today in three words.

Life today in three words per picture: :D

1. I'm sorry, mommy.

2. Much needed snack.

3. Bread machine wins.

4. Dinner is thawing.

5. Amazing butternut squash.

6. Reading takes effort.

7. Messes are everywhere. :)

How's your day? :D  {in three words? ;) }

Mine is good! ;)

6 encouragements for homeschool moms this year

I'm not feeling ready for this to be happening again, but it's here:

This is my first year to homeschool four children. Ava did preschool bits last year, but I didn't worry much about it. This year, kindergarten is in full swing:

It feels like we were just doing this, and we took a couple of weeks off...well, except for this part:

I now have a curious, active toddler roaming about. ;)

The kids are doing awesome with it. I'm so thankful for their willingness to work, and their desire to learn! They were up early today and couldn't wait to get started. :D I just love them.

But for me... alternating between feeding, diaper changes, snacks, reading, printing out sheets, answering questions, teaching phonics, correcting errors... this homeschooling business is no joke. It reminds me of waiting tables in college, only these customers tend to act like small children, and I'm already in the weeds. ;)

I may or may not have cried last night.

Homeschooling pushes me to places I don't want to go. I'm not naturally a teacher, but I already love my kiddos, so I have that going for me. ;) Thankfully when I was overwhelmed last night, I feel like the Holy Spirit was encouraging me with few things that really helped me get a better perspective.

I needed to realize that:

1. This season is actually VERY short!
I already have kids in 5th, 4th, 2nd, and kindergarten. This is happening fast. After this year, I'll have already taken 4 children through learning how to read. I'll be 80% done! ;) It's going to fly by. Really.

2. This is my choice.
I don't have to do this, I want to do this. But sometimes I forget that. :) No one is holding me hostage to homeschooling. I want these kiddos to be here learning! :)

3. Homeschooling will be hard at times.
Childbirth may be hard, but teaching kids how to read is tougher if you ask me! But then, I realize if I take a step back and remember, potty training was hard, teaching them to sit still is hard, teaching them not to hurt each other is hard... pretty much all parenting is hard at different times.

But it's worth the effort, isn't it? Realizing childbirth will hurt helps me prepare for the pain. And teaching children will be a difficult task sometimes too, just like running a race, or passing a test.  It helps to be prepared for things to be less than easy. :)

4. Their attitudes about homeschooling will reflect mine.
I know this is true in other areas for sure, so I know it will be true of homeschooling too. I want to enjoy this season, and I want them to feel the same way. :) I want us to have a GREAT attitude about it this year! :)

5. In order for me to focus on it, do a good job, and enjoy it, I have to eliminate distractions.
Everything else needs to take a backseat in the mornings and afternoons. Dirty dishes, blogging, laundry, Facebook, text messages, phone calls, Instagram, learning choreography for teaching classes in the afternoon - these things beg for my attention all day long.

I have to re-prioritize what I want to do in order to do homeschooling well. If I'm busy, I do not enjoy interruptions. If I'm not busy, homeschooling isn't nearly as painful. :) And, when I don't have outside responsibilities looming over my head, I feel capable of doing more with my family and enjoying it.

6. My first priority is to teach them about Jesus.
Reading, writing, math, science, history, spelling- these are all well and good, and things they need to know, but my highest priority over all other education is to teach them about the Lord- to teach them His ways through His Word. I want them more than anything to love Him and obey Him, and to love others. This is the stuff that will matter on that final day when they stand before Him. This is my first and most important job.

If I filter this homeschooling thing through the lens of eternity, I start to see why I'm doing this, as well as what I need to do first, you know?

Some days I will feel like a crazy person because this is hard, but I know that I can do this through the power of the Holy Spirit. I need Him desperately, and I am so thankful for sweet friends who pray for you when you're feeling defeated before you've even started {like this morning!}.

