Down in the Dirt

Last week PandaGirl and I ventured into "gardening." Grandma gave us these purple Jew plants that are just a brilliant color. I want them to eventually flow across the front of our flower bed to fill in the empty space. PG saw that I had on bright orange gardening gloves and ran to her room to get HER gloves---satin-like Cinderella gloves. She had a great time digging until---

"AHHHHH, S-N-A-K-E!!!!!!!!!!" she screamed!

I looked down to see a 1 1/2 inch smidgen of a worm wiggling around in the soil. I started laughing, but it was no laughing matter to Farmer Jane beside me jumping up and down for dear life. After tossing the little worm which I accidentally cut in half, I had to convince PG that they were NOT snakes, but just little worms. We were, after all, messing with THEIR home. All in all we had a fun time planting, but the most fun PG had was plain old dirt digging.

It's All Good...

What can I say? God blessed me through you precious people. I won't make it to all of the blogs personally, but--Thank you for your kind words, encouragement and just the fact that--though most of you only know me through this blog--you cared enough to say something to me. I sincerely appreciate all of you.

God is using all these disappointments of late to mold and shape me more into who He created me to be. Growing pains are yuckie no matter what your age.

I am always reminded of Jer. 29:11 that says, "I know that plans I have for you," delares the Lord, "plans to prosper you not to harm you; plans for a hope and a future."

I also hold close to His promise from Prov. 3:5-6 "Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding. Acknowledge Him in all your ways and He will make your paths straight." There is such sweet comfort in both of those.

I am grateful for my amazing husband who "coaches" me through my valleys. He is my rock.

I adore my precious daughter who challenges me daily. She is God's gift to us---on loan from Him.

Yet again, my plans didn't work out the way I wanted. Yet again, God is faithful to see me through. I don't understand some things, but I trust His heart. He let His Son die for me in my wicked & depraved state. I can stand before God in purity because of that. Glory. Everything else here on earth compares not.

I will be deleting some of the newer blogs I linked on which are homeschool focused. If you find that you are one of those in which I delete....PLEASE, PLEASE don't take it personally. Rather take it as a huge compliment to the fact that I must have adored your blog and life to even link it to my own blog. For my own sanity, though, I have to not have the temptation to want to lurk around your blog and be jealous or covet your homeschool life. Sorry, that' just a precaution I am taking. I am sad about that because I found some blogs I truly love. I know me and I know that I would get caught up in wishing I could be "there" when in fact I just can't and won't fight with my daughter on a daily basis just to homeschool. I still hold true and fast to my beliefs about homeschooling, but we have to opt for our public schools here.

To bring this blog back to it's fun self (after all the drama over the past few posts!) I must introduce you to my new found friend. We've become very close. ; )

Possible Titles for this Post: 1.Poor Me. 2.What's Wrong with Me? 3.When You Put It All Out There...They're Gonna Read It.

This is serious. No, this is tongue & cheek. Maybe it's both. I don't know. Do I really know anything? Talk about "keepin' it real"....well, how 'bout this:

I----don't----know----what----to----do.

I'm a very transparent person. Always have been. I don't hide things from people and that's part of why people are drawn to me or so I've been told. I also get on a kick and go FULL THROTTLE and then usually don't get to the end of whatever it was that I started off so brilliantly because of some reason or another. When I go full throttle into some new venture I truly believe with all my heart that I am following what the Lord wants me to do. How can it seem that I am wrong or have made a mistake when things go awry? Now that the Blogosphere is a part of my life I tend to post whatever new is on my mind and heart. I know I have you lurkers that read as well as all you precious bloggers I have "met" who comment and I put it all out there for you to read my life. My choice. I know. But when I have to recant something, I don't like it. I feel that it makes me look dumb or wishy-washy....and I'm neither. Well, maybe a bit wishy-washy.

How can I be a very confident girl while at the same time question every move I make? Makes no sense. However, I am right smack in the middle of those feelings. I know lots of you read this blog. Not sure why. Sometimes the pics are cute. Sometimes I am darn funny. Sometimes I write something poignant. Sometimes the post is lame-o. Sometimes I post stuff that I wish I hadn't posted, but can't really delete because all of you have already read it so what's the point of deleting?

