No Cartwheels in the Kitchen...or... Life on the Flip Side

It's HOW You Ask the Question

2010-01-17T18:56:00.005-05:00

Sometimes it just takes a little change in perspective to really see the answers... Check it out...

In the movie Evan Almighty, God has a conversation with Evan's wife and part of it goes like this...

"Let me ask you something. If someone prays for patience, you think God gives them patience? Or does he give them the opportunity to be patient? If he prayed for courage, does God give him courage, or does he give him opportunities to be courageous? If someone prayed for the family to be closer, do you think God zaps them with warm fuzzy feelings, or does he give them opportunities to love each other?"

Change the way you ask the question ... see where the answers take you!

Be blessed, I know I am.

Ran Over My Toe with a Stationary Bike

2010-01-12T12:07:00.003-05:00

Yes, my day has been colorful already. Coloring outside the lines today can only lead to more adventures. I'm just praying for fun, exciting adventures that are pain free...

Just for starters... I got done working out and decided that the recumbent bike needed a new home across the room. I proceeded to pick it up the wrong way (yes, it's me people... would I do it the right way the first time? I don't think so!), and ran over my toe with it. Bet you can't say that happens everyday? Huh?

I'm glad I didn't have to go to the doctor or the ER, as it wasn't serious. Can you hear that conversation?

" Sooo, Mrs. Peterson, how did you hurt your toe?"

"OH! That! I ran over it with a stationary bike."

"Excuse me, what bike?"

"My stationary bike."

"Uh, huh."

That was just the beginning, the day will get better. I just know it! Positive thinking! Positive Thinking! Find a happy place, find a happy place!

Have a great day people!!!!!

Blessings,
Alana

PS: Don't kick said stationary bike in frustration after running over your toe with it. The whole idea goes nowhere.

Paint Your Atmosphere

2010-01-12T08:43:00.001-05:00

"It is something to be able to paint a particular picture,
or to carve a statue, and so to make a few objects beautiful;
but it is far more glorious to carve and paint the very atmosphere
and medium through which we look. To affect the quality of the day -
THAT is the highest of arts."

~ Henry David Thoreau

A Little Adjutment to the Eyes on the Back of My Head

2010-01-07T08:16:00.004-05:00

It's a typical Thursday. The holiday break is over, we're back to doing our schoolwork and housework. I won't even get into the mountain that is the laundry and the dishes that tower over my sink. Hubby went off to work and I figured I'd better get on with the day - a peaceful house, snuggled up pup - ahhhh! That lasted 5 minutes in the bathroom before a sweet little girl voice said, "Mom, watcha doin', can I come in?" Realize, people, I tend to use sarcasm as a super-power, so my response was quite normal for my family.

"Nah, sweetie, that won't work right now. I'm having the eyes on the back of my head adjusted and it might not be fun to look at."

"Oh. Um, when your done, you should have a Creamsicle. It'll make you feel better."

I heard loud running down the hall and my little girl waking her brother in her Irish whisper, "Josh! Josh! Listen! Mom's having the eyes on the back of her head adjusted! Josh! I knew they were real, I knew it! We better watch out today! Mom's been a little off her game because of the holidays, she'll be ready to roll now!"

Yes, they do think I have eyes in the back of my head. Thanks to my microwave facing the kitchen table. When I'm cooking dinner, I can see their reflections and I tend to reprimand while keeping my head down and not turning around. It completely freaks them out! They also haven't realized that the little "kid mirror" in my car is to watch them, not to check my makeup, so the same rule applies in the car. Ha!

Go draw something!

2010-01-06T09:07:00.002-05:00

Go draw something! That's how I started my morning. My artistically driven little girl was whining that she didn't have anything to do. So, the above phrase was uttered. Now the adventure begins. Once a thought enters her head about a project, there isn't much stopping it. I DON'T KNOW WHERE SHE GETS THAT FROM :) Off we go...

Yes, it's cold in the Northeast today... that's not going to stop me though... Aislyn got an EZ tracer from my brother, for Christmas! Yay! Uncle Chollie! She loves it. However, I'm now official photographer to, "she who must be artistic." Hmmm, scratch that! I'm the Artistic Director for Ornery Acres. That's better. Sounds more official.

Anyway, the EZ tracer works by projecting whatever picture, photo, etc., placed beneath it, upon a wall, canvas, etc., and can be set to many sizes. It's a the coolest thing my daughter could have gotten, next to the HUGE art carry all she got from us. Uncle Chollie rates though. Well, because he's uncle Chollie and he's cooler than her parents. That said, I'm off to take some pics of the light snow falling on the frozen "lake" in our yard. Aislyn says, "it's the perfect mix of snow covering and the grass beyond." OK.

