A Little Encouragement We All Need to Hear

First go spend time with your babies, then read this blog post from Girl Talk.

Our Father's Care For His Children

Everyone's talking about budgeting and saving money. We are not the experts, but we do try to joyfully live within our means. This week we could not, no matter how hard we tried. Here's what went down:

First, our ever-faithful '92 Cadillac DeVille broke down on the way to Devin's work. $500 to get it back up and running. But, hey, that's better than a $400 a month car payment, right? And we can tighten our belt for one month, no problem.

Then our van had to go in for a routine maintenance check-up. Unfortunately, they found many things that needed replacing, and almost none of it was covered under our factory or special extended warranties. They were just regular stuff like shocks, brakes, and filters. Over $1,000 later, we had our van back. Gulp. That was a big one.

Then comes the unbelievable part.

2 parents sent in tuition checks for Devin's homeschooling class over 4 months overdue, totalling $475. If we had received them on time, they easily would have been spent on Christmas joy.

Then the anonymous envelopes started coming in. (Thank you whoever you are!) $100 gift card to Target, $20 gift card to Starbucks (yum!), $160 in cash.

Devin tutored an hour after school-$25. Ok, how much is that now? $780. Whoa.

Then we received $80 to a fancy restaurant and free babysitting as a wonderful thank you from his mock trial team. And free movie tickets came in the mail from some kind of airline rewards program from 2001.

All this week; I'm not joking. And to my recollection, I only told one person about our car issues.

Equally amazing things are happening with the school. I wish I could say more, but I will later.

I shouldn't be surprised but I am. God has done this over and over again in our lives. But for some reason, I am so forgetful. Like the Israelites in the wilderness, I complain about food and drink after the Lord has parted the Red Sea for me!

The reason I've been this specific is to bring God the glory by remembering His goodness to His children. Financially, times are tough for many of us. But, like Devin told me last week, "God owns the Cadillacs on a thousand hills." Whatever trials you might be going through, He will not leave you alone, not for one second. Be encouraged.

I look forward to hearing your stories. Soli Deo Gloria!

Happy Birthday, Tiny Dancer, Part Three

Geneva:

Abby's pal
Buggy Girl
Child of God
Daddy's Sweetheart
Energizer Bunny
Friend to anyone
Gum chewer
Hallelujah Singer
Itty Bitty
Jesus Lover
Kissable Kisser
Lovely Little Lady
Mommy's Sunshine
Night...
Owl
Pink Blanket Carrier
Queen of the Trees
Ready Helper
Shoe Collector
Tiny Dancer
Unique Dresser

Van Passenger

Wonderful Gift of God
Xander's cousin
Yoda's Light Saber Battler
Zillion Blessing Bringer

Check out the New Do!

My dear friend Kat blessed me yesterday with a sassy new haircut. And even better, I got to sit and fellowship with her for two hours. Check out the results on her blog.

Thanks so much, Kat!

Happy Birthday, Tiny Dancer, Part Two

Abby is always such a great helper. On Geneva's birthday, she decided to help fix the decorations on her birthday cake. Abby did a great job, didn't she? I don't think she was very confident in her decorating abilities, though. As you can see, she's trying to make a quick get-away off the table before I find out what she's been up to.

Happy Birthday Tiny Dancer, part 1

 

The third birthday is a very important one in the Smith household.  On this special day, the birthday child receives their first piece of gum.  Geneva had waited for this moment for months.  So what gum did we choose for her very first?  Bubble Tape, of course!

"Homeschoolers Are Some of the Best Friends the Taxpayer Has"

As a homeschooling mother as well as one of the founders of a Christian private school, I get into some really interesting discussions with people about the state of education in America today. I have heard the argument that homeschooling and private schools take funds away from needy public schools through the loss of potential students.

This article came from the Home School Legal Defense newsletter I just received today. I think it articulates the answer to this argument very clearly:

Homeschoolers Get Blamed, Again

On January 22, a committee of the Rapid City School Board implied that homeschoolers were to blame for the school system losing thousands of dollars in funding. Just six days later, the Clear Lake Courier blamed homeschoolers for the loss of $41,000 in school funding.

When homeschoolers are wrongly accused of creating financial problems for public school systems, it’s time to respond. HSLDA attorney Scott A. Woodruff sent the following letter to the editor to the Clear Lake Courier:

Dear Editor:

By leaving the blame for the school system losing $41,981 at the door of area homeschoolers, your recent article, “Students and aid lost from open enrollment,” encourages your readership to think that homeschoolers are the problem.

But it’s perfectly logical to reduce a school’s funding when it serves fewer students. If there are fewer students, the school needs less money.

The question that then remains is: “Since the opportunity to serve someone is a privilege, not an entitlement, what does the school plan to change to reduce the erosion of confidence among area families?” That’s the $41,000 question that went unasked and therefore unanswered in your article.

Next time the Clear Lake Courier talks about schools “losing” money because of homeschoolers, please mention how much homeschoolers save the taxpayer by educating their children at their own expense—not the taxpayers’. Homeschoolers are some of the best friends the taxpayer has.

Sincerely,
Scott A. Woodruff, Esq.

Crazy Hair Night

Last Thursday was Aiden's Awana club's crazy hair night. Jonathan was invited by buddy Rylan to join in the fun. I used this opportunity to give the kids a great spring buzz. And for the first time in their lives, the boys were actually excited about getting a haircut. Hmmm...maybe I should just call their haircut sessions "crazy hair night" from now on. ;)

Here are a few shots from the first haircut session, before Awana. Aiden was super excited because it is the reverse of cousin Jorden's awesome mohawk. He wanted me to leave it like that!

Nek-kid Spaghetti

It is a Smith family tradition to eat spaghetti sans clothes from the waist up....ummm....I mean only the kids!

Yes, there has been a bit of a lag time between posts these days. Expect new posts in rapid fire progression this week...including Geneva b-day pics!