Homeschooling Advantages

There are definitely rewards for teaching your children to read, write, and spell! (This is from 7-year-old Seth)


- Posted using my iPhone

Boys!

BUBBIE: "Mom, can I have this circle box?"

ME: "Bub, what in the world do YOU want with a girlie little trinket box like that?"

BUBBIE: "My soldiers need a toilet."



- Posted using my iPhone

Lipstick Mischief

Here's a video I took of Summer last night. I just love this stage of childhood!
Highlights:
- You'll notice her new "fake laugh"
- She loves to look in the mirror and make faces, and you can see she's already got the best of one side of that mirror
-She's saying, "couch" when her lips are all puckered
-Right at the end when she's running back toward the camera, she's doing her "granny walk" as we call it (meaning, she's got to go to the bathroom)

Memorial for the Unborn

Normally, I would never share a video of myself speaking. (I guess it's years of phone calls that go like this: Me "Hello?" Other person "Is your Mommy home?" LOL)

However, I was so excited about some recent information we discovered about abortion statistics in Polk county, that I just had to share! Life Matters Outreach is the crisis pregnancy center that I started in 2001. It's been a labor of love on my part, and a huge teaching opportunity between me and the Lord, as He has taught me to trust Him and put my family FIRST, and not let my ambitions get the best of me. Our center is small, but we've always tried to glorify God in the little things. No child has ever been taken to a daycare center while his mother came to LMO to council, we've stuck to the King James Bible, and we've patiently waited on the Lord to send volunteers to us rather than aggressively "recruiting" them.

It's been hard on me in recent years with my growing family and the responsibility of homeschooling. I've given up going to LMO on a weekly basis, however, I do a lot of work from home (usually in the wee hours of the night). This isn't quite as rewarding as seeing firsthand results while counciling regularly, and yet I was so excited to see the decline in abortion rate in our county. I just had to take a moment on my personal blog journal here and give God the glory for what He's done through LMO.

This is part of an annual Memorial for the Unborn that the Polk County Christian Coalition organizes every year. They always ask for me to come and give a report for our center.

(Note about quality of video: My amateur camera girl, 11 years old, takes great pictures but hasn't quite mastered video. You might want to take a swig of Emetrol before watching this if you're prone to motion sickness. She also cut off about the first 30 seconds. In all fairness, the wind was blowing WILDLY that day, as you can see from the hair in my mouth LOL. I wasn't about to let go of my paper to remove that hair, because I knew my paper would be across the road in no time! FYI, this is on the court house steps downtown.)

"Summer ROSE!"

This seems to be the phrase of the day, as we are constantly in anticipation of what mischief our little girl will find next, like......

deleting everyone's apps off their iPods (you need not think you can hide it from her; she has a built in "find my iPhone" feature)

waking up with gum in her mouth, which she did NOT go to bed with (she MUST be part owl or bat or cat or something, because the real fun begins when the sun goes down)

well, how can I say this politely? ummm, "passing gas" loudly in church....NOT once, mind you, but TWICE in the same service! definitely no more chocolate milk in Sunday School!

putting food in empty boots for a little surprise later on

pretending like she's eating while really putting the food in her shirt, under the table, in the window sill, in a laundry basket of freshly cleaned clothes, etc.

dumping the crickets (frog food)

and tonight's surprise: Mama's lipstick!

We love our mean, rotten, precious girl!

Please Pray for the Persecuted Homeschooling Families

Military Hero Loses All 5 Children to State

01/07/2011
Major John Jackson like most other soldiers has missed many Christmases, birthdays and Holidays with his family. But, he never thought he would be forced to endure Christmas without his children while his wife sat alone at home and his children were separated into 3 different homes. A nightmare that a seasoned war veteran never envisioned that not only threatens his family, but has put into motion the permanent destruction of his family.Major Jackson is a passionate husband and family man who is a devout Christian and a patriotic American. Still on active duty, he understands the risks and the sacrifices that he has committed to each day when he dons his uniform to uphold the US Constitution. As a decorated Major in the US Army, he has acknowledged his willingness to give up his life in defense of all Americans. He is stunned and in complete disbelief that a system exists in the United States of America that he claims has “stripped him of both Constitutional and Civil Rights”. Read the rest of this article here.

