So Many "FIRSTS" at Our Home

Have you ever had a year with a whole bunch of "firsts" happening in your family? Most of us have. Just take the first year of a baby's life. Maybe even a month or week that held new ideas and experiences for yourself and family members?   How about a heap of "firsts" in ONE DAY? Well, that's just what today held for us.

Today was the first day of school for our two older children, and the "first" attendance at a new school for our daughter. Today I appeared for my first ever Jury Selection, which caused the next first: our nearly nineteen month old (how did that happen so quickly), was without me for her very first full day.

So, was it a good day of firsts?

Our son's first day back to school went smoothly. Our daughter (pretty much) enjoyed her first day at her new school. She said it was a little boring. I tried to explain, that she is in 5th grade, it can no longer be about "her having fun" (should school really EVER be about that?), rather, that the older she gets, the more focused she and the teacher need to be on academics. I was chosen for Jury Duty. Is that good? Well, I will be able to tell you better tomorrow night, after having served.  And last, but by no means least, our little princess and her Daddy had an awesome "first whole day together", just the two of them. 

Yes, it was a good day!

Tomorrow will be nearly a repeat of today, except they won't be firsts anymore, they will be "seconds"

Though we go through changes, have new experiences, or are sometimes forced into "new things", we can have peace, and joy while doing those things. There is one constant in our life; God!

Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today, yes and forever.   Hebrews 13:8

The Bible: Your Way

Hold the pickles, hold the lettuce, special orders don't upset us. Most of us have heard that "jingle" before, and likely taken advantage of it; or if that particular fast food restaurant doesn't satisfy our palate, there are many more to choose from. And we all not only enjoy choices, we expect them. Making choices is what makes us, us. Right?  We define ourselves through choices and decisions. And God gave us the freedom to "choose", He gave us free will.  But, do you suppose he intended it for His Word, also? That we can pick and choose what to obey and how to interpret it?

As free-willed individuals, we have the ability and the right to make choices. Yes, I believe we do. However, I don't think that Christians should CHOOSE to accept some and reject other parts of God's word.

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.   John 1:1

Upon Googling it, I found that there may be as many as 450 translations of the Bible into the English language. We all have our favorite, right? And some of us are totally convinced that our's is the only  right  one! And we have our reasons: it's the "original" translation, or it's the easiest to understand, or it's the only one that really talks about life today. Could it be that we are trying to find one that "suits" us, that we can live with? Who hasn't searched for the translation that has "just the right wording" to get your point across when posting on Facebook or similar media? I know I have!

Then beyond the actual translations, there's interpretation. "It's all in the interpretation", a bet more than a few of us have at least thought those words, even if we didn't actually voice them.  Let's look at some of the Ten Commandments. "Remember the Sabbath", how many interpretations are there on this one? "Thou shalt have no other gods before me", now hopefully, anyone claiming to be Christian will not worship actual "other gods", but doesn't that also imply that we should not worship ANY other person or thing; like money, food, clothing, an actor, a singer, your spouse? You get the picture? "Thou shalt not bear false witness"...pretty sure this means we shouldn't gossip. Yet, who among us can say we ONLY speak positive about everyone, all the time. 

Then there are some that seem so obvious like "thou shalt not kill", yet some Christians are "pro choice", or "pro killing".

“You shall not commit adultery."  Exodus 20:14

If I haven't hit a nerve yet, I just might soon. The 7th commandment regarding adultery is one that surely gets several interpretations. If looked at independently, some may take this as "no sex with someone else's spouse". If combined with other instructions from God, it is clear that God wants us to wait until we are married to have sexual relations, and then only ever have them with our spouse.

Marriage is to be held in honor among all, and the marriage bed is to be undefiled; for fornicators and adulterers God will judge. Hebrews 13:4

To be clear on what a fornicator is: Someone who has sex outside of marriage. Period. God will judge fornicators.  I recently watched (and listened to) a speaker on TV (I would give her credit by naming her, but I am terrible at remembering names). Anyway, she was speaking to a group of youth, and she said "You are either married or you're not.  If anyone is not sure if they are married, see us after the program and we'll help you figure it out."   Yet, as a society, we seem to accept things like premarital sex and living together. 

