Spring Break and other thoughts...

We have one week then Spring Break. We are planning a once in a lifetime event.

We are heading to Disney World. It will take us at least 18 hours from Texas. I am not looking forward to that especially with a 9 year old.

The band is going there for their "Big" trip. So we have decided to tag along. One exception is we are driving and not riding the charter buses.

I am looking forward to getting away and seeing Amanda enjoy herself. Of course, I have always wanted to go to Disney World...I don't know why.

The husband on the other hand isn't too thrilled. He sees that money being put to other uses and isn't too crazy about driving. There is another couple going with us so there will be less driving time for each person.

I have addressed birthday and anniversary cards to everyone in our church. Now all I have to do is mail them at the appropriate times. Hopefully, I will remember!! I am trying to get organized again. Things seems to get out of control and it drives me crazy!!

Amanda has been having headaches so we are heading to the eye doctor this Friday. Lets see what he says, it could also be allergies. The way the weather changes around here you never know.

Our church is planning on having VBS this year. This will be our first. I am scared! We aren't doing like the rest of the churches around here and ordering materials from Lifeway or using other curriculums. Each day will have a different thing happening. I am in charge of games, that should be pretty easy! or at least I hope so.

I have also found the ultimate woman's bible. I plan on ordering it soon. It is the NKJV woman's bible. I am so excited about finding it. I know that may sound silly to some, but I am so excited about it!!

http://www.thomasnelson.com/consumer/product_detail.asp?sku=0718018184&TopLevel_id=190000

In a few weeks I will begin teaching Middle school students at church. I have been teaching to little ones for 2 years. Now to jump up and teach the older ones...Lord give me strength!! I am also looking into doing a bible study with the women. It's called Conversation Peace. http://www.lifewaystores.com/lwstore/product.asp?isbn=0633007617

We women have a problem with our mouths. We have the power to influence people for the good or bad. We need to learn to use our mouths for God's glory and not anything else. I guess I probably need to convince the women that this would be good for us to learn.

The word Submit is also a word we women do not like. Society has made it that way though or maybe we women have helped it to be a bad thing also. If we are to be obedient to God...shouldn't we submit to our husbands?

I have been pondering about this for about a week. I have noticed there are some women who "wear the pants in their family". There husbands aren't the head of their households and I know how it happens!!

Budwieser was the head of our household for years until God got a hold of Mike. I had to be the head of the house and I resented it!!! I understand why some women are bitter. I wonder if this isn't something that I should pray about teaching to the other women in our church?

Prayer...need to do it more especially about this subject. I sure don't want to offend anyone.

Have a good week!!!

The 80's

Ok, I couldn't pass this up. Number 31 and 38 cracked me up, I was so BUSTED!!!


You Know You Grew Up In the 80's if:
1. You've ever ended a sentence with the word SIKE.