Right now I want to delete the entire Pandapalooza Blog. Get out of the Blogosphere. Not because I really WANT to, but because of the stuff I do to myself like when I posted "The Land of Comparison" a couple of weeks ago. I have gotten myself SOOOOOOOO worked into the world of Homeschooling that I have our whole year planned, my blog all homeschool linked, the school named, the school room ready to be put together and all the fun things lined up just waiting for our taking. So what's the problem, you say?

PROBLEM:
I have a deep desire to homeschool. I KNOW I have so much to give. I L-O-N-G to live out all the reasons I posted a few days ago in "Why We Homeschool". I truly believe all those things I typed. The problem lies in the fact that I have a precious little girl WHO BUCKS EVERYTHING! Not just yesterday's blip, but all the time. As precious as she is in other ways, learning from me is not her forte in life. I hate uttering these words. They make me cry. Maybe my daughter doesn't need homeschooling. Maybe she needs other children. Maybe it's just another dream of mine crushed. Maybe.

Yesterday's funny post, was not funny at all in the real world.
Blogosphere---funny. Our house---NOT funny.

As much as I want and believe in homeschooling, my daughter is the antithesis of it. Easier said?---OPPOSITE.

So in order for me to play the "poor me" card, I have to lump all that disappointment into the bowl along with being embarrased over the homeschool blog overhaul I did and all the fancy talk, not really being able to add number to our family and the struggle that ensues, wondering what exactly I am here on earth for, seeing every past failure under a magnifying glass, wondering if I will ever live out in the country like I want, stirring it all real hard to make a cake for the "poor me party" I'm throwing then adding a dash of guilt for not being thankful for what I have and lastly a pinch of "I hate loving food too much" and then wallowing around in the mush.

Ta-dah. That's about as much "keepin' it real" as I want to post today.

This too shall pass.

Just venting.

I'm OK.

Just Keepin' It Real...

Today we did our first Lapbook! PandaGirl is very much into HORSES and has been since she was three. She rides her stick horse EVERYday. Her 5 year old birthday party was an adorable horse theme by her choice. I thought it would be great to do our first lapbook of something that she was totally jazzed about! Here's what we did:

~We cuddled on the couch to read fiction and non-fiction books about horses. PG learned lots and already has some good vocabulary about horses, riding, farms, cowboys and such. Very pleased.

~I got the great idea to use the horseshoe cake pan which I got for her birthday party and make a CAKE! Yum! We only had strawberry cake mix and had to make do, but it was a fabulous touch to the horse theme.

~PG colored pictures of horses, cut out "grass", used the gluestick, stamped the letters for the front of the lapbook and really was hands-on in the whole process.

~We finished our first Lapbook and are very proud.

~After eating the yummy cake and finishing our project we watched Spirit: Stallion of the Cimarron to end out a glorious learning experience.

Stop the bus. That's how I anticipated the "learning experience" to play out.

Nuh-uh. No-way. No-how.

Wanna hear how it REALLY went down?

Me: "Hey PG! I am so excited to do our first lapbook! Let's do it about horses!"
PG: "OK Mommy! What are we going to do?"

Me: "Let's read these great books about horses and see what we find out."
Cuddling on couch did happen.
Reading book.
Pointing out facts.
PG already knew some facts. Awesome.

Me: "Let's go get started on our lapbook!"
PG: "What are these cute horses?" as she is already coloring the pictures. OK, she's excited and ready to jump in.
Me: "Hey let's wait a minute. I have some stuff to show you before we start." hmph, can she not wait for me?
I show her all the items we have to make the book.
PG: "I have glue!" runs to get it. "Are we gonna have cake?"
Back at table.
PG: "I have scissors!" runs, again, to get them. "Are we gonna have some cake now? (cake is still in the oven)
Finishes coloring horses, cuts them out without direction (good, I guess?...what if they were not to be cut?) and starts on barn. Is coloring beautifully.

Me: thinking---Oh this is going so WELL! I love homeschooling!
PG: color, color..."Are we having the cake?" "UGH!!! I got out of the line!!!!!!!!!!!!! Everyone will laugh at me!!!" huff, huff. Hand on head, slouching, eyes rolling back in head. huff.
Me: "Oh honey, it's OK that you got out of the lines a bit. You can hardly even notice it. Just keep on doing a good job and finish the barn."
PG: meltdown #2
Me: "Look, who cares what someone else thinks about your work. It only matters what you think. Just keep coloring so we can keep making our wonderful lapbook...sweetie."
PG: meltdown #3
Me: "Your work does not have to be perfect. I mess up on my scrapbook pages all the time. It's OK. I am disappointed, but I move on. Your barn looks great. It doesn't have to be perfect."