This homeschooling deal won't be happening in my strength- that's for sure.  Psalm 73:26 is more than true of me: "My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever." I know His power is made perfect in my weakness. Just like last year, I'm going to be clinging to Him with all my might. :D

This article about investing in your kids was the perfect encouragement from the Lord for me just now- you have to read it!! :D Oh man, I love the Holy Spirit! He is the Comforter. What an encouraging charge Jennifer gives us. It's such a good reminder of our purpose:

Yes, there are many educational feats to accomplish this year in the classroom and many athletic obstacles to overcome in the game but the most important thing they can learn this year is that Jesus loves them, he died for them and that he has made salvation available to them. They need to hear this from the adults in charge of them. That’s you! 

Go into all the classrooms and gyms and halls and preach the gospel. 

What encourages you as a mom this school year {homeschooling or not! :) all kinds of school are hard!}? 

Have you ever struggled with feeling defeated and overwhelmed before you started?
I really think attacks like that are from the enemy. Sometimes I feel and take his accusations as truth, forgetting that he is the great deceiver who wants to devour me, and any joy I have in Christ.

can you guess where this place is? {weekend update}

Okay, can you guess where this extremely magical place is??

We took Friday afternoon off and headed for the big city with the kids, and I determined that I am officially grown up now because I was ridiculously excited to get a membership here:

note the lovely sunny Saturday {so lovely I was sweating, in fact}!!

Even though it's over an hour away, we bought the membership since we figure we'll make it there several times a year. From what I can tell it's a little more expensive than Sam's Club in general, but Costco > Sam's because of these fabulous items:

Natural {sugarless} peanut butter, organic tofu, unsweetened organic applesauce, organic raisins, roasted seaweed, short grain brown rice, and organic quinoa?? I was in heaven, I tell you. :) I know I'm probably really weird when it comes to food, but I was so excited to find bulk quantities of some of my favorite foods ever. And since the asparagus was $2/lb. we took the risk and bought it even though we couldn't refrigerate it for hours. {It made it home okay!}

They even have awesome workout clothes for $10. And thin pizza crusts too.

I'm in love. 

Costco, please come to East Texas asap.

The kids wouldn't mind if this store were closer too:

The main purpose of our trip was to let the kids each pick out a bucket of Legos as a reward for good behavior for the last couple of months. :)

And I had fun browsing old Pottery Barn for a few minutes:

And the kids let me do some shopping too. ;) I found a couple of shirts at the outlet mall, but honestly I was more excited about the food we carried home, lol! 

And then on Sunday afternoon, Texas Spring arrived:

There's ice everywhere! My poor dogwood and magnolia trees. The dogwood and the other trees were already blooming and now they're frozen. I feel so bad for them.

It's a snow day for everyone but these poor homeschooling kids... ;) 

As we drove home in the sleet storm yesterday, Noah said, "It sure is a good thing we homeschool- we don't have to take a day off for the snow!"

I like the way he thinks. And his style. ;)

How was your weekend? Did you have snow or sun or both like us? :P

Weirdest food you never thought you'd love?

Seaweed and tofu are both near the top of that list. Coffee is probably the biggest shocker- I didn't like it until I was 27. I couldn't understand why anyone would like it.

Which do you love more- Costco or Sam's? or BJ's? {I've never been there!}

Any favorite, can't live without them items from Costco I need to try next time we go?

women living well book study: ch.13-15 discussion {on parenting mess-ups, the schooling decision + more} + study guide

This post is the part of the WLW book study series- you can find all the details and the previous posts in the study here!

Oh friends, parenting is one of the things I feel least qualified in. I see mostly where I mess up in this area. It's incredibly hard to be a mama. It really is, but I'm so thankful God "doesn't call the qualified, but He qualifies the called!" I'm thankful that my God is bigger than my mistakes and sins, and that He forgives me when I fail {every day!}. You know what I mean? :)

Chapter 13: Motherhood Mess-ups

I was so encouraged by this chapter. My 10 years of parenting has been full of mess-ups, so I was glad to know I'm not alone! ;) I've had moments when I just wanted to give up completely, to throw up my hands and stop trying altogether.

I remember when I first had Elijah- it was like my entire world shifted and I was the only one going through it. I was the first of all my friends to have a baby, and when I graduated, married, got a job, moved out of the city, and had a baby in a year {at barely 21}, I found myself going from a whirlwind of activity and people to suddenly completely alone at home with a tiny infant all day long. It was such a lonely time of my life.

