Christian Responsibilities of a Godparent

1. Pray for your godchild regularly

2. Set an example of Christian living

3. Help him/her to grow in the faith of God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit.

4. Give every encouragement to follow Christ and fight against evil

Goal: Set up a journal.

Kindergarten with Mac

After much prayer, reading, asking around, surfing the web, looking at publishers, and observing Mac, her learning style, and her personality; this is what Kindergarten looks like in the Morgan Household:

First I read these books/articles:
> Personality Plus for Parents (free book rental from library)
> 100 Top Picks Homeschool Curriculum (free book rental from library)
> www.oklahomahomeschool.com

Mac & I were a great match for homeschooling; and based on my research she likes structure, routine, worksheets, visual elements, and physical activity. So this is what our days look like (4 days a week):

8:00 Breakfast as a family
9:00 Phonics & Calendar 10 min.
9:30 Writing & Drawing 10–15 min.
10:00 Reading 8–12 min.
10:30 Activity Time 10–15 min. (Science/Social Studies/Fine Arts/Bible)
11:00 Numbers/Numbers Writing 10–15 min.
11:30 Phonics Review 5–10 min.
Lunch (Kids watch educational DVD/TV/Computer Time while I prepare)
Afternoon = Outside Play/Swimming Lessons/Field Trips
Quiet Time 1-2 hours of quiet play or nap
Dinner & Family Time

Some days school only takes an hour; and some days it takes 4 hours. My main goal of the day is for Mac to love learning. So yes, we always finish what we start - but I try to set her up for success. Like for writing, she get's input. Right now she likes horses, so our writing/drawing/activity/reading are about horses. Some days she naturally extends school to 4 hours because she is eager to learn more. I love it! She loves it! Here are the exact resources we use and how much they cost:

Activity Time: Weaver Interlock Program (Cost $65 at Bibliomania)
Phonics: Horizons K1, K2, K3, K4 Books (Cost: $15 + $15 + $15 + $15 at Mardels)
Math: Horizons K1 + K2 Books (Cost: $15 + $15 at Mardels)
Reading: Library Books (Cost: $0)
Computer Time: http://www.starfall.com/ (Cost: $35/year)
TV Time: Signing Time; Little Einstein; Dora; Diego; etc.
DVD Time: Rock N Learn Series (Cost: $15/DVD on Amazon); Character Builders Series (Cost: $50 on Amazon)
+ Art Supplies, Paper, Colors, etc.
+ Swimming Lessons at Miller Swim School
+ Community Bible Study on Wednesdays
+ Sunday School on Sundays
+ Free Activities around town

Total Cost is about $300 and I get to use almost all of it again with Kai.

For Activity Time next year I'm considering Classical Conversations. The Weaver Interlock Program as well as Classical Conversations allow for a multi-age teaching approach. So I can teach Mac & Kai at the same time. I definitely prefer this type of environment.

We haven't joined a homeschooling group yet, but I know lots of people who homeschool. I like these:
C.H.E.E.R.
AMBLEcommunity
Classical Conversations at Victory

When God calls you to homeschooling, you'll know it. It is lots of work and brings lots of joy!

Christmas Time

I really enjoy Christmas time. I like addressing the Christmas cards. Writing the names, addresses, and praying for our friends and family is such a joy. Reflecting back over the year and all the God has done is such a joy. Looking at our Christmas ornament collection of all our family vacations/memories is such a joy. Spending time with family and friends is such a joy. And the best part of the whole season is that we get to celebrate Jesus' birthday!

The only resolution I'll be setting is a joyful anticipation to see how God will teach & use our family in 2012 :)

Merry Christmas!

Christmas Eve 2011

What a great Christmas Eve! We let the kids open their presents from us today. Kai got a 'Cars 2 Airplane' + Mac got a doll and a horse coloring book + 2 DVD's for the family. Then we shared breakfast together. I made Cinnamon Toast & Crock-pot Breakfast Casserole served with OJ. Then we played together, watched a movie, read out of the Jesus-Nativity book for today, Mac wrapped some presents for baby Jesus, and prepared for tonight's church service. God blessed us with a great, relaxing day!

Every Woman's Marriage

Pg 109, Happiness:

Indeed, happiness is a choice, and being happy can simply be a matter of smiling more often. In fact, some studies indicate that our facial expressions are not so much a reflection of our feelings, but that our feelings are largely a reflection of the facial expressions we wear... The more I smile, the happier I feel. We are free to chose both our facial expressions and our attitudes in any given situation.

