Moving forward

Hurrah!!!  I'm so glad this year is nearly completed.  It has been a stressful long year.  Husband finished up his masters program and graduated in early June.  Son graduated from high school and is at college now.  He will be moving onto campus next semester (a move that I think will be good for all).  Oldest daughter got her driver's license and is now employed.  She is making good decisions about youth group, friends, and school.  Middle daughter is back on meds and is doing pretty O.K. with school.  Working on boosting her skills so she can have opportunities for other classroom setting.  And our youngest is on swimteam this year (along with oldest daughter) and is becoming quite obsessed with reading!  We definitely are NOT a perfect family but seem to live together well.

I've started to workout at the YMCA while the youngest daughter is at swimteam practice.  I'm kinda enjoying it and have lost about 4 pounds since I've started (I'm also trying to eat WAY less food too).  I have a goal of losing another 6 pounds by Christmas.  Still struggling with our church choice.  It is a pretty unmotivated group.  However, I have enjoyed teaching Sunday School and the other regular family's mom is teaching the other class and she is fabulous.  Our middle daughter is in her group and seems to be perking up with wanting to be at church (a welcome change!).  Need to find ways now to get the girls involved in some sort of service missions work.

Feeling pretty broke as we end up this year.  We have pretty much spent through our savings accounts and are now tightening up the belts of our finances.  Having our son not at home should help with the grocery bills and eating out expenses.  Husband got a raise this year but that will all be going to paying off student loans.  Will be cashing in our reward points on the credit cards to supplement our Christmas spending this year.  The kids all enjoy getting a gift card and I enjoy the "free" money!

As always....I'm feeling pretty much in a holding pattern while I wait on God's direction.

education

I have been dwelling on the thought of schooling and education with the kids.  Our 3rd child has special needs and has always gone to a public school for education.  When we transferred the kids to our local district (which is quite a bit bigger that the last school) we have noticed that her grades & development have been slowly declining.  It is really showing now that she is in a "life skills" class.  There really is not the same push for education there but more about learning skills for living.   

I'm struggling with that at this time.  She is just in 7th grade now and I'm thinking that there should be more of a push for academics yet.  SO, after meeting with her neurologist last week and the doctor making a comment about me teaching her, I've been doing some thinking.  Perhaps I could make time in the afternoons (after lunch) for her to come with me for some private "tutoring" time.  Give her more of a nudge...try to get her closer to her peer group.  I have scheduled to meet with her teacher and a representative from the AEA to discuss this option (a dual-enrollment of sorts).  I have to get permission from the AEA because she has what is called an "IEP" (Individual Education Plan).  Our meeting is scheduled for Thursday after lunch. 

If there isn't the option for this than I'm planning on doing some extra work with her in the afternoons.  Not sure what but hopeful that whatever we do will boost her level of learning to the point that the teachers take notice!  It would be amazing for her to jump up in her learning level!  I'm thinking about open-enrollment next year or officially working on dual-enrollment with her.
 Please pray for us!

Paying attention

Had a quick stressful conversation with the husband regarding last night's "Proxy station" prayer vigil regarding modern day slavery.  He commented that the men that took up the station with chained hands and ducktape over their mouths as a representative for those that can't speak as a modern day slave, were harrassed by the black people of the campus.  There was signage right by the white student "proxy" but the black students took offense because they were the ones with slavery in their history.  However, if the black students would have just read the sign and literature provided then they would have grasped what was going on!

Then our son chimed in about serving food at a food service company and young adults would ask "what's on the special" even though there was a sign right in front of them with a description.

What is with our modern coulture?  Are we raising a generation who are unable to capture the details of life?  Are they too distracted/busy to pay attention?  I read a comment regarding today's student body (at colleges) that a professor said.  He said the biggest problem today with students is that they are distracted and addicted.  There is just so much going on with technology that kids are barely staying on task.  AND then they are also struggling with addictions (such as overeating, video games, youtube, drinking, porn....etc).

It's time for us parents to step in a help our kids (as well as others in our sphere of influence) to learn how to pay attention and notice LIFE.  It is certainly a discipline that needs to be taught.

just some thoughts on my mind.....

Life in the "driver's seat"

      This last week I've heard a couple of analogies about life and driving.  This got me thinking through how I'm "driving" lately.  Am I paying attention to the road signs along the way (health, weight, family pressures...etc)?  Am I staying in my lane?  I could go on about this way of thinking but you can get the picture.  The sermon at church last Sunday was about "round-abouts" and other types of road designs. 

      I was especially intrigued by that thought...being on the round-about.  As you know, when you enter the round-about you can only exit by taking a right turn AND to enter you have to merge into the flow of traffic.  We have one of these near our elementary school and it makes it very efficient to approach the school without the headache of the a traffic signal.  Anyway, when thinking about this in regards to life I am challenged by the thought of being in the "holding pattern" of the round-about and then about exiting to the next road.  I know that there is a new road ahead in my life but I don't know what that will be yet nor do I have any inkling as to when it will be. So, in essence, I'm waiting!

   The other analogy that was presented was in regards to looking back while plowing a field (but could be applied to driving).  When we look back in life we tend to make crooked pathways.  It is a natural occurance!  This is especially true when you have a trailer hitched onto your vehicle and you are trying to back into a parking spot....It is very CHALLENGING!  If I'm trying to look back and relive (or regret) a certain era of life....what about my kids and others that are "in tow" right now?  I truly need to be concentrating on THE NOW and driving FORWARD !  If not...then I will be leaving a crooked path for my kids to follow instead of the straight and narrow road of Christianity and responsible adulthood.

    I hope all this makes sense!  AND I hope that you like the new layout of the blog.  I'm hoping to expand what I do here....we will see!