Dentist time for Maddie, Wes and I today.  Always so much fun!  Tyler took his math books and The Number Devil and entertained himself the entire time we were there!  He also taught us many things about Fibonacci numbers, number triangles, etc. He was also asking me to teach him how to add fractions with different denominators and to multiply three and four digit numbers.

When we got home, we decided to eat lunch and do some reading and schoolwork.  Mary Madison had to babysit for a couple of hours at 1:15 pm and then reminded me that we needed sketch pads for Homeschool co-op tomorrow.  In the middle of that, we got a call from Tom that he had to take the car to be fixed so off we went to pick him up.

Maddie had soccer practice so after that, I was very ready for some yoga and Bible time.  One of the most beautiful things I've found is that God always gives me some time for studying his Word, if I just ask him to show me. 

Lord thanks for time with you, time with the kids, and time to see how much my children will learn all on their own. Their questions, thought processes, and amazing creations are always reminders of how creative you are.  Please, Lord, unleash your creativity in my life.

Today's workout:  WHFN Push Pull (yay, some heavy weights again)
PM Yoga:  YfSR, Easing Neck and Shoulder Tension

Some days it's just so much fun to see what the kids come up with~and other days it's a struggle to get them to stay on task.  Today was a little of both worlds.

Wes and Maddie had no trouble with their invention reports.  Maddie chose Beatrice Kenner, an African-American woman who had at least 5 patents.  She was truly amazing.  Tyler was dawdling terribly and finally chose to write about a kid who came up with an edible spoon for wet cat food so she wouldn't have to clean the spoon off, that was too funny~and true.

Finally everyone settled down to Math, piano, etc.  Wes and Tyler are reading The Number Devil, a story about a kid who hates math.  It's filled with humor AND advanced math concepts.  Ty especially can't put it down~and Wes wants him to give it back to him.

After piano, Dollar General for Tom, and the Thrift Bread store, we finally got home for an hour or so before church.  Ty went to church with Garrison, his homeschool buddy, and had a great time.  He was pretty happy because he missed chili night at church~and he hates chili!

As I sat on the kids' piano teacher's porch during their lessons, I studied my Bible study lesson on the power of God.  You know, in Ephesians Paul says that the same power that raised Christ from the dead is at work in us.  Can you imagine?  When is the last time you prayed not just for God to give you strength but to give you power, to unleash that power through you?  I want to pray that~and often.  I don't want to just make it through life but to see God's power working through me to reach other people out there who are dying without him.  How about you?  Wanna pray that prayer with me?  Who knows what we can start?  What serendipities we can experience?  I for one want to find out.

Today's workout:  Powerfit Harmony Cardio, Move it!; WHFN Floor Burn
PM Yoga:  YfSR, Neck and Back Tension, passive stretch.  That was so wonderful I could seriously have fallen asleep on my mat.  Aahhhh.....

What I'm reading:  Becoming a Vessel of God's Power, Donna Partow (I think this will be the Bible study I begin leading with a small group of women next month).

It's so nice to get up and have such cool temps when I walk Rocky.  I don't know who was sassier today, the dog or me~just kidding. 

After the kids and I got some chores done, we headed out to the library. We picked up some books for the next couple of weeks special homeschool focus and they got some things they're wanting to look at.  Tyler's latest interest is books on card games; Wes is into learning more about C++ computer programming, which I know NOTHING about; Maddie is into fall crafts.

When we got home, individual work was quickly done on math and then the kids began looking at 20th century inventors.  Wes chose the man who invented the TV and Maddie and Ty kept their choices quiet.  I'll find out tomorrow when their two paragraphs on the inventor's life and invention are given to me.

This afternoon we had to be outdoors so we read on the porch, walked the dogs again, etc.  Now we're gearing down for a night of Wes' scouts and then some relaxation.

Today's workout:  WHFN Flexposture~55 minutes of pilates, yoga, and barefoot cardio
PM Yoga: Ruah Warrior, yoga stretch and savasana (relaxation pose, one of my favorites!!)