Dinah (Genesis 34)

We were talking about Dinah, and in order to see where her error in judgment was... I had to look to previous lessons. You can never just look at one scripture alone, because what God says before and after affect what you read. I studied Genesis with a bible study group - and it took a year. So here is my best attempt to summarize the big points that affected Dinah:

Summary:

The land of Canaan was very evil. The area of Canaan contained the cities of Sodom & Gomorrah. Sexual sin was rampant in that area. Think about the long term effects of sexual sin. In Genesis 19, it said EVERY man, young and old, in Sodom were rapists. Even though Sodom & Gomorrah were destroyed, it can be assumed that this area would have still had victims of rape and even predators left. In fact, Abraham told his household (in Genesis 24) "Do not get a wife for my son from the daughters of the Canaanites, among whom I am living, but go to my country (Paddan Aram) and my own relatives and get a wife." God was keeping his people set-apart so that He could pass on a blessing to them. Jacob had just spent 20 years in 'Abraham's country' getting a wife. God then tells Jacob to leave that land and return to Canaan, because God is going to give the land of Canaan to 'Abraham's descendants'. Jacob puts his family tents just outside of Shechem. Now Dinah (in Genesis 34), the daughter Leah had borne to Jacob, went out to visit the women of the land. The result of Dinah leaving camp, was she was raped.

Now read the excerpt on pg 183-184 of "A Woman's High Calling (pp. 183-184)":

Dinah had everything going for her. She was the daughter of the patriarch Jacob and his wife Leah. When we first meet her, we are told that Dinah “went out to see the daughters of the land” (Genesis 34:1). Evidently Dinah left the safety of her family quarters and ventured outside to take a look at the land and to visit with the local women. Then “when Shechem the son of Hamor the Hivite, prince of the country, saw her, he took her and lay with her, and violated her” (verse 2). Bad went to worse as Dinah’s brothers took the matter of retribution into their own hands and maliciously connived to murder all the males of the Hivite camp. And please note that is the end of this woman-full-of-promise’s biography. Dinah slipped back into oblivion, shamed and forgotten, and was never mentioned again. Someone well described Dinah’s tale as “Dinah’s sad moment in the spotlight.”5 Her curiosity and failure to use wisdom contributed to her defilement. One scholar describes the scene in this way (sending us as women who desire to live godly lives a loud message to stay home!):
Dinah’s love for sight-seeing set off a train of tragic consequences. Young and daring, and curious to know something of the world outside, she stole away one day from the drab tents of her father, to see how the girls in their gorgeous Oriental trappings fared in nearby Shechem. Roaming around, the eyes of Prince Shechem…lighted upon her…Had Dinah been content to remain a “keeper at home” (Titus 2:5), a terrible [thing] would have been averted, but her desire for novelty and forbidden company spelled disaster.



All the details that got me to the summary:

Let's start at the very beginning. A very good place to start. Father Abraham had many sons... Here's part of his family tree.
Terah > Abraham & Sarah > Isaac & Rebekah > Jacob & Leah > Dinah

Genesis 13 = in Bethel, Abraham let Lot have whatever land he wanted. Lot chose for himself the whole plain of the Jordan and set out toward the east. Lot lived among the cities of the plain and pitched his tents near Sodom. (The people of Sodom were wicked and were sinning greatly against the LORD.) Abram lived in the land of Canaan, near the great trees of Mamre at Hebron, where he pitched his tents. There he built an altar to the LORD.

Genesis 17 = God appeared to Abram, gives him a new name, establishes his everlasting covenant, & gives the whole land of Canaan to him (and his descendents). All the males of Abrahams household (current & future) are circumcised.

Genesis 19 = All the men in Sodom tried to rape 2 angels visiting Lot. Sodom & Gomorrah were destroyed. God remembered Abraham, and brought Lot out of the catastrophe that overthrew the cities where Lot had lived.

Genesis 20-21 = Abraham moved into the region of the Negev and lived between Kadesh and Shur. For a while he stayed in Gerar, and there Abraham said of his wife Sarah, “She is my sister.” Then Abimelek king of Gerar sent for Sarah and took her...Abraham stayed in the land of the Philistines for a long time.

Genesis 23 = Sarah dies, Abraham buys the first piece of land: Ephron’s field in Machpelah near Mamre—both the field and the cave in it, and all the trees within the borders of the field—was deeded to Abraham as his property (by the Hittites as a burial site).

