On any given day...

One day I'd like to blog about the crazy things that happen at this college campus, but today I'll just share a snippet.

Student comes into my office needing a pin. She has a huge hole in the butt of her jeans and plans to go home if I can't pin it together. No pin. I don't want her to go home and miss her algebra class. I want everyone to pass.. I offer to staple it together. This means I must grab what little slack she has in her jeans and try to use my stapler to attach it. It worked a little. Then I remembered seeing a young lady at Harriman campus with duct tape over, I assume, holes in her jeans. I didn't have duct tape, but I did have clear box tape. I 'slapped' some of that on and sent her to class. She may have snuck out while I wasn't looking cause she was so embarrassed. I know my daughter would have thought I was crazy. I think she did too. :) Oh well, I tried...

absent.

Maybe blogging is not for me. I mean I've been absent from the post for almost a week. I've been busy :) Isn't that the most common excuse. Life. It gets in the way.

We had a great service Sunday. The Lord spoke to my heart through the many testimonies that were given. God's mercy endureth forever. He will never leave us or forsake us. Then Sunday's night message was a challenge to us. Pastor Pallotta has been preaching for several weeks on 'How to have a good year'. Yes, it was March 21, but I did say for several weeks :)... Sunday night's message dealt with fleeing sin. He read the passage from II Samuel 11, were David sinned with Bathsheba. David then had her husband, Uriah, placed on the front line of the battle so that he would be killed. Sad, sad story... There's a passage in Psalm 51 where he cries out and says, "my sin is ever before me". God grants forgiveness when we repent, but that sin is always present in our minds. Sometimes the devil will use it to discourage us from serving God. We must say with David,

"Have mercy upon me, O God, according to thy lovingkindness: according unto the multitude of thy tender mercies blot out my transgressions. Wash me throughly from mine iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin. For I acknowledge my transgressions: and my sin is ever before me...Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me. Cast me not away from thy presence; and take not thy holy spirit from me. Restore unto me the joy of thy salvation; and uphold me with thy free spirit."

Oh that I will make right choices this year. Pastor mentioned that sometimes even people who are on fire for God can get caught in a sin so quickly that it destroys them. I believe David was one such person. We must be on guard 'for the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour.'

Procrastination and ADHD...

I think I suffer from a little of both. I didn't use to have ADHD. I've heard of adult onset ADHD. Perhaps that's me?? Procrastination? It has always been my middle name.
Tuesday evening I was scheduled to give the 'green moment' at my Beta Beta meeting. I'm a new member. I've been to about 6 meetings and could only remember one other 'green moment'. Someone brought reusable shopping bags for the silent auction. So instead of preparing something, I did what I do best - Procrastinate. I remembered at 3:00 yesterday. The meeting started at 5:00. No time to whip up some great little crafty project from recycled materials. I can't help but laugh out loud at myself for even typing that. I don't have any crafty skills... Who am I kidding?? I googled 'encouraging recycling'. I called the local recycle center - no answer. Nothing. Then I thought there might be some catchy poem I could read and be done with it. After searching for what seemed like hours with various interruptions from students, I found.. a SONG to the tune of 'We've been working on the railroad'. That's what I ended up doing. I taught a pre-school song to a room full of school teachers. Some were my former teachers. It was cute and seemed to go over well. Singing? making a fool of myself? ... now that I can do.

Today, I had a meeting at Central Middle. Or so I thought. I get lots of invites to participate in meetings, committees, boards, etc.. When the middle school called me on my cell one day during a meeting, I answered. My heart raced cause I could only think that Logan had done something or was hurt. They invited me to a meeting instead. I said yes. I didn't listen for anything other than time and date. So today I had no idea what I was attending. Was I playing the role of parent or RSCC rep? And obviously I didn't catch where it was to be caused I showed up at the wrong place. My ADHD had definitely kicked in. I finally made it to the right place. And they fed me Chick-fil-A, so all's good.

I'd like my hour back, please...

Today's my late day. On Tuesdays, I go in at 10 and leave at 6:30. I always have good intentions on Tuesday mornings. Get up at my regular time, spend little extra time in prayer, sort some laundry and get a load in, make Logan a good breakfast, and after getting him to school head to the track or treadmill. Had the same goals today, but it just didn't happen for me. It was just soooo dark this morning. It was a perfect sleep in morning. I got up just 15 minutes later, but I still didn't get anything done. When Logan and I left, I grabbed my iPod just in case it felt warm enough outside to go to the track. It felt fine. Possibility of running outside motivated me a little. But on the way to school, the windshield wipers were needed... :( So treadmill here I come. However, when I got back, I just couldn't do it. I'm wishing I'd just slept an extra hour and forgot about it.