PG: huff, huff, puff, growl, scribble, scribble, growl.
Me: hot face, clenched teeth..."WHY did you do that?! There is absolutely NO reason for you to act ugly and mess up your barn JUST because you got out of the lines a LITTLE BIT!!!! WHY did you DO that?! If you want me to teach you at home then you can't fight me! Get down from the table and go sit on your bed." HUFFFFFFF!

Me: Head in hands.

Me: Talk to PandaPop who is also a perfectionist when it comes to pen and paper. It MUST be perfect. Me? I don't care. I do what I do and if there's a mistake...so what? I fix it if I can and then MOVE ON. I don't really comprehend perfectionism. This is going to be a challenge. He told me that her outburst wasn't toward me personally, but her frustration in not coloring the barn to her own liking.

OK

I go into her room and lovingly tell her that she was not in trouble for not doing her barn "right", but for the ugly attitude.

PG: "Are we having cake now?"
Me: "Yes, darling as soon as it cools off. Let's put a couple of more finishing touches on the lapbook, eat some cake and then watch Spirit."
PG: "Yayyy!"

Done with book. PG licking her plate of cake frosting. I put in Spirit.

PG: "I don't wanna watch this. Can I watch something else?"

Good grief.

Why We Homeschool

Homeschooling is no small decision. We know we are commanded by God's Word to raise our children in the knowledge of Him. Who knows our daughter better than us? Deuteronomy 6:7 says this, "Impress them [His commandments] on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up."

Learning is way of life.

1. CHOICE---We have purposefully chosen to educate our daughter "at home" rather than in a public school setting. I put "at home" in quotes, because the road ahead will have us at home only part of the time. The adventures which await outside our walls are entriguing and inviting at the least! The choice to homeschool is likened unto comparing Apples and Oranges. You know the old cliche. It's true, however. Trying to compare the different types of schooling is futile. There are a myriad of opinions. Just like you cannot compare an apple to an orange, schooling types cannot be compared. Simply different choices. Praise God that we live in a country with the freedom to choose.

2. LEARNING AS A LIFESTYLE---Living out what we say we believe. Experiencing life to the fullest. Not being confined to one room or building all day being forced to do worksheets. Being in the community. Calculating in the grocery store. Getting along with those other than just peers. Museums. Road trips. Enjoying God's creation by playing outside...during the day. Digging in the mud. Washing the dogs. Cooking brownies. Painting a masterpiece. Reading classic books. Seeing Mom & Dad as lifestyle learners. Seeing God's hand throughout history. Real life. Moment by moment.

3. EDUCATIONAL STYLE---We have the glorious opportunity to teach in tried and true learning styles which have proven effective throughout centuries as well as adding in modern day technology along with lots of fun. Though Kindergarten will be filled with lots of reading, playing, counting, playing, reading, playing and reading and reading...wink...we hope to move in the direction of Classical Christian Education for First Grade on up. Right now we will proceed with FIARand lots of Lapbooking. We also like the relaxed style of Charlotte Mason. These are such fun ways for PandaGirl to learn and not even realize she is learning something!

4. INDIVIDUAL INSTRUCTION---No two people learn the same way. In a classroom full of 20-30 children how can each child have their academic needs met? Kudos to those teachers who give their best. We need them! PandaGirl's personality is one that would buck the system if she didn't like what was going on and/or just give up because she didn't get "it" right the first time. In a classroom filled with kids she would more than likely be left behind. Homeschooling allows us to meet her academic needs and help her engage in the learning process rather than simply giving up in frustration.