I know it sounds like I'm whining that I have to take pictures. That's really not the case. I LOVE photography and now I have a chance to share it with my little girl. Some of you may say, let her take her own pictures. That might happen sooner or later, but I'm not giving my 7 year old my Nikon.... not no way, not no how! I'm content taking pics and sharing with her right now. Last night she said to me, "Mom, I just love it that were doing this together." 'nough said.

Ordinarily I'd say, well, let's finish this and do that and get this other thing done, then we'll go take pictures. If I'm going to color outside the lines today, I'm dropping all of that for a bit and heading outside with my little artistic coordinator before jumping into the day.

Blessings and adventures....

2010-01-05T15:21:00.002-05:00

Whew! OK.... posts are finally up for the past 5 days...

I'll see you again tomorrow with more Coloring Outside the Lines...

Blessings!
Alana

2010-01-05T15:17:00.000-05:00

Soar

The following message was sent to me this morning and I HAD to send it out to all of you.... be blessed.

God's Wings -

A little something to put things in perspective...

After a forest fire in Yellowstone National Park , forest rangers began their trek up a mountain to assess the inferno's damage.

One ranger found a bird literally petrified in ashes, perched statuesquely on the ground at the base of a tree. Somewhat sickened by the eerie sight, he knocked over the bird with a stick.

When he gently struck it, three tiny chicks scurried from under their dead mother's wings. The loving mother, keenly aware of impending disaster, had carried her offspring to the base of the tree and had gathered them under her wings, instinctively knowing that the toxic smoke would rise.

She could have flown to safety but had refused to abandon her babies. Then the blaze had arrived and the heat had scorched her small body, the mother had remained steadfast ...because she had been willing to die, so those under the cover of her wings would live.

'He will cover you with His feathers, And under His wings you will find refuge.' (Psalm 91:4)

Being loved this much should make a difference in your life. Remember the One who loves you, and then be different because of it.

Instructions: send this to people that you want God to bless.

Time waits for no one. Treasure every moment you have. You will treasure it even more when you can share it with someone special.

To realize the value of a friend...lose one.

2010-01-05T15:16:00.001-05:00

Prepare for Rain

No, I don't mean the weather that's forecast for the weekend. I'm talking faith. Our family recently watched Facing the Giants, again. Now, wereas I like the movie, I know that not everything in real life will go according to the script. It rarely does, but the message is a useful one, have faith.

The reason I titled this blog, prepare for rain, is the story told from former coach to present coach, near the end of the movie. I'm paraphrasing here... Two farmers realized they were in the midst of a severe drought. They both prayed and prayed for rain. Day after day they prayed for God to send the rain. One farmer continued to pray and he went about his life as usual, staring out at his fields day in and day out, glancing up to look for clouds. The other farmer continued to pray for rain, while going out each day and preparing his fields for planting, then digging up the dry soil and planting his seeds. Each day praying and preparing his fields.

The question, who do you think had more faith? Friends, lets till the soil, plant the seeds and PREPARE FOR RAIN everyday.

2010-01-05T15:11:00.000-05:00

Do You See Pearls?

P - Peace - give up your need for control and you'll have more peace
E - Endurance - Hebrews 10:36
A - Acceptance - God accepts me in all my weaknesses, as do my children
R - Restoration - God will shepherd me safely if I will call on Him and He will continually restore me
L - Lasting Love - 1 Corinthians 13:4-8, God will never stop loving me
S - Satisfaction in Servanthood - See the unexpected pearls of serving God and your family

2010-01-05T15:10:00.000-05:00

Thankful All the Time!

Yes, we should be thankful all the time. Are we? No, I'm sure of it. I grumble and complain about things not going right, about life getting in the way, about NOT getting my own way, about school not going exactly as planned some days. I'm trying to be more thankful for everything. joyful in all things and Godly in thought and deed... It's really hard. Yet, I am so very thankful for the ability to homeschool and teach my children what God has put on my heart to teach them...

Schooling can sometimes be a challenge, Yes!. Actually, the mentality of others can be the challenge. I was approached the other day at the store by a woman who's idea of homeschooling is, hanging out all day doing nothing and giving your kids grades. What! I use a curriculum, Sonlight, that does a lot of the work for me with regard to lesson plans, but, I work too... I do art, music, home economics, Latin, Spanish and other subject lesson plans, plan field trips, activities, projects, service outings, etc... as well as teach everyday. How is that nothing? My kids work really hard, becasue I expect a lot from them. We have a schedule we stick to daily incorporating school, service and chores around our home. I was really taken aback at first. Then I took a second and praised God for the oopportunity he put in front of me.

