gangster, and a clown. It was very cute.

Mon. Feb 11th

We (Alex and I) drove 30 minutes to the Katydid Insect Museum to find out it no longer exists. I was upset. We found it on a website of area attractions. I learned the hard way to call first to be sure.



Alex and I ended up going to the Hall of Flame. http://www.hallofflame.org/ While it is geared for older folks Alex loved the kids section and the fire truck he could climb on. He actually fell out of the fire truck, but thankfully they had a thick rubber mat and he wasn’t hurt. We both wore Alex’s fire fighter helmets and we tried on turnout gear.



Afterwards we stopped at a park. When Frank got out of class we all went back to the park and walked on the trails. It was a beautiful day. That night we were invited to visit the Ashmore’s and some friends were there. It was a great day.

Tues. Feb 12th




Alex and I went to the Arizona Heritage Museum. http://www.arizonahistoricalsociety.org/default.asp It had a lot of stuff for kids. We had plans to meet the ladies from the local church so we didn’t stay long, but it was fun. Alex was having so much fun climbing in and out of the old car and playing with the toys that he threw a fit when it was time to go.

We met up with the ladies and went to Value Village, a thrift store. I got several books, a very nice children’s Bible, a Boggle Jr., and a leap pad to replace the one Alex broke. Then we all went to a sandwich shop next door. It was good and I really enjoyed being with the ladies.

After I got back to the hotel we went to get Frank something to eat. Boston Market is my favorite place and there isn’t one in Las Vegas nor was there one in Washington; so even though I had just eaten I HAD to get a side of their spinach.

We went to Bible Study, and I was happy that they had children’s church during the Bible Study. So I was able to pay attention. The Bible Study was on prayer.

Marie-Anne

Phoenix part 2

Wed. Feb. 13th



Alex and I went to the Arizona Science Center. http://www.azscience.org/ Some people made it sound like the greatest thing in the world and it was- for older kids. Alex had a blast though, but I was a bit disappointed because of expectations set. The dinosaur section cost extra and it was only a little bit bigger than the exhibit at the Natural History museum, (which is much cheaper).



After we left there we walked to the Phoenix Police Museum. www.phoenixpolicemuseum.com/ I loved it! It was small, but great. I got some brochures to give to the ladies from the local church and to give to our hotel to pass out. Alex got to wear a real police shirt and had a lot of fun in a police car and on a police motorcycle. I got a little teary eyed seeing the pictures of policemen fallen in the line of duty. When the tour guide pointed out the fallen police dogs Alex said, “Dogs don’t die.” She said that always got to the kids. The lady there was so sweet. It is a free museum so I didn’t expect them to give us anything, but she gave us candy, a police badge, and a coloring book. As we were walking out she also gave us each a little teddy bear.

We also walked to Wells Fargo Museum. http://www.wellsfargohistory.com/museums/ It too was free and small. We only stayed a few minutes because 2 classes were there on a field trip. Alex loved the stagecoach that kids could climb in and the toy stagecoach. I would have liked to stay a little bit longer and enjoy it, but it was just too crowded.

We picked up Frank and went to Jeepers http://www.jeepers.com/ an indoor amusement park much like Chuck E. Cheese. We didn’t eat there we just let Alex play in the play area, play some games, and ride 2 rides. I rode the roller coaster with him. It was Alex’s first time to ever be at anything like this and he loved it. He kept calling it a museum. Alex got a party horn with the tickets he won, but only because the guy gave it to him, he didn’t have enough.

Thurs. Feb. 14th

Happy Valentines Day! Today we went with ladies from the local church to a community college’s “art museum.” It was False Advertising because it was really their library. The art was on the walls and in shelves throughout the library. We were disappointed; it was hard to enjoy it while trying to keep Alex quiet because everyone there was studying. You should’ve seen the looks on the students’ faces as four women in long dresses with three kids walked by. That was FUNNY! Then we went to a park and the kids chased chickens and pigeons and played with an exercise ball.

We had a very good service. The title was Patching Holes- people try to fill their lives with everything, but Jesus.

Frank, Alex, and I got each other a Valentines Day gift from the dollar store. Frank and I got candy and Alex got toy tanks.

Fri. Feb. 15th

Alex and I went to the Scottsdale Historical Museum. http://www.scottsdalemuseum.com/index2.html It was tiny! We looked at everything in only a few minutes. Alex enjoyed ringing the bell. Scottsdale is a tourist area so we went into several of the shops. Then we took a free trolley ride. Alex kept calling it the trolley museum, (everything’s a museum to him now).

