To Have & To Hold!

"Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil, but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails. 1 Corinthians 13:4"

 

 

 MARRIAGE

 

 

I am a helper to my husband! I was created for him. We were made to be together.

 

 

Ephesians 5:22-23

Wives, submit to your husbands as to the Lord.  For the husband is the head of the wife as Christ is the head of the church, his body, of which he is the Savior.

Colossians 3:18-19

Wives, submit to your husbands, as is fitting in the Lord.  Husbands, love your wives and do not be harsh with them.

 

Genesis 2:22-24

Then the LORD God made a woman from the rib he had taken out of the man, and he brought her to the man.  The man said, "This is now bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh; she shall be called 'woman, ' for she was taken out of man."  For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and they will become one flesh.

 

Proverbs 12:4

A wife of noble character is her husband's crown, but a disgraceful wife is like decay in his bones.

Proverbs 19:14

Houses and wealth are inherited from parents, but a prudent wife is from the LORD.

 

 

>I am blessed enough to be married to my best friend. He is my soul mate! I know a lot of times, you hear of couples who get married & a year into it they can't stand each other. I am happy to tell you, there are still marriages where a couple stays in love with each other. We have been married for almost 13yrs. I like to joke & tell people we are still newlyweds. Of coarse every couple has disagreements but the goal is to not hold on to them & drag them through your marriage. Over all I feel like we ARE still newlyweds, we continue to learn new things about each other because we ourselves are constantly changing. I love my husband more today than I did 13yrs ago which on our wedding day, I didn't think was possible. We were high school sweethearts and got pregnant pretty young. Still with God we have made it through lots of struggles. I have come to realize, there will always be something positive or negative we will be going through but to remember I love him & I took a vow that I will keep. When we found out we were going to have a baby our Junior yr of high school, he could have left me & said I was on my own. (like so many men do) But he didn't even think of it. Instead we got married which we had already talked about so many times. We just made it real. We knew it wasn't going to be easy & we had our ups & downs. Ultimately we ended up having a healthy baby girl 8 weeks earlier than doctors had planned. My marriage has taught us so much about a bond. We have each other for ever until death do us part. Until then I will always be able to talk to him & tell him my dreams. He will also always have someone to come to.  Marriage is a very special thing & I am so gratful and proud. 

 

Proverbs 31:10

A wife of noble character who can find? She is worth far more than rubies.

 

MARRIAGE- it will change your life! 

 

 

I love being married

I love holding hands

I love talking

I love having someone to lay with

I love waking up next to my husband

 

 

Mark 10:6-9

"But at the beginning of creation God 'made them male and female.'  'For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife,  and the two will become one flesh.' So they are no longer two, but one.  Therefore what God has joined together, let man not separate."

 

 

 

 

 

He is an extreemly wonderful man! I could do a whole post just on how much I love him & how great he is as husband & father, but I won't I just want to pass on that marriage is a beautiful bond. Be blessed!

 

http://youtu.be/ENeUyQOyoGo 

 

http://youtu.be/NAAOS1i5wWc 

 

http://youtu.be/rl8SuLBCq3k 

 

http://youtu.be/1GpXYKp7_Qw 

 

 

Time management !!!!

It doesn't matter who you are, at one point you have wished for more hours in the day. Weather you love your job or absolutely hate it, you look for more time. So since school has started & summer is pretty much over I wanted to take some TIME to share with you some tips on making the most of the time we are given. 

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Time management is the act or process of exercising conscious control over the amount of time spent on specific activities, especially to increase efficiency or productivity. Time management may be aided by a range of skills, tools, and techniques used to manage time when accomplishing specific tasks, projects and goals. This set encompasses a wide scope of activities, and these include planning, allocating, setting goals, delegation, analysis of time spent, monitoring, organizing, scheduling, and prioritizing. Initially, time management referred to just business or work activities, but eventually the term broadened to include personal activities as well. A time management system is a designed combination of processes, tools, techniques, and methods. Usually time management is a necessity in any project development as it determines the project completion time and scope.

I have the best job in the world & I am always wishing I could have an extra hour in the day. If not to do the things I didn't get to yet but to have a little more sleep lol


For me, it starts with routine. If I don't get up at basically the same time every morning or get started with something right away, then I know I am gonna drag that day. I try to stay positive. Sometimes saying a prayer or reading a positive book  such as the Bible can refresh you for the day. For some a cup of coffee gets them going (I don't drink coffee) I remind myself that my husband is off at work (he only gets 1 day off a week now) & that I am at my jobs so I had better get started. I am a stay at home mom & also the home manager. I also homeschool my middleschooler & babysitter my sister's two young children. Some people tell me I have an easy job or they wish they could just stay home, but I have to say it is harder that you would think. Because I stay home, myself & my home seem to be set at a higher standard than homes that the woman works outside the home. I am my worst critic.

I start out looking at my calendar. I have several. I also make lots of lists. Besides writing my bills on the calendar & making sure the payday before things are due they get paid, I also write on there what events are going on each day, along with my huband's sechedule of his jobs. I also have another calendar I check each day ( I call it my chore calendar) I look at the calendar to see what I must make time to do each day such as making sure to wipe down baseboards. Things I don't do on a daily bases are harder to make time to do or to remember to do so I write it down on my chore calendar.