Here was a chance to show someone who was under a misguided impression, just what homeschoolers do and are like. I wasn't sure, at first, how to reply to her questions, and then it hit me... I let my 8 year old tell her what he has been studying. Anyone who knows my son, knows that you will not get the short answer, you'll get the encyclopedia version with graphics.... He did a great job and the woman stood there shocked and transfixed. Oh, I forgot to mention that he asked her before giving his explanation of school, if she'd like him to say it in English, Latin or Spanish. He noted that his Italian is coming along slowly (as he's decided to learn that on his own) and he didn't want to mess it up...

Thank you Lord for opportunities to show grace and peace, joy and wisdom when I really don't want to...
Help me, Lord, to praise you in my circumstance. Help my unbelief. Guide my thoughts and deeds to your glory and define my life. Your power and strength are within me - use me, shape me, pour me out to your glory.

I'm thankful today and everyday for God's grace, for those He's seen fit to bring into my life and make my family. I praise Him for His grace and beauty in my life through my husband, my children, my whole family in Christ, for His son whose sacrifice enables me to live.

Another way to Color Outside the Lines

2010-01-05T15:07:00.000-05:00

Friends have asked me recently, "How do you do it? How do you have the energy? Why did you decide to homeschool?" I figured I'd address those questions a bit here. Yes, I created a blog just for our homeschooling journey, because it's too much to cover in my other blog... No, I'm not preaching, I'm just letting you know how we do school. Forget asking me the socialization question...I'll try very hard NOT to roll my eyes and launch into the dreaded reply. My kids have more socialization than most schooled children and they're peer group ranges from newborns to 96 years of age... 'nough said, there. Anyway....

We decided to homeschool for two reasons. We wanted to freely put God at the forefront of our home and school and, because we realized early that our son needed the freedom to learn at his pace. His pace is somewhere around Mach 5. He was so frustrated in school that he would jsut weep on the way home. Yes, a God-centered education can be found at a christian school and there are many good ones near us. And, a God-centered life can be found in public school with Godly parents at the helm. However, with our sons' learning curve, and the frustration he was encountering, we believe, it would have been detrimental to his education. Sooo... our adventure began....

I use a schedule, because I'm a freak of nature who thrives on organization. I'm better than I used to be, really! The main curriculum I use, Sonlight, is a christ-centered, bible based full on curriculum. All of my major lesson plans are done, except for a few things and I get all of most of our books, etc. from them as well. I compliment our studies with Tapestry of Grace for in-depth study of church history and parallel history between the newly formed colonies and Europe during the same time period. We also LOVE our library and use it at every opportunity.

Here's what my kids are doing this year....they're in Grades 3 and 1 - Bible, History/Geography: 1607-1850, Language Arts (grammar, creative writing, writing basics, latin roots), Math, Science:Botany and nature study, Spanish, Latin, Piano, Guitar, Art w/ Thomas Kinkade series, co-op (4) classes (cooking, photography for kids, ballet, robotic design) and fitness.. We have field trips regularly and community outreach projects for our family, as well.

Our school days have recently been filled with government practices and electoral processes. We took a long hard look at the election process and even sat down and read the Declaration of Independence beginning to end. We're studying 1607-1850 this year. So the subject was timely. Lots of good stuff there. Now, we can get back to our "regularly" scheduled school year.... Ha! There's nothing "regular" about home school.

Do we always stick to the plan? NO! Are you crazy?! Okay, I'm a stickler for knowledge basics, so we stick to doing our seat work and basics daily. However, if I just did the books and explaining of history, geography, foreign language, etc., it would get stale really quick. It wouldn't be fun if we didn't take an impromptu field trip to see Ben Franklin's home and walk the cobblestones of Elfreth's Alley to see what a colonial street looked like. Mind you, we're blessed to live close to the "City of Brotherly Love," so studying, Revolutionary Times, is exciting for us. We've also got many opportunities in our own backyard. This fall we've taken a drive to visit a local farmer and watch him hand press apple cider, and, we've seen where the bees that pollinate the peach and apple trees out here live and do their work. Yes, there's a honey farm right up the road. We envy the bees this morning, their on their way to their farm in Florida for the winter. Did you know that a lot of bee keepers/famers (those who have bees and farm crops) ship their bees to warmer climates in the winter?

A lot of our school takes place outside of our home, through community, field trips, co-op and play dates. We take full opportunity of free art classes, theater programs and the like. Believe me, there are a lot of things out there in our county and state that provide educational opportunities for us.. I look at it this way, I live in a state that is the highest in taxes across the country. Over HALF of my taxes go to education and I don't use the system, so I utilize the benefits I can...