I didn't regret the choices we'd made, but I was surprised at how different my life became. I could no longer just hop out at a gas station or go into a store without carrying a load of stuff and a stroller. 30-minute feedings and multiple clothing and diaper changes had to happen before I could even attempt to leave the house. :)

But looking back, though it felt so very long {the days felt like forever!}, that season of just babies was actually so short! It wasn't long before I found out I was pregnant for the second time, and things changed in our house all over again. Soon I found myself with two little toddler boys who loved to tag team and destroy everything in sight! ;)

oh, they were so little!! I can't believe I couldn't see it then like I do now.

Like Courtney mentions on page 136- the best thing was that as my boys were growing up, so was I! All those tantrums in the store and that time I had to chase Elijah around a friend's yard because he wouldn't obey when it was time to leave... those times were sanctifying and humbling, and made me realize that I could never be a perfect mom. All those great ideas I had B.P. {before parenting} of how I would never make separate foods for picky children, or how I didn't want my kids to ever play video games... they all kind of flew out the door over the years when I had real children living in my home. :)

Somehow, though, the Lord has been merciful to me and allowed me to grow in His grace. I'm so, so, soooo far from being a perfect mom, but over the years the Lord has gently nudged me and I yell less and love more than I did when I started, and most of the kids are growing up and out of their tantrums too. :P

Growing older always seems so sad, but it's really not- it's a wonderful thing to see how far your children have come, and how far you've come yourself too. It always seems like we aren't making progress, until we look back and see {thanks to our Father alone} that we've come a long way! And it gets better and better. :)

I think this was my very favorite quote from the chapter:

Training takes so long though, doesn't it? It seems to me like character training and potty training have a lot in common: they have to be the right age to understand, it doesn't usually happen overnight, and there are a whole lot of mess-ups. I can't just tell my kiddo how to go to the bathroom and expect them to know what to do. I have to teach them, and then train them how to do it over a period of time.

Both kinds of training may bring a few hard days, but they both are necessary, and their rewards are lasting and so worth it. :)

Chapter 14: I'm Gonna Blow My Top

Talk about a chapter every mama can relate to!

Oh, man. I know I have lost my cool a hundred more times than I could ever remember. I am ashamed at how I've yelled and lost it so many times. I wish I could say I have it all together and am entirely patient now but it would be such a lie. By God's grace, I've been forgiven, and it's gotten better, but I know I still have a long way to go.

I'd say over the last 10 years, unnecessary messes and setbacks have triggered mommy meltdowns for me the most. Oh, I remember getting so mad when the boys {3 and 2 at the time} ripped all of their wall paper border off the walls in tiny pieces. It left a huge mess on the wall and wasted so much money and time, and now I laugh at the story, but oh, that DAY. I was not a happy mama! ;)

I am so thankful that the Lord forgives me, and the Holy Spirit convicts and reminds me when I've sinned against my family. It's only in the last year or so that I've even been able to really notice and apologize to my children for losing my cool. The Lord keeps working on me, and I'm so thankful.

I found keeping calm is so much harder for me when I'm exhausted, and outright disobedience and ugliness often triggers anger in me too. Right now, Sunday mornings are one of the hardest days ever, and ironically, right before we go to church is the time I lose it the most often. The mornings I get up earlier, pray for peace and the Lord's help, have all of the clothes ironed, breakfast ready, and have the children bathed already are the good mornings! Why don't I remember that every week? Unfortunately, I like to postpone the work all too often.

When I'm more organized, I don't need the children to do as much on their own in a short time, and that helps me be a better {less irritable} mama. I was encouraged by this chapter to spend more time in reducing those kinds of triggers. Realizing my part in it is so helpful, and I am thankful for that conviction this week.

Chapter 15: Schools of Thought, Schools of Choice

The big schooling decision is a hard one to make. It has been for us, anyway. I loved how she starts out with this quote from the chapter:

"There is no cookie-cutter approach to schooling, because each parent and child and family is knit together uniquely with a unique set of challenges and skills." {p.151}

That has been very true for us! So much changes between each year!

Some years we have done full-time homeschooling, and two years we've done part-time school and homeschool combined. I don't think there is just one way that works for everyone. Really, we are blessed to have so many options for our children, aren't we?