After we dropped off Frank’s lunch we went to the Pueblo Grande Museum & Archaeological Park. www.pueblogrande.org/ We played in the kids’ area for a while then I tried to look at the other exhibits, but Alex was hyper. It was sprinkling so I took an umbrella and pulled Alex’s hood up and went out to the trail. We bought corn to grind on the grinding stones. Pigeons were waiting and flew down while we were still grinding. Alex loves to chase pigeons. I let Alex run ahead of me on the trail. As I said he had lots of energy. We went into some huts and I had to remind Alex not to break stuff. Then we went back to the kids’ area for a while. I bought Alex a few things from the store also.

We stopped for food to go and picked up Frank. It had been a good trip, but we were ready to go home.

Marie-Anne

Arizona

We are going to Arizona next week. I am looking forward to it! My husband will be taking care of business during the day so I searched online for some things for Alex and me to do. We are planning to visit as many of the following as we can: the Hall of Flame (fire fighters’ museum), Phoenix Police Museum, Wells Fargo History Museum, Pioneer Living History Village, and the Arizona Science Center. In the evenings we are planning on visiting friends, but one evening we are planning to go to Jeepers, (indoor mini golf and amusement park).

Marie-Anne

Blessed are the meek

Matthew 5:5 Blessed are the meek: for they shall inherit the earth.

The meek, those with a calm temper of mind, those of quiet strength will be as royal heirs of the entire world. The meek are not the weak or without courage. Christ claimed himself to be meek, endured the shame of the cross with quiet strength. To know the torture and pain that He would suffer ahead of time, yet to willingly submit to it for our salvation hardly speaks of weakness. Isaiah wrote about this example of strength under pressure: He was oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth: he is brought as a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers is dumb, so he openeth not his mouth

We, as believers, have been enjoined by Christ to follow His example of meekness in Matthew 11: Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart.
In following Christ’s example, we too are to have the calm temper of mind as He showed us.

Would following Jesus’ example of meekness enable us be co-heirs with Him in ruling the earth and enjoy the goodness of this His presence? The Psalm 37 confirms this: “…the meek shall inherit the earth; and shall delight themselves in the abundance of peace.”

Greater Love No Man Hath

John 15:13 Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.
Sacrifice for another, for a friend…
Liviu Librescu, well-known-scientist, professor and hero, sacrificed his life to save others. He is the college professor who used his body to stop entrance of a killer into his classroom in Virginia. He blocked the door so; his pupils could jump out of the second-story windows to safety. He gave his life so that others may live.
Death and sin stalk mankind, breaking down our barricades, brutalizing lives and killing our souls. Jesus died, for us, His friends, throwing Himself in the way of sin, even becoming sin for us. We can hear the plea of our true Friend, “Jump for your life! I will stop this monster with my life. Jump and live! I will die for you!” You may only have a moment to decide. If you don’t listen, Jesus would die in vain for you, and you would still perish. Allow His sacrifice, His gift of His Life for yours, to take hold in your soul. Jump to safety...

Bill Nye the Science Guy

Have you ever heard of Bill Nye the Science Guy? I hadn’t until I checked out a dinosaur DVD by him. It’s geared for 4th grade and up, but Alex loves him! We checked out the one on fish and the one on lakes and ponds, Alex has watched them both three times since yesterday. He’s even chosen Bill Nye over Blue’s Clues and that’s saying a lot. My three year old is telling me about lakes and ponds! I searched online hoping to be able to buy some of the DVD’s used, but they are only sold to educators as a very expensive set. (This is yet another reason to be thankful for public libraries.) I did find some Bill Nye Science Guy books for real cheap. I’m going to order all I can and hope that the DVD’s will be made available for families soon.

Marie-Anne

Early Education doesn't have to cost a fortune

Take advantage of free programs in your area: Sunday School, state parks have a Jr. Ranger program, the library has story hours and summer reading programs, Your Story Hour has a kid’s bible study, free or cheap museums, parks, and many government agencies have websites for kids. Don’t forget to check out your local recreation center- ours has a free playgroup and many programs that are under $20.

Marie-Anne

Reflection

Psalm 39:3 …while I was musing the fire burned…
In this modern, fast-paced era, we must, it seems, hurry about to keep up. From cell phones and emails, to the grind of daily chores we must move, without time to rest. Yet, the Psalmist describes to us a time of waiting, thinking for a period. The rest of the verse and the next: then spake I with my tongue, LORD, make me to know mine end, and the measure of my days, what it is; that I may know how frail I am.

Do we have time to reflect on our life, eternity and our frailty? Sure, we have hobbies and interests and families, but what about God? Do we pray, allowing the LORD to show us our end or the measure of our days?

