Wow it's been a week? I was doing really good there for awhile. This week has been a whirlwind and I just keep spinning. At some point I will hit the ground, hopefully running. Home for now. I leave with the two youngest kids Wednesday to head to Illinois. Here is what I loved about the last week.

I loved hanging out with Rachel and Kelsey at my mom's while they were visiting Autumn.

I loved that Autumn bought a real bathing suit that she likes.

I loved Jeff having a few days vacation.

I loved sitting by the pool reading my bible.

I loved the smell of the grill while Jeff cooked for us.

I loved hearing about Mom and Dad's trip.

I loved the Homeschool Convention and the inspiration to do this another year.

I loved hearing that Alex scored his first basket in his last game of the season!

I loved church on Sunday and hearing another great message.

I loved Paige taking over the director of house cleaning for me on Sunday.

I loved having people over for Family and Friend Dinner and Devo night.

I loved AJ being home to play games last night.

I loved having Jenni and Albert Pavon stop by to hang for 12ish hours.

I loved eating breakfast at Chuck's Wagon.

I loved playing games with J&A before they had to leave.

I loved my Gator snuggie from J&A and I WILL be taking it to Illinois.

I loved hanging out at the Bores' house tonight and catching up with friends.

I loved my crazy daughter driving me around in the golf cart and having to push it up hill.

I loved laughing until my sides hurt at DJ describing their London vacation.

And those are the HIGHLIGHTS! I could go on and on. I love my crazy life. I am abundantly blessed by an awesome God!

Art's BBQ Review

Today we were looking for a new place for lunch and we happened on Art's BBQ. It is near the Altamonte Mall in the plaza with Red Brick and Planet Smoothie.

My first impression was that they weren't very friendly. Well the first time we met the guy up front he wasn't very friendly. But I set that aside to see if they were able to make up for a bad first impression. Man did they ever!

Before the food arrived, I took in the look and feel of the place. Jeff said it felt like we were eating on someone's back porch. He was right. It felt like a patio but it was inside, so outside with air conditioning (always a plus). Everything about the dining room was impeccably clean. I have a habit of running my hand across the table (an old server's habit I guess). No stickiness, no greasiness, nothing. The bathroom was also spotless.

A place that boasts "Southern Style BBQ" is expected to have great sweet tea. I was not disappointed. But it was the food that made me an instant Art's BBQ fan. What a great experience! I had a BBQ pork sandwich. The meat was tender, the bread was fresh and the sauce was the perfect mix of sweet and spicy. I also had fries which were normal crinkle fries but expertly seasoned. Paige had the same thing with fried okra which was amazing. I think everyone thoroughly enjoyed their meal. Add to that the cleanliness and, in the end, a friendly staff and we will be back. If you are looking for something besides mall food, I recommend you stop by Art's and give it a try. I hope you enjoy it as much as we did. Oh and by the way, it reheats well too.

Be blessed!

Examiner Articles

Here are the two articles that I posted at examiner.com. If you like what you read, please click on the link and go to my article. I actually get paid by the traffic to my article. Thanks

Homeschooling on a Budget? Attend a Used Curriculum Sale.

Curriculum can be very expensive. Add to that supplies, field trips and other expenses and the cost of homeschooling can increase dramatically.

One way to curb spending, is to buy curriculum used. This can save a significant amount of money and enable parents to pick up books, charts, supplies, and even computer programs for a fraction of the cost. To recoup some money and/or help fund next year’s books, consider selling used curriculum at a local sale.

There are two major Used Curriculum sales in June and they are both looking for buyers and sellers.

The first sale is Circle Christian School’s annual Used Curriculum Sale. This event is in its twentieth year and is the largest sale in our area. For the first time ever, the event is in danger of being cancelled due to a lack of sellers. They are looking for 100 more sellers to make this event a success. It will be held Friday, June 3^rd from 9am to 11:30am at First Baptist Church Orlando. No children under 12 or rolling carts are allowed into the sale. Before you go, be sure to check the school’s website for any last minute information. Seller packet and event details are available here.

