Something very near and dear to my heart is the parental rights of myself and of the parents in this nation! It is scary to think that government would have us believe that they know better than we do on how to raise our children. There is a UN treaty called "the right of the child." It sounds harmless, except it means that the government is allowed to step in and make decisions for your child if THEY feel that you aren't doing a good enough job or they think you should be doing it this way instead of that way. In other words, parents would lose their rights as parents. It sounds insane, and not like something that can happen in the U.S. but it is already happening and we (the U.S.) have not yet signed the treaty with the UN. www.parentalrights.org is trying to get an amendment passed that protects parental rights. The only reason government should ever step in, is in the case of abuse, and I am sure that the government would have us believe that this is what this treaty is about, but it is not. I encourage all of you to get educated on this topic. I don't care if you don't have kids or your kids have already grown. Our children are our future. Do you think the people running this country know what is best for these children, or do you think that parents raising and loving their children know best? Here is the latest email I received from parentalrights.org. Again, please sign the petition and read on their website about what this all about because I know they can word it a lot better than I can. =)
Parents of 50 Million U.S. Children Soon to Lose Parental Rights
If your children attend public school, you are among those parents whose rights will end the moment your child enters the school. That’s because in 2005 the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals found in Fields v. Palmdale School District “that the Meyer-Pierce right [of parents to direct the upbringing of their children] does not exist beyond the threshold of the school door.”
You read that right. Parental Rights “[do] not exist beyond the threshold of the school door.”
“We conclude that the parents are possessed of no constitutional right to prevent the public schools from providing information on the subject [of sexuality] to their students in any forum or manner they select” (emphasis added).
Of course, most parents contend they don’t have a choice in where their children are schooled. Either economic constraints or personal circumstances leave them with no practical alternative to the local public school. And that leaves no parental rights at all.
Please act to reverse this assault by big government courts against parental rights. Sign the petition and get more information at ParentalRights.org.
Then, please pass this on. Every parent of a public school student needs to know the extent to which the courts have robbed them of their rights. Forward this email to friends, add the message to your Facebook account, or click here to visit this page online and use the “share” button to add it to virtually any other social network.
Looking Ahead
This is the first of several court cases we plan to review for you in the coming weeks. The courts’ disregard for the traditional formative role of parents in a child’s life needs to be brought to light. And while the Parental Rights Amendment will not give parents any greater power to control the school’s choice of curriculum, it will protect their right to pull their individual child out of any program of an outrageous or offensive nature, like the program in the Palmdale case. (To read more from this case, click here.)
Sincerely,
Michael Ramey
Communications Director
Wednesday, August 25, 2010
Tuesday, August 24, 2010
I'm back!
Hi! I know I have been gone for so long, but it seems when things are exciting enough to write about, I am also too busy to write! LOL! We have ahad a great few months! We have been traveling like crazy since May! It all seems like a blur now, but we had a wonderful time!
We are getting ready to start our next homeschool year, and I have been busy collecting curriculum, making schedules (which I will alter like 50 times during the school year)! I am also Reading a GREAT series of books by Oliver DeMille!! The first one is called "A Thomas Jefferson Education." He is AWESOME! I don't care if you don't homeschool. Every parent and educator needs this book! It talks about how to raise up leaders. Part of that equation is raising kids who educate themselves. He makes the argument that nobody educates someone else. Sure we can give them work to do. We can lecture them, but the student is the one educates himself. They have to be inspired to learn. They have to be taught HOW to think, not told WHAT to think! He also talks about the best way to raise up good leaders and statesmen is to give them three parts of the education equation : classics, mentors, and inspiration (as apposed to requirement). The book talks a lot about the state of our leadership crisis in America and basically how that can be changed by this form of education, called Thomas Jefferson Education (TJed). I also love how it calls public school, and even a lot of private schools, "Conveyor belt education." =) Anyway, luckily, I do already teach a lot like he states in the book, which is a relief, but I will be learning as I go as well....mainly in the reading classics category. I have read a lot on the list in the past, but still so many more, and I want to be ahead of the game. Basically, I want to give myself a better education as well, so that I can help my kids to be leaders and statesmen...something this country is in desperate need of.