I think all too often, our interpretations "water down" God's Word. We like to understand things in a way that make it a little easier "to live for Jesus"

Do not get drunk on wine, which leads to debauchery. Instead, be filled with the Spirit.  Ephesians 5:18

And yet another topic that people seem to interpret to their liking is that of alcohol consumption. The Bible is filled with wine and has stories about beer. It appears that God does not forbid the drinking of alcohol. He does tell us not to be drunk. So define drunk. Wow, now we need Webster's dictionary to understand God's word. Or do we? I think that this and many other topics and subjects can be interpreted with our heart. If we ask the Holy Spirit to guide and lead us, our conscience will tell us when we are living outside of God's Word. A good rule of thumb, if it seems like the way the world is doing something, likely it's not pleasing to God. 

Why don't we make living the Christian Life look differently than the worldly life?  We need to be deliberate about our choices, always looking to the Scriptures and asking God to help us understand His meaning. We should always ask ourselves would we do this or that thing if Jesus was in the room with us. The Bible teaches us about Jesus; consider His character and apply that to the Scriptures when interpreting them. We need to not look for the most liberal or lenient translation or interpretation of the Bible. God's word is Holy and Living, so it is very applicable to our lives. Listen to preachers that teach sound messages, based upon Scripture; again, not watered down.

I find myself blogging about things that I feel strongly about, and as I blog, many times I am convicted of specific sin in my own life, as I put my thoughts "to paper" (so to speak). Search within, ask the Holy Spirit to guide you. Take the narrow gate.

One more thought. A wise man (my husband)has been very instrumental in me learning the most basic and by far the most important lesson that Jesus taught. Love. I don't think that anything can be more clear than the Scripture itself from Matthew.

36 “Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?”

37 Jesus replied: “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind." 38 This is the first and greatest commandment.39 And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ 40 All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.”

So, in reading the Bible, if there is doubt in it's meaning, consider this; what would honor God and what would be more respectful and loving to those around you?

Thanks for stopping by. Blessings to you and your family!

The Verdict is In, NOT GUILTY

And so, after months of trial and several hours of deliberation, George Zimmerman was acquitted. 
The jury was not convinced enough evidence existed to prove guilt. One young man lost his life, and one man lost his life "as he knew it". 

I have decided not to reveal my belief of guilt or innocence in this case. No one except God and George Zimmerman can possibly know the actual events that unfolded that February night in 2012. It's my understanding that there was not a witness to "all that happened", so Trayvon's family cannot know, George's family cannot know, President Obama cannot know, and no, not even the jury can KNOW what happened.
The jurors, (and God bless them for doing their civic duty, I don't envy them) could only come to their verdict by what they were presented as "evidence", or lack there of. This is still America where you are innocent UNTIL you are proven guilty. He was not proven guilty.

My point of blogging on this is because I feel that those of us proclaiming to be Christians need to act as if we are. Even if you have strong feelings one way or the other, lets not attack each other. Let's pray for both families involved, and for peace, especially here in central Florida, but nationally too.

But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you      Matthew 5:44 

You see, this case (well, actually the media and higher government) has CAUSED racial hatred to explode. They made it about race, instead of about human life. Well done Washington and mainstream media. Is this seriously what you were aiming for?  I would hope not, but I do believe that's just what has happened.

Two things to consider:

1. No matter the reason, Trayvon Marton, a 17 year old young man is dead, his family and friends still mourn and will always have a void in their lives. Even if Trayvon was at fault, the family has the same loss.

2.If George Zimmerman is innocent, and he acted in self-defense, his life is "ruined". This whole thing will never leave him or HIS family.

whoever says he abides in him ought to walk in the same way in which he walked. 1 John 2:6

As Christians, let's honor God with our thoughts, words and actions. Pray for all involved, and don't be party to those "claiming to know the truth", we just can't, we are not God.
Be thankful that it was not YOU on the jury, I am quite certain that they will live in fear always.

Thanks for stopping by, feel free to comment below. Christ's blessings to you!

I'm a Genius!

Well, maybe not quite a genius, I just baked a cake. However, I did impress myself a bit. My daughter and I decided a Jello-poke cake would be awesome for the 4th if we used one package red jello, and one package blue with the white cake, with the delicious pudding & Coolwhip frosting. We bought strawberry and blue mixed berry Jellos.
If you have ever made one, you know that the project is best started the day or night before due to cooling times.