Central Florida Home Educators is the other major sale in June. The Willow Creek Sale has combined with The Reagent Academy sale to become Central Florida Home Educators. This event will be held on June 18^th from 8am – 12pm at Metro Life Church in Casselberry. There will be 150 plus sellers and it will be held on a Saturday for the first time. Again, no rolling carts or children under 10 will be allowed into the sale. More information on buying, selling or volunteering for this sale can be found here.

Like this article, click here.

Homeschool Convention 101

Florida Parent Educators Association (FPEA) will hold their annual homeschool convention from May 26 - 29. Every year, thousands of people converge on the convention to be lifted up and equipped for the new school year. If you are going for the first time, the experience can be overwhelming so here are some tips for the first timer.

The Venue

This year, the convention has returned to the BEAUTIFUL Gaylord Palms Resort. The best thing about Gaylord Palms is the activities. Bring the whole family and they can explore the resort for hours while you shop or attend conferences. Of course, your little ones will need supervision but dads love hanging out in the atrium.

The Speakers

FPEA has a list of all their speakers and their topics on the website. Basically, you can break them down this way.

Encouragement - Lectures that help encourage or lift up the homeschool family as a whole. These may focus on moms, dads, kids, teens, etc. You may laugh or cry but you will leave with a new insight into your own family.

How -To’s - These lectures help you with specifics on homeschooling. How to teach science, language, history. How to organize your homeschool. How to manage your time better. For these, the best advice is to glean information, don’t try to fit yourself into the speaker’s mold.

Vendor Workshops - These are usually curriculum specific or product specific. How to bind books, teach using a specific book, etc. If you find something new you think you love, go to the vendor workshop.

The Curriculum Hall

The PROMISED LAND!! This is either your heaven or, well you know. When you walk in this room, be prepared.

Here is typically what happens. You come into the convention and the speakers have GREAT ideas. You see all the topics and realize, “Oh no, I am not teaching Lilly latin and Bobby hasn’t had physics yet. They are going into 2nd grade. How could I have let them get this far behind?”

Of course this feeling of inadequacy is only fueled by the 2nd grade prodigy at the piano, the family in matching homemade clothes and the curriculum booth with smiling, polite children working together. These families are genuinely amazing but they are not typical. The typical family can’t play legos, will complain vehemently until you take the polka dot shirt off Bobby and require vaseline on the teeth to ensure a constant smile.

DO NOT fall into the inadequacy trap. You can easily overspend in the hall thinking you are not doing enough for your child. Usually that means lots of extra curriculum at home that will not be used.

To be successful, treat it like a trip to the grocery store. Go in with a plan and a list. Do your homework. Research potential curriculum online and use the booth to get your questions answered. Use the hall to get ideas and then do your research at home. Find out the online price so you know how deep the convention discount is.

Don’t forget, there are numerous used curriculum sales in Central Florida. Remember that you can probably get it cheaper somewhere else. This is especially true for readers and older editions.

Finally, enjoy the convention. This is a wonderful weekend that your entire family will enjoy. Set aside time to relax and spend time just hanging out. Don’t be fooled though. For the teacher, this is a working weekend so stay hydrated, eat well and be prepared. Go in with a plan and you will walk away ready to take on another year of educating your children at home.

Like this article, click here.

Writing

I began writing for examiner.com recently. However, I don't have the freedom I thought I would in regard to my writing. It is fine but they recommend I keep it to a certain number of words and I am supposed to write about events and things that happen. I will continue to write for them. Here, I will attempt to encourage, inspire, inform and humor. Please feel free to comment and express your opinions about my writing. I would love to get feedback. It will make me a better writer.

I have been listening to the Casey Anthony trial for the past week. If you live under a rock, she's the lady here in Orlando who is charged with murdering her 2 year old daughter. I know it is sensational but it is really interesting to listen to the court proceedings. I don't like to read or listen to news recaps because they always get something wrong. But listening to the proceedings without the spin of analysts and others is very informative. I also participate in a live blog and we can ask questions about the proceedings. I have learned so much about court procedure and the tactics of both sides. As a matter of fact, I've learned enough to know that my decision to go into nursing is the absolute right choice for me.

In other news today, I am still at Mom and Dad's. They are on day 2 of their cruise. Lucky dogs. I mean them, not Harley and Shadow. It is day 3 of our mini vacation here at Casa de Fontaine. We are so thrilled to have a pool to use. Anyone notice that it has been nice and cool the last three days? Yep that's the way it goes. No pool for me. Maybe later today if it gets hot again.