World Net Daily has also been following this story; see: Father: My Children Are Being Held Hostage

A few weeks ago, I heard Michael Farris from HSLDA giving a radio interview about a speech he recently made (which was also developed into an article for the HSLDA Court Report) about what he calls the third wave of homeschool persecution. Farris was describing how the 1st two waves of persecution were based on false premises that have sense been proven untrue (that homeschooling couldn't compete, and that children suffered from lack of socialization). However, this 3rd wave is based on a true assertion, that homeschooling parents are teaching their children a set of values that conflict with mainstream society. Education elitists assert that parents who teach their children that a man should lead his family, that homosexuality and abortion are sins, and that there's only one way to heaven, are a threat to society and harming their children. It shook me to the core to hear Michael Farris, with a quivering voice, say that homeschoolers better get on their knees in prayer and prepare for the battle ahead.

We should certainly pray for our brothers and sisters who are living this nightmare. Christian parents everywhere (homeschooling or no) are in danger of being in the same position!

"Remember them that are in bonds, as bound with them; and them which suffer adversity, as being yourselves also in the body." Hebrews 13:3

A Statesman for a President

statesman: (noun) a person who exhibits great wisdom and ability in directing the affairs of a government or in dealing with important public issues






How we need a statesman now, as the Usurper in Chief turns his back on our long-time allies (Egypt and Israel) and embraces violent jihad for the world!

Happy 100th!

Blessings

"And brought them out, and said, Sirs, what must I do to be saved? And they said, Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved, and thy house." Acts 16:31

It was a glorious weekend on the 23rd when Jason had the privilege of baptizing our oldest child. Thank God for His faithfulness in answering our prayers, and thanks to our church for being the kind of place where our children can get saved.

Thanks to Bro. Tony for sharing some of his pictures with me!

Prayer

"The angel fetched Peter out of prison,

but it was prayer that fetched the angel."

-Thomas Watson

7 Myths About the Challenger Shuttle Disaster

Here's a link to a very interesting article about the Challenger Shuttle. It also has some great pictures.

7 Myths About the Challenger Shuttle Disaster

I Miss President Reagan

In memory of the "Challenger 7", who tragically lost their lives 25 years ago today, I'm going to post this speech made by President Ronald Reagan. It's funny how well I remember this speech. I was barely 11 years old, but I was truly shaken up by this tragedy, and I remember what a comfort it was to have our leader speak so sincerely, and to truly believe that he was as upset as we all were.

You Tube - Reagan Challenger Speech

Now, compare this to the Usurper in Chief giving a "shout out" to Dr. Joe Medicine Crow in his first public address after the Fort Hood Massacre. We just had a huge military slaughter by a Muslim jihadist on our own soil, and he waits a full two minutes before he even gets around to mentioning it.

You Tube - Obama Gives Shout Out

There is a comparison here that begs to be made! Since some people apparently have the nerve to "liken" the two, I'd like to point out 1 (of hundreds) major difference that has a direct bearing on the events of this past week. Ronald Reagan was a man who respected life. Please take a moment to read his Personhood Proclamation made on Sanctity of Human Life Day in 1988:

Personhood Declaration by President Ronald Reagan

partial quote:

"NOW, THEREFORE, I, Ronald Reagan, President of the United States of America, by virtue of the authority vested in me by the Constitution and the laws of the United States, do hereby proclaim and declare the unalienable personhood of every American, from the moment of conception until natural death, and I do proclaim, ordain, and declare that I will take care that the Constitution and laws of the United States are faithfully executed for the protection of America's unborn children. Upon this act, sincerely believed to be an act of justice, warranted by the Constitution, I invoke the considerate judgment of mankind and the gracious favor of Almighty God. I also proclaim Sunday, January 17, 1988, as National Sanctity of Human Life Day. I call upon the citizens of this blessed land to gather on that day in their homes and places of worship to give thanks for the gift of life they enjoy and to reaffirm their commitment to the dignity of every human being and the sanctity of every human life."

Now, for the sake of comparison, here is Obama's Declaration given, NOT in honor of Sanctity of Human Life day, but in honor of the murderous and un-Constitutional Roe vs. Wade decision:

Obama Releases Statement Backing Abortion

partial quote:

"And on this anniversary, I hope that we will recommit ourselves more broadly to ensuring that our daughters have the same rights, the same freedoms, and the same opportunities as our sons to fulfill their dreams."

