A Change of Heart, A Change of Seasons~

I suppose I have enjoyed my Labor Day holiday, as I did not "labor" over my blog or FB page,lol!  It was nice having Mark and the boys home for a short vacation before we really get our noses down to the grindstone with school .  They are laboring at the dining table right now over their reading,  today's subject is the Atomic Age.  This was a harder subject to explain ,than I thought.  We don't really let them watch violent television, or play violent video games.  They get along really well together, and very seldom ever fight.  They've only ever come to blows maybe twice in their whole lives.  So it's really hard to explain the whole concept of war, and nuclear bombs and all that.  I mean , their whole attitude was , "How can something be so bad that you have to use nuclear bombs on someone else?  Why didn't they just try to talk to one another?  Did their moms not make them work it out?!?".  Oh , if only the world saw it that way ! I explained the best I could, although I 'm sure they still don't really understand.  And maybe that's not a bad thing.  Maybe we could all take a step backward in time, and say,  "Is it really that bad?  Or could we maybe work it out by talking to each other?".  I hope everyone had a great holiday weekend, and is enjoying their day so far today.  We've maybe got a little taste of fall going on today.......feels good doesn't it? I so love this time of year!  The change in the seasons reminds me that God can always change our hearts!

Rivers, Recess, and Realizations~

Have had a great day so far!  I just have to say, I think one of the greatest things about home schooling is that flexibility that comes with it.  This morning was special in that , we did our first half of school work, then we went to Riverside for "recess", and now we'll do the other half of school.  I made a new friend , I think, this week.  She homeschools , and I had known , as they say  here in the South, "of her", and knew who she was, but we had never really had occasion to get together, til now. She has a boy about the age of our two, and he was hankerin' for some "boy" company, as he has sisters, bless his heart!  We took him and his mom on our recess trip, and I think everybody just had a good time.  I sure enjoyed visiting with another home school mom, and the boys were hugely excited to have a new friend.  It's always a blessing to meet someone else who believes as you do, and that you have a lot in common with. I realize that some people think that homeschooled children are "unsocialized", but I don't find that true.  Maybe they don't socialize in the same ways, as a lot of their interactions take place with adults instead of children, but that's not entirely a bad thing, I don't think.    I do realize that everyone does need friends, and people that they can relate to.  But, I AM super-picky about what and who I let influence them, so I don't just say , "Sure. Go hang out with those people.",  or "Yes, you may sleep over at so and so's ," if I don't KNOW what kind of people they are.  That's not being judgmental, that's practicing safe parenting.  I realize, too, that it's always better to be safe than sorry, about things like that.  I don't think I have to worry about the boys growing up to be hermits, or anything like that, though.  The boy we met today seems like a good kid, and his mom is doing an awesome job with him and his sisters.  I'm glad I was able to visit with her, and hope the boys and I both have found a new friend!

Ruby Jeanette

Multi-Tasking~

Well, everyone, I think I am to be congratulated!  We just finished our first school day, and it went off without a hitch.  Oh, we had a little bit of the "Oh, man .  Math again?", grumbling, but basically it was great. My 12 year old gathered up his books, and said ,"Alright, let's get smart!"  .  Loved it.  So we've got Algebra this year , which he didn't mind, but my 10 year old was not sure about still.  English , Science, History, Art, Astronomy, History of Inventions, (every boys dream subject!) Bible, and Handwriting.  I am also trying (emphasis on trying), to teach myself a little bit of Spanish until I can afford the Rosetta Stone program.  Although, I must say, trying to learn Spanish pronunciation, while teaching Algebra, might not be the best way to try to multi-task.  Note to self , save Spanish for after finding the value of "X".  Anyway , all in all , a great day, so I'm charting this one with a big smiley face!  Hope you all are having a great day, and may you never stop learning!

Ruby Jeanette

Give a LIttle, Get a Lot! ~

So enjoyed the missionary , Brother Kerry Mauldin tonight at Harvest Time Assembly.  Great message , of "Being 24 Karat for Jesus".  Enjoyed seeing all the faces of my friends also.  Got a lot of hugs , and GAVE a lot of hugs.  Hugs can never be overrated, you know.  I am a hugs person.  I think in this internet age, sometimes we lose that value of human contact.  And a hug is NOT a sexual overture, so keep your minds out of the gutter please, lol! Seriously, I've hugged family , friends, small children , large dogs, old people , young people, even complete strangers! There is medical science to back up hugs, too.  Being hugged increases the "feel-good" hormone , oxytocin, (Not oxycontin, hugs don't jack you up like that, lol) it decreases the level of the stress hormone , cortisol (this hormone causes your body to retain fat, by the way) , and hugs have been proven to improve your blood pressure and heart health!  Church is a great place to get and GIVE hugs!  I notice sometimes that some people just seem down , or seem to be having a bad day, so I break out my secret weapon, HUGS!  One hug can provide enough benefit to last an entire day, so why not? In short , people who give and receive hugs , are skinnier, happier, less stressed , and live longer!  Beat that , pharmaceutical industry!  :) 


Long live the HUG! ~ Ruby Jeanette

Added Ingredient~

Story related to me by my Dad today........
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When he was younger , they used to go to a place where you could get fresh spring water.  I believe he said they called it Cherry Springs, not sure if this was at Dierks or one of the other numerous places he lived as a boy.  He said there was a natural spring there, and it kind of made like a small pond or lake, and everyone used to bring their buckets, jars, and jugs to get the wonderful water.  Someone had covered it with kind of a little shed, and so it was really nice.  Dad said one day they gathered all their buckets and jugs, and went to get their water.  Only when they arrived, there was a hobo swimming in the spring!  Daddy said the man was incredibly dirty and was just having a big old time washing off in everyone's drinking water.  Daddy told me every time after that he couldn't help but think about "reckon had that hobo been in there ?", when they went to get water, and that pretty much killed his hankering for any spring water!

1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 3 and 0 equals 2 ? ~

One RV. One boat. One Grandpa. One Daddy. One bucket of crawdaddys.  One lake.  Three fishing poles.  Zero fish.  Cold barbeque loaf sandwiches, and cold pop. Add this all together and, the sum is two exhausted,  sunburned, giddy little boys.  Thanks to my mom, dad and husband for making two boys very happy today! 

Turn the Knob~

God can grant you a merry heart!

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Are you your own biggest stumbling block?  I realize there has been a lot of "positive thinking" gobbledy gook going around.  I want to clarify something here for my blog.  I believe in positive thinking.  But , not in the sense that ,"All I need is the right attitude and thoughts , and all will be well. "  The positive thinking that the world uses is basically a New Age philosophy, of line the mind up and the body will follow.  This is not a Christian concept.  The Bible tells us that , "As a man thinketh in his heart so is he."  And "A merry heart doeth good like a medicine, but a broken spirit drieth the bones.  "  Also, "In everything give thanks. "  This is the kind of positive thinking I am trying to promote.  Not the ,"I can 'think' my way better."  That being said , the thoughts we think DO have a huge impact on our well-being.  I can be feeling physically well, and start having a bad day, and my brain gets stuck on the negative repeat button, and soon I won't be feeling physically well anymore.  I can also be feeling very physically ill, and if I can get my mind wrapped around something other than how I feel in my body, I will start to feel some better.  But this is a mechanism that God has built into our bodies, not something that our own minds can conjure. So the next time you find yourself having a physically, emotionally, or mentally painful day,  check your thoughts........if you're hung on negative repeat, find something funny, uplifting, or even silly, and ask God to help you change the channel in your brain!