Genesis 24 = Abraham tells his household, do not get a wife for my son from the daughters of the Canaanites, among whom I am living, but go to my country (Paddan Aram) and my own relatives and get a wife

Genesis 25 & 26 = Esau sold his birthright to Jacob; Esau married 2 Hittite women.

Genesis 27 = Esau said he would kill Jacob after Isaac died

Genesis 29 = Jacob travels to Paddan Aram, wants to marry Rachel. Jacob commits to stay & work 7 years; Laban tricks Jacob and swaps the bride at the wedding - the next day Jacob finds out he married Rachel's sister, Leah. Jacob commits to stay & work 7 more years to marry Rachel.

Genesis 30 = Leah gives birth to Dinah, Jacob's 10th child. Then Rachel gave birth to Joseph.

Genesis 31 = After 20 years of working for Laban, the LORD said to Jacob, “Go back to the land of your fathers and to your relatives, and I will be with you.”

Genesis 32 & 33 = Jacob returns to the lands where Esau is; and is hugged by Esau. (After Jacob came from Paddan Aram, he arrived safely at the city of Shechem in Canaan and camped within sight of the city. He bought the plot of ground where he pitched his tent. There he set up an altar and called it El Elohe Israel.)

Genesis 34 = Jacob camps near the town of Shechem. "Now Dinah, the daughter Leah had borne to Jacob, went out to visit the women of the land" (the Canaanites). Jacob returns to Bethel.

Food is Fuel

Here is my game plan for serving healthy meals to the kids, and me too. My goal is about 400 calories every 4 hours.

Breakfast = 16 oz water + protein + carb + fruit + vitamin
>example: nutella on toasted wheat bread, 2 oz mona vie active, nature made multi+Dhaka

Lunch = 16 oz water + protein + carb + 2 veggies + dairy
>example: pita pocket, chicken, mozzarella, olives, peppers, olive oil & vinegar & pepper

Snack = 16 oz water + fruit + protein
>example: handful of trail mix (walnuts, raisins, chocolate chips)

Dinner = 16 oz water + protein + carb + 2 veggies + fruit
>example: lasagna, banana split

Garden 2.0

So, we're trying it again this year. We'll see if we get more than dirt out of our garden boxes in 2011. Here's what we planted:

>Chives
>Dill
>Lettuce
>Rosemary
>Lemon Basil
>Strawberries

Will we be reaping a harvest? Only God knows.

Oh yeah, we have a blog. And Disney World Pics.

This old thing? It's just something I keep around in the closet to remind me how skinny I used to be. I thought I'd just knock the dust off it and post something for all our (one) readers out there.

Taking inspiration from our favorite mommy blogger, I'll be posting in slide projector narration style...



We went to Disney World in early February. While most of our friends and family were enduring Apocalypse Snoklahoma, we were strolling outdoors in shorts and applying liberal amounts of sunscreen. No kidding.



We were immersed in the world of Mickey...



...and princesses. Oh the princesses.



We even managed to survive a shark attack (not sure how we made it out of the mouth though).



Turns out that Goofy is one of Kai's favorites, so imagine the trepidation when we found the 7 foot tall version. Some coaxing was required.



Though, I saved Kai's absolute favorite character of all time for last... the Monorail, or "CHOOOOOOO CHOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!" as he calls it.



And finally, for good measure, some more adorable pictures of our children:

How to Make Your Own Hair and Body Wash

I'm going to try to make my own 'shampoo and conditioner' with some online help. I'm also going to:

1. Add some Tea Tree (or Lavender?) Essential Oil to the shampoo to help with dandruff.
2. Use olive oil as an intensive conditioner occasionally.
3. Make a homemade mouth wash: Mix a small amount of water with a 1/4 teaspoon of baking soda, a drop of tea tree oil and a drop of peppermint oil will leave your mouth feeling fresh for a long time. It helps eliminate bad breath as well as kills germs.

TheDoctorsTV.com Conditioner for Normal Hair

Combine these ingredients; coat roots to end of hair and let sit for 15-30 minutes. Then shampoo and condition as usual. In the winter you can do this once a month; summer = every other month.

• 1 egg
• 2 tbsp butter
• 2 tbsp lemon juice
• 2 tbsp mustard
• ??

DIY Shampoo & Conditioner

Here is one excerpt from http://www.ehow.com/how_4476481_own-shampoo.html

1. To make shampoo combine 1 Tbsp. baking soda and 1 cup of warm/hot water in a measuring cup. Stir until mixture is crystal clear. It should look exactly like water. Never change the ratio of water to baking soda! Pour mixture into an old bottle of some kind and use immediately. It's really that simple. And it works.