Thanks to the many sacrifices of my parents, I went to Christian school for 10 years, and the other 3 were homeschooling years. I loved going to school, and still do. :) My brother and I learned so much of the Word of God in those years!

This is crazy: in my 8th grade year, my teacher had us memorize over 250 verses of Scripture, and in two years, we could quote 500 verses aloud continuously! {I have no idea how we did that now! My memory is foggy these days... :)} Every subject was taught in light of God's Word, and we had teachers who really loved us and prayed and poured into our lives. And I still remember many of those verses!

When Rob and I had children, we really wanted them to be raised in the same kind of environment I was blessed to have- one where their love of Jesus would be encouraged and sought after every day. We also wanted them to be close to us for the majority of every day, so we've done private Christian school and homeschooling both since they've started, and have really enjoyed both. This year, we originally thought we would do the part-time school again, but the Lord led us to do something different, and though we miss their little school, homeschooling full-time again has been so good for us.

Homeschooling is hard, but regular school is hard too. This is just my observation, but it seems like no matter which option you choose- most days your children will spend time working on school work at home, so homeschooling is something we all do at some point! :) Every family is different though, and I love how the Lord leads us in different ways!

And Courtney's chapter closing was so good:

Regardless of which school choice we make, our job as parents is to teach our children to “love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind, and your neighbor as yourself” (Luke 10:27).  

What are the most important things when it comes to their education? Teaching them to love God and love people. So true!

Thank you God, that you lead us and teach us how to teach these little ones, because I'm not worthy to do it! I prove over and over that I am a sinner in need of a Savior, and I need your help to lead these little ones to you. I pray that we can seek after you with all of our hearts, and that your Spirit will lead us as we go about our day so that we can shine the light of the Gospel into the hearts of our little ones. Please help us in the name of Jesus, for your glory. We love you, Father. Thank you for loving us.

download next week's study guide here

{alternate link to Google Docs here}

Let's discuss! :D

What were your thoughts on these parenting chapters?

Do you ever feel like parenting is too hard too?
{I think it is supposed to be, because it makes us turn to the Lord for help! We can only do it through His strength!}

What has been your most challenging season as a mother? 

on homeschooling again: strong curriculum, weak mama

I mentioned Monday we are starting a new curriculum for this year- we decided to go with the Bob Jones University Distance Learning program. We went with the full curriculum for our 3rd and 4th graders, and we went with the Phonics DVD package for our 1st grader, and we are going to supplement hers with Horizons math and individual workbooks for Bible and Science. :)

If unpacking the boxes was any indication of what is to come, it will be a bit... overwhelming. :)

You really seem to get what you pay for though {the video program was $850 per child}- each of the boys have a ton of textbooks, supplemental materials, reviews, and tests.

Here's a glimpse of 4th grade work:

Each set came with a hard drive that contains a full year of video lessons. The lessons are taught by teachers, but the format is so much different from a traditional classroom. Each lesson seems closer to a really informative PBS show, and all of my kids watched all of the 4th grade previews we showed them without any prodding. They wanted to watch them, and that was a good sign! :D

The reviews for their DL program were really, really good, which was so helpful to us since we don't know anyone who has used this program before. The textbooks are all colorful paperbacks- they seem to be very interesting to look at too!

Here's the 3rd grade textbooks:

We also got all of the books that we'll need through the year for literature:

And Bella's phonics, handwriting, and reading look very thorough as well. She will also watch a lesson each day on a DVD. They were again, very highly reviewed, so I'm excited to see how her reading improves in the 1st grade.

And that my friends, is a stack of tests and answer keys on the right there. Phew. ;)

But my favorite part, other than the video lesson, is this:

Each day is already planned out for you in one place- what worksheets they need, how long the lessons are, and what's required of me to do. This is so helpful, because I've never been a teacher/organized kind of person. It hurts me to think about sitting down and lesson planning every subject for a year for 3 children. ;)

I'm more of the I'm excited to buy school supplies and oh, let's do coordinating pencils and scissors kind of girl. :)

But here we are. Honestly, I'm kind of feeling that dreadful feeling you get right before you go to the dentist, where you know you just have to push through it, because you know it's necessary and it's all going to be worth it in the end. Homeschooling is just not easy or natural for me. But that's okay. It doesn't have to be. 

schoolwork sorted and ready to go

I can do it, because the Lord has led us here this year, even though full-time homeschooling wasn't in our original plan. And this is where we're supposed to be for now.