So, last night I baked the white cake, but rather than use the 9 x 13 pan that I would normally use,  I decided to get all fancy and make a layer cake. That way I knew that the Jello colors wouldn't mix together. I used two 9" round pans. After baking, I did my pokes and added the blue Jello to one and the red Jello to the other. In the fridge they went.  As I did this I wondered if the cakes would ever "pop out" for me, even though I did spray and flour the pans. I was pretty sure the jello would be an issue. Hmmm. Well, morning would tell. If it didn't work, we would have two separate cakes. Boring.

Sure enough, the Jello was preventing my masterpiece from being completed. Drats! Hmmm. Oh, wait...wait a minute. I have an idea. How about setting the bottom of the pans in hot water?  That could work. It's worth a try. Yep, it worked for the first one. Beautiful.  Now, easy, let's do this again. Got it.  Awesome!

that my heart may sing your praises and not be silent. LORD my God, I will praise you forever

    Psalm 30:12

My red, white(ish) and blue cake worked. See, I may not be a total genius, but, a bit ingenious, don't you think? Anyway, I took some pictures, so that you all can visually enjoy my cake. Wish you could taste it, because this cake rocks, even in a 9 x 13 pan!

Hope your day is going splendidly. Enjoy, stay safe. 

Christ's Blessings on You.

One Nation Under God

Well, our plans for the 4th of July are rather low key, which usually proves to be very enjoyable on holidays. Being one of 10 children, I always enjoyed the GREAT BIG family to-dos when we lived in New York. Seriously though, it eliminates a ton of stress to keep plans to a minimum. Actually, with the baby, we are more likely to do some small, short lived, activities over a few days, rather than plan a whole big day of stuff.

With the big kids on summer break, I have been enjoying hanging out and doing things with them. Today we took in the local zoo, ending our short stay there at the splash pad.

  Our annual pass should prove worth the money for us, the baby had lots of fun, and the big kids always enjoy it!

My biggest plan (hope) for Independence Day is to sleep in. As always, Little Miss Munchkin has total control over my sleep pattern; and well, pretty much every aspect of my life right now. We have typical American Fourth of July foods planned-hot dogs, hamburgers, potato salad, and plenty of desserts. I'm guessing there will be some pool time and maybe a movie. Not so different from many weekend days at our house. Hoping to end the Holiday with fireworks at a local park.

Jesus knew their thoughts and said to them, "Every kingdom divided against itself will be ruined, and every city or household divided against itself will not stand.

No matter your holiday plans, even if you have to work, let's not forget why most of us have the day off from work, why we celebrate July the 4th as a federal holiday.  It's not just a great day for a BBQ, or even an excuse for fireworks. It's a day to celebrate this great nation we live in, the freedoms we have, and the premises on which this country was founded.   Our money says "In God We Trust". Not only did our Founding Fathers believe in God, they put their trust in Him.

Some of Abraham Lincoln's famous words come directly from the Holy Scriptures. (I know, I know, he's not actually a Founding Father, but he is a pretty important man in the history of our country!)

“A house divided against itself cannot stand."

Abraham Lincoln

Happy Independence Day!

 May Jesus bless you with food, fun and faith!

There is No GOD Like JEHOVA

If you are Canadian, happy Canada Day, if you are not, Happy July first! It was a happy day for me.

The day started nicely, at about 6:30 am I awoke to singing birds and a fussing baby. Well, the fussing baby wasn't really that nice, but the fact that I awoke to that beautiful blessing from God  WAS nice!  She gulped down a food pouch and drifted back to sleep, my slumber was soon to follow after sharing a bit of time with Jesus.  It's not that I was in a sound sleep, mind you, but I was restful until nearly 9:00 am!  I may have mentioned this before, but I really like to sleep in!  Perhaps it makes me a bad Mom, but I am constantly trying to get our big kids to sleep in, too. Actually, just our big girl, I don't have to ask the teenage boy twice to sleep late!

I had a plan, I was going for that morning walk I have been promising myself. I told my daughter my plan the night before, thinking she would likely hold me to it. She did, So, I woke up, guess who...my son.  The baby enjoyed the ride in her stroller, I know this because she didn't cry most of the way, in fact, she never so much as grumbled. I good day indeed. I hope the walk is the start of a good habit.