I want school to be fun and engaging.... so we keep it tight with regard to the "must knows" and we look for opportunities to seek knowledge in fun, creative and engaging ways. I learn better that way, and I know my kids do. There are many more things to share about our homeschool journey. Look for further installments in days and weeks to come.

As far as the energy to homeschool question goes... Yes, people, there are days I wonder what I was thinking to homeschool my children. Especially when one of my children has an IQ that is off the charts and he often teaches me more than I teach him. And, I have another who is more creative and fashion savvy at 6 than I ever want to be. Yes, there are days I want to run away to an island that has room service to my beach chair, a well stocked library of books and music, not a single person cares what my name is, and, I can drink all the Pepsi I want without sharing (Strawberry Hill in Jamaica has exactly that). But, I digress.... The the mommy moments and wonder of learning that take place daily, far outweigh the grumpy, dreamy days I have now and then.

Be blessed today!

2010-01-02T22:54:00.001-05:00

Coloring Outside the Lines

Okay, I'm just rambling today. Don't expect this to make sense.... I've decided to make the month of January about coloring outside the lines... with God, home, homeschool, family, etc... I guess it's a bit like thinking outside the box, but more looking back to simpler things while living in this mega-techno world...

So here's the question:

When did we stop coloring outside the lines? Was it around the same time we stopped playing hopscotch, jacks or skipping. When did that happen, by the way? Was it when we got to junior high and it became "not cool", "too baby-ish?" Or maybe it was after the first time someone said, "why are you doing that, it's lame?" When? I must search for the answer to this quandry....

The other day my daughter began to skip as we left a local store. I started to say stop and a guy behind me, dressed in dirty jeans, a sweatshirt and construction boots, carrying a bucket of joint compound said, "Don't say it, just skip along. Trust me." He looked at my kids, grinned and started skipping to his truck. What! The gauntlet had been thrown down, the challenge issued. I stood there for half a second and looked around. Hmmm... Those who know me, will nod their heads, yes, when I say this - I skipped... I skipped mightily my friends! The construction guy, me, both of my kids, and a few other kids leaving the store ~ all of us ~ skipped. It was so much fun. I can't believe I was going to tell my kids to stop. I mean, come on, I'm supposed to be the calm, cool collected adult, right? I'm Mom! Well, we went home that day and played hopscotch on the porch. The next time we sat down to color, you guessed it, OUTSIDE THE LINES, people!

Some people will say it's "being corny", some will say it's" being juvenile", who cares. It's more important to me to keep my kids as kids for as long as I can. Showing that mom can be fun and goofy as well as a teacher, guardian and disciplinarian. I don't want to tell my kids about the fun things I did as a kid, I want to show them.

When I was in grade school, my mom had a dear friend whom she worked with. I spent day after day at her house, playing with her kids. Her daughter and I would play outside from sun-up to sundown. We'd ride bikes, play games, swim, invent our own fun. Those are some of the happiest times of my life. I recently touched base with my childhood friend on FB and it's been so fun to reference some of those childhood memories. I want my kids to color outside the lines and realize that life is out there and it needs to be experienced.

When was the last time you lay down on the ground to watch a bug crawl across an overturned log? For me, it was this past summer at Parvin with my son. When was the last time you sat down in the shade of a tree on a hot summer day and just played with the grass? That would be this summer for me... I actually spent an afternoon with my kids watching the grass grow! It was soo cool! We watched, we talked, we laughed. What about stopping to watch an eagle watch the field from a nearby tree? For me, it was two weeks ago right after a big snow storm. I could go on and on, but I won't right now. There are so many more questions for this topic and we'll explore many of them this month...maybe even this year. This blog might go in that direction. I'm already getting that feeling.

Sketches of Ornery Acres for the coming weeks; we jump back into homeschool here at, Ornery Acres, with lots to do and projects to start. Josh is designing and building a roller coaster with his K'Nex and doing a project on nanotechnology (yes, he's 9). He's also got several cocoons in hibernation, so he's tending to them and preparing his ideas for our garden next year. In addition, he's keeping watch over several insect nests and hatcheries he's found near our home. Aislyn is prepping canvases for her latest art projects and has commandeered me to take photos so she can use her newest art device to paint from said photos. Charlie is working hard as usual and has too many palns to even begin to get into here. As a family, we are looking at ways to re-purpose objects in our home, and wherever we find them, to make many different types of planners, journals, letter box kits and the like to sell as a home-based business. Personally, I'm designing several items in different categories within the planners, journals and letter box kits. In addition to teaching, everyday household stuff and tutoring.

Well, that's it for now. It's getting late and I'm actually tired. Join me here soon, grab a crayon and let's get coloring outside the lines.