There have been a lot of thoughts going through my head lately about homeschooling, especially as I am questioned more by people who are thinking of doing it themselves or the people who roll their eyes and claim they NEVER could do that! I may be wring about some of these thoughts because I feel there are some misleading thoughts floating around out there that need to be addresses, and I also need to process my own thoughts by writing them out. =)
We are getting ready to start our next homeschool year, and I have been busy collecting curriculum, making schedules (which I will alter like 50 times during the school year)! I am also Reading a GREAT series of books by Oliver DeMille!! The first one is called "A Thomas Jefferson Education." He is AWESOME! I don't care if you don't homeschool. Every parent and educator needs this book! It talks about how to raise up leaders. Part of that equation is raising kids who educate themselves. He makes the argument that nobody educates someone else. Sure we can give them work to do. We can lecture them, but the student is the one educates himself. They have to be inspired to learn. They have to be taught HOW to think, not told WHAT to think! He also talks about the best way to raise up good leaders and statesmen is to give them three parts of the education equation : classics, mentors, and inspiration (as apposed to requirement). The book talks a lot about the state of our leadership crisis in America and basically how that can be changed by this form of education, called Thomas Jefferson Education (TJed). I also love how it calls public school, and even a lot of private schools, "Conveyor belt education." =) Anyway, luckily, I do already teach a lot like he states in the book, which is a relief, but I will be learning as I go as well....mainly in the reading classics category. I have read a lot on the list in the past, but still so many more, and I want to be ahead of the game. Basically, I want to give myself a better education as well, so that I can help my kids to be leaders and statesmen...something this country is in desperate need of.
There have been a lot of thoughts going through my head lately about homeschooling, especially as I am questioned more by people who are thinking of doing it themselves or the people who roll their eyes and claim they NEVER could do that! I may be wring about some of these thoughts because I feel there are some misleading thoughts floating around out there that need to be addresses, and I also need to process my own thoughts by writing them out. =)
Tuesday, March 23, 2010
Catching up!
I wanted to post about a few things that have happened around here, but haven't had a chance in a while. I tell you, I have seriously cut back on my computer time, because when I get on, it is like a time stealer!! By the time I read all the blogs I like to read, and then check in on a few forums I am a part of, so much time is just zapped from my day....That isn't even including email and facebook!!
Anyway, I didn't want everyone to think I had fallen off the end of the earth, so here I am!!
In January, my beautiful little princess turned 8 years old!! I can not even believe it!! She's so tiny, I carry her around like you would a 4-year-old. It just doesn't seem real to me, and I really don't like the idea of her growing so fast. That isn't to say that I don't love the idea of getting to see what God has planned for her life....I just wish it would slow down a bit! LOL! Kristina has a strong spirit! She is very black and white about things, and she has strong convictions. She also started taking violin lessons, as we got her a violin for her birthday. She loves it, and it is going well. She is continuing with piano also.
Another thing about my Kristina that is a bit unusual perhaps is that she LOVES anything Egypt! She has most of the Playmobil Egypt toys, and she loves learning about it. Perhaps at age 8, this isn't so strange, but she was like this at age 3 as well! Kristina and I were making brownies or something, and she was chattering away about pyramids. I thought it was a teaching moment, and so I said to my little 3-yr-old, "And do you know where you can find Pyramids?" She said with a bit of attitude, "Uh, yeah! Egypt!" Like, DUH!! Of course, at that time we lived with my parents, and my dad watches a lot of History channel and Discovery channel. She was definitely picking up on some of that stuff....Like the time I picked her up from Sunday school, and she showed me that she had built Stone Henge out of blocks. LOL! So, anyway, back to Egypt.... Next year we will be studying Egypt formally. I have a guide for teaching Genesis Through Deuteronomy and ancient Egypt. She can't wait. There are a number of books I still have to get, but I'm watching used book sales for them. Since this is something she has loved since she was three (we have had to check out books from the library on the subject over the years, and she even has a book that teaches you how to draw like the Egyptians did.) I am anxious to see what God does with it. I just think that when someone loves something that much from a young age like that, there must be something there.
In the beginning of March we went to see Carter perform in a six state honor choir up in Minneapolis. It was a lot of fun. All the groups did so well, and there is definitely some great talent out there. Carter currently sings soprano. It will be interesting to see how his voice develops. We are quite proud of him. I still think he prefers piano to singing, but he has truly enjoyed being in all these choirs this year, as he was also in Opus this year as well. Lance's parents were wonderful enough to come and stay with the 2 younger one, while we went up there. You see, the crazy thing was that we didn't even know until the day before if we would even get tickets. Crazy! Right? I mean you think the parents would automatically get tickets, don't you think? Anyway, that's why we couldn't take K and J. Anyway, we are excited to see God developing Carter's musical talent (even though when you ask him what he wants to be when he grows up, he never even mentions music at all. LOL!) Since he is not my blood child and since I can take no credit for his talent, I can brag a little more about him! =) He is enormously talented, especially with the piano. He's also becoming a bit of a music freak...you know, singing CONSTANTLY and playing with what the voice can do? Yeah, I remember those days! LOL!