Back at the house, time for showers and then out the door for a quick trip to Publix and a haircut for my son. Or not. I got the shower, and got dressed, only for the kids to tell me the neighbor girl showed up for my daughter's Birthday shopping at the mall.....hmmm... her birthday is NEXT Monday.  Her mom had planned her entire day as if I would have her daughter with me.

Okay, so we're going to the mall, kids! Get dressed. Oh, wait, still some variables: lunch, baby naps, things I needed to get done this afternoon. Hey, my daughter only turns 10 once! Yes, 10! Wow, how did that happen?  But back to my story.

I called my husband who was on his way home for lunch. Honey, could you grab a couple $5 pizzas from Little Caesars? Perfect. Lunch, diaper change, out the door for a fun girls' shopping day (except my son snuck in the van so that he could hang out at the book store for the afternoon). Truly, I was feeling somewhat exhausted before we started.

It would be a good day, it would. It would be fun to watch my daughter make choices, and "run it past the modesty police" (me for today) After all, she held in her hands enough money to actually buy things at Claires and Justice and Bath and Body Works.

and he said, O Jehovah, the God of Israel, there is no God like thee, in heaven above, or on earth beneath; who keepest covenant and lovingkindness with thy servants, that walk before thee with all their heart;  1 Kings 8:23

The drive was good, as good as it gets on I-4 in central Florida. The music was better...Z88.3, "safe for the little ears", and a blessing to Momma's soul! Just as we exited the highway for the mall, one of my favorite songs was playing; Days of Elijah, originally written by Robin Mark, performed by many. And you know what?  THERE IS NO GOD LIKE JEHOVAH! There is NO God like Jehovah!  A perfect peace came over me, no more feeling frazzled because my plans had been changed, no more worry if the baby would be happy.  Just peace and excitement to take these four kiddos to the mall. Isn't it amazing how a song can totally change your outlook at that moment.

Now may the Lord of peace himself give you peace at all times and in every way. The Lord be with all of you.  2 Thessalonians 3:16

It was a good day. I already knew that there is no God like Jehovah. I already knew that I had in my minivan three of God's greatest gifts to me and another blessing in the girl from across the street who is a good girl that Naomi has a friend in. I knew that I am blessed to have the ability and privilege to take them all to the mall!

It was a GREAT day!

One week from today, as a family we will celebrate my second baby turning double digits on her actual birthday, and that will be a great day too!

May each of you know and remember that there is no Go like Jehovah. 

Homeschooling: Both Sides of the Coin

Unless you're a homeschooling parent, you are likely wondering why anyone would post about school right now; the kids just started summer break in much of America. Well, I found myself in a different position this June than the previous four years. Oh, I am again trying to recoup money by selling Homeschool curriculum that I am through with...which happens to be all of it.  After teaching our children their academics for four years, we made the decision to "put them in school". I added quotes around that phrase, because I learned that to many (people) in the homeschooling community, those are almost like dirty words.

So, here's the deal: our family has experienced, therefore I feel, has a somewhat educated opinion on, most types of schooling. Our teenage son began his school career in public school. When I began teaching him at home, (actually on the road, out of a fifth wheel camper - maybe another blog), I started teaching our oldest daughter the basics: reading and math. For four years, through the death of their Daddy, a 1200 mile relocation, marriage to my second husband, and the birth of our baby, I continued to be their "primary teacher". Halfway through last school year we decided to enroll them both into school. Our son into a private Christian school and our daughter into a public charter school. That's somewhat of a timeline, now before I give you any more details about each experience, I want to touch on something else a bit.

 Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it.  Proverbs 22:6

For those of you following my blog, I realize that I just used this scripture quote a few days ago, but wow, it's really a good one! So much truth, and so much instruction for us parents in those few words. (Chances are, you'll see it in my blog again sometime.) God expects US to "train up our children".  Does that mean that we MUST homeschool them to fulfill God's expectations of us?  I don't believe so. Does it suggest that we are not good Christian parents if we send our children to public school?  I think not.  Are Christian schools a better option for us? That depends on many variables. Are we able to answer our calling of parenting if the kids are "off to school" for 6 hours a day?  If we try. I believe that we are to set a good foundation when they are young. How early should we start, the day they are born. That's my point. Our children are learning from us all the time, even when you think they are not. So, the question while deciding just how, where and from whom your children will learn academics, is just that...it's not necessarily who will teach them their morals, because that should be you anyway.