Because I homeschool, I try to write out my lesson plans far in advance. My daughter is an independent worker & is very good at working on her own. Which has come in handy since we are now watching extra kids most days now. We are still adjusting & trying to get some kind of a routine to fit in all the things we would normally be doing plus have plenty of time to interact with them. Because the are so young they need a lot of attention.

I like to be multitasking at all times, well I don't know if I like it as much as it has just became a mandatory thing. I write lots of list & spend the evenings doing several things at once. While relaxing and watching tv with my hubby, I also cut/ organize coupons & make shopping lists for the next day. Or I write my to do list for the next day. I also check emails on my laptop or like to look at magizines. Sometime I have to continue my chores during relaxing time. So I try to leave the chores such as folding laundry for the evenings so I can sit on the couch & still have a conversation with my husband.

I like to use mealtime prep time to catch up with my kids that have been in public school all day. It is also an outlet for them to vent or just refocus their mind to stay positive & not get too stressed out.

Try to be as organized as you can. The more organized you are the easier tasks become & things can get done quicker. I have several folders. One house managing such as chore lists, calendars, recipes, & to do lists. I also have one that is finances, it holds bills & important receipts. Of coarse I have my coupon binder. I also have one for homeschooling & one for my homeschool group. I have other projects that I am working on right now so I have a few extras too, such as breast cancer awareness month is coming up in October so my mom & I are getting her team stuff ready for fundraising walks.

If you become your boss & set goals for yourself for each day, you can accomplish more than you realize. Remember to say no if you need to. If someone wants you to add something to your day & you know you are already struggling then you need to learn to say no. You are not mean because you didn't add that volunteer job to your already hectic schedule.

Remember, try not to let other people get you down. Be realistic! Taking certain tasks like cleaning one thing at a time. Don't give up!!!!! I can't give you more hours in the day but hopefully I can help you use the time you have wisely!

Homeschool!

In Florida check out this link for homeschooling laws http://www.hslda.org/laws/analysis/Florida.pdf

For any other US state check out this link & click on your state http://homeschooling.about.com/cs/gettingstarted/a/legalusa.htm

After you have decided to homeschool, find a support group or a friend who homeschools. Having supportive friends & family will help you on your days that are not up to your standards of expectations. Even public school teachers have rough days. If you have a place to find encouragement, you will be able to bounce back even faster. Don't stress too much. Have fun with it & remember a great part of homeschooling is the flexibilities.

Here are some links I like to use
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Lehigh-Family-Educators-Group/260368703991327

http://homeschooling.about.com/cs/learning/p/course6.htm

http://www.home-school.com/


http://budgethomeschool.com/

http://www.superteacherworksheets.com

http://life.familyeducation.com/parenting-advice/teenagers/43735.html?detoured=1

http://www.teachertube.com/

http://www.abcteach.com/

http://www.homeschool-curriculum-savings.com/free-stuff-for-homeschoolers.html

http://www.kidsastronomy.com/solar_system.htm

http://library.lee-county.com/services/programs/Pages/Kids.aspx

http://www.freetypinggame.net/free-typing-lesson.asp

http://www.lifeprint.com/

http://www.123teachme.com/learn_spanish/spanish_for_children
 
I could go on & on.......
And remember you can always use google to find out more from any subject!

We have been our children's teacher since the 1st day so it doesn't matter if you homeschool your 13 yr old or if you are teacher to a 2yr old. The are going to learn from you, why not put a little thought into it & make it the best it can be!

Tax Free Weekend

August 12-14, 2011


Applies to:

• Books, clothing, and footwear ($75 or less)
• School supplies ($15 or less)

Save even more during this time!

http://singleparents.about.com/gi/o.htm?zi=1/XJ&zTi=1&sdn=singleparents&cdn=parenting&tm=7&f=00&tt=13&bt=1&bts=1&zu=http%3A//dor.myflorida.com/dor/tips/pdf/tip11a01-03_list.pdf


http://singleparents.about.com/od/taxfreeholidays/tp/save_during_tax_free_weekend.htm

http://singleparents.about.com/od/backtoschoolshopping/a/back-to-school-shopping-list.htm


If you are not in Florida- check out this link!
http://singleparents.about.com/od/cuttingcosts/qt/TaxFreeHoliday.htm


Mead Black Marble Wide-Ruled Composition Book (09910)

 

summer vacation is almost over!

As you are getting ready to send your kids back to school or start another year of homeschool I wanted to just make you aware of a few things. Some children have their own set of Anxiety
. Weather they are starting a new school or just moving up to the next level, there are plenty of stress out there for your children. Try to keep your nerves down and help them with theirs. Some are just getting into school for the 1st time, some are going into a grade that they know has a big test. & some are moving into middle school or high school. If you homeschool, their could still be some anxiety. Maybe this upcoming year they know you are going to be expecting even more from them. Which is ok! No matter what, try not to push ur stress on to them. They have enough! Encourage them to share with you what they are going through. Here are some links to share with your children on how to release some of the anxiety.
http://stress.about.com/od/studentstress/a/back_to_school.htm

http://www.kidspot.com.au/Back-to-School-For-parents-Starting-high-school+1750+153+article.htm

http://school.familyeducation.com/back-to-school/anxiety/37623.html

http://www.education.com/magazine/article/preschool-separation-anxiety/

http://us99country.radio.com/category/audio/racing-podcasts/  (turn up the volume for this one)

Make this an exciting time of year! Weather you buy new shoes or just have a big special breakfast on the first day of school, either way try to stay positive & enjoy this new journey coming