I know if he calls me to do it, I can do it through Him. No matter how much I'm not a teacher, or how disorganized I am, or how impatient I am, or how I'm just not good at this.

No matter how imperfect I am, He says to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.”

Can you believe it? His power is made perfect in my weakness. Not in how good I am at this.

enjoying our traditonal last day of summer breakfast!

That's just like our Father though, isn't it? Shining His glory, showing His strength in what seems impossible to man.

"My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.”

It's a promise I'm clinging to this year like a mad woman.

Here's to a new season of weakness. 


Do you feel like homeschooling is a weakness for you? What has helped you through?


What's your best advice for newer homeschoolers?


Any tips for using the BJU curriculum? I'd love your thoughts!

homeschooling + parenting: Q&A {balancing kids, what we do, giving special treats}

Today I wanted to answer a few of the questions you guys asked me a couple of weeks ago! I tried to group them into a few categories- lots of your questions were related to parenting/homeschooling, which I'm covering some of today. I am definitely no homeschooling or parenting expert by any means, so these answers are just what work for us now or solutions that have worked for us in our few years of experience. :D 

Do you still homeschool??

Yes, two days per week. :D The kids go to school the other three days a week at a small Christian school. {of course it's summer break at their school right now- in a week or two we plan to start back to some very light homeschooling again so they don't forget everything!}

We currently homeschool our children but I would love to use the wonderful resource of this Christian school also I wonder if you would mind sharing with me how it works to do both homeschooling and Christian school with your family.

We homeschool on Mondays and Fridays, and they go to their Christian school on a regular schedule Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday. The administration was very, very kind to work with us and allow us to do this part-time schedule. We love it, and it's a perfect mix of school and home for us right now. 

The school they go to uses Abeka and ACE, and they bring home two days of schoolwork from there each Thursday to do at home. The nature of their main curriculum is very independent- ACE being the most independent, and my kindergartener using Abeka needs the most help, of course. It works well for us, and I know of a couple of schools that do it in our area and of at least one or two the DFW area. I'm not ready for them to go to school and be gone all day 5 days per week, and so far this has worked amazingly well for us. We never know what the next year will bring- so we try to take it one year at a time. :D

our full-time homeschooling boxes: we use these for keeping up with their workbooks

How do you homeschool? What is your typical homeschool day like? 

Our kids get up {usually around 7:30-8 a.m.}, eat breakfast, and go straight to school work on homeschool days- usually starting before 9. I have to help the youngest one with her work, and the older ones need to read their work to me sometimes, but the curriculum is designed for independent learning. Now that both of my boys can read, they do most of their school work separated in different rooms. 

The boys do three subjects, then take a break, and come back to do as much as they can before lunch. If lunch comes before they finish, they take a break and finish after lunch. Some days they get done in 2- 2.5 hours, and sometimes they have lots of math and don't want to work and it takes them until 3 or later. I have to help Isabella through all of her paperwork/lessons, so she stays right beside me or Rob and does it with us. If Rob is available and not working, he will have one of the boys or Isabella sit at his desk and helps them as needed too. Did I ever tell you he's the best? I couldn't make it without him. 

Homeschool days are both harder and easier, in my opinion- easier because we don't have to go anywhere on a schedule, but harder because they take lots of attitude correction and discipline on our part too. We have to stay on them to get their work done, and to do it quietly without talking, fighting, or playing with each other. We may be coming up with a different seating arrangement than our current dining table for next year.

I was wondering if you do anything special as a family to honor your kids moving up a grade. We homeschool and my 6-year-old just finished grade K. I keep seeing pictures of all the public school kids his age in a cap and gown at a big ceremony with a diploma. My son has worked super hard this year and has memorized lots of scripture. Do you have anything special you do in your family to celebrate your kids successes? 