 I guess the real point of this post is to promote more tolerance of each other's schooling choices. The day I started teaching our children (academics) I declared that it was on a "year at a time basis". I was not ready to commit to a lifetime of homeschooling, but as I began teaching them, I really enjoyed it, so I continued. Yet, I was still not a "do or die" homeschool mom (not like I am with breastfeeding). There are definite perks, and obvious pitfalls of homeschooling. Some negative issues that we experienced include: the cost of purchasing all the books and any other teaching aides you might want, the need to be very disciplined in staying on track, lack of time with peers, neglect in certain areas of education,  the children needing a larger variety of adults "to answer to", too many disruptions from younger siblings, (and maybe a distracted Mom on the phone or computer from time to time!).  These are just a few, and I know that there are solutions to most, and maybe even all of them.  On the other hand, the benefits are totally awesome.  We get to choose what books/curriculum we use, or we can use computer courses, our times and days are flexible, we get to choose who are children spend time with, we choose what subjects we spend the most time on (based on strengths/weaknesses and interests), big brother and sister get to spend more time with each other (that may be a perk or a downfall), they get to spend more time with baby sister, we have more time to impress our moral and character standards on them. 

Interesting, huh? The pros and cons are reciprocal, yet opposite. Can it be? Well, OUR homeschooling era fit our life situations nicely. We took advantage of things such as Homeshool P.E. class, music lessons, co-ops, church groups, etc. However, situations change. Children grow. Our expectations change. Sometimes you need to reevaluate. We did, and decided that with a middle schooler and a fourth grader, it was time to "plug them in". That was what we deemed the best for OUR family and mostly looking long term for OUR kids. 

In the same way, let your good deeds shine out for all to see, so that everyone will praise your heavenly Father.    Matthew 5:16

I mentioned that our son attended public school prior to our homeschooling. It was a small school in very upstate New York-total students at that time was about 900 for grades K-12. It was the school I attended as a child; a decent school, by my standards. Were there things I didn't like? Absolutely. Were there some good teachers? Absolutely. Were there some bad ones? Yes. And yes, there likely were some good and some bad kids, too. That was elementary, so I can't REALLY say that there were more options or that the school could offer more at that time, but it was not a bad experience.

Fast forward to about 6 months ago. Our daughter entered a charter school here in Florida. I had never heard of such a thing until moving here. Anyway, for others that are unaware of what they are, basically they are smaller public schools that focus on "something", generally the arts. The one we were able to enroll her in focused on reading. They wear uniforms (which I LOVE the idea of), and promote things  such as respect and obedience (according to wall art and posters). It was not a terrible experience, but I am not sure that it was so different from any public elementary school in our area. We found that there were "good rules" in place, but not necessarily enforced. Not a terrible experience, but not the perfect one either. About the same time, we enrolled our son into a Christian school. Again, uniforms, and lots of promises (per the parent and student handbooks) to "run a tight ship", to expect things like respect, organization and responsibility to name a few. The school held true to it's word, on one occasion I drove back to school after dropping him off, to take his forgotten belt. He could not attend classes without it. Extreme? What if he in a few years shows up to work without his "tools" (whatever they may be)?  This is the sort of thing he wasn't exactly learning at home. I was a bit lax in some of my expectations. You know, school in Pajamas, you've all heard the stories, and if you are a homeschooler;  C'mon, fess up, you know you've done it! Then there are things like sports, music, drama, languages, and other "extras" that are so easily available in a school situation. And I personally love the idea of Bible being taught daily, and Chapel happening weekly.  Probably the most obvious, and the biggest negative of a private school is the cost (eliminating this option for some families). If cost is a factor, but you would like the option of a private school, do a little research, some states have scholarships available. Anyway, is this private school a perfect school, no. There is no perfect school.