5. SOCIALIZATION---The biggie that is most talked about. I think there is something good to be said about a child being in a classroom setting with their peers learning about different personalities and the way people work (or don't work) with others. There is also something to be said about our child's foundational years being built upon the social network of other children whose families do not uphold the same values as ours. True socialization is when someone is integrated with people of all ages and through various events and experiences. Learning to communicate and work well with people in general is ideal. As adults, how often are we in a setting of a group of people our exact same age? I can't think of any. Not even college. Our society is one in which people of all ages, races, backgrounds, religions, etc. all come together. How awesome it is to expose our daughter to many types of people throughout her day as opposed to being in a room with just her age group. I cannot leave out the reality of how young children are when they are exposed to sexual issues (even through certain toys). Is there anything wrong with wanting to prolong a child's innocence? I think not. It is our job a parents to protect our children. Not over-protect to their detriment, but to at least, let them enjoy being a child for as long as possible. Satan would love nothing more than to latch on to our children. He has a plan for them and it is NOT for their good. God has a plan, too. It is mine and PandaPop's job to lead her in that direction. There is lots of fun instore for her. PandaGirl will have the opportunity to be in Ballet, an Art School, Bible Study, Awana, Choir, Missions, Library and to make sure she does have time to play with her peers, we have a playgroup of other homeschoolers. Socialization is not an issue.

6. FLEXIBILITY---For our family, this is huge. With PandaPop being in ministry with the potential to travel as well as having no family in close proximity we are delighted to know that we can up and leave at a moment's notice without disrupting PG's school schedule. We can come and go as we please, take "school" with us, go on vacation at anytime of year, have many field trips, have a picnic lunch together...the list is long of what we are free to do with our time. Within this area I also am grateful for NO HOMEWORK! I feel so sorry for the many parents who complain of having no time for family, always feeling rushed and harried, not having a clue about their child's assignments, not having the ability to help their child and live a life full of busyness. I am grateful to not have to mess with the tedious task of homework.

7. CONTROL---Our daughter will have some control over what things she wants to learn. Of course, she will have to learn math facts, correct grammar and how to read, but she can also hold dear those things in which she takes great interest. How sad to find something interesting in school only to have the teacher tell you that you can't keep going because "it's time to move on to the next subject". When PandaGirl happens on something of interest we can explore it more deeply for the love of learning. We also have CONTROL over what she is taught. We don't want her isolated and taught only what we think best, but we certainly don't have to relinquish control over to a secular school system where the curriculum was chosen by someone who knows nothing of our family and more than likely will have humanistic teachings.

8. FAMILY---Our family is not conventional. We did not come together in the typical manner. We have no idea what is ahead for our family, whether we will be an "only child" family or if the Lord will choose to add to our number. We are a close family and are excited to see our little "team" fashion itself in the likeness of Christ. I am overwhelmed with excitement to be able to watch PandaGirl grow and learn!!! I would hate to miss out on the way she develops academically or even the small things throughout the day when she discovers something for the first time. We missed the first 15 months of her life. We don't want to miss any more.

9. PERSONAL GROWTH---Homeschooling is no small feat. I am sacrificing a part of me to do this. I could very well pursue something on my own, but I am choosing to devote my energies to the education of PandaGirl. Along with this, I will HAVE to learn in order to teach. The personal growth that I will encounter is priceless.

10. DELIGHT---Despite the hard days to come, the disappointments, the commitment...I am looking forward to the joy of learning. I have already seen a desire from PandaGirl to jump into learning. Not by workbooks, but by hands-on experince. She is an all or nothing girl. She wants to EXPERIENCE things, not just hear about them. I hope to delight our daughter in life and along the way she will learn.

There are pros and cons to homeschooling.
We believe the benefits far outweigh the faults.

The Start of Something New

I have been toying back and forth for several years...even before PandaGirl came along...about homeschooling. I would waffle between the pros and cons of public school, private school and homeschool. I was a Speech Therapist in the public schools for over six years. I taught in private Christian schools for three years. I have MANY friends who homeschool. I have seen the good and bad of all three. For awhile I was beginning to think that I wouldn't be able to hs due to PG's strong will and oppostion to everything I tried to show her. After finding out how she learns best, we have finally decided that the best option for our family is to venture into homeschooling.

If you are unfamiliar with this incredible world of learning let me encourage you to research it out before thinking that I have lost my ever-lovin'-mind! LOL! School is NOT like it was when I was there. I have personal issues with "teaching to test" which loses the joy in learning. PandaPop and I also believe very adamantly that this generation of children MUST be taught about our heritage as Believers in Jesus Christ. In fact, PP is starting a new discipleship course this Sunday for the parents of our children at church to show the importance of teaching the Bible in our homes and raising a godly generation of kids who KNOW truth and can defend it.