We don't really have anything special like that for when we homeschool exclusively. {We do celebrate the last day of summer though! hahah!} We do trips to the zoo and special things as rewards and for birthdays, and now that the kids are in school part-time, they still participate in the big graduation ceremony at the end of the year, and get little awards at their school. If you're in a co-op or homeschool association {we never did}, they might have activities like that too. Homeschool moms- do they have this?

our family at this year's graduation! :D

How do you teach more than one kid, and how to you keep the others distracted if/when you have to work one on one with another child? I have a 5 year old daughter that I am homeschooling, and I also have a 2 yo boy. It is so hard for me to teach her while he is distracting both of us! Before we would do school while he napped but her recently gave his nap up! (AHH!!!) Distracting him with crayons and playdough doesn't last long! LOL 

Haha, one more question popped in my head. I have 3 boys ages 6, 3, and 7 months. How do you teach different subjects to each of them at the same time? Are you bouncing from one child to the next teaching or do you have some kind of structure to how you teach the them when they're learning at different levels? 

If one of the older kids needs help while I'm with another one, I make them wait and work on the next thing {something they can do} until I can talk to them. And it does feel like I'm bouncing from one to the next- mostly to help them with little stuff and then they go back to their work. I only have one that doesn't do school right now {3.5 years old}, and she plays by herself with toys or sits at the table and colors while the kids work. When I had just two to homeschool, the girls both sat at the table or played together in another room, and I held the youngest one in my lap for a good while.

I know girls are much different than boys- and since my boys started "school" together, I only had girls to contend with as the younger siblings. They were much easier to distract at the table than my boys would have been I think. :)

From what I've read from moms of many, getting the little ones in a routine they expect while you do school is very important, and training them to be able to sit on a blanket or in a small area with toys for a certain length of time in one place is a great way to keep them out of everything while you are busy. I haven't done the blanket training yet, but it sounds good! :D 

After a while, at our house I just came to accept the fact that there would be a certain amount of chaos with toddlers, and let them eat snacks in the high chair, and play and make a mess where they were as we worked. But we also kept early schooling time very short when they were young- 2-2.5 hours per day max, and that helped me to stay more sane. :D

we find the iPad is great for the keeping the child who finishes early busy :D

My 6-year-old keeps having special things happen. Lost his first tooth, birthday, graduating Kindergarten. All right after the other. My 3-year-old is starting to feel jealous. We got him a small gift the other day just to make his day brighter. Do you ever deal with that and if so how do you honor one child without making the younger ones who don't understand feel bad?

Aww, you sound like a very caring mama! A lot of times we do special things for all the kids together for celebrations- parties, special ice cream treats, rewards for chores, zoo for the birthdays, etc. Many times though, just one child gets birthday presents or a reward, and the younger ones want presents or a party too. We usually just tell them that it's not their turn, and when they do that special thing, they will get that special reward too. :) 

I wouldn't feel bad when you tell even the littlest ones "no"... in our short {almost 10 years} parenting experience, it seems that not getting what they want as a small one helps them deal with not getting or expecting everything when they get to be 5 and 10. So it's not necessarily a bad thing for them to have to go through that, I think. Even at a young age when they are that small, situations like that can be a time of great formative attitude training for being a teenager and grown-up, and I think it will make your parenting job easier later on too. :D 

Related article: homeschooling: the struggle and finding what works for us

life on tuesday

Here’s a little bit of our life on Tuesday morning… :D

I woke up this morning, poured my coffee and headed to the couch for my morning devo as usual. As I rounded the corner, I found this huge present waiting for me on the sofa, all wrapped up! {I had to resist the urge to take a picture before I opened it! :P}

My sweet hubs surprised me with a cool fan! My mother-in-law has the same one that I love, so he went and bought one for me too. The kids wrapped it last night- so sneaky! I had no idea!

What a wonderful man he is. :D

Are we weird, or do your children come downstairs in the morning dressed in costume too? I couldn’t resist taking a pic! {even with the cereal on her face! ha!}

Last night we did a very late grocery run with all the kids. I so didn’t want to go, but not having groceries isn’t really an option on this diet! :) We spent $113 in groceries for the week {thinking they’ll last longer too}, but my biggest food purchase was this bag for $6:

I’ve fallen in love with nuts. I crave them like crazy now! I crave avocado now too.