Now that I have written a paragraph or more on K and C, I feel I should write about Jakob too. LOL! He doing well. I think the most recent info on him is that he is going to marry his friend Sarah when he grows up, play for the Vikings, and when he is too old for that, he is going to work at Target because I shop there a lot, and if he works there, he'll get to see me a lot...His words! I swear! LOL! Actually, Jakob is also learning to read, and he read his first book (It was a Bob book) last week! He loves to try and read, which is so different than Kristina who hated learning to read because she just wanted to be able to just do it....like math, which she was just naturally able to do without much effort. Jakob is catching on quick, and always wants to do more than one lesson, and sometimes I have to stop him and tell him it is enough for the day (so he doesn't get too far ahead of himself). Next year is his kindergarten year, so I am happy he will be starting already knowing how to read. As their teacher, I think reading is one of the more difficult things to teach because it's something you can't do until you are "ready" like potty training.
On other news....A couple of weeks ago, the old Hobby Lobby store collapsed. I mean the store is gone! There was just too much snow and then it rained, and splat! It caved in on itself! It happened at 5:30 on a Sunday, so I am glad nobody was around and was hurt. The store was empty. Hobby Lobby still had to lease the building until November, but now, their lease is up! The thing I find very interesting is that I have two friends who have churches, and both of them at one time or another have tried to rent that space for their church. It is in a dying strip mall, and no business wants to go in there. The owner always said no. He did not want a church in there because he wanted something that was retail and bringing in money. Totally dumb since he wasn't getting anything for it with it sitting empty, and he doesn't make anything off the retail anyway. You would think he would let one of the churches rent it and get the money from them, but he was a real stinker about it, and out of the whole strip mall, it was the old Hobby Lobby that collapsed and the rest is fine. Hmmmmmm........
On yet other news, I am working out, and my body is handling it! Yeah me! Since I was so sick last year, I had trouble exercising, and could only do little bits at a time, and it seemed it never did any good anyway, so I was very discouraged. Well, I have been doing some ballet conditioning (which kicks your butt!) pilates (my old standby favorite) and walking etc. I have been able to do it daily, and stay consistent without getting to weak and exhausted. WELL, last week, some friends of mine asked if I wanted to go running with them. I was like, "Um NOOOOOOOOO! I don't run! No way!" They said they were doing a walk/run, and they don't run fast at all. They were going to run for four minutes and then walk for a minute. I was like, "Yeah, but I haven't run since high school,, and even then it was only for PE and I HATED it!" Anyway, long story short, they talked me into trying it, and I'd like to tell you that I was all wrong, and it was wonderful and I have found a new love, but no! First off, I get there, and I am informed we are going to go 3.2 miles! UH, excuse me!? Yeah, the distance might have been a great thing to ask about the day before! So, I ran the first 4 minutes straight and I was pretty excited I could do it....Ok, so Like I was praying the whole time, and let's face it, God ran it for me! LOL! Then after our minute walk, which I know they were just tricking me! It was like ten seconds! (ok, maybe not.) I started to run the second stretch, and I had to keep slowing down to a walk because I couldn't do it. Now because my legs wouldn't go or I was in any kind of pain but I couldn't breath. It hurt. I had sort of that soar throat phlegmy feeling! Yuck! So I sped walk the whole rest of the way, and managed to keep up with them pretty well considering. I haven't returned. running is not my thing, but I do love waling! Now that weather has been warmer, I am getting out there a lot and just walking fast. You see I let the kids ride their bikes and I walk behind, and i can't actually keep up, but I do walk fast enough that my shins are killing me by the time I am done. The kids have to stop at each corner and wait for Mama to catch up. LOL!
And, that's all for now! =)
Anyway, I didn't want everyone to think I had fallen off the end of the earth, so here I am!!
In January, my beautiful little princess turned 8 years old!! I can not even believe it!! She's so tiny, I carry her around like you would a 4-year-old. It just doesn't seem real to me, and I really don't like the idea of her growing so fast. That isn't to say that I don't love the idea of getting to see what God has planned for her life....I just wish it would slow down a bit! LOL! Kristina has a strong spirit! She is very black and white about things, and she has strong convictions. She also started taking violin lessons, as we got her a violin for her birthday. She loves it, and it is going well. She is continuing with piano also.