2. You can sing the rap to the Fresh Prince of Bel-Air and can do the Carlton

3. You know that "WOAH" comes from Joey on Blossom

4. If you ever watched "Fraggle Rock"

5. It was actually worth getting up early on a Saturday to watch cartoons.

6. You wore a ponytail on the side of your head.

7. You got super-excited when it was Oregon Trail day in computer class at school.

8. You made your mom buy one of those clips that would hold your shirt in a knot on the side.

9. You played the game "MASH"(Mansion, Apartment, Shelter, House)

10. You wore stonewashed Jordache jean jackets and were proud of it.

11. You know the profound meaning of "WAX ON, WAX OFF"

12. You wanted to be a Goonie.

13. You ever wore fluorescent clothing. (some of us...head-to-toe)

14. You can remember what Michael Jackson looked like before his nose fell off and his cheeks shifted.

15. You have ever pondered why Smurfette was the only female smurf.

16. You took lunch boxes to school...and traded Garbage Pailkids in the schoolyard.

17. You remember the CRAZE, then the BANNING of slap bracelets.

18. You still get the urge to say "NOT" after every sentence.

19. You thought your childhood friends would never leave because you exchanged handmade friendship bracelets.

20. You ever owned a pair of Jelly-Shoes.

21. After you saw Pee-Wee's Big Adventure you kept saying "I know you are, but what am I?"

22. You remember "I've fallen and I can't get up"

23. You remember going to the skating rink before there were inline skates. !

24. You have ever played with a Skip-It.

25. You remember boom boxes and walking around with one on your shoulder like you were all that.

26. You remember watching both Gremlins movies.

27. You thought Doogie Howser/Samantha Micelli was hot.

28. You remember Alf, the l! il furry brown alien from Melmac.

29. You remember New Kids on the Block when they were cool...and don't even flinch when people refer to them as "NKOTB"

30. You knew all the characters names and their life stories on "Saved By The Bell," The ORIGINAL class.

31. You know all the words to Bon Jovi - SHOT THROUGH THE HEART.

32. You just sang those words to yourself!

33. You still sing "We are the World"

34. You tight rolled your jeans.

35. You owned a bannana clip.

36. You remember "Where's the Beef?"

37. You used to (and probably still do) say "What you talkin' 'bout Willis?"

38. You're still singing "shot through the heart and your to blame" in your head, aren't you!

Enjoy and have a great day!!

Texas Our Texas...

I recieved this from the treasurer at our church. I thought it was pretty neat that there are other cities, towns and countries that name there locations after places in TEXAS!! LOL!!! We have so many funny names in this state. Hope you enjoy!!

Need to be cheered up??

Happy , Texas 79042, Smiley , Texas 78159, Paradise , Texas 76073

Rainbow , Texas76077, Sweet Home , Texas 77987

Why travel to other cities?
Texas has them all!

Detroit , Texas 75436, Colorado City , Texas 79512, Denver City , Texas 79323

Nevada , Texas 75173, Memphis , Texas 79245, Miami , Texas 79059

New Boston , Texas 75570, Santa Fe , Texas 77517, Tennessee Colony , Texas 75861

Feel like traveling outside the country?
Don't bother buying a plane ticket!

Athens , Texas 75751, Canadian , Texas 79014, China , Texas 77613
Egypt , Texas 77436, Turkey , Texas 79261, London , Texas 76854,

New London , Texas 75682, Paris , Texas 75460

We even have a city named after our planet!

Earth , Texas 79031

And a city named after our State!

Texas City , Texas 77590

Exhausted?

Energy , Texas 76452

Need Office Supplies?

Staples , Texas 78670

Men are from Mars, woman are from Venus , Texas 76084

You guessed it..it's on the state line.. Texline , Texas 79087

For the kids..

Kermit , Texas 79745, Elmo , Texas 75118, Nemo , Texas 76070, Tarzan , Texas 79783,

Winnie , Texas 77665

Other funny city names in Texas :

Beeville , Texas 78102, Bigfoot , Texas 78005, Buda , Texas 78610, Cactus , Texas 79013, Mercedes , Texas 78570, Muleshoe, Texas 79347, Nixon , Texas 78140

Old Dime Box, Texas 77853, Telephone , Texas 75488, Whiteface , Texas 79379

And last but not least.
The Anti-Al Gore City

Kilgore , Texas 75662 (not really, it's a joke)

Let's not forget where the Water is Sweet

Sweetwater, Texas 79556

Have a Good and Blessed Day!

Why I decided to Homeschool

Why Home school
We started homeschooling this past August, 2006. After much prayer and research I quit my job (a job that I loved) at the Middle school here in town. I had worked there for 5 years. Amanda started Kindergarten at an elementary school and from the get go she had trouble.

First grade she did OK but the teacher and I discussed that maybe she was dyslexic. Of course, they didn't test her for it since first grade is too early according to the district. Her teachers at the school were great and wanted so much to help. So we had her hearing tested...she had fluid built up in both ears. We had tubes put in the summer between her First and Second grade year. Second grade came and we finally got the testing...she wasn't dyslexic. She had missed so much due to loss of hearing that she didn't have any phonemic awareness. Not to mention that math was giving her problems also.

Bless her heart!! Everything she was hearing was like her head was stuck in a barrel. And somewhere she never learned how to add, subtract, skip count, etc. Not that she didn't learn she just was NOT comfortable with it. She totally freaks out when you have to subtract 3 digit numbers. She can do all of the one digits all day long, but you start adding more to it and it's PANIC.

We would work with her on her homework and she would be in tears!! Imagine a second grader sitting at the dining table trying to do math and bawling. It broke your heart!! Amanda is a smart little girl but somewhere she was intimidated and she would compare herself to the other kids in the class.

She would be pulled out to go to CMC (content mastery center) and she knew she was different. She associated different with "not as smart". She called them her special classes. Now I am not knocking CMC...it is a good thing especially when it does help kids but it made my child realize that she was not doing as well as the other students.

It was then toward the end of her 2nd grade year that I sincerely started praying about Home school. There was a woman who had joined our church and she home schooled her kids. I also had a girl that I had graduated with tell me all about her home school adventures. Man, I didn't want to quit my job.