You probably notice I don't post much over the weekend.  I just get busy with other things and don't make it a priority.  But that doesn't mean things aren't happening or we aren't learning all the time.

This weekend Ty went on a camp out with his Weeblos pack from early Saturday morning until Sunday afternoon.  It was the first time he was old enough to go without a parent and he had a BLAST!

Maddie and Wes went to help pack up food packets with Tom and the rest of the youth and they got to see some Christian bands play~including House of Thomas, the band from our River of Life Mission Trip retreat.  Wes and his friend Josh have a relationship with the drummer, Brandon~they "talk" to him frequently on Facebook, etc.  So, he got them up on stage to dance with another band and they got free T-shirts.  Wes is usually so reserved, I'd have given anything to see that.

Yesterday was usual church stuff and a Children's Council meeting in the evening.  Tom has Charge Conference on Wednesday and an all day District Meeting today that has been hosted at our church, as the District Supt. asked him to do this.  I will be so relieved on Thursday when he can relax and take a day off!

Today we did the normal work in our Comprehensive and Math Books and Test prep stuff.  It was raining early but I got a walk in with Rocky between storms and now it's sunny.  After lunch, we watched the last Universe of the season, on the future demise of the Sun.  We discussed nuclear fusion and the possibilities to harness it, solar power and how vital it is to life, and how we can see God in all things, even when others can't.  The kids just can't believe it's a coincidence that the earth just "happens" to be in the habital zone of the Solar System, with just the right minerals, pressure, atmosphere, and all the zillions of other things that make our planet able to sustain life.

You know, the Bible discusses this. It says in the first chapter of Romans God leaves his fingerprints throughout nature. Paul discusses how things we see so clearly are "foolishness" to those without the Holy Spirit because they must be spiritually discerned. 

Father, enable me to never worry about what the experts say but to totally lean on the Holy Spirit to to teach me all truth.  Like the sky after the rain, things are crystal clear only when you hold back the curtain of human confusion and flood us with your Sonlight.

Saturday's workout:  Leslie Sansone 2 mile Nutrisystem Woman's Walk
PM Yoga:  10 Minute Solution Yoga Relaxation section

Sunday's workout:  Rest day
PM Yoga:  Yoga for Stress Relief, Serenity in Stillness

Today's workout:  WHFN Fitprime Lean
PM Yoga:  YfSR Letting Go of your Day

What I'm reading:  Finishing Max Lucado and Eat the Cookie, Wear the Shoes

We had our first homeschool co-op for the year and the kids enjoyed it a lot.  Maddie and Wes had courses in Drawing, Theater, Old Testament Battles and PE. Ty's courses included Drawing, Manners, Christmas in other Countries, and PE.  It was good to see the other families again and the kids made some new friends, especially Wes!!

The biggest praise I have for the day is that our weather should be changing soon. We're supposed to be in the mid 90s again tomorrow~for soccer games, oh joy~but then slip into the upper 70s and low 80s for the next 10 days at least.  I'm so excited to see that change coming.

And, I'm grateful for some alone time that I'll get tomorrow. Tyler is leaving early in the morning for an overnight scout trip and Wes, Maddie and Tom will be gone from mid-afternoon until bedtime at a youth event.  Thanks God for the small gifts of stillness, cool weather. 

Tyler and I were talking today about how God will never change how much he loves us because of our behavior.  That's a really hard concept for a 10 year old to grasp but to be honest, it is often hard for me too~because everything in our society is based on how we look, perform, act, etc. 

So today, I am grateful to God that he is the same and will never change.  And I encourage you to spend some time thinking on that aspect of his character~I know that when we get even a tiny glimpse of that settled deep in our hearts, every minute of our lives will become serendipitous.