Another thing about my Kristina that is a bit unusual perhaps is that she LOVES anything Egypt! She has most of the Playmobil Egypt toys, and she loves learning about it. Perhaps at age 8, this isn't so strange, but she was like this at age 3 as well! Kristina and I were making brownies or something, and she was chattering away about pyramids. I thought it was a teaching moment, and so I said to my little 3-yr-old, "And do you know where you can find Pyramids?" She said with a bit of attitude, "Uh, yeah! Egypt!" Like, DUH!! Of course, at that time we lived with my parents, and my dad watches a lot of History channel and Discovery channel. She was definitely picking up on some of that stuff....Like the time I picked her up from Sunday school, and she showed me that she had built Stone Henge out of blocks. LOL! So, anyway, back to Egypt.... Next year we will be studying Egypt formally. I have a guide for teaching Genesis Through Deuteronomy and ancient Egypt. She can't wait. There are a number of books I still have to get, but I'm watching used book sales for them. Since this is something she has loved since she was three (we have had to check out books from the library on the subject over the years, and she even has a book that teaches you how to draw like the Egyptians did.) I am anxious to see what God does with it. I just think that when someone loves something that much from a young age like that, there must be something there.
In the beginning of March we went to see Carter perform in a six state honor choir up in Minneapolis. It was a lot of fun. All the groups did so well, and there is definitely some great talent out there. Carter currently sings soprano. It will be interesting to see how his voice develops. We are quite proud of him. I still think he prefers piano to singing, but he has truly enjoyed being in all these choirs this year, as he was also in Opus this year as well. Lance's parents were wonderful enough to come and stay with the 2 younger one, while we went up there. You see, the crazy thing was that we didn't even know until the day before if we would even get tickets. Crazy! Right? I mean you think the parents would automatically get tickets, don't you think? Anyway, that's why we couldn't take K and J. Anyway, we are excited to see God developing Carter's musical talent (even though when you ask him what he wants to be when he grows up, he never even mentions music at all. LOL!) Since he is not my blood child and since I can take no credit for his talent, I can brag a little more about him! =) He is enormously talented, especially with the piano. He's also becoming a bit of a music freak...you know, singing CONSTANTLY and playing with what the voice can do? Yeah, I remember those days! LOL!
Now that I have written a paragraph or more on K and C, I feel I should write about Jakob too. LOL! He doing well. I think the most recent info on him is that he is going to marry his friend Sarah when he grows up, play for the Vikings, and when he is too old for that, he is going to work at Target because I shop there a lot, and if he works there, he'll get to see me a lot...His words! I swear! LOL! Actually, Jakob is also learning to read, and he read his first book (It was a Bob book) last week! He loves to try and read, which is so different than Kristina who hated learning to read because she just wanted to be able to just do it....like math, which she was just naturally able to do without much effort. Jakob is catching on quick, and always wants to do more than one lesson, and sometimes I have to stop him and tell him it is enough for the day (so he doesn't get too far ahead of himself). Next year is his kindergarten year, so I am happy he will be starting already knowing how to read. As their teacher, I think reading is one of the more difficult things to teach because it's something you can't do until you are "ready" like potty training.
On other news....A couple of weeks ago, the old Hobby Lobby store collapsed. I mean the store is gone! There was just too much snow and then it rained, and splat! It caved in on itself! It happened at 5:30 on a Sunday, so I am glad nobody was around and was hurt. The store was empty. Hobby Lobby still had to lease the building until November, but now, their lease is up! The thing I find very interesting is that I have two friends who have churches, and both of them at one time or another have tried to rent that space for their church. It is in a dying strip mall, and no business wants to go in there. The owner always said no. He did not want a church in there because he wanted something that was retail and bringing in money. Totally dumb since he wasn't getting anything for it with it sitting empty, and he doesn't make anything off the retail anyway. You would think he would let one of the churches rent it and get the money from them, but he was a real stinker about it, and out of the whole strip mall, it was the old Hobby Lobby that collapsed and the rest is fine. Hmmmmmm........