Too bad for his grandchildren, I guess.

Should a pro-life stand be a "litmus" for you personally as you consider for whom you should cast your vote? Absolutely!! Your respect, or lack of respect, for life affects every decision you make! If you read the full text of President Reagan's proclamation, he goes on to mention the sick, elderly, and infirmed. It's hard to believe that in just 20 years, our nation went from Sanctity of Life Proclamations to death panels. History has proven President Reagan's words to be true:

Freedom is never more than one generation away from extinction. We didn't pass it to our children in the bloodstream. It must be fought for, protected, and handed on for them to do the same, or one day we will spend our sunset years telling our children and our children's children what it was once like in the United States where men were free.

Have you told your next generation about the sacredness of human life?

Herman Cain!

From American Thinker (www.americanthinker.com)


Top Ten Reasons to Support Herman Cain for President
by C. Edmund Wright
January 26, 2011

Even those conservatives who will not vote for Herman Cain to win the Republican nomination should hope that he does run -- and that his candidacy lasts a long time during the nomination process, perhaps even succeeding.

Not the least of reasons is that a Cain candidacy would be a hoot. And I do not mean that in a derisive or condescending way at all. I mean that it would be the kind of doggone honest and refreshing campaign the country needs. It would be the opposite of the stale McCain run. Cain does not speak Washington drivel, and he's not afraid to take a strong position. Dare I say it? He'll call a spade a spade, and he'll reach across the aisle only to smack someone down. He will admit what McCain would not: that we do have a lot to fear from an Obama presidency.

Herman Cain is peerless among the long list of potential candidates -- and his impact on the field and the direction of the party will be in the direction of free enterprise, less government, and speaking with boldness -- you know, pretty much the opposite of what the GOP has done since Newt's Congress lost steam in the mid- to late '90s.

To codify, here are the top reasons to support Cain based on my observation of the man over a period of years:

10. The "race card": A Cain candidacy not only takes the race card off the table -- it might in fact put it in the Republicans' camp. Frankly, Cain is "blacker" than Obama in every way imaginable. He does not have a white parent. He has a slight black dialect and does not "turn it off" to impress Harry Reid or Joe Biden, nor does he "amp it up" to impress Jeremiah Wright.

As Obama's presidency has shown, America did not need a black president. What America needs is to just get over the race thing, period. Cain is over it, and I bet he would flat-out tell Obama to get over it, too.

9. Been there, done that: Cain brings a lot of "been there, done that" to the office, and that is in stark contrast not only to Obama, but to almost anyone else running. Cain is not shy about making fun of politicians' lack of understanding of the reality of the free-enterprise system, and certainly no group embodies that ignorance more than Obama and his administration. Making a payroll; dealing with employees, the IRS, the INS, insurance companies; dealing with rents, lawsuits, unemployment commissions, etc. -- Cain has been there, done that. Obama has not.

8. Not forgettable: One Herman Cain soundbite is worth ten from Tim...um, what's his name? Oh, yeah, Pawlenty. Cain's boldness and confidence and accent and voice will cut through the noise out there, and this makes his candidacy dangerous even if he faces some financial handicaps versus other folks running. He is a talk radio host now by trade and knows how to hold folks' attention.

7. Will break every rule set for him by "strategists": This one might be my favorite. Cain has never counted on political strategists to get him where he is now, and this alone separates him from all other candidates. Lord help the first "strategist" from the RNC who advises Cain to "tone it down" or "soften his position."

6. Will really get under the skin of the Washingtonian class: A Cain candidacy would drive David Brooks to apoplexy. Charles Krauthammer -- doing his best to run off legions of his longtime fans -- would no doubt find some Palinesque reasons to object to Cain. And those are the conservative ruling-class folks. Imagine what the liberals will say about this non-Ivy league, non-elected Southern black guy running for president. I can't wait to hear it.

5. Will not get in way of the 2010 Congress' momentum: This might be the most important reason to support a Cain candidacy. He has gained momentum as part of the Tea Party movement that was the defining factor in the 2010 congressional elections. A Cain candidacy would be in lockstep with what the country told Congress it wanted in November 2010. It will be an extension of the 2010 campaign, and that's preferable to a presidential election that will distract from the 2010 results.

