Book Review: Out Live Your Life by Max Lucado

I recently finishing reading the book above by Max Lucado. I have always enjoyed his writing style, especially his children's books. This one took me awhile to read. I think it did because it was a familiar theme, making a difference. I would feel inspired but would then get a bit bored after a chapter or two. I felt like the ideas were very good and the second chapter moved and inspired me to do more where I am emotionally as well as physical location. Each chapter ends with a scripture and prayer that gives a basic foundation for putting each chapter into practice. I did really appreciate in the last chapter where Lucado describes how we miss Jesus in the everyday, something I do all too often. Even though this book is not my favorite writing of Max Lucado it is inspiring and a good read.

This book was provided to me by Book Sneeze to read. The opinions expressed in this post are my own and I was not compensated in any other way.

The baby is a baby no more

The moment he has been waiting for finally arrived. He lost his first tooth and he couldn't be happier. Even his friends at Awana got to share in his excitement.

This guy is always looking for things he can do like the "big kids". It's now time for his first dentist and eye appointments. It's something we usually right before our kids start school but somehow we missed doing that with Lij. He knows it's on the calendar and he can't wait, silly boy. If he knew what his mother went through on Tuesday he might not be so eager but I'm not telling. I think I will let him enjoy his enthusiasm. This spring holds 7 dentist appointments and 7 eye appointments. We have 3 dentist appointments down this week and so far so good. No cavities.

Just recently he sunk his first basket and now a lost tooth! Where does the time go?

Best Vacation Ever!!! Part One

We had been planning and scheming for months. The plan was to surprise the kids with a week long vacation to Southern California including three days at Disneyland. Surprise them we did.



On the Friday night before the trip we took the kids to Nana's while we had date night. We picked up take out, came home and packed for everyone like two crazy people. We picked the kids up and brought them home to go to bed, all the while everything sat in the den waiting for the next morning.

In order to keep costs in check so we could splurge along the way we packed a cooler of sandwhich makings, fruit and chips. This was also a time to get to have the rare treat of their own sodas. It was nice to stop at rest stops or empty parking lots for a traveling break. It was also nice not to eat out every single meal.

We woke the kids at 5am to tell them of our plans as well as to tell them they had 15 minutes to get a few things together to do for traveling, get dressed and get in the vehicle. They didn't believe us! They were sure it was prank but the excitement grew the further South we drove.

Our kids travel really well and it went really well. We had two days in the vehicle each way but always made day 1 our long day. We had about 10 hours with stops the first day and 7-8 the second.

Grassy rest areas help get some energy and at this one we were about two hours from Los Angeles and we were all getting pretty excited.

We found a great place to stay two exits from Disneyland and it was a great home base. It got really busy at the hotel towards the weekend but during the week we almost had the place to ourselves.

This place was perfect for us. We had a full kitchen for some of our meals, a loft for Steve and I with our own bathroom where I took the above picture from.

It had a bedroom with two queens as well as a second bathroom, this comes in very handy with seven people in our crew.

Having so many months to plan meant we also had lots of time to come up with ideas for little surprises along the way. We bought the kids new shirts with the Disney theme to give them the night before our first day in the park.

They loved them!!!

The excitement kept building but thankfully everyone was so tired from traveling falling asleep was easy.

Look at that handsome smile!

To be continued...

The Big Picture

I have the ability to see life in terms of the "the big picture" but as a stay at home mom I do tend towards the details side of things. I get stuck in the everyday wondering if I am doing the right thing, if I am making a difference and if there is any progress. Making the decision to homeschool isn't an easy one nor is it the most popular path. I have doubts and questions.

Our main reason for homeschooling isn't because we are scared of the public system. Flawed as the system may be, it has it's upsides as well. Our kids actually did quite well in the public system and enjoyed their time there. We had some issues here and there but overall it was a good experience. Our main reasons have more to do with character training and special learning needs. We only have so much time with our kids before they are off on their own seeking their own path. Our time and input is limited so we want to make the most of the time that we do have. Add to that the fact that our oldest two have three years that pre-date us and there are times, even nine years later, that I feel like we are making up for lost time.