On yet other news, I am working out, and my body is handling it! Yeah me! Since I was so sick last year, I had trouble exercising, and could only do little bits at a time, and it seemed it never did any good anyway, so I was very discouraged. Well, I have been doing some ballet conditioning (which kicks your butt!) pilates (my old standby favorite) and walking etc. I have been able to do it daily, and stay consistent without getting to weak and exhausted. WELL, last week, some friends of mine asked if I wanted to go running with them. I was like, "Um NOOOOOOOOO! I don't run! No way!" They said they were doing a walk/run, and they don't run fast at all. They were going to run for four minutes and then walk for a minute. I was like, "Yeah, but I haven't run since high school,, and even then it was only for PE and I HATED it!" Anyway, long story short, they talked me into trying it, and I'd like to tell you that I was all wrong, and it was wonderful and I have found a new love, but no! First off, I get there, and I am informed we are going to go 3.2 miles! UH, excuse me!? Yeah, the distance might have been a great thing to ask about the day before! So, I ran the first 4 minutes straight and I was pretty excited I could do it....Ok, so Like I was praying the whole time, and let's face it, God ran it for me! LOL! Then after our minute walk, which I know they were just tricking me! It was like ten seconds! (ok, maybe not.) I started to run the second stretch, and I had to keep slowing down to a walk because I couldn't do it. Now because my legs wouldn't go or I was in any kind of pain but I couldn't breath. It hurt. I had sort of that soar throat phlegmy feeling! Yuck! So I sped walk the whole rest of the way, and managed to keep up with them pretty well considering. I haven't returned. running is not my thing, but I do love waling! Now that weather has been warmer, I am getting out there a lot and just walking fast. You see I let the kids ride their bikes and I walk behind, and i can't actually keep up, but I do walk fast enough that my shins are killing me by the time I am done. The kids have to stop at each corner and wait for Mama to catch up. LOL!
And, that's all for now! =)
Tuesday, January 19, 2010
What's in a name
Here's a little something about me.....I love names! I mean, I really love names! When people have children, I can't wait to hear what they named them. I also like to hear how they chose the name. When I was about 12, I really started to get into writing out names....like for my future children. I loved to say them, to write them, etc. Then I started looking names up to see what they meant. This literally was a favorite pastime when I was a teen. Weird, yes, but hey, I wasn't partying or anything like that. =)
By the time I had children, I had long since stopped this little pastime. Jon (Kristina and Jakob's father) TOLD me what we would name our children, and I honestly had no say in the matter. Kristina, would not have been my first choice. I actually wanted to name her Hannah. When I saw I wasn't going to get anywhere, I realized that by naming her Kristina, I would also be naming her after my grandmother, who is actually named Christine. I am very close to this grandmother, so I was happy with that thought, and the moment I said her name out loud after she was born, it suddenly became the most beautiful, princessy-sounding name in the world! Her middle name, Renae, is the same as mine and my mother's, passed down.
When I was pregnant with Jakob, I was alone, (I learned I was pregnant with him 3 weeks after I escaped that life with Jon.) and so I could name him whatever I wanted. I wrote lists of names. It was fun, but I did not look up the meanings of the names like I used to when I was young. I liked the name Jakob because I had a friend in college who had a baby cousin named Jacob, and he was just adorable, and I just sort of kept that name in the back of my head ever since then. Also, if I spelled it with a "K" that would make it a German spelling, and you know me and Germany!! =) His middle name, Alexander, just sounded right to me.
Well, little did I know at the time of naming them, how important their names would be. Jakob just loves the Jacob of the Bible. He thinks it is the coolest thing that his name is in the Bible....so much so that he thinks he will have many children just because Jacob did. He also used to say, "God loves the Jacob in the Bible, and God loves this Jakob too!" pointing to himself. When he was about three, he would show his Bible to anyone who would look, and he would go to the stories of Jacob, and he would say, "....and this is me, and this is my family. This is my wife, and there's all my kids!"
Kristina was a little upset that I did not give her a name that was in the Bible. I told her that her name meant "Follower of Christ" and she thought that was pretty special. Now that she is a little older and has accepted Christ into her heart, we have talks about her name, and she really feels her name is very special, and I can't help but think her name may have been given to us from God himself. After all, her middle names means "Born Again." =)
Recently, I found a book on names. It has the inherent meaning, the spiritual connotation, and then a Bible verse to go with each. I bought it used for just a couple dollars, so I could make the kids something to hang on their wall with their names and meanings. They were fun to make. I just printed them on the computer, using different colored fonts to match their rooms. I'm going to frame them and hang them next to their beds.