4. Never held office before: While Cain's opponents -- on both sides of the aisle -- are licking their chops over this one, they should rethink this. Mr. Cain already has a lethal (can we still say that?) response to this one: "Everyone in Washington has held public office before. How's that working out for you?" Case closed.

3. Ann Coulter's second-favorite pick: So Ann's first choice is Chris Christie, and Cain comes in second. With some 25 names floating around out there, being number 2 on anyone's list is pretty good at this point in the game. Besides, I predict that Cain will overtake Christie on Ann's list. Cain is more conservative and even less afraid to speak his mind. While I love Christie's boldness on the issues where he is conservative, he will wobble off to the Jersey left a bit on some issues. Cain will not.

2. Will not be cowed by the new speech police: The attempt by the left to silence conservatives in light of the Tucson shootings will not be the last. And you can bet that when they do, some on the right will recoil and fall prey, regardless of how mindless the attempts are. If you have followed Herman Cain, you know that this will not be an issue for him.

And the number one reason to support a Cain candidacy? It opens the door to a ticket of Cain and Haley Barbour in some order. OK, maybe this is not earthshaking, but imagine the "racist Republican Party" putting forth a national ticket including a drawlin' Mississippi good ol' boy and a black businessman who still speaks a smidgen of Ebonics.

This would be the hope and change America thought they were getting in 2008. This would be ticket not so much of "racial healing" as it would be the ticket of "just get over the race thing." Because liberalism is joined at the hip with the race pimp industry, a liberal African-American cannot by definition do for the country what a black conservative can. A black liberal winning reinforces counterproductive stereotypes. A conservative black winning crushes them. Period.

Yes, I know that reasons number one and ten seem a lot alike. They are. We have just about destroyed our country trying to put this issue to bed, and the result is that tensions are higher than they were before Obama was elected. Which we predicted.

A Cain presidency would actually go a long way towards solving this. And besides, Mr. Cain has some great ideas for getting government out of our way and letting America be America again. And we all need that.


- Posted using my iPhone

Sanctity of Life Memorial

Dear Ben,

I know how insulting it must be for you on your birthday, that no one has even remembered that this is your special day. You see, our country, for which you can largely be credited with establishing, is too busy honoring aother man. This other man, of course, has never held down a real job, run a business, or done anything innovative to improve the nation, although he was a wonderful speaker. He was extremely critical of the United States and its culture and economic system (though he lived pretty high on the hog thanks to this nation of greedy capitalists), and he taught that everyone (that is, everyone ELSE) should be forced to voluntarily (?go figure!?) share their wealth. No, Ben, I'm not talking about Obama, I'm talking about Michael King, Jr., aka Martin Luther King, Jr.


So, on this day, I would like to take a moment to wish you a Happy Birthday, and thank you for all your dedication to our great Republic. Thank you also for your contributions to the fields of Science, Literature, Mathematics, and Music, as well as your many innovative inventions that improved society, such as the first public library and fire station.

Happy Birthday, Benjamin Franklin!

Bringing Down the Sacred Cow

MLK Day: Why I Won't Be Celebrating by Frank of Queens from The Right Perspective Radio:

"King has taken on deity status. No one dares to look critically at his politics or life. Instead, many believe that he is the most perfect being that ever existed. Yes, it’s true! Why, you can smear the Founding Fathers, you can even put Our Lord Jesus Christ in a vat of urine upside down and call it “art”. But heaven forbid that you should say a bad word about MLK. "

To read the rest of this article, click here

And here is another link to an excellent article, "The Dark Side of MLK", which goes into great detail concerning King's plagiarism and his unapologetic ties to communists.

On a funnier note, here's one local woman (who happens to be black) who thinks it would have been perfectly okay for the public schools to make up some much needed snow days on this sacred federal holiday. (Fast forward to 2:50)

Progress

The Freedom To Be Offended

We Americans have taken our brilliantly unique gift from the Founding Fathers, that being our Freedom of Speech, for granted. It is such a part of America and Americans, that we just assumed that, like the blood flowing through our bodies, freedom of speech would always flow through the U.S.A. I can't help but believe that the reason it is being so easily stolen away, is that we are largely a nation of immigrants now; people who were not raised in America and have no sense of the liberty we cherish...and, amazingly, there is no greater example of that than our own Obama (whether you accept his citizenship or not, there is no debate that he was raised abroad).