I have been researching online and through books about the various styles of homeschooling and the overwhelming amount of curriculum available. I think if most parents knew how much there was at their fingertips they might just think about homeschooling for the simple joy of learning along with their kids! I have also joined The Homeschool Lounge which is a fabulous place to spend time learning with other moms in my same boat. They vary as being from Texas, having a Chinese daughter, teaching in a certain style, having an only child, or whatever. It is just exhilarating to connect with like-minded people!!! I have already crossed paths with a few bloggers I already know.

My next post will be The Reason We Homeschool. I hope to shift this blog to one which incorporates all the fun, learning and growing we do as a family with homeschooling as a part of our life as opposed to just cute pics of PandaGirl and the occasional Thursday 13.

Bunnies and Elephants and Eggs, Oh My!

Our Easter weekend was full and wonderful. Great weather, food and fun! My parents came up to see PandaGirl at her egg hunt and to bring us this great bunny "cake". She has always made the white bunny cake, but this year she decided to make a chocolate BROWNIE bunny!!! YUM!

Heading out for the awesome Egg Hunt with our church. The weather was a GLORIOUS sunny, breezy, 68-70 degree day. Couldn't have asked for better conditions. That's a blessing seeing as how last year (our first event at this church) it SNOWED and it was held inside!!!

PandaPop and PandaGirl at the Egg Hunt. BTW: the grass in Texas doesn't look this green and lush everywhere. This particular area is maintained to look like this. I WISH our yard was this thick and green! ; )

Brushing animals in the petting zoo.

Coloring eggs is so fun!

Resurrection Sunday!

We did the Horton Thing on Thursday. This movie is sooooo cute! Any 80's teen will LOVE the last song of the movie...made us laugh outloud!

PG's elephant "Flower" that she wanted to take to the movie in honor of Horton. Awe.

Landry's Mom

This post is for "Landry's Mom" only. I have emailed twice and want to make sure I am using the correct address. I used the one on your profile page. I can't get to your blog without an "invitation". Help me out and we can connect! ; )

Little Bit 'O Easter

PandaGirl in PandaPop's office filling the last of 12,000 eggs for the hunt on this coming Saturday. She had so much fun making an assembly line with us to stuff the eggs. She even started a "list" of the things we'd do wrong in the line! She made us laugh with her seriousness of her duties. We all laughed and enjoyed eating a few pieces of candy here and there. Love making sweet family memories!


Yesterday we had the enormous blessing of spending some time with our old White Swan Playgroup!!! That is always a super treat for PandaGirl and myself. We adore them sooooo much! We met up at our usual mall hangout which is 45 minutes from me and about 30 minutes away for the other moms. Since the girls have had many pics made with Santa and other group shots we wanted a bunny pic. The girls cracked us up because they all had these goofy-fake-I'm-trying-to-smile-pretty-smiles that were not pretty at all! LOL! Needless to say, I think the pics AFTER the bunny are cuter than the actual pic with him (or her, I guess!).

After the "difficult struggle" for the girls to smile naturally instead of like Chandler on Friends, they did their typical loving group hug and were all ready to get out of the dresses, get into play clothes and PLAY!

These 3 little bunnies have been together since they were two and now they are all five and cute as EVER!

Eating at the Food Court has always been a fun time for the mommies and the girls. This is the same table we have used many times. Lots of people stare at our cutie-patootie girls...and we LOVE it! LOL!

Complete exhaustion? ; )

The Fur...Three Weeks Later

Thursday will be three weeks since The Fur came to live at the PandaHouse. They have literally DOUBLED in size!!! YIKES! ; ) We knew they would be big, but seriously...twice their size?!! We are completely in love with our little puppies. We just can't wait to get a harness on them and start training them to walk with a leash! They have been quite the comic relief for us and we have certainly needed the distraction.

They are just about old enough to really dive into training them. We have started with the basic "sit" command and PandaGirl loves trying to get them to sit while she gives them a bacon treat.

PG absolutely loves going outside to play with the guys. Her favorite part is when she sits on the ground and they totally maul her with love and affection!

And Miao enjoying the view from the comforts of home.

Perfect Timing

I found this on another blog today and it was exactly what I needed to see and hear after Sat. God is good...all the time and worthy of my praise despite any circumstance. On this Easter Week I want to praise Him so. May this song and the beautiful images bless your soul, too.

End of Another Road...