Here's what their names mean:
KRISTINA
Language/Cultural Origin: Swedish
Inherent Meaning: Follower of Christ
Spiritual Connotation: Near to God
Scripture: John 6:3
And Jesus went up on the mountain,
and there He sat with His disciples.
RENAE
Language/Cultural Origin: French
Inherent Meaning: Born Again
Spiritual Connotation: Joyful
Scripture: Galatians 2:20
I have been crucified with Christ;
it is no longer I who live,
but Christ who lives in me.
CARTER
Language/Cultural: Old English
Inherent Meaning: Driver of a Cart
Spiritual Connotation: Privileged
Scripture: Revelation 3:8
I know your deeds.
Behold, I have put before you an open door
which no one can shut.
JOSEPH
Language/Cultural Origin: Hebrew
Inherent Meaning: God Will Add
Spiritual Connotation: Wise and Understanding
Scripture: Proverbs 28:5
Evil men do not understand justice,
but those who seek the LORD understand all.
JAKOB
Language/Cultural Origin: Hebrew
Inherent Meaning: Supplanter
Spiritual Connotation: Benevolent
Scripture: 1 John 2:17
And the world is passing away, and the lust of it:
but he who does the will of God abides forever.
ALEXANDER
Language/Cultural Origin: Greek
Inherent Meaning: Defender of Mankind
Spiritual Connotation: Brave Protector
Scripture: Jeremiah 22:3
The Lord says: Be fair-minded. Do what is right!
Help those in need of Justice!
Anyway, I love the meanings of their names, even though, when I named them (Kristina and Jakob that is, since I did not name Carter) I had no idea of the meanings. Praise God they didn't end up with names that meant bitter, or red-headed, even though they don't have red hair....you know, something that makes no sense with who they are. I even liked what this book had for my name, so I wrote it out in my prayer journal. =)
By the time I had children, I had long since stopped this little pastime. Jon (Kristina and Jakob's father) TOLD me what we would name our children, and I honestly had no say in the matter. Kristina, would not have been my first choice. I actually wanted to name her Hannah. When I saw I wasn't going to get anywhere, I realized that by naming her Kristina, I would also be naming her after my grandmother, who is actually named Christine. I am very close to this grandmother, so I was happy with that thought, and the moment I said her name out loud after she was born, it suddenly became the most beautiful, princessy-sounding name in the world! Her middle name, Renae, is the same as mine and my mother's, passed down.
When I was pregnant with Jakob, I was alone, (I learned I was pregnant with him 3 weeks after I escaped that life with Jon.) and so I could name him whatever I wanted. I wrote lists of names. It was fun, but I did not look up the meanings of the names like I used to when I was young. I liked the name Jakob because I had a friend in college who had a baby cousin named Jacob, and he was just adorable, and I just sort of kept that name in the back of my head ever since then. Also, if I spelled it with a "K" that would make it a German spelling, and you know me and Germany!! =) His middle name, Alexander, just sounded right to me.
Well, little did I know at the time of naming them, how important their names would be. Jakob just loves the Jacob of the Bible. He thinks it is the coolest thing that his name is in the Bible....so much so that he thinks he will have many children just because Jacob did. He also used to say, "God loves the Jacob in the Bible, and God loves this Jakob too!" pointing to himself. When he was about three, he would show his Bible to anyone who would look, and he would go to the stories of Jacob, and he would say, "....and this is me, and this is my family. This is my wife, and there's all my kids!"
Kristina was a little upset that I did not give her a name that was in the Bible. I told her that her name meant "Follower of Christ" and she thought that was pretty special. Now that she is a little older and has accepted Christ into her heart, we have talks about her name, and she really feels her name is very special, and I can't help but think her name may have been given to us from God himself. After all, her middle names means "Born Again." =)
Recently, I found a book on names. It has the inherent meaning, the spiritual connotation, and then a Bible verse to go with each. I bought it used for just a couple dollars, so I could make the kids something to hang on their wall with their names and meanings. They were fun to make. I just printed them on the computer, using different colored fonts to match their rooms. I'm going to frame them and hang them next to their beds.
Here's what their names mean:
KRISTINA
Language/Cultural Origin: Swedish
Inherent Meaning: Follower of Christ
Spiritual Connotation: Near to God
Scripture: John 6:3
And Jesus went up on the mountain,
and there He sat with His disciples.
RENAE
Language/Cultural Origin: French
Inherent Meaning: Born Again
Spiritual Connotation: Joyful
Scripture: Galatians 2:20
I have been crucified with Christ;
it is no longer I who live,
but Christ who lives in me.