Before I left for work, I grabbed my iPod and sneakers just in case I felt up to a walk at lunchtime. Weather is suppose to be nice this afternoon.. I may just drive to the park, stare at the track a minute and then take a nap in my car instead... :)

An epiphany of a 13 year old

Recently, Logan had an epiphany :).. You see, when Logan was at Fellowship he made great grades. Always had straight A's. Never really studied. His first year at public school (6th grade), was a little different. I must say my kids had no study skills and knew nothing about taking notes from lectures. They learned a lot at Fellowship, but with the ACE curriculum there was no need for these two skills. (Well studying, but it was a different kind). Anyway, in 6th and 7th grade, he managed to pull A's, B's and an occasional C.



8th grade started out a little different. My once quiet, shy little boy, became a teenager and a social butterfly. He is still not a big talker, but he was 'having fun' (to quote his teacher). His first progress report was terrible. So bad that for the first time, I went to a parent/teacher conference. Little advice, go early. That place was packed. I only got to talk to one teacher before it was over. I picked the right one. She showed me his test from that day, a 44. Had he studied? Not that I knew of; I didn't even know he had a test. Needless to say, he lost a lot of privileges that evening. ...



Because he took a pre-algebra class his 7th grade year, he qualified for Algebra I. It will count as his high school credit if he passes with an 85 or better. Well let me tell you, that was not starting out too great. We began spending time at the kitchen table studying algebra. It felt like Alyssa's freshman year all over again.. (She had a teacher with a degree in agriculture that year and I taught her each evening that semester). Then all of a sudden, Logan figured out how to study. He brought his book home (amazing, I know), worked sample problems, and listened to my teaching. (Mom doesn't always do problems the same way the teacher does). He came home with..... drum roll, please... a 104!!!! The next to highest in the class. AMAZING!!! Here's were the epiphany comes in... and I quote, "You know there is something to this studying. I always thought people who made good grades were just smart."



Two weeks ago he had another test. He studied really hard. Then, snow - no school. Studied again.. then, snow - no school. Studied again. I asked him every day how he did. Teacher took forever to grade... Then yesterday I asked and he said in a real sad voice, "The lowest score was a 22" (pause) "The highest was a 95." I said, 'You made a 95, right?" He said, grinning like a opossum, "How'd you know?"



Oh and that 104 - it's still hanging on his mirror. I think he's liking this good grades thing...:)

To Blog or not to Blog...

So, I've been following/reading/stalking a few blogs for a while now... To say that I'm overwhelmed by some would be an understatement. I can honestly say there are some that I totally feel God's leading in reading their blog. Our lives are different. Our paths may never cross. Yet somehow their words have spoken to me. They have challenged me - to read my Bible more - to tell others about Jesus - and oh, how much they've challenged me to teach my kids more about God and his will for their lives.

My kids are teenagers now. Big decisions are looming in their near futures. Alyssa will be graduating from high school next year. Logan will enter high school this fall. Have I taught them to seek God's will? Have I demonstrated the power of prayer? What it's like to depend on Jesus? Have I prayed as I should for their future mate? Have I prayed Numbers 6:24 - 26 over them?The doubts, the questions... they can overwhelm me at times.

I'm not a scrapbooker.. much to the dismay of my sister. She has bought me supplies, invited me to scrapbooking conferences, encouraged me, but I just can't do it. I have 2 books started. I wished I had fell in love with scrapbooking when my kids were babies. Maybe I'd be more inclined. I just didn't and I'm not...

I don't journal... I have before, but not regularly. I do, however, get on my computer most everyday (w/ exception of Saturdays which are usually spent sorting through the piles of laundry, lugging around a vacuum and dancing with a mop).

Enough with this rambling... I may give this blogging a chance. I'd like to chronicle my days with my kiddos over their last and first days of high school. I'd like to record words spoken to me through his Word. I definitely won't blog just for others enjoyment cause that is likely not to happen. I don't have quick wit moments, although, crazy things seem to happen to me on a regular basis. But I'll give it a try..