Anyone else going to the homeschool convention next week? I didn't realize how close it was. I can't wait. Let me know if you are going. I'd love to meet up with you.

Listening

So today is day 2 of the mini vacation. I have found a new favorite spot beside the pool. I can sit here for a little while until the sun makes its way over the house. I sat out here for about 2 hours last night. It is quite relaxing.

This morning I finished reading James 1. This section was all about listening and doing. I think this section really speaks to what I've been neglecting, a careful and consistent reading of the scriptures. I have often been the doer. That is easy for me. I like to see results so doing is a good thing. But the listening is harder. Like most, I don't like to hear that I am wrong and sometimes scriptures admonish me.

What about the anger part? I admit that I am slower to anger, but still not slow to anger. Unfortunately, my "anger" comes out in tears and anxiety instead of raging words, although that has been known to happen too. Verse 20 says "for man's anger does not bring about the righteous life that God desires." If you are successful in this area. would you share with me how you do it? Share how you are able to let the anger go. I would again love to hear from you!

Putting Things in Context

Today is Day 1 of the mini vacation. We are staying at my mom and dad's house and I am trying to treat it like a house we rented for the week to get away from it all. Of course, AJ's not here and Jeff has to work so it is only a little like a vacation. But I plan to enjoy some downtime.

This past weekend my friend Tricia brought a short "blurb" in a magazine to my attention. It once again reminded me that we really need to watch what we read and make sure that we check facts to see that what we are being "fed" is the correct information. The gist of the blurb was two simple sentences that fell under the title of, "When tragedy happens, is it from God?" The article said that James 1:17 says every good gift is from God. The writer concludes that since this is the case, bad things never come from God. What follows is my letter to the editor of this magazine about the blurb. I haven't sent it yet as I would love to discuss this further to be sure that I too am not taking things out of context.

“When tragedy happens, is it from God?”

First, the statement is taken completely out of context. This section of James 1 is about trials and temptations. The discussion of trials is found in verses 2-12. “Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.” (James 1: 2-4) From here James discusses briefly how to ask for wisdom and why those who face trials should feel blessed. The section on trials ends with: “Blessed is the one who perseveres under trial because, having stood the test, that person will receive the crown of life that the Lord has promised to those who love Him,” (James 1:12). No where in here is the verse about all good gifts coming from God.

The next section speaks to temptation. A reading of 13 -15 reveals that God does not tempt. According to the passage, temptation is a result of desire. Desire can then give birth to sin and sin to death. That is what is said directly before the passage quoted in the blurb. Verses 16 -18, “Don’t be deceived, my dear brothers and sisters. Every good and perfect gift is from above coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows. He chose to give us birth through the word of truth, that we might be a kind of first fruits of all he created.” So while the writer wants us to consider verse 17 when thinking of trials, the context is given in terms of temptation. The fastest way to discredit your statements are to give facts out of context.

Second, let’s consider verse 17 by itself, as the writer did. The summation of the verse from the blurb says that “every good gift comes from God.” While this is a true statement, the conclusion of “Therefore, if it is not good it can’t be from God” is flawed logic. Following that train of thought I could say “Germs causes illness, therefore if it is not a germ it cannot cause illness.” The first part of the statement is correct. Germs do in fact cause illness. However, taking it to the next statement causes it to be incorrect. We all know that illness may be caused by more than just germs. Similarly, God does in fact give every good gift however, the verse does not PROVE that bad things do not come from God.

Proof that God can and has caused bad things can be found throughout the bible: Job, Jeremiah, Sodom and Gomorrah, the Great Flood, etc. I believe, that while it is a great comfort to think that bad things can’t come from a loving God, it just is not backed up by the bible. We are His children and can therefore be rebuked and even punished by Him as is the case by our earthly parents. And in the same way, it is done in a spirit of love by a God who wants to see us learn and be our very best selves.

Please read James 1: 2 -18 and tell me if you agree with these statements. This has opened several discussions for our family about being careful how we use scripture, understanding that we have to be sure to check claims written about scripture, and the importance of God's discipline in our lives. So comment away!