CARTER
Language/Cultural: Old English
Inherent Meaning: Driver of a Cart
Spiritual Connotation: Privileged
Scripture: Revelation 3:8
I know your deeds.
Behold, I have put before you an open door
which no one can shut.
JOSEPH
Language/Cultural Origin: Hebrew
Inherent Meaning: God Will Add
Spiritual Connotation: Wise and Understanding
Scripture: Proverbs 28:5
Evil men do not understand justice,
but those who seek the LORD understand all.
JAKOB
Language/Cultural Origin: Hebrew
Inherent Meaning: Supplanter
Spiritual Connotation: Benevolent
Scripture: 1 John 2:17
And the world is passing away, and the lust of it:
but he who does the will of God abides forever.
ALEXANDER
Language/Cultural Origin: Greek
Inherent Meaning: Defender of Mankind
Spiritual Connotation: Brave Protector
Scripture: Jeremiah 22:3
The Lord says: Be fair-minded. Do what is right!
Help those in need of Justice!
Anyway, I love the meanings of their names, even though, when I named them (Kristina and Jakob that is, since I did not name Carter) I had no idea of the meanings. Praise God they didn't end up with names that meant bitter, or red-headed, even though they don't have red hair....you know, something that makes no sense with who they are. I even liked what this book had for my name, so I wrote it out in my prayer journal. =)
Tuesday, January 12, 2010
What's been going on here....
Well, January is always a busy month around here. Ok, the truth is, it is a busy month for my husband. It is inventory month for Lance. This year, his store has the first inventory, which is this Friday. I'm pretty happy about that, so it can get over and done with. As usual, he will have to do some traveling this month to help other stores or audit them for their store's inventory. He does this every year, and I tease him that it is the price for being so diligent in his work. So far, there are only 2 stores he has to audit, and I am hoping that is all. If he audits somewhere, that means he's gone for about 2 days. He has to leave the weekend of Kristina's birthday, which is why we will be celebrating her birthday the week after, and she is busy trying to plan something special on her actual birthday as well. =)
Lance has been dealing with a stomach bug. It came on last Friday morning, and he is still not 100%, but is doing much better than before. We had no idea what it was, but we just learned that there have been issues with bacteria in some restaurants here because people are touching raw meat and then pushing the button to fill drinks with their fingers, instead of allowing the cup to push the button. The bacteria gets on the edge of the cup and then inside the drink as well. ICK! Anyway, there have been many complaints of bacteria issues, and Lance had a $1.00 burger and a Sprite the night before all this started. It has been some strong bacteria. He's been eating soup and blander things, but he feels he can finally have a normal dinner tonight. I have a pot roast in the crock-pot! Yum! My house already smells great!
Lance has been dealing with a stomach bug. It came on last Friday morning, and he is still not 100%, but is doing much better than before. We had no idea what it was, but we just learned that there have been issues with bacteria in some restaurants here because people are touching raw meat and then pushing the button to fill drinks with their fingers, instead of allowing the cup to push the button. The bacteria gets on the edge of the cup and then inside the drink as well. ICK! Anyway, there have been many complaints of bacteria issues, and Lance had a $1.00 burger and a Sprite the night before all this started. It has been some strong bacteria. He's been eating soup and blander things, but he feels he can finally have a normal dinner tonight. I have a pot roast in the crock-pot! Yum! My house already smells great!
Friday, January 1, 2010
Project Life
http://www.beckyhiggins.com/projectlife/
I saw this on a homeschooling site I am a part of. I thought it looked great for doing during family devotion time, so you could record your family's walk with God, or just great for recording your families journey in life in general. I think it is VERY reasonably priced too, considering what you pay for all these things individually (although, I'm not a scrapbooker, so I don't know this for sure, but seems reasonable to me)! I also think it's pretty cute. Anyway, thought I'd share!
I saw this on a homeschooling site I am a part of. I thought it looked great for doing during family devotion time, so you could record your family's walk with God, or just great for recording your families journey in life in general. I think it is VERY reasonably priced too, considering what you pay for all these things individually (although, I'm not a scrapbooker, so I don't know this for sure, but seems reasonable to me)! I also think it's pretty cute. Anyway, thought I'd share!
Thursday, December 31, 2009
Happy New Year!