Not Long Remembered or Never Forgotten

Hebrews 11:33-38 Who through faith subdued kingdoms, wrought righteousness, obtained promises, stopped the mouths of lions, Quenched the violence of fire, escaped the edge of the sword, out of weakness were made strong, waxed valiant in fight, turned to flight the armies of the aliens. Women received their dead raised to life again: and others were tortured, not accepting deliverance; that they might obtain a better resurrection: And others had trial of cruel mockings and scourgings, yea, moreover of bonds and imprisonment: They were stoned, they were sawn asunder, were tempted, were slain with the sword: they wandered about in sheepskins and goatskins; being destitute, afflicted, tormented; (Of whom the world was not worthy:) they wandered in deserts, and in mountains, and in dens and caves of the earth.
These verses are extracted from the “Hall of Faith”, Hebrews 11, describing the trials and challenges the Old Testament Saints encountered and who “obtained a good report through faith.” These men and women were examples to their contemporaries, but also to those who followed after them millennia later. They were a people of action, “doers of the word”, and not just of empty words.
Living By Faith
2Co 5:7 (For we walk by faith, not by sight:)
Ro 10:17 So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.
Heb 11:1 Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.
Heb 11:6 But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.

From the Gettysburg Address: “But, in a larger sense, we can not dedicate -- we can not consecrate -- we can not hallow -- this ground. The brave men, living and dead, who struggled here, have consecrated it, far above our poor power to add or detract. The world will little note, nor long remember what we say here, but it can never forget what they did here.”
Will the things we have done be not be long remembered? Could a chapter of Holy Scripture be dedicated to our steadfastness in the faith? To our devotion? To our actions?

Being poor in spirit?

Matthew 5:3 - Blessed are the poor in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

This verse could be translated as: “Happy are the destitute in spirit”. The paradox of the Gospel is that the great of this world shall be humbled and the humble shall be made great. Likewise the poor in spirit, the ones who know they need the grace of God will exceed the proud and self-righteous.

We can read later in Matthew of a Gentile woman who wanted Jesus to heal her child. Knowing Jesus was sent only to the Jews, God’s chosen people, desiring any small gift from Him she said of herself, “…yet the dogs eat of the crumbs which fall from their masters' table.” How poor in spirit she was! Christ answered her, “O woman, great is thy faith…” She did not think more highly of herself than she should have, but was simply enriched with faith, from which her child was healed.

Will appropriating the grace of God, through His Son, put you in the company of the lowliest and poorest among us? Can we afford to be spiritually poor? Will it cost us to gain everything? If we join the poor spirit, could we not then say: “for ours is the kingdom of heaven?” We can certainly say, “Yes!” They, or if you prefer, we would definitely be blessed to be so poor.

What's weird is normal...to us

Alex loves looking at the toy aisle, (what kid doesn’t?). So of course we headed over there before checking out yesterday. We had time so I grabbed a book off the rack and read it to Alex. Then he asked for another and another… I ended up reading 10 books, (mostly Thomas and Curious George that I haven’t seen in the library). What’s weird about reading to a kid you ask? Apparently a lot. Almost everyone who walked by, most with young children, looked at me like I was crazy. Only later did I realize that I’d never seen anyone read to their kid in Wal-Mart. I wonder why not.

Marie-Anne

Clean sinks

If you’ve heard of flylady you know she stresses a clean sink. I have found a much easier way to keep a porcelain sink clean. I buy the magic erasers from the dollar store (they work just as well as name brand) and cut them in half. I keep them by our sink. After using the sink I wet the magic eraser and wipe the sink which keeps the sink sparkly clean. (It doesn’t work for facets though.)

Marie-Anne

Keeper at home

I have had some people pity me for not being on a job, but more have said that they wished that they could be at home with their children. I am blessed to have a wonderful husband who works hard to provide for us. I am blessed to be able to be home with Alex and home school.

Being a keeper at home does not mean I am Always at home or a slave. It means that in our marriage it is my husband’s job to provide an income and mine is to be the manager of our home. A home is more than just the chores, cooking, and grocery shopping. It also means planning most of our outings, teaching Alex, decorating, scrapbooking our family times, and making our lives better.

Marie-Anne

Free Monarch Milkweed

I read about this in a magazine today and I am going to do it. I was already planning on getting a butterfly kit since we are leaning about bugs, but this will teach about plants as well. I checked out their website http://www.livemonarch.com/and it has some great stuff for teaching about the butterflies. You can send a self addressed stamped envelope and you’ll receive free seeds. I also signed up for the adopt an online butterfly. It’s an educational program where they send e-mails about “your” butterfly from an egg to an adult. They promise special awards, prizes, and discounts for participating.

I also did an online search for “free seeds” and came across http://wintersown.org/which will send free packets of butterfly bush seeds.

Marie-Anne