Two weeks before school started I went in and quit. Then headed over to the elementary school and unenrolled Amanda. On Aug. 14th we started school in the Cooper household. Oh, it hasn't been easy...I have had to pray many times during math time!! Not just because of her frustration but because of mine! I haven't done math in years and have tried not to!!

I purchased curriculum from BJU. I have to have organization! I'm weird that way. I'm not a "fly by the seat of my pants" type person. We look things up on the Internet, I am teaching her how to make a power point presentation for history. (I use to be the computer tech aide at the school.) We have a group that we meet with on Fridays. She is taking a cooking class and Spanish class.

We start our day off with Bible Truths and prayer. After then it's whatever subject we want. Amanda's reading has come along and she is getting more confident. Math, we work on everyday!!! Especially subtraction.

Without God this wouldn't be possible.

Have you ever been in a Middle school with about 600 students? You would not believe the language that comes out of their mouths. You wouldn't believe the disrespect they show to adults. You wouldn't believe the things about sex that they know and do! It is a sad world we live in.

That has to be the other reason for homeschooling. It's not that I am sheltering my child from these things. She will know about them but she will learn them from her godly parents. She will learn to "love your neighbor" and to "love God with all your heart, mind and soul." Now if that is bad homeschooling, then we are going to be the BADDEST!!!

I don't know why I decided to write this...I just thought there might be someone out there who is struggling with a decision. It isn't easy, but it's worth it.

God Bless!

Love...

Love is never having to say your sorry??? No...

Love suffers long and is kind; love does not evny; love does not parade itself, is not puffed up; does not behave rudely, does not seek its own, is not provoked, thinks no evil; does not rejoice in iniquity, but rejoices in the truth; bears all thinks, believes all thinks, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never fails. I Cor. 13:4-8

After 20 years you end up learning this lesson. One just needs to REMEMBER it!!

Today was a good day. Church was good and the kids in sunday school were great! We ate lunch at church and enjoyed one anothers company. It's good to get together without stress! We are getting to know each other and each others burdens.

That is what Love is...being able to bear one anothers burdens. Not just love between and man and woman but between christians. We must learn to lift one another up to the Lord. We must love one another!!

I tell my kids that all the time "Love one another"!! They just look at me...I know Jesus said it.

I was reading a blog the other night "This Ain't New York" and she wrote something that blew me away: You see, being married is not about YOU. It's not about him either. It's about Him.

WOW!!! Love is about HIM, Jesus Christ. That is fabulous!! and simply put. Maybe all of this isn't about me or you...It's about HIM.

Even preachers wives need an eye opener every now and then.

Tomorrow we will be getting back to a full week of school. Some of the public schools around the area have closed due to the flu, God has been good to us and kept us healthy!! Clap, Clap!!! While going through Living Beyond yourself, The Fruit of the Spirit by Beth Moore I remember one of the videos where she is talking about clapping for the Lord in her car....I have started doing that. I know I probably look silly but oh well...

Have a great week!!

Vacccinate or not??

UHHHH, Gov. Perry has stirred up a hornet's nest here in Texas. Can you believe that he wants to require all young girls to be vaccinated with the hvp vaccine, starting at age 9? Below are excerpts from http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/ap/health/4523542.html

Beginning in September 2008, girls entering the sixth grade will have to receive Gardasil, Merck & Co.'s new vaccine against strains of the human papillomavirus, or HPV.

Texas allows parents to opt out of inoculations by filing an affidavit objecting to the vaccine on religious or philosophical reasons. Conservative groups say such provisions still interfere with parents' rights to make medical decisions for their children.

The executive order is effective until Perry or a successor changes it, and the Legislature has no authority to repeal it, said Perry spokeswoman Krista Moody. Moody said the Texas Constitution permits the governor, as head of the executive branch, to order other members of the executive branch to adopt rules like this one.

Some believe there is more going on behind the scenes.
Perry has ties to Merck and Women in Government. One of the drug company's three lobbyists in Texas is Mike Toomey, Perry's former chief of staff. His current chief of staff's mother-in-law, Texas Republican state Rep. Dianne White Delisi, is a state director for Women in Government.
The governor also received $6,000 from Merck's political action committee during his re-election campaign.

Will my 9 year old get the shot? We homeschool and from what I have read is that HPV is sexually transmitted disease that can lead to cervical cancer. Why would a 9 year old receive a shot for an STD if she isn't having sex??? and shouldn't be.
http://www.cdc.gov/std/HPV/STDFact-HPV.htm

Then you have the other side...but it can prevent cervical cancer.