Well, I am a part of this Yahoo group for housewives, and the question was asked as to what our New Years resolutions are, and so I posted a comment, and I thought, hey, that might be a blog post.......because, hey, I know you all wanna hear what I got to say about New Years resolutions! =)
Actually, I normally don't make New Years Resolutions. I actually think they're kind of silly.....Like, seriously, is that the only time of year people make goals for their lives? That is what a New Years resolution is, isn't it? You are basically making a goal to not do this or to start doing that. I tend to think I make goals....or rather, I know I make goals throughout the year, and rarely does that happen on December 31st in particular. However, surprise! This year it just so happens, I have some changes I do want to make, and it just so happens to be December 31st! Cool, right? Yeah, I knew that's what you were thinking. =)
First of all, I really need to get up earlier. I usually just sleep or at least lay in bed until the kids get me up, which is around 7:00-7:30. This works just fine, I suppose, but I always feel so hurried, and I always have to squeeze in my shower time....somewhere! If I got up at 6:00, I could have a whole hour to get started on my day, and take a shower in peace (You know, with no kids knocking on the door saying so-and-so did this or won't let me have that).
The next thing is just some school stuff. I am moving all art and science experiments to Fridays because I really can't stand doing that stuff....well, it's not so much doing them, it's cleaning up after them! Moving it all to one day will keep the mess on one day, and the kids are always antsy on Fridays anyway because of the weekend coming.....and if Carter is coming that day...forget it!
The other school thing is that I have to add an hour in the afternoon because some things are taking longer than I expected...namely, devotional time. The kids love it, and we end up spending so much time, which is wonderful, but does set us back a little.
The last thing, is making menus. I used to do this when I was a single mom and HAD to because I really had to make every penny count. Food around here is expensive because of everyone's food allergy whether it be gluten or lactose or sugar...take your pick. Cooking healthier costs money unfortunately, even though I make almost everything from scratch! I am trying to buy as much of that stuff in bulk as I can, and planning meals ahead of time and only buying those ingredients. I don't know how I got out of this habit, but I did, and so I need to get back on track with this. It really helps to know where the money is going.
Tonight we went to some friends' house for a party. It was a family friendly party, and was just nice and relaxed. We left around 10:15 so the kids could get to bed, and so Lance could get up for work in the morning. Yes, Hobby Lobby is open on New Years Day.....just in case you wanted to know. Anyway, I am wired since I was around people and so now I am on the computer trying to unwind!
Happy New Year!
Actually, I normally don't make New Years Resolutions. I actually think they're kind of silly.....Like, seriously, is that the only time of year people make goals for their lives? That is what a New Years resolution is, isn't it? You are basically making a goal to not do this or to start doing that. I tend to think I make goals....or rather, I know I make goals throughout the year, and rarely does that happen on December 31st in particular. However, surprise! This year it just so happens, I have some changes I do want to make, and it just so happens to be December 31st! Cool, right? Yeah, I knew that's what you were thinking. =)
First of all, I really need to get up earlier. I usually just sleep or at least lay in bed until the kids get me up, which is around 7:00-7:30. This works just fine, I suppose, but I always feel so hurried, and I always have to squeeze in my shower time....somewhere! If I got up at 6:00, I could have a whole hour to get started on my day, and take a shower in peace (You know, with no kids knocking on the door saying so-and-so did this or won't let me have that).
The next thing is just some school stuff. I am moving all art and science experiments to Fridays because I really can't stand doing that stuff....well, it's not so much doing them, it's cleaning up after them! Moving it all to one day will keep the mess on one day, and the kids are always antsy on Fridays anyway because of the weekend coming.....and if Carter is coming that day...forget it!
The other school thing is that I have to add an hour in the afternoon because some things are taking longer than I expected...namely, devotional time. The kids love it, and we end up spending so much time, which is wonderful, but does set us back a little.
The last thing, is making menus. I used to do this when I was a single mom and HAD to because I really had to make every penny count. Food around here is expensive because of everyone's food allergy whether it be gluten or lactose or sugar...take your pick. Cooking healthier costs money unfortunately, even though I make almost everything from scratch! I am trying to buy as much of that stuff in bulk as I can, and planning meals ahead of time and only buying those ingredients. I don't know how I got out of this habit, but I did, and so I need to get back on track with this. It really helps to know where the money is going.
Tonight we went to some friends' house for a party. It was a family friendly party, and was just nice and relaxed. We left around 10:15 so the kids could get to bed, and so Lance could get up for work in the morning. Yes, Hobby Lobby is open on New Years Day.....just in case you wanted to know. Anyway, I am wired since I was around people and so now I am on the computer trying to unwind!
Happy New Year!
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