2. To make the conditioner combine 1 cup water and 1-2 Tbsp. apple cider vinegar. Pour into a bottle or container of some kind and use immediately. It detangles the hair and makes the scalp feel like a million bucks.

3. In the shower get your head wet as you would with normal shampoo and then pour your mixture over the head slowly, paying attention to the scalp rather than the hair. Once your entire scalp has been cleaned, wait 1 minute, then rinse your head well. Expect to have difficulty running your fingers through your hair. I suggest not doing it at all, the water rinses the hair nicely by itself. Now, pour the apple cider vinegar mixture over your head, once again paying attention to coating the scalp rather than the hair(the hair can't help but get done along the way). You can leave it on, or rinse, your choice.

DIY Shampoo for oily and itchy scalp

Excerpt from http://www.buzzle.com/articles/itchy-scalp-shampoo.html

You can make a classic oily itchy scalp shampoo using baking soda. Just take baking soda in a bowl, amount will depend on length of your hair and mix it with water to form a paste. Before you use this apply extra virgin olive oil over your scalp and hair. Leave it for 20-30 minutes. Now use this paste of baking soda to clean your hair and scalp. Apply it thoroughly over your entire scalp and hair length. Now wash off with water. Make sure no traces of this paste are left in your hair. Finish by apply apple cider vinegar and then rinsing it off to have shiny hair and get rid of itchy scalp.

How to No 'Poo

Here is an excerpt from the website http://www.naturemoms.com/no-shampoo-alternative.html

Dissolve about 1 tablespoon of baking soda in just enough water to make a paste. Apply this to your roots only; work it in and let it sit for a minute.

In order to stimulate blood flow, clean your pores and get off built up grime, use your finger tips to scrub your scalp. Start by making a circle on the top of your head in the area you’d wear a crown. Focus on the back of this circle to begin with. Next, fill in the circle. This is where your part will be; grease here affects the way your hair looks. Trace while still scrubbing with your fingertips around the bottom edge of the circle. Keep making scrubbing circles underneath each one, drawing lines in circles around your head.

Lastly, scrub the back of your skull and your temples/sideburns. This will result in less grease and more growth. After doing this, your scalp will feel alive. Many women swear their hair grows faster after a visit to the salon — it does, and this massage method is why.

When scrubbing, you’re actually rubbing your fingers back and forth in short movements. Be gentle; you don’t want to break your hair. Next, pour about 2 tablespoons of apple cider vinegar into a cup and add water. (I keep two plastic 12-ounce cups in my shower and just mix when I get in.) After you rinse the baking soda out, pour the apple cider vinegar over the ends of your hair, let it sit for a minute and then rinse it out. That’s all there is to it!

No 'Poo Troubleshooting

Remember, there is a transition period from two weeks to two months depending on the person. Here are a few tips:

• If your hair becomes frizzy, try using less baking soda or leaving it on for a shorter period of time. Adding honey may also help.
• If your hair becomes greasy, try using less apple cider vinegar, switching to lemon or lime juice, leaving out the honey, and/or using a comb instead of a brush. Also, make sure you’re applying the apple cider vinegar just to the ends of your hair.
• If your scalp itches, try the following essential oils; tea tree, lavender, rosemary. If your hair becomes dry, try a tiny bit of oil (any oil, I use olive) smoothed on bottom of hair.

Ready to make the change? Sure! Don’t be afraid to go no 'poo. You know how to do it! Enjoy the journey – you’re on your way to a healthier you!

© Christi Colvin is a certified labor assistant and photographer with one three wonderful children and a stellar husband. http://www.christicolvin.net

DIY Toothpaste:

1. Place 1/2 cup baking soda in your mixing bowl. Baking soda has been used as a tooth cleaning agent for many generations. It offers mild abrasive and anti-bacterial qualities and is the base ingredient for most homemade toothpaste recipes.
2. Add 10 drops of flavoring or essential oil to the mix. Essential oils are the best (and all natural) option; however, flavoring oils are less expensive and may suit some budgets better. Popular flavors include peppermint or wintergreen, but you may also want to try clove, anise or tea tree oil as well.
3. Add water in small amounts, while stirring, until you reach a paste-like consistency. If you or your family prefer a more gel-like toothpaste, try adding 3-6 teaspoons of vegetable glycerin.
4. Mix well and spoon into a covered storage container. Your DIY toothpaste will have a good shelf life and can be stored in an air-tight container in your bathroom for convenience.
5. Read more: How to Make Your Own Toothpaste | eHow.com http://www.ehow.com/how_4698528_own-toothpaste.html#ixzz1AU9RjC3g

Smile

Smile Poem

Smiling is infectious,

you catch it like the flu,

When someone smiled at me today,

I started smiling too.