Well, for any of you who have followed long enough to know that we started the process to adopt a sibling group through our state's foster system you know that we planned on having two more children within the year. All that changed today. At our training today I started to get that wringing tight feeling in my "gut". I was starting to feel that maybe this wasn't the road for us after all. How could that be? I knew beyond a shadow of a doubt that God had led us to this path. I heard the statistic that 90% of these children in the foster care system are se*xually abused. That really put a reality check right in front of my face. I guess I was just hoping that the kids we got were "just" neglected. I didn't bank on them being so screwed up that they would need endless counseling and therapy and could possibly even act out on PandaGirl. That really did it. Our precious little one already has a past that will need more attention than a typical biological child in a family. She needs us to be there for her. I don't want to take away from her to tend to the enormous needs of an abused sibling group. I cried all afternoon, talked to friends and family and know we made the right decision. That doesn't stop the grieving process that I am going through. I so desperately want more children, but apparently that isn't God's plan. At least not for now. I will never be pregnant. Nothing can change that. If you have biological children then you can't even imagine my shoes. That's not a slam on you who have bio kids, but it is the truth that my pain right now can't be understood accept by others who also can't have children naturally and find it hard to expand their family. That's just about all I want to say right now. My eyes are tired and I just want to go be held by PandaPop. PandaGirl and I already had our snuggle time. Thanks in advance for all the sweet words you will undoubtedly say. You are great bloggy friends. ; )

"They Soak Up Stuff Like Sponges"...yeah, right.

Here's the deal. My precious PandaGirl whom you all have come to know as cute, adorable, witty and all around a great kid also has a side that I haven't shared much about. I mean, come on...it wasn't something to brag about so I chose to not post those things. However, I thought of this contrast yesterday and it fits so perfectly to my darling little one's desire to learn things on NO-one's terms but her own. The saying goes that "children soak up knowledge like sponges". Well, THAT is not one size fits all. My sweet pea is more like a...



It's true. She basically doesn't want to take in anything I try to teach her. Now, I can't say EVERYthing, but for the most part it is a struggle to get her to "get it"! Not because she isn't smart...that little toot just doesn't want to be told to do it. Duh. I so wonder if God gave her to me so that I would listen to Him more. Not buck him on things. Sheesh! What a lesson for me.

I have come up with the bare basics to get her to do things I want her to do. EVERY SINGLE TIME she pushes her lip out, furrows her brow, folds her arms, slings her arms, huffs & puffs, etc...I calmly make her stop, do the thing over again and again and again until she can accomplish whatever task asked of her with joy instead of dread or loathing. Whew. This morning we started a routine of making her bed after going to the potty. You'd have thought I asked her to eat liver and onions while sitting in the middle of a snake farm. The drama started and I oh so very calmly, had her go through each step without even one sigh or ugly toss of the arm until the bed was made. She was whining that she "didn't know how" all the while I am saying, "That's why I'm TEACHING you." My carnal side wanted to say, "DUH!", but the good mommy (ONLY by the grace of God!!!) gently let her know that we would do this together and it would be a good thing that she learned.

Breaking headline news....The little girl in Texas learned to make her bed and was actually happy about it! She is now so happy and showing so much love to her family because she now feels accomplished and has a boundary. Back with more news later.

This Weather is SOOOOO C-R-A-Z-Y!!!

Once again, after a spring-like day we had a massive snow (for our area!) and had the fun of actually building a snow-girl!! We also took The Fur out in it and they LOVED it! They were shivering after a few minutes, but would have stayed running around and burrowing their little noses in the snow if we would have let them. We had a blast in our Texas Blizzard!

Blessed My Heart!! ; )

Oh--my--word. You girls completely blessed me with all of your sweet words to me about the last post. I really had no idea that people would come back in such a confirming way. I am glad that in some crazy way you were blessed too and led to feel normal. THIS is one of the reasons I LOVE to blog. I so wish we could all meet. Well, for us Believers, I know we will one day. THAT is exciting, huh?!!

To Samantha: I don't know you, but you really blessed me with your words. I don't have a way to get back to you, but just wanted YOU to know how important it is to me that this blog and my ramblings and my silly little family have in some way made another person think. You said our "values" are very different. I am not sure if that means politically, physically, morally or spiritually. For whatever the differences, thank you for finding truth in the middle of it. My goal is to live the Truth for the glory of God alone. Thanks for commenting. ; )

The Land of Comparison

I really like blogging. It is useful, easy, therapeutic, enlightening, encouraging, eye-opening, silly and downright fun. I love blog-hopping. Going around to other mom's blogs and seeing "how" they do things. It is so interesting to visit people's links and what makes them tick.