I have been struggling lately with doubts, worried I am not doing enough or leaving something out. I began praying nightly for God to show help me to be diligent and to show me how to be creative with my kids. A new life has made it's way in. Nothing earth shattering but slowly I am seeing results of my efforts and clear direction has been coming each day.

Just yesterday my oldest three turned in their writing assignments for science. As I read my oldest son's paper I began to cry. This child who has struggled with writing as long as he has been in school wrote the most interesting paper. It was well thought out, included more information that I had expected and was longer than I had asked for. Granted, he did say it is a lot easier to write about somthing you are interested in and I would agree with him. But the fact that he wrote such a great paper and didn't die in the process was nothing short of a miracle. I told him I was going to keep this one and he asked why. I told him that when I compare it to something he wrote last year the difference is remarkable and it shows him how far he has come.

My mom told me recently that in every situation it is important to not just look at where someone is, but also how far they have come. That is a truth I have been thinking about over and over lately and is has meant so much to me. If I look where my oldest two were when we brought them home in the third grade compared to where they are now it is remarkable. They were behind slightly in reading and struggling in math. In their testing last year they were both either on grade level or slightly above grade level. I am so proud of my kids and think I am going to work on doubting myself less. It's good to assess things and make sure you are on the right track. I also believe that when you start questioning every brush stroke it's probably best to step back and take a look at the big picture.

Snow Day

We started school a little late this morning. Snow is a bit rare here in the Northwest so we had to get out and enjoy it for a bit.

There wasn't a lot of snow but for sure enough to make snow angels and small snowballs.

I think the happy faces say it all. (The older two decided it was cozier to stay inside by the fire.)

Signs of Spring are popping up but Winter is still lingering.

The kids were finding every surface they could to make more snowballs.

Even the odd pool tool worked for playing in the snow.

The best part?

Coming in cold and warming up by the fire while working on school. Now that's the stuff.

Motivated Monday

I waited to work on my Motivated Monday post until yesterday afternoon because of the specific project we were working on. We have been spending a lot of time watching The Food Network in our house and were inspired. We decided to make cupcakes for extended family and deliver them for Valentine's Day. While the kids worked on seat work I baked and baked.

In the late morning we frosted and decorated. We had five dozen cupcakes and made a cream cheese frosting to go on top. Yum!!! 

They were so much fun to decorate and tasted even better.

Simple heart tissue paper in plain white gift boxes made for a perfect way to deliver them to the recipients.



My only regret is the distance we live from my parents. We thought of you, Mom and Dad! I hope everyone had the chance to be with a loved one yesterday. Happy Valentine's Day!

Group sports

I know that organized sports aren't for everyone. We choose to participate in them for several reasons. For one, we homeschool so we are home a lot and we have some really social kids. Kids who went to school for a few years and have some good friendships from that time.

We don't write homeschool on the school line at sign-ups. Not because we distance our kids from homeschoolers but because we want them to be on teams with kids they already have friendships with.

The twins are particularly gifted when it comes to athletic ability. For obvious reasons they feel so different than a lot of kids. Having confidence and being known for their ability when we go to events helps them to feel like they belong. 

That comes with challenges, too. We have lots of conversations about humility and where our identity truly lies. Sports shouldn't be the place they find their value. It is a part of them, something they love, but if they didn't have sports they would still be valuable.



The twins were both selected for select traveling teams this year. We have been crazy busy and it has been somewhat challenging. But these two light up and are in their element when they are doing stuff like this. It wouldn't feel right to say to them, "We aren't a sports family, that's too busy," when it has such positive effects. We try to balance it and time and family are important factors to consider. The younger three love to participate in sports or other activities and the twins will be there cheering them on when it's their turn. It's a mixed bag. The older they get, the harder the lessons become. Attitudes, emotional growing pains in addition to dealing with coaches and teammates can be difficult but we value the opportunity to help them navigate those situations when they are young. Each season we weigh the pros and cons and make the decision what to participate in. Everyone knows just because you play this year doesn't mean you will next year. It depends. We always put family first and I may be going out on a limb here, but sometimes the greater good is doing what works best for someone individually. I wouldn't be honest though if I said I wasn't looking forward to an extra curricular activity free summer. But that's just my story and I'm sticking to it.