Fear of the LORD is the foundation of true knowledge, but fools despise wisdom and discipline. Proverbs 1:7

There is no perfect schooling situation. There will always be something lacking, or something too much. You may not see it, or notice it now, or ever, but there WILL always be someone with an opinion that will kindly point it out to you. I have heard it all. The naysayers about homeschooling, the die hard homeschoolers that pretty much verbally attacked me  when we decided to enroll our children. The thing is, we need to each decide what fits OUR family, OUR kids the best...for all aspects of growing, teaching, nurturing their relationships with the Lord, raising them with a healthy fear (respect) of Him. What fits now, may not fit next year. What fits one child may not even fit the next child in the same family. Pray about it, make sure you are making decisions for all the right reasons. I have heard too many stories where kids are pulled from school really just due to a personality conflict with the teacher, guess what...there will always be personality conflicts in life, we shouldn't teach our children to run from unpleasant things, they are a part of life. I also want to add this thought...if your family is not able to homeschool or enroll in private school, but that would be the desire of your heart, focus on your child(ren) being a light for Jesus in the public school, just by example.

We need to decide for ourselves, and need to encourage others, then we need to support their decision(s). May God bless your summer and next school year, wherever you find yourself and your kids. Happy schooling!

As always, I would love to hear your thoughts on this subject. Tell me what you think, even if I won't like it. I'll just put on my big-girl panties!

I Love the Beach, Hate the Mess

This morning I coaxed myself out of bed a little on the early side, about 7:30. It may not seem early to most of you, but since I'm not driving the kiddos to school, I enjoy it very much when I can convince Little Princess (our 17th month old) to lay back down after inhaling a Grabber (a pouch of pureed food).  I'm a night owl, not a morning songbird, actually I'm not a songbird of any kind, morning or otherwise. Anyway, we packed up and headed to the beach. We decided to try a new beach, as a cashier had told me about it just the other day. The recommended beach was Ponce Inlet, a bit further from our house than the more frequented beaches.

We planned last evening, so some prep work was done. I had a plan. With nearly an hour drive, I packed snacks to eat along the way. We would stop for lunch after we'd soaked up our share of sun and water.

 When I got up, our oldest daughter was ready, with a small cooler of drinks packed also. So far, so good. Everyone was ready, everything was packed, and most importantly, everything was clean; salt free and sand free. We hit the road about as planned, just a bit after eight o'clock. The intention was to get our fun in before it was excruciatingly hot. 

And God said, “Let the waters under the heavens be gathered together into one place, and let the dry land appear.” And it was so.  God called the dry land Earth, and the waters that were gathered together he called Seas. And God saw that it was good.  Genesis 1:9-10

Well, after getting the tip from the cashier, I Googled it (of course). I found Lighthouse Point Park. Reviews were awesome. My new GPS agreed that the place existed, so we followed her lead. We drove past a beach ramp in Ponce Inlet, which my husband inquired about. I, however, really wanted to check out this awesome park, so we continued on, only to make a little loop and then enter the park. The park was nice enough, but we didn't necessarily see the beautiful beach which the reviews spoke of, in fact, there was lots of rock. Well, before unloading the baby, we decided to head back to that beach ramp (I know, I know, yes, at this point I am looking a bit sheepish). All were good sports about it (except Princes, she couldn't understand with all that fun out the van window, why we would not release her into it), but within about 5 minutes, our feet were in the sand, ahhhhhh. I love the beach. The sand between my toes, the wind in my hair, the sun on my face, the waves, all of it, I love the beach. To me, personally, nothing shouts God's majesty like standing at the edge of the ocean, observing such an awesome illustration of God's handiwork. Amazing. Relaxing. Awe inspiring. 

He who forms the mountains, who creates the wind, and who reveals his thoughts to mankind, who turns dawn to darkness, and treads on the heights of the earth-- the LORD God Almighty is his name.   Amos 4:13

We had a great time. Some boogie boarding, some riding the waves, some splashing, some digging and building in the sand, a little catch with a football on the beach, and a bit of walking and bird chasing. The weather was perfect, we nailed it. The thing to do, is definitely get an early start. This particular beach was not busy at all on this Wednesday morning. We also learned that if we were to keep driving farther south on the beach, we would end up at that park, there is a boardwalk that takes you from the beach to where we had earlier driven and parked within the lighthouse Point Park. Now we know. 