I passed around the corner

and someone saw my grin

When he smiled I realized

I'd passed it on to him.

I thought about that smile

then I realized its worth,

A single smile, just like mine

could travel round the earth.

So, if you feel a smile begin,

don't leave it undetected

Let's start an epidemic quick,

and get the world infected!

Proverbs 15:13 MSG

A cheerful heart brings a smile to your face;

a sad heart makes it hard to get through the day.

Proverbs 15:15 MSG

A miserable heart means a miserable life;

a cheerful heart fills the day with song.

Psalm 16:9 MSG

I'm happy from the inside out,

and from the outside in, I'm firmly formed.

Ephesians 6:5 MSG

Don't just do what you have to do to get by, but work heartily, as Christ's servants doing what God wants you to do. And work with a smile on your face, always keeping in mind that no matter who happens to be giving the orders, you're really serving God.

Psalm 42:5; 42:11; 43:5 MSG

He puts a smile on my face. He's my God.

1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 MSG

Be cheerful no matter what; pray all the time; thank God no matter what happens. This is the way God wants you who belong to Christ Jesus to live.

Jennie's Testimony

I was 7 when I accepted Christ and was baptized by my grandfather. My grandparents, parents, and aunt/uncle started the church I go to, the summer before I was born. So, I was raised in a Christian home. I was young when I started my relationship with Jesus, and I don't remember a lot, but I do remember that first day. My new birthday; the day I asked Jesus to be my best friend, was given my first bath, and was fed my first meal of communion in the back room of the building my family worshiped God every Sunday. I was young, so my first step was small. Just as my physical body and mind were maturing, my love and knowledge of God was maturing. Slow and steady. The part I have enjoyed (and am still enjoying) the most is never being along - especially in my teenage years when people are at their all time rejection 'high.' God is with me. I can't remember a day without him. He is walking with me. He knows my thoughts, my joys, my pains. He is my best friend.

For a part of my life (high school-ish) I really questioned... could I have really known what I was doing at 7? At Christian events was where I struggled with these thoughts the most. I wanted an amazing testimony. I don't have any cool, transforming way in which Jesus overcame a terrible life. I don't have a great testimony, so maybe its not real? Maybe this doesn't 'count.' One of the first things that happened to me at college was going through a leadership study on Jeremiah. When I heard that God called Jeremiah IN HIS YOUTH and even called him into leadership at a young age, I immediately knew that was a message from God to me. God called ME IN MY YOUTH. It is all real. God is real. My friendship with him is real. Then I found out that the bible says, "we can know that we have eternal life" (1 John 5:13). Wow! In the same way I know that I am married to Tim, I can know that I have a relationship with Jesus. I can have confidence in that, and stop wasting time wondering. I have peace and joy - because I know.

I have a friend. A best friend who always loves me. He always brings joy and peace, even when this life gets hard - miscarriage, rejections, hurt, disappointment, life. He will never divorce me. He even wrote me love letters. And I really enjoy his company. Do you have a friend like that?

Cool Rap

SproutRobot Garden

We got our seeds and instructions from SproutRobot and started our late summer garden last weekend. Our instructions said to use pots, but we decided to really go crazy and build planter boxes instead.

Believe it or not, it wasn't a disaster!



Jennie read somewhere that cedar boards would repel water and resist rot — so off to Home Depot we went. They pre-cut the boards for us, so all I had to do was drill holes and put in screws.



We bought A LOT of potting soil. I didn't realize the soil would be the most expensive part of this project. It's dirt for heaven's sake — the most abundant material on earth! But oh well.



Both boxes in place, with a bit of dirt.



The kids played with the water hose while Mom and Dad worked (Kai was off riding his Diego trike somewhere and missed this photo op).



Back to the store, get more dirt, fill up the bigger box.



SproutRobot has some excellent illustrations and has a definite "with-love" touch to the whole thing.



By the time our project was ready for seeds, it was getting dark, and the bugs were in full attack mode. I sent the rest of the family in the house to watch from the window.

* * * *

Fast forward about three days, and we have...



GREEN! Our little pumpkin sprouts are growing strong!



Mac is pretty excited about the project, and helps to water every day.



Our other planter box will get some carrot seeds in a week or so.

I'll try to post some updates here to let you know our progress.