Today's Workout:  10 Minute Solution Knockout Body, Jessica Smith
PM Yoga:  10 Minute Solution for Beginners, Stress Relief Yoga

I'm so glad Tom will be home tonight!  There's just something so good about knowing I'm not the only one here with all the responsibility~plus I plain 'ole missed him.

Today I gave the kids chores to do since we have co-op tomorrow.  On the one hand, I'm glad for them to spend time with other homeschooled kids~and get some really great classes.  Tyler will study drawing, Christmas around the World, PE and Manners.  Maddie and Wes will study drawing, theater, Old Testament Heroes, and PE.  But, I hate that it is on Friday now since Tom is off then and we enjoy being with him. We'll be there from 9 to 12:30 so we'll see how that works.

Back to the chores.  Maddie cleaned the kitchen counters and mopped the floor while Ty cleaned the bathroom counters and toilet.  Wes swept the floors really well.  The also did their regular math and grammar, etc.  I had to go to the store and also got a GREAT pair of nice jeans at Ross for $12.  I love Ross and TJ Maxx!!

After getting my workout in (my longest for the week, glad that's done) I ran to the bank for Tom and am now getting dinner before Maddie has soccer practice.  I also have to sub for a woman teaching the drawing class (I need my brother, I can't draw a straight line!) so I need to get ready for that.

Today as I read my usual Bible texts ( I read through the Bible in a year each year, using different Bibles and versions) I slowed down and prayed back texts and ideas to the Lord.  It was such a sweet time with him.  Father, please help me to slow down. With all the busy things we have to do, it's so easy to make you an item on my checklist. Never let me do that~but to know that every second I spend soaking in the beauty of who you are is more important than anything else I'll ever do.  And I need to dress myself daily in your armor to be prepared for the tasks you have for me.  That armor truly fits me like a glove~even better than a new pair of jeans. 

Today's workout:  Firm Super Cardio
Tonight's Yoga:  10 Minute Solution Quick Sculpt Pilates, Standing Section
                             10 Minute Solution Yoga for Beginners, Balance and Flexibility section.  I'm doing a focus on balance along with some friends on my Barefoot and on the Mat checkin at VF.

Tom is out of town today and tomorrow at a preacher's overnight thing. The kids and I got up and it was raining, so I took Rocky on a quick walk and we fed the beasts, lol.(Lest you worry about the poor guy, the sun came out about 11 am and he got his usual, longer walk).

After breakfast we studied the chemistry behind why the leaves change~chlorophyll and other chemical reactions. I had no idea that the orange, red, yellow, or brown colors are always "there" , so to speak~they're just masked by the green chlorophyll. The kids found it very interesting that the trees need to convert things to sugar to function. "See, mom~everyone loves sugar." Typical kids!!!

We also learned that the leaves are their prettiest when the fall days are sunny and dry, and the nights are cool and dry. Well, if that continues to be the case here as fall progresses, we should have some pretty leaves.

The kids all painted some trees and leaves, even Wes. It's fun to see how differently the interpreted the project. And I love that Wes gets to do things that he couldn't in school~and doesn't think he's too old for them.

We also discussed paragraph topic sentences and all three had to write about "My most embarrassing moment." Pretty funny stuff.

This afternoon Maddie and Tyler and I went to piano. It was Ty's first lesson and the piano teacher was really impressed~she says he seems to have a good grasp of things already. He practiced before and after the lesson, so I think he'll like it.

We also had to run errands to the Bread Thrift store, library, etc. We're getting ready to leave for our church dinner and program~at least I don't have to cook while Tom is gone.

Today I was reading about the importance of obedience. This is a topic God is dealing with me on as Tom preached on it during Sunday's sermon, and the UMW meeting discussed it last night. So, I leave you with this thought, that speaks volumes to me: If we are to be faithful with much, we must be faithful with what we have...and right where we are. In the words a Steve Green song, "Oh may all who come behind us find us faithful." Especially my family, Lord.

Today's workout: The Firm Maximum Body Shaping
PM Workout: Yoga for Stress Relief, Tight Hip section