We bought a beach pass that is available to Florida residents, and is valid throughout the season. Parking right on the beach definitely improves the experience. Hauling all the equipment we took, including one of those pop-up type canopy tents, would not be much fun, if even possible. I wish I were one of those people that could take less to the beach, well, or really anyplace I go. I'm an over-packer, and admit it. And at clean-up time, I really wish I traveled lighter. But my wonderful husband did the majority of packing and cleaning up, and in no time we and all our gear were loaded into the family minivan...salt, sand, and all! We of course did our best to leave the beach at the beach, but it's just all so stinkin' sticky. We drove to Volusia mall to eat the promised lunch. The ride home was a bit cranky; tired, sticky people equals cranky people at times. 

We arrived home with sandy, salty chairs, toys, boogie boards, towels, blankets, cooler and people. Extra laundry, sand in the van, sand in the house, and sand in my hair. I hate the mess!

First thing that needed to be done was clean the people, so into the pool we all jumped. The rest would get done, but most of it after I got a little nap.

It was a good time! I can barely wait until my next trip to a beach, because as much as I hate the mess, I love the beach more!

The next time you are at the beach, don't take it for granted, truly observe, the work of our creator. Be blessed!

Summer Vacation: Destinations?

Does the kids' school break equate to travel?  Should it?  Should vacation time mean going and doing or staying and playing?  Should we spend two and a half months, and an equal amount of income, traveling and frequenting parks, zoos, arcades and amusement parks?

In our home, the kids have officially been on summer break for about three weeks, with nearly eight weeks remaining. This is basically new to our family, the idea of an actual vacation scheduled by someone else. We have homeschooled the last four years, so flexibility was all ours! Yesterday, our son asked "What are we going to do this summer?"  Me, a bit confused with the intention of his question, asked "What do you mean?"  He replies "Well, it's summer, we should do fun stuff". First let me make it known that he is a teen. Yes, that does explain a lot. However, next I would like to mention just what both school aged kids have done since the first of June (either with us or with my friend and her kids) . Let's see, we have been to Orange County Historical Museum,  World's Largest Entertainment McDonald's and PlayPlace, they have been bowling three times total, to the movies twice (well, three times for the teen that was questioning future activities), and on a week long vacation to New York State. Hmmm. Apparently we should have started slower, you know, "lower the bar" so to speak.

Truly, here's the deal; we live in Florida, every day is like vacation. The sun rarely hides it's face, we have a beautiful pool in our back yard, we can go to parks anytime of the year. Plus, we live in Central Florida so there literally is no end to the things we can do, from Disney and all the other amusement parks, to zoos, museums, beautiful county parks; the list goes on. But, it all costs money, right?

This is the day the LORD has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it.            Psalm 118:24

As kids, we loved summer vacation! But honestly, everything was more of a "treat" to us then. First off, growing up in very northern New York we obviously enjoyed the warm weather which usually showed up about the time school released. Then things like going to the park were not even weekly events, by any means. I remember my Dad always saved ALL of his vacation for the month of July. That was our going and doing time. The remainder of the summer we just enjoyed being kids, we knew how to make the most of each day. We knew how to stay busy, because a bored child quickly became a working child in our home. Summer days usually looked a lot like this: some morning chores, lots of play, and very little television, and T.V. was the only screen we had when I was a kid and teen (yes, I know I'm dating myself, but if you read my entry "Mature Parenting", I already gave away my age ).

Truly, though, things are so very different for our kids than they were for me growing up. We lived in the country, and things were safer, we had way more freedom than we can allow our kids. Also, growing up with nine siblings always afforded someone to play with. Variety of activities can prove to be a bit of a challenge. The weather is so beautiful (actually brutally hot and humid) some days, that the only comfortable outdoor activity is anything in the pool area. We swim a lot. Other daytime hours are usually filled up with indoor fun.

And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him. Colossians 3:17

So, I believe, though times have changed, principles and common sense remain the same; a good balance of work, play, friends and travel or day outings should fill out the summer months. All things in moderation.

It seems worth mentioning that when I began listing all of our activities thus far, the teenager in the house agreed, it's been a pretty busy summer to date, and our tween, she said, "Summer should be fun, and mine has been already!"

Personally, I am enjoying summer break, I am looking forward to several trips to the beach, zoo, and some of the county parks. Feel free to comment below on what summer vacation looks like at your house. 