Well...If I vaccinate my daughter is that saying I would be accepting her decision to go out and have premarital sex???

Now, if you are not having sex, you are not exposing yourself to HPV, which is an STD, which could lead to cervical cancer, which is BAD and you would be practicing ABSTINENCE, which is what GOD says you should do! That is pretty simple. We always try to make everything so hard!

Just a thought...

Good Weekend

We are back. We had a wonderful time away. Jefferson is a cute little town and if ever you are in East Texas be sure to stop there. I will be going back the first Saturday in May for the Civil War Reenactment.

Yes, I am a Gone With the Wind Freak! I wanted to check out the GWTW museum over there but the owner was out of town. The woman has the largest personal collection in Texas.

It's amazing...you don't realize how much history is around you. I live 60 miles SE of Dallas. Of course everyone knows about the tragic history that happened there. East Texas has oil, gas, plantations, sugar, and cotton.

We didn't have school yesterday or today...I told Amanda we will have much to do Wednesday, Thursday and Friday. We might have to do some on Saturday also.

Yesterday I felt so bad I didn't get out of bed. I had to do my errands today and buy groceries. My family is so happy when there is food in the house.

I am so grateful for the food and all that God has given us. We all take for granted the things we do have. Our families, shelter, clothes, health, friends. All of these things were given to us. We didn't earn them, we don't have them because of how much we make, what we look like...we have them because God has blessed us, even when we haven't done anything to be blessed.

Whenever we don't think we can make it thru our "trials" we must remember that God is there for us.
And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength
is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory
in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. 2 Corinthians 12:9

I don't know why I keep forgetting this!!!! He is the One who get us out of our Pit, not us!!! We will only dig ourselves deeper!!!
Keep in mind...His grace not ours!!!

A Weekend Away

Finally...Friday.
Since Jan. 24th we have planned to go out of town. We finally get to do that this weekend!

We are heading to Jefferson, Texas. The town is an old Texas town that is full of Bed and Breakfast, not to mention antiques.

The main reason I want to go is of course to spend some "quiet" time with my husband but a Gone With the Wind museum is there.

I collect GWTW items. Plates, music boxes, pictures, dolls...I even have a GWTW trash can.

I guess mostly it will be nice to get away...considering all that has happened.
I don't know what God is planning but I'm sure He knows what is best.
My husband read this from James this morning. I thought I would post it because we should remember this in any circumstance.


Jam 1:2 My brethren, count it all joy when ye fall into divers temptations;
Jam 1:3 Knowing this, that the trying of your faith worketh patience.
Jam 1:4 But let patience have her perfect work, that ye may be perfect and entire, wanting nothing.
Jam 1:5 If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him.
Jam 1:6 But let him ask in faith, nothing wavering. For he that wavereth is like a wave of the sea driven with the wind and tossed.

Also I was checking out the Homeschool legal Defense Associations website. Texas wants to lower the Compulsory Attendance Age from 6 to 5.
Author: Senator Judith Zaffirini
Summary:This bill lowers the age of compulsory attendance from six years to five years of age.
Status:
11/13/2006
Filed
1/23/2007
(Senate) Referred to Education
HSLDA's Position:HSLDA is opposed to this bill.
Action Requested:
Please call the sponsor of the bill, Sen. Judith Zaffirini, (512) 463-0121, and give her this message:
“Please abandon your efforts to lower the age of compulsory school attendance in Senate Bill 52. It forces children to school before they are ready and takes the important decision of when each child is ready for school away from the parents, who best know their child's needs.”
You do not need to identify that you homeschool.

Background:
Many education experts have concluded that beginning a child’s formal education too early may actually result in burnout and poor scholastic performance later.
Lowering the compulsory attendance age erodes the authority of parents who are in the best position to determine when their child’s formal education should begin.
Another significant impact of expanding the compulsory attendance age would be an inevitable tax increase to pay for more classroom space and teachers to accommodate the additional students compelled to attend public schools. When California raised the age of compulsory attendance, unwilling students were so disruptive that new schools had to be built just to handle them and their behavior problems, all at the expense of the taxpayer.
For more information on compulsory attendance, please see our issues analysis page: Compulsory Attendance Age Legislation.

We in small town Texas already have an alternative school across the street from me. DAEP, District Alternative Education Program. I remember when the school just gave us "licks" and got it over with.

Have a good weekend and God Bless!