Sometimes it can be very discouraging. Depressing even.

I have found a whole slew of bloggers with daughters from China. That is beneficial to me.

Then there is the train load of homeschool bloggers who inspire and depress me all at once.

There are the photo bloggers, which I love since I so desperately want a Nikon D-80 just for scrapbooking and for fun.

There are so many different takes on "HOW" to live for God and to be a Christian. Several ways of life which all seem to be good, but make me wonder if I'm doing "it" right. As if there is such a thing.

I have come across REALLY domestic women out there whom I adore for their seemingly endless amount of energy and creativity.

The bloggers who are super organized and have all their menus planned out weekly with great tasting healthy meals for the family make me long to be like them.

I love the healthy eating, fitness focused girls whose lives seem to be so out of my reach that I dream of being like them when I grow up.

I absolutely adore looking at family pictures with lots of kids. Just dreaming about my own family that is in the process of being put together.

There are the bloggers who are VERY in tune with the Holy Spirit and they have such Biblical wisdom and insight.

The bloggers that blow my mind are the ones who seem to have gone to "Blog School" to have all the really cool things linked to their site, they built their own site or just have this whole system set up in the Blogoshpere that I have NO IDEA how they have time to do it on top of their life with their families. Who knows?

Some of these people seem like I would love to be hang-out friends with them. Some are just not my cup 'o tea, but interesting none-the-less.

What I find is that if I let myself, I will succumb to the need to feel less than who I am or was created to be. I automatically make everyone else's life better than mine. That is a very dangerous place to be. The Land of Comparison. Thinking everyone has "it" better or has "it" together or that I'm a loser when in fact, I love my life and my family and who I am. I am so grateful that the Lord doesn't sit around comparing me to others.

Do any of you ever feel like this? Like other bloggers somehow got the "memo" about how to be great at life and you weren't logged on at the time and missed the whole thing?

I am reminded that I am put here in this house, with my church, with my friends, with my family, my animals, my trials, my triumphs, my doubts, my hopes, my desires, my purpose "for such a time as this." May I be who God created me to be and nothing more. He is the One to lead me. Maybe I just need to log in to Him more....then my comparison will be with His will and not the Blogosphere.

I'm Dreaming of a White Springtime...

Only in Texas. We are completely used to the unpredictability of Texas weather, but we still get a big kick out of it! Saturday it was sunny and near 80 degrees....wonderful springtime bliss. Then last night at 8:00PM we got a beautiful, fat, fluffy snowfall!!! I think it's the only one of the entire winter season so, of course, we get all excited about it. FUN!

Poor PandaGirl was already in bed fast asleep with a fever and a hacking cough so she didn't even get to see it. Bummer.

Our next door neighbors called and said, "Do you even know it's SNOWING outside?" We ran out and all got our pictures taken since we don't normally get snow. Sounds crazy to you all who get snow and are totally sick of it, but for us it was a treat!

The Fur couldn't even stay in the garage because it was just toooo cold for their little puppy bodies....so, we made a place in the kitchen and put up a baby gate to keep them in. They were so incredibly cute running around while I made dinner. As soon we walked into the living room however and weren't in sight? Well, they started in on the "woe-is-me" whining bit. It only lasted a while and then they curled up for the night and slept all night! It was great. Miao had fun watching them through the gate and laughing at them in prison while he had freedom of the house. Love our little crew!

Adventures of The Fur...

I just love my "wanna get dirty-give me the saw & hammer-manly-man who is in-touch enough with his sensitive side to be a Children's Minister! LOL! He just whipped this little kennel out on Saturday morning. He thought about it, went and bought the supplies and boom...a kennel for the pups (roof, two sides and deck coming later).

Is this not the SWEETEST thing?!

My three boys after working so hard on a Saturday!



Poor little babies got rained on in the new kennel! : ( They are only out there for a little bit at a time and it rained without us realizing it (Sunday afternoon naps!) so they needed a bath to get the grit and grime off. They were sooooo good!


Miao's thinking: "Cats rule...dogs drool."