Thanks for stopping by. Share Christ's love with someone today, it will bless you more than it blesses them!

The Church Hunt

If you've ever been on one, you know what I'm talking about. The grass is always greener, right? For those that have always been content at the same church for their entire lives, congratulations (I think)! For you "committed to your pew" people, Let me explain what I am referring to: the process of actively pursuing a new church home, for whatever reason. Sometimes, you get bored, sometimes you get hurt, sometimes staff changes(some of us really don't like change),sometimes it's as simple as you have relocated, so the need for a new church home is obvious and undeniable. In some instances, we feel God is calling us to another church. Then there's the infamous "I wasn't getting fed" excuse. Personally, I've  been on the hunt for more than one of the above reasons.

Hebrews 10:25 "Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching."

After relocating from upstate, NY to central 
Florida about three and a half years ago, I began a major church hunt. In four short weeks we had visited five churches. So many choices, yet no perfect church. No perfect church indeed. Churches are filled with humans. 

There are so many factors involved in determining a home church. Different people hold different qualities as important. Some of the desired attributes can be specific congregation size, building size/age, worship style, children's programming, youth functions, age of pastor,or current debt. Do any of these sound familiar? Then of course there's denomination. If you belong to a denomination, it actually makes your hunt much simpler; your choices will be limited. It seems, from my personal experiences and the feedback from others, those of us that call ourselves Evangelicals are most likely to be church hunting...or maybe even church hopping. You see, we evangelicals are "just looking for a nondenominational, Bible based church".  It seems so simple, yet so complicated.

Seriously, how many Catholics visit different churches? Most often, they just find the one closest to their residence and stick with it. If any issues arise, it just simply sends them to the next closest church. However, when you don't claim a denomination, there are many choices, and many things to be considered, and so, the search can go on for a good long time. You see, we even have the option of trying denominational churches! Imagine that! I think also, evangelicals are more likely to "visit" other churches, just because...or perhaps deep down (so deep that we ourselves don't admit it)we are not happy at our church. The irony of it all is, that when we find a church, it's all we can talk about; how perfect it is. The pastor, the worship, the greeters, the youth opportunities, shoot, we'll even praise the restrooms! We tell all of our friends, as if we need to convince them to attend this "perfect" church. But inevitably, if we were church shopping once, (or five or six times), we likely will find reason to go on the hunt again, right?

Well, this past Sunday, I found myself "just visiting" a new church. A few weeks ago, on our way home from the park, we noticed an unusual amount of activity at a church building that we had driven by several times. I took note of the name on the sign and Googled it. Can you imagine the church hunt prior to the internet? Wow, we would just have to "blindly" attend random churches with no idea what to expect! You see, I never church hunted prior to internet because I was raised Catholic, and, yep, just attended the local Catholic church.

So, what I learned was that an existing congregation had moved to this location; it appeared of interest. Mind you, I'm not even church shopping, or am I?  We have a home church (which, we at best, sporadically attend due to our 17 month old not enjoying it) That brings up more possible reasons to search for a different church...the baby, or any age children. We always want what's best for our kids, don't we? You know a wise friend recently made me really think that one through. We are responsible for teaching our kids about Jesus, and raising them in a godly manner (not our church). If we land our family at a church that is great for the kids, but mediocre in it's teaching the adult congregation, how do we grow so that we can be what our children need us to be?  Hmmmm? Something to ponder, for sure. Yet, sometimes, I feel like subconsciously there's a hope that if we find the right church, perhaps the baby will like it. (Rolling eyes)Sure, our real, live Energizer Bunny that is with me basically 24/7 is certain to find a church that she enjoys, either in the nursery or sitting still and quiet during service.

Train up a child in the way he should go; and when he is old he will not depart from it. Proverbs 22:6

That visit got me thinking about all of these things. It made me wonder, just how many of us change churches for truly noble, God honoring reasons, and how often, it's just our humanness that leads our way. I have one more thought for you and myself. When we find it necessary to look for a new church, I hope that the first "thing" we look for at perspective churches, isn't a thing at all, but that our primary goal is to find God at whichever church we attend.

I look forward to reading your thoughts and opinions.

Christ's blessings to you all.