The criminilization of Christianity (through hate crimes legislation, outlawing Christmas and crosses, etc.) and social Marxism (which some call "political correctness") are two glaring examples of the loss of our Freedom of Speech. However, today, it's censorship that's on my mind. In an age where, in the name of free speech, libraries are forced to give free access to pornography, and our government funds pornographic art for public display, you would think censorship was a thing of the past.

Nope. After decades of ignorant, rambling protest, a new version of Mark Twain's classics Huck Finn and The Adventures of Tom Sawyer is being published, one which eliminates the "n-word". This news comes at a pertinent time for me because I bought Caleb The Adventures of Tom Sawyer for Christmas, and he is nearly through with reading it after only a few days. Having read the books and loved them in my childhood, I knew he would enjoy them as well. We had an intelligent discussion (yes, 13 year olds are capable of that) before he read it. I explained to him that the use of the n-word and the issue of slavery were prevalent in Tom Sawyer, but would actually be the themes in the next book on his list, Huckleberry Finn. For anyone who has actually read Huck Finn, it is obviously one of the most anti-slavery, anti-racist books that has ever been written. It isn't some boring, academic thesis about the evils of white men. Instead, it is a moving, personal story of one boy who recognizes the human dignity of his beloved friend, Jim, a slave. The climax of the novel is when Huck chooses to let Jim go free (instead of turning him in). He does so even though he has been convinced by society that this will damn his soul to hell.

Michelle Malkin wrote a great article about this in 2001 called "The Book Burners Against Mark Twain". Here is a quote from her article, click on the link to read it in its entirety:

Two gifted black writers, Booker T. Washington and Ralph Ellison, understood Twain's medium and message. Washington wrote that Twain "succeeded in making his readers feel a genuine respect for Jim." In creating Jim's character, the moral center of the book, Washington asserted that Twain had "exhibited his sympathy and interest in the masses of the negro people." Ellison noted similarly that "Huckleberry Finn knew, as did Mark Twain, that Jim was not only a slave but a human being (and) a symbol of humanity ... and in freeing Jim, Huck makes a bid to free himself of the conventionalized evil taken for civilization by the town."

Twain opposed racial inequality in many of his works of fiction and non-fiction, and came to reject slavery after moving East, marrying into an abolitionist family, and meeting Frederick Douglass. Twain used the vernacular of the antebellum South in "Huck Finn" not to denigrate black people, but to keep it real. Whitewashing the word "nigger" out of the book's dialogue would have played into the hands of those who prefer to sanitize history than confront it.


It's true that the freedom of speech carries with it the freedom to be offended. But even for those who don't like the "n-word" (MYSELF INCLUDED), reading Mark Twain's novel will only help your cause and concrete your beliefs, not offend you. I can't imagine any white supremacist who would appreciate a story about a Southern white boy who goes on a journey of self-discovery and finds that the runaway slave he encounters is not only a human being, but an honorable soul that teaches him some of the most important lessons of his life. What a pity that future generations will have to read the "whitewashed" version! Perhaps Huck said it best,

"H’aint we got all the fools in town on our side? And ain’t that a big enough majority in any town?" Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, Chapter 26.

Me and My Guy

Jason and Me

Jason has lotion on his face (right in front of his ear)...which, if you know Jason, he is SO NOT the lotion type, which is what makes this so cute and funny. He's been working outside in this freezing weather and caved in to my advice and finally had to use some lotion (which he would deny)....and then it gets photographed. I tried to "picnik" it out, but it just didn't work. Sorry, Babe, it's forever recorded in cyber history that YOU used LOTION.

We actually had a White Christmas!

We had a very blessed Christmas surrounded by our family, and as a special treat, at least for us here in the South, it began snowing on Christmas morning just like the movies!

I know this fake smile makes terrible pictures, but I could just eat it up!

Here are the kids with Jason's parents

The princess wore tennis shoes...

These are my precious nieces, Maggie and Audrey

And Baby Jacob (my nephew) finally got PawPaw rocked to sleep!