I wonder why? Because they are such a good source of protein? Fat? Whatever it is, they are amazing!!

To offset the cost of all the nuts and avocados, beans are a staple around here these days- my crockpots runneth over:

Tonight I’m making 10 bean soup and the black beans on the right are for lunches this week.

It’s funny how our kitchen is starting to change. Potatoes, melons, apples, avocados, garlic, and onions are overtaking the flour and sugar on my baking shelves:

And it’s the same story in the fridge:

Greens, plant milks, and veggies are overtaking the eggs and dairy. So exciting!

I’ve had some random strange dull headaches recently. I can’t figure out why they’re happening- I’m guessing it’s a withdrawal of some kind? Or a lack of water…. I’ve not been as thirsty in the last week or so either. Stevia doesn’t give you a headache does it? Hmmm….

Or maybe it’s just homeschooling spring fever- I’m so ready for summer break! :D The kids are doing really well now though, so it’s almost hard for me to break the routine for summer.  I can’t decide if it’s better to go on and stay in the groove, or stop for a long break.

What do you think? Which is better: summer or school?

How’s life on Tuesday at your house? :D

Archbishop Fulton Sheen

HT to long-time contributor Filipino Catholic:

Guys check out this link, it features talks of Bishop Sheen which you might not have heard before.

Listen especially to this one: The Demonic Today

God bless you all!

The Demonic Today
Angels
Cure for Selfishness
Guilt
Human Passions
Inferiority Complex
Is A Woman An It?
Knowing and Loving
Meet a Perfect Stranger - Yourself
Of Course There Is Incompatibility
Suffering
The Approach of Midnight
Should Parents Obey Their Children?
To Spank or Not to Spank
The Glory of the Soldier
What Holds Us Together?
The Rosary
What Did I Do to Deserve This?

ISI Lectures - Western Philosophy and Christianity

Here's some new material from the Intercollegiate Studies Institute. Having attended a few ISI lectures, I can say firsthand that this is a great program and that their lecturers are of the highest caliber. Do give them a listen

	The Spirit of Capitalism: Why Weber Was Wrong About The Commercial Society — NEW Samuel Gregg The Catholic University of America, Washington, DC 3/12/2008	Flash MP3
	Ben Franklin and the Traditions of American Diplomacy — NEW Harvey Sicherman Wilmington, DE 3/6/2008	Flash MP3
	Transforming Business: Enterprise, Ethics, and the Elimination of Poverty — NEW Peter Heslam Flint McGlaughlin The Hardvard Club, New York, NY 3/4/2008	Flash MP3
	Does Globalization Trump Culture?: The Future of Music In a Flat World — NEW Tyler Cowen Georgetown University, Washington, DC 2/26/2008	Flash MP3
	Are Unions Destroying American Education? — NEW Peter Brimelow Richard Kahlenberg Ohio State University, OH 2/12/2008 From ISI's Cicero's Podium: A Great Issues Debate Series.	Flash MP3
	Coincidentally: Unserious Reflections on Trivial Connections — NEW Fr. George Rutler, Pastor, Church of Our Saviour, New York City, NY Wilmington, DE 1/31/2008	Flash MP3
	It Takes a Family to Raise a Village: The Social Significance of the Family for the Free Society — NEW Jennifer Morse, Senior Research Fellow, Acton Institute UCLA School of Law, LosAngeles, CA 1/30/2008	Flash MP3 PDF
	America: Republic or Empire? — NEW Michael P. Federici James R. Stoner, Jr., Professor of Political Science, Louisiana State University Georgetown University, Marriot Georgetown Conference Center, Washington, DC 1/29/2008	MP3
	How to Put Your Soul on Ice: Freedom and Autonomy in Dante's Divine Comedy — NEW Anthony Esolen ISI's F.M. Kirby Campus 12/6/2007	Flash MP3
	Wendell Berry's Unlikely Case for Conservative Christianity — NEW Darryl Hart, Director of Academic Programs, ISI Seelbach Hotel, Louisville